Propaganda versus Truth

For I heard the defaming of many, fear on every side. Report, say they, and we will report it. All my familiars watched for my halting, saying, Peradventure he will be enticed, and we shall prevail against him, and we shall take our revenge on him. (Jeremiah 20:10)

As someone who trained in a media school and worked in a media house, I can conclusively say that propaganda is a very key element of any warfare. More wars are won through propaganda than through the actual battle, only that it is in the interests of the ‘winner’ to downscale the part it played.

Most people who are old enough can remember the gulf war. I was then in the media and followed the news from all international media houses and was conversant with what was happening then.

The first thing is that Saddam tricked the allies as to the locations of his strategic positions. They therefore ended up bombing enough decoys (imagine bombing carton after carton thinking they are bunkers and army positions and armories!) until they almost gave up when the truth came out. Of course technology then was not as advanced as it is today.

But they came on top when they played a worse game on him. They exaggerated their preparedness and strategy for their grand approach to the point that Saddam believed and posted the best of his army to defend that position when they were planning their attack on a completely different front. They therefore invaded a front that was undefended as the focus had been shifted elsewhere through propaganda (mainly media). No wonder they won the battle so quickly.

What am I saying? The Bible calls us an army, an army whose captain is the Lord Jesus Christ.

This means that we have an enemy who stands against everything our captain represents.

Our victory or defeat is thus subject to our connectedness to our captain because as the King of kings He can never be defeated. We can’t therefore claim poor leadership on His side as He already won those battles on the cross for us.

The key plank for our defeat is listening to the enemy’s propaganda instead of our Lord’s command. This is because the devil knows us enough to know that our allegiance to the voice of our King is inversely proportional to the propaganda we hear from his side. We can shout all we can about our seriousness with our Lord when we spend our waking hours listening to the enemy.

What do I mean? We spend more time on propaganda then on the truth. And I know you are wondering what I mean.

Well, how much actual time do you spend with heaven in your day? Most will spend a few minutes in prayer so that God can cover our day with the blood (which is the first propaganda item we have swallowed completely) then we will pick a few favorite verses to lift our hearts (to make us feel nice is more like it), then we will start our day convinced that the Lord is on our side. (I have addressed the issue of the blood in an earlier post ‘Blood Abuse’. You can search the blog for it)

We will then switch on the radio or TV and swallow enough poison from mammon to completely obliterate even the little of God we deceived ourselves to have gotten. And I am not only talking about secular media as I do not see much difference when I go to the ‘Christian’ media because the rules are the same. Many are selling this or the other and others have gone into real estate. It is only that they play ‘Christian’ songs, some which are blasphemous or a plain display of spiritual illiteracy.

Of course we must follow the news which is the prime propaganda item from hell. We will pick the radio and TV news and then spend so much time digesting the newspapers for comprehensive analyses of the same.

Is it any wonder then that our prayers are more defensive than offensive? Does it surprise us when our fellowships dwell on what the devil is doing and how we must and can bind him? Does it amaze us that we have become the opposite of what Christ meant in Matthew 16:18?

We listen to propaganda from hell more than we listen to our captain, if at all we listen to Him. This means that he is the one placing us wherever he wills to accomplish whatever victory he desires. He has started even playing his game from our pulpits as I mentioned in the post ‘Of Gates and Offense’. It is sad that he even teaches us to fight him.

Do we know the voice of our Captain? Can we distinguish it from any other voice? Do we hear it when He is issuing orders or are we more responsive to releases from the other side? Do we know what heaven is planning or are we clearer about what scheme of the evil one has been released? Are we doing heaven’s bidding or hitting back at hell’s activity?

Let me mention one thing in passing. There is this burning issue of the corruption of the Bible. Have you ever suspected it to be propaganda from hell to stop God’s people from reading the Bible? Yet page after page is printed and broadcast after broadcast is made for the single purpose of proving that this or the other passage has been removed or added to the Bible.

Is God that weak? If for many people across history it took only one verse, or even a portion of a verse to turn the direction of their life, why do we suppose that removing or doctoring this or the other verse would remove the potency of the Bible? If God does use the Quran which was written to destroy Christianity as it pushes doctrines totally opposed to the faith we believe to lead a Muslim to faith in Christ, what makes us think that removing begotten from John 3:16 makes the Bible something else? If many people came to faith in Christ after picking a shred of a tract with only one legible verse, what makes us think that removing 10 000 verses from the Bible stops it from being the word of God.

Now do not for one moment suppose that I support adulterating the word of God. I am more militant than most about the same. But it is propaganda to suppose that adulterating the word is equivalent to emasculating the one who released it. I know enough about God and His word to openly confess that a person who faithfully reads the Jehovah’s Witness Bible is infinitely better than the one who does not read the Bible for fear of consuming corruption.

Warning people against whichever Bible also places us at a very dangerous position. We become the voice of God. We become gatekeepers to His abode. Is our faith so small that we fear that God will run away from someone holding a corrupted Bible?

But it is even worse. We actually make ourselves the Holy Spirit who guides to all truth. And we will not even feel guilty. Can the Holy Spirit not lead the person seeking God to the truth? Again it is something I have seen. Someone growing in the knowledge of God is lead from a version with issues by God as they continue in their search for truth as opposed to looking for or fleeing from error.

My sheep hear my voice, and I know them, and they follow me: (John 10:27)

Is it in order when our voice becomes more prominent than the voice of the shepherd?

How do we get to know when God speaks? How do we distinguish His voice from other voices? What do we use to verify that it is His voice and not propaganda from wherever?

Do we hear when God speaks? How convinced are we that He has spoken when an imposter (many times called pastor of prophet) says so? What test o you have to establish the validity of the imposter or his message? Does God have to use intermediaries to speak to you? If that is so can it be accurate for you to be called His sheep?

Why do we become comfortable as sheep when our shepherd only speaks to us through proxies? How sure are we that those proxies are not being funded by and for the other side?

I am not trashing God using people and means to speak to us. Probably even as you read this He is speaking to you. He many times speaks to me through people. It is interesting that He has even used mad people to speak to me and this experience is not limited to me. He does and can use anybody and anything to accomplish His purpose or pass His message.

But we are deceived if we do not have a means of establishing the validity of those sources because we can very easily pick a spurious message or one directed to some other person and think that it is ours to our detriment. We might receive an order from the throne that is packaged by that broker and completely miss its direction.

That is why the Bible is replete with test this, test that, because God knows that we might completely miss His communication. But the worst part is that we could very easily pick propaganda from the other side. And we know that the other side is sending information incessantly to deceive.

Our faith depends on accurate communication with our source and headquarters. We can’t be praying properly when we are looking at the enemy when we are praying to God. We can’t be hearing right when we depend on other earthen vessels to hear.

One thing have I desired of the LORD, that will I seek after; that I may dwell in the house of the LORD all the days of my life, to behold the beauty of the LORD, and to enquire in his temple. (Psalm 27:4)

We are supposed to revel at the glory of our King as opposed to groaning as we look at the propaganda we are receiving from His enemy. We should get kicks out of feeding on that presence and glory that everything else fades. It is as we are enjoying that fellowship that we will hear very clearly when He speaks. Compare that with Isaiah 6. Isaiah saw, was cleansed, and then heard. I d not think there is a short cut to that.

How authentic is your hearing experience?

Of Grace and License

What shall we say then? Shall we continue in sin, that grace may abound? (Romans 6:1)

There is one recurring argument by many believers (sadly, ministers) when we challenge sin in the church or individual believers. Many are quick to push the argument that we are fronting a salvation by works doctrine. The implication is that if I challenge believers to deal with sin I am saying that Christ did nothing for our salvation or at best that what He did is not sufficient to guarantee it.

Some have become so offended by my constant brushes with sin in the Christian camp that they have come short of saying that those who challenge sin and inspire holiness are not saved. I suspect they fear to say so because they have not found any verse to even remotely support their position.

I hope I will be allowed to hit back at those accusers. But it is not for the sake of defending my position. I want people to stop fooling themselves with a comfortable yet Christless salvation when they think that grace covers immaturity and spiritual folly. Our mouths can be so full of grace and we end up in hell. Our lives can overflow with the miraculous and prophetic and we still miss the road to heaven. Otherwise explain what I call the most sobering and probably my most quoted verses in the Bible, Matthew 7: 21 – 23?

Do you realize that the driving theme of 1 Corinthians is sin and immaturity? Just read it soberly. Do you also realize that the recurring theme of Christ’s sermons was a falling short of God’s standards (which is what sin really is) and a showing of what those standards are (which is where righteousness or holiness leads)?

Get me a book in the New Testament that does not mention sin or address it in one way or the other. Just show me a book that does not address sin in the Bible and we can start talking.

Now I rejoice, not that ye were made sorry, but that ye sorrowed to repentance: for ye were made sorry after a godly manner, that ye might receive damage by us in nothing. For godly sorrow worketh repentance to salvation not to be repented of: but the sorrow of the world worketh death. (2Corinthians 7: 9, 10)

It is a fallacy to think that confronting sin demeans grace. If that is the truth then Christ was as removed from grace as the evil one. Otherwise tell me why He called people brood of vipers, white washed tombs and even told them that they were of their father the devil. Why did He address His closest disciple as satan (get behind me satan)?

Follow peace with all men, and holiness, without which no man shall see the Lord: (Hebrews 12:14)

If without holiness no man can see God, how can we even imagine that God does not care for what we do since grace has covered it all? Isn’t it deception to preach all these good things to people and neglect that holiness which is their key to seeing God?

For I say unto you, That except your righteousness shall exceed the righteousness of the scribes and Pharisees, ye shall in no case enter into the kingdom of heaven. (Matthew 5:20)

Is it in order to look the other side when sin is thriving under our spiritual care all in the name of Christ’s finished work? Are we leading people to heaven if we are not dealing with the obstacles to that destination?

But I want us to look at two main reasons that doctrine thrives. They are spiritual ignorance and immaturity. These are people guided by the externals. In other words they use the external to evaluate the internal. They use the material to evaluate the spiritual. And they use the temporal to evaluate the eternal.

What do I mean?

A miracle worker must be very spiritual according to their assessment irrespective of his character. He could be sleeping around with prostitutes yet in his performances release enough miracles and our spiritual infants will call him anointed.

I will just give one verse in response and probably add another one for effect.

For the gifts and calling of God are without repentance. (Romans 11:29)

To God starting well does not mean ending well. Another thing grace will tell us is that the gifting is not dependent on our performance and therefore performance has absolutely nothing to do with our relationship with Christ. A miracle is God doing His thing to draw people to Himself.

But there is another thing they overlook. The miraculous is not limited to God. Christ Himself warned us that there will be deceiving miracles from the other side.

For false Christs and false prophets shall rise, and shall shew signs and wonders, to seduce, if it were possible, even the elect. (Mark 13:22)

Could you be using someone sourcing his miracles from the other side as an example of grace?

The second thing I will mention is that there is a standard Jesus set for establishing who His servants were. And it kills the argument of these empty grace advocates.

Because strait is the gate, and narrow is the way, which leadeth unto life, and few there be that find it. Beware of false prophets, which come to you in sheep's clothing, but inwardly they are ravening wolves. Ye shall know them by their fruits. Do men gather grapes of thorns, or figs of thistles? Even so every good tree bringeth forth good fruit; but a corrupt tree bringeth forth evil fruit. A good tree cannot bring forth evil fruit, neither can a corrupt tree bring forth good fruit. (Matthew 7: 14 – 18)

Look at this also

And he exerciseth all the power of the first beast before him, and causeth the earth and them which dwell therein to worship the first beast, whose deadly wound was healed. And he doeth great wonders, so that he maketh fire come down from heaven on the earth in the sight of men, And deceiveth them that dwell on the earth by the means of those miracles which he had power to do in the sight of the beast; saying to them that dwell on the earth, that they should make an image to the beast, which had the wound by a sword, and did live. (Revelation 13: 12 – 14)

This is what Christ meant when He talked about fruit. Prophecies and miracles are a poor guide as they don’t all come from God. Running after miracles can very easily take us to the other source. Remember that even Pharaoh’s sorcerers were able to reproduce several miracles that Moses did?

Immaturity is simply the lack of capacity to accurately assess available facts to come to the right conclusion. A child can be kidnapped by being offered a very small and worthless tinklet. It might love the most worthless uncle or aunt because they bring sweet things and despise the one who spends their time guiding them since in their eyes he wastes their play time and offers nothing of value.

And it is not much different in the spiritual realm. A pastor who drives a big car may have stolen church money or coerced the church to buy it. But he is being looked at as a successful pastor simply because successful corporate magnates drive similar ones. A heretic with a mega church is treated as successful because of all these people he is leading to hell.

What do we use to assess what we call success or spirituality? What do we use to argue our beliefs?

I will never push a position that is not guided by the scriptures. And I do not want to argue with someone who uses commonsense and externals to argue their position. Do not push your argument if it does not have the complete support of the scriptures. Even your experience will be trashed if it comes to my argument without the proper backing of scripture.

And I will not stop confronting sin, even if it so offends you. Just go to the Bible to look for stones to throw back at me.

And I appreciate grace, probably more than you do. And grace keeps me from sin. In fact grace creates in me an allergy of sorts for sin. Sample this.

And hereby we do know that we know him, if we keep his commandments. He that saith, I know him, and keepeth not his commandments, is a liar, and the truth is not in him. But whoso keepeth his word, in him verily is the love of God perfected: hereby know we that we are in him. (1John 2: 3 – 4)

And

He that hath my commandments, and keepeth them, he it is that loveth me: and he that loveth me shall be loved of my Father, and I will love him, and will manifest myself to him. (John 14:21)

Then

My little children, these things write I unto you, that ye sin not…. (1John 2:1a) 

The presence of commandments means that they can be kept as well as broken. Fronting a grace that overlooks those commandments is in effect nullifying that grace and being a teacher of rebellion as were the prophets of Jeremiah’s time. And we know they were judged very harshly and directly by God Himself.

Christ calls us from bondage to freedom, but not the freedom to do our own thing. Look at this.

Come unto me, all ye that labour and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you, and learn of me; for I am meek and lowly in heart: and ye shall find rest unto your souls. For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light. (Matthew 11: 28 – 30)

He takes the burdensome yoke that we had but does not let us go free wherever we want. He gives us His yoke that is lighter, convenient, fulfilling. We are therefore free from doing wickedness and bound into doing righteousness. By the way that was the argument Christ was handling when He told the Jews that the devil was their father.

Being yoked to Christ offers greater freedom than any other freedom.

Let me give an example. A young person feels that they are grown up and therefore free to do adult things. They therefore resort to experimenting with sex that they were warned against all their life.

The exhilaration they get after experiencing that freedom may be compared with heaven in their narrow experience. But is that freedom?

A few years later that freedom becomes bondage worse than the confines of a prison cell. Even assuming they do not contract deadly STDs or cause or get pregnant, they have opened themselves up to a deadly pastime that will destroy their whole life because they have demolished the materials that make the foundation of a stable marriage and life. Worse still is that the experimenting will rarely stop when they get married, meaning that infidelity can almost be guaranteed. What kind of setting will they have for raising children?

Mark you I have taken the safest route, no diseases, no jealousies and fighting to be the only one, no discoveries of cheating which are all an assured consequence of sexual experimenting (in the Bible called fornication).

Compare them with this young one yoked to Christ and is therefore free from that experimentation because he is yoked to Christ’s commandments. These free youth may laugh at this yoked one like I was laughed at a lot in my youth for taking that yoke too seriously that I ran away from the ‘fun’ things and concentrated on the ‘dull’ life of walking with Christ (in their eyes). Yet many of them are now dead or look much older and the ones around now look at me with respect as they have come to see the reality of who really was free.

That is what Christ meant when He said we will know them by their fruit as fruit takes time to be produced.

But let me get to the weakest point of these free to do anything grace proponents. My experiences with them paint them as the ones with the least grace to offer. In other words they will judge others very harshly if they disappoint them – and they are very easily disappointed. What I am saying is that they do not mind people walking in sin, unless it touches them. Then they become porcupines.

They simply do not have any capacity to deal with what they profess. I have heard this statement many times from them. I will never deal with so and so for the disappointment they caused. Their grace is as narrow as their theology.

The one who knows grace as Christ offers it extends the same grace positively to others. He will never trash anyone as he is cognizant of the fact that the same grace is available for all. The drug addict, the alcoholic, the prostitute will find acceptance so that they can access the same grace. And the backslider especially will find that grace being extended so that he can be restored.

You see it is impossible to restore someone unless there is a standard one has fallen short of. The restoration is therefore a working toward that standard. And we also cannot talk about sin without a standard. That is the main problem with this doctrine I am refuting.

Of course growth is also not practical without a standard. There must be a goal one aims at. This explains why proponents of that doctrine have issues with Bible reading and study, especially challenging people toward that as there is no standard for growth or anything else.

I will close by quoting probably the only verses they quote, but add the verse that follows it.

For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God: Not of works, lest any man should boast. For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus unto good works, which God hath before ordained that we should walk in them. (Ephesians 2: 8 – 10)

Then

Wherefore, my beloved, as ye have always obeyed, not as in my presence only, but now much more in my absence, work out your own salvation with fear and trembling. For it is God which worketh in you both to will and to do of his good pleasure. (Philippians 2: 12, 13)

Worthless Worthship

And the king said unto Araunah, Nay; but I will surely buy it of thee at a price: neither will I offer burnt offerings unto the LORD my God of that which doth cost me nothing. So David bought the threshingfloor and the oxen for fifty shekels of silver. (2Samuel 24:24)

This is a verse that has been preached threadbare, especially when a pastor is looking to raise money for one or the other indulgence.

But today I want to slam the same verse on ministers, I of course being one of them.

What is your investment to the ministry you are reaping from? What kind of cost have you paid to enjoy all those goodies you continue to receive?

But I want us to go deeper. According to our definition of worship (mark you, not the Bible’s), do we qualify to be called worshippers? Again how much have we invested in that worship?

I have severally raised the issue of singing (what we now call worship) and the reality that very few singers have any connection to the God they presume to worship. I want to give my theory as to why this is so.

We are offering worship that costs us nothing in the spiritual realm. We pour all our sacrifice on the human aspect (voice, diction, rhyme, instruments) and forget that it is possible to excel in all that and not worship. Otherwise secular musicians would also be called worshippers (though they actually are, only that they worship other gods). We therefore could be worshipping those other gods when the externals guide our worship.

I know some are burning within, wishing that I was within reach that they could hit me, or worse. But just maintain your cool. I will explain why I am saying this.

When was the last time you attended a worship event or service where all the songs were new, composed by the ones leading the worship? And I am not talking about a launch of this or the other since that is purely business. Again rule out functions with an entry fee as they have blocked some from the ‘worship’ using unbiblical means.

As someone who sang and played instruments I will say this authoritatively as that is what the Bible plainly teaches. And it is that any authentic relationship must have effective communication. Many times in our relationship with God the communication on our side will be new songs. And by new songs I do not mean those that we have never heard before or those that have been released recently. I mean songs that come from our hearts through our mouths to God in praise and prayer. That is what worship in song should mean.

And he hath put a new song in my mouth, even praise unto our God: many shall see it, and fear, and shall trust in the LORD. (Psalm 40:3)

But that song does not come about because we have trained our voices and can play skillfully on instruments. It comes about because we are in God’s presence. We sing because that is the best we can do in that presence. It is simply an overflow of that communication and fellowship.

One thing have I desired of the LORD, that will I seek after; that I may dwell in the house of the LORD all the days of my life, to behold the beauty of the LORD, and to enquire in his temple. (Psalm 27:4)

It is therefore not a product of a good arrangement of rhyming lines and well arranged notes but of someone who has enjoyed being in God’s presence.

For a day in thy courts is better than a thousand. I had rather be a doorkeeper in the house of my God, than to dwell in the tents of wickedness. (Psalm 84:10)

That is what produces a new song.

Most new songs are simply arrangements of music and lyrics to produce a danceable or emotionally charging response from our body and soul that does nothing to the spirit. That is why many ‘worship leaders’ are unable to desist from sexual immorality. That is why many pastors are unable to deal with their greed and self seeking though they could be in any and every worship session. That is why we have bishops and theologians who do not believe in the God of the Bible or the Bible itself.

You see, only God’s presence is able to burn away such sludge from our lives. And it is not the presence we like talking about when our souls and bodies are on fire after an intense music or preaching session. In fact you may wonder the source of the inspiration when you listen to some very danceable songs as some go all the way to blasphemy, irreverence and spiritual folly when you examine the lyrics.

I remember in the past someone would before singing ask the fellowship to listen to the words in the song and not the music. I wonder how many songs nowadays would pass that simple test if the music is removed.

I know people who cannot endure the singing in a church service because everything from the songs to the singers is a shame to the cause of Christ. It is sad when you examine some of the lyrics with the Bible as the reference point. Some of the commands they issue for the dancing to be satisfactory border on insanity as they have no relationship at all with the God who should be the focus of that worship.

And this is why I am talking about our investment in that worship. And that investment is not the money you spend or give to this or the other.

I know of Christian singers who will not take sugary drinks for the sake of their voices yet will not spend a few minutes reading the Bible to hear what God is saying. I know of singers who spend countless hours polishing their voice yet will not spend time in prayer and meditation on scriptures, the source of those songs. Yet they will want us to call them Gospel musicians.

What many do to get a Christian message is open the Bible randomly and get a few lines that they will then mutilate to have a rhyming effect and fleshy response from whoever hears it.

Otherwise explain me this one who says that he sees his neighbor with this and covets, then cries to God to give him the like that he may then praise Him. Another one compares Christ to a drug. What about this one who says that we pray for our enemies so that they live long enough to see God lifting us way above them? What about these others who run worship experiences in bars with beer being the entry requirement? And there are many other such.

It is impossible to be casual with God and expect any depth of revelation from Him. It is also impossible to dwell in His presence and fail to enjoy His revelation in whatever direction He desires.

But that presence releases the kind of revelation that serves His purpose and not ours. That is the scary aspect. That is why many opt out of that presence.

Let me give my experience.

I had just published a book that became very popular. As the author I knew that it would sell very well and quickly and of course bring in quite a sum. But as I was praying God issued the order that I stop selling His message.

I had two options; to sell the book to recover my costs as well as make an extra coin, or go the way of obedience. Mark you the project had drained me completely financially.

I am glad I chose the way of obedience. And I have not sold a copy since though I have done quite a number.

That is what being in God’s presence can do. He takes charge of our lives in ways that bring us to the acknowledgement that He is Lord of all and that we must prostrate before Him at all times. This will lead us to surrender our ambitions and desires to Him because we have realized who He is.

Many preaching about giving gives the impression that only finances are the things we give, not realizing that it is the last thing God considers as it is of the world. Part of what consists Mammon is money or finances. Giving money can therefore be as worthless in the spiritual as giving nothing. No wonder Peter told Simeon that his money perish with him.

We are therefore talking about sacrifice of things other than money. It is that sacrifice that will have a bearing on our pockets and not the other way round. That is the scary part. It explains why only a rare preacher will preach about that other aspect instead of financial giving.

How much time do you spend with God’s word? How much time do you spend in prayer for direction as opposed to needs? How much time have you invested in the study of God’s word and ways? Compare the songs you can sing to the verses you have memorized. Compare the money you have given to a church to the needs around you that the Bible says you should meet. Yet do you know that how you deal with those needs will determine your eternal destination? Read Matthew 25 from verse 31.

But we can be able to do that only when we are constant in God’s presence. That is where we are given up to date instructions to guide our worship that for the most part has nothing to do with singing. And that presence has a cost, a cost that has nothing to do with money as money may come as an addendum.

I will conclude by shocking you with this. If you call yourself a worship leader and a new song is not a constant reality in your singing, then you really are not a worship leader. You are a musical copy typist or photocopier. And the reason is simple. God has promised to give us a new song to praise Him. How then do we worship Him with copied songs?

If you are a Christian writer like I am and the focus of your writing is the sale of your books or the likes on social media you are just a writer who has superimposed the word Christian on your job.

What I am saying is that if fresh revelation does not drive what you are doing for Christ, you can safely conclude that you are not doing it for Him.