A beloved brother wrote:
“I certainly prefer a positive gospel to a negative one! But it can easily spill over into ungodly superstition, and it explains the great conundrum of modern religion: that many people’s faith is not necessarily making them into better people, not establishing righteousness in their lives, not investing them with the mind of Christ or conforming them into the image of the Son. How could it, seeing that religion is no longer about righteousness, but rather about success, health, and wealth; no longer about God’s will and plan, but about us; no longer about compassion, love, and a laid-down life, but our own physical and material needs? To inversely paraphrase John F. Kennedy, what so many religious leaders today are essentially saying is, “Ask not what you can do for God; ask what God can do for you!” I too want to be blessed! I too am thankful to my heavenly Father when my needs are abundantly met! But in turning God into a furry rabbit’s foot to ward off evil spirits and help us win the lottery, what chance is there that we will ever find transcendence in life or anything uniquely divine, heavenly, and spiritual? More so, what chance is there that we will ever be liberated from the incarceration of the ego — the carnal mind? If the one thing that can free us from the prison of the Self — the Christ-life — is changed into yet another shackle of the self-life, then we are damned to self-absorption forever!
Within recent decades, several of the most famous international television pulpiteers have been exposed and their vast financial holdings have been publicized. They have millions of dollars invested in their personal homes and property both here and abroad, while they fly around the world in their private jets, at the same time begging and pleading for money from the widows, the poor, and struggling families. They live sumptuously the lifestyles of the rich and famous while those who support their grandiose programs are living as virtual paupers. Where are those who are true harvesters of souls rather than those who gather (harvest) money? Where are those who are building God’s kingdom rather than their own? Where are those who truly feed the sheep? Where are those who are not lifted up with pride? Where are those who are not puffed up with their own importance? Where are those who do not promote and exalt themselves? Where is the preacher who doesn’t seek to ingratiate himself to the one with expensive clothes, luxury automobiles, fine homes, and all the marks of success and wealth? Where is the weeping before the altar? Where are those who refrain from using the world’s methods to conduct God’s business? Where are those who do not charge for the gospel? Where are those who do not have a ministry for sale? Where are those who have not taken unto themselves the gold and the glory? Where are those who are not displaying their flesh in their man-made promotions?
Where are those of a broken and contrite spirit? Where are those with the meekness and purity of the Lamb? Where are those who have not brought the spirit of this world into their midst? Where are those who do not put their picture on every page of their magazine and their name on everything they do? Where is the simple message of the kingdom of God without the Hollywood extravaganza and showmanship? Where is the worship in the beauty of holiness, in spirit and in truth, rather than musical entertainment? Where are those who approach God with reverence and godly fear and do not treat the sacred things as though they were part of a carnival? Where are those who have laid hold of God? Where are the humble? Where are the pure in heart? Where are those that are conformed unto the image of the Son of God? Where are the prayer warriors and the intercessors? Where are those who proclaim the gospel of the kingdom of God without the slightest motive of financial reward for themselves? WHERE ARE GOD’S TRUE MEN AND WOMEN OF THE HOUR? Of this you may be certain — these will not be found within the halls of Babylon’s religion! They will only be found among God’s faithful remnant who have received the call to come out of Babylon and, forsaking all, have gone unto HIM, without the camp, bearing His reproach, separated unto HIM ALONE. “
I could not have said it better myself! Love is the key and we must not allow ourselves to grow cold in this revelation. Instead, we must pursue it with greater focus. The time is coming when the Truth will set the captives free from the lies of Mystery Babylon and they will need the Remnant to lead them into all Truth based on a foundation of Love!