Will The Real Man Of God Please Stand Up?

By RICK WILDER, Pastor

FIRST BAPTIST CHURCH

200 S. WATER STREET

HENDERSON, NEVADA 89015

www.firstbaptisthenderson.org

If there ever was a time when we needed the true men of God to stand up and be counted, this is that time. I admit that the motive for writing this article is to stir up the "men of God" and call them back to God’s Word, God’s methods and His message and at the same time drive out the counterfeits!

I believe that there are certain distinguishing marks that reveal who is "called" and who is not. Numbers and popularity are not a stamp of God’s approval on your ministry. My concern as I write this article is to make sure the men of God do not get tempted to copy and puppet the ministries that are transporting the "ark of God" on the Philistine cart.

When Abraham was encouraged by Sarah to be fruitful and speed up the process of receiving God’s blessing, he resorted to the flesh and gave birth to Ishmael. The work in the flesh got quick results but God was not glorified and Ishmael mocked Isaac and was sent away. The fruit of the flesh is not the promised seed.

As ministers of God, we surely know the reality of "For as many as are led by the Spirit of God, they are the sons of God." (Romans 8:14, KJV) When we were lost the Word of God says, "Wherein in time past we walked according to the course of this world…" (Eph. 2:2) Lost people follow the world while men of God are led by God! That’s the difference of a Jeremiah the prophet of God, who followed the LORD and the false prophets that followed the crowd and each other.

I believe the problem can be traced right back to our seminaries and Bible colleges. Today you can go to Bible college for four years or seminary for two and receive your degree in theology without ever reading the Bible from Genesis to Revelation one time! Men of the Word? Who’s word? We’re making clones and puppets of young men who come to us to learn how to serve God.

That is like getting married and then not living with your wife, but spending all your time learning about her from her friends. It is your spending time with her and intimate communion that equips you for a life together. And it is through our holy communion with God through His Word, meditation and prayer, that we know God’s call on our life and the methods and message that God Himself wants for our life!

I require of the young men who want to go into the ministry full time, fifteen chapters of the Bible every day (seven days a week)!! If every pastoral student was required to read the Word at that rate, then in four years of Bible college they would read the Bible from cover to cover eighteen times!!!

In two years of seminary, they would read the Bible nine times. If a man is not interested in studying God’s Word straight from the Bible (I am not saying not to read any other Christian book) then God did not call them to the ministry, period!! God does not call men who are not interested in what He has to say personally.

The sad thing is, I think we could raise up young Word filled pastors if we just exhorted them to study God’s Word to show themselves approved of God. But, we are having them read "How to Win Friends and Influence People" (which was written by a lost man) while studying psychology and we wonder why America is going to Hell in a hand bag. Men of God, eat the Book. God is going to hold us accountable for having these men who come to us for training, being taught what man says about God’s Word, instead of having them study His Word.

The real cry of the true man of God should be "But we will give ourselves continually to prayer, and to the ministry of the word." (Acts 6:4) The modern day Pastor operates more as a CEO or a motivational speaker. They are not men of the Word and it is manifest in their messages. They don’t study the Bible all week long and step in the pulpit with a fresh message from God.

If you were a man of God in real communion with God, you would be so excited about God and what He has showed you that you would not go to Bible study or church to teach some great book or program of man! You would be anxious to show the congregation what God has given you rather than regurgitating some wisdom of man.

They teach from books written by successful men and not from the Bible! If the Christian Book store in their town goes out of business, they will not have any thing to offer their people. Others wait for tapes to come from some famous pastor so that they can get a message "from God." "Wherefore the Lord said, Forasmuch as this people draw near me with their mouth, and with their lips do honour me, but have removed their heart far from me, and their fear toward me is taught by the precept of men:" (Isaiah 29:13, KJV)

Today, the Fear of God is not being taught by the Holy Scriptures but by human programs. Why do we need the word of man to get a message from God? "For the LORD hath poured out upon you the spirit of deep sleep, and hath closed your eyes: the prophets and your rulers, the seers hath he covered. And the vision of all is become unto you as the words of a book that is sealed, which men deliver to one that is learned, saying, Read this, I pray thee: and he saith, I cannot; for it is sealed:" (Isaiah 29:10-11, KJV)

The result of teaching the precepts of man and not God’s Word is "Therefore, behold, I will proceed to do a marvellous work among this people, even a marvellous work and a wonder: for the wisdom of their wise men shall perish, and the understanding of their prudent men shall be hid." (Isaiah 29:14, KJV) "Being born again, not of corruptible seed, but of incorruptible, by the word of God, which liveth and abideth for ever." (1 Peter 1:23, KJV)

The best things man has to say is still the "corruptible seed." Preach the Word (not man’s but God’s). Don’t be a puppet of some man when you can be a man of God. "Be not afraid of their faces: for I am with thee to deliver thee, saith the LORD. Then the LORD put forth his hand, and touched my mouth. And the LORD said unto me, Behold, I have put my words in thy mouth. See, I have this day set thee over the nations and over the kingdoms, to root out, and to pull down, and to destroy, and to throw down, to build, and to plant." (Jeremiah 1:8-10, KJV)

People do not need a message from Doctor or Professor So and So, but a fresh message from God. God promises when men repent "… I will give you pastors according to mine heart, which shall feed you with knowledge and understanding." (Jeremiah 3:15, KJV)

If you are a man of God and not a "wanna be" then give your life to prayer, study and ministry of the Word of God! Back a few years, many pastors were teaching the book called, "The Spirit Controlled Temperament" from the pulpits as though that was the Word of God! What a tragedy.

There was not one sound doctrinal teaching in that book! It did not come from the Bible which teaches "the old man" (old nature) and the "new man" (new nature). Show me one time Christ or the Bible teaches that we need to analyze peoples personalities! I have a friend who studied the new age teachings, and he said he read this in their literature!! This certainly was not God feeding you with "knowledge and understanding."

Today they have left Sanguine and melancholy for the new personality analysis, such as a "lion" or an "otter." When you are walking with God and led by the Spirit, you do not need to know if they are a lion or a otter! What utter rubbish!

That is just a lot of fleshly wisdom."Cease ye from man, whose breath is in his nostrils: for wherein is he to be accounted of?" (Isaiah 2:22) "Thus saith the LORD; Cursed be the man that trusteth in man, and maketh flesh his arm, and whose heart departeth from the LORD." (Jeremiah 17:5)

If you do not know that teachings like these are nothing more than a take off on astrology and not the Bible, then you ought to be teaching to a "new age" group, but not in the church! A real man of God will guard you from these fad teachings. Will the real man of God please stand up. "Trust in the LORD with all thine heart; and lean not unto thine own understanding." (Proverbs 3:5)

Secondly, the man of God gets counsel from God and God’s Word. "Woe to the rebellious children, saith the LORD, that take counsel, but not of me; and that cover with a covering, but not of my spirit…" (Isaiah 30:1, KJV)

God has laid out in the scriptures what worship is and how the church ought to operate. That is why Paul wrote to Timothy "But if I tarry long, that thou mayest know how thou oughtest to behave thyself in the house of God, which is the church of the living God, the pillar and ground of the truth." (1 Timothy 3:15, KJV)

Modern day pastors (not men of God) find out what the people want in the ministry and then lead them. These counterfeits have itching ears. "That this is a rebellious people, lying children, children that will not hear the law of the LORD: Which say to the seers, See not; and to the prophets, Prophesy not unto us right things, speak unto us smooth things, prophesy deceits: Get you out of the way, turn aside out of the path, cause the Holy One of Israel to cease from before us." (Isaiah 30:9-11, KJV)

These people that are manipulating you really do not want to hear from God! They want a program from man (perhaps a 12 step)! They want Christianity reduced down to a simple program, rather than really seeking God through His Word. When the Anti Christ comes, he is going to offer the world the solution they are looking for, "man’s program" not God’s!!!!!

You are being manipulated, my dear brother. People do not need another program from man, but rather the LORD Jesus Christ and His grace working effectually in them. "But by the grace of God I am what I am: and his grace which was bestowed upon me was not in vain; but I laboured more abundantly than they all: yet not I, but the grace of God which was with me." (1 Corinthians 15:10) Paul does not say that he is what he is by some popular program but by God’s grace. It is not a program that will enable you to labor more abundantly in God’s kingdom.

In Proverbs 28:1 God say’s "….the righteous are bold as a lion." And no this is not an analysis of their personality, but a fruit of being right with God. God told Jeremiah when God called him to the ministry "Be not afraid of their faces: for I am with thee to deliver thee, saith the LORD." (Jeremiah 1:8)

Real men of God fear and love the LORD too much to fear telling people what God says. Listen to what God says about the counterfeits, "Nevertheless among the chief rulers also many believed on him; but because of the Pharisees they did not confess him, lest they should be put out of the synagogue: For they loved the praise of men more than the praise of God." (John 12:42-43)

If you are afraid to offend people with the full counsel of God, then slither out of the ministry on your belly! Our LORD called the false teachers "ye serpents, ye generation of vipers…" The fear of God is the beginning of wisdom. When the man of God fears God, he fears no man! "The fear of man bringeth a snare: but whoso putteth his trust in the LORD shall be safe." (Proverbs 29:25)

A "man of God" believes in the omnipotence of the LORD Jesus Christ and His power to transform lives. "For God hath not given us the spirit of fear; but of power, and of love, and of a sound mind." (2 Timothy 1:7) God can give anyone a sound mind.

But modern day "wanna be" pastors really do not expect God to do anything through faith. "Having a form of godliness, but denying the power thereof: from such turn away." (2 Timothy 3:5) We have been deceived as a nation in thinking that mental problems are just chemical in balance. Some churches are even prescribing mental health drugs for members in their congregation.

Many Christians are giving mental health drugs to their children (for attention deficit disorder)!! In the old days we were loved and disciplined and we did not spend all night watching tv and playing video games, and a.d.d. wasn’t even on the horizon. But today for fear and anxiety, we prescribe mental health drugs.

In Revelation 18:23, God says in the "end times" the merchants of the earth "…by thy sorceries were all nations deceived." The word for sorceries in the Greek language is "pharmakaeis, " which is the word we get pharmacy from!

Does the Bible say "be anxious for nothing, pick up a prescription at the pharmacy for that anxiety"? No, look what God say’s "Thou wilt keep him in perfect peace, whose mind is stayed on thee: because he trusteth in thee." (Isaiah 26:3) "Great peace have they which love thy law: and nothing shall offend them." (Psalm 119:165) "Be careful for nothing; but in every thing by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known unto God. And the peace of God, which passeth all understanding, shall keep your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus." (Philippians 4:6-7)

Where is thy faith, Oh man of God? God never called these modern day sorcerers to the ministry. Stop following Harry Potter the Sorcerer (which God condemns to the lake of fire with all sorcerers) putting people under spells (drugs) and preach Christ who can deliver the mentally afflicted.

Finally, people today want a version of the Bible that is easier to read. But before we do that, let’s take a look at what is really happening.

First of all, in Revelation 22:16, Jesus Christ is called " ..the bright and morning star." That means that the LORD Jesus is the light of God from the beginning. "Then spake Jesus again unto them, saying, I am the light of the world: he that followeth me shall not walk in darkness, but shall have the light of life." (John 8:12)

The Bible says of our LORD "That was the true Light, which lighteth every man that cometh into the world. He was in the world, and the world was made by him, and the world knew him not." (John 1:9-10, KJV)

In the King James version, Isaiah 14:12 says "How art thou fallen from heaven, O Lucifer, son of the morning! how art thou cut down to the ground, which didst weaken the nations!" The title for Lucifer "son of the morning" means that Lucifer was created in the early morning of creation! But, in the newer versions (the easier versions) the title "son of the morning" is changed to the title for Christ, "the morning star." These versions equate Lucifer to the Lord Jesus Christ!

But you say that that is how it is in the originals! Really, the original manuscripts make Lucifer equal to our LORD, the light of God from the beginning??? When Lucifer is made equal to Christ, who is the author of that original manuscript?

The new versions do not just take out "thee and thou" but rob Christ of His Lordship! The day will come when you will have an easy version that you will be able to prove that the Anti-Christ is Christ!!! And they will say that that is what the originals say! No man of God would allow Christ to be brought down to the same level of Lucifer for the sake of an easier translation!!

But you say there are many good Christians that use these new versions: really, so does that make it right? David had a "heart after God" but he committed adultery, so does that mean adultery is right? And just as important, if we continually buy new versions, what will the next generation have to study? "The words of the LORD are pure words: as silver tried in a furnace of earth, purified seven times. Thou shalt keep them, O LORD, thou shalt preserve them from this generation for ever." (Psalm 12:6-7)

Notice, God’s Word’s (not ideas, concepts or teachings) are preserved forever. Why do you allow what God has preserved to be changed? Oh, I forgot, your people want an easier version! Tell them what God says "Turn you at my reproof: behold, I will pour out my spirit unto you, I will make known my words unto you." (Proverbs 1:23)

When man repents, then and then only will the Bible be understandable! They do not need a new version, they need to repent and then prayerfully, systematically study the Word of God! Today, people want to understand the Bible without repenting! "Ever learning, and never able to come to the knowledge of the truth." (2 Timothy 3:7)

As a young Christian, I bought myself a King James Bible and my wife a New American Standard. One night as we were reading, we noticed that the thief on the cross cried to our LORD, "LORD, remember me when thou comest into thy kingdom." (Luke 23:42) I had just got saved and knew that Romans 10:9 said, "That if thou shalt confess with thy mouth the Lord Jesus, and shalt believe in thine heart that God hath raised him from the dead, thou shalt be saved." (Romans 10:9, KJV)

I knew as a young Christian that to be saved we needed to recognize the lordship of Christ. But in my wife’s NASB the thief just said " Jesus, (not LORD) remember me when you come into your kingdom." The thief did not recognize Christ’s lordship. Nobody told me anything, but, I did not want a version that dropped Christ’s lordship! It did not matter that that was a brand new Bible nor did it seem important that it was easier to read, but the person of Christ was the priority! What is your priority?

In Acts 8, The Bible says "And as they went on their way, they came unto a certain water: and the eunuch said, See, here is water; what doth hinder me to be baptized?" (Acts 8:36) Here the Ethiopian asks Philip a really important question; what do I have to do before I am baptized? The answer is "And Philip said, If thou believest with all thine heart, thou mayest. And he answered and said, I believe that Jesus Christ is the Son of God." (Acts 8:37)

This is important because it establishes the fact that salvation is by believing and that baptism follows salvation. Is this important to you, oh man of God? But in the newer versions verse 37 is omitted! Why? Do you mean to tell me that in the originals that a question was asked of this magnitude and there was no answer given? Who told you that, was it a college professor or a note in another version?

In 1 John 5 many of the new versions leave out verse 7 altogether: "For there are three that bear record in heaven, the Father, the Word, and the Holy Ghost: and these three are one." (1 John 5:7) Why is this verse left out? Read your version and you will see they number the verses 5, 6, 8 !!! Why if verse 7 is not in scripture don’t they number 5,6,7,8 with verse 8 being 7? Because 7 does not exist! Now, they have taken the last part of verse 6 and made that verse 7!Why? Because God wanted to show you their real colors! Do you believe the Bible or do you believe what man tells you about the Bible? Did you go to Bible college or seminary believing the Bible only to have a professor explain away the Bible?

So, let’s see, you allowed them to make Lucifer equal to our LORD, take away Christ’s lordship, change salvation and delete the Trinity, all to have an easier version for the people? And you think of yourself as a "man of God?" Let me tell you my dear friend, no man of God would allow Christ to be robbed of His glory, slandered, nor the Word of God changed!

I know when you went to these versions you did not really see what was at stake, but you now do, so what are you? A man of God or a people pleaser? Remember, if you don’t make a stand now, your grandchildren will be studying out of a "Bible" that will teach Anti-Christ as Christ!

"Ye shall not add unto the word which I command you, neither shall ye diminish ought from it, that ye may keep the commandments of the LORD your God which I command you." (Deuteronomy 4:2) "For I testify unto every man that heareth the words of the prophecy of this book, If any man shall add unto these things, God shall add unto him the plagues that are written in this book: And if any man shall take away from the words of the book of this prophecy, God shall take away his part out of the book of life, and out of the holy city, and from the things which are written in this book." (Revelation 22:18-19)

A proud person will think they can edit God’s Word, but no truly humble person would dare change His Word! By the way, when you hold to the Bible you are not "proud and divisive," but rather when you think you do not have to hold to the Word, then you are the real arrogant divisive person. Don’t exchange light for darkness and darkness for light.

If you are a "God called man" then manifest that by giving yourself to prayer and the ministry of the Word, and boldly defending the Word. God help you to manifest your real colors!