a maze in greys

 how sweet they sound

Most, if not all of us loathe ambiguity, even if some of us may tend toward mediocrity at times. This is very sad, but very true. Many of us are riding the clutch through our christian lives & missing the engagement needed to accomplish God’s calling on us, in His way. In over four decades of stumbling after Christ, I have been guilty of doing this myself. I fell short of the sweet spot; that place in my life where I knew beyond a shadow of a doubt that I was in God’s will. Thank God that His goodness brought me to repentance. Some of us are happily coasting along, without realising what we are doing to ourselves. The results are simple to diagnose, but often difficult to remedy. Call it uncertainty; doubt; opacity; equivocality; vagueness. Call it what you will. But there is no denying that this condition is present within The Church at large & that it is a shortcoming that has to be addressed. I believe that now, more than ever, it is for us as God’s people to choose to spend as much necessary time on necessary things, as possible. We need clarity. We need direction. We need surety. All of which are only found in The Scriptures. I don’t mean to sound alarmist brethren, but The Church at large is in danger of a looming grey area. We are steadily drifting into it, tempted there by some of the sweetest sounding pied piping ever heard! The core fundamentals of our faith are being undermined from within & replaced with inconsequential rubbish, that is neither here nor there. For many of us, this is both familiar & comfortable. We have been trudging through the same old same old for as long as we can remember; slowly getting there, while rapidly getting nowhere. There’s nothing concrete. There’s nothing black & white. Only grey. There’s only a trail of ethereal breadcrumbs, leading us blindly around a seemingly endless labyrinth. This, is a maze in greys. 

We don’t find this problem with The Scriptures, with the teaching of The Lord Jesus or with Apostolic doctrine. We do however, find these issues with popular christian movements, their leaders & what these individuals teach. With Christ we have a definitive doctrinal slam dunk. With Him there is no difficulty. No obscurity. No lying. No complexity. What do we have? Christ has died. Christ is risen. Christ will come again. 

¹ Moreover, brethren, I declare unto you the gospel which I preached unto you, which also ye have received, and wherein ye stand; ² By which also ye are saved, if ye keep in memory what I preached unto you, unless ye have believed in vain. ³ For I delivered unto you first of all that which I also received, how that Christ died for our sins according to the scriptures; ⁴ And that he was buried, and that he rose again the third day according to the scriptures…²⁰ But now is Christ risen from the dead, and become the firstfruits of them that slept. ²¹ For since by man came death, by man came also the resurrection of the dead. ²² For as in Adam all die, even so in Christ shall all be made alive. ²³ But every man in his own order: Christ the firstfruits; afterward they that are Christ's at his coming (1^st Corinthians 15:3-4 & 20-23). 

Some have taken it upon themselves to interrupt the order with which The Lord has mandated His New Testament Church. They begin with the fundamentals of our faith. They brutally assault its foundations. Then they shamelessly attack its author & brazenly discredit its finisher, Who is Messiah, Lord & King (Hebrews 5:9 & 12:2). This threat doesn’t come from without The Church; it comes from within. We have covered many of these things in other articles, not least of all in ‘Betrayal; A Clarion Call to Defending The Faith Once Delivered to The Saints’, which was the very first offering of this little blog, published in 2016. Within The Church, there are many strong voices standing against the false doctrinal elements associated with & embraced by Neo-Pentecostalism, Charismatics & the so called New Apostolic Reformation. However, there is a soft & subtle underbelly on which these doctrinal aberrations slither & if we are not careful, we will be completely carried away by it. Nowhere is this better illustrated in Apostolic Doctrine, than in the writings of Peter & Jude. 

³ Beloved, when I gave all diligence to write unto you of the common salvation, it was needful for me to write unto you, and exhort you that ye should earnestly contend for the faith which was once delivered unto the saints (Jude 1:3). 

The faith isn’t being delivered to the saints. The faith has been delivered, once & for all. If the voices calling us into this maze in greys are correct, what they espouse has to be aligned with The Gospel we have received. Instead, The Church at large is being told something else that is being portrayed as helpful, when it is in fact extremely harmful. It is not The Lord Jesus Christ or the teaching of His Apostles that is being emphasized; it is the feather in the ear of the believer. You & I are being tempted into the maze. You & I are being lured to occupy centre stage. You & I are being ushered into a grey area. But by what means? 

⁴ And this I say, lest any man should beguile you with enticing words. ⁵ For though I be absent in the flesh, yet am I with you in the spirit, joying and beholding your order, and the stedfastness of your faith in Christ. ⁶ As ye have therefore received Christ Jesus the Lord, so walk ye in him: ⁷ Rooted and built up in him, and stablished in the faith, as ye have been taught, abounding therein with thanksgiving. ⁸ Beware lest any man spoil you through philosophy and vain deceit, after the tradition of men, after the rudiments of the world, and not after Christ (Colossians 2:4-8). 

Remember, these are not the obviously perverted teachings associated with old favourites like Kenneth E. Hagin, Benny Hinn, E.W. Kenyon or Kenneth Copeland. On the contrary, the words of those I am speaking of, are more subtle than those of their predecessors. They are very generously sprinkled with seemingly prophetic encouragement & surely if the result is our edification, exhortation & comfort (1^st Corinthians 14:3), isn’t it all good? No harm? No foul? Right? Let me try & put this into a sentence or two, that you may have heard or even believed. Lean in. For pure dramatic effect, I have taken the liberty of adding the usual, obligatory Divine invocation. 

“Thus saith The Lord. God is moving you into a new season. A shift is coming. Your purpose, calling & destiny are waiting for you to step into them. It will happen suddenly. There will be an outpouring & a release of God’s shekinah glory all over your life. This will result in revival & a cheeky little wealth transfer. You’re under an open heaven. Activate it with rhema words. Decree & declare it. You’ve been in transition. You’ve been incubating your harvest. You’re positioned to prosper. Yadah. Yadah. Yadah.” 

This is the maze I’m talking about. This is the grey area I’m pointing to. These so called words of The Lord cannot be proven or disproven. Brethren, I’ve seen it. I’ve heard it. I’ve been there. There is nothing set in concrete. There is nothing in black & white. There is no scriptural basis for any of it whatsoever. But oh, how sweet it is to hear these things spoken to us. The self-absorbed among us will love it, not realising that sooner or later the trail of breadcrumbs will run out. The music will stop. It will be dark & the only thing we will be conscious of is the presence of others who have believed the same nonsense. Some who are reading what I write here, are in that maze right now, as we speak. You may be striving for your purpose driven best life now, but positive affirmations do not equal biblical truth. 

Jude points out the judgements that befell the unbelieving generation that died in the wilderness (Jude 5), the angels who abandoned their position & are now awaiting judgement (Jude 6) & highlights Sodom & Gomorrah’s destruction (Jude 7). Then he makes a direct comparison, corelation & connection between the former & the latter. Before you go any further, read 2^nd Peter 2. These passages are almost identical & to have the same severe caution delivered twice, is significant. It’s important. It is paramount. 

⁸ Likewise also these filthy dreamers defile the flesh, despise dominion, and speak evil of dignities. ⁹ Yet Michael the archangel, when contending with the devil he disputed about the body of Moses, durst not bring against him a railing accusation, but said, The Lord rebuke thee. ¹⁰ But these speak evil of those things which they know not: but what they know naturally, as brute beasts, in those things they corrupt themselves (Jude 1:8-10). 

The same individuals who prophesy meaningless pleasantries to all & sundry, are they themselves insubstantial. The KJV uses the phrase ‘filthy dreamers’, but several other translations bring Jude’s words into a more contemporary light. Take some time to look at these for yourselves; don’t take my word for it. Visionaries. Revelators. Seers. They do not know what they are talking about, so they make things up. They defile. They despise. They defame. Listen to them talk. They overestimate. They overindulge. They over realise. Watch them act. They are arrogant. They are indolent. They are ignorant. Look at their fruit. More importantly, pay attention to the warning given. For our sakes, not theirs. 

Everything they say, do & produce is designed to keep people in that maze & in that grey area. There is little or nothing of Christ & His Gospel in their content. If you do not believe me, watch some current christian broadcasting. Check out the most popular christian literature. Hear the most prominent christian ministers. What are they preaching? What are they teaching? 

Almost every week someone seems to have written a new book on a subject so irrelevant, that had they any shame, they would be embarrassed. 

Their instruction fills holes, bridges gaps & speaks where Scripture doesn’t. It is a maze in greys. They know where demons come from. They command angels. They have visited heaven. They have visited hell. They have steps to healing & revival. They have keys to prosperity & success. They have secrets to spiritual power. Brethren, you & I can possess this knowledge if we just enter the maze within their grey area. 

¹² Wherefore I will not be negligent to put you always in remembrance of these things, though ye know them, and be established in the present truth. ¹³ Yea, I think it meet, as long as I am in this tabernacle, to stir you up by putting you in remembrance; ¹⁴ Knowing that shortly I must put off this my tabernacle, even as our Lord Jesus Christ hath shewed me. ¹⁵ Moreover I will endeavour that ye may be able after my decease to have these things always in remembrance. ¹⁶ For we have not followed cunningly devised fables, when we made known unto you the power and coming of our Lord Jesus Christ, but were eyewitnesses of his majesty (2^nd Peter 1:12-16).  

¹ This second epistle, beloved, I now write unto you; in both which I stir up your pure minds by way of remembrance: ² That ye may be mindful of the words which were spoken before by the holy prophets, and of the commandment of us the apostles of the Lord and Saviour (2^nd Peter 3:1-2). 

³⁷ If any man think himself to be a prophet, or spiritual, let him acknowledge that the things that I write unto you are the commandments of the Lord. ³⁸ But if any man be ignorant, let him be ignorant (1^st Corinthians 14:37-38).  

¹³ Nevertheless we, according to his promise, look for new heavens and a new earth, wherein dwelleth righteousness. ¹⁴ Wherefore, beloved, seeing that ye look for such things, be diligent that ye may be found of him in peace, without spot, and blameless. ¹⁵ And account that the longsuffering of our Lord is salvation; even as our beloved brother Paul also according to the wisdom given unto him hath written unto you; ¹⁶ As also in all his epistles, speaking in them of these things; in which are some things hard to be understood, which they that are unlearned and unstable wrest, as they do also the other scriptures, unto their own destruction. ¹⁷ Ye therefore, beloved, seeing ye know these things before, beware lest ye also, being led away with the error of the wicked, fall from your own stedfastness. ¹⁸ But grow in grace, and in the knowledge of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ. To him be glory both now and for ever. Amen (2^nd Peter 3:12-18).  

Paul said remember these things. Peter said remember these things. Jude said remember these things. Be mindful of them. You know them. Don’t forget them. Stir these things up, because they are our only line of defence against the onslaught of offending error being spewed by some within The Church at large. Do not enter the maze. Don’t do it my friends & if you are in the maze, I can only pray that The Lord safely leads you out!

 

 

 

 

copyright © by david Samuel Parkins mmxxv all rights reserved.

No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system in any form or by any means, without the prior permission in writing of the author, nor be otherwise circulated in any form of binding or cover other than that in which it is presented & without a similar condition including this condition being imposed on the subsequent purchaser

 

10th anniversary

±

announcement

In March of 2026 this work will be ten years old. My goodness, how time flies when you’re having fun.

To celebrate, thediscernerquarterly is hosting a series of guest articles, written by individuals that I have come to know & trust during the last decade. These pieces will begin their run in January 2026.

I look forward to hearing from you & enjoying your feedback. Simply let me know who you are, where you’re from & how you discovered this work. The link below will take you to our TDQ Facebook page. See you there.

https://www.facebook.com/groups/1745665302647611

 

God bless.

 

TDQ

 

 

 

 

A very short word:

On wolves

WHAT I DIDN’T KNOW THAT I DIDN’T KNOW, ABOUT fleeces

  

I’ve never seen an actual wolf in real life. Not the wild animal kind anyway. But I have seen, heard & known many in print, in pulpits & in person. Wolves are notable creatures in their particular singularity. They are ruthless in their predation. They are impressive in their ability. They are deadly in their proficiency. It's a small wonder that Scripture uses them as an example of false prophets & false teachers. The Lord Jesus said, ‘Beware of false prophets, which come to you in sheep's clothing, but inwardly they are ravening wolves.’ (Matthew 7:15). Of late, there have been some who have made a contentious distinction concerning the words of Christ here, pointing out that Jesus said these false prophets would come in sheep’s clothing, not in shepherd’s clothing. Therefore, it is the finger-pointing, judgemental, hypercritical nitpickers that are the real problem. In other words; it isn’t the wolves who are at fault, but rather, it is those troublesome sheep who say that they simply seek to exercise a biblical discernment. It is these sheep they say, who are the delinquents. The Lord Jesus went on to give a foolproof method of identifying the 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. Every tree that bringeth not forth good fruit is hewn down, and cast into the fire. Wherefore by their fruits ye shall know them’. (Matthew 7:16-20).

Not by their revelations. Not by their miracles. Not by their converts. Not by their Automobiles. Not by their aircraft. Not by their prosperity. But by their fruit. That is them. But what about us? ‘Know ye that the LORD he is God: it is he that hath made us, and not we ourselves; we are his people, and the sheep of his pasture’. (Psalms 100:3). If we are His sheep, then He must be our shepherd. Isaiah says, ‘He shall feed his flock like a shepherd: he shall gather the lambs with his arm, and carry them in his bosom, and shall gently lead those that are with young’. (Isaiah 40:11). Micah says, ‘Feed thy people with thy rod, the flock of thine heritage..’ (Micah 7:14). David says, ‘The LORD is my shepherd; I shall not want’. (Psalms 23:1).

With YHWH Himself as The shepherd, aren’t the sheep safe? With The Lord Jesus Christ as our good shepherd (John 10:11), chief shepherd (1^st Peter 5:4), as well as being the shepherd & bishop of our souls (1^st Peter 2:25), why are we admonished to beware? Jesus told the twelve, ‘Behold, I send you forth as sheep in the midst of wolves: be ye therefore wise as serpents, and harmless as doves. But beware of men: for they will deliver you up to the councils, and they will scourge you in their synagogues.’ (Matthew 10:16-17).

The wolves that The Lord anticipated are right under our noses. If the false prophets Jesus spoke of are closer than we think, it is clear why He delivered the warning that He did. It is now, while we The Church are being sanctified, that we are given into the care of those who are meant to watch over our souls in Christ’s stead (Hebrews 13:17). Not all of them are true shepherds.

The wider implication here is that in The Incarnation, The Lord Jesus Christ comes in the likeness of mankind. He puts on flesh, just as the shepherd puts on a fleece. However, inwardly, He is The Son of God. The false prophets are so desperate to be Christ, when they are in fact anti-Christ. They attempt to come in the character of Christ, but they cannot produce The Messiah’s fruit.

When we understand exactly what The Lord Jesus meant by describing false prophets as wolves in sheep’s clothing, the wheels will rapidly fall off the reverse engineered accusations of those who would pervert The Gospel. Basically, Jesus identifies the original imitation game. the false prophet seeks to hide within the flock.

The wolf in sheep’s clothing is any individual endeavouring to appear to be someone or something that they are not, in order to gain the confidence of, dominance over & or influence among God’s people, with nefarious intent. This is because it is in the nature of any false prophet to do this. Before we come to that however, let’s deal with the allegation that the fault is in the pew, not in the pulpit. It is true that Jesus said nothing about wolves in shepherd’s clothing. Well? So what? You cannot possibly build an interpretive argument based on something Jesus didn’t say!

Let’s make a couple of reasonable assumptions. Just imagine that Jesus knew what He was talking about & that He meant what he said. That’s more than fair. I think it safer to stick to what Jesus actually said, rather than trifle about what He didn’t say. These lines of reasoning are a straw man that can be thrown onto the fire with the thorns & thistles The Lord spoke of. It is a vain attempt utilised by false teachers, to cover their tracks. In debating these falsehoods, you may even find yourself mercilessly waterboarded with Matthew 7:1.

Beware of false prophets means exactly that; beware of false prophets. It does not mean watch out for those pesky bloggers & they who tweet. Stay away from those annoying YouTubers & Facebookers. They cannot be trusted. Jesus is warning all of those in the pew, about some of those in the pulpit. They don’t spring up overnight. They begin as false brethren. Rubbing shoulders with the sheep. Coming & going with the sheep. Walking & talking with the sheep. Eating & drinking with the sheep. Some go on to leading the sheep, for their own purposes. Don’t forget that Jesus told His disciples & us by extension; we will know them by their fruit.

To us mere Gentiles here in The West, we may think of fruit as an individual’s production. Volume. Numbers. Quantities. Length. Breadth. Height. Perhaps to some extent this is possibly true. However, there is so much more to Rabbi Yeshua’s teaching than this. Fruit can speak of character. Fruit can speak of nature. Fruit can speak of purpose. What is the fruit false prophets bear & where is it borne? A false prophet will produce false teaching. That false teaching will bear fruit in the lives of those who follow them.

The shepherd of old would wrap himself in a fleece & do life with the sheep. To all intents & purposes, the shepherd looked like one of the flock. He led them. He fed them. He protected them. He lived with them & for them. Proverbs says, ‘The lambs are for thy clothing, and the goats are the price of the field.’ (Proverbs 27:26). Hebrews mentions the faithful who ‘..wandered about in sheepskins and goatskins;..’ (Hebrews 11:37).

Surely these things crossed The Lord’s mind as He instructed His disciples. But by far the most compelling passage comes from Ezekiel 34. I recommend reading the entire chapter. Jesus’ listeners would have included those He was warning against. It’s quite a thing. The prophet’s words are in stark contrast to those of Zecheriah 11. One identifies a terrible problem at hand. One identifies a terrible judgement to come. Let that sink in.

¹ And the word of the LORD came unto me, saying, ² Son of man, prophesy against the shepherds of Israel, prophesy, and say unto them, Thus saith the Lord GOD unto the shepherds; Woe be to the shepherds of Israel that do feed themselves! should not the shepherds feed the flocks? ³ Ye eat the fat, and ye clothe you with the wool, ye kill them that are fed: but ye feed not the flock. ⁴ The diseased have ye not strengthened, neither have ye healed that which was sick, neither have ye bound up that which was broken, neither have ye brought again that which was driven away, neither have ye sought that which was lost; but with force and with cruelty have ye ruled them (Ezekiel 34:1-4).

¹⁵ And the LORD said unto me, Take unto thee yet the instruments of a foolish shepherd. ¹⁶ For, lo, I will raise up a shepherd in the land, which shall not visit those that be cut off, neither shall seek the young one, nor heal that that is broken, nor feed that that standeth still: but he shall eat the flesh of the fat, and tear their claws in pieces. ¹⁷ Woe to the idol shepherd that leaveth the flock! the sword shall be upon his arm, and upon his right eye: his arm shall be clean dried up, and his right eye shall be utterly darkened (Zecheriah 11:15-17).

I say again that the wolf in sheep’s clothing is any individual endeavouring to appear to be someone or something that they are not, in order to gain the confidence of, dominance over & or influence among God’s people with nefarious intent. This is because it is in the nature of any false prophet to do this.

They cannot help themselves any more than a wolf can resist lamb. No matter how hard they try, they cannot produce grapes or figs. They can only produce thorns & thistles. This in turn affects those who follow them.

It suffices to say that the fruit of Messiah, the true prophet, is His Divine contribution to the sheep’s development, rather than their detriment. It is about His character; His nature; His purpose. This is true of Him & of every man He calls to feed the flock of God. The Saviour warns us. We need to heed His warning.

²¹ Not everyone that saith unto me, Lord, Lord, shall enter into the kingdom of heaven; but he that doeth the will of my Father which is in heaven. ²² Many will say to me in that day, Lord, Lord, have we not prophesied in thy name? and in thy name have cast out devils? and in thy name done many wonderful works? ²³ And then will I profess unto them, I never knew you: depart from me, ye that work iniquity (Matthew 7:21-23). 

It was no coincidence that Jesus quotes Psalms 6, because the wolves who were listening to Him teach were right there.

⁷ Mine eye is consumed because of grief; it waxeth old because of all mine enemies. ⁸ Depart from me, all ye workers of iniquity; for the LORD hath heard the voice of my weeping. ⁹ The LORD hath heard my supplication; the LORD will receive my prayer. ¹⁰ Let all mine enemies be ashamed and sore vexed: let them return and be ashamed suddenly (Psalms 6:7-10). 

The false prophets will boast about volume; numbers; quantities; length; breadth & height, as if these things are fruit & criteria. They think nothing of the sheep. They desperately want to fill Christ’s sandless, but they can’t hold a candle to Him. I’m also reminded of the words of Paul, who loved The Church.

¹¹ For I long to see you, that I may impart unto you some spiritual gift, to the end ye may be established; ¹² That is, that I may be comforted together with you by the mutual faith both of you and me. ¹³ Now I would not have you ignorant, brethren, that oftentimes I purposed to come unto you, (but was let hitherto,) that I might have some fruit among you also, even as among other Gentiles (Romans 1:11-13). 

²⁷ It hath pleased them verily; and their debtors they are. For if the Gentiles have been made partakers of their spiritual things, their duty is also to minister unto them in carnal things. ²⁸ When therefore I have performed this, and have sealed to them this fruit, I will come by you into Spain. ²⁹ And I am sure that, when I come unto you, I shall come in the fulness of the blessing of the gospel of Christ (Romans 15:27-29). 

How many men feel this was about the people they lead & the congregations they shepherd? ‘Therefore, my brethren dearly beloved and longed for, my joy and crown, so stand fast in the Lord, my dearly beloved.’ (Philippians 4:1). Paul continues, ‘For even in Thessalonica ye sent once and again unto my necessity. Not because I desire a gift: but I desire fruit that may abound to your account.’ (Philippians 4:16-17). 

To the finger-pointing, judgemental, hypercritical nitpickers that are out there, causing real problems for the fakes & frauds, I say bravo. To the pesky bloggers & those of you who tweet, I say keep it up. To the annoying YouTubers & Facebookers, know that you can be trusted. In other words; it is the wolves who are at fault & we troublesome sheep will continue to seek to exercise a biblical discernment. It is the wolves who are the delinquents. Equally brethren, if you have a shepherd who looks like one of the flock. If he faithfully leads & feeds you, protects you from falsehood, loves you, lives with you & for you; you are truly blessed. Beware of false prophets, but embrace the genuine ones.

 

 

 

 

copyright © by david Samuel Parkins mmxxv all rights reserved.

No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system in any form or by any means, without the prior permission in writing of the author, nor be otherwise circulated in any form of binding or cover other than that in which it is presented & without a similar condition including this condition being imposed on the subsequent purchaser

 

 

 

A very personal

Recommendation

 

Steven Johnson’s work is balanced, concise, well written & researched. I would encourage anyone struggling with the cultic tendencies of the word of faith movement, to read it. I would also recommend it as a resource for anyone who wants to understand the mindset of the movement & the man who popularised what he had plagiarised from others. Kenneth Hagin has legendary status within the word of faith movement. This is wholly undeserved, especially in the light of the evidence put forward in this book. It is available on Amazon.

 

Pilgrim’s

Protest

-4-

what has the church done with The Word?

 

 

Once again I find myself inundated with disapproving emails. The way that I phrase certain things has hurt some feelings. This was not my intention. I can only ask my detractors to forgive me & be forbearing. I’m only human. Just a sinner, saved by grace & a man of like passions. There is a singular purpose for this blog & one that I stated at the very beginning of this venture, in March of 2016. This work exists to have a good old fashioned dig at new, fashionable doctrine, trends & general tomfoolery in the pulpit & the pew. Yes, I may have stepped on some toes along the way. Yes, I have been sarcastic. Yes, I can be facetious. Yes, I am cynical. Yes, I am guilty of all of these things to a fault. But it is not in my nature to roll over & be nice, when there are heretics, imposters, fakes & frauds running amok within The Church at large. They do this without restraint, challenge or accountability. Not everyone out there has the best interests of The Church at heart. Scripture is the only reliable standard we have, so I ask; what has The Church done with The Word?

¹¹ Behold, the days come, saith the Lord GOD, that I will send a famine in the land, not a famine of bread, nor a thirst for water, but of hearing The Words of the LORD:  ¹² And they shall wander from sea to sea, and from the north even to the east, they shall run to and fro to seek the word of the LORD, and shall not find it (Amos 8:11-12).

Sooner or later we will have a choice to make as believers. Perhaps for some of us that time to choose has come already. We can be enthusiastically committed & dedicated, with the things of God first & foremost or we can be indifferently mediocre & milquetoast, with the things of God last & lastmost. Yes, I know that lastmost isn’t an actual word. I say these things to believers, not to the nominal who have long abandoned their spiritual root. Before anyone begins constructing their objections, let me be clear; I know that there are unbelievers in every single christian denomination. Those who go along to get along. Some for their salary & benefits. Some for whatever position they occupy within organisations. Some because they are false brethren.

When I look at The Church at large, there are fewer & fewer believers for whom The Word of The Lord is precious (1^st Samuel 3:1). Well, surely a famine of The Word isn’t likely in this day & age, is it? There are plenty of Bibles everywhere. Some of us have more than one! Lean in; if this is the way you’re thinking, you may be missing the point. Amos doesn’t speak of a famine of The Word. He speaks of a famine of hearing it. ‘For God speaketh once, yea twice, yet man perceiveth it not’. (Job 33:14). It is entirely possible for The Lord to be speaking in one place, but not in another. It is also entirely possible for Him to be speaking to people who are not listening. But don’t take my word for it; take His.

¹ In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. ² The same was in the beginning with God. ³ All things were made by him; and without him was not anything made that was made. ⁴ In him was life; and the life was the light of men. ⁵ And the light shineth in darkness; and the darkness comprehended it not.. ¹⁴ And the Word was made flesh, and dwelt among us, (and we beheld his glory, the glory as of the only begotten of the Father,) full of grace and truth (John 1:1-5 & 14). 

¹ God, who at sundry times and in divers manners spake in time past unto the fathers by the prophets, ² Hath in these last days spoken unto us by his Son, whom he hath appointed heir of all things, by whom also he made the worlds; ³ Who being the brightness of his glory, and the express image of his person, and upholding all things by the word of his power, when he had by himself purged our sins, sat down on the right hand of the Majesty on high (Hebrews 1:1-3).

²⁵ See that ye refuse not him that speaketh. For if they escaped not who refused him that spake on earth, much more shall not we escape, if we turn away from him that speaketh from heaven: ²⁶ Whose voice then shook the earth: but now he hath promised, saying, Yet once more I shake not the earth only, but also heaven. ²⁷ And this word, Yet once more, signifieth the removing of those things that are shaken, as of things that are made, that those things which cannot be shaken may remain (Hebrews 12:25-27). 

Look again at what Amos says. Famine. Not of bread. Famine. Not of water. Famine. Not of The Word. A famine of hearing it. God says that He will send the famine. If The Word of The Lord is not precious to us, if our ears are not set apart to it & for it & if there is no delight in it; we may find ourselves in similar straits. There are places where The Word takes precedence & others where The Word is conspicuous in its absence. There are some places that will feed you & others that will bleed you. We all have a choice to make; do we want to be fed, or do we want to be bled? The concern is not a lack of Divine bread or water brethren. The concern is whether or not we are hearing The Word, wherever we are. In this, The Lord gives us a supreme masterclass.

³¹ Our fathers did eat manna in the desert; as it is written, He gave them bread from heaven to eat. ³² Then Jesus said unto them, Verily, verily, I say unto you, Moses gave you not that bread from heaven; but my Father giveth you the true bread from heaven. ³³ For the bread of God is he which cometh down from heaven, and giveth life unto the world. ³⁴ Then said they unto him, Lord, evermore give us this bread. ³⁵ And Jesus said unto them, I am the bread of life: he that cometh to me shall never hunger; and he that believeth on me shall never thirst (John 6:31-35).

Here we have no famine of bread. Christ offers Himself as their bread from heaven. Their fathers ate manna in the wilderness & they died (John 6:49 & 58). Jesus offered them eternal life. Not the food of angels (Psalms 78:25), but He Himself. They missed it. Jesus tells them plainly that He is the bread of life. However brethren, access to bread was not the issue. They were painfully unaware of their state of malnutrition.

³⁷ In the last day, that great day of the feast, Jesus stood and cried, saying, If any man thirst, let him come unto me, and drink. ³⁸ He that believeth on me, as the scripture hath said, out of his belly shall flow rivers of living water. ³⁹ (But this spake he of the Spirit, which they that believe on him should receive: for the Holy Ghost was not yet given; because that Jesus was not yet glorified.) (John 7:37-39).

There was no famine of thirst for water. Jesus Himself offers them living water. So what is the problem here? The Lord issues them warning & they do not listen. They did not want Him. Neither will they come to Him in order to receive the life He offered (John 5:40). There is no delight in them for The Word. Little did they realise that The Word was right there, in flesh & blood, dwelling among them. He knew them, but they did not know Him. They murmured because He said that He had come down from heaven (John 6:41). His brothers goaded Him to leave Galilee & go into Judea, ‘His brethren therefore said unto him, Depart hence, and go into Judaea, that thy disciples also may see the works that thou doest. For there is no man that doeth anything in secret, and he himself seeketh to be known openly. If thou do these things, shew thyself to the world.’ (John 7:3-4). They didn’t believe in Him, so He sent them on ahead of Him & went up later. The people murmured (John 7:12). They looked for Him, but could not find Him. They will look for The Word & shall not find it. Remember Amos 8:12? Jesus said to them, ‘Ye shall seek me, and shall not find me: and where I am, thither ye cannot come’. (John 7:34) & still they did not understand (John 7:36).

 ⁴² Jesus said unto them, If God were your Father, ye would love me: for I proceeded forth and came from God; neither came I of myself, but he sent me. ⁴³ Why do ye not understand my speech? even because ye cannot hear my word (John 8:42-43).

The living bread that came down from heaven, which is Christ & the living water that He offered were not the issue. They were not in short supply. The hearing of The Word was. Remember, God said that He would send the famine. Paul says, ‘But they have not all obeyed the gospel. For Esaias saith, Lord, who hath believed our report? So then faith cometh by hearing, and hearing by the word of God. But I say, Have they not heard? Yes verily, their sound went into all the earth, and their words unto the ends of the world’. (Romans 10:16-18). When the hearing of The Word is in short supply, we will be in trouble. I don’t mean the formulaic faith that some preach. I mean The Word of The Truth of The Gospel (Colossians 1:5). All of this begs the question; under what circumstances did The Lord announce His intention to send this famine of hearing The Word?

⁴ Hear this, O ye that swallow up the needy, even to make the poor of the land to fail, ⁵ Saying, When will the new moon be gone, that we may sell corn? and the sabbath, that we may set forth wheat, making the ephah small, and the shekel great, and falsifying the balances by deceit? ⁶ That we may buy the poor for silver, and the needy for a pair of shoes; yea, and sell the refuse of the wheat? ⁷ The LORD hath sworn by the excellency of Jacob, Surely I will never forget any of their works. (Amos 8:4-7).

The poor & the needy are set up to be defrauded. What little they have is taken from them until even they themselves become a commodity. They are a means to an end. A necessary evil. The secular is prioritised above the sacred & in order to attain the venal goals that have been determined, these individuals willingly shortchange those they make merchandise of. More money. Less wheat. Even that which they offer is no better than worthless chaff. This was true in Amos’ day. This was true in Jesus’ day. This is true in The Church’s day. When The Lord says that He swears by the excellency of Jacob, He is swearing by Himself. Only He can do this. (Genesis 22:16, Hebrews 6:13). Samuel also refers to Him as the strength of Israel (1^st Samuel 15:29). While He Who is the living bread, supplies us with living water, we must hear The Word. Famine will be coming & for some, it may already have started. With these things in view, I have to ask; what has The Church done with The Word?

¹⁰ To whom shall I speak, and give warning, that they may hear? behold, their ear is uncircumcised, and they cannot hearken: behold, The Word of the LORD is unto them a reproach; they have no delight in it (Jeremiah 6:10).

 

 

 

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