06 May Louisiana pastor Tony Spell urges people to donate stimulus checks to church – 2 Timothy 3:5 “From such People turn away! “

Total cases globally: 3,662,691. Recovered: 1,198,832. Deaths: 257,239 and counting. These are the statistics of the coronavirus. If you know anything about statistics, they are never spot on. For example, because most people do not even have the means to be tested for covid-19, the number of total cases can never be accurate.

It is only as accurate as what has been detected and reported, those who go undiagnosed and undetected cannot be counted. Also do not take the death count to be accurate. I would surmise there are more deaths then reported, for the simple fact that countries tend to “downplay” pandemic deaths, fearing it reflects on their botched efforts to stop the spread and prevention of a disease.

Which is why I caution every believer, to NOT become enthralled in politics or government entities if at all possible. Whether you are in the United States, The Continent of Africa, Europe or Australia, government across the globe is universal. Because the world crucified Christ, and in return has sealed it’s judgement and fate, it will always be a representation of Rome.

Rome and Egypt, are representations and symbolism for the “World”. If you want to see how the world operates, just read about the doings and inner-workings of Rome and Egypt in the old and in the New Testament. The World has not changed since Christ’s arrival and departure, it has only gotten worse.

There are many people who were a part of the World or government, who found Christ, and are now fulfilling the purpose he has for them in that position in their lives. You also have those of us who are not in government positions, who are attempting to get into a government position, for the will of God I can only hope. Not the purposes of God. We all purpose many things.

What you purpose or propose is very different then what God wills. I’ve purposed many things in my life that were good. I set out with the full intent on doing good. Only God did not will it or permit it. Or at times he suffered it. But it was not his will. If you have a heart for God you will have many purposes. Things you propose to do because they are good things.

God does purpose our lives for every good thing, but for specific things. Things that he has equipped you for. Somethings we purpose to do he has not equipped us to do. You would not go into the ocean without survival gear. But some of us do just that. A good heart and a good mindset is not enough to produce fruit. The spirit of God must move.

If the Spirit doesn’t move, there can be no fruit. When I think of the many times I’ve failed, I can look back and see that God was not in it. Sometimes God uses failure to teach us, for something bigger he has for us to do in the future. And sometimes our failure is us going out into the ocean without any survival gear.

Knowing the difference is our biggest weakness, because we want to do good, we truly do, but we don’t know if God is in it or not. We don’t know when to quit something, because we do not know if God is in it or if he is not in it. So we press on, and if we press on in the wrong things, frustration and discouragement follows.

We are living in a very strange time. It’s full of anxiety, uncertainty, and down right fear. Most of us are economically squeezed. The government has come to a complete stop. Our bank accounts have dried up. Living paycheck to paycheck would even be better now, because most of us have no paycheck of any kind coming in.

In these times people of faith really turn towards God for answers, for guidance, for help. I am of the mind that the 1200 dollar stimulus that the government gave up offered little help to most, but 1200 dollars more today than what you had yesterday is better than nothing.

And with this nothing, we used it to purchase the necessities as we see fit for our families. So in reading that a Pastor challenged people of faith, to donate their stimulus check to his Church or to another religious organization, produced righteous indignation within my spirit.

I have not used the term Christian to describe myself in a very long time. I will probably never use that term again explicitly, unless it is required to be used in a very specific context or theological discussion. It is not because I am ashamed of the gospel of Jesus Christ, but because I am ashamed to be mentioned under the same banner as many of these so-called Pastors today.

They have become larger and much more significant than the gospel itself. They are above reproach, and cannot be rebuked. We saw the height of their pride in the four gospels, with the killing and persecution of each of God’s prophets. They were unable to be corrected. They became God and Angels unto themselves. God’s words no longer carried the ability to correct and teach them, they were now the teachers and the correctors!

Not only did God’s word fall on death ears, so did God himself.  They would not listen even when the words were coming from God himself.  Jesus was crucified at 33yrs of age, but the Pharisees and the Sadducees would have killed him sooner if not for Jesus retreating on several occasions to thwart their attempts to kidnap him.

They were beyond reproach. Today we have Pastors that are beyond reproach. They’ve never uttered one word that was incorrect or disputable. The truth they speak cannot be chastised. They have done their due diligence, and even though they are made from corruptible material, their thinking and their knowledge is incorruptible!

They have surpassed the Angels and even Jesus in all his wisdom and knowledge, to know best especially on the subject of money. They will tell you that money being mentioned more times in the Bible then any other topic shows you the importance God places on money. For God, money is of extreme importance.

For them to do the “Will of God”, it takes money. Though as I write this sermon, I am receiving no money, so I must be outside of the Will of God at this very moment, if I was to adopt that logic. And what is logic? My logic fails constantly. Their logic succeeds tremendously as they tell it.

My God said “do not lean on our own understanding”, for you will surely go astray. But somehow they have found prosperity relying on their understanding. If prosperity is tied to money, then surely I am the foolish one, because I have none. I do not own a large beautiful church, a rack of expensive suits, nor do I own a Jet.

I suppose I just have what many others before me had such as John the Baptist, Moses, Elijah, Elisha, Samuel, Hosea and the Apostles had. Relationship. What is the treasure you seek from God? Is it financial prosperity or relationship? Which one means more to you?

I would not suggest to a man, who has not eaten in 30 days, to give away the meal he received on the 31st day knowing this man is starving. No one of a sound mind would suggest such a thing. But in the Christian circle, such type talk is not looked at as “unsound” or “ridiculous”, it is looked at as spiritual reasoning and faith.

The Bible is no stranger to desperate times. There were many famines during biblical times. Food was scarce. Money was scarce. When you were fortunate to obtain food for you and your family, it was a blessing and looked at as such.

What this so-called Pastor is suggesting, is that you take what God has blessed you with during this pandemic (or famine depending on your situation), and give it to his household so that they can be whole, while you and your family remain broken.

That is not faith. Faith is having much, and giving to those who have little. Faith is having little, and helping those who have nothing. Do not give ANYTHING to those who have plenty! For every 1 person who has plenty, there are 10,000 people who have little. Share your prosperity with such people.

He claims that he and his entire household are donating their stimulus checks to “a church”. It is not money earned. Money not earned is not a sacrifice when not needed. If I have much, and my credit card company is giving me a 500 dollar cash back check due to purchases I’ve made in the past, it is of no consequence to me to give it away.

It is not income I was counting on, nor am I destitute. It is a nice gesture I have done, but it is in no-way a sacrifice to me. To sacrifice is to give up something of yourself. You feel a sacrifice. Like letting a believer in Christ stay on your couch or in your spare bedroom due to them falling on hard times like we’re in now.

That is sacrifice. Giving away your stimulus check while there’s no food in your own fridge, or you are behind months in your mortgage, is not a sacrifice. It is unwise. Wisdom comes from God (Proverbs 2:6-8), those who have studied to show themselves approve are aware of the difference, but many of us are not. And because we can no longer rely on a Pastor being “the good shepherd”, we must take hold of the Bible and study the scripture for our own edification.

The only way a so-called Pastor can get away with something so blatant, is to rely on those who are not well-versed in scripture. The reason why money is a topic that is brought up so many times in the Bible is because God knew this was the one area of our lives where we would become the most vulnerable to exploitation.

One Biblical scripture, that I use often, that is irrefutable to many of the religious arguments of today, is the thief on the cross. Many people will tell you what it is you must do or not do in order to be saved. When I use the thief on the cross example, it destroys 99% of what it is that they say.

The thief on the cross was saved because he put his belief on Jesus being the son of God. Not only did he confess it with his lips, he believed in his heart Jesus was the son of God. This man never paid tithes. This man was never baptized. This man did not have a history of good works. He was being crucified, and acknowledged that he deserved his present punishment.

Yet this man is with Christ, while many who have done all things I’ve mentioned above he do not due, have perished and will perish! This is the scripture that kills every pastor’s money preaching gospel. It dispels their weak argument that your blessings from God are attached to how much money you give, versus the life you live.

If blessings were attached to how much money you gave, every mega church Pastor: Joel Osteen, Creflo Dollar, Paula White, Kenneth Copeland and the like, should take all the thousands of dollars they take in every week, and give it away. At the end of the month or even a few months, they should receive a blessing(s) that there will not be room enough to store it (Malachi 3:10).

But what is rational for you to do, is irrational for them to practice. From such people turn away. Your salvation is not their interest. Your relationship with Christ is of no interest to them. Who would suggest such a thing knowing people are destitute? Even utility companies and many landlords (some not all) are being lenient knowing the present state of families and our economy.

But a God who is supposed to be merciful, can not find any when it comes to your money. This is why you need to turn away from such people. They will pervert the image of God, as well as your relationship with him.

You cannot gain God’s love through tithes. Your tithe of any kind comes from your relationship with God, not our desire to get a relationship with God. God cannot be obtained through material items or money.

We see Simon the Sorcerer try to do this in the book of Acts Ch. 8 verse 18-19. He has no interest in a relationship with Christ, only in the ability to perform miraculous acts. Brothers and Sisters: How many times must I declare that God’s interest is in you MORE than anything else!!

I will continue to say it so people like Tony Spell and others do not separate you from God through perverted teachings. If you give your heart to God, he is well pleased. He will use you according to his liking, and he will have you give according to his will.

If God, not you purposes in your heart to give, give. Do not be tempting by the promise of blessings or by the guilty conscience that many Pastors will stir up in you. Kenneth Copeland instructed those who were laid off to keep trying and don’t they dare stop! He would have you believe that money is that important to God.

These Vipers! Are there any lengths to which they wouldn’t go to separate you from your money. No, they have no repentance in their soulless bodies, because they have become their own Gods! Who do you think Jesus would be in contention with if he were present today? Me? You? NO! It would be today’s present religious structure.

It is more pleasing to God to help your neighbor who has very little, then to tithe to a Church that has much. They have turned the grace of God into law, where under all circumstances, you must do what is written.

No, what we must do is present our bodies as a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable to God, which is your reasonable service (Romans 12:1). In doing this , we will fulfill all that is required by God.

This is the whole summary of 2 Timothy Ch. 3. This scripture is more pertinent today than it’s ever been. It is a warning to those who follow Christ, that we are in a climate where many people will proclaim to be stewards of the gospel. Where many will proclaim to come to you in God’s name.

But their gospel is tainted. It is driving by the lusts of pride and money. The gullible will be overtaking, the wise will see their folly and turn away from their gospel, which is a gospel of riches and lavishness.

They have many allies. Be very wary of what you watch and what you listen to. They are all working in compliance to distort your heart, and to re-conform your way of thinking back to the world’s perverted view. I believe the internet is one of the greatest inventions we have. I also believe it is one of the worst inventions as well.

Truth can be spread globally as quickly as lies. Christ Gospel as well as other gospels. It is on your first, to disseminate what’s truth and what’s lie, and it is on those who have been called by God to teach truth and to point out and uproot the lie as soon as it rears its ugly head.

Pastors must remove erroneous doctrine and those who teach it immediately, not converse or to try to compromise with it. Sin has no place righteousness, as darkness has no place with light. We must swiftly cut out and cut off any signs of unrighteous doctrine, or it will infect everything that it touches.

The truth cannot be untrue, as light cannot be dark. Truth can only be twisted, and light can only be hidden. When you are derailed or deceived by erroneous doctrine, your light is covered. When you are taken in by false doctrine, your view of the gospel has been twisted. So you now walk in untruth, but the truth did not become a lie or disappear, it has only become hidden to you, and you have now become a lie.

Turn away from these types of Men and Women. They seek gullible, because the ears of the wise are muted to their false teachings.

I pray this message resonates with you. I pray that he sits well within your spirit. I am an open book. If I ever say anything that you do not understand, or that you may have trouble understanding or agreeing with, you can by all means reach out to me.

I will be doing a 4-part series surrounding the types of people who hear the gospel, and for specific reasons, fall away from it and go back to the world. I never heard anyone preach on it, and I think it will be a benefit to everyone who reads it.

It will help explain our actions at times even when we don’t understand them. Until then God Bless.