PUBLISHING – Part 1 (Open Letter pages 109-115).
Beloved Lord Jesus, whenever I step into a Christian bookstore or a publishing agency, my head twists. Not only could I “read myself to death” with so much available literature, but before so dying, I would probably become the most confused and stupefied man on earth.
It seems that anybody can write anything provided that it is sincere, and that it contains God’s Name or some references to the Bible. On the other hand, it does not seem to matter at all, in what SPIRIT the material is written or whether it fits into Your Eternal Plan in any way. It seems sufficient to be in possession of the Bible or other biblical literature, of a newly acquired knowledge or experiences, of finances or right connections to right people, and of a strong enough desire to let the world know … and we can publish anything!
And if our Christian book of $19.99 does not move, we can always put it on sale at $12.99 or right down to our own cost of $3.52! (Is it not written that “thou shalt not muzzle the ox that spreadeth the book”?)
It still seems strange to a vast host of Christian writers and readers that Your Word was INSPIRED and, therefore, written IN YOUR SPIRIT … which does make a world of difference. The words that You are speaking unto us THEY ARE SPIRIT and THEY ARE LIFE! (Jn.6:63). A vast majority of the available Christian literature are also “words that are spirit”. But, alas, they are human spirit of the old man – they are DEATH?!
How else would You, Lord, qualify the rows and rows of books on “Pastor’s help”, not Concordances, not History books, but those written by psychologists, scholars and other writers describing “how to” methods. If Your pastors, who are supposed to be Your servants, cannot be helped directly by You, Spirit-to-spirit, then they should respectfully submit to You their resignations.
I have never heard about a true servant of God needing psychologists or scholars to help him out. The reverse is true! The psychologists and scholars and various other scientists need help from Your true pastors!
As far as I know, Lord, none of Your Apostles had any theological education nor had any one of them received anything from the Scribes, scholars, theologians, Pharisees or Sadducees! All that Your Apostles received was from You, from Your Spirit – and thus they wrote the whole New Testament, which became the Foundation of Christianity! And if a handful of humanly ignorant fishermen, a tax collector, a physician and a zealous persecutor wrote something that we today regard as the “Holy Writ”, why must we wait today on some clever men???
If I write this letter to You only because I had read something and heard something somewhere from somebody – then let this book be burned! Indeed, for it would be but valueless trash! But if I write that which I received from You, from Your Spirit, in the light of Your revelations and in the life of Your dealings with me, as I do write, then it shall penetrate the hearts of men, even to the dividing asunder of their soul and spirit, their bones and marrow – and they shall KNOW in the depths of their spirit and heart that these things are from You and that they are so!
How about the rows and rows of books on “How to live a victorious Christian life”? These books are mostly written by people who have achieved some more or less spectacular success in the physical world or in the world of their soul, but seem to know precious little about the spiritual world.
Many of them seem to have no idea about what is TRUE victory and a TRUE failure in Your eyes. Most of the time, what seems a total failure in our eyes, is a great victory in Your eyes! And vice versa. And we can begin with the Cross of Calvary, followed by the rejection of You by Your own people, even the apparent failure of Christianity and an apparent victory of the powers of darkness.
What the vast majority of these books present concerning “how to live a victorious life”, or “how to be successful”, is an Amway religion! For even these businessmen use Your Word to their advantage. They recognize Solomon as the wisest man that ever lived, they quote some of his Proverbs; but they never quote Proverb 23:4, or some others, for it would shake the very foundations of their proclamations, goals and business itself. Yet, it comes from the same Solomon!
So it is with the rows of these books, no matter how well intentioned, how sincere the authors, how victorious their story might appear. There is the Word of God, the Word of righteousness, the Word of judgement, the Word of wisdom somewhere in the Scripture – that shatters their “victories” to dust. Their “victorious” living shall be turned to weeping and gnashing of teeth. But simple readers do not know … and how many fall into these traps, only You know, Lord.
And then, there are rows upon rows of books with all kinds of new doctrines, new explanations, new interpretations … a true “smorgasbord” for any taste bud. Will Christians go through the Tribulation? Will they not? Shall we all be raptured together? Who are the Overcomers? What shall we do when our money fails? How to prepare ourselves for the Tribulation! Where will the marriage supper of the Lamb take place? Who are the guests? Do we have the power of God? How to use the power of God? Who is the Bride of Christ? Who are the sons of God? Who are the children of the Kingdom? Who will enter into the Kingdom of heaven? Who will be left behind? For how long? Will the Lord come secretly or openly? What to do not to miss the Rapture! …I could thus go on and on.
Unfortunately, most of these books are written by Your “experts” whom You told everything … just as You told Noah, Abraham and Moses! All we have to do is read all these five-thousand books, booklets and pamphlets, clearly understand them and accept their truth – and we shall have all the answers. And since we have all the answers, all our problems should disappear.
But there are multitudes of Christians who read … and read … and read … one famous author after another, one brilliant book after another … and their personal problems have not disappeared, but grew worse. Their spiritual man had not changed – he was only buried under another layer of flesh!
They even try to prepare themselves and their families and friends for “the worst” to come according to the experts – who apparently never read Matthew 6:25-34. All the new doctrines, all the new ways to victory, all the recipes for happiness, prosperity and peace, all the wishful thinking about faith and power of God in us … all these products of the “wise and prudent” are powerless, valueless, fruitless trash that shall burn as hay and stubble at the first look of Your eyes! (Rev.1:14).
What do You say, Lord? I believe I know what You are saying at this point. You are saying two things, and this is the first word You are saying: “Verily I say unto you, except ye be converted and become as little children, ye shall NOT enter into the Kingdom of heaven” (Mt.18:3). I do not dare to add to Your Word, Lord, I only dare to say to my brothers and sisters (authors, writers, readers), that the word “converted” does not mean from paganism to Christianity – but from our lofty, haughty ways of pride, legalism, mental analysis and manifold speculations of the wise and prudent adults, to the ways of humbleness, purity and simplicity, which are the ways of children!
The second word that You are saying goes with the first hand-in-hand, and it is this: “I thank Thee, O Father, Lord of heaven and earth, because Thou hast HID THESE THINGS from the wise and prudent, and hast REVEALED THEM UNTO BABES. Even so, Father, for so it seemed good in Thy sight.” (Mt.11:25). Just before this word, Lord, You were upbraiding Your own people which witnessed some of Your mighty works, yet repented not! (Mt.11:20-24).
Verily I say unto my beloved brothers and sisters in Your Mighty Name that there shall not be even one believer who shall enter into Your Kingdom because he or she knew right doctrines!!! Nor yet because he or she is saved and born-again in spirit!!! There shall not be even one believer who shall be raptured or become Your Bride or obtain any of Your promises in the Book of Revelation, unless he or she is PREPARED by Your Spirit, TESTED by Your Spirit, PROVEN by Your Spirit and, thus, JUDGED BY YOUR SPIRIT to be ready and worthy!!!
Not one shall enter in and rule with You in any other way. And no one is prepared by Your Spirit to rule in Your Kingdom who has NOT OBEYED Your voice, saying: “If any man wants to follow Me, let him deny himself and take up his cross and follow Me.” (Mt.16:24).
Yes, the TRUE way to the only TRUE victory is not to take up stacks of wise pamphlets, booklets, books and dozens of wise doctrines – but to take up OUR CROSS!
The TRUE way to the only TRUE victory is not to seek first our prosperity, our happiness, our health, our peace, the solutions to all our problems – but firstly to DENY OURSELVES!
AFTER we are willing to deny ourselves and take up our cross, You shall begin to prepare us for all that was preordained for us by our Father, which is in heaven and whose Name be blessed and loved for ever! And only then we shall have a chance to see and taste the true victory, the true faith, the true happiness, the true peace, the true prosperity, the true health (3Jn.2). Yea, we shall see and taste of the Truth Itself … because we shall also begin to walk in that Truth (3Jn.3,4).
We shall begin to find all these above fruits of the true victory, even our eternal life, because “whosoever will lose his (old) life for My sake shall find it” (Mt.16:25).
(To be continued next week in part 1)
brother Hanola
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