Everywhere you turn today you hear of ways to survive the current economic downturn better known as “The Recession.” However I cannot recall one instance where I heard anyone in the media or on Christian Television (Radio or Internet) decipher God’s purpose behind the recision. Yes, God’s purpose! After all, God allows and permits any and everything on the earth.
John Piper of Bethlehem Baptist Church in Minneapolis, Minnesota delivered an outstanding sermon on “The Rescission.” Pastor Piper gave 5 God centered purposes for this recession:
- God Desires To Expose Hidden Sin – God is using our anxiety, fear and hopelessness to show us just how sinful we are. Recessions have a way of bring the WORSE out of us. God wants to expose that hidden sin through recession. Yes my friend FEAR is a sin because it tells God we don’t trust Him. In addition the exposing of our sin shows us just how much we need to rely on the Lord. God is exposing hidden sin such as lust (of Cars), money, pride and man worship.
- God Wants Us To Wake Up – God wants to wake us (As Americans) up to show us just how bad our fellow brother and sister is. The united states, despite of the rescission, is still doing better than OVER 2/3 of the global population. God is using the recession to show us just how bad someone else is doing. From this revelation, God wants us to learn to address the most dire causes of this world. A pastors 18K light bill and 15K tax bill is nothing compared to someone in Africa living without clean water .
- God Wants Us To Relocate Our Roots – God wants to yank us up by the back of our shirt and snatch us from what we have been rooted in for years, our prosperity, our money, our businesses, our buildings our STUFF. God wants to replant us in good ground. God wants us to be planted and rooted in HIM and not in our cars, homes, jobs and money. This recession by far is about just that, money, automobiles, jobs and property. God is taking all of that away so we can focus on Him.
- God Wants To Use The Recession To Advance His Salvation Mission – God throughout time has used the most dire circumstances to advance His agenda (Not ours). Throughout the bible you can see God at Work in a recession; Abraham and Sara conceiving a Son in their old age, God parting the Red Sea to lead the Israelite nation out of Egypt, Bread of Heaven, The Walls of Jericho, God’s list goes on and on.
- God Wants Us To Care For Those Hurting In The Church Acts 4:34– God intends for us to care for the hurting because he wants us to grow in love. Nobody should ever lack anything in the church. Far too many people I know are leaving “The Club” are doing so because they are in need and are hurting! Yet in the Club Owner and his Bouncers (Deacons and Ministers) contend that the “Mand/Prophet of da House” Club be protected and shielded against the lies spoken against him. Landers is not the only person hurting, the entire body outside of The Club is hurting. I pray that the money laid at Landers’ feet a few weeks ago was spent to help a member in financial need! Landers needs to stop worrying about folk talking about him and start worrying about the people he is hurting with his greed and lies!
Look at Pastor Piper’s Message in its entirety. I pray that his message will bless you like it blessed me.
Pimp Escape 
March 24, 2009 at 8:19 am
Piper is one of the sound, steady voices proclaiming the Gospel to the nations today. I’ve written about him extensively in the past year as well. Unfortunately, he won’t get much attention from the black charismatic church because he’s too boring. If he drove a Bentley, dressed like a GQ model, and added a few buzzwords like “breakthrough”, “new dimension in God”, and “your season is here!”, then we’d pay more attention to the wisdom that comes from his mouth.
You should add his RSS feeds to your blog (along with other expository preachers) – may as well give the sheep a taste of the TRUE Word when they arriving here from escaping their pimps…
March 24, 2009 at 6:47 pm
I wish more people would feed on truth rather tahn the crap being pushed!
The Church has let the enemy into the fold by not focusing on the things that REALLY matter. The sheeple have devoted a majority of their lives trying to be like “passa” that they forgot that having a nice ride, home and money in our pocket are NOTHING compared to the gift of Salvation.
In this economic downturn it is so vital that the Church focus on what REALLY matters. There is one thing this downturn CANNOT take and that is Christ. Once Saved Always SAVED. I pray that the people turn to the LORD and repent.
March 25, 2009 at 10:08 am
You know that money was spent paying that overdue tax bill. Dre doesn’t care about anyone but himself. As someone who witnessed that fiasco take place, all I could do was wonder why God isn’t doing something about this?? I really don’t understand how he sleeps at night. Those fake tears? People can’t even get help from the church because he is always talking about how they don’t have any money. The sad part is as much as the false prophecy and hyprocrisy is being exposed, people are still joining every week. For every leader that leaves, there is someone happily waiting in the wings to take their spots and be elevated. I pray for the Body of Christ! We can’t witness to the world because we are so full of it!
March 25, 2009 at 12:34 pm
So, Disappointed, I gotta ask: why are you still there? If you truly know that “Dre” is a degenerate hustler (my words), then why don’t you flee his false doctrine? If we don’t reject it then we’re just as guilty as he is.
This is not an indictment against you personally – but I wonder how anyone can continue to patronize that business (because at this point, that’s all his club is) knowing the real deal.
Just makes me scratch my head…
March 25, 2009 at 12:36 pm
Disappointed,
You said…”why God isn’t doing something about this??”
The question should be “God what are you doing? How are you trying to get your glory and attain our (your people) delight”.
When we ask the question like that we are looking at God’s purpose and will instead of what WE will Him to do. God is sovereign and contrary to Landers and folks like The Pimp of Houston, God can and does anything He wants to do.
As I said in my post, God is exposing HIDDEN SIN! HE is exposing the man worship in HLCC. That man worship event was allowed to happen to show the people there idolatrous ways.
March 25, 2009 at 2:52 pm
ST,
We don’t leave because up until “that” moment we have been worshiping through the eyes of man instead of through the Spirit of God.
Our ability to leave only AFTER we see the illuminating light that exposes the senselessness.
The moment for me came during the “All White” Pentecostal Sunday money scheme. I saw broke folk (Money Broke) breaking their necks trying to buy all white, not to please God but a man! God got zero glory out of that. I mean lets be honest. Where in the bible did the Lord Jesus tell us to wear all white and lay down an offering 50 days after His resurrection? He did not.
God wants to be glorified and for us to delight in His glory. That day I did not feel a lick of joy in all white. In fact I felt like I was condemned in a LAW. Imagine had I showed up in all black that day (especially in my leadership capacity)? I would have been look at like a fool!
Disappointed,
I hope the (2) “Foot Touching” services were your eye opening moment.
March 25, 2009 at 8:35 pm
Thank you both for your comments! There have definitely been many “eye-opening” moments for me. My biggest issue is with all of the people that have been hurt and left. Marriages destroyed, spirits broken and finances lost. You two have been the only brave people to expose what has been going on. Most people are just happy to be gone and never say anything about what they experience.
I can’t really answer the question of why I am still there. It varies from being comfortable where I am to fear of going somewhere else. I scratch my head as well. I guess I keep hoping that things will change and get better but it hasn’t.
March 26, 2009 at 7:44 am
Disappointed,
Thanks for the reply. Please keep in mind a few things:
1)I can’t boast in my escape from NBS. However I will boast in the Lord and boast on how much He has grown me out of this experience.The masses are perishing, yet in His sovereignty He decided to save me from the mess that has become NBS/HLCC
2)Keep studying His word and detach from the mess you have been taking in. Don’t let this or any blog drive you away from a church and forbid the Lord. Instead, let His word shine light on darkness. The more Word you have the more Light (Truth) you have. I have yet to see a NBS/HLCC supporter using supporting scripture correctly to address what I say in this blog. People misquote scripture and regurgitate what they her Sun and Wed. That tells me they don’t study.