There is a blessing that comes from God that is not preached about enough in our pulpits. This message of blessings and prosperity is almost ignored and shunned in many of our mega churches. It's a prosperity message indeed and it has to do with your finances, but this message is not popular because so many have gone the other way and desire to take what you have without this principle being established. I'm talking about the blessing in not compromising!
What is compromise? Well, we called it in the world, selling out! It's when you do not take a stand for convenience sake. It's when you desire to get something or somewhere so badly that you hide your stand and put your conviction on the back burner until you get what you want or where you want to be! Compromise is leading many of our church leaders nowadays. The mega church pastors and superstar Gospel singers and performers have filled their choirs, groups, pews, and lives with people that compromise daily and don't really stand for anything righteous. The singers will sing anywhere for anyone, with anyone. Preachers are preaching feel good and get your blessing messages, but embracing people that promote sinfulness and welcoming it into the house of God.
It started with the Megafest conferences where Pastors decided to defy the very bible that we believe, and mix secular, sinful performers with Gospel preachers and teachers. It was the dawning of a new era in the black church and many young pastors have followed suit. Now, on any given Sunday you will hear preachers bragging about their earthly gain, promoting secular sinful actors and Hollywood, as well as promoting folks that don't even follow after the truth of the Word. It's not strange to turn on the television and see a Gospel recording musician dancing the latest club dances, singing the latest club songs, and mimicking the latest pop cultural fads. It's not weird anymore to pick up a Gospel music CD and see a picture of a seductive whore on the front or read the credits and find names of artists that promote Satan and sinfulness in their performances. It's nothing to see a Bishop in a movie that promotes sin, seduction, or other worldly images for the sake of popularity and gain. What has happened to our churches and where is the power of God? Well, I have news for you. God's presence does not flow in compromise so his presence is not with this stuff.
This is an epidemic in the black church. It's about entertainment and fun vs. the consequences of sin and compromise. People are now more concerned about their feelings rather than God's feelings. It's about how a person can feel better vs. God feeling better about us! The general consensus now is for the adults to find their blessing and breakthrough in church while the youth find hope in their sub-cultural identity and peer inspired philosophies. God is now a novelty to many and salvation has become all inclusive. How many New Year's Eve services consisted of entertainment rather than end times sermons? How did we as a church prepare for 09? Are we looking to evangelize and win souls and reverse curses or are we focused on our finances and how to beat the bad economy? What is going on?
The saddest part about people that compromise is that most of them have earthly successes financially and they get their egos stroked by accolades, but their homes are in turmoil as a result of keeping their desires their main focus. Their children's lives are wrecks and their marriages are parses. You see, the penalty for compromise is the compromising of your own home. Your home will suffer for your selling out. That's right. That's the part we never hear about from the celebrities, but it's evident in their public disgraces and reputations. When you go your way and get the fame, money, and power, you lose God's peace and a curse will follow you. You may get the goods you desire, but your children, marriage, and legacy will be a wreck. You don't get away with anything in this life, and you will pay and suffer grave consequences when you compromise.
But there is a great blessing in not compromising. Let me tell you first hand, that when you do it the way God wants and you don't sell out, you will be blessed. God will bless your marriage, your children, and your finances. God will take the little money you make and stretch it farther than you can imagine when you stand for him. Sure, folks aren't gonna like you and they will fight against you because when you do not compromise and you get blessed and favored by God for it, you make the sell outs looks bad. How would you feel if you gave up your convictions and sold out to make it, only to find out that God's true blessing is on those that held their ground and stood for him at all cost? You would be upset about that and that's why Jesus said that the world hates him.The world doesn't know Jesus well enough to truly hate him, they just hate the fact that his goodness makes their sinfulness look bad! That's why they fight his truth.
I watch the earthly success of these people that are famed and revered by many for being stars, actors, performers, and celebrities. They have limousines and big houses, they have their name in lights and sign autographs everywhere they go. But in their private lives, they are wrecks. They have multiple divorces or open marriages. Their children are gay, on drugs, or both! Their homes are full of despair and no peace whatsoever. Sure, in public, they look the part, but in reality, they themselves are drug addicts, drunkards, etc. to escape the pain they feel for selling out their own principles and convictions for the sake of fame and self glorification. I'm not talking about Hollywood, I'm talking about the CHURCH!
The church as a whole is in this same predicament that Hollywood stars have been in for years. We have gone after the gold and the fame. The church has embraced actors and performers from Hollywood's method of stardom and has turned the church of God into an arena of entertainment. The true Gospel is being lost and the false doctrine of men is being forwarded. This has caused the personal lives of our preachers and singers to be plagued with sin and unrighteousness. This has cause our youth departments and youth as a whole in the church to be lost. More teen pregnancies, aids, STD's, you name it, it's in our churches! All of this because we decided that we needed to compromise the Gospel to reach this generation when it was just the fame, money, and power, that our church leaders and recording artists desired. They pretended to desire to reach the world when it was really their desire to be of the world that drove them. And now, look at where we are. Folks have stopped giving and lost confidence in the church process. Mega churches are falling and mega church pastors homes are dividing.
But there is a blessing for you if you decide to stand for truth no matter what. Let me assure you, that if you stand up for God and not bow down to the idols of men, you will be blessed. IF you want a financial blessing from God, then you better do what he says! If you want peace in your home, your children saved and set free, your marriage saved and strengthened, then you better do what God says. He is the answer and the only way of having true success in the this life! God is the way and his truth endures forever, so don't compromise for anything! Don't sell out and don't sit under or look up to sell outs. This is the year of no tolerance and no compromise. When it's not God, say it's not. When it's of God, follow it. When it doesn't line up with scripture, don't be silent about it, but let it be known. We must call it like it is this year and warn those that are mixing God's truth with lies. It doesn't matter who it is, whether it's a Bishop, pastor, performer, or actor, the same rules apply. If they are not lining up with scripture we must not be silent. Many times for respect purposes, you don't have to say anything, but your actions will be your voice. Don't follow what is not of God.
No compromise in 2009. There is a blessing from God that comes when you stand for him. I am a living witness and I'm typing from a debt free home right now! The true blessing of God comes from doing things his way. Sure, no one is perfect and we all make mistakes. I'm not talking about being perfect in the sense of doing everything right and never missing the mark, but I'm saying that when it comes to compromising the Gospel, we must not tolerate it on any level. You must stand for what is right regardless of the circumstance. What will our children have if we mix up the message and merge the world with the church? They are watching us and what we do, they will do. If we stand, they will stand. If we compromise, they will take compromise to another level! Come on people of God, make this the year that you tell compromise good bye. Stand up, declare your God, and walk in his ways, and you will be blessed and your home will have peace.
Deut. 28:7 ¶ “The LORD shall cause your enemies who rise up against you to be defeated before you; they will come out against you one way and will flee before you seven ways.
Deut. 28:8 “The LORD will command the blessing upon you in your barns and in all that you put your hand to, and He will bless you in the land which the LORD your God gives you.
Deut. 28:9 “The LORD will establish you as a holy people to Himself, as He swore to you, if you keep the commandments of the LORD your God and walk in His ways.
Deut. 28:10 “So all the peoples of the earth will see that you are called by the name of the LORD, and they will be afraid of you.
Deut. 28:11 “The LORD will make you abound in prosperity, in the offspring of your body and in the offspring of your beast and in the produce of your ground, in the land which the LORD swore to your fathers to give you.
Deut. 28:12 “The LORD will open for you His good storehouse, the heavens, to give rain to your land in its season and to bless all the work of your hand; and you shall lend to many nations, but you shall not borrow.
Deut. 28:13 “The LORD will make you the head and not the tail, and you only will be above, and you will not be underneath, if you listen to the commandments of the LORD your God, which I charge you today, to observe them carefully,
Deut. 28:14 and do not turn aside from any of the words which I command you today, to the right or to the left, to go after other gods to serve them.
In Love,
G. Craige Lewis
