If I listed everything the church could say ten years ago that she can’t say today—you would be horrified. Without a miracle, your children and grandchildren will have to survive in a world that will totally ban their faith—even scarier, they’ll do it without you.
It is hard to convince many Christians that they are losing their freedom of speech and religion. They either don’t believe it is happening, or they chalk it off to politics. But the erosion of liberty is not only real…it is the greatest threat American Christians have ever faced.
The doctrines of our faith that offend are the Cross, the Blood of Jesus, hell, sexual purity, and marriage. They are already being omitted by preachers who feel the heat. They’ll tell you it’s to reach a bigger audience—trust me, it’s the heat.
What can we do to stop the church from being driven underground? No vessel of God can seriously entertain the idea that we should stop preaching these truths. That can’t be the answer. What then, can we do to reverse this pernicious loss of liberty?
The better question is what does God do when a nation tries to silence His church? The answer came to me suddenly. Hear me out, it is not what you think. It is way beyond petitions, or elections. The revelation I am about to relate to you, struck me with paralyzing clarity. I am amazed I never saw it before.
However, nothing I am about to say will help you—not one point I make will have its intended impact unless you have a heart for it. If you are still in denial about what is happening, I can’t help you—this message can’t help you. If you think I am dispensing alarmist extremism, then you are just another part of the threat.
But, if you want to hear God’s heart on this crisis—if you hunger for more than half-answers, then you have come to the right place. You can ask the Holy Spirit the most important question you could ever ask: What do You do when a nation tries to silence your church? Here it comes.
When the leaders of Jerusalem arrested Peter, they didn’t know what to charge him with or how to punish him. They knew they had to silence the church. There was no doubt about their intention. They were prepared to do anything to stop the Gospel. So what was stopping them? Answer that, and you get the exact marching orders we need today.
What was hindering them was the man who came with Peter and John. This is the crippled beggar at the gate beautiful. This was no ordinary miracle. He occupied the most visible and lucrative begging station in Jerusalem. Everyone knew him. Word of his miracle filled the city. A mad chorus of praise was rising over the eternal city.
Their deep consternation is vividly described in these verses: Acts 4: 14 “And seeing the man who had been healed standing with them, they could say nothing against it. 15 But when they had commanded them to go aside out of the council, they conferred among themselves, 16 saying, “What shall we do to these men? For, indeed, that a notable miracle has been done through them is evident to all who dwell in Jerusalem, and we cannot deny it.”
Their profound dilemma is not lost of Peter. He is seeing the divine solution to government censorship. He has clearly settled on a course of action—the action we need to take today. He leaves, armed with critical information.
He gathers the people of God and orders them to pray. He is about to pray a prayer that is the precise model for our crisis—our threat. Remember that word threat.
Remember I told you that nothing good can come to you from my message unless you see how urgent the hour has become. Peter began his prayer by calling the situation a threat. We must also do this. He prayed:
Acts 4:29 “Now, Lord, look on their threats, and grant to Your servants that with all boldness they may speak Your word, 30 by stretching out Your hand to heal, and that signs and wonders may be done through the name of Your Holy Servant Jesus.”
If you are referring to Bethel church which promotes new age teachings, cold readings, speaking to the dead, then you have gotten further into error than I realize. That is very sad to see what has become of Pentecostal teachings and its movement.
Christopher G…what on earth or in heaven would make you relate this article to Bethel church? Mario Murillo has “never” ascribed to anything new age, and has definitively denounced those who are practicing prophetic readings for cash, with impure motives etc.etc.
What is so obviously CLEAR here in Mario’s article, is for those who are without a predisposed attitude of antagonism against Rev Mario and as you might call us, Pentecostal’s…It is CLEAR that Mario is talking about the tragic error of lukewarm mainstream Christianity today and their inertia regarding what the civil governmental powers are being allowed to TAKE & STRIP from true Christ following Believers. Due to the ineptitude of lazy complacent people in leadership who say they are Christians when they’ve actually given away their own Kingdom Key’s & power, in preference to “counting heads” with seeker friendly sermons at church services. I’m thinking you missed the whole point!
And if you think in your finite mind that “signs & wonders” aren’t possible or good for correction and example ship of The Kingdom in today’s depraved society then you’ve not understood what you’ve read within the biblical scriptures.
Right on, Carolina.
Carolina . . .excellent.
I’m curious, have you ever visited Bethel Church? Have you ever fully read any of the books written by their pastors? Is the information upon which you are making the above accusations based on your personal knowledge and experience, or have you formed these opinions based on things you have read and heard through other sources? In todays climate I find it difficult to speak with some people, for they are not able to hear because of preconceived positions based on things they have read or seen without personally forming their own opinion based on first hand knowledge. What I know is, you could not know these people of which you speak, for what you are saying is totally false. When we don’t think for ourselves, we think, without questions, like those who we allow to influence us. If one holds an opinion of you, I certainly hope they really know you, have spent time with you, and have personally experienced what they claim as truth. Otherwise, they just have a ring in their nose, and potentially a false accusation in their words. Sometimes it is a really really good idea to stop and think before we accuse someone! Your accusations are incorrect Christopher, and those you accuse in the above statement are human beings who love God and have touched this world with a message of hope and empowerment. Stop and think for yourself, investigate what you are thinking, and do so by going to the real source. I’m quite confident that if you were to pray and ask the Father about what you just said, He would have a few things to say about it!
Spot on.
ABSOLUTELY… the answer Mario!! Wake up people who claim to be HIS church! You won’t make a dent in this demonic onslaught without B O L D N E S S
AMEIN!
We who see that what Rev. Mario says is truth, really should get up every morning asking for a fresh dose of Holy Spirit fire (starting with me) and ask for opportunities to speak to whoever crosses our path that day with the truth and boldness of whatever the Holy Spirit would say. There is really nothing worth saying in the name of the Lord that isn’t prompted by the Holy Spirit anyway. Everything else is just religious or our own ideas that usually sound textbook, condemning or just downright wrong for whom they were spoken.
Amen !
Sent from my Verizon, Samsung Galaxy smartphone
amen we need Holy boldness back for sure.
“They either don’t believe it is happening, or they chalk it off to politics.”
I have maintained that for Salt to preserve anything it has to be mixed in with that it is trying to preserve. For decades the church has ascribed such hopeless debauchery to politics that it hasn’t even tried to reform it through interaction…
The reason politics is too dirty for a Christian to be involved is because Christians haven’t been involved!
As for light is you are not there your light cannot be seen…
The Word of Wisdom, The Word of Knowledge and discerning of Spirits isn’t for just for religious undertakings, no! Our Jehovah God is a 24/7/365 God and he knows a lot more about your job than you do!
Take the Holy Spirit with you into battle whether school, work or (shudder) politics…
It’s not enough for us to pray and vote we need to be involved up to our elbows as well.
Pity those that are restricted by the Hatch Act… But, what’s your excuse?
Excellent exhortation!!!!! Thank you!!!!!!
We are still in the dispensation of the Holy Soirit being poured out full of fire and POWER!
Joel 2:28-32
28 And it shall come to pass afterward, that I will pour out my spirit upon all flesh; and your sons and your daughters shall prophesy, your old men shall dream
dreams, your young men shall see visions:
John 14:12-14
12 Very truly I tell you, whoever believes in me will do the works I have been doing, and they will do even greater things than these, because I am going to the Father. 13 And I will do whatever you ask in my name, so that the Father may be glorified in the Son. 14 You may ask me for anything in my name, and I will do it.
Let s stay true to the word!
Its sun may 27th at 6:36pm.
Im in a prayer room full of people crying out to God im a guest speaker tonight.
Service starts at 7:00pm.
I hear desperate new converts and older saints talking to God and praying in tounges.
Its a desire and a hunger please pray for me I must bring a word from God these people deserve nothing less.
Praying Aaron
Just got back to my room.
God moved at the alter portion of the service in an unusual dimension thank you for your prayers a young man with tatoos on his face recieved christ came to the alter many touched by God!
Amen! What an amazing word! I’m with you, I don’t know why I haven’t seen it before. May we as a family of believers ask the Lord for an outpouring of boldness and the ability to walk in faith to see the supernatural as we preach the full truth of God’s word.
This boldness certainly will not happen until or unless one steps out in faith to preach the gospel of the Kingdom. We must not remain armchair quarterbacks. Go into all the world and preach the gospel to every creature God will meet you where you stand. He is faithful who promised. His word will not return void. Get along with God and demand an audience with him. Meditate the word day and night let nothing else in your mind and heart. If you get out a fire for God people will come and watch you burn.
I often cry out to God to raise up more healing ministers so that the world will know God is real.
We. Need to stand in the place of victory that GOD has given us. We need to activate our faith like never before.
It;’s the heat that prevents the church from speaking out.
Years ago, A word was given by a Day lady who loved the Lord That revival for North America would start in Saginaw Michigan, then travel down I 75 to flint to Pontiac then to Detroit, when it hit Detroit it would fan out north south east and west to the entire country.
I agree with Mario. We need to spread the word to those who need God. We need to let them know that our God can do wonders and miracles. We need to teach them to go out and spread the word to others. The following is what I believe we need to do regarding our country:
All Christians should pray every morning. First to let God know we love and appreciate Him. The physical and mental needs of our family. It is EXTREMELY important that we pray for our President to follow God’s ways and not get distracted by the left wing conspiracy. MOST TROUBLING ISSUE AT THIS TIME: Pray that all social media be held accountable for their fake news, and for REAL news to be spread across our nation. We, as a nation, can no longer sit back and let them pull the wool over our eyes. WE NEED THE TRUTH. Only the truth can unite our country and keep us safe from outsiders who only want to destroy us. If it comes down to fighting, we must always keep fighting for the freedom our country has always been based upon.
Not all have bowed their knees to Baal…..
I am not a preacher, but I feel that God spoke to me about the rain of revival that is coming. He said “There is nothing that is happening in America that can stop the rain from coming.” Also one aspect of this rain is that it will be the sweetest outpouring of love you can imagine…like honey dripping from Heaven. Although what is sweet to one will be offensive to another.
AMEN NOW AS A OLDER BELIEVE I DO WHAT JESUS TOLD ME TO DO AD THATS MARK 16;15-20 I am only the clay but I do a servent of the lord win souls visit my work GOD LAID ON MY HEART TO DO TILL I GET STRONGE IN BY BODY VIET NAM VET THAT HEAD MAYOR AGENT ORANGE ISSUES GIVE 6 MOS TO A YR LIFE SPAND I SAID DR I UDERSTAND WHAT YOU ALL BEEN SAYIG BUT BUT MY GOD GAVE US JESUS AND I HAVE LONG LIFE WELL GOD IS FAITH FULL TO THHEM THAT BALIEVE YES THE END IS SOON SOON SOON TILL I GET STORNGER AND MUSCEL GROW STONGER I DO SIMLE WORK WITH GREAT RESULTS WINNING SOULS SEE MY FACE BOOKK WELCONE don smestad PRAISE THE LORD THANKYOU JESUS FOR LL YOU HAVE DONE FOR ME NOW MY DESIRES IS TO WIN 1MILLION TO JESUS BECAUCE I LOVE JESUS AND HE WANT EVERY BODY IN HEAVEN AMEN THANK YOU JESUS IM FULL TIME SERVENT FOR YOU PTL NLESS U ALL don
amen great sight
I appreciate you Mario, and your boldness. I am a pastor, but also preach every Sunday afternoon at a local prison. God gave me a scripture, “And they went out and preached everywhere, while the Lord worked with them, and confirmed the word by the signs that followed.”(Mark 16:20)
I have seen some truly great healings, both physically and broken hearts. The men keep coming and the atmosphere of the entire prison is changing. They are bringing their cell mates, and Jesus is being lifted up.
I think the Holy Spirit had a great deal to do with equipping his saints with the tools needed to overcome and God gives His Holy Spirit to those that obey Him.
Acts 5:32 – God give His Holy Spirit to those that obey him. Also I see in Acts 5:38 – For if their purpose or activity is of human origin, it will fail. But if it is from God, you will not be able to stop these men; you will only find yourselves fighting against God. Acts 29:29, says Peter and the other apostles replied; “We must obey God rather than men!