Soul-sucking disaster upon disaster, and yet America does not pray. But, I get why. The word of God says, “the natural man does not receive the things of the Spirit of God…”1 Corinthians 2: 14. What I don’t get is how the American church can still think this is a game.
The world is on fire. Because of man, and nature—Earth is ready to explode. Meanwhile the church—like a party on the deck of the Titanic—pats herself on the back for her “big events.”
Nothing has stopped—or even slowed down—America’s depravity. We have spent more money, time, and talent than ever—yet the church never asks, why we keep doing things that don’t work?
When the church
-Feeds a sick nation, a sick gospel, that does not deliver from evil, and worse, makes the already converted weaker, we must think it is a game.
-When the enemy is no longer the works of Satan, but the unsuccessful life—we are playing a game. We must return to the Bible. The Bible needs to set fire to our sermons.
Many of my Spirit-filled acquaintances are also playing games. Facebook is like a Petri dish for Pentecostals. In one compressed medium, you witness the banal bacteria that excites Charismatics today. Witness the games:
-Titles like Prophet and Apostle are flung around indiscriminately. Every garish emotional experience is hawked as being from God. One “prophet” says he went back in time and visited Moses. Who of us has not scratched our heads at preachers, in ill-fitting jeans, live-streaming from a near-empty church, that they are the vessel of the hour?
– “conferences promise that you will get “a word from God” for a fee… as if the Holy Spirit was On Demand. Or they offer formulas to “activate” blessings. This is New Age philosophy. God is not a force to manipulate—He is an awesome person to be adored and obeyed. Gift arrive, as the Spirit wills, to hearts broken—emptied of self—for the lost, the poor, and the forsaken.
-Everything seems based on angelic visitations, dreams, visions and trips to heaven. Most of our time is spent on these “experiences” and not on rock-solid instruction from the Word of God.
I believe in dreams, prophecy, healing, angels and visions. But if they are from God they will drive us to the front line of the culture and not into emotional safe zones. “The weapons of our warfare are not carnal but mighty to the tearing down of strongholds.” -2 Corinthians 10:4 We are nowhere near strongholds because we think it’s a game.
Beloved, this is not a game. Christians toying with materialism, celebrity, alcohol, compromise and carnality spell doom for America. Google, Facebook, Apple, YouTube and the rest of Silicon Valley threaten to pull the plug on churches. Every day they inch closer to censorship. Will your zany videos matter if no one can see them?
Our preaching ricochets off a culture careening into indescribable debauchery. Soon it will illegal to preach the doctrines you are now ignoring. What a horror! Pastor you wake up one day with remorse over the truths you ignored—but now they’re banned.
Mario is there any hope? My hope in God’s fierce love for America. He will not let this nation go without a fierce fight. My hope is in some of the last people you’d expect.
My hope is in the discouraged preacher. Honest-to-God preachers who feel like fools when they see the runaway success of compromise. Psalm 73:12 says, “Behold, these are the ungodly, who are always at ease; They increase in riches. 13 Surely, I have cleansed my heart in vain, and washed my hands in innocence. 14 For all day long I have been plagued, and chastened every morning.”
My hope is in those who chose to fail honestly rather than succeed artificially.
Are you struggling with decreasing numbers and falling finances, even as you present a Christ-centered, Bible based pulpit? God sees you! Hold on just a little longer. Fire is coming that will cause a stampede and you won’t know where to put the crowds.
My hope is in the Christian nobodies. Have you failed? Did man take away your pulpit? Get ready…your brokenness is a key to the fire of God in this hour. A nationwide hunger for reality is about to make shallowness obsolete.
Are you a teacher, business person, police officer or stay at home mom? Do you burn with a passion for your community? Get ready for vision and anointing right where you live!
The hour is so dangerous that God must bring down religious empires and promote others to great power and influence. Satan is also playing games. I believe that God—through the last people we expect—is about to teach Satan what war really looks like.
“-When the enemy is no longer the works of Satan, but the unsuccessful life”
Yes… And, No…
What I mean is that not everything is a work of satan. We stick our foot in it all by ourselves all too often.
A clue as to why is this, “Every garish emotional experience is hawked as being from God”
I would rather stand, Selah, in the cloud of my “daddy’s” presence than work up an emotional sweat.
The Pentecostal churches today seem to have utterly thrown out The Word of Wisdom, The Word of Knowledge and Discerning of Spirits. We’d rather have a disruptive message in tongues, not judged by those with the Gift of Prophecy, after building up a sweat soaked emotional experience than fully operate in the Manifestations of the Holy Spirts Presence. (The Spirit is the Gift 🙂 )
And “harp” on 2 Timothy 2:15??? Why then people might start noticing the scriptures left out in sermons!
We should sweat in prayer! And, until we do, yes it’s all a game…
Amen
I want to share what God has showed me now that you shared this message i know this message needs to get out! I was praying about the american churches and Jesus showed me that the church has kicked jesus and his true prophets out of the church icobob is on the church doors now. What is so sad is they are going to church and they don’t even know Jesus is not there anymore !The blind leading the blind! God bless you Mario for your messages of truth!!!
Amen God has to be put back as the head of the church, the center of all thing’s, his way or no way, His Holy Spirit and no other spirit, we have compromised, and let all these other spirit’s in, Prophecy turned to Divination because God wasn’t the center money was the goal, sorcery and witchcraft, where Jezebel has come in, and twisted the true way’s of God, and only His Holy Spirit can straighten thing’s out, with discerning of spirit’s, his gift’s that have not been perverted, and not twisted to man’s way’s and his gain, but a Church that will seek him above all else who hate’s sin, and what it does to man, but Love’s God with all there heart soul and mind, who will not compromise the truth at any cost even death, for the Gospel is life and they love not this world, but see there’s a far better one to come. Preach it Brother good word, we have to make them see. hear while back I dozed off and I nooooh, and the ooooooh, and horrible scream’s of torment, and the Lord said if we don’t tell them the truth no one will. God Bless You Brother Mario
This is the very reason that I quit attending church recently.. all these things going on.. the pastor is preaching a word from the bible and I’m not sure what is good solid word anymore.. it sounds good until opinions arise and then you have a problem GOD DOES NOT CARE ABOUT OUR OPINION..It is his word ..and people promote themselves saying that they are prophetic and they are not..and believing they are the only church in town preaching truth and God’s remnant..scares me to think that people think they are the only ones.. I pray for them and when they are judging others they don’t seem to get it that you judge the sin not the person.. and in a loving way..and with good discernment..I thank God for the discernment that he gave to me years ago ..it is what I need now.
Also I am seeing more of the so called prophetic people on FB Presenting that they can give you a prophetic word through FB! Can you imagine how our HOLY GOD feels? I don’t know when it is all coming down only God knows.. and I will continue to seek him and pray .. we think we know certain things by feelings and etc.. but we don’t there is so much more about our Father in HEAVEN THAT WE NEED TO SEEK FOR OURSELVES..And that is in the word..I don’t consider myself as a person who has arrived but one thing is for sure whatever he has for me HE WILL SHOW ME..Not any man ! I learned long ago that we are to trust God not man..if more so called believers would do that we would not be in half the mess we are in now in the church of America..
And thank you Mario for your boldness to speak the truth .. God’s judgement is coming not man’s!
I remember, back in the day hearing Bob Mumford sharing that he and the Lord were talking and The Lord told Bob that they were incompatible, or something to that effect.
And, so Bob quickly agreed (smart move), the next next Word was, “I don’t change.”
When dealing with the infallible, our opinions do not matter.
But, when dealing with one another they absolutely do, even when they are wrong, incomplete or stated differently than how we are used to hearing it.
Pastors should be first among equals not dictators, IMHO. Problem is most church people are so poorly read and studied in the written Word, that it is easy to treat all of them as children.
Then someone comes along and says something in a way that is non-standard to their background and it gets rejected out of hand, no matter how correct it is…
We need each other, we are fallible… You need fellowship, too. Even if it is not ideal.
Mike
My prayer earlier today was that God would put the true Message of Christ out to America over tv, not by preachers who use air time as a personal enrichment scheme, but by those who sincerely care about changing the spiritual future of America with the Truth.
Wow! Powerfully said.
Reblogged this on Freedom Is Just Another Word….
Thank you Mario for confirming what I have thought for a long time about men who need titles ( Bishop, Prophet, Elder blah blah)! Self appointed importance in this hour! Now I can delete all those “forwards” in my inbox and not feel guilty ! Keep it coming!! You articulate what I think!! ?
☝️me too
Thank you brother, you have confirmed what I have believed for a number of years now. Because people are suffering, they are no longer interested in the games and promises of “wealth,” they are desirous of the reality through God’s Word.
Blessed Mario, you said this, “A nationwide hunger for reality is about to make shallowness obsolete.”…and that is so true, the old & young alike are enigmatically searching for reality and the ‘church culture’ today has left them confused about their true identity which must be identified IN Christ Jesus, The King of Truth. I have no pulpit, but I keep witnessing to ‘anyone’ who will hear the truths that have been given to all of us through the biblical record, I hope this is okay & helps because You are right this is not a game;
https://vimeo.com/266937589
thank you sir for this message, I have thought this for some time now. I hope you are ok with me shareing your message. May God bless you and keep going forward sir.
Bill Hoy
Share it as much as you can Bill. God bless.
I just got through talking to my son last night about this. I told him it just seems like the church has accepted a different gospel and are having a party. Where is the truth anywhere. I believe that many are afraid to come clean. They know they have crossed the line. I saw so much of this happening years ago and it sickened me. We visited one church a long time ago and the Holy Spirit would not let us enter. This happened twice. I could be wrong but I believe many of these leaders are afraid of judgment and that is why they don’t repent. We have all played the fool at one time or another, but it is time to come clean! Life’s are hanging in the balance!
A famous mega church pastor said “it’s hard to get the fruit of the early church when we value a book (Bible) they didn’t have, over the Holy Spirit they did have. “ This is what you say Mario, “We must return to the Bible, the Bible must set fire to our sermons.” I agree that the Bible sets the fire.
Where are we? Where is the church? I have about five “prophetic” words in my email a day not counting the FB ones. We can’t afford to ask this question Where are we?
Anna J…appropriate statements & questions, it also helps to remember that the primitive early church had ‘all’ of the old testament & prophets as their fiery reference material and they used it constantly. With all those land fires occurring in CA right now and with Mario’s words as well, I was led to this written by AP-Paul to his spiritual son;
‘Therefore, I remind you to keep ablaze the gift of God that is in you through the laying on of my hands. For God has not given us a spirit of fearfulness, but one of power, love, and sound judgment.’ 2 Timothy 1: 6, 7 HCSB
I agree. The scriptures were mentioned or preached over 855 times in the New Testament. The first thing Peter quoted after the Holy Spirit indwelling was Joel.
Here is a snapshot of today’s American church. Note, they eat there own word and have their own covering however call me a CHRISTIAN to be justified.
“And in that day seven women shall take hold of one man, saying, We will eat our own bread, and wear our own apparel: only let us be called by thy name, to take away our reproach.”
Isaiah 4:1 KJV
http://bible.com/1/isa.4.1.kjv
Pastor Mario, after those devastating fires in Redding and the firemans comments on the strangeness of the fire, I looked in the Concordance for the word fire, mentioned approx 500 times, only a very few times in a good and positive light. I know many preachers and prayers pray for fire. I think we should pray Gods Word over regions, people and situations not a hype word like fire. As you say Christians need to get back to Gods Word. Its an interesting study! Thankyou for your Word.
Reblogged this on FOR THE LOVE OF GOD and commented:
Another great post from Brother Murillo. The Church, the TRUE Church needs to stop playing games and start getting spiritually real!
I have been blessed to read Mario’s strong words for the Church and the comments of the brethren. I am in agreement with you, Mario. I am an intercessor and I grieve over what I have seen occur over the years. I was born again in the 70’s and experienced the Jesus Movement and Charasmatic Renewal. Believers then were sold out for God and studied God’s word, did not want to grieve God or deliberately sin. I have seen the falling away from God’s word. However, how can we be surpised (saddened, yes) by the apostasy we see out there. The Lord tells us all about Laodicea in Rev. 3. We are privileged to be chosen to be living in this generation to see these things unfold (though heartbreaking).
My question is about the reference to the fire of the Lord in this generation. Joel 2:28 speaks of the outpouring of the Holy Spirit but won’t this be in the first half of the tribulation when the 144,000 Jewish evangelists bring worldwide revival? Is a revival predicted prior to the rapture? (I would be elated, if so.) Rev. 7:9 speaks of a great multitude which no man could number of all nations, and kindreds, and people, and tongues who came out of the tribulation. This seems like a major worldwide revival. I would appreciate any insight or feedback. I know God is now in the processing of preparing His Bride, His remnant, but can I expect some exciting movement which glorifies Him before we go up?????
Mario, I am part of a group of preachers that have remained in obscurity.
To hear your voice proclaim these words of life only bolsters my convictions.
The enemy has tried to lure me into compromise and I thank you for your confirmation.
Reblogged this on Texas Tea Party Patriots.
“Bear ye one another’s burdens, and so fulfil the law of Christ.”
Galatians 6:2 KJV
http://bible.com/1/gal.6.2.kjv
I love all the comments! I want to point out one thought and share another thought with you. There’s a new Earth 500 light years away from us and is twice the size of this planet God said he will create a new Heaven and a new Earth the signs he said will be noticeable! We can’t get to that planet but God can move it like a chess piece amen! Is something else that just hit me recently we always say God’s up there! I’m wondering if God’s up there do you think the Sun from his View looks like a Lake of Fire? It’s never going out there must be more to it, then just getting a tan every 6 months! Amen!
Reblogged this on James Becton Ministries/ EaglesVision Apostolic Co! and commented:
No more church as usual…
Via Deborah Jahn, I share your blogs on my Facebook wall. Like you, I get the impression too many churches throughout the globe treat everything going on as a game instead of taking it as seriously as they should be. I will admit, I’ve encountered interesting little visions and dreams and have concluded some came from God, but I’m always wary to not rely so much on those experiences as I’d much prefer to focus on His Word. That’s the real truth. Truths don’t come in dreams. Those are mere images, using the familiar to tell out stories in a motion picture format that only the initial dreamer can remotely understand. At that point, the dreamer has a choice to make. Do they use this to turn to God for spiritual guidance, or do the run off and take part in the “Chicken Little Syndrome” where they claim to know more than they actually do?
Perception is everything. So is attitude. Those two have to be in right order in order to receive His Word and stay on the narrow path. So few are on it and fewer still stay on it. I continually hope and pray more find it and even more stay on it.