THE LIFE AND DEATH QUESTION

by | Mar 25, 2020 | Christianity Today | 19 comments

I remember when a wise man of God told me, “Answer the question that wasn’t asked.” Example: when Jesus told His disciples that Jerusalem would be utterly destroyed and not one stone would be left upon another, the disciples reacted by asking Him when this would happen. Instead, of answering that question, He answered the question they should have asked, “Take heed that you be not deceived.” The question they should have asked was, “What is the most important thing we should to be ready?”

What question should pastors and the American church be asking right now about the coronavirus?

700 preachers recently participated in a conference-call with Trump and Pence, yet none of them asked the one question they should have asked.

The twelve disciples wanted to know the date of the destruction of Jerusalem, so they could make arrangements. That was their deception. And most pastors just want to know the date when they can reopen their church. That is our deception.

So, what was the question these preachers should have asked the President?

What is that question? That question is, “Why haven’t we repented?”

When it comes to repentance, the American church’s message is as garbled and discombobulated as a Joe Biden speech.

Shame on those who dare to invoke 2 Chronicles 7:14, while blatantly violating the conditions of that sacred text!

“If My people who are called by My name will humble themselves, and pray and seek My face, and turn from their wicked ways, then I will hear from heaven, and will forgive their sin and heal their land.”

God says, “My people who are called by My name.” But we are ashamed to be called by His name! Modern preaching made us ashamed of being called by His Name! Christian pastors and singers waffled in T.V. interviews about homosexuality, abortion, the existence of hell, and Jesus being the only way to God.  Denying Biblical truth is even worse that denying His name. Psalm 138:2 says “…For You have magnified Your word above all Your Name.”

Have we humbled ourselves? Many are giddy, many are making light of this pandemic, and others glibly assure us that ‘we will all get through this.’ It is only because the deaths that have occurred have not happened to anyone you personally know and love that you are able to view it from a distance and remain aloof. Because the level of intrusion and financial devastation hasn’t quite struck you personally, you can still act like a spectator.

We as believers are not sober. We are not praying for mercy. We are praying prayers that expose our immaturity, ignorance, and arrogance.

Have we turned from our wicked ways? Talk about arrogance!  Nothing is more arrogant than the way preachers hurdled right over the part about ‘turning from our wicked ways,’ and went straight to asking God to ‘heal our land.’

Social media overflows with singers and preachers who offer advice, devotions, and prophecies that downplay, and even belittle, repentance.

Even when we called a big-time fast, the focus was about stopping the virus, not repenting as a nation. We should be fasting with sorrow over the way ‘church incorporated’ has grieved the Holy Spirit. How we abolished soul-winning. How we created low-impact/high-maintenance converts who drain the church’s resources and produce nothing, instead of training warrior-disciples.

Keeping people calm is important. Inspiring people to make the best of this is important. But national repentance is life and death. Anyone who is guaranteeing you that it can’t get worse for America is deluded. Jesus told the crippled man He healed at the Pool of Bethesda in John 5:14b, “Behold, you have been made well. Sin no more, lest a worse thing come upon you.”

Funny, but those who need it the least are the ones who are interceding and repenting the most. They are letting the searchlight of God give them truth in the inward parts. For them there is a new day. Pastors who are in this company of saints will see glory rise upon their ministry. Protection, blessing and healing is reserved for this remnant. I can’t say it any more simply or clearly than Isaiah.

“Say to the righteous that it shall be well with them, for they shall eat the fruit of their deeds. Woe to the wicked! It shall be ill with them, for what their hands have done shall be done to them.”    (Isaiah 3:10-11)

 

 

 

P.S. I want to thank my good friend Tony Scott Pastor, author, and revivalist for inspiring this blog on repentance. He called me on the phone and fired me up with this insight. He pastors a vibrant end time congregation:  theChurch in Maumee Ohio near Toledo.  https://atthechurch.tv/

 

Let us place a new weapon in your hand. Mario’s new book that saw this coming and gives the instructions for those would let God forge them into a nation-saving weapon.

Mario’s new book will awaken you to your assignment in God’s work to save America. It’s $15 each or $12 for ten or more. Get a signed copy plus free shipping by clicking here.  https://mariomurillo.org/product/vessels-of-fire-glory/ 

19 Comments

  1. megagenius

    Isaiah 66:2 But to this person will I look, even to the one that is poor and of a contrite spirit, and trembles at my word. If we ever needed the cry of Psalm 51, we need it now. The sacrifices of God are a broken spirit: a broken and a contrite heart, O God, you will not despise.

  2. megagenius

    When a believer is walking in such brokenness, transgressors are taught Gods ways; and sinners are converted unto Him. God always resists the proud and grants grace to the humble.

  3. Andrew

    Spot on Mario and I believe it applies equally here in Australia. I have long believed that the Lord has been calling His people to repentance first and foremost. This verse jumped out at me today during my Bible reading time: ‘I correct and discipline those whom I love, so be serious and repent!’ (Rev 3:19)

    • Carolina

      Yes repentance is the key for this nation to survive and revive. The Holy Father disciplines His children otherwise they are illegitimate children.The Christian community at large should have been preaching repentance and doing it themselves long before this happened. I posted a message on repentance a while back to any that would watch it and listen.
      This additional message I gave was stirred in me due to the virus spread and its origins.
      Because far too many have gotten their eyes off of The One they should be focusing on, causing them to forget just how severe God’s disciplines can become, as people continue to frustrate the Grace of God during the church dispensation age.
      I hope this helps ?
      https://vimeo.com/400677305

  4. Sandra Douglas

    Truth be told unequivocally …it is such a sad commentary on the reality of our
    Presumptions that the “if” prefacing the promises is simply pushed aside as
    A non-essential condition …thank you Mario for the clarion call to wake up the church to what has been missing!!!

  5. Evang. Roger Culwell

    Amen well said: The main thing he is trying to get us to do is repent and turn from our WICKED WAYS, or a worse thing will come, when we could repent and turn, turn from our wicked ways, and turn back to him, and give his precious Holy Spirit control again, and let God do a mighty work, in his supernatural power, amazing how we try so hard to hang on to what we want to do, instead of letting God do what he wants through us, and as we sow so shall we reap, and we have sowed much evil that needs repenting of, he is coming back for a pure bride one that obeys him, one that follows his precious Holy Spirit, RHB was given a word he spoke Sunday, that is exactly what the Lord has been telling me he is trying to make his bride ready, and what you have been saying, that the end is not yet, God is making us ready, purifying his church and sifting us as wheat, but will we allow our selves to be changed or not, will we get ready or will we still be caught with out the oil of the Holy Spirit, if anything every showed we need oil its this C. virus, but how long would it really take for some to get the message, until they had to do with out some important things, so far they have just had to stay in and that has just about got to some of them, but what if they really had it rough, how would they do, things haven’t been rough enough yet to make some sorry for how they have neglected to teach and prepare the people, they will continue as they were doing, bringing a much worse storm down the line, and the people will still not be READY, because they are not truly REPENTING, they are just praying the crisse’s passes, Which is what has bothered me, they still have not awaken, they cowered down, suggestions were made to thin down the people not commands or laws just suggestions, but they could really try to control the church and what it does after this, because they backed them down, made them do as they said instead of what the Lord said, THE CHURCH IS THE SAFEST PLACE IN THE WORLDD O BE, THAT IS IF ITS HOLY SPIRIT FILLED, AND LED, on the other hand the man made system is a dangerous place to be, when sickness or trouble breaks out, theres a big difference in the two, one is natural and depends on man, the other is supernatural, and depends totally on God, and the precious Holy Spirit and Fire the Fire burns out sickness and diseases, and can heal and deliver, and the man made well it totally depends on what man can do, compared to what God can do, I Dare Say I Will All Ways Trust God, a lot of people hurting because of fear, who can only trust in the natural ability of man, when they could have been taught to trust in God, if they had built their houses on the solid rock foundation which is Jesus Christ, and then finished their house on the Apostles teaching, God entrusted us to teach them the truth of the word, and some taught them the word is obsolete and deny it, no word no armor, no word no weapons, no word no relationship, no word, and you can’t even pray right, no word no Jesus, because e is the word, in the beginning was the word. John 1:1 Context. 1 In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God how in the world do some deny the word. but they have picked out just what sounds good the sweets of the word and left out the meat, to draw a crowd, and not made soldiers and warriors, or even a people who can stand, and this is a wake up call, but will they really wake up, or feed them more sweets, sweets are ok after a good meal, but will destroy you, if thats all you eat, your body will not be strong and can not fight off any sickness, well the same with the word, they don’t make the body strong either, we need a well-balanced meal, to make the body strong, they leave out the old testament completely, and you only see one side of God if you leave it out, we just need to REPENT big time and start preaching the truth, and ask the Holy Spirit and fire back in the Church, he is who we need, he is our comforter, our teacher and guide if he was teaching we would have strong people well armed and ready, but since man has taken over the church, look what we have, not only a sicl world but a church who is just as sick no sifference in them at all, they panic the same as the world, and if we do not change we will lose everything we hold dear, we see what they want to do right now, but are we going to let them do it, or repent, and turn and suit up in our armor and pick up our sword and fight, for God and whats right, we have people right now who pray more for the devils army than for Gods army and whats right, an oxymoron of prayer, or really canceling out part of your own army, because your not sure whose side your own, their praying for satans army too, fighting against your self and the saints, because you feel sorry for the devil, and pray for reprobates, and seeds of satan, satan has an army and seeds, just like those giants in Gen. and the book of Enoch, well those seeds are back, why do you think in hollywood they drink blood, and Ca. has a restaurants that serves human flesh, and one big polotician said here while back [a Dem] that we need to eat human flesh in order to survive, this was on Twitter, its the spirits of those giants working today, which are Demons, but the body doesn’t even know how to pray correctly, they pray for evil, that they need not pray for, and the spirits are in charge of the Dem party, we perish from lack of knowledge, its like you being in the army and shooting from both sides, killing your own men too, because really we do not know who the enemy really is, to many are praying for him, not knowing it, thinking they have compassion, when we feel sorry for the devil, we need to realine with the word of God and find out which side we are own, but believe it or not I have heard some say they feel sorry for the devil, a murdering, child raping, crook and deceiving monster, I think we beter check our selves if we get to that point, but theres a lot we need to know and we are being fed sweets, if this country is fighting over seas you don’t help the people we are fighting against, but yet we have church people doing it, they help the enemy with there prayers, we need common sense to and understanding, we just don’t know much about how to fight a big war today, or fighting anything but each other, we need to go back and read how wars were reallu faught and learn how to fight and who our enemy is, and he is the one who is against the word of God and what is right, and is against what this country was established on. Be Blessed

  6. Diane m holstein

    With Time and Effort! Proverbs 4:20-22 My son, “attend” to MY words; “incline” thine ear unto MY sayings.
    Let them NOT “depart” from thine eyes; keep them in the midst of thine heart. For they are life unto those that find them, and health to ALL their flesh.

  7. Rae Lloyd

    Did you see the prayer by congressman Randy Weber? A prayer of repentance for America. He called out and wept for abortion, gay marriage, etc.
    https://youtu.be/fuvXgFOyn-I

    • Carolina

      WOW Rae Lloyd, what a sincere and decent prayer for mercy Rep. Randy Weber gave.
      I saw that this was done in 2017, could it be this prayer along with so many others like it are the reason America’s not completely decimated already?
      ?

  8. Jeff

    I happened upon this in the course of my reading, and something about it struck me; it “jumped out at me” as they say.
    “’Everything, O king, Araunah gives to the king.’ And Araunah said to the king, ‘May the LORD your God accept you.’ 24However, the king said to Araunah, ‘No, but I will surely buy it from you for a price, for I will not offer burnt offerings to the LORD my God which cost me nothing.’ So David bought the threshing floor and the oxen for fifty shekels of silver. 25David built there an altar to the LORD and offered burnt offerings and peace offerings. Thus the LORD was moved by prayer for the land, and the plague was held back from Israel.”
    2 Samuel 24:23-25 NASB
    What “offerings which cost me nothing” might mean to the church at large or to the individual believer, I’m not sure. I am sure, however, that there is a truth in this scripture that is critical for us to apprehend in this time.

  9. warriorruth

    Yes, the call is to repentance or NOTHING will change in the church.

  10. tony scott

    Mario Murillo is America’s evangelist! In the 29 years of our friendship the fire of God in his spirit to see this nation on fire for God has never diminished. Very honored to call him my friend. All of us need to help him in his resolve to see California ablaze with God’s holy fire. Ask God to speak to you today about a special financial gift to Mario Murillo Ministries. America needs his voice now more than ever.

  11. Lynda Beatty

    Do you have his book?

    Sent from my iPhone

    >

  12. kingskid48

    I’m in total agreement with this word. The pastors are making a mistake, to waste this chance of, “having the kings’ ear”, and fail to do the one thing that the KING is waiting for. Alhough all of us need repent of all the unholiness in our lives and get back to our first love as individuals and as a Church, it is the pastors who will be held most accountable. I pray that after this virus passes, they will have learned that church as “normal” is gone for good. It’s time to seek His face on OUR faces. This kind of fervent prayer needs to happen at EVERY service, not just during prayer services. We have to get back to the main thing being the main thing. If we do the same thing that we did after 9/11-go back to “business as usual without mentioning what happened, and why, and if God did allow this, why did He allow it, are we under chastisement, and is it time to repent”-we will really be in trouble. It’s time for the Church to arise and chase the Enemy.

  13. Rich Balswick

    Mario You say a lot of right on stuff which I’ve also commented on in a very positive way, But what you have written today really concerns me. To in essence discredit 700 Pastors in one bite in that context seems condemning rather than discerning. No question we are living in challenging times; but opportune times in The Lord’s economy if our heart is right and called according to His purpose. Kindly meant, Rich Balswick

    Sent from my iPhone

    >

  14. Sherri Titus

    I so agree and practice identification repentance….
    In many circumstances.
    Blessings &
    Shalom

    Sent from my iPhone

  15. Darlene W

    We truly have strayed from the fear of God and repentance. I pray God helps us to find our way back.

  16. Jim Taylor

    After Pres. Trump was elected, the church gave a big sigh of relief. Thought everything was back to normal thanks to Messiah Donald. Many prophetic voices were rising up in the land right after the election, telling the church we had been given a respite and that Trump’s success was not a given, and depended very much on the church interceding and praying protection over Trump. The battle over Trump wasn’t just against witches and the like, but ‘christians’ who were also cursing the president because of some of his character.
    Many times the call for the church’ to repent and turn from OUR wicked ways seemingly fell on deaf ears as the ‘usual’ prayers seemed to continue to be offered, most based on bless me, my family, bless my job, bless my finances etc. etc. The idea that it is WE who are called on to repent does not seem to be heard in ANY quarter, at least not loud enough that it can be heard. IMHO the US can still be in grave peril if WE do not repent and turn from OUR WICKED ways. Praying for the President, and Praying for the lost are all sound prayers, but if they are coming from a bunch of wicked, unrepentant cymbals, you have to wonder if they are not just bouncing back………….

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