Are we living in the end times? Is Armageddon upon us? If God's two witnesses came proclaiming the message that we were in the final seven years of our present day world, would anyone listen?
Are Christians being given the full message of the Gospel? Or are the Clergy choosing to keep some information to itself? Is the church in a huge cover up because they are so involved with building bigger churches and directing more people to their television ministries? Has money become the bottom line and teaching people how to hear from God the last thing on their agenda?
I am an author of a Christian book. In my endeavor to spread God's message I naturally felt that my market should be directed to the churches. So I began by mailing a picture of my book cover and information on how to purchase my book to the surrounding churches in my state. Months passed and hundreds of mailings were sent out. The majority of the churches would not post my information on their bulletin boards.
I was shocked and I questioned why they wouldn't give their church members access to this book. Maybe it was because I was a woman? Or could it be because I had been an upholster for the past thirty-two years. Of course it could be because I had no theologian education. As I questioned their lack of interest many biblical stories came to my mind.
Amos was a farmer, David a shepherd, Peter a fisherman, Paul a tent maker, yet they were all called by God. Jesus was a carpenter and He was the very Son of God and the Savior of the world. It seemed that according to the Bible I didn't need any credentials, just a calling from God.
If this is the case then why weren't the churches allowing their congregations the knowledge that my book existed? Here is the letter I mailed out to the churches:
Dear Church Leader,
I wanted to personally invite you and your congregation to read this book, It answers in detail the reason for our present day life experiences, using my life as an illustration. We want all churches from all religious backgrounds to post the cover and how to purchase this book on their bulletin boards.
So many Christians are depressed and they play the blame game when something bad happens to them in their life. They are worried and upset over the unbelief of some of their family members. They are concerned about raising their children in a world filled with chaos. Christians want to know why they have cancer or why their child died in Iraq. This book answers all of these questions using my life and biblical truths.
This book is filled with encouragements and answers to the hard questions we face in life. Families will be brought together, parents will understand their teenagers, and it will teach us not to judge. This book eliminates the debates over homosexuality, divorce, and abortion. It is clear and easy to understand; it will break down the barriers of misunderstanding and reveals a truth that is being hidden.
This book will help your leaders and teachers be better councilors and deliver messages that are more effective to the congregation. It will draw more people into your church so God can meet the needs of the church less people. The words in this book will explode into revelation that will ignite a fire in the hearts of all mature Christians who need the right ingredients in order to meet the needs of their unchurched family members and friends.
Then a letter came and I was excited. A chief under-shepherd of a large church was kind enough to answer my questions. He gave seven reason why he wasn't going to let anyone know about my book. Here's what he wrote:
1. I don't know what message your presenting.
2. You seem to place 'my life' first and biblical truths' second, in terms of sources for truth.
3. I'm always suspicious when someone tells me they've found 'hidden truth'.
4. I'm also suspicious when someone tells me that a book (other than the Bible) will draw people, make messages better, or explode into revelation.
5. I don't know your denominational affiliation. Are you Mormon, Jehovah's Witness, Moonie, 7th Day Adventist?
6. I'm leery of people who say "GOD TALKED TO ME", because those words often precede words that contradict scripture.
7. I'm also hesitant because you've mentioned the issue of homosexuality, but give little indication of where you stand.
He concluded his letter with these final words. "In short I can't recommend a book that I don't know. Hope this has been helpful."
Immediately I was happy for his input, but if he had so many questions why didn't he just purchase my book and see what I had to say? I didn't ask the clergy of any church to recommend my book, I just asked them to let the people know that it existed. There is a popular Christian song being played on the radio called, "My Jesus". The song states that if Jesus walked into our present day churches they would not let Him in. They wouldn't want His bloodied body, nail pierced hands, and muddy shoes to soil the white carpet found in the sanctuaries. If a prophet came with a message from God, does that mean he or she would have no hope of reaching God's children? When the church doors are slammed shut, then where does a messenger of God go to get out God's words?
Why are Christian people not being given the resources that are available so they can make up their own mind? Are the pastors afraid of new teachings? Or are all Christian lay people incapable of making good decisions, so the pastor's need to keep their congregations in the dark?
Maybe we live in the dark ages where the Priest did all of their sermons and scripture readings in Latin, because they didn't want the ordinary, uneducated people to understand "The Words of God". This way the people had to believe what they said was the proper way to serve and worship God.
I can only state that I found from my marketing book experience, that all denominations of churches, wouldn't let anyone in if they claimed to have a "MESSAGE FROM GOD". So if God's two witnesses showed up proclaiming that the end of all things were near, I can only conclude that the doors would never be freely opened. The only way a Christian will have the ability to hear from God is if they take responsibility for their faith. They must pursue Christian books and religious teaching resources. They must educate themselves! The only way the world will know that Armageddon is upon us is not from the church, but through the power of the media. The media needs to recognize what the church is covering up and reveal the truth. So when God's "TWO WITNESSES" show up they will be able to proclaim "THE VERY WORDS OF GOD".