BOOK: Exhortations

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Volume 12 ... #7

 Sins Begin Small

1981, God spoke to  me over and over the following:

The time is come that judgment must begin at the house of God.

A few days or weeks after this, my attention was drawn to sins being committed by big-name ministers.  I was certain I was to get messages to these ministers about those sins.

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Jimmy Swaggart had become tired of such small audiences of people at his meetings, and wanted to attract bigger audiences, according to my agent at that time who was from Michel Ellison Advertising Agency. 

The agency told Swaggart the way to draw more people was through music, less preaching. 

Swaggart was a country western singer. 

So Swggart went more into music at his meetings and the crowds became much larger.

The message I had for Swaggart was to stop the music and return to preaching the gospel.

He did not heed this message. 

A few years later, Swaggart was caught with a prostitute. (1988) I don't know if he had been doing this at the time he set about to draw bigger crowds with entertainment, but I do believe small sins often lead to bigger sins if small sins are ignored.

Swaggart did a tearful "forgive me" speech on TV. 

In the Bible, the apostle Paul told the church what to do if a "brother" was guilty of such sins as this:

I Cor. 5:11-13 ... But now I have written unto you not to keep company, if any man that is called a brother be a fornicator, or covetous, or an idolator, or a railer, or a drunkard, or an extortioner; with such an one no not to eat. For what have I to do to judge them also that are without? do not ye judge them that are within? But them that are without God judgeth. Therefore put away from among yourselves that wicked person.

Shortly after this, in 1991, Swaggart was caught again with prostitute and he said, "The Lord told me it's flat none of your business."  (see:  Swaggart:  Wikipedia, the Internet Encyclopedia)

It is a type of death where the person can't hear as he continues in the smaller sin.  Swaggart continues on TV today. 

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Mt. 4:8-10 ... Again, the devil taketh HIM (Jesus)  up into an exceeding high mountain, and sheweth HIM all the kingdoms of the world, and the glory of them; And saith unto HIM, All these things will I give thee, if thou wilt fall down and worship me.

Then saith Jesus unto him, Get thee hence, Satan: for it is written, Thou shalt worship the Lord thy God, and HIM only shalt thou serve.

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Kenneth Copeland, at that same time period (1981-82), told of how his people raised money through "offerings" for his birthday as a present to send him and wife to Hawaii on vacation as a present.

I was shocked.  I was certain IRS would not approve tax-deductible birthday offerings.

After I could not get a message to Copeland, I gave the message on my radio broadcast, naming Copeland by name and telling of the situation.

Then I had a meeting in Fort Worth (Texas), and told the room filled with Copeland and Faith Movement church people, that they were not going to like what I said next and if they wanted to leave, now was the time to leave because once I started speaking the meeting room doors would close and no one would be allowed to leave until I concluded giving the message.

No one left the room and the doors were closed and I gave the message about the Copeland "birthday" offering.

The message reached Copeland and his response at that time, 1981-82, was "Isn't there forgiveness?"

Sometime in early 2000 period, Copeland proudly showed, on his web site, pictures of his arm around the Catholic pope.  Copeland had reached fame to degree the pope granted Copeland a three hour audience,  according to Copeland's web-site.

Copeland also showed on his web-site his 6-million dollar estate where he lives.  (Of course in that movement they preach prosperity and he is showing he achieved that prosperity.)

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I had a message warning Kenneth Hagin during this same time 1981-82.  Hagin responded scarcasticly, "I'm so glad we have Joan Boney to tell us our sins otherwise we wouldn't know them."

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Marilyn Hickey told  me how to get her books shipped on airline for free.  She happily said, "I've taught Sarah and she can do this too."  (young daughter, about 12 at the time)

Marilyn said you always go to curb side check-in.  Carry in your hand a big roll of bills, money.  Let the curb check-in man see this roll of money.  After he puts baggage ticket on your boxes, give him the bills.  (The "tip" is far less than paying the airline for shipping costs.)

When she came to Dallas for meeting, I picked her up at airport.  Marilyn had so many boxes of books to sell at her meetings that several trips had to be made from airport to her meeting room to carry all those boxes.

Later I realized Marilyn was stealing from the airlines.

Also hypocrisy is not acting in wisdom that is from God.

James 3:17   But the wisdom that is from above is first pure, then peaceable, gentle, and easy to be intreated, full of mercy and good fruits, without partiality, and without hypocrisy.

When hypocrisy is part of our plan, we can know we are not going in the way of God in the matter at hand.

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Jesus said: Lk. 16:10 ... He that is faithful in that which is least is faithful also in much: and he that is unjust in the least is unjust also in much. If therefore ye have not been faithful in the unrighteous mammon, who will commit to your trust the true riches? And if ye have not been faithful in that which is another man's, who shall give you that which is your own?

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I had message to deliverer to Jim Bakker in 1981-82.  This message was on subject of adultery.  I didn't realize Bakker was committing adultery until later.  At the time, the message was the subject of adultery and warning against this sin.

I delivered the message to Bakker by US mail.

On my letterhead it says the name of my ministry:  "Jesus Ministries"

I identified myself to Jim Bakker, as a minister, a prophet.

I received the following reply, supposedly from Jim Bakker, but it was obviously a form letter he used to send to all the people who wrote to him.

On the letter, Jim Bakker said: 

"Dear Jesus ... Thank you for the message.  I want you to know, Jesus, that Tammy and I prayed for you today ..."

Later Jim Bakker was sentenced to prison for fraud, overselling rooms in his hotel theme park.  It was disclosed at that time that he was also having an affair with a church secretary.  Later Tammy Bakker divorced Jim Bakker and remarried and then died of cancer.  Jim Bakker served prison term and was released, remarried, and began another religious type TV show.  (see:  Jim Bakker ... Wikipedia ... The Internet Encyclopedia.)

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1981-82 period, Robert Tilton had a TV show in Dallas. 

Bob invited Ava Pickard to be a guest on his talk type TV show.  Ava called me after the show in tears.  She said just before they went on camera, Bob said to her:  "Just one thing ... don't say anything about being a prophet because it's not popular."

I saw immediately Bob Tilton had "killed a prophet" by what he said to Ava.

I contacted Bob and told him that because he had done that, his house would be left to him desolate.  (Mt. 23)

Thereafter, Bob and wife divorced.  He lost his large church building which was changed into a youth hockey center by developers ... Bob married 2nd wife which ended in divorce ... Bob then married third wife.  Bob lost his huge church following and millions of dollars in offerings (80-million a year) ... and was reduced to a few million per year which is still a lot but not nearly as  much as had been in past... law suits were filed against Bob for fraud ... ABC Primetime did hidden camera expose against Bob ... Last I heard he had moved to Florida where he was still trying to do church TV but was not nearly as big as he had been but still big.  (See:  Robert Tilton ... Wikipedia ... Internet Encyclopedia)

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All the works of God are done in truth.

Kenneth Copeland, in 1981-82 period,  told people at his meetings of the miracle story where a man came up to him and gave him a new car.  (Copeland led people to believe this man was a total stranger.)

When I signed with Michael Ellison Advertising Agency, the agent told me they had given Kenneth Copeland his choice of cars because they made so much money at the agency through Copeland's radio and TV broadcasts whereby the agency received 10-15 % fee from each of the stations broadcasting Copeland.

The agent assigned to me said to me, "We'll do the same thing for you when you get big enough."

Hypocrisy:  pretending that which is not true to be true, usually for personal gain of some sort.

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I Tim. 5:24-25 ... Some men's sins are open beforehand, going before to judgment; and some men they follow after. Likewise also the good works of some are manifest beforehand; and they that are otherwise cannot be hid.

Gal. 6:7 ... Be not deceived; God is not mocked: for whatsoever a man soweth, that shall he also reap.

II Cor. 5:10-11 ... For we must all appear before the judgment seat of Christ; that every one may receive the things done in his body, according to that he hath done, whether it be good or bad. Knowing therefore the terror of the Lord, we persuade men;

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Before this time, I didn't realize all the evil that could come from ministers and church groups.

God showed me in a dream in 1979, how serious things were in the churches, though I didn't really understand the dream until 1982.

Destruction was everywhere. 

I went into a meeting room where a meeting was going on. A man was speaking to a room filled with people. I went in and began to listen. 

A second man rushed in and said: "Stop ... Wait ... Can't you see ... It's too late ... It's already begun."  

The first man resumed speaking. 

I looked out the window to see what had "already begun."

There was a tall pole with a yellow civil defense speaker at top of the pole. A gas was coming out of the speaker. I knew it was poisonous and would kill the people. It was coming directly toward us! 

The shocking thing was the speaker that was set there for the purpose of warning us was being used as the instrument which dispersed the gas that was poison and would kill us!  

I looked at the man seated next to me. He had a big grin on his face and was looking directly at the man who was speaking to the group. But then I saw this man was a corpse, though he looked alive. He was already dead!  

I looked about the room at the other people and realized they were all dead.  

As I sat back in my chair and listened to the man speaking I began to feel sleepy and I knew as I sat there among them this was killing me too.  

God was showing me the apostasy in the church groups, at the time of the dream, 1979. The destruction in the churches was everywhere, even at that time.  And it is much worse today. 

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II Thess. 2 ... NASB ... Let no one in any way deceive you, for it (the day of the LORD) will not come unless the apostasy comes first, and the man of lawlessness is revealed, the son of destruction, who opposes and exalts himself above every so-called god or object of worship, so that he takes his seat in the temple of God, displaying himself as being God.

Do you not remember that while I was still with you, I was telling you these things?

And you know what restrains him now, so that in his time he will be revealed.

For the mystery of lawlessness is already at work; only he who now restrains will do so until he is taken out of the way. Then that lawless one will be revealed

The restraint was the scripture.  When portions of scripture were removed from the church, lawlessness moved into the churches ... thus the apostasy in the churches.

We are seeing the apostasy of the last days at this point in time, both in ministers as-well-as in church groups that eliminate scripture such as Jesus said in Matthew 5:32:  "Whosoever shall marry her that is divorced committeth adultery."

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