FORTUNE COOKIE PROPHECY- MISUSED SCRIPTURE W/ AGENDA

FALSE PROPHETS

Each and every morning while I am in the midst of my morning devotions and or course at others times of the day and during evening devotions, I am amazed at the number of what I refer to as FORTUNE COOKIE PROPHECIES I encounter on mainly Christian labeled organizations like on Instagram for which I am sure many of you follow as do I.

Now many of them are harmless and encouraging however in the eyes of the uneducated believer who does not know the Scriptural foundation of what is being said can often lead to a skewed version of God as more of a magic genie or a vending machine who dispenses exactly what we select when we push A-5, B-11 or whatever our selection is!

To proclaim for instance and this is not to pick on Instagram as they are just the platform and not the only platform being used by people of faith related organizations that quote unquote… “ Today, that Miracle You Have Been Waiting On Is On It’s Way, Stay Steady Hold ON and It Is Coming” Or perhaps I should say people living in error of the understanding of God’s Word, or full blow false prophets as the bible warns us we will encounter throughout scripture

Now, this is just one example but I ask first: do you not realize that 1000’s of people are viewing that same post the same morning you are? And where does the bible say that GOD will give you what you have asked for? Obviously it has to be first according to his will! Second according to his timing! And third according to the bigger picture that only he can see. So to say without any context and not mention what the bible says about God answering prayer is by my understanding nothing more than a FORTUNE COOKIE PROPHECY founded on thin air. Yet so many believers when you look at the likes hang on to this like God himself spoke it and it doesn’t even align with his word!

So for example and then for the sake of time I will move onto other areas of concern that I have that existed even dating back to the days of the Apostles. But for instance on Social platforms like Instagram, and even on traditional media like television and yes even in the very Church’s some of you attend and I will keep the organization's name quiet as they do post other things that concern me less or not at all, over 9000 likes were given to a post that reads…

Repeat after me:

I am about to walk

Into the greatest season of my life.

#claimit

Well for starters the bible never eludes to a promise of “NAME IT AND CLAIM IT”! What if the person is naming a claiming something God wouldn’t even be within a 1000 miles of? What if God has a trial planned for your next season that will be difficult… you know of the 9000 the majority are not LIKING the post for that but rather because people are generally shallow and like quick and easy assurances they click it for what they are believing in even if their want or desire is totally out of God’s will.

In this area I guess what I am really saying is if you are going to post Fortune Cookie Scriptures then at least make sure there are one or more foundational scriptures, Book, Chapter, Verses incorporated for reference and deliver God’s promises with accuracy and accountability. "If anyone causes one of these little ones--those who believe in me--to stumble, it would be better for them if a large millstone were hung around their neck and they were thrown into the sea.” Mark 9:42

Now moving on to what I have shortened to SCRIPTURE W/ AGENDA which as I’m sure you can figure out means Scripture with an Agenda! First and foremost when you encounter what I am about to share my first advice is Rebuke it & Run.

Let me set the stage… When a Pastor preaches from the pulpit, what comes out of his or her mouth should align and support the agenda of what the WORD of God says! On the contrary, it goes on all the time and even with well known Evangelical leaders where the Scripture is taken out of context like a single verse that has nothing to do with what the Pastor is speaking about and used to support the Pastor’s message!

Not only is that messed up it is blatantly ludicrous and as you will see in our closing reading of what Jesus had to say and a story from Acts we are cautioned to be mindful and aware of False Prophets who have their personal and financial agendas on the Pulpit and in their messages and use the name of Jesus for their own gain.

Many years ago I used to watch a lot of TBN and while there are good God anointed teachings to be found on that program there are some Pastors that when I sought God’s Wisdom as a young Christian God warned me about them. Pastors like Richard Roberts who would say things like send in $78 dollars, the number God put on his heart and you will get your miracle!

Screech….. Put on the brakes, where on earth does that come from in the bible? And another Ministry Marilyn Hickey who would essentially sell you these prayer bracelets that would promise things the bible never mentions other than being tokens more likely to depict idolatry! How they hook people, is because many people are desperate and these ministers find a scripture even if it has nothing to do with the selfish ambitions when taken in context and they hone in on it to support their sermon!

One Pastor who has particularly stood out to me as a false prophet and I know I may be about to offend some that are hooked on him is Steven Furtick. Well that perhaps is the first problem in that as Andy Stanley taught in a series called Fan or Follower you would be surprised at the number of people who attend Church each week more for the Pastor than for Jesus! Many people are more FANS of their Pastor and the bible warns us about in anyway especially the Apostle Paul and in the Gospel of Matthew about bringing glory to ourselves over Jesus!

So back to Steve Furtick, for instance during a hyped up service which is part of the tactic used when preachers like Furtick want the WORD to support their message he speaks about how he stepped on the devil so hard last service at 9:30am that his foot was bruised! The crowd roars with excitement and then he proceeds to pull out of context from Genesis 3:15 this scripture "And I will put enmity between you and the woman, and between your offspring and hers; he will crush your head, and you will strike his heel."

Now this scripture if you clearly study the bible and do not take it totally out of context refers to Jesus Christ and what his coming and what his death on the cross will ultimately do to the Devil and has nothing to do with the message that Stephen Furtick is delivering but it still pleases the crowd, grows his audience and furthers his personal agenda of making the WORD support his hyped up message and we all know a hyped up crowd is usually easier to manipulate financially and that is not God’s remedy for giving!.

The verse he refers to in further detail refers to the fall and in that there will be enmity between the individual woman (Eve) and the serpent who deceived her. The word enmity indicates a blood feud. There will also be enmity between his seed and her seed. God promised that eventually the serpent would bruise the heel of the seed of the woman. However, the seed of the woman would also bruise (or crush) the head of the serpent. This will be a fatal blow from and by the Coming of Christ Jesus...not Steven Furtick's foot!

Now he is not alone, there are many other false prophets and many are very popular today but that is why God tells us to ask for Wisdom (James 1:5) and as you will see in the last half of today's session Jesus himself warns us about them so they must be real and this is by far not the only message of Furtick that I have seen this behaviour.

So read on through these scripture that follow and see what the bible or better yet Jesus himself says about false prophets and even the example the bible conveys in Acts 8:9-25 about Simon the Sorcerer!

Matthew 7:15-20

True and False Prophets

15 “Watch out for false prophets. They come to you in sheep’s clothing, but inwardly they are ferocious wolves.16 By their fruit you will recognize them. Do people pick grapes from thornbushes, or figs from thistles? 17 Likewise, every good tree bears good fruit, but a bad tree bears bad fruit. 18 A good tree cannot bear bad fruit, and a bad tree cannot bear good fruit.19 Every tree that does not bear good fruit is cut down and thrown into the fire. 20 Thus, by their fruit you will recognize them.

Matthew 7:21-23

True and False Disciples

21 “Not everyone who says to me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ will enter the kingdom of heaven, but only the one who does the will of my Father who is in heaven. 22 Many will say to me on that day, ‘Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in your name and in your name drive out demons and in your name perform many miracles?’ 23 Then I will tell them plainly, ‘I never knew you. Away from me, you evildoers!’

Acts 8:9-25 New International Version (NIV)

Simon the Sorcerer

9 Now for some time a man named Simon had practiced sorcery in the city and amazed all the people of Samaria. He boasted that he was someone great, 10 and all the people, both high and low, gave him their attention and exclaimed, “This man is rightly called the Great Power of God.” 11 They followed him because he had amazed them for a long time with his sorcery. 12 But when they believed Philip as he proclaimed the good news of the kingdom of God and the name of Jesus Christ, they were baptized, both men and women. 13 Simon himself believed and was baptized. And he followed Philip everywhere, astonished by the great signs and miracles he saw.

14 When the apostles in Jerusalem heard that Samaria had accepted the word of God, they sent Peter and John to Samaria. 15 When they arrived, they prayed for the new believers there that they might receive the Holy Spirit, 16 because the Holy Spirit had not yet come on any of them; they had simply been baptized in the name of the Lord Jesus. 17 Then Peter and John placed their hands on them, and they received the Holy Spirit.

18 When Simon saw that the Spirit was given at the laying on of the apostles’ hands, he offered them money 19 and said, “Give me also this ability so that everyone on whom I lay my hands may receive the Holy Spirit.”

20 Peter answered: “May your money perish with you, because you thought you could buy the gift of God with money! 21 You have no part or share in this ministry, because your heart is not right before God. 22 Repent of this wickedness and pray to the Lord in the hope that he may forgive you for having such a thought in your heart. 23 For I see that you are full of bitterness and captive to sin.”

24 Then Simon answered, “Pray to the Lord for me so that nothing you have said may happen to me.”

25 After they had further proclaimed the word of the Lord and testified about Jesus, Peter and John returned to Jerusalem, preaching the gospel in many Samaritan villages.