How many of you have heard the story of the canary and the pile of dung, or as it’s called in the Midwest , the cowpie? It goes something like this:
In the middle of winter, a little canary escaped from his cage in the house and worked his way outside to freedom. Almost immediately, the bird got stuck in some string tangled on the ground and was stranded out in the open. He couldn’t get back to his cage and as the day dragged on, he was getting colder and colder. He started calling out for help to the others critters as they passed by. A couple of birds fluttered in and tried to help, but they couldn’t figure out how to get the string loose.
The wind picked up and the temperature kept dropping. The little bird was really miserable. He started calling louder. But all the passing animals either ignored him or couldn’t help.
Finally, a cow ambled by. She stopped, looked at his situation, thought about it for a moment, turned around, dropped a cow pie on him, and wandered off.
At first the little bird was aghast. Why would the cow do something like that? The little canary was asking for help and all cow did was drop a load on him. But after a few minutes, the bird realized he was warm, in fact he was warmer than he had been all day. He was so warm and comfortable he started singing. And that drew the attention of a very clever fox.
The fox came out of the underbrush and approached the canary in the cow pie and offered to pull the little bird out. Although he was warm and comfortable, the canary figured it would be good to get out and get back home. So he agreed.
The fox very carefully dug into the dung and snipped the tangled strings with his teeth. Then he gently pulled the bird from the tangle, tossed him in the air, caught him with a snap of his mouth and swallowed him whole. With a satisfied flick of his tail, he dashed back into the underbrush, looking for his next victim.
The moral of the story? Not every irritant is from Satan. And not everything that seems good is from God.
At this site, I offer you information and solutions to enable you to escape the pimpery of people like Jamal Bryant, Cashflow Dollar, Fred KC Price and Ken Copeland to name a few. From your comments, most of the time you may feel as though I am dumping on you, insulting you and your man of God. But I’m not insulting you. I’m warning you. If you follow these guys, you are pursuing a terribly defective theology that will either keep you dead in your sins or stunted in your growth as a Christian. There is even a good chance you are not saved if you can be so easily and completely misled and deceived with another gospel. (Mark 13:22)
The pimps come along and offer you what looks like real prosperity and a solution to life’s trials and tribulations. But all the time they are simply seeking to devour you and your treasures.
To some of you (like that poor woman stuck at Empowerment Temple), it may seem as though I LUV2HATE. But you have to understand that I am trying to arm you against the attack of these wolves, lazy beasts and pious pimps. But remember, you have to be willing to take up arms in the struggle against the heretics and the their lies.
Be careful you don’t mistake the fox for the cow.
MOOO.
:lol:...
Priceless!
Melvin, this is a classic. It definitely ranks among your best.
since you put it that way…singing in the doo doo, I wonder if Kirk Franklin could remix the old Gene Kelly song singing in the rain.
Melvin’s Note: Okay people. Let’s not let our minds sink too low into the gutter!
Why don’t the three of you start a church together, and call it “Haters of churches that have large memberships Inc.,” Go for it!!!
Melvin’s Note: SS, just out of curiousity, where am I hating? Am I not accurately stating what the Bible states? If not, help me out and tell me where I am misusing it. Otherwise, since you are calling names, it actually appears that you may be the hater.
We are not each other’s enemies. Let us remember that we are not to struggle or wrestle with eachother. Our struggle is not with flesh and blood ( thepimps and the pimped), but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of this dark world and agaisnt the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms. Let us not let the enemy do more dividing than he already has. Some of us need to be able to correct in love and others need to be open to challenging what we have been taught or incorrectly taught. The issue I see is not about name calling or winning our point, but the issue is the truth. We need to be able to present the truth or rebuke even, in such a way that will restore those who have fallen to false doctrine. If we are spirit-filled believers or claiming to be spritual let us demonstrate that through love and self control (fruits of the Spirit). Just my thoughts
Melvin’s Note: And a wonderful set of thoughts they are my dear friend. I’m not sure of just what your point is, but you sure had some pretty thoughts. A question: What happens to the people whose faith is being destroyed by these people while you are having these pretty thoughts? What does the Bible say we are supposed to do? I assume that as a pastor, you are arming indeed feeding the sheep for whom you have taken responsibility. And I am sure you are doing an excellent job of it, perhaps even warning your flock about the dangers of Word of Faith preachers and leechers. But what about the people who aren’t pastored by you? What of the ones who see these pimps on television and don’t know any better?
Surely you understand by now that the site is not here to bring the pimps and the pimped together, holding hands, singing “Kumbaya” around the campfire. The purpose of this site is to expose the pimps for the pimps they are are and to do so to anyone who will lend an ear. It encourages people to get as far from the pimps as possible. If you want to make precious with the pimps, start up a “Be Nice to the Pimps” site and have at it, you could probably run it using funds from the church you pastor. Just don’t expect me to make nice with them or to encourage others to make nice with them.
The pimps don’t want to change. They don’t want to preach the Gospel. They do want to merchadise you. They do want to continue to pimp the crowds. Certainly God can act on their hearts and straighten them out. That’s what prayer is for. But does that mean we do and say nothing while they continue to preach heresies and shipwreck the faith of the saints? Is that what Jesus did with the Sanhedrin?
You’re right. This is a war. And our main weapon is the truth of the Word of God. I suggest you start taking the Bible seriously and taking God at His word. He says these people are anathema, that we should warn others away from them, and we ourselves should stay away from them. How do you make nice with them while doing that? This is a war. Why are you suggesting we just stand by while the enemy continues to destroy?
It’s really frustrating when people like you (especially since you are a teacher) take a “pick and mix” approach to Scripture and then use the bad mix to excuse the fact that you are doing nothing to warn the sheep outside of your flock about the wolves. Excuse me if I don’t agree with you. Just my thoughts.
Brother Melvin.
I must apologize for not being clear about my intentions. I am not the best writer. I was actually commenting on the previous post concerning about who is a hater.
I agree with you that it is our job to warn people and educate people about false teaching (aggresively). My point was they are not our enemies, but people who are not properly aligned in the faith if they are even in the faith. I challenge saints everyday to examine their beliefs. I challenge pastors all the time. I even questioned my former Pastor last week about his choice to have one of the preachers you’ve named come to his church to preach this very night. Trust me we are on the same side here.
2 Thess 3:14
Take note of those who do not obey what we say in this letter; have nothing to do with them, so that they may be ashamed. 15 Do not regard them as enemies, but warn them as believers.
melvin’s note: never mind.
I am not exactly sure what never minds means, but I want to take it as apositive comment. I hope.
Mr. Hodges,
2 Thessalonians 3:14-15 is irrelevant to exposing false teachers in the body of Christ/Christian Church.
Actually, 2 Thessalonians chapter 3 is dealing with the disorderly conduct of those w/in the church who refuse to work, and are “busybodies: meddle - to interpose and act in the concerns of others, or in affairs in which one’s interposition is not necessary, often with the sense of intrusion or officiousness.”
Paul commanded and exhorted by our Lord Jesus Christ that with quietness they “work,” and eat their own bread. And “if” they refused to obey this epistle: see vs-12, then have no company with them, yet count them not an enemy, but as a brother.
Please study 2 Thessalonians 3, the chapter in it’s entirety.
vs:14 And if any man obey not our word by this epistle, note that man, and have no company with him that he may be ashamed.
vs: 15 Yet count him not as an enemy, but admonish him as a brother.
Another Gospel:
The Word-Faith/Prosperity message is another gospel, and it is accompanied by a false Jesus, and a false spirit.
Galatians 1:8 But thou we or an angle from heaven preach any other gospel unto you than that which we have preached unto you, let him be accursed.
Galatians 1:9 As we said before, so say I now again, If any man preach any other gospel unto you than that ye have receive, let him be accursed.
The word of God calls the man who preaches another gospel “not” a brother, but “cursed.”
also, see 2 Corinthians 11:4
False Teachers Are The Enemies of the Cross of Christ:
Philippians 3:18 For many walk of whom I have told you often, and now tell you even weeping, that THEY ARE THE ENEMIES OF THE CROSS OF CHRIST…
Philippians 3:19 Whose end is destruction, whose God is their belly, and whose glory is in their shame, WHO MIND EARTHLY THINGS.
In the love of the True and Living Jesus,
Deb
Ralph,
let me be more specific: My apologies for not paying attention to what you were saying and nattering on needlessly. I did indeed misunderstand what you were sayingl
Melvin
Dear Deb,
I only used the scripture (2 Thess 3:14) becasue Melvin uses it on the Page “Why this Site” Check it out. You actually were the first person to post under his article. A good post too. You are right, the scripture is not about false teachers. I don’t think I ever said it was. I was refering to how we warn our brothers who are out of line. My post was about how brothers and sister in the Lord discuss ideas with eachother in love and not as opponents.
When I shared with my former pastor last week about him having Jamal Bryant speak I did so becasue my former pastor is a brother and I did not want him to fall to the same trap. Many pastors of large churches don’t have anyone that they trust giving them objective advice.
I simply wanted to say that I didn’t think we should call eachother names nor take things so personal but attempt to listen and learn. Many people who come to this site are quick to dismiss Melvin and sometimes I think that many who are in support of this site are quick to dismiss those who might really be seeking the truth. Obviously my writing is poor becasue everyone misunderstood me. I’ll stick to just reading from now on.
Melvin’s Note: Please don’t. My reading skills are sometimes deficient. I enjoy your comments even if I don’t always understand them properly.
Hello Melvin
As I wrote before this is a good site. This is my second post and I just stumbled across this site yesterday. I believe that you have a lot of great points. But there are some things that I disagree with you on.
I know that there are many different faiths out here eg; WoF, Apostolic, Full Gospel, Lutheran, Orthadox etc….. But what I have a problem is that even though some of these churches have unusual names or affiliates the pastors there are not all pimpish. For example I live in Chicago and I know that Bishop Brazier does do some good things in the community. Now that may not mean that much to some but to me he is more accepted than “Cashflow” I just love that name.
I hope I am not reading you or anybody else here wrong but I believe that just because a pastor has a large congregation it doesnt mean that he is a pimp. For example, I believe that pastor Joel Osteen is a wonderful man of God. I also believe that he is humbled. There are some pastors that you cannot get close to be ministered to. It’s easier to get to 50 cent than to those who claim there are men of God. Jesus was available to all who came to him. I have a problem with those who only look at prosperity and fancy things and anticipating their next appreciation service but not be concerned about lifes other neccesities. When was the last time you heard of one of these WoF pastors raising the dead, restoring site to the blind, hearing to the deaf, healing the sick and helping marriages and families restored. It seems that all they do is flaunt. Its nothing wrong with having good things but everyone should have it. The church should the biggest free bank in the world.
Yes I do believe that a pastor deserves a salary if he works in the church and it should be a worthy salary. But shouldnt those who also work in the church recieve one as well. Like I said before the pastor shouldnt be the only one with a Maybach and million dollar home. Someone else should be living just as well. Let me stop for now. Ican go on and on. By the way, I am not a member of Braziers church.
Anonymous,
You are quite correct: differences in theology, and even a lack of orthodoxy does not make a man a pimp. The diffiuclty comes in what the man or woman does with the theology. Being Oneness does not make Brazier a pimp. Speaking at a Baptist conference, at a minimum makes him suspect.
But remember, the purpose of the article was not to discuss Brazier. The purpose of the article was to point out the Baptist pastor who is willing to bring in a Oneness fellow apparently simply because the Oneness fellow is “big.” John Jenkins did the same thing with Charles Ellis out of Detroit about two years ago. With them, it’s not about truth. It’s about popularity which directly translates into money and power. And that translation is made at your expense.
But with respect to Mr. Olsteen, you may want to rethink that. He teaches Jesus suffering in hell. Additionally, when given a golden opportunity to present the Gospel, he pulled his head into his shell and just sat there.
Melvin
Mr. Hodge,
It is not at all my intention to offend you, and I pray that you don’t stop sharing the thoughts of your heart on this site. Thank you for correcting me, I receive it in the love of Christ.
May God bless you in Jesus,
Deb
Melvin,
Do you take essay contributions on your website from people? I think I have some good ideas for essays on scriptures I have studied. You could even modify them to suit your style and content. I could provide you with sources because I do not want to take full credit for all of those ideas. Some are gleaned.
I think you may organize your essays better than I can but I don’t think you can do everything.
Larry T.
The only thing i see is judging,jeolousy and condeming.
Be careful!!!