Daily Devotional for Thursday March 27, 2008

Who was God more Disgusted with Iranian Pres. Mahmoud Ahmadinejads or Min. TD Jakes

(Romans 10:14)

Who was God more disgusted with last September, Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejads, or well known minister TD Jakes? One of the things I have tried to do these past 9 yrs is challenge those who know the Lord to become more bold in sharing their faith with their family, with their neighbors, at school or work, at the gym, as well as the people God allows to cross your path on a daily basis. I remind you often that sharing our faith is not an option, it is a commandment. It is not something we do when we feel like it, it is something we are instructed in the Bible to do out of love for people who are lost and will die and go to hell without a personal relationship with Jesus Christ.

That is why nothing infuriates me more than what happened last September as one of the most visible men of God in the nation goes on a popular nationally syndicated TV program and if you didn't know who he was, would have never guessed in a million years he was a preacher! It was like Paula White going on the Trya Banks program and calling herself a "life coach," never once mentioning she is a preacher, or talking about the Bible or saying the name of Jesus!

This past September you had that evil little man from Iran, Mahmoud Ahmadinejad spewing his delusional philosophy of life at Columbia University, and a few hours later you had "Bishop" TD Jakes appearing on the Dr. Phil program to counsel people. At the end of the day there is no doubt in my mind God was more disgusted with Jakes, a man who claims to serve God, than He was with Ahmadinejad, a man who has clearly chosen to serve satan!

There is nothing to really to say about Ahmadinejad. He is a thoroughly evil man who follows that false religion of hate and death, Islam. As the President of Iran, he has openly called for the total annihilation of Israel, has made numerous threats against the United States, is shipping arms to Iraqi insurgents helping to kill US troops who are serving there, is harboring Osama Bin Laden's son and other al-Qaeda leaders, and is pursuing the development of nuclear weapons.

He preyed upon the weakness of this nation to come to our shores and spit in our faces by his very presence. He no doubt has accomplished his chief goal which was to appear credible on the world stage, while filling his coffers with propaganda to take back to Iran and continue his terrorist activities. Please remember in a few years that this man was here, on our soil, and instead of arresting him like the common criminal he is, we treated him like a head of state.

As disgusted as I was with Ahmadinejad making a mockery of our nation, I was even more disgusted with the "Bishop" TD Jakes making a mockery of our Lord! I was excited to hear he was going to be on with Oprah's "creation" Dr. Phil to give people counsel. I was excited that finally a bold man of God would go on this nationally syndicated secular program with a chief merchant of worldly advice and give people real counsel from the Word of God while telling them Jesus is their only hope for this life and all eternity.

Finally, a powerful spokesman for Christ to tell the nation God's Word is the only Truth and Jesus is the only way to be saved. By the end of the hour it took all the will power I could muster to not take a baseball bat and smash my television into a million pieces.

I will give you an exact quote from my email to the "Bishop" TD Jakes. "That was the most gutless and spineless performance by a supposed Gospel minister I have ever witnessed. You should be ashamed to call yourself a minister of the Gospel and God will hold you accountable for the souls who will burn in hell because you were more worried about selling books than saving souls!"

I have warned you for years about Oprah's puppet Dr. Phil. He clams to be a Christian, and only God can judge his heart regarding his salvation. But I have every right and responsibility to judge his WORDS and ACTIONS in accordance with the Bible. They are the words and actions of a man who is lost in his few minutes of fame and the money he is making. His counsel is not from the Bible but from the world. Instead of giving people real hope, he simply exploits their troubled lives for ratings.

I have warned you often about this merchant of false hope. Here is one of my Devotionals from last year on why this man is so dangerous, http://www.liveprayer.com/ddarchive3.cfm?id=2447 .

That is why I was so excited to see TD Jakes going on his program. As it turned out, he was not there to give Biblical counsel or to tell the lost how they can be saved, he was there to sell his new book! Just like that cotton-candy preacher Joel Osteen who was on Larry King a few years ago and refused all 6 of King's attempts to get him to simply say that Jesus was the ONLY way to be saved because he was not there to save souls, but to sell books.

I learned later in the day Dr. Phil actually wrote the forward of Jakes' new book. So with the opportunity to tell millions of viewers who were no doubt lost and hurting, looking for answers and hope, instead of the Gospel they got a sales pitch to go to their local bookstore and buy his book!

In my disgust, I called a few people who are very connected to the Christian TV world and I find out guess who TD Jakes' guest will be on several of his upcoming shows? You got it, Dr. Phil! Why? Dr. Phil also has a new book coming out so he is trying to capitalize on his claim of being a Christian to tap into the Christian market. So in essence what you had Monday and what you will get when Dr. Phil appears on Jakes program, is a SCAM that has gone on in the church for ages.

It is the pulpit exchange scam. Preacher Bob is invited to Preacher Joe's church to speak. He comes, preaches, and they take a big love offering for him. A few months later, Preacher Bob invites Preacher Joe to come to his church to speak. He comes, preaches, and they take a big love offering for him.

Since I have blown the cover off of that long standing scam, here is another one for you. Ever sit back amazed as you watch Christian TV and hear how God told some minister to give the TV network $100,000, and they pull out a big check? Did you know in the future they will receive special airings or runs of their TV program on that network worth about, you got it, $100,000!

Ever sit back amazed as you saw one minister give another minister a jet plane! WOW! What generosity you think! If only I had faith like that you think! Little do you know there was already some sort of business deal between the two for the jet plane.

This is how these high visibility preachers con people into having the "faith" to send them tons of money. It is all part of the manipulating process that enables these ministries to own tens of millions of dollars of real estate, fly around in private jets, and live like the rulers of small nations! OF COURSE THEY STILL COME BACK AND BEG YOU TO GIVE THEM MORE!!!

I love you and care about you so much. This is why I left and vowed to never return to the Christian TV world 10 yrs ago. This is why non-Christians NEVER watch Christian TV and have zero trust or respect for preachers. They smell these scams from a mile away. The Bible actually says the children of the world are more street smart than the children of light.

I have to be honest. It almost makes me want to get out of the ministry all together at times. I have to spend more time than you will ever know in dealing with people in the marketplace, letting them know that "I am not one of those guys" so they will at least listen to my message.

I have had numerous people over the years "counsel" me how Liveprayer could be a $50 million a year ministry overnight, instead of struggling to raise the $1 million we do each year to operate. All I have to do is what everyone else does. Leave secular TV and go to Christian TV. Forget reaching the lost in the world on the internet and focus on reaching people who already are Christians while using the website to sell products.

Quit wasting all of our time and resources to reach the lost and refocus our efforts on how to cash in on the Gospel. They tell me I have spent 9 years of laboring to build up Liveprayer, now it is time to take it easy and reap tens of millions of dollars a year from what we have built. I quietly tell these people to please leave before I get in the flesh and literally throw them out of my office!

I HAVE TOO MUCH FEAR (AWE) OF GOD TO TURN LIVEPRAYER INTO MY PERSONAL FIEFDOM. I DON'T LOOK FORWARD TO THE LAST WEEK OF EVERY MONTH WHEN I HAVE TO PLEAD WITH PEOPLE TO HELP ME SIMPLY COVER OUR BASIC OPERATIONAL NEEDS, BUT IT KEEPS ME HUMBLE AND NEVER LETS ME FORGET VERY LONG WHOSE MINISTRY THIS IS AND THAT I WILL ONLY BE HERE AS LONG AS I REMAIN FAITHFUL TO MY CALLING. GOD HAS ME ON A 30 DAY LEASH EACH MONTH SO I NEVER FORGET, EVEN FOR A DAY, WHY I AM HERE AND WHAT HE HAS CALLED ME TO DO!!!

I had one person send me an email that said, "PASTOR KELLER, WITH ALL DUE RESPECT, PLEASE TELL ME WHAT IS THE DIFFERENCE, TD JAKES BEING ON DR. PHIL SHOW AND BILL KELLER BEING ON HOWARD STERN SHOW." My answer, "The difference is he was on there for one reason, to sell books. He never once mentioned the name Jesus, quoted any scripture, or told people how to be saved. He was on there to make money and for no other reason. I go on with Stern and got nothing, except tons of grief. I have no agenda other than the opportunity to share Christ and Biblical Truth with Stern's listeners.

After my recent appearances on many of the top secular programs on the cable news networks and many national radio programs, I can already tell you that while they like my boldness to state my case about the issue I am on to discuss, they have already figured out I am there to declare the Bible is the only Truth and faith in Jesus is the ONLY way to be saved. I am already being blackballed from some of these programs because they don't want their program being used as a pulpit by some evangelist.

My friend, I invest money each month into a professional PR firm and seize those media opportunities for one reason and one reason only, TO HAVE A SECULAR FORUM TO TELL PEOPLE ABOUT JESUS! I HAVE NO OTHER MESSAGE BUT THE GOSPEL! YOU HAVE NO OTHER MESSAGE FOR YOUR FAMILY, FRIENDS, THOSE YOU MEET ALONG YOUR JOURNEY BUT THE GOSPEL!

My word of admonition to you today is to pray NOT to be like TD Jakes, Joel Osteen, Paula White, or any of these other "Christian stars" who get the opportunity to talk to a secular audience and use that opportunity to build their kingdom and not God's. Trust me, they WILL answer to God one day, just like I will and you will!

Make the most of your opportunities to share the Truth of the Bible with those you meet each day and what Jesus has done in your life. People are dying and going to hell every second. People you know! If they choose to reject the hope of Christ, that is their choice. Our job is not to force anyone to believe, we can't do that. Our job is to share with them the Good News and pray for them!

"How, then, can they call on the one they have not believed in? And how can they believe in the one of whom they have not heard? And how can they hear without someone preaching to them?" Romans 10:14