Muted Christians: Upstaged By Talking Rocks

         Some of the Pharisees in the crowd said to Him, “Teacher, rebuke Your disciples.” But Jesus answered, “I tell you, if these become silent, the stones will cry out!” [Luke 19:39-40]

         Many Christians have been taught by imposters that being a good Christian means to not only go along to get along, but to sit down, be quiet, and never EVER challenge the watered-down faux food forced downed their throats every Sunday morning.

         Christians have been conditioned to silence the voice the Lord gave them.

         Many have been taught by certain Christian Pharisees with the spiritual testosterone of little girls manning pulpits all over America to find a place in a pew, do everything they tell you to do, never think for yourself, and be the opposite of what the Lord Jesus needs you to be.

         This fits perfectly into their control-oriented little establishments run by ruling cliques who have long since shut out any input by the One who is supposed to be in charge, and transformed what could be major groups of powerful Spirit-filled people of God into empty-minded and soulless clergy followers.

         [If none of this applies to your church, then it could possibly apply to the next one over.]

         The Lord Jesus is not the wimpy sap these clowns portray. He is not a silly religious pinhead as they are. He is not. He is not. He is not.

         HE IS THE GREAT ONE!

         “Never has a man spoken the way this man speaks.” [John 7:46]

         Well, there’s a clue.

         When Jesus had finished these words, the crowds were amazed at His teaching; for He was teaching them as one having authority, and not as their scribes. [Matthew 7:26-29]

         Hey! There’s another one.

         And He got up and rebuked the wind and said to the sea, “Hush, be still.” And the wind died down and it became perfectly calm. And He said to them, “Why are you afraid? Do you still have no faith?” They became very much afraid and said to one another, “Who then is this, that even the wind and the sea obey Him?” [Mark 4:39-41]

         And yet another…

         The more one searches for Scripture revealing the powerful outspoken manliness of the Lord the more one finds it, and thus cannot help but draw contrasts between the real Lord Jesus and the fake one emulated by non-Spirit filled, earthly minded phonies whose hearts have never been circumcised and have all the gumption of pasty-faced prepubescent boys trying to find their way.

         Does anyone care that Immanuel, GOD WITH US, is portrayed by the controllers of many churches and ministries as one who would never make waves, never challenge false authority, never raise a railing rebuke against those who hold His people in check, and never use His voice when anointed to do so?

         What has happened?

         I’ll tell you what. Critical thinking in many churches has become vilified, and thus, true manliness, that born from knowing the TRUTH and acting on it, is gone with the wind in such places. The more control-oriented churches are, the more those running them will kick out the real men who refuse to go along with false paradigms and who also refuse to act like spiritual pansies the way they do.

         Though some men have no constraint whatsoever and take the dark turn into abuse or nutsville does not mean that all men must be neutered. Yet, that’s what’s happened.

         And it sure makes running churches easier. And the more these imposters attempt to control the Lord’s people the more they are attempting to control the Lord. And there’s your problem.

         BE NICE LORD JESUS. SIT. GOOD LORD JESUS.

         And while He was being accused by the chief priests and elders, He did not answer.

         Then Pilate said to Him, “Do You not hear how many things they testify against You?” And He did not answer him with regard to even a single charge, so the governor was quite amazed. [Matthew 27:12-14]

         “You will seek Me, and will not find Me; and where I am, you cannot come.” The Jews then said to one another, “Where does this man intend to go that we will not find Him? He is not intending to go to the Dispersion among the Greeks, and teach the Greeks, is He? What is this statement that He said, ‘You will seek Me, and will not find Me; and where I am, you cannot come’?” [John 7:34-36]

         When there are no longer any willing voices to stand up for the Lord, churches become ghost towns inhabited by the fearful who represent absolutely no threat whatsoever to the devil and all his trash.

         So who exactly is working for who nowadays, partner?

         Is it in the devil’s interest to silence the people of God? If so, where in the world will he have his best chance at success? Where ARE the people of God? Where do they congregate? The grocery store? City Hall? The mall? Restaurants, theaters, bars? In their living rooms in front of a TV? Where?

         And what do they do when they congregate? Do they make plans on how to best know and obey the Lord’s commands, and destroy the devil’s plans? Do they talk about how they must be serious with God and work under His sole authority, and actually walk it out?

         No. Rarely. Maybe in a few places.

         Would that all who profess Christianity walk the walk. But you can’t walk the walk without talking the talk, and talking is not allowed except for the official talkers.

         As a result, the one thing the vast majority of Christians in churches have in common is their SILENCE.

         Who silenced them? Why has Christianity in general become the religion of the mute? Ever hear the phrase, “Quiet as a church mouse?”

         Save for the one dude doing all the talking and maybe a few selected ones doing some singing, the great percentage of God’s people with mouths to speak do not speak at all, and this is perhaps the greatest victory of the enemy.

         But if ALL prophesy, and an unbeliever or an ungifted man enters, he is convicted by ALL, he is called to account by ALL; the secrets of his heart are disclosed; and so he will fall on his face and worship God, declaring that God is certainly among you.

         What is the outcome then, brethren? When you assemble, EACH one has a psalm, has a teaching, has a revelation, has a tongue, has an interpretation. Let all things be done for edification. [1 Corinthians 14:24-26]

         The early church was outspoken! Members used the voices God gave them. When they were filled with the Holy Spirit they surrendered their speech to God. They emulated their Savior, THE LIVING WORD. They never cowed down, honeyed-up, kowtowed, or cringed. They never blenched, flinched, recoiled, or winced. They didn’t back off. They didn’t silence each other. They realized that human speech was the greatest tool they had and the greatest weapon in their arsenal, AND THEY WOULD NOT BE SILENT.

         Yes, we are supposed to do everything in its proper order but only the Lord God decides who will speak, and why in the world would He ever silence His children? What good is a disciple without a voice? It used to be that people were allowed to testify of the greatness of God. We would hear stories of how the Lord blessed, how He did miracles, and how He answered prayer.

         But no more. Churches are too big. Some wacko or immature one might say something embarrassing.

         As a result, the voices of millions have been shanghaied. It’s past time to put an end to this nonsense.

         “But when they hand you over, do not worry about how or what you are to say; for it will be given you in that hour what you are to say. For it is not you who speak, but it is the Spirit of your Father who speaks in you. [Matthew 10:19-20]   

         If the people of God are not allowed to speak due to corporate inconvenience, or the idea that it would not be appropriate, or that there are too many voices, OR THAT WHAT THEY SAY WILL NOT AGREE WITH THE OFFICIAL NARRATIVE, BELIEF SYSTEM, CHURCH BYLAWS, OR THE PASTOR’S PET DOCTRINES, then something is wrong with the set-up. That some are fed-up with the set-up is obvious. But the PTB always write off such people as malcontents.

         Maybe I’m wrong here, but the Gospels seem to portray the Lord Jesus as a malcontent.

         Who are the real malcontents? Who are the ones who wrested control from the Lord? Who are the ones who treat His people as a bunch of baby sheep better seen than heard?

         This is not the New Testament way. When former sinners devoid of the Lord’s life are saved and filled with His Spirit they instantly become brand new excited lively people with beaming faces, joy in their hearts, and powerful voices ever ready to preach the Gospel, speak of the great things of God, or sing His praises!

         When he came to Jerusalem, he was trying to associate with the disciples; but they were all afraid of him, not believing that he was a disciple. But Barnabas took hold of him and brought him to the apostles and described to them how he had seen the Lord on the road, and that He had talked to Him, and how at Damascus he had spoken out boldly in the name of Jesus. And he was with them, moving about freely in Jerusalem, speaking out boldly in the name of the Lord. And he was talking and arguing with the Hellenistic Jews; but they were attempting to put him to death. [Acts 9:26-29]

         Here we have the apostle Paul not able or wanting to contain himself, and the Lord backing him up all the way, and actually giving him the unction to speak. AND SPEAK HE DID. And he never stopped, even with a contract on his head that lasted his entire ministry.

         Would that every pew-sitter in America was emboldened to speak as was Paul. But no. Most have been silenced. They have each surrendered their collective voice to the man in control, the man who can say anything he wants, for as long as he wants, and if anyone has a problem with it the only solution is to leave.

         Hence, a mass exodus to fields of freedom by those who refuse to be silenced, serenaded on the way out by stones shouting forth:

         “BLESSED IS THE KING WHO COMES IN THE NAME OF THE LORD; Peace in heaven and glory in the highest!” [Luke 19:38]   

         And when they had summoned them, they commanded them not to speak or teach at all in the name of Jesus. But Peter and John answered and said to them, “Whether it is right in the sight of God to give heed to you rather than to God, you be the judge; for we cannot stop speaking about what we have seen and heard.” [Acts 4:18-20] [1]

         The coming Great Awakening is otherwise impossible through official, controlling, authoritative church structures. Perhaps that’s why there were no such things in the first century and for three hundred years during the glory of the early Church. It was the fake religious controllers devoid of the Living Word who vied to shut the mouths of the saints, and it is no different today.

         GIVE YOUR VOICE TO THE LORD.

         Don’t let the rocks have all the fun.

         © 2013 by RJ Dawson. All Rights Reserved.  


[1] Unless otherwise noted all Scriptures are taken from the New American Standard Bible, © 1960, 1963, 1968, 1971, 1972, 1973, 1975, 1977, 1995 by The Lockman Foundation. Used by permission.

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Posted on October 1, 2013, in Real Christianity and tagged , , , , , , , , , . Bookmark the permalink. 12 Comments.

  1. And that’s why many of us who are God’s follow Jesus without denominational restrictions. Great post, RJ. My other half commented recently about the lack of critical thinking in the body of Christ. So sad. People need to truly follow God’s word where Jesus commands us to count the cost and prove all things.

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    • Thank you Sharon. Blessings to you guys and the work you’re doing. Real Christianity and Freedom go together, and the applicable freedoms spelled out in our Bill of Rights should also apply in our Christian communities, such as freedom of speech, the right to peaceably assemble, freedom of the press, which you and I and hundreds of thousands, if not millions participate in, and etc.

      The early Church was very different than most “churches” in the way they conducted their meetings. Many of them would likely be shocked at what is being passed off and accepted as Christianity, especially in the lack of freedom and the fact that most do nothing at all but sit and get entertained. There MUST be mutual participation.

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  2. Jesus is Lord over His Church (the real Church) and we agree with you that a great awakening is coming to America. May our voices be raised in loud praise and adoration of our King and Lord and may the rocks never have to cry out in our presence!!!
    Thanks for a good and encouraging word! Blessings, Tom

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    • Thanks Tom. Thank you for your encouragement and prayer. I doubt there will ever be any talking rocks in your vicinity. Keep up the great ministry you do in touching peoples lives where they live.

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  3. Whoooo!

    Poignant post Bob. May I say Amen?

    As you review this response to your very well written, transparent views on the Nature of the Church, note that I have attempted in my less than adequate way to speak to the need for “Restoration-Transformation” of the Body, beginning with individual believers. I see this as a way to “right the wrongs” associated with propagated tradition, pride and position.

    It is a real challenge to be direct in pointing out spiritual truths and related difficulties among bodies and types of believers without being overly prideful, harsh, or judgmental of individuals; particularly in matters of their salvation. I commend you for your stance in delivering the truth in these matters. We can speak in generalities and “types” as Jesus did (“Whoa unto you Scribes and Pharisees….”) as you are doing so well; however, as we both know, only God can judge the heart. When we find fault or error in an action or teaching by a Brother or Sister it is an essential work of charity (love) to “….restore such a one in a spirit of gentleness; each one looking to yourself [ourselves], so that you [we] too will not be tempted.” [Gal. 6:1 (NASB)]. I believe this applies both to so called “clergy” as well as “laypersons”. As we do this, the WORD cannot be softened; it speaks for itself through the Spirit and we must never water down or apologize for the power of the WORD to judge and convict.

    We can be forgiving and loving and begin today as never before to follow the admonition of Paul in 1 Thessalonians 5:12-21:

    12 But we request of you, brethren, that you appreciate those who diligently labor among you, and have charge over you in the Lord and give you instruction, 13 and that you esteem them very highly in love because of their work. Live in peace with one another.14 We urge you, brethren, admonish the unruly, encourage the fainthearted, help the weak, be patient with everyone. 15 See that no one repays another with evil for evil, but always seek after that which is good for one another and for all people. 16 Rejoice always; 17 pray without ceasing; 18 in everything give thanks; for this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus. 19 Do not quench the Spirit; 20 do not despise prophetic utterances. 21 But examine everything carefully; hold fast to that which is good; 22 abstain from every form of evil. (NASB)

    We can in our small groups and assemblies follow the example set forth in Acts 2:42-47:

    42 They were continually devoting themselves to the apostles’ teaching and to fellowship, to the breaking of bread and to prayer. 43 Everyone kept feeling a sense of awe; and many wonders and signs were taking place through the apostles. 44 And all those who had believed were together and had all things in common; 45 and they began selling their property and possessions and were sharing them with all, as anyone might have need. 46 Day by day continuing with one mind in the temple, and breaking bread from house to house, they were taking their meals together with gladness and sincerity of heart, 47 praising God and having favor with all the people. And the Lord was adding to their number day by day those who were being saved. (NASB)

    We can be joyfully tuned in to Colossians 3:16:

    Let the word of Christ richly dwell within you, with all wisdom teaching and admonishing one another with psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing with thankfulness in your hearts to God.(NASB)

    I leave you with words of wisdom from Proverbs 10:10-11, 17:

    10 He who winks the eye causes trouble,
    And a babbling fool will be ruined.
    11 The mouth of the righteous is a fountain of life,
    But the mouth of the wicked conceals violence.

    17 He is on the path of life who heeds instruction,
    But he who ignores reproof goes astray. (NASB)

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    • Thanks for a great comment.

      I can’t stress enough that even though there is authority in the Body, there is only one authority OVER the Body, the sole authority of the Lord Himself. It is as you say to correct gently, but this must presuppose those willing to be corrected, those who have submitted to God. Otherwise, there is no correction possible, at least not from some sources, and rebuke is the remaining option. And the Lord has to use this option, as He did with the Pharisees. He loved them, and wanted their salvation, but He could not let their false doctrine stand or allow their haughty religious attitude to remain without necessary rebuke.

      You quote excellent Scripture passages in shining a light on what should be, but most often within Christian circles is not. But many have gotten it right, and are getting it right. And it is so important we do so because the Lord cannot work as He could if our hearts are not right, or if we are beset with false doctrines and incorrect formats which disallow necessary discipleship and spiritual growth.

      It is sad that the way of love must often involve doing things that garner wicked reactions, but such is the nature of this fallen world. Keep doing the great job you’re engaged in, Don, in showing this way and displaying real joy and compassion. Be blessed.

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  4. Jacquie A. Bradford

    Your words remind me of our need for the power of Genesis 11:6, The Lord said, “If as one people speaking the same language they have begun to do this, then nothing they plan to do will be impossible for them. My prayer is that we as the Body come to the place where we are so unified in Him that nothing will be impossible for us!

    Blessings on your ministry,
    Jacquie

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    • Amen Jacquie. And thank you.

      I remember discussing this issue once with a brother several years ago. I halfway seriously made the statement that the reason there were only 120 believers in perfect unity on the Day of Pentecost was because that’s pretty much the maximum number of Christians that can be in agreement on anything in any given place at any given time. He laughed. And we all know why.

      Yet, the Body of Messiah international is actually IN agreement on a spiritual level in that all real believers believe in the King, everything He stands for, and everything He teaches. They each agree with Him on a heart level. All believers really do know Him and love Him, and are thankful for Who He is and what He has done to express and prove His love for us.

      Relational unity among His children is a different matter of course, but we keep getting tripped up on the so-called doctrinal agreement factor, and too many refuse to be in unity with those who don’t believe the same way. Now, I believe in correct doctrine. The Lord taught correct doctrine. It’s up to us to figure it out and receive it, and quit believing in that which does not agree or line up with His teachings.

      But brotherly and sisterly love must trump such. Love must rule. God is Love. We are united in His Spirit. That is what connects us. Therefore, it would make it all much easier if we love first and deal with lesser, though very important things later.

      Be blessed, and keep up the great work over there doing exactly that.

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  5. Right with you on this one. When we worship the pastors/leaders/elders, then we are guilty of idolatry. We need to respect them, and their positions; we need to sift everything they say through God’s Word. They are human, They are not infallible. My dad was a pastor. I’m FOR pastors! I’m not for putting them in the place of God. I heard a young pastor say from his pulpit, “I AM MOSES for this congregation!” Oh my.

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    • Hey, thanks Linda! Made me laugh! I sometimes joke about this very thing: “Oh, look. We have Moses with us tonight…”

      I’m for shepherds also. The real ones. The word “Pastor” should have been translated “Shepherd,” but that’s another teaching for another day. My first Pastor/Shepherd once said he thought his job was harder than being President of the US. Maybe you can relate! But real shepherds love their calling and place of service, despite the demands and challenges.

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