The Marks of a False Prophet

-The Marks of a False Prophet-

Matthew 7:15-20 - Beware of false prophets, which come to you in sheep's clothing, but inwardly they are ravening wolves. Ye shall know them by their fruits. Do men gather grapes of thorns, or figs of thistles? Even so every good tree bringeth forth good fruit; but a corrupt tree bringeth forth evil fruit. A good tree cannot bring forth evil fruit, neither can a corrupt tree bring forth good fruit. Every tree that bringeth not forth good fruit is hewn down, and cast into the fire. Wherefore by their fruits ye shall know them.

            On July 1, 2018, we were invited to a men’s service at another church, so my pastor took his four deacons (including myself) along with him right after our church service. Of course, I have visited this church in the previous year in 2017 when we were invited there for a men’s service, but at that time, it was my pastor, his wife, and myself, and the service was great. But this time, it was a little out of the ordinary: I will get to that in a little bit. When we walked in, we were offered a small bottle of water so we could quench our thirst. We walked in the sanctuary to be seated. The pastor of the small local church at a strip mall is a nice and generous guy. Before the service began, my pastor gave me a gold dollar coin to put in the collections plate. Before that, we were having a little bit of fun. I was testing him of his surname origin. He has a good sense of humor.

            When the service began, the pastor of the church gave a brief opening, one of our deacons played the keyboard for the music, and my pastor was called to the front to speak a little bit. After all of this, then the pastor had gave an introduction to the guest minister. When the guest minister went to the pulpit, he started to introduce himself: he talked about his sinful past and so on, and then he started preaching. He was preaching from the Bible and gave a good word, but when time passed by, things started to get weird and strange; he started calling certain people one-by-one to the front: he was using olive oil to anoint certain people and then having them to do strange things. Normally, I’ve seen ministers put one of their fingers on the tip of the bottle of the olive oil for the anointing to come, but this minister actually POURED olive oil in his hand, which is kind of odd. He rubbed his hands together, and then laid his hands on them. One of our deacons was called to the front, the minister poured olive oil in his hand, placed his hands together, and then laid them on the person. He had him to walk to him back and forth, to and fro, and when he was praying over him, he was “slain in the Spirit,” (a Charismatic Pentecostal heresy I do not subscribe to). It seemed like he was “knocked out” for several minutes.

            There are several parts of his activities I remember, but some, I don’t. On one person, he made a prophecy that so-and-so would receive a blessing in “seven days,” but of course, that never happened.  He started to go all over the congregation for individuals to pray over. He eventually came to me. To be honest, I was hoping that he wouldn’t do anything strange to me, but thankfully, he didn’t. Instead, he was talking to be about the belly. He placed his hand upon my belly, and he mentioned the scripture John 7:38 which says, “He that believeth on me, as the scripture hath said, out of his belly shall flow rivers of living water.” Of course I already know that. Eventually, he moved on…

            As I said before, things started to get weird and strange. There was a woman who was sitting three to four chairs away from me, she was screaming like she was in agony; she started to be “slain in the Spirit,” on the other side of the congregation on the left; there was another woman which was going through the same thing, except for the scream, but she was falling over chairs like she was having a seizure; and lastly, there was a woman who fell down to the floor, but guess what, mucus was coming out of her nose, and she was experiencing it too! I tell you there was a lot of “speaking in tongues” in there too! The service went on for hours like it was never going to end. For the whole time, I held my peace and kept my silence, but in my mind, I said “Wow!” I’ve seen people speak in tongues, and getting slain in the Spirit and falling down, but to tell you the truth, I have never seen anything like this! I was already discerning in my mind, “Is this really from God?”

            The title of this article is actually the title of the sermon my pastor preached on July 15, 2019. He was exposing the evil tactics of the guest minister we seen. I was afraid to even question his tactics, because I would be accused of “blasphemy against the Holy Ghost.” Thankfully, my pastor exposed him. I forgot his name, but God knows. There are plethora false teachers and false prophets who claim to speak in Jesus’ name, especially this one pulled a fake prophecy. If you do that, there is something wrong. When you read Matthew 7:21-23, Jesus gives a stern warning to people who will claim to do all sorts of things in His name, but they were actually doing them for their own glory:

Matthew 7:21-23 - Not every one that saith unto me, Lord, Lord, shall enter into the kingdom of heaven; but he that doeth the will of my Father which is in heaven. Many will say to me in that day, Lord, Lord, have we not prophesied in thy name? and in thy name have cast out devils? and in thy name done many wonderful works? And then will I profess unto them, I never knew you: depart from me, ye that work iniquity.

            In conclusion, we as Bible-believing Holy Ghost-filled Christians need to keep our spiritual eyes open with discernment. There are people who preach only for admiration of men. For example, one person can say about him or her, “Ooh, so-and-so can preach, and he preached so well!” Don’t get me wrong, there is nothing wrong with receiving admiration, for there are some well-known preachers who I personally admire. But God must receive all the glory. God is a Jealous God, and He won’t share the glory with men. Again, all the glory belongs to Him along.

1 John 4:1 - Beloved, believe not every spirit, but try the spirits whether they are of God: because many false prophets are gone out into the world.

Luke 6:46 – “Woe unto you, when all men shall speak well of you! For so did their fathers to the false prophets.”

            And due to the fact that we continuously need spiritual discernment, we should be able to tell whether or not who is being true or false. Check this out, Satan does wonders and miracles too. That’s why we should be careful. The Devil has some people on his team too. Many people are being deceived by him today, so that’s why false prophets and false teachers ought to be exposed, marked, and avoided (Romans 16:17-18). George W. Bush claims to be a Christian, but when you read his beliefs, he is a Universalist in his dogma. He believes that Christians and Muslims worship the “same God.” He believes that there are “different routes of getting to the Almighty.” When he was asked whether or not the Bible is the Word of God, he said, “You know. Probably not. … No, I’m not a literalist, but I think you can learn a lot from it, but I do think that the New Testament for example is … has got … You know, the important lesson is ‘God sent a son.’”

2 Corinthians 11:13-15 – “For such are false apostles, deceitful workers, transforming themselves into the apostles of Christ. And no marvel; for Satan himself is transformed into an angel of light.Therefore it is no great thing if his ministers also be transformed as the ministers of righteousness; whose end shall be according to their works.”

            

            Thank you for listening to me. Let’s continue to expose false prophets and false teachers, and continue the effort of soul-winning (winning souls to Christ!)

-Brother Vick

A Letter To My Longtime Friends XV: Thirteen Years Of Nostalgia

Dear CGHS Class of 2006 Brethren,

This is your friend and brother Vic coming to you with another article and with an annual remembrance of our special moment what happened 13 years ago. On May 27, 2006, we were gathered together as one. We walked together in two straight lines. It was a glorious moment for me. So at this time, take some time out, and reflect on this nostalgic time. Let me go ahead and “roll the clip…”

On May 26, 2006, each of us traveled to New Birth Missionary Baptist Church to practice our graduation ritual. The atmosphere of the church inside was very appealing. Bishop Eddie L. Long (now deceased) was generous and kind to allow us to use his church building for our graduation ceremony. He was a very nice guy. During the practice, we were given index cards with names and number written on them individually; we were to “sit on them,” in that way, it would help us to memorize the seat we were assigned to numerically and alphabetically: So it was needful for them to sequence us. By the time when rehearsal was over, we went our way.

When May the 27^th finally came, my brother and I rose from sleep (both of us were graduating together), I took a quick shower (so did he), we got dressed, we grabbed our caps and gowns, we got in the car, and off we went! We finally made our way to the church; we got out of the car, and we paced to the church, and as we made paces, we spotted some of you. The 2006’s “Wills & Testaments” were brought up, especially the one which I wrote. The line I wrote therein was “Thanks to my friends, my family, and my fellow upperclassmen of 2006. Even my enemies and the haters of jealousy. I still love y’all, no matter what.” I will explain the reason behind it later in this article…

As we entered into the building, we first went inside this room which resembles a large classroom and a small congregational church. Inside this room, we received our stoles to put on. Since we were exceedingly overjoyed, we were told that we could “get it out of our systems,” so we made joyful noises with cheerful spirits blended in. We then lined up to this door on the other side of the room which leads to the outside thereof, and a cement pathway which leads to another entrance back into the church building, but through another way. We lined up in two straight lines in alphabetical order. My mom was so happy for us, that she wanted to take a picture of me and my brother. She was sort of already taking pictures of the movement as we move slowly to the sanctuary until the ceremony began…

Once the graduation ceremony began as a processional, we walked together in two rows for the last time. The music selection “Pomp and Circumstance” was playing as we walked to the choir stand; once we all got there, we were given the signal to be seated at the same time on cue, so we did. We said the pledge to the flag, valedictorian speeches were made, and our high school principal spoke to the people. We sung our Alma Mater “Saints Forever,” and we sung a Gospel selection “I Am Here” written by Donald Lawrence. After the music, our names were called so we could receive our diploma cases, and a handshake from our principal. Later, we celebrated with happiness by tossing our caps in the air! Thankfully, I caught mine back. And when it was over, we did a recessional: we walked together to the lobby, and out of the building.

Outside of the church afterwards, we were exceedingly glad that we made it real smooth. Our hearts were filled with joy. At this time, we were congratulated by family and friends, even from each other. Pictures were taken, hands were extended for handshakes, hugs were given, and more autographs were exchanged. We were gathered together until we parted ways. Overall, I thought it was awesome. As a matter of fact, it was the proudest day of my life!

I want to thank you all for taking the time to read this letter I wrote. As usual, don’t back down for anyone. Stay on top of your game everyday. I wish you Peace, Joy, Tranquility, Serenity, and Many Blessings from God our Father through our Lord Jesus Christ, and in communion of the Holy Ghost. In Jesus’ name,

Much Agape Love & Cordially Yours,
Victor Kendrick II (Bro. Vick)

P.S. As I mentioned earlier about my last Will and Testament in our 2005-2006 high school yearbook, I said a little note to my enemies and my “haters of jealousy.” But when I said that, I meant it out of Love. Having said that, I love people, regardless of what condition. It also means for me to ignore the naysayers. I first did a rough draft of my Will & Testament in the Summer of 2005: I revised it a few times, and then, there you have it! One more thing, I Love You, and there is nothing you can do about it!

Real Hopes of My Future [part four]: School Updates and Testing Battles

Greetings brothers and sisters, this is Vic coming to you with another article with an update on how I’m doing. It has been a while since I’ve updated you all: yea, it has been since July of 2017. Before that time and long before the, it was all talk and no action. I was pretty much waiting for things to come my way, but I wasn’t accomplishing a thing. Anyway, allow me to take you halfway on the journey with me…

On April 23, 2019, I traveled to Georgia Piedmont Technical College to take the GED Social Studies Test. As I made my way to the designated area, I began to pray that I would score well on the test. So I went inside, took the elevator to the ground floor, and walked down the hallway to the Assessment Office. I clocked in, showed my identification card, took a face picture for profile, and I emptied my pockets and placed my belongings in a locker because things inside your pockets can make noises. When it was time for me to take the test, I went inside the room with computers, and began my test. I answered every question. When I had finished, I clocked out with my ID. I told the lady who was in charge that I was a little nervous about my results, she told me to “Think Positive.” I caught the bus to my grandparents’ house for a moment. An hour and a half later, I went back on the bus to go to school. As I was seated during the ride, I received an e-mail alert from myGED.com about my score. I began to pray, “Lord, please let this be a passing grade.” It took me to the site, and when I opened it with determination, it said that I scored a 148! One must score a 145 or higher. I released my breath and said, Thank You, Jesus!”

Two days later on Thursday, April 25, 2019, I went through the same process. This time, it was Language Arts. I answered every question. I even completed the essay. I took a 10-minute break, and then I resumed testing. Again, when I had finished my test before time was up, I clocked out. I followed the procedures. I walked out of the building to wait for the bus to take me to the train station, and then catch the bus to the church where I go to class at. As I was waiting for the bus, I received an e-mail alert from myGED.com. I prayed that it’d be a higher score as I was opening it. And guess what, I scored a 146! Once again, I praised Jesus Christ for it! Because back in March, I took the Language Arts test, and I scored a 143. I was so close! Thankfully, one of my GED representatives decided to reschedule it for me. He even paid for it for me. God works in mysterious ways!

I knocked out two exams. That means “two down, two more to go.” I just started Science class, and I’m still in the middle of Mathematical Reasoning. You already know the story of me having graduated from high school on May 27, 2006, and received a Special Ed. Diploma: Colleges usually don’t accept those unless one obtains a GED. I am currently working on it. It’s not going to be easy, but I have faith, and by faith, I will conquer these obstacle courses! The Lord is with me. If I fail, I will do it again until I make it. THAT is how a winner with perseverance does.

Think of it as baseball: back in 2017, I was “up to bat” by getting up and going to the place to get set up, and am currently getting it done. Obtaining a GED is “First Base,” so I am currently at First Base. When I’m done, I’ll run to “Second Base” by attending a 2-year community college for an Associates’ degree, move to “Third Base by attending a 4-year university of my choice for a Bachelor’s Degree, and Run Home!

Thank you all for listening to me. Please continue to keep me in your prayers as I accomplish these goals. God bless you all!

Bro. Vick