The Sale of Christian Music and Art -- A Robbers' Den?

Christ Cleansing the Temple

It's been accepted as common practice among Christian musicians and artists to sell their music and artwork, as we all know.  They charge a price for their music albums and for their concerts, as well as their paintings and even electronic images of their artwork.  In fact, they even require that you purchase a license just to display the lyrics to their copyrighted music during worship in Church! But is that right?  Is it right sometimes in certain circumstances, but not in others? What does the Bible say about it?

You will recall the passage of Scripture describing the time when Jesus went into the temple and drove out the merchants selling their merchandise and the money changers.  He told them that they had turned His Father's house into a den of robbers or into a place of business.

"And He found in the temple those who were selling oxen and sheep and doves, and the money changers seated at their tables. And He made a scourge of cords, and drove them all out of the temple, with the sheep and the oxen; and He poured out the coins of the money changers and overturned their tables; and to those who were selling the doves He said, 'Take these things away; stop making My Father's house a place of business.' His disciples remembered that it was written, 'ZEAL FOR YOUR HOUSE WILL CONSUME ME.'"  (Joh 2:14-17)

Matthew's gospel states: "And Jesus entered the temple and drove out all those who were buying and selling in the temple, and overturned the tables of the money changers and the seats of those who were selling doves. And He *said to them, 'It is written, '"My house shall be called a house of prayer"; but you are making it a robbers' den.'" (Mat 21:12-13)

Selling Christian Music
What is the difference between those merchants selling animals to be used as offerings unto God and merchants selling Christian music for profit?  In many cases, it was the Lord who gave the songwriters or recording artists the songs of worship and praise.  He didn't give it to them for their own benefit to claim as their own or to sell for profit.  He gave it to them for His glory and for His kingdom and for His people to bring offerings of worship and praise unto Him.  In fact, many of the songs contain direct quotes from the Scriptures, such as the Psalms and the book of Revelation, which were originally inspired by the Holy Spirit, not by the modern songwriter.  

In many cases, these things are sold inside of Churches, but it makes no difference what the physical location is.  The Church is not just a building. Just because this is done in a public forum, like Christian bookstores and Internet shopping outlets, does not make it right.  The Church exists wherever two or three are assembled in Jesus' name.  So the passage I have just quoted is directly applicable to the sale of music and art.

I do believe as Keith Green did that when God has given us a gift and a ministry that we should not charge people, but rather accept offerings.  "In 1979, after negotiating a release from his contract with Sparrow, Green initiated a new policy of refusing to charge money for concerts or albums." -- Wikipedia.

Worship is not for sale!  Neither is Christian ministry! I am open to dialogue on this, but if you believe in selling Christian music, then please cite the Scriptures that you believe allow that practice.

Selling Christian Art
And the same goes for sacred Christian art, paintings or drawings of our Lord Jesus or scenes from the Bible. In some cases, this is simply putting the Bible into pictorial format, and selling it for profit. What's the difference between that and selling the Word of God or selling the Bible?  Even if there are indeed certain instances where it is appropriate to sell Christian art, it is wrong to prevent other brethren in Christ from even using an electronic image of that art for non-profit purposes, unless they pay a fee, even when proper credit is given to the artist and copyright is cited.  One godly, Christian artist friend of mine DOES allow the use of electronic images of his art with permission, as long as he is credited as the artist, copyright is cited, and a link back to his website is given.  I truly appreciate this brother’s gracious attitude, which is very generous, and I would be open to comments from my readers on this topic.

Should Christian artists charge only for their production and shipping costs, and accept only love offerings for their work as Keith Greene used to do with his music?  When would it be appropriate to charge a set price, and in what circumstances would it not be, according to God's Word?

Selling God's Word
Now that brings up another issue, which is the sale of Bibles.  I personally have no problem with publishers charging enough for Bibles to cover their costs in producing them, in terms of the printing and distribution.  But these days Bibles are exorbitantly expensive, when they should be relatively inexpensive or free.  In the front of my Bible -- and yours, too -- it says that it is copyrighted and that it may not be reproduced in any form without permission.  The Word of God is not for sale! According to the Word of God, nobody has the right to do so or to prohibit people from copying and distributing it.

Do you think it is ever appropriate for publishers to prohibit people from copying or distributing the Scriptures?  Do you think it is appropriate for them to make a profit from God's Word?  If so, based on what Scriptures?

Selling Prophecies, Sermons, Teachings, and Oil
What is the difference between selling Christian music, art, and Bibles, and selling sermons?  If the Lord gave you the sermon, you have no right to sell it for profit.  It is no different from selling your Bible teachings from the Lord. Yet how many are out there hocking their teaching sets on CD or DVD, or in books!  And what is the difference between that and selling bottles of anointing oil for a price?  How about selling pews or seats in church, as some churches once practiced?  Is it right to sell prophecies?  Absolutely not!  That's how false prophets operate, giving prophecies for a price, which is not too much different than paying a fortune teller.  So why have we accepted the worldly practice of selling God's gifts and talents like music, art, preaching and teaching?

Using Gifts and Talents to Generate Wealth
It is wrong to use the gifts and talents the Lord gave you to generate wealth for the purpose of fulfilling your heart’s desires or for your own plans and designs. It should be done in the name of Jesus, for the Lord, and for the glory of God alone. As we use our gifts and talents, we must avoid covetousness, which is “a strong desire after the possession of worldly things” (Easton's Bible Dictionary). It is “a strong or inordinate desire of obtaining and possessing some supposed good; excessive desire for riches or money; -- in a bad sense” (Webster’s). This sin is condemned in Scripture and listed among those that would exclude one from heaven (Colossians 3:5; Ephesians 5:5; Hebrews 13:5; 1 Timothy 6:9, 10; Matthew 6:20).

And you should not turn the house of God into a business or rob others, especially the poor, or take advantage of them. In fact, you need to consider that the poor may not be able to afford these things, but may benefit greatly from them. The kingdom purposes of God must be first, not greed, covetousness, or selfishness.  The Lord defines greed as having more than you need.  The Lord defines selfishness as keeping everything for yourself while others don’t have.

Jesus said, "No one can serve two masters; for either he will hate the one and love the other, or he will be devoted to one and despise the other. You cannot serve God and wealth.” (Mat 6:24)

“For the love of money is a root of all sorts of evil, and some by longing for it have wandered away from the faith and pierced themselves with many griefs.” (1Ti 6:10)

"Keep your lives free from the love of money and be content with what you have, because God has said, 'Never will I leave you; never will I forsake you.'” (Heb 13:5)

“The acts of the flesh are obvious: sexual immorality, impurity and debauchery; idolatry and witchcraft; hatred, discord, jealousy, fits of rage, selfish ambition, dissensions, factions and envy; drunkenness, orgies, and the like. I warn you, as I did before, that those who live like this will not inherit the kingdom of God.” (Gal 5:19-21, NIV)

If one is truly only charging enough to cover costs and provide a modest income for his family, that is between him and God. The Lord knows each heart, and each one will give an account to God for his own actions.

“So then each one of us will give an account of himself to God.” (Rom 14:12)

"But seek first His kingdom and His righteousness, and all these things will be added to you.” (Mat 6:33)

"Then he said to them, 'Watch out! Be on your guard against all kinds of greed; life does not consist in an abundance of possessions.'” (Lk 12:15; also see Mt 23:25)

It is wrong to charge churches and other non-profit Christian ministries for the mere use of electronic images or for the use of lyrics, or for the use of songs for non-profit ministry purposes, as long as proper credit is given and they are used for the glory of God, in Jesus name and not for generating wealth, producing new products for sale, or fulfilling one’s selfish desires.

We must be righteous and blameless in our conduct, and operate with integrity, not as the world does.  The Church is not a business!

Offering Teachings, Poems, Art, and Songs for Free
I do not charge anything for any of my blogs, and neither have I monetized my blogs (you will notice that there are no banner ads or popup ads on my websites), although we certainly would gladly accept an offering if someone chose to do so. Rather than publish them as books and sell them, I have made my writings available to the public free of charge, and you can find them all at Writing for the Master. The same goes for the songs we have written, which are available free of charge to the public at Jesus Reigns. Our children's poetry is also available free of charge to the public at Verses to the King, just as their artwork is at A Brush with Life.  Rather than seeing these as an opportunity to make money, we see them as a gift from God meant to bless people.  There are many others who share our perspective, such as The Gideons International, who give out free Bibles, as well as Rick Meyers, who freely gives away the electronic Bible known as e-sword.  

In turn the Bible teaches that the one who is taught the Word is to share all good things with the one who teaches him. (Gal 6:6).  That means that people should give to support ministries that are blessing them spiritually.  I think it would be entirely appropriate and would please the Lord if those who read my articles gave an offering, even if it was a small one, so that our needs could be met and we could continue with our ministry. But there is no such thing as a mandatory love offering in order to receive Christian ministry.

Peddling the Word of God
I realize that the worker is worthy of his keep (Mt 10:10) and if a man preaches the gospel, he has a right to make a living from the gospel (1 Cor 9:14).  We may accept offerings and live by faith, trusting God to provide for us, as we share with others the gifts and talents He has blessed us with.  But that does not mean we have the right to charge people a set price for our music, artwork, prophecies, preaching, or teaching, unless it is simply to cover the production and shipping costs.  Charging a set price (over and above production and shipping costs) is just as ridiculous as requiring a mandatory love offering. Those who do so have made money their idol, and the practice of charging for these things is basically peddling the Word of God.  Paul said, "For we are not like many, peddling the word of God, but as from sincerity, but as from God, we speak in Christ in the sight of God." (2Co 2:17)

Buying the Gift of God with Money
Let's not forget what the apostle Peter said to Simon the sorcerer.  "Peter answered: 'May your money perish with you, because you thought you could buy the gift of God with money! You have no part or share in this ministry, because your heart is not right before God. 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. For I see that you are full of bitterness and captive to sin.'” (Ac 8:20-23).

There is a parallel between the sin of Simon the sorcerer and what some people do today to sell their talents for money.

Confirmation from South Africa
After I wrote this article, I sent it to a sister I know in South Africa, named Susan W.  She is a former Muslim, who is following Jesus as her Lord and Savior.  I did not even know anything about the talent the Lord has given her with singing, but she has a beautiful voice, and many people have remarked to her about it.  Some have advised her to record her music on albums, and write her own songs, and sell them, but she has refused to do so. After she read this article, she wrote back to me the following letter:

"Dear brother Len,

"This article is very thought provoking."

"In my early years, I was singing in church and people loved my singing in praise and worship.  Many of the Pastors of the church that I attended, would never start preaching without asking me to present a worship song.  I sang only, after coming from the prayer closet. Many people asked me to record the songs and write my own and sell.  I resented that and I said that I could never use what the Lord has given me to make money with.  I remember a certain gospel musician from the country of my ancestors, the land of Kenya, approached me and she asked me to go ahead and record.  I resented.  I was even invited to go and sign in India but could not go because I did not have any financial means to.  I have never recorded and I do not sing anymore, but I sing unto the Lord on my own...I am His workmanship and I live to bring Him Glory and Honor."

"People are singing (the so called artists) and selling their music to have material gain.  Many years ago, I listened to a radio interview of a very famous established gospel (praise and worship) musician.  She said in the interview, that nowadays people are peddling their songs.  She said that she and her group would fast and pray before they could even produce a song and record it.  Seeking the Lord’s will and what message He wanted them to pass on.  Their music cassettes were affordable."

"If you listen to prophet Dr. David Owuor during his trip to Cameroon earlier this year, you will hear clearly that he is against peddling and he says if God has sent you somewhere to take a message, you do not need any money.  The one who has called you, will provide for you, because it is His work and not you sending yourself.  However, you can ask for donations, if anybody is willing to financially support.  Look for instance at Maurice Sklar.  He operates from this principle, too, if I am not mistaken.  Have you seen the late sister Choo Thomas and how she operated?  I got in touch with her in 2008 and was in contact with her all this while until she passed on.  She sent me her DVDs for free.  She was charging for her book Heaven Is So Real but to get the money for production only."

"There is no difference in what is being done by the so-called Christian Gospel singers (artists) than doing any other business.  They are not singing or preaching with compassion for the lost, but to make money for themselves and drive big cars, own huge houses.  Brother Len, people will burn in hell!"

Warning to Those Using Talents to Make Money
I hope that this has served as a wake up call to the Church about this worldly practice. There is a difference between accepting offerings as a workman worthy of his keep versus selling things to make money.  The Lord is against greed, covetousness, selfishness, merchandising in the Church, selling the gift of God for money, and peddling the Word of God.

I would like to close with a warning given to Samuel Oghenetega by the Lord Jesus Christ.  This warning is to those using talents to make money.  The Lord said, "Tell those using the talents I gave them to make money and their hearts' desires to stop or else I will take it from them and give it to another. I will cast them into the lake of fire where there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth. Mt 25:14-30."  I did not say that.  The Lord did.  Stop fulfilling your own plans and designs. Invest your talents in His service.  Give your talents to God. If you have been practicing this sin of peddling the Word of God, selling your Christian merchandise in the Church or to the Church for profit, then I repeat to you the words of our Lord: Take these things away; stop making the Father's house a place of business!

To those who thought you could sell the gift of God for money, you need to know the Bible calls it wickedness. Your hearts are not right with God. As Peter said, you had better repent of this wickedness before Jesus comes, and cry out to God for mercy, in the hope that He may forgive you for having such a thought in your heart. For you are captive to sin. You may also need to make restitution to the poor people you have robbed. He still loves you, but He will not lower His standard of heaven for anyone.

Attribution notice: Most Scripture quotations taken from the NASB. Most other Scriptures taken from The Holy Bible, New International Version® NIV®, unless otherwise noted.  Christ Cleansing the Temple, by Carl Heinrich Bloch, 1875

Author's Note: If you disagree with this article, please pray about it and leave thoughtful, referenced comments that would be conducive to healthy dialogue. If you enjoyed this post, you may also like A Trip to Hell, The Forgotten Sin of Worldliness, Visitation of Jesus to Samuel Oghenetega, What's Wrong with the Prosperity Gospel?, Australian Pastor Raised from the Dead, Holy Living in a Perverted World, and the other posts on the home page. You may also access my complete blog directory at "Writing for the Master."

Do You Want to Know Him?
If you want to know Jesus personally, you can. It all begins when you repent and believe in Jesus.  Do you know what God's Word, the Bible says?

“Jesus came into Galilee, preaching the gospel of God, and saying, ‘The time is fulfilled, and the kingdom of God is at hand; repent and believe in the gospel.’” (Mar 1:14b-15).  He preached that we must repent and believe.

Please see my explanation of this in my post called "Do You Want to Know Jesus?"

_________________________________________________

Len Lacroix is the founder of Doulos Missions International.  He was based in Eastern Europe for four years, making disciples, as well as helping leaders to be more effective at making disciples who multiply, developing leaders who multiply, with the ultimate goal of planting churches that multiply. His ministry is now based in the United States with the same goal of helping fulfill the Great Commission. www.dmiworld.org.

Alcohol and Cigarettes -- Nine Divine Revelations

In my previous articles, The Forgotten Sin of Worldliness and Holy Living in a Perverted World, I have exposed the broad path of worldliness that so many have taken, which leads to destruction. I have also called the Church back to the narrow path of holiness that our Lord Jesus requires of all who follow Him, which leads to life.  It seems as though so much of the world has gotten into the Church that we no longer recognize the worldly things in our lives. We simply don't realize the extent to which we have compromised. In this present post, I would like to highlight two of those things in particular that are very commonly accepted among Christian believers, which are drunkenness and smoking cigarettes.

First of all, the Scripture is very clear about this. In 1 Corinthians 6:9-11, the apostle Paul wrote: “Do you not know that wrongdoers will not inherit the kingdom of God? Do not be deceived. Neither the sexually immoral nor idolaters nor adulterers nor men who have sex with men nor thieves nor the greedy nor drunkards nor slanderers nor swindlers will inherit the kingdom of God.”

The natural tendency when we hear this is to debate about what it means to be drunk or to come up with our own definition of drunkenness, so that it will allow us to continue with our habit.  But let's look at what the Lord has shown several different individuals through divine revelations of hell that were given to them.

Adelaida De Carrillo

Adelaida De Carrillo

A sister named Adelaida De Carrillo from Bolivia was taken to heaven and cleansed of defilement.  She said:

"Then my nose went through the same process, a black liquid came out of my nose and later a white one. My nose was anointed, but the whole process was very painful. I said, 'Lord please tell me the things I did with my nose that didn't please you.'"

"The Lord said to me, 'Some of your clients smoke cigarettes and you breathe in that smoke through your nostrils because you were once a smoker and you still feel comfortable sitting with them while they are smoking.'  I said, 'Lord, I know, forgive me, have mercy on me.'”

"The Lord said, 'You are the same with all those smoking cigarettes and all that drink alcohol whenever you stay there with them breathing in the smell of the cigarette or alcoholic drinks.'  . . . 'This is my reason for cleansing you, so from today whenever you see anyone smoking cigarettes or drinking alcohol you won't be comfortable among them any more, it will rather disgust you.'”

In hell she saw the souls of the alcoholics.  She said:

"The Lord took me to another place in Hell that appeared like a big club. I heard the souls there shouting and crying for mercy. I asked, 'What is going on here?'

"Jesus said, 'Take this message to all those drinking alcoholic drinks, to all those drinking alcohol day and night, to all those drinking into their body things that don't edify them, to all those using even their children's money for alcoholic drinks, take this message to all those women that drink alcohol, for them to amend their ways through this message.'"

"I saw a table placed before these lost souls.  On the table were drinks, and the souls were forced to drink against their will. They were engulfed in flames, and in the bottles they were drinking from was just acid.  I saw how their souls exploded and cried, 'Lord nooo! I can't take this anymore.'”

"I saw a man in Hell.  While on Earth the Lord had sent an Evangelist to him while He was drinking in a bar. The Evangelist told him to give his life to Jesus Christ, because the Evangelist felt he was going to die soon. This man insulted the Evangelist; calling her a mad woman. That same day, he came out of the bar drunk, he had an accident and now he is in Hell.  He was being forced to drink in Hell, he tries to escape the torment, but the demons would not let him, he will be tormented Hell forever."

Adelaida also saw cigarette smokers in hell! She said:

"Cigarette smokers also have a place in Hell!  All those smoking marijuana have their place in Hell, they are tormented forever."

You may read more at Adelaida De Carillo's testimony of heaven and hell.

Emmanuel Agyarko
Brother Emmanuel Agyarko from Ghana was taken to hell in a vision and said: "I was later shown two people who were in hell for smoking. So people have to know that smoking would take them to hell."

You may read more in the Vision of Hell by Emmanuel Agyarko.

Ayodelle Sawyer
Sister Ayodelle Sawyer from Sierra Leone was taken to hell, where she saw her father, and one reason he was there was that he had been a drunkard.

You may read more in Sister Ayo - a Revelation of Heaven and Hell.

Angelica Zambrano

Angelica Zambrano

A sister from Ecuador named Angelica Zambrano was taken to heaven and hell.  In hell she saw a young man in torment, who had used drugs and alcohol. She testified:

"The Lord said to me, 'Are you ready to see what I am going to show you?'  'Yes, Lord,' I said.  He took me to a cell where I could see a young man being tormented among the flames.  I noticed that the cell was enumerated, though I couldn't understand the numbers, they seemed to be backward.  There was a huge plaque in that cell, and the young man had the number '666' on his forehead.  He also had a big metallic plate that was encrusted into his skin.  The worms that were eating him, were unable to damage that plate; neither did the flames burn it.  He screamed, 'Lord, have mercy on me.  Take me out of this place.  Forgive me, Lord!'  But Jesus would respond, 'It's late, too late: I gave you opportunities and you would not repent.'"

"I asked Jesus, 'Lord, why is he here?' Then I recognized him. On Earth, this young man knew the Word of God, but abruptly he walked away from the Lord, preferring alcohol, drugs and walking on the wrong path.  He did not want to follow the way of the Lord.  Jesus warned him many times on what could happen to him.  Jesus said, 'Daughter, he is in this place because anyone who rejects My word already has a judge: The Word that I have spoken will judge him in that last day,' (John 12:48) and then Jesus wept." 

You can read more at Angelica Zambrano Hell and Heaven.

Seven Colombian Youth

The Seven Colombian Youth

A brother from Columbia named Lupe testified in the Revelation of Hell to Seven Colombian Youths of seeing a man named Luis, who had once been a Christian and died when he was drinking alcohol in a bar. Lupe testified:

"We moved closer to a large flame that was ahead of us. It was huge and burning intensely.  I continued to slowly descend as I watched multitudes of flames and heard millions of souls crying with one voice."

"Then I saw a wooden table that was not being consumed by the fire.  It had what appeared to be beer bottles on it.  They looked refreshing, but they were full of fire.  While I was looking, a man suddenly appeared.  His flesh was almost completely destroyed and what was left of his clothes were muddy and burning.  He had lost his eyes, mouth and all of his hair in the fire.  He could see me, even though he had no eyes.  I tell you, it is a person’s soul that thinks, reasons and truly sees, not their natural body."

"The man extended his skinny hand toward the Lord and started to cry out, saying, 'Lord, have mercy on me!  Lord, have mercy on me!  I am in pain!  I am burning!  Please have mercy and take me out of here!'  The Lord looked at him with compassion, and I started to feel something warm in my hand.  I looked and found that it was blood...the blood of Jesus!  The Lord's blood came from His hand as He watched the man suffering in the flames."

"Then the man turned his gaze in the direction of the table and walked toward the bottles.  He grabbed a bottle, and as he was about to drink from it, fire and smoke shot out of it.  He put his head back and screamed like I had never heard anyone scream before.  He cried with great pain and sorrow, and then started to drink what was in the bottle.  The bottle was full of acid; it totally destroyed his throat.  You could see the acid passing through his stomach and hurting him."

"The number 666 was engraved on the man’s forehead.  On his chest was a plate made of some unknown metal that couldn't be destroyed, not even by the heat or the worms.  It had some letters written on it that we could not understand.  The Lord, in His great mercy, gave us the translation of what was written: 'I am here because I am a drunkard.'  He begged the Lord for mercy, but the Word of God is very clear when it tells us in 1 Corinthians 6:10, 'Thieves, greedy people, drunks, slanderers, and robbers will not inherit the kingdom of God.'"

"The Lord showed me the man's last moments on earth as if I was watching a movie or film.  Something like a large television screen showed me his last seconds before his death.  The man's name was Luis and he was drinking in a bar.  I saw the same table and the same bottles in the bar.  His friends were around the table.  (I can tell you this now, there is only ONE TRUE FRIEND, and His name is JESUS CHRIST.  He is the Faithful Friend.)  Luis was drinking and his friends were already drunk.  His best friend took a bottle, broke it and started stabbing Luis.  When he saw Luis lying on the floor he ran away, and Luis bled to death on the floor.  The saddest thing was that he died without the Lord."

"In the middle of all this, as all those souls in hell were crying out, I asked the Lord, 'Oh Lord, please tell me, did this man know about you?  Did he know about your salvation?'  The Lord sadly replied, 'Yes Lupe, he knew about Me.  He accepted Me as his personal Savior, but he did not serve Me.'  Then I felt even more fear.  Luis cried louder and shouted, 'Lord it hurts!  It hurts!  Please have mercy on me!'  He extended his hand again toward the Lord, but Jesus took my hand instead and we walked away from the flames.  The flames consuming Luis became more intense, and he cried louder, 'Have mercy on me!  Have mercy on me!!'  He then disappeared in the flames."  

You may read more in Revelation of Hell to Seven Colombian Youths or read the full testimony here.

The Lord's Church

Len with brother Yong-Doo Kim & his wife, Mrs. Kang, Hyun-ja

A sister named Baek Bong-Nyo from The Lord's Church in South Korea was taken to hell.  There she saw the father of brother Yong-Doo Kim in torment.  She testified:

"Later, I saw our pastor's father in hell.  An evil creature was about to throw him into some type of large pot, that had dark, rotten liquor boiling inside.  I asked the Lord, why he was here.  Jesus replied, 'He sinned very much and was abusive to his wife.  He loved to drink.  Alcohol was his idol.  His alcoholism affected his work, and he neglected his children.  His children had a difficult life.  As a result, he will taste and be tormented in this rotten liquor forever.'  The pastor's father began to shout, 'Oh, I have done many terrible things.  I wished my wife had accepted Jesus Christ as her Savior and Lord.  She could then enter Heaven.  When I was on Earth I gambled and drank all day.  I never took care of my family.  I did not take care of their basic necessities.  My wife labored all day to feed our children.  I am responsible for her difficult life.  The sins I had committed are being paid back.  I deserved to be cursed.  Please, when you go back to the world, tell my youngest son to continue to attend church.  Tell him to be faithful to the Lord and believe.' He also asked me to tell his sons not to attend church in vain.  They should keep the Sundays holy, repent sincerely, and walk with the Lord faithfully as a Christian.  He continued, 'I am in hell and tormented.  Hell is the final end, an endless torment.  It is hopeless.  Please evangelize to your brothers, sisters, and relatives so that they may have a chance to go to Heaven.'"

A brother named Lee, Haak-Sung from the same church as Baek, Bong-Nyo testified of his experience seeing hell:

"Later Jesus took me to hell.  I was shown a place where multitudes of people were screaming and shouting in pain, inside an enormous heated black pot.  Outside of the pot, there were countless evil spirits walking and flying in all directions.  Jesus said, 'Haak-Sung, do not be afraid.  The numerous evil spirits cannot harm you as long as I am here to protect you.  This is a place called the torment of the boiling pot.  It is a place for alcoholics and people addicted to smoking.' As the people entered the boiling liquid, their flesh disintegrated.  Strangely, there was fire inside the boiling liquid.  After showing me this, Jesus took me back to the church."

Brother Yong-Doo Kim's son Joseph Kim also saw hell.  He testified in the book called Baptized by Blazing Fire:

"Since my eyes are opened spiritually, I am most often very surprised with the spiritual state of other people. At any time, I am able to see their spiritual state. I am able to see when I walk by them or whenever I speak with them. It does not matter if my physical eyes are closed or opened. The Lord shows me the spiritual aspects of other people."

"The Lord also taught me when to speak and when not to speak. He had strictly distinguished the difference to me. Whenever I was unaware and spoke freely, the Lord rebuked me. I had to have the Lord’s permission on every little matter. It was very difficult and tiring. However, when it came to hanging out with kids my age, the Lord never told me not to hang out with them."

"The Lord had told me that I could hang out with them and have fun but to be very careful of their deceiving spirits. Around noontime, on the way to church, I happened to pass by the outside bar that was open. The people were drinking hard liquor and beer. They were having a good time partying. I felt like vomiting from the unpleasant smell of liquor and cigarette smoke. I passed by holding my breath. However, I decided to go back to the outside bar and closely observe the drunk people. I wanted to know with my spiritual eyes what could be in the glasses of liquor and observe the circumstances."

"The drunk people held onto big beer glasses. I was very surprised as I saw the beer glasses with my spiritual eyes. I was not sure of what I was seeing, so I double-checked by opening my eyes more widely. In the glasses of beer, I could see wriggling snakes. They looked like king cobras. The small glasses of hard liquor were filled with small stringy snakes. The scene was very disgusting. I could not watch anymore."

"The people did not care about anything except drinking more. In fact, they appeared to be competing with each other on who could drink more or faster. As they drank in a binge, the small stringy snakes that looked like king cobras said, 'Oh, I feel great!' The snakes shook their tails and went down the throats of the drinkers. Jesus appeared next to me and said, 'Joseph! Watch this scene very carefully and remember. Then go tell Pastor Kim to write this scene in the book.' The people cheered and shouted as they toasted and drank."

"Moreover, in this scene, as some people took out their cigarettes and lit them, they inhaled and blew out the smoke. When they blew out the smoke, a dark smoke continuously blew out from their noses and mouths. Suddenly, in an instant, the smoke transformed into a king cobra snake. They snakes came out from the smokers’ noses and mouths but they went back in as the smokers inhaled."

"Bizarrely, when the snakes re-entered the smokers’ bodies, the appearance of the snakes became more heinous than when they initially came out from the smokers’ noses and mouths. As the snakes re-entered the smokers’ bodies, the snakes had an evil facial expression. As the partying continued, the number of smokers increased. The liquor glasses were all filled with different, small stringy snakes and the snakes from the cigarettes. The people were really drinking and smoking snakes. The party was really a party of snakes. As the party drew to a close, I realized it was not a party of people drinking and smoking, but it was a party of snakes eating people. The scene was revolting and I was getting sick witnessing the event. I decided to leave."

"Whenever I see drunk people walking unsteadily, I am able to see the various kinds of large and small snakes coiled around the drunks from the top of their heads down to their toes. Both of the drunk person’s eyes are covered with a snake sitting coiled up and hissing. There was also a snake sitting coiled up on the drunk person’s head and it glanced at me evilly as it hissed at me with its tongue."

"As people smoke cigarettes and they pass by me, the smoke lingers in the air and with our physical eyes, we see it fade and dissipate into the air. But in reality, the smoke turns into snakes which comes from the smokers’ mouth and then instantly go back into their bodies. When the snakes enter the bodies of smokers, they do not come out from the bodies of smokers on their own. Moreover, the snakes lay their eggs inside the bodies of smokers and as a result, more snakes dwell inside their bodies. Within time, swarms of snakes are housed within the smokers’ bodies."

"I thought I would only witness these events or the demon snakes from outside the church. However, some Christians from throughout South Korea who would visit our church to pray and be blessed would end up screaming. They screamed and fell on the floor as they hissed with their tongues as the Pastor would draw close to pray for them. I witnessed countless scenes of such events and still continue to do so presently."

"When drunks and smokers speak, I could hear them speak though they were speaking with a crooked tongue. The sounds of their words were crooked. As I see and hear them speak with my spiritual eyes, I could see that the snakes were hissing and speaking in their place. As I witness these accounts, I am startled all the time. When the drunks vomit to the ground, I am able to see coiled snakes on the vomit. In the market stores, where they sell all types of liquor, I can see swarms of stringy snakes swimming and dancing in the bottles. I am always able to see that."

You may read more at Baptized by Blazing Fire -- a Korean church's testimony.

Scriptures about Alcohol and Drunkenness
Here are just a few more Scriptures about the use and abuse of alcohol:

"Now the deeds of the flesh are evident, which are: immorality, impurity, sensuality, idolatry, sorcery, enmities, strife, jealousy, outbursts of anger, disputes, dissensions, factions, envying, drunkenness, carousing, and things like these, of which I forewarn you, just as I have forewarned you, that those who practice such things will not inherit the kingdom of God." (Gal 5:19-21)

"And do not get drunk with wine, for that is dissipation, but be filled with the Spirit," (Eph 5:18)

"Woe to you who make your neighbors drink, Who mix in your venom even to make them drunk So as to look on their nakedness!" (Hab 2:15)

"Harlotry, wine and new wine take away the understanding." (Hos 4:11)

"Wine is a mocker, strong drink a brawler, And whoever is intoxicated by it is not wise." (Pro 20:1)

"Do not be with heavy drinkers of wine, Or with gluttonous eaters of meat; For the heavy drinker and the glutton will come to poverty, And drowsiness will clothe one with rags." (Pro 23:20-21)

"It is not for kings, O Lemuel, It is not for kings to drink wine, Or for rulers to desire strong drink, For they will drink and forget what is decreed, And pervert the rights of all the afflicted. Give strong drink to him who is perishing, And wine to him whose life is bitter." (Pro 31:4-6)

"Woe to those who rise early in the morning that they may pursue strong drink, Who stay up late in the evening that wine may inflame them!" (Isa 5:11)

"Woe to those who are heroes in drinking wine And valiant men in mixing strong drink," (Isa 5:22)

"And these also reel with wine and stagger from strong drink: The priest and the prophet reel with strong drink, They are confused by wine, they stagger from strong drink; They reel while having visions, They totter when rendering judgment. For all the tables are full of filthy vomit, without a single clean place." (Isa 28:7-8)

Who has woe? Who has sorrow? Who has contentions? Who has complaining? Who has wounds without cause? Who has redness of eyes? Those who linger long over wine, Those who go to taste mixed wine. Do not look on the wine when it is red, When it sparkles in the cup, When it goes down smoothly; At the last it bites like a serpent And stings like a viper. Your eyes will see strange things And your mind will utter perverse things. And you will be like one who lies down in the middle of the sea, Or like one who lies down on the top of a mast. "They struck me, but I did not become ill; They beat me, but I did not know it. When shall I awake? I will seek another drink." (Pro 23:29-35)

A Perpetual Statute for Priests About Alcohol
“The LORD then spoke to Aaron, saying, ‘Do not drink wine or strong drink, neither you nor your sons with you, when you come into the tent of meeting, so that you will not die--it is a perpetual statute throughout your generations-- and so as to make a distinction between the holy and the profane, and between the unclean and the clean, and so as to teach the sons of Israel all the statutes which the LORD has spoken to them through Moses.’" (Lev 10:8-11; cf. Eph 5:18).

The New Priesthood of Believers
"But you are a chosen race, A royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people for God's own possession, so that you may proclaim the excellencies of Him who has called you out of darkness into His marvelous light; for you once were not a people, but now you are the people of god; you had not received mercy, but now you have received mercy."  (1Pe 2:9-10; cf. Ex 19:5-6)

The New Temple
"Do you not know that you are a temple of God and that the Spirit of God dwells in you?" (1Co 3:16)

"Or do you not know that your body is a temple of the Holy Spirit who is in you, whom you have from God, and that you are not your own? For you have been bought with a price: therefore glorify God in your body." (1Co 6:19-20)

Also see Joel 1:5; Amos 4:1-2.

Scriptural Basis That Cigarette Smoking is a Sin
The standard for heaven is high and although the Lord still loves you, He is not going to lower His standard for anyone. God is no respecter of persons (Rom 2:11; Ac 10:34), so don't make excuses that you are a special case and God understands. No, He will not make exceptions for anyone.

Cigarette smoking is a dirty, nasty habit, and smokers often receive the due penalty for it in their physical bodies (Rom 1:27). According to the Center for Disease Control (CDC), "Lung diseases caused by smoking include COPD, which includes emphysema and chronic bronchitis. Cigarette smoking causes most cases of lung cancer. If you have asthma, tobacco smoke can trigger an attack or make an attack worse." Moreover, the American Cancer Society states: "Smoking is a major cause of many other deadly health problems − heart disease, aneurysms...and stroke. Using tobacco can damage a woman's reproductive health and hurt babies."

There is an abundance of medical and scientific evidence that smoking destroys the body of the smoker and those who inhale their second hand smoke. The Scripture says, "If any man destroys the temple of God, God will destroy him, for the temple of God is holy, and that is what you are." (1Co 3:17). The Scripture also says, "Love does no wrong to a neighbor" (Rom 13:10a), so you smokers are not loving your neighbor, you are harming them. Therefore, if you smoke tobacco, you are breaking the second greatest commandment, which is to love your neighbor as yourself (Mk 12:31).

Another word for habit is addiction. "Addiction is a persistent, compulsive dependence on a behavior or substance." Webster defines addiction as "The act of devoting or giving up in practice; the state of being devoted." That means that an addiction is the act of devoting yourself to something or giving yourself up to it in practice. Smokers have given themselves up to cigarettes, and are devoted to them! You cannot be devoted to them and to God, too. "No one can serve two masters. Either you will hate the one and love the other, or you will be devoted to the one and despise the other." (Mt 6:24).

Smoking is an idol! Idolatry is an abomination to God, which the Bible strongly condemns! Webster defines an idol as "Any thing on which we set our affections; that to which we indulge an excessive and sinful attachment." And the Word of God says, "Little children, guard yourselves from idols." (1Jn 5:21) And Paul said, "Do you not know that the unrighteous will not inherit the kingdom of God? Do not be deceived; neither fornicators, nor idolaters, nor adulterers, nor effeminate, nor homosexuals, nor thieves, nor the covetous, nor drunkards, nor revilers, nor swindlers, will inherit the kingdom of God." (1Co 6:9-10)

You cannot be a disciple of Christ unless you give up everything (Lk 14:33). That means if you come to Christ, you must give up smoking and every other addiction. If you are going to give Him 99%, you might as well not follow Him at all, because He won't accept less than 100%.

To smoking husbands and fathers I say that as the head of your wife and children under Christ, you should be lovingly leading them by example.  You are supposed to follow Christ, and imitate Him, and He never smoked. There is also no smoking in heaven and no place in heaven for smokers of any kind. Smokers have their place in Hell!

You are a slave to whatever has mastered you (2 Pe 2:19). So you smokers are slaves to cigarettes.  But if you will accept the Truth that I am giving you, you will know the Truth and the Truth will set you free. Those cigarettes don't glorify God the Father or the Lord Jesus Christ His Son.  We are supposed to do all things for His glory and in His name. "And whatever you do, in word or deed, do everything in the name of the Lord." (Col 3:17). "So whether you eat or drink, or whatever you do, do everything for the glory of .... do all to the glory of God" (1 Co 10:31). Since you cannot smoke for His glory or in His name, then you must not do it. "Anything that is not of faith is a sin" (Rom 14:23).

And you ministers of the gospel who are smoking, I am warning you that your role makes this sin even more serious. "Not many of you should become teachers, my fellow believers, because you know that we who teach will be judged more strictly." (James 3:1). You are supposed to be consecrated to the Lord's service, devoted to prayer and the ministry of the Word of God (Ac 6:4), leading people to Christ, and showing them how to get to heaven. You are supposed to be practicing and preaching holiness, righteousness, and truth. An overseer must be above reproach, not addicted to substances (Tit 1:7), because when you yourself are addicted, you are like the blind leading the blind. "Can the blind lead the blind? Will they not both fall into a pit?" (Lk 6:39). First get set free from bondage yourself, before you attempt to set others free.

I do not speak in anger or judgment on you, but only love. The Word of God will judge you on that great day. And all these Scriptures I have just cited will judge you. "Unless you repent, you too will all perish.” (Lk 13:5). I don't want that to happen to you, but it's your choice. I smoked cigarettes from age twelve until the Lord delivered me as a newborn Christian at age nineteen, after smoking for seven years. At times I smoked quite heavily. If my memory serves me right, I smoked up to two packs a day at times. So I know how addictive nicotine is, and I know first hand the power of God is great enough to break it.

Nobody will be there by your side at the Judgment. You will stand there all alone and you won't be able to make one excuse for sin, so don't rely on any other person's behavior as an excuse for your sin. You won't be able to say, "My wife smoked, so it was too difficult for me to quit." Or "I was unable to break the habit, because my husband's smoking was too great a temptation for me." Or "I smoked because my father did it or my pastor did it, and I didn't know it was a sin," Or "My friends did it, and I thought it was cool."

Your money belongs to the Lord and you must give an account for the way you spend it. Can you afford to spend it on those expensive cigarettes to support your sinful addiction? There are people dying and perishing in hell because the gospel did not reach them. Missionaries are willing to go and preach to them, but they need funding. Do you think you will have any excuse on Judgment day for spending the Lord's money on cigarettes, while people went off to hell for eternity? Remember what the Lord said to the servant who did not use his Master's talent wisely: "You wicked, lazy slave!" And He ordered: "Throw out the worthless slave into the outer darkness; in that place there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth." (Mat 25:30). Don't smoke the resources God has given you to steward.

Destroy those devices of satan, also known as "coffin nails", "lung darts", and "cancer sticks", since the reason the Son of God appeared was to destroy the devil’s work (1 Jn 3:8). Cigarettes are the property of satan and you don't want to be found with one of those in your possession when Jesus comes in all His glory, or else you will not be going up in the rapture. He is coming for a holy Bride without spot or wrinkle (Eph 5:26).

King James on Cigarettes

I believe that King James I of England said it well when he stated that cigarette smoking is "a custom loathsome to the eye, hateful to the nose, harmful to the brain, dangerous to the lungs, and in the black stinking fume thereof, nearest resembling the horrible Stygian smoke of the pit that is bottomless."

Putting it All Together
Dear friend, I think the Lord has made it abundantly clear from these Scriptures and divine revelations that those who drink alcohol and/or smoke cigarettes will not inherit the kingdom of heaven.  The Lord has shown this independently to nine different people in seven different nations, including South Korea, Bolivia, Ecuador, Colombia, Ghana, Sierra Leone, and Zambia.  I hope that this article has helped to confirm to you what is already written about this in the Bible, which is the Word of God.

The apostle Peter said, "a man is a slave to whatever has mastered him" (2 Pe 2:19b, NIV). There is no repentance in hell, and that is why people must continue forever to do the sins they were committing on earth. So if they were a drunkard, they must drink forever as a form of torment.  In hell, the deceptions they fell for on earth are in their true form, so the alcohol burns their mouths and stomachs like acid or fire.  If they were an immoral woman, the demons stick sharp spears up their private areas and large snakes go up into them.  If they were a liar, the demons force them to tell lies.  If they were a worldly dancer, they must dance non-stop for eternity. In His love, God gives them what their hearts desire. "Whenever the love of sin controls a soul, it is the greatest of all punishments for them to be abandoned to that evil love" for all eternity (Visions of Heaven and Hell, by John Bunyan). It's torment, because their is no repentance in hell and there is no mercy in hell.  Mercy is only available while you are on earth. 

"Do not be deceived: God cannot be mocked. A man reaps what he sows. Whoever sows to please their flesh, from the flesh will reap destruction; whoever sows to please the Spirit, from the Spirit will reap eternal life." (Gal 6:7-8, NIV).

If you are using alcohol or cigarettes, you need to know that those sins will take you down to hell, so repent of your sin today before Jesus comes.  Ask the Lord to have mercy and forgive you.  Ask Him to cleanse you.  Pray through Psalm 51.  Not only to say, 'I repent,' but turn from the acts. Take all the alcohol in your house and pour it down the toilet.  Don't ever buy alcohol again.  And if you have tobacco products in your possession or in your home like cigarettes, then destroy them.  You may want to take them out of the packs and flush them down the toilet where they belong, so that nobody else can smoke them.  And never buy cigarettes again.  Ask the Lord to deliver you from these highly addictive substances, and He will be faithful to do it.  I for one was delivered from both alcohol and cigarettes, and He will do it for you, too, if you sincerely repent and ask Him for deliverance.

I recommend that you get with someone who is filled with the Holy Spirit and power, who can bind those filthy demons and cast them out of your life.  If you don't know of anyone like that, then after you have given your life to Jesus, and repented of alcohol and cigarettes, renounce those things as well. Say solemnly and loudly before God in prayer, "I renounce my past use of alcohol and cigarettes. I reject these substances as tools of satan to take me to hell."  You might say, "In Jesus Name and by the power of the Holy Spirit, I bind you filthy spirit of alcoholism and I command you to come out of me now and I forbid you to ever go back inside of me again!"  Do the same with the spirit of cigarette addiction and send those snakes slithering away. (For more help on this, see Demonology 101).

I also recommend that you get an accountability partner, which is another Christian brother or sister, who will keep you accountable.  This is a person who will meet with you (brother meeting with brother, and sister with sister) each week for prayer, Bible reading, and discussions about your life in Christ.  You need to give this person permission to ask you any question he or she wants to ask, such as "Have you smoked a cigarette this week?" or "Have you taken a drink of alcohol?"  And answer them honestly.  The Bible tells us to confess our sins to one another and pray for each other, so that we may be healed.  I pray that this article will be of some help in bringing you to that place of healing and deliverance from bondage to alcohol and cigarettes.

Attribution notice: Most Scripture quotations taken from the NASB. Most other Scriptures taken from The Holy Bible, New International Version® NIV®, unless otherwise noted. 

Author's note: Please prayerfully listen to these testimonies, and use the Testimony Review Process adopted by this blog, as you decide for yourself whether the Lord has spoken to these people.  For issues and concerns, each person must confirm with the Lord, whether something is valid or not. The individuals mentioned in this article are not personally connected with this site. For more information on our position, please see Disclaimers.

If you enjoyed this post, you may also like The Evil Spirit of Alcohol, Delivered from Cigarettes and Saved, The Forgotten Sin of Worldliness, Holy Living in a Perverted World, Australian Pastor Raised from the Dead, Pleasing the Lord, and the other posts on the Home page. You may also access my complete blog directory at "Writing for the Master."

Do You Want to Know Him?
If you want to know Jesus personally, you can. It all begins when you repent and believe in Jesus.  Do you know what God's Word, the Bible says?

“Jesus came into Galilee, preaching the gospel of God, and saying, ‘The time is fulfilled, and the kingdom of God is at hand; repent and believe in the gospel.’” (Mar 1:14b-15).  He preached that we must repent and believe.

Please see my explanation of this in my post called "Do You Want to Know Jesus?"

_________________________________________________

Len Lacroix is the founder of Doulos Missions International.  He was based in Eastern Europe for four years, making disciples, as well as helping leaders to be more effective at making disciples who multiply, developing leaders who multiply, with the ultimate goal of planting churches that multiply. His ministry is now based in the United States with the same goal of helping fulfill the Great Commission. www.dmiworld.org.

There now, it is all over! Blessed rest.

On this site, I have shared many testimonies about people who have gone to hell.  These testimonies are given to us by the mercy of God to keep us from going to that terrible place. However, today I would like to share a story about a dear saint who made it to heaven.  Her name was Frances Ridley Havergal.

The passages I am about to share about her have been excerpted from two excellent hymnals our children have sung from for many years, called Hymns for a Kids Heart: Volumes One and Two, as well as an excellent book I highly recommend, called Voices from the Edge of Eternity, complied by John Myers.

The Girl with a Treasure
What would you say is your greatest treasure? Do you have a toy or a piece of jewelry that you especially value? Let me tell you about a girl who had a wonderful treasure. It was a treasure inside her heart. Long ago a talented young girl was born to a minister and his wife in England. They named her Frances Ridley Havergal, and she surprised everyone with her musical talent. From the time she was very small she could sing like a beautiful songbird. When Frances was only seven years old, she began to write verses. She studied piano and was so gifted that people started asking her to play and sing at concerts.

Besides being a brilliant musician, Frances was captivating and delightful. People loved to be around her. She had a special enchantment about her, and everyone found her irresistible. Can you imagine why she was so pleasant? I'm going to tell you her secret. Frances wrote down her formula for her pleasing personality in one of her journals.

It's really very simple. She prayed for everyone around her. Oh, it was not an out-loud prayer, and the people she prayed for never even knew she was asking God to bless them. They just felt it. There was something so grand about being around Frances—it was the love of Jesus being poured over them by this little girl. As she played with her friends or talked to adults, she was secretly asking God to work in their lives and give them special thoughts.

Once Frances went for a five-day visit to a house where there were ten people. She noticed that some of them were “not rejoicers”, and some didn't even know about the love of Jesus. She decided to spend her vacation praying for each of the ten people in the house and watch what God would do to change their hearts. Do you know what happened? Frances wrote in her journal: “He gave me this prayer, Lord, give me all in this house! And he just did. I left the house, everyone had a blessing. The last night of my visit I was too happy to sleep.”

Just imagine—everyone in the house was different because one little girl decided to pray. And God didn't forget to give Frances an extra-special gift too. For that very night when she was so happy she couldn't sleep, all the verses of the hymn “Take My Life, and Let It Be” rang in her head, and she wrote them down. This is the treasure God gave to her. And you and I can memorize this prayer and keep it in our hearts wherever we go.

Now you know a very special secret. The next time you are around people who are not “rejoicers”, you can pull out this treasure from your heart. You can pray for them. It will be fun to see what blessing God sends to them. Maybe smiles will be on their faces when you leave instead of frowns. They you'll be like Frances. And you may be so happy that you won't be able to sleep!

----- Joni Eareckson Tada and Bobbie Wolgemuth, Hymns for a Kids Heart, Vol. 1, Crossway 2003 (Used by permission).

The Girl with Heaven in Her Heart
You could say that Frances Ridley Havergal knew how to bring a little heaven to earth—her family, her church, and her friends. Maybe it was because Frances thought so much about heaven and tried to listen carefully to God's voice. No one could resist her sweet disposition, because Frances thought of others and not only of herself.

Such a melodious voice had never been given to a more tenderhearted and dear girl than Frances Havergal. People loved listening to her clear, musical little voice. Frances's parents knew she had been given a wonderful gift. Music filled her home, and Frances loved to sing and harmonize with her daddy.

When Frances was old enough to read, she took music lessons and happily practiced every day. Her voice and piano teachers were just as impressed with her hard work as they were with her lovely talent. Even though she was quite young, Frances could have become a rich and famous singer. Wisely, Frances made a better choice.

Frances also loved writing poems and started singing the rhymes she composed. It would have been natural for a girl as gifted and sparkling and likeable as Frances to be conceited and think only of herself. But not Frances.

Instead of bragging when people told her what a beautiful voice she had, Frances had a winsome way of turning the glory to God. “I sing only for Jesus,” she would say softly.

Frances knew she must ask God how she should use her talent. Her special concern was for people who didn't know about Jesus. Before she sang, Frances would pray for the people who would be listening.

And Frances had a generous heart. That's why she was able to bring a taste of heaven to some grown-ups in her church. Once she heard that some missionaries needed money to continue their work. Frances went home and gathered some of her most valuable possessions, including her favorite pieces of jewelry, and mailed them to the church. She tucked a little note inside the box saying that she would be extremely delighted if her treasures could be sold and the money given to the missionaries.

Because Frances unselfishly prayed for her friends, they too could feel the warmth of her heavenly heart. She would send hopeful messages and rhymes that she had written to cheer them up. Once, to celebrate the New Year, Frances sent a greeting to all her friends that read:

Another year is dawning, Dear Father let it be,
On earth, or else in heaven, another year for Thee.
A Happy New Year! Such may it be!

Love, Frances

Wouldn't you love to get a note like that? You can imagine that everyone treasured her poem-notes. They were bright greetings from the girl who had heaven in her heart.
One of the most beautiful hymns that Frances wrote will make you want to jump right into the wide river of God's peace. “Like a River Glorious” will bring a bit of heaven into your heart. It says so many wonderful things about Jehovah God that you will find yourself counting your blessings here on earth. Then you will know a secret for bringing heaven to earth.

Yes, Frances was able to stir up a lot of joy everywhere she went. She would tell you that the best decision she made was to follow God's path instead of using her talent to bring attention to herself. And she was happy her whole life because she was following Jesus. Even though Frances lived a long time ago, her hymns can make us happy right now. When you smile and sing this hymn, you will bring a little heaven to someone on earth!

----- Joni Eareckson Tada and Bobbie Wolgemuth, Hymns for a Kids Heart, Vol. 2, Crossway 2004  (Used by permission).

Graduation Into Glory

“There now, it is all over! Blessed rest.”

This holy woman of God was born at Astley, England, December 14, 1836. She was the youngest daughter of Rev. William H. and Jane Havergal, her father being a distinguished minister of the Episcopal Church. She bore the name of Ridley in memory of the godly and learned Bishop Ridley who was one of the noble army of martyrs. Many have been greatly helped by Miss Havergal's writings in both prose and verse.

She died at Caswell Bay, England, on June 3, 1879. A short time before her death she said to her sister Ellen, “I should have liked my death to be like Samson's, doing more for God's glory than by my life. But He wills it otherwise.”

Ellen replied, “St. Paul said, 'The will of the Lord be done,' and, 'Let Christ be magnified, whether by my life or by my death.'”

I think it was then my beloved sister whispered, “Let my own text, 'The blood of Jesus Christ, His Son, cleanseth us from all sin,' be on my tomb. All the verse if there is room.”

She said to her sister, “I do not know what God means by it, but no new thoughts for poems or books come to me now.” At another time she said, “In spite of the breakers, Marie, I am so happy God's promises are so true. Not a fear!”

When the doctor bid her good-by and told her that he thought she was going, she answered, “Beautiful, too good to be true! Splendid to be so near the gate of Heaven! So beautiful to go!”

The Vicar of Swansea said to her,”You have talked and written a good deal about the King, and you will soon see Him in His beauty. Is Jesus with you now?”

“Of course,” she replied, “it is splendid! I thought He would have left me here a long while, but He is so good to take me now.”

At another time she said, “Oh, I want all of you to speak bright, bright words about Jesus. Oh, do, do! It is all perfect peace. I am only waiting for Jesus to take me in.”

Then, a little later, she sang the following stanza:

Jesus, I will trust thee,
Trust Thee with my soul:
Guilty, lost and helpless,
Thou hast made me whole.

There is none in heaven,
Or on earth like Thee;
Thou hast died for sinners,
Thou hast died for me.”

With deep feeling she emphasized that last word, “me.”

The parting scene is graphically described as follows:
There came a terrible rush of convulsive sickness; it ceased, the nurse gently assisting her. She nestled down in the pillows and folded her hands on her breast, saying, “There, now it's all over. Blessed rest!”

Then, all at once, she looked up steadfastly, as if she saw the Lord—and surely, nothing less heavenly could have reflected such a glorious radiance upon her face. For ten minutes we watched that almost visible meeting with her King. Her countenance was so glad, as if she were already talking to Him.

She tried to sing; but after one sweet, high note, “He--,” her voice failed. As her brother commended her soul into her Redeemer's hand, she passed away. Our precious sister was gone—satisfied—glorified—within the palace of her King!

--- Taken from Voices from the Edge of Eternity by John G. Myers. Copyright © 1968, 2012 by John G. Myers. Use by permission of Whitaker House. www.whitakerhouse.com.

Author's note: You are invited to read or listen to more amazing testimonies of the supernatural like this below.  You may access my complete blog directory at "Writing for the Master."

Do You Want to Know Him?
If you want to know Jesus personally, you can. It all begins when you repent and believe in Jesus.  Do you know what God's Word, the Bible says?

“Jesus came into Galilee, preaching the gospel of God, and saying, ‘The time is fulfilled, and the kingdom of God is at hand; repent and believe in the gospel.’” (Mar 1:14b-15).  He preached that we must repent and believe.

Please see my explanation of this in my post called "Do You Want to Know Jesus?"

_________________________________________________

Len Lacroix is the founder of Doulos Missions International.  He was based in Eastern Europe for four years, making disciples, as well as helping leaders to be more effective at making disciples who multiply, developing leaders who multiply, with the ultimate goal of planting churches that multiply. His ministry is now based in the United States with the same goal of helping fulfill the Great Commission. www.dmiworld.org.

The Top Ten Things Jesus Taught

Someone has said that Jesus spoke more about eternal damnation than any other topic.  Although it seemed correct to me, I wanted to confirm it to be certain.

So I decided to search out the matter for myself in Scripture, in order to see what topics Jesus mostly spoke about.  First I manually searched the Gospels, Acts, and Revelation, and developed a list of words and phrases representing 130 major and minor topics Jesus spoke about.

Then using e-Sword, an electronic Bible software program, I counted the verses in those six books of the Bible in the New American Standard Bible (NASB), where Jesus used those words or phrases (all counts are estimates).  The results of my analysis are in the table below (with the total verse-counts for the top ten topics bolded in the right-hand column), followed by my comments and conclusions at the end of the article.

Topic	Total Number of Verses Where Jesus Mentioned Topic
God (166) verses spoken by Jesus containing the word "God."  [Please note: These were not necessarily teachings about God.  However, if you add to these verses all the instances where Jesus spoke about the Father (61), Himself (117), and the Holy Spirit (32), that adds an additional 210 verses, which would bring the total to 376 verses altogether.]	376
Heaven (66), the temple of My God, the city of My God, the new Jerusalem, Kingdom of heaven, kingdom of God, kingdom (101), Paradise (2), My Father’s house (1), throne or thrones (6), Life (70), that age (1), the age to come, eternal life (23), find it (3).	273
Hell (12), destruction (1), pit (3), Judgment (21), weeping and gnashing of teeth (7), on whomever it falls, it will scatter him like dust (2), cut it down (2), perish (10), slay them in my presence (1), thrown out, thrown away, thrown into the fire, thrown into the furnace, or thrown into prison (10), outside (1), outer darkness (3), burned (3), fire, eternal fire, unquenchable fire (13), fiery (2), furnace (4), worm (3), I will also deny him (1), denies (2), lose (10), woe (27), torturers (1), taken away (11), depart (3), I do not know you (1), depart from me (3), eternal punishment (1), condemned (3), condemn (4), condemnation (3), ashamed (2), your soul is required of you (1).	171
Make disciples (1), be My witnesses (1), until you leave that town (1), whatever city or village you enter (1), sent (76), send out (2), lost (13), sheep (29), preach, preaching, preached (14), going through the cities of Israel (1), sowing seed (1).	140
Son of Man (80), Son of David (1), King of the Jews (3), Christ (11), Lord said to my Lord (3), Shepherd (9), God’s Son (4), the Way (1), I am the Alpha and the Omega (1), the first and the last (3), the beginning and the end (1), the root and the descendant of David (1), the bright Morning Star (1).	117
Prayer, pray, and praying (33), ask and asking (30), seek and seeking (36), knock, knocks, and knocking (6), watch (11).	116
Faith (30), believe (74).	104
Love (57), compassion (8).	65
My Father (48), Your Father (3), heavenly Father (7), O Father (1), righteous Father (1), the Father (1).	61
Deeds (25); work, works (21), workers (2), does the will of God (3), and acts on them (2), obey, observe, keep My word (2), kept the word (1), kept My Word (1), keep the commandments (1), keep My commandments (2), that slave whom his Master finds doing so when He comes (1)	61
Hear (53), hearing (6).	59
Coming of the Son of man (3), the Son of Man coming (4), which day your Lord is coming (1), that day and hour no one knows (2), the master of that slave will come on a day (2), the master of the house is coming (1), He comes (9), He should come (1), kingdom come (2), coming on the clouds (1), the day that the Son of Man is revealed (1), the days of the Son of Man (2), when the Son of Man comes (2), will the Son of Man be in His day (1), I will come (2), I am coming (7), until I come (4), come on you suddenly (1), one will be taken (5).	51
My Name (28), Your Name (9), the Name of the Lord (2), the Name of the only begotten Son of God (1), My Father’s Name (2), the Name of My God (1), His Name (1), My New Name (1), the Name of the Father, and the Son, and the Holy Spirit (1).	45
Devil (5), Beelzebul (4), satan (16), evil spirit (2), unclean spirit (4), driving out demons, drive out demons, casting out (10).	41
Heart (40), hearts (1).	41
Money (11), wealth and wealthy (8), riches, rich man, rich (18).	37
Command, commanded, commandment (35)	35
Light (34)	34
Prophets (33)	33
Seed (33)	33
Holy Spirit (12), Spirit of the Lord (1), Spirit of truth (3), Spirit of God (1), Spirit of your Father (1), the Spirit (13). the promise of My Father (1).	32
Sin (14), sinned (3), sinner(s) (14), sinful (1)	32
Glory (22), glorify (7), glorious (2)	31
Clean, unclean, uncleanness (24), defile (7).	31
Fruit (30)	30
Forgiveness, forgiven, and forgiving (30)	30
His own crucifixion, crucify (2), death (2), rejected (5), killed (8), suffer (7), condemn (1), lifted heel (1), betray me (4).	30
Abraham (17), Isaac (5), Jacob (5).	27
Children and child (27)	27
Persecution, persecutions, and persecute (3), persecuting Me (6), brought before governors (1), flog (1), synagogue (with reference to persecution - 6), arrest (3), hate you (3), kills you (1), kill you (1).	25
Hypocrites and hypocrisy (20), leaven of the Pharisees (4).	24
Judging (24)	24
Words (24)	24
Authority (21)	21
Follow Me (21)	21
Reward (15), treasure in heaven (4), treasures in heaven (1), I will give (5), you will be repaid (1).	21
Repent, repents, repented, and repentance (21)	21
Word of God (7), Scripture (13).	20
Church (20)	20
Blind (18), hidden from your eyes (1), you did not recognize (1)	20
Overcome, overcame, overcomes (8), perseverance (5), endure, endures, endured, endurance (6)	19
Moses (19)	19
Truth (19)	19
Vine (19)	19
Law (18)	18
Peace (17)	17
Saved (11), save (6)	17
Worrying, worries, and those who worry (17)	17
Sabbath (17)	17
Sign, signs (16)	16
Adultery (11), fornications (2), immorality (3)	16
Door (15)	15
Temple (15)	15
John the Baptist (3), of John (3), messenger (2), Elijah (7)	15
Rejoice (13) and rejoicing (1)	14
David	14
End of the age (4), tribulation (7), distress (1), that hour which is about to come upon the whole world (1)	13
Disciple (13)	13
Heal, healed (11), cures (1), sickness (1)	13
Servant (7), serving (1), greatest (3), slave of all (1), service (1)	13
Gospel (12)	12
Giving (1), gave, give to charity (1), put in more than all the contributors to the treasury (1), out of her poverty put in all that she had to live on (1), offering (8)	12
Chose, chosen, elect (12)	12
Baptized, baptizing (5), baptism (6)	11
Harvest (10)	10
Angel (8), angels (2)	10
Fasting (10)	10
Murder (10)	10
Righteousness (9)	9
Deny Me, denies Me, denied My name, or deny My faith (9)	9
Mercy (6) and being merciful (3)	9
Worship (8)	8
Taxes, “drachma” (2), Caesar (5)	7
His own blood (7)	7
Jonah (7)	7
Few who find it (1), laborers are few (1), workers are few (1), few are chosen (4)	7
Divorce, divorces (7)	7
False prophets, prophetess (6)	6
Cross (6)	6
Poor (3), poverty (3)	6
Wisdom (6)	6
Last shall be first (1), first will be last (5)	6
Thefts (2), steal (4)	6
Lame (5)	5
Resurrection of the righteous (5)	5
Humble, humbles (5)	5
Reconciled (1), your brother sins (4)	5
Passover	5
Crippled (4)	4
Praise (4)	4
Salt (4)	4
Guilt (4)	4
Key, keys (4)	4
Worth more than sparrows (4)	4
Life (4)	4
Water + life (1), drink + water (1), living water (2)	4
Solomon (4)	4
False witness (3)	3
Deaf (3)	3
Fall away (2), fallen (1)	3
Unity (1), one flesh (1), that they may all be one (1)	3
Vows (1) and swear (2)	3
Tithe, tithese (3)	3
Fear God (2), fear the One (1)	3
Confess (3)	3
Covenant (3)	3
Evil thoughts (2), thinking evil (1)	3
Sons of God (2), sons of your Father who is in heaven (1)	3
Born again (2)	2
Narrow gate (1), narrow door (1)	2
(Holy) fire(2)	2
Resist or resisting evil people (2)	2
No home, nowhere to lay His head (2)	2
His own resurrection, Raised up (2)	2
Two or three (2)	2
Wash his feet (1), wash one another’s feet (1)	2
Idols (2)	2
One thing necessary (1)	1
Pure (1)	1
Going the extra mile (1)	1
Being perfect (1)	1
Giving dogs what is sacred and pearls to pigs (1)	1
Multiplication, increased (1)	1
Greed (1)	1
Lust (1)	1
Slanders (1)	1
Dissipation (1)	1
Drunkenness (1)	1
Saul of Tarsus (1)	1
Grace (0)	0*

Counting Method
I understand that some verses recorded in more than one of the Gospels refer to the same incident, and someone may say this is double counting. But the Holy Spirit inspired the writing of Scripture, and even these redundancies were inspired.  Repetition is a proven method of teaching, and not all topics are repeated in the synoptic Gospels, which proves that there was a reason why some were repeated.  Moreover, since I applied the same standard or method of counting to all topics, it is an equitable method of estimating.  This method may not give us the precise number of times our Lord spoke or taught on each topic, but it does give us an estimate – an order of magnitude, which allows us to rank each topic in relation to one another.

Furthermore, I did not merely accept the total number of results for a word or phrase in each computerized Bible search.  I visually scanned the search results to try and get an accurate estimate of the number of verses spoken only by Jesus.  Then I did not even count all the verses in which Jesus spoke that particular word or phrase, but often filtered out results that were not relevant to the topic.  For example, when I searched for the word "condemn," I did not count every verse where Jesus used this word.  I did not count the instances where He said that the scribes and Pharisees would condemn Him to death.  This same method of counting was used for all topics, in order to avoid any artificial inflation of the totals for each one.

Also in Revelation, only the words that Jesus spoke were counted.  These are primarily in the first three chapters and the last chapter.  However, technically the entire book of Revelation is “the revelation of Jesus Christ, which God gave Him to show His servants what must soon take place.” (Rev 1:1a).  You see, the opening verse of that book says, "He sent and communicated it by His angel to His bond-servant John" (Rev 1:1b).  So although the Lord sent His angel to communicate these words, they were His words, and it was all His revelation that God gave to Him.  That means all topics covered in Revelation were from Jesus, although they were not all spoken directly by Him.  There are many verses about God, heaven, hell, the lake of fire, the pit, worship, end times, the Great Tribulation, plagues, judgments, wrath, woes, the Lord Jesus Christ and His soon return, witnesses, the kingdom of God, the harvest, the devil, false prophets, righteousness, deeds, and eternal judgment.  These would increase the total number of verses we would need to count for those topics in this analysis, and would help to further prove my point about their frequency.  However, none of these verses that are part of the revelation of Jesus Christ were counted, unless they were spoken by Jesus.

Major Topics That Jesus Spoke About
I mentioned in my opening of this article that I wanted to confirm whether Jesus spoke more about eternal damnation than any other topic.  Through this exhaustive study, I confirmed that my thesis was a fairly close approximation.  However, it is more accurate to say that there are more verses in the Bible that record Jesus speaking about eternal damnation than on any other single topic, except God and heaven.

God and Heaven
Without any question, He mentioned and taught about God more than any other topic.  It should be no surprise that God’s Son came to earth and mostly instructed us about God. After this, He spoke about the glorious place where God lives with His holy angels, and all His saints, those holy ones, who love Him and have been made perfect.  He used expressions to describe this place like “heaven,” “the temple of My God,” “the city of My God,” “the new Jerusalem,” “kingdom of heaven,” “kingdom of God,” or simply “kingdom,” as well as “Paradise,” “My Father’s house,” “throne,” “thrones,” “life,” “eternal life,” “find it,” “that age,” and “the age to come.”  This is the beautiful place He invited us to go and spend eternity with Him, where all the saints will worship Him and God, His Father, forevermore.

Eternal Damnation
However, He spoke almost as much about eternal damnation.  Besides using the word “hell” itself (Greek, gehenna), He used many other expressions like “destruction,” “pit,” “judgment,” the place of “weeping and gnashing of teeth,” “on whomever it falls,” “it will scatter him like dust,” “cut it down,” “perish,” “slay them in my presence,” “thrown out,” “thrown away,” “thrown into the fire,” “thrown into the furnace,” “thrown into prison,” “outside,” “outer darkness,” “burned,” “fire,” “eternal fire,” “unquenchable fire,” “fiery,” “furnace,” “worm,” “I will also deny him,” “lose,” “woe,” “torturers,” “taken away,” “depart,” “I do not know you,” “depart from me,” “condemned,” “condemn,” “condemnation,” “ashamed,” “your soul is required of you,” “erase his name from the book of life,” and “eternal punishment.”  These expressions all represent the eternal wrath of the Holy One against wickedness and lawlessness (sin).  They all express the perfect holiness of God, Who in His great love for mankind is warning us not to go to that terrible place.

Evangelism, His Divine Identity, Prayer, Faith, Love, the Father, and Good Deeds
After these top three topics (God, heaven, and eternal damnation), then he spoke about preaching the gospel (i.e., evangelism) and making disciples. The next major topic He spoke about was His own divine identity, which He disclosed using various titles.  After that the next major topic was prayer.  After that one, faith was a major topic.  Love was one of His top ten themes, along with mercy, forgiveness, and compassion. The heavenly Father was often upon His lips, in part because of His great love for the Father, and His total dependence upon Him.

He spoke a lot about doing deeds and works, using expressions like "does the will of God," "acts on them," "obey," "observe all that I commanded you," "keep My word," "kept the word," "kept My Word," "keep the commandments," "keep My commandments," and "that slave whom his Master finds doing so when He comes." He taught that “…those who have done what is good will rise to live, and those who have done what is evil will rise to be condemned.”

Hearing
After these top ten topics, then came His constant emphasis on hearing His Word, which ranked eleventh without combining it with other expressions.

The Return of Jesus Christ
His Second Coming was the next major topic, ranking twelfth on the list! He spoke about it quite often, using various expressions like "the coming of the Son of man," "the Son of Man coming," "which day your Lord is coming," "that day and hour no one knows," "the Master of that slave will come on a day," "the Master of the house is coming," "He comes," "kingdom come," "coming on the clouds," "the day that the Son of Man is revealed," "the days of the Son of Man," "when the Son of Man comes," "will the Son of Man be in His day," "I will come," "I am coming," "until I come," "come on you suddenly," and specifically referred to the rapture saying, "one will be taken."  And when He spoke about it, He often said it would happen suddenly, unexpectedly, quickly, soon, and without delay.  He emphasized the need to be ready for it.  Yet so few today ever preach or teach about His soon return.

The Name of the Lord, Power, Authority, the Heart, Children, Sin, and Repentance
And He spoke a lot about the Name of the Lord, which ranked as His thirteenth most frequent topic, including the Father’s Name, Jesus’ Name, and the Name of the Holy Spirit.  Power and authority were not major themes, but they did come up often, as did the matters of the heart, and children.  He preached a lot against sin, naming many sins specifically, and preached that men should repent, telling them not to sin any more.

Since He Himself said, “the mouth speaks what the heart is full of,” we know what His heart was full of, based on the things He said. And those things He spoke about most of all were the things that His heart was overflowing with the most.

Grace
He never once mentioned the word grace publicly, *but only once privately in answer to the apostle Paul's prayer about his thorn (2 Co 12:9), and that was not about grace for salvation.  Yet He was full of grace (Jn 1:14), and both grace and truth were realized through Him (Jn 1:17).  So while He may not have spoken publicly about it at all, He certainly demonstrated it. He welcomed sinners and ate with them.  He also forgave them freely when they repented, and told parables that depicted grace, such as The Prodigal Son (Lk 15:11-32) and The Lost Sheep (Lk 15:1-7).

Peace and Unity
He did not speak very much about peace, in fact He said He did not come to bring peace to the earth (Mt 10:34), yet this is a major topic among those in the world, and many Christians wear the peace symbol, which is satanic.  Those of us who know Him have a peace within our hearts that He gives us (Jn 14:27), and peace with God, but world peace will not come to the earth until after He returns to reign on the earth.

And one of the topics He taught about the very least was unity, which he merely mentioned in three verses, yet that is what the ecumenical church talks about the most.

Prosperity
Money was certainly not a major topic of His, coming up about as often as the heart, but almost everything he said about riches, prosperity, and wealth was negative.  Yet today the prosperity preachers seem to mostly preach about wealth and prosperity, as if this is the central message of the Bible.

Putting it All Together
In summary, the top ten things Jesus Christ spoke about were God, heaven, hell, making disciples, His own divine identity, prayer, faith, love, His heavenly Father, and the importance of keeping His Word by acting upon it.

I hope that this study has helped to show you what is important to Jesus, and helped to disprove some errors that we find in the Church today.  There is so much deception now in the Church that we must be careful.  Do not be deceived into hell!  You should be careful when a preacher always preaches about grace, but never talks about hell or never preaches against specific sins that will take you there.  When you hear preachers that are talking mostly about prosperity, peace, unity, or any of the other topics that Jesus seldom spoke about, or that He never spoke about, then beware!  If they make any of these minor topics their main theme, to the exclusion of the major ones our Lord emphasized, then you know they are not teaching according to the pattern of Jesus.  They are “majoring in the minors,” and that should be a big warning signal to you. 

Let me be clear that if Jesus mentioned something one time, it is important.  But we must preach the whole counsel of God, not just our favorite topics.  The true messengers of God are preaching mostly on the same things that Jesus emphasized, because those are still the most important things on His ever-aching heart.  His messengers are still preaching about God, heaven, and eternal damnation, emphasizing the need for faith, prayer, and making disciples.  They are preaching against sin, calling people to repentance, so that they will not perish. They are still preaching righteousness and truth, teaching us to hear the Word of God, keep it, be doers of it, and bear good fruit for God’s glory, living a life of love, compassion, and mercy. They are preaching about the Name of the Lord, as well as our Lord's soon return, and the need to be ready for it.

Attribution notice: Most Scripture quotations taken from the NASB. "Top Ten" image courtesy of William Marler's Top Food Safety Challenges for 2009.

Author's note: I also recommend The Law of Christ and Faith Works!  You are invited to read or listen to more amazing testimonies of the supernatural like this below.  You may access my complete blog directory at "Writing for the Master."

Godly Attire and Adornment -- Seven Divine Revelations	Forty Days in Heaven and Hell	Angelica Zambrano Hell and Heaven
Baptized by Blazing Fire	Only the Holy -- Three Shocking Testimonies	Forty Days in Heaven and Hell
Mathematician Goes To Hell Then Meets God	Michael Thomas Sambo's Revelation of Heaven and Hell	Revelation of Hell to Seven Colombian Youths

Do You Want to Know Him?
If you want to know Jesus personally, you can. It all begins when you repent and believe in Jesus.  Do you know what God's Word, the Bible says?

“Jesus came into Galilee, preaching the gospel of God, and saying, ‘The time is fulfilled, and the kingdom of God is at hand; repent and believe in the gospel.’” (Mar 1:14b-15).  He preached that we must repent and believe.

Please see my explanation of this in my post called "Do You Want to Know Jesus?"

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Len Lacroix is the founder of Doulos Missions International.  He was based in Eastern Europe for four years, making disciples, as well as helping leaders to be more effective at making disciples who multiply, developing leaders who multiply, with the ultimate goal of planting churches that multiply. His ministry is now based in the United States with the same goal of helping fulfill the Great Commission. www.dmiworld.org.