IS THE CHURCH AN EVIL TREE?

In my work as a deliverance counselor, I am being put into contact with too many longterm, faithful churchgoers who are practically demon possessed. Now this phenomena just does not make sense to me. Simply put, Jesus said that to look at the fruit, one must examine the tree. If the tree is good, then the fruit is good. If the fruit is evil, then the tree must be evil. So based on this simple premise of “you shall know them by their fruit”, why then are faithful churchgoers in so much demonic torment? Good question!!!! One thing I have learned through the practice of deliverance, the casting out of devils, is that I really don’t help anyone. I have never helped anyone!!!! It is always the Lord who does the work.Whether I lay hands or not, I am never actually DOING the work.

For example, Moses was told to raise his rod over the waters and the RED SEA opened. Do you think that Moses actually opened the Red Sea with a rod? So the rod that the church is definitely not using is to “speak to the demons.” The Lord revealed to me recentlythat if I did not speak to the demons in a particular individual, they would not come out. However, I am really not the one casting them out. It is the Holy Spirit. I just use the Name of Jesus and stand in faith with His name. I do nothing else. I am like Moses with a rod in my hand and that rod is the power and authority of the Name of Jesus against demons.

Furthermore, I am finding from my own personal experience as a good, sincere pastor, that those who have been faithful members, followers of my ministry bare significantly less fruit than those that I counsel as a professional, Christian therapist on a weekly basis. So I had to ask myself yet another simple question. Why IS that? Someone can come into telephone counseling with me for 6 months to a year and bare ten times more spiritual fruit than some who have faithfully attended my “church” for 5 years, 10 years and 15 years.

It should also be pointed out there are people in my camp that have heard countless sermons and teachings. I have known them personally and been an active figure in their lives, yet spiritual fruit in Christ is barely visible. I believe the Holy Spirit has recently given me my answer. Don’t hold on too tightly to your pew or to your pulpit. Here is the simple, yet profound answer. The passive model of church, where the pastor gets up on a platform, gives “a word” after the choir sings, DOES NOT BARE FRUIT.

To bare real fruit for Christ, each sheep must be individually fed through counsel, guidance, up front and in your face ministry at least one hour a week, one on one. As the babe grows, the contact can be reduced after a year or so. Once the babe is a mature Christian, then he or she can “feed his or her self and then become a worker in the church to feed new babes.One shepherd can feed about 4 sheep a day, 7 days a week, for about 6 months to a year or about 27 people at a time. If the sheep learn quickly, then this would be about 54 babes a year. As a writer and a trainer, I cannot do a full time job of counseling sheep. Full time pastoring would consists of 6- 8 sheep a a day for six months or a year.