I didn’t know what subject I might be called upon now; and I wondered why I had been led to read chapters 4, 5 and 6 of Ezekiel earlier. Have mercy; you think we are called upon to do some tough things sometimes; poor Ezekiel. Nobody likes to have folks swinging at you or calling you a negative person. I think, one of the major differences between those who are called of God, and those who have called themselves, is this. Sometimes, the ministry is called upon to give correction and reproof. The truly called and anointed, don’t enjoy doing it; they’d rather remain humble, and use as much love and care as they can.

Paul wrote to the church at Philippi, that there were some, who “indeed preach Christ even of envy and strife” (Philippians 1:15a). Translate it anyway you want, and it will likely mean, exactly what it appears to say. There is no doubt, that some people called themselves; if that is true, and even Christ said it was, then the meaning is ominous. It means there are those who have been in certain positions for years, who were never meant to be there. It also is clear, that flesh, preached a lot of things, that were not of the Spirit. In my searching and studying years back, I had already learned, that there were people who fasted for the wrong reasons; it blew me away at the time.

I’m even asking myself at the moment, just as you are, why this topic is of importance today; right now? It’s because of damage that was done to a lot of people over the years; people who were robbed of fellowship and their own chance to grow. It’s about the hour, of restoration. I felt a nudge just now, that said, God is not going to let us just go swiftly off to heaven, join Him up in the clouds, and leave all of those broken souls behind. Because of our rules, our regulations, even our unspoken laws, people were shoved aside, shunned on the streets and we marked them hell bound. One might say, what has that got to do with now? It’s because, it’s still being done as we speak. Crushed, stepped on, nudged aside, driven out; and for what?

We saw these people Paul was talking about. They were harsh, some sort of task masters, one text called them brutal, demanding and threatening. I often wondered, where some of our people, got all of these harsh ways. I have no fear in saying, it did not come from the Apostles. And it certainly did not come from Jesus Christ.

Many of our so-called forefathers, brought that kind of spirit with them, when they came to the shores of this land. I won’t name any groups, because that only genders strife; but, they were know to be “against all pleasure” and “extremists.” We had a genuine and mighty outpouring of the Holy Ghost years later here. But rather than know the true teachings of Jesus Christ and the apostles, they hung on to their old way of believing and teaching. Many changed; it seems, some did not.

“To smite with the fist of wickedness” Isaiah 58:4. They do it right here. Some folk, just cannot keep that harsh edge out of their voice. They say they are standing up for the truth and what is right, but they can’t get the rough manner, out of their language and approach. Because, it’s what’s in their heart. I don’t know why, nobody called down these kind of people in the past days of our churches; even preachers who were as mean as they could be. Not just to their church folk, but to their families also.

Without the true 5-fold ministry to stop them, that taught us, and we in turn taught others. And nobody has to give account for it. But they do. The Spirit says in this hour, that they do. There are sheep strewn out all over the sides of the hills and valleys. We wait for them to come back on their own. You can’t walk, with broken legs.

Robert Blackburn