And the LORD said unto Cain, Where is Abel thy brother? And he said, I know not: Am I my brother' keeper?
Genesis 4:9
Dear brothers and sisters,
when I was in Israel one year ago, one day, when I was in the old town I saw a young man wearing a terrible T-shirt with scenes from hell. So I thought to myself: this young man is in need of JESUS and I approached him to talk with him. To my big surprise he told me, that he believes already in JESUS CHRIST as his saviour! I asked him, how then it is possible to wear such a T-shirt? He said, that this is only a T-shirt of a music group. Oh, what music can he possibly be listening to? (That is an other subject of its own!) I then explained to him that with this T-shirt he is giving a testimony to the natural and spiritual world, that he is sympathizing with what is stated on his T-shirt. – Which is with the hell and so he is giving the devil the permission to destroy him.
He was very surprised to hear this, he did not know it at all and was very grateful to me, that I did educated him about this matter. How many young people walk around the ministries with skulls on their belts, jackets, T-shirts and so on and nobody corrects them?
When I was in Bratislava I met a teenager who was wearing a T-shirt with the following words: I am a zero (nothing)! I can not remember anymore if there was also a scull on it, but in any case I talked to him and I explained to him, that he is not a nonentity but very precious, because created by GOD. How amazed I was when he explained to me, that he is a believer, that he loves JESUS and that he does not want to have anything to do with the devil, but that he loves skeletons! You have heard it correctly. How is it possible that this young and convinced Christian of a free evangelical ministry loves skeletons and walks around with such a T-shirt? What kind of music is he listening to? (More about this some other time.) Where are the brothers and sisters who correct such confused and mislead young people? Where are the parents?
Cain where is your brother? And Cain answers: What do I care about my brother!
The only important thing is, that I and my family are doing well – or not so!
A few years ago I was in a capital of a canton and was staying over night with relatives. The parents told me that the youngest daughter had problems with depressions. She was going from one pastor to the next, from one psychiatrist to the next. One night the door to the room of this girl stood open. As I was passing I saw something Indian, which you can buy nowadays everywhere and which is today much in fashion, hanging over her bed. But I did not know what it is called. But in that night whilst I was sleeping I heard a loud voice calling: “Death Chart”(?)! Then I knew what it was all about. The next day I told her mother; but what she did with it I do not know.
Just imagine, you go from psychiatrist to psychiatrist and the devil sits in the room of the child and laughs. There prevails a big indifference towards the sin. People have hardly a awareness for sin and what surprises me even more, is the fact that always fewer and fewer believer have a discerning spirit. So the devil could sit right next to them and they would not even notice!
A few months ago when I was in a foreign country, a leader of a small African community took me with her to visit two of her people. With us was another sister. First we visited a man who had recently a brain stroke. While we where talking I noticed a statue on his drawer. Being a Greek I knew who this statue was representing, but I wanted to know, if this brother also knew it. He said it is the goddess Aphrodite! I asked him, what something like this was in his flat for. He received this statue from a friend and a little later he had this brain stroke. This man was an elder in the ministry, he was handing out the holy communion and in his house thrones the goddess Aphrodite! My brother, you can not play with GOD! The stroke was not from GOD, he does not make sick, but he let it happen. When I asked him if we could smash the statue, he resisted; he was emotionally very much attached to this statue and objected very strongly to my suggestion. But in the end he agreed. Aphrodite is the goddess of sex and perversion.
The pastor and the sister who came with me were shocked about the whole thing and about the fact that they did not notice anything. Oh well, we went on to the next person, a sister who grew up in Africa and is a life long member of the Pentecostal church. She knows the LORD JESUS and has in spite married an unbeliever. This sister has recently started to suffer from cancer. When we were sitting in her winter garden, I noticed under the table in front of me, some books which looked irritating to me. So I took one of them in to my hands. What kind of book was it? “Enlightenment about Buddhism” was its title! I asked her, what these books meant within her presence. She was voicing her enthusiasm, that these books are very interesting. It turned out that she and her husband have been to Thailand for holidays. To my questioning she affirmed also that she was visiting temples. She said of course! And there in Thailand it was identified that she is suffering from cancer! Of course I reasoned with her and then I prayed for her and the power of the lord came over her. Then she could feel anew an encounter with the living GOD. I can only hope that she has taken my warning seriously.
To this pastor a made it plain and clear that she has to visit her people to find out how they are living. She objected: My people do not want that I visit them! Why not? Do they have something to hide? Later on I got to know, that the accompanying sister was living together with a man. I see and hear a lot, but I can not talk about all the issues.
Recently I stood outside Zürich outside an African community. I don’t know why, but I prayed before entering the door: ”Holy spirit bring it to the light what lies hidden and specially sexual sin.” I don’t know why I was praying like this, I think the holy spirit was leading me!
When I entered the church service room I saw a brother, whom I saw a few days ago on the street with a woman and two little children. So I approached him and asked him where his wife and children were. He became embarrassed and said that he has no family. I then wanted to know if this was not his woman. He became abashed and did not know what to say, finely he uttered: she is something like my fiancé …………..
I asked if she is at least a believer. And when he said no …I knew why this lady fled when she saw me, although she did not know me … the light drives away the darkness … then I had a serious word with this brother an made it clear to him, that it is not worth going to hell for a woman. If he made use of my statement I don’t know …
The people of GOD have no recognition of sin anymore! Why not? Because the conscience is being suppressed until it does not talk anymore. I am meeting many Africans or Latinos in the streets. Many of them are believers, but their lives are disasters. A lot of them marry unbelievers so that they can stay in Europe. A lot of them divorce, marry, divorce and marry, and, and … and this without the awareness of sinning. On Sundays they sing and dance in the church. And you think they are more on fire than the Swiss and the Europeans, but look at their lives! The TV is on all the time and they watch every nonsense, the children are hardly being educated, sin after sin and sin after sin … but no awareness of sin and no discerning spirit! There are few Africans Latinos or Asians in Europe who truly have a burning desire for JESUS and try to live a life of righteousness.
In recent times I have asked myself, how is it possible, that the Africans or the Latinos, who come from countries where voodoo, sorcery and witchcraft etc. are normal and belong to the daily life, have no, or hardly any discerning spirit? A lot of these people come from great poverty and although they know and love JESUS, they marry unbelieving Europeans to be able to stay here. What follows, is, they take on the whole materialism; they want to have all that the West is offering in full and are ready to compromise to achieve it.
So what is the difference between a European and an African or a Latino? The European who spent the whole Saturday evening in front of the TV will be sleeping at the church service or hardly worship the LORD at all. But the African, on the other hand, has hardly any problem with this. He will sing, dance, be on fire and joyful as if everything is in best order.
Cain where is your brother? LORD why do you ask? Am I responsible for my brother?
Son of man, I have made you a watchman for the house of Israel (Ezekiel 3:17)
Again, when a righteous man turns from his righteousness and does evil, and I put a stumbling-block before him, he will die. Since you did not warn him, he will die for his sin. The righteous things he did will not be remembered, and I will hold you accountable for his blood.
(Ezekiel 3:20)
How much blood is on our hands?
Why are we not concerned where our brothers and sisters stand spiritual, what kind of life they live? Because we ourselves have sinned and it is the humanistic spirit which is very strong amongst us, specially amongst educated people: “Live and let live”. But the biblical philosophy is totally to the contrary. The New Testament talks over and over again of one body.
In 1. Corinthians 12: 26 + 27 it says: Now you are the body of Christ, and each one of you is a part of it. If one part suffers, every part suffers with it; if one part is honoured, every part rejoices with it. JESUS seas us as one body. Why has the church lost the power of GOD?
Because hardly anybody is caring about the sins in the lives of the believers of the congregation. So people come to JESUS but they are still living their old lives, are still visiting the esoteric fairs, or are still doing Yoga. Now even “Christian Yoga” is advertised; disorientation complete!
Some time ago I told a pastor, and I say it again: Every Christian community should have a visiting ministry. This ministry should be composed of mature brothers and sisters who have the discerning spirit and are fully committed to the doctrine of the LORD. These people should visit their members at home and see how they live, what kind of pictures and books they have in their homes, if they are giving their children a good education and if they keep their homes tidy. – Because there are people who live like in a pig-stay etc., etc. The TV-watching habits are also a big problem, but it is treated like a holy cow: Don’t touch me!
Maybe you think I am going too far! If so, then you should mark two facts:
Firstly, where there is sin there is also suffering – we have enough people in our communities who are suffering year after year!
Secondly, the reputation of the church is being ruined, because the neighbours, colleges and the relatives are watching all this closely.
A lot of pastors are counselling the people in their offices, which is wrong. A pastor should go to the homes of his people. In the first Christian communities this was not necessary, because Christians were meeting at home, lived with more awareness and knew: To be a Christian can cost my head. The were preparing themselves for the martyrdom; they didn’t have time for discos, cinemas, parties, TV etc., etc. …
But nowadays in our egoistic, liberal and humanistic society we need leaders who teach God’s people what is pure and holy, what is impure and unholy, simply because we don’t know it anymore. The lukewarm wrong gospel which was preached and is still being preached: love, love, love … has turned us in to spiritual cripples. What is being preached from most pulpits is not biblical. I can’t find anywhere in the bible the “soft” gospel. JESUS says: Who loves me keeps my commandments. When I read what Johannes the Baptist has been preaching, what JESUS has been preaching and what the apostles have been preaching – then there is very little of this love, love, love …
Recently one brother told me: We should encourage each other, that we will reach the goal of being holy etc … it was in very good intent, but what are you going to tell a dear brother who is getting drunk every night and says: If the LORD wants me back HE has got to do something, I just can’t anymore. What are you going to tell a brother who chased his wife away, takes on an unbeliever and tells you, he trusts in the grace of the LORD. My friend, the grace of the LORD is not cheap. As long as you don’t repent and turn around, forget the mercy of the LORD!
Did you notice that JESUS, in Revelation, is facing GODS people as a unity? He does not say: Write to the Baptists, Methodists, Pentecosts or the Evangelicals in Ephesus! No, HE says: Write to the church in Ephesus. JESUS sees only one church, only one body. When I came to JESUS in1986 I had an open vision: I saw a long wall and JESUS in front of this wall. The wall was not finished. Then I saw JESUS taking a brick and putting it in the wall were a gap was. Then I knew, that I was planted in to the body of Christ. We are a body with many limbs. If the feet or another limb is dirty, the whole body is soiled. If a limb is sick the whole body feels ill. If you have difficulties to understand why we have to care how our brothers and sisters next to us are living in the parish, where they are spiritually, if they are in heresies, then you don’t understand the spiritual dimension! – Then maybe you still have to be converted!
Hebrews 10:26: For if we sin wilfully after that we have received the knowledge of the truth, there remaineth no more sacrifice for sins,27 But a certain fearful looking for of judgment and fiery indignation … These words are not for the unbelievers, but for us; actually the whole bible is at the first priority for us believers.
Ye are the salt of the earth: but if the salt have lost his savour, wherewith shall it be salted? it is thenceforth good for nothing, but to be cast out, and to be trodden under foot of men. Matth. 5:13. That is what the world does nowadays to the church.
Dear brothers and sisters, a new year has started. Don’t continue, but examine your life, ask the holy spirit to show you what is wrong in your life. If you don’t know what to do, then look for a mature person, but be prepared to listen to her advice and to react.
One thing is for sure, JESUS is not going to come to get his bride out of a disco, cinema, TV etc.
Be watchful, and strengthen the things which remain, that are ready to die: for I have not found thy works perfect before God. If therefore thou shalt not watch, I will come on thee as a thief, and thou shalt not know what hour I will come upon thee. Rev. 3:2-3
May the LORD find us awake when he comes. Amen
Catherine Hafner, a maidservant of JESUS CHRIST!
Translation: H. Hegetschweiler
