Jerry C. Brewer
Religious con artists are constantly working across the land. Making their hearers feel “really good,” they regale deluded victims with psychological theories, pervert Bible doctrine, promise heaven for nothing, provide drama, concerts, and other entertainment, then laugh all the way to the bank, to deposit their victims’ money. Chances are good that you have, at one time, been victimized by one of these hucksters. He’s your “Pastor” and he’s a member of one of the largest groups of legal snake oil salesmen in the world—the hireling “clergy.” He’s also Satan’s valuable tool in deceiving and destroying men’s souls.
These religious con men are able to practice their nefarious trade unhindered and live opulent lifestyles because of their victims support them. While they may have give lip service to your eternal salvation, their real agenda is to pick your pockets for their 30 pieces of weekly silver. But let the New Testament describes them:
Woe unto them! for they have gone in the way of Cain, and ran greedily after the error of Balaam for reward, and perished in the gainsaying of Core. These are spots in your feasts of charity, when they feast with you, feeding themselves without fear: clouds they are without water, carried about of winds; trees whose fruit withereth, without fruit, twice dead, plucked up by the roots; Raging waves of the sea, foaming out their own shame; wandering stars, to whom is reserved the blackness of darkness for ever…These are murmurers, complainers, walking after their own lusts; and their mouth speaketh great swelling words, having men’s persons in admiration because of advantage (Jude 11-13, 16).
Devoid of spiritual substance and following in the steps of Judas, these leeches in the denominational industry are more than willing to sell the Son of God to the highest bidder. They dare not preach the Truth lest the cash flow from those whose ears they tickle be dried up. They are spiritual Copperheads with strike deadly doctrines, then slither away seeking more victims who love to be tranquilized with their deadly venom.
Pretending to preach Christ, Who said, “And Jesus saith unto him, The foxes have holes, and the birds of the air have nests; but the Son of man hath not where to lay his head” (Matt. 8:19-20), many of these religious phonies live in a five-bedroom splendor. With their IRAs, 401Ks inflated with six-figure salaries and free medical and life insurance, they dare not tell their hearers Truth. Instead, most them preach Universalism, denying the existence of hell and the punishment of the wicked and disobedient. Their message is one of the ease—that all will at last be saved and none has absolutely nothing to do to enter heaven. That damnable doctrine will probably send to more people to hell than any other since Satan’s lie to Eve in the garden of Eden:
Now the serpent was more subtil than any beast of the field which the LORD God had made. And he said unto the woman, Yea, hath God said, Ye shall not eat of every tree of the garden? And the woman said unto the serpent, We may eat of the fruit of the trees of the garden: But of the fruit of the tree which is in the midst of the garden, God hath said, Ye shall not eat of it, neither shall ye touch it, lest ye die. And the serpent said unto the woman, Ye shall not surely die (Gen. 3:1-4).
Pursuing the lifestyle of the Religious Rich, some “pastors” even work on a commission basis, receiving a large percentage of the weekly collection. Like barkers at carnival sideshows, they provide what people want instead of the Truth, and for their greed for mammon forbids them to do anything else. They are religious deceivers changing the Truth of God into a lie at the expense of their deluded followers. Their god is their own bellies, and their damnation is sure.
And many shall follow their pernicious ways; by reason of whom the way of truth shall be evil spoken of. And through covetousness shall they with feigned words make merchandise of you: whose judgment now of a long time lingereth not, and their damnation slumbereth not (2 Pet. 2:2-3).
These hucksters dare not tell their followers to the Truth about righteous living. People just don’t like to hear that God doesn’t approve those things that satisfy the lusts of the flesh. Just listen to the verbal sewage spewing from the mouths of your co-workers who claim to be religious folks. They’ll tell you they’ve “born again,” but their “Pastor” wouldn’t touch the subject of the works of the flesh with a ten-foot-pole, Instead, he tells them that “God accepts you just as you are. He doesn’t demand any change in the way you live” because he says, “God’s grace covers it all.” They say exactly what they want to hear, so they dig a little deeper to make that “Pastor” a little richer.
But God doesn’t accept anyone “just the way you are.” That’s why Jesus used the word converted in Matthew 18:3: “Verily I say unto you, Except ye be converted, and become as little children, ye shall not enter into the kingdom of heaven.” The word converted means to be changed. God doesn’t accept a sodomite who continues to remain a sodomite, a drunkard who continues to be a drunkard, or a thief who continues to steal. He demands a change of conduct. But that Truth doesn’t appeal to the masses, so religious hucksters deny God’s word and allow their followers to wallow in a cesspool of sin so the cash will keep rolling in.
The apostle Paul—whose motives and conduct were light years removed from modern denominational preachers—suffered unspeakable privation and physical punishment just to preach Christ (2 Cor. 11:23-30). But you won’t find, Baptist, Methodist, Lutheran, Presbyterian, Assembly of God, or Mainstream Churches of Christ hirelings preaching like that today. If they did, they would be tarred and feathered by hedonistic parishioners who don’t want to hear that Christ allows divorce only for the cause of fornication (Matt. 19:9), that dancing is lasciviousness, that shacking up without marriage is sin, drunkenness will send them to hell, that filthy language is a mark of the devil’s child, or that they have to obey the Gospel to go to heaven (Gal. 5:19-21; 2; Thess 1:6-9).
Masquerading as preachers of righteousness, denominational hirelings are wolves in sheep’s clothing. They not only fleece their flocks each week, but spiritually devour their souls while are doing service to Satan. It shouldn’t come as a surprise if the welcome mat at the door of hell is made from the hides of denominational preachers.
