FIRE IN MY BONES

Do you think there has ever been a preacher who has not said at one time in his ministry: "What is the point in continuing to preach? Nobody seems to be listening." Noah preached for over a century and had very little to show for it. The great prophet Elijah just knew he was the only faithful prophet left on the face of the earth. He decided to enter a cave. A voice from heaven asked Elijah: "What are you doing here?" Elijah responded: "I have been jealous for the Lord God of hosts: because the children of Israel have forsaken thy covenant, thrown down thine altars, and slain thy prophets with the sword; and I, even I only, am left; and they seek my life, to take it away" (1 Kings 19:13-14). The Lord said to the discouraged prophet: "Yet I have left me seven thousand in Israel, all the knees which have not bowed to Baal, and every mouth which has not kissed him" (1 Kings 19:18). The Apostle Paul used that incident to show that a remnant of grace still existed in his day (Rom. 11: 1-4).

Jeremiah, the seventh century B. C. prophet, encountered some very troubling situations. The Lord said to Jeremiah in the days of Josiah: "Have you seen that which backsliding Israel has done? She has gone up upon every high mountain and under every green tree, and there has played the harlot. And I said after she had done all these things, Turn unto me. But she did not return. And her treacherous sister Judah saw it. And I saw, when for all the causes whereby backsliding Israel committed adultery I had put her away, and given her a bill of divorcement; yet treacherous Judah feared not, but went and played the harlot also" (Jer. 3:6-8).

The false prophets were assuring the Israelites they had nothing to fear. The false prophets had healed the hurt of the daughter of God's people slightly, saying, "Peace, peace; when there is no peace." Were the people "ashamed when they had committed abomination? No, they were not at all ashamed, neither could they blush: therefore they shall fall among them who fall: at the time that I visit them they shall be cast down, says the Lord. Thus says the Lord, Stand in the ways, and see, and ask for the old paths, where is the good way, and walk therein, and you shall find rest unto your souls. But they said, We will not walk therein. Also I set watchmen over you, saying, Pay attention to the sound of the trumpet. But they said, We will not pay attention" (Jer. 6: 13-17).

The tragedy was even worse because the leaders were corrupt. The Lord said to Jeremiah: "The prophets prophesy lies in my name: I sent them not, neither have I commanded them, neither spoke unto them: they prophesy unto you a false vision and divination, and a thing of naught, and the deceit of their hearts" (Jer. 14:14). Pashur, the chief governor of the house of the Lord, did not like what Jeremiah was prophesying. He "smote Jeremiah the prophet, and put him in stocks that were in the high gate of Benjamin, which was by the house of the Lord" (Jer. 20:1-2).

Against this background, can you understand why Jeremiah said: "I will not make mention of him, nor speak any more in his name? But his word was in my heart as a burning fire shut up in my bones, and I was weary with forbearing, and I could not stay" (Jer. 20:9). As you can understand from this verse, Jeremiah was discouraged and said he would not mention God any more or speak in his name. But God's word was in his heart like a burning fire shut up in his bones. He became weary with not speaking God's word and could no longer endure. Paul expressed similar views to the Corinthians: "For though I preach the gospel, I have nothing to glory of: for necessity is laid upon me; yea, woe is unto me, if I preach not the gospel" (1 Cor. 9: 16)! Our study today will be devoted to the theme: "Fire in My Bones."

There are many moral and spiritual conditions that weigh heavily on my heart. For example, I grieve over the enormous damage beverage alcohol does to Americans and to other people in our world. Jerry Lee Lewis is not my favorite country singer by any means; nor is he my favorite person. He recorded a song with the title, "What Made Milwaukee Famous Has Made a Loser out of Me." Although I strongly suspect Jerry Lee Lewis has no knowledge of what the scriptures say about beverage alcohol, and probably couldn’t care less if he did know, his song is a good commentary on these passages from Proverbs. "Wine is a mocker, strong drink is raging: and whosoever is deceived thereby is not wise" (Prov. 20:1). "Who has woe? Who has sorrow? Who has contentions? Who has babbling? Who has wounds without cause? Who has redness of eyes? They who tarry long at the wine; they who go to seek mixed wine. Look not upon the wine when it is red, when it gives his color in the cup, when it moves itself aright. At the last it bites like a serpent, and stings like an adder. Your eyes shall behold strange women, and your heart shall utter perverse things. Yea, you shall be as he who lies down in the midst of the sea, or as he who lies upon the top of a mast. They have stricken me, you shall say, and I was not sick; they have beaten me, and I felt it not: when shall I awake? I will seek it yet again" (Prov. 23:29-35).

One of my greatest concerns and I suspect one of yours also is the corruption in our culture we hear about almost every day. If you would like to know more about that corruption, I recommend that you buy and read Michelle Malkin's very disturbing book, Culture of Corruption: Obama and His Team of Tax Cheats, Crooks, and Cronies (Washington, DC: Regnery, 2009). Malkin quotes these words from George Washington: "Associate with men of good quality if you esteem your own reputation; for it is better to be alone than in bad company." By divine inspiration, the Apostle Paul exhorted the Corinthians: "Be not deceived: evil companionships corrupt good morals" (1 Cor. 15:33).

What the prophet Jeremiah said about the corrupt leadership in Israel reminds me of what has occurred in our nation in the past several years. In his outstanding book, A Question of Character: A Life of John F. Kennedy (Rocklin, CA: Prima, 1992), Dr. Thomas C. Reeves, professor of history at the University of Wisconsin-Parkside, tells of the many affairs John F. Kennedy had while he was the president. He had an affair with "a beautiful young California woman, Judith Campbell Exner. She had been admitted to the White House on many occasions for more than a year to carry on a romance with the president." Incidentally, the same woman had close ties with two mafia figures - Sam Giancana and John Roselli.... Exner admitted the facts of an affair with the president" (p.7). Both Time and Newsweek published well - researched articles "linking the president romantically with several well-known actresses and scores of young women, including two youthful staff members code-named 'Fiddle' and 'Faddle' by the secret service." Dr. Reeves quotes one man as saying; "It was a revolving door over there. A woman had to fight to get in line" (p. 7). Dr. Reeves' book is full of disturbing information about the immoral behavior of John F. Kennedy. Bobby Kennedy and Ted Kennedy were chips of the same old block. Their father, Joseph P. Kennedy, was a notorious whoremonger. If you have any doubt about that, read Ronald Kessler's book, Sins of the Father: Joseph P. Kennedy and the Dynasty He Founded (New York: Warner, 1996). Kessler says the senior Kennedy was involved in bootlegging and in organized crime. He was anti-Semitic and made efforts to appease Adolf Hitler. He also tried to manipulate the stock market (p. 2). Kessler quotes the Boston Herald: "Joseph P. Kennedy rose from modest beginnings to the pinnacles of financial power and political eminence by adhering to old-fashioned America virtues that have been somewhat discounted in today's society: devotion to family, loyalty to friends, strength of character, and the will to win" (p. 5). The author of the article in the Boston Herald was either ignorant or stupid.

In recent months, we have learned of the adultery of John Edwards, former senator from North Carolina. He lied about it for months, which I guess is normal for people who commit adultery. Like Jesse Jackson, John Edwards has a so-called "love child." Why do the media use the word "love" in such immoral situations? The word "lust" is the more appropriate word. Besides, John Edwards' wife is suffering from cancer. Did he not have enough sense to know what revelations of his extramarital affair would have on his sick wife? And how absolutely disgusting was the conduct of William Jefferson Clinton!

But Democratic presidents and senators have no monopoly on stupid behavior. Mark Sanford, governor of South Carolina, was a bright and shining star among conservative Republicans. There was even some speculation that he might run for the highest office in the land. And then it was learned that he had been traveling to Argentina to see a woman he called his "soul mate." "Soul mate" indeed! The Bible calls such people "whoremongers." For example, "For this you know, that no whoremonger, nor unclean person, nor covetous man who is an idolater, has any inheritance in the kingdom of Christ and of God" (Eph. 5:5). What is the difference between these men and barnyard animals?

Jeremiah accused the leaders in Israel of walking in lies. Do any of the leaders in our nation "walk in lies?" Or maybe I should ask that question another way. Are there any leaders in our nation who do not walk in lies? Is a leader lying when he promises to rule in one way and then rules in the opposite way? I have a number of books in my library with the word "lie" in their titles. For example, Christopher Homer, a senior fellow at the Competitive Enterprise Institute, recently published a book with the title, Red Hot Lies: How Global Warming Alarmists Use Threats, Fraud, and Deception to Keep You Misinformed (Washington, DC: Regnery, 2008). Homer quotes Al Gore, the alleged inventor of the Internet: "I believe it is appropriate to have an over-representation of factual presentations on how dangers it (global warming) is" (p. 1). Do you know what "over-representation" means? It means very simply lying. Homer also quotes Dr. Richard Lindzen, professor of meteorology at Massachusetts Institute of Technology: "There is a clear attempt to establish truth not by scientific methods but by perpetual repetition" (p. 4).

Another book with the word "lie" in its title is Michael's Medved's book, The Ten Lies about America: Combating Destructive Distortions about Our Nation (New York: Crown, 2008). My first acquaintance with Michael Medved was reading his book, Hollywood vs. America: Popular Culture and the War on Traditional Values (New York: Harper, 1992) - the number one best book on the evils being perpetrated by Hollywood. In his book, The Ten Lies about America, Medved corrects many of the lies the liberal establishment in this country is promoting. One of the lies Medved refutes is: "The Founders Intended a Secular, not a Christian, Nation." Incidentally, Michael Medved is an orthodox Jew. Medved points out: "Of the thirteen original colonies, ten mentioned religious purposes in their founding documents" (p. 78). He also points out what Dr. Benjamin Rush (one of the founders) wrote of Samuel Adams (another of the founders): "He considered happiness and the public patronage of religion as inseparably connected; and so great was his regard for public worship, as the means of supporting religion, that he constantly attended divine service in the German church in Yorktown while the congress sat there ... although he was ignorant of the German language" (p. 79). There is no doubt that many in the liberal community spew lies like Old Faithful spews hot water.

I need to mention one other book with the word "lie" in its title. David Moore has published a book entitled, Five Lies of the Century (Wheaton: Tyndale House, 1995). I shall read the titles to the chapters in the book. "America Never Was a Christian Nation," "The Traditional Family Is Irrelevant," "Evolution Is an Established Fact," "The Sexual Revolution Has Set Humanity Free," and "Entertainment Is Harmless." I agree with all of these except the one about America's being a Christian nation. At one time, America was almost certainly more religious than it is today, but it has never been a Christian nation. There is no such thing as a Christian nation.

I need to return briefly to Michele Malkin's book, Culture of Corruption. President Obama chose Joe Biden to be his running mate. Did Obama not know that Joe Biden had been guilty of plagiarism? Plagiarism means to pass off other people's ideas as one's own. To be very blunt: Plagiarism means stealing. Biden also tells lies. The Wilmington News Journal of Wilmington, Delaware, says concerning vice president Biden: "He tells tales with such wonderful conviction and sincerity - he just makes things up and seems to really believe what he makes up. That seems borderline delusional to me... It's not just that he lies, it's that he lies SO well that you think he really believes the stuff he makes up" (p. 75).

But not only is fire in my bones over the corruption in our government; my bones are on fire over the corruption that exists in religion. I know that may sound strange to those who are unfamiliar with what happens in some religious organizations. Did you know that one cultic group has a practice it calls "flirty fishing?" The cult sends out beautiful young women to lure men into the organization. Some cultic groups seek to control every phase of their members' lives. They tell them what their college majors should be, how much time they can spend studying, how much time they can sleep, if and when they can visit their parents, whom they can date and marry. Such practices are as corrupt as any we can find in government, in the media or in business. God has not given any religious leader that kind of control over other people's lives.

I remember hearing one of the preachers on television tell about a visit he made to Africa with the infamous faith healer, A. A. Allen. He said a child who could neither hear nor see was brought to Allen. The child did not have any feet. Allen laid his hand on the child who then began to hear and to see. The child also grew feet. The preacher who told that story on television was either deceived by A. A. Allen or he was lying. Incidentally, many of the so-called "faith healers" are professionals at deceiving people.

Michael Moriarity works with the Immanuel Bible Church in Springfield, Virginia. His excellent book, The New Charismatics: A Concerned Voice Responds to Dangerous New Trends (Grand Rapids: Zondervan, 1992), has a brief discussion of A. A. Allen. "Allen's constant reports of how he was raising people from the dead and theatrical announcements of coming miracles stirred the people.... Allen's ministry was also severely jeopardized by his erratic behavior. In the fall of 1955, he was forced to withdraw from public ministry after being arrested for drunken driving while conducting a revival in Knoxville, Tennessee ... .In 1970 Allen died from sclerosis of the liver" (pp. 35-36). A. A. Allen claimed he had a few one-dollar bills in his pocket. In the midst of prayer, those one-dollar bills miraculously turned into twenties (p. 38). Politicians are not the only ones who lie.

For a number of years, Jerry Sholes worked as a professional publicist and fundraiser for Iowa State University and for the University of Florida. At one time he worked as TV writer and producer for the Oral Roberts' ministries. In 1979 he wrote a book exposing the corruption in the Oral Roberts Evangelistic organization. In his book, Give Me That Prime Time Religion (New York: Hawthorn Books, 1979), Sholes reports that Oral Roberts claimed to read every letter he received. At the time he made the boast, he was receiving 20,000 letters each day. If he worked fourteen hours every day - as he claimed to do - he would have had to read 24 letters per minute (pp. 1-2). After publication of the book I have mentioned, some thugs savagely beat Sholes in a Tulsa parking lot. His injuries were so grave he had to have plastic surgery to repair his face. Incidentally, Patti Roberts, the ex-wife of Oral Roberts' son, Richard Roberts, has also exposed the corruption in the Oral Roberts' organization. Her book, Ashes to Gold (Waco: Word, 1983), is a very disturbing examination of Oral Roberts and his ministry.

I conclude today's brief study with a few observations. Every nation on earth desperately needs preachers like Jeremiah. We must have men who cannot be bought or intimidated. I am aware that men who preach the truth of the gospel without compromise may have difficulty finding a place to preach. But until churches are willing to support strong, sound preaching, the moral and spiritual situation in our nation will get worse. I plead with every preacher in our nation to pay attention to Paul's admonition to Timothy: "Preach the word; be instant in season, out of season; reprove, rebuke, and exhort with all longsuffering and doctrine" (2 Tim. 4:2).

Winford Claiborne

The International Gospel Hour

P.O. Box 118

Fayetteville, TN 37334