I’m probably the only person in Alabama that didn’t watch Michael Jackson’s funeral.
I have conducted hundreds of funerals over the life of my ministry, and I can truly say, every funeral I have been to or been a part of, there is a sadness that has marked my heart!
But as I have watched the VERY little of the media coverage of his death and funeral plans (no more than 15 minutes total since June 25) several things have grieved my heart;
1. A young man died way before his time. I will be 48 years old in September. This is too close to my age!
2. A young man made a ton…and I mean a ton of money; but from all the reports, died lonely, hurting, searching for enough peace to sleep at night…and couldn’t find it! You can gain the whole world but if you lose your soul what have you gained?
3. A young man left a legacy of entertainment, music, dancing, weird looks, and even weirder outfits; even had a “Six Flags” amusement park in his own back yard, but still couldn’t find enough money and toys and entertainment and trips abroad or satisfaction to help give him peace…
4. This young man had the charisma to make grown men grovel in awe and young girls scream with hysterical excitement at his appearance…
5. He rose to the pinnacle of his profession, owned the copyrights to some of the greatest entertainers who have lived in our lifetime works and songs…
And yet Michael Jackson died!
And so will you.
And so will I. (not good English, but you get my drift!)
The idolatry that has manifested since June 25th only underscores what most of us “peker-wood preachers” have been talking about for many years: America is sick and doesn’t even know it!
In fact, most people…even church people… like it this way!
None of us reading this blog will have our funeral at the Staples Center in Los Angeles. We won’t get to have our funeral in Jordon-Hare or Bryant-Denny Stadium in Auburn or Tuscaloosa. And I am NOT in any way jealous of the fame and fortune Michael Jackson gained in his life time!
I just want to stand in front of a CNN/FOX/MSNBC camera and shout out: YOU CAN’T TAKE THESE THINGS WITH YOU WHEN YOU GO! WHO ARE YOU GOING TO MEET WHEN YOU TAKE YOUR LAST BREATH HERE AND YOUR FIRST BREATH THERE?
Just because you are a good person and a great entertainer and own 50% of Sony, doesn’t mean you get to go to heaven!
Only confessing Jesus is the King of ALL kings and the Lord of ALL lords; and then turn to the Lord (Acts 11:21) will guarantee you eternal Life in heaven!
I really DO pray Mr. Jackson called on Jesus before he took his last breath!
My heart breaks for the children Michael left behind. My prayer is that the children will be introduced to Jesus Christ’s abiding love; his family will come to know the true sacrifice that Jesus paid for their salvation and that it’s not in how many tracts and Watchtower Publications you can hand out;
And I really pray God will forgive us for the idolatry that has been on display for the last 3 weeks! But what do you expect from a nation in which their #1 TV show is called “American Idol”?
And I also pray God will forgive Christian people for the idolatry we have committed in worshiping our own “stars” (preachers, worship leaders, evangelists, denominations, etc)
We have become so entertainment driven that now the preaching of the Gospel is simply another form of entertainment
Oh Father God, send us another Great Awakening!!!!
Technorati Tags: revival, revival update, Michael Jackson, death, life after death, what happens when you die, Christian entertainment, Great Awakening, idolotry
Great thoughts David… thanks for speaking the Truth!
Well said!
Lord we need a shakening!!! The kind that tears down our playhouses and shakes the masks off our faces!! The kind that drives us to our knees in repentance and causes us to cry from the pit of our souls for forgiveness!! The kind that causes us to TURN from our wicked ways for it is then and only then that You will hear from heaven and heal our land!!
Start with me Lord!!! Shake me Lord! I would rather be shaken so much that the crust of complacancy can’t help but fall of than live here on this earth with many riches and die and go to hell!! Better is one day in YOUR courts than a thousand anywhere else!!!!
Brother Copeland,
You are right on point here, as it is certainly inspired by the tremendous annointing the Lord has Blessed you with. It is tragic that a man with the talents he was blessed with wasted them on a life of materialism, and searching for the happiness and satisfaction that existed right in front of him and under his very own household. The children’s Nanny according to a reliable source professes to be a Born Again Spirit filled Christian, now whether she actually had a chance to witness to him is another story.
The Spirit of Idolatry like the Spirit of Homosexuality and Liberalism has rushed in like a flood and established not a foothold but a Stronghold in our country and it is spreading like a virus into the Church Body! Oh, Lord have Mercy on our country. May those in the pulpit grow a spiritual boldness like never before to declare a war against these demonic spirits on their own homefronts. We need to start living to the higher standard that Christ has called us to, stop worrying about whether we offend the largest Tithers of our Church because our Faith does not subscribe to theirs. The spirit of tolerance and compromise is like the water being poured into the finest wine. The Truth is being diluted, for the sake of increasing the “Assembly” and the Cash Flow… We need men back in the pulpit who are going to preach the unabated, unadulterated Truth and the whole Truth of the Gospel of Jesus Christ and do in Love and with the Convicting power of the Holy Ghost!
So, thank the Lord for men like you Sir, that will throw off their inhibition and boldly go where few will dare and speak the truth! May the Lord elevate your Ministry and Bless you beyond your imagination. Please never lose sight of the Truth!
In Christ,
Robert
My thoughts on this are not too far from your thoughts. I admired Michael Jackson and his talent, but mainly from his younger years when he first started out as the cute little adorable boy in the late 60’s and early 70’s. I watched a little bit of the memorial service, but more towards the end. It was very touching and the few that I DID see who spoke on his behalf, appeared to focus many things towards God. Some King James verses were used by the female senator from Texas. She did appear to be a Godly woman. I also got to hear the speech from Martin Luther King III, and his sister which was also very good.
There has been a lot of publicity regarding Michael Jackson, but there was also the same thing with Elvis, James Brown and although certainly not his death, but O J Simpson and his what appeared to be a forever and a day trial that we ALL grew sick of. This is just the way the American people view things, which doesn’t always make it right. It is rather sad instead.
It’s too late to pray for Michael Jackson’s soul. We should have been doing that while he was still alive. However, it’s not too late to pray for the survivors he has left behind, especially his children, his parents, his siblings. It’s also not too late to pray for entertainers, performers, actors, etc now, while they are still alive. Regardless of the position they currently hold in this world, they still have a soul that needs saving and it’s our responsibility as a child of God to be a witness to these lost souls.
Good deeds alone will not get anyone to heaven, but only salvation through accepting Jesus as personal Lord and Savior, confessing with the mouth and believing with the heart that Jesus died for our sins and rose again so that we may also live with Him for eternity.
Many other things regarding the upbringing of Michael Jackson grieve my spirit. He was raised as a Jehovah Witness. His oldest brother, Jermaine, made a remark that Michael was a true gift from Allah. I’m hoping, for Michael’s sake, that since he was friends with Andre and Sandra Crouch, as well as friends with the Kings, that he DID find that peace before he took his final breath. That’s between him and God right now and that’s just something we don’t have the answer to for now, either. I do pray that God’s precious Holy Spirit will be allowed and received by the family, friends and fans for comforting, and especially for conviction so they, too, may become the sons and daughters of God.
The people in the world are hurting and searching for a fullness, a special love, a sense of being needed and wanted, happiness, which is why they are turning to all types of lifestyles of alcohol, drugs, sexual perversions, etc and these things are not satisfying to them. Why?? Because they are hungering and thirsting after something that ONLY Jesus can give them and we, who are children of God hold the key to this type of love and happiness. I’m just as guilty as anyone else about not sharing the love of God with everyone I come in contact with. We really need a burden for lost souls, myself included, and if we had this type of a strong burden, maybe we could at that point make a difference in the lives of others when it comes to witnessing.
Yes, I agree we do need an awakening in our country, but we need it in our personal lives as Christians. We need to take what we receive from God during our church services on Sunday’s and Wednesday’s home with us, to our jobs with us, to the grocery stores, gas stations, schools, sporting events, where ever we go, we need to live the life of a witness and our life should be a living testimony for what God is doing for us, where He has brought us from, where He has us now and where He will be taking us.
It only takes a spark to get the fire burning, but that spark begins with each of us.
MICHAEL THE NARC-ANGEL
Millions of little members of the worldwide F.F.A. (Future Followers of the Antichrist) have finally learned how to find a certain part of their lower anatomy and quickly touch it while dancing – thanks to Michael Jackson, the highest paid Lower Anatomy Toucher of all time! Special thanks also go to the Jesus-bashing, Hell-bound Hollywood moguls who were just as quick to see higher profits in lower anatomies! [Just saw this opinion on the web. Other grabby items on MSN, Google, etc. include "Separation of Raunch and State," "David Letterman's Hate, Etc.," "Tribulation Index becomes Rapture Index," and "Bible Verses Obama Avoids." - something for everyone!]
Well said, brother.
Good Stuff David!!
I agree ! It is so sad that people search and search trying to fill a void that only God can fill, and He can’t be bought ! His love is totally free, and they just don’t get it!!!!