John 5:26-29 For as the Father has LIFE in himself, so he has granted the SON ALSO to have LIFE in himself. 27And he has given him AUTHORITY to EXECUTE JUDGMENT, because he is the Son of Man. 28Do not marvel at this, for an hour is coming when all who are in the tombs will hear his voice 29and come out, those who have DONE GOOD to the RESURRECTION OF LIFE, and those who have DONE EVIL to the RESURRECTION OF JUDGMENT.
Every time a big name celebrity passes away it gives us room to reflect on both the state of our own souls and the condition of the Gospel in our nation. This week was the tragic passing of Whitney Houston, of whom I have loved for most of my life for her amazing voice and persona. (I think the soundtrack for “The Preacher’s Wife” got wore out more than just about any other album I’ve ever owned) Her Gospel roots and seeming all around goodness endeared her to people all over the world. But this is not the point of today.
The point of today is that as a prophetic voice it grieves me when “men of God” that know the truth and preach the truth (when convenient) seem to ignore the part of the Gospel that warns of God’s judgment upon those who are in sin and unrepentant. There seems to always be the assumption that anyone who was a celebrity and loved by many surely must have been right with God and headed to heaven. This assumption is many times wrong! It is not for me to say whether Whitney was right with God or not but based on the fruits of her life in her later years it would not be hard to make a case against it. Yet, at the funeral and all week long everyone (Christian leaders) was speaking with great confidence of her sure salvation and heavenly reward. What kind of message does this send to our nation? What place does righteousness by the Blood of Jesus play in this whole thing? It seems nothing!
Now I’m sure many will misunderstand my heart on this but it needs to be spoken nonetheless. It doesn’t matter if your the prince in the palace or the lowest servant in the dungeon, if you don’t have the Blood over your life then you will be subject to the destroyer (ask the Egyptians). Being a celebrity or just a regular person will make no difference on judgment day. This is why it is imperative when opportunities arise (like this one) where men of God have the attention of the nation, they MUST tell the truth of the Gospel in love to all. There is no need to condemn or bring judgment on the deceased, but a clear message of righteousness through repentance to those STILL LIVING is the LEAST that should happen. When everyone is comforted by the false hopes of religion and emotion, the truth of sinners falling into the hands of an angry God is kept silent. The masses will suffer for this unwillingness to declare the truth of God’s Word in a moment where hearts are open to eternal things.
Lastly, I pray that dear Whitney had a personal relationship with Jesus and was pursuing holiness in the fear of God. As a minister, my heart grieves for any who may have passed into eternity without their name being firmly established in the Lamb’s Book of Life. Even more, for the masses of people who could have heard a message of righteousness and repentance but did not get an accurate picture of God’s plan for eternal life.
Exodus 12:29-30 And that night at midnight, the LORD struck down all the firstborn sons in the land of Egypt, from the firstborn son of Pharaoh, who sat on his throne, to the firstborn son of the prisoner in the dungeon. Even the firstborn of their livestock were killed. 30Pharaoh and all his officials and all the people of Egypt woke up during the night, and loud wailing was heard throughout the land of Egypt. There was not a single house where someone had not died.
Curtis and I were just talking about this! Love the blog!
Joel: Thanks for your heart and discernment in the midst of the dereliction of duty by many “ministers” on hand for the services for Whitney Houston. Here in Spain, we didn’t see the entire broadcast, but the parts we saw and heard were all devoid of even a mention of Jesus, the only Name given among men, whereby we might be saved! I am troubled as it sounds you were, that no clear message was offered for those left behind to prepare for the inevitable facing of God one day. Perhaps most troubling was the confusion expressed by those who have grown up in “church” and espouse a religiosity that is so unscriptural and obviously reflective of the absence of a clear word from their “ministers”. Though many tout that “the whole World went to church on Saturday”, it seems that the World got a close look at the aimless activities of religious people deifying, angel-izing and applauding one of their idols. May the Lord use this experience to herald a clarion call to men & women of God to preach the Gospel of the Lord Jesus Christ and the rewards of the righteous who actually love and follow Jesus!
Yours for the Multitudes,
Dick Flores, Missionary to Spain
Pastor Joel, Whitney Houston was a Christian. There was never any confusion about that over the course of her career. She was one of few iconic entertainers I’ve ever observed openly professing her faith in Jesus Christ concert after concert, interview after interview. That’s well documented, so we don’t have to ask questions regarding her belief system and whether or not she was vocal and sincere about it. What’s also evident is the fact that she was a drug addict. And, like many people in your own church and throughout the Body, who are Christians, she struggled in that area and reached out to God to help her to overcome it. It seemed that she was enduring a process of deliverance, which sadly played out in worldwide media. And I, personally, am not audacious enough to believe, say nor type anything that would suggest that her faith in and love for God were nullified because of the fact that she struggled with drug addiction. So, yes, that is what we saw in her later life, but we also saw someone who was attempting to overcome that by and through the power of prayer. That is also well documented and not uncommon in the real lives of Christian people.
Perhaps it is that you and I were not watching the same funeral. Because the love of God and the name of Jesus was exalted more than anything I’ve seen covered by major news channels, EVER. For four hours straight, no commercial interruptions. Or, perhaps we should remind ourselves that it was, in fact, a funeral. It wasn’t a crusade. It was a funeral. The purpose of which is to commemorate and honor someone’s life and also to comfort the bereaved. It would have been awesome if someone would have stood up and utilized the platform and opportunity to preach the cross in the manner of a Reinhard Bonnke or even a Joel Stockstill, and then turned and rebuked all of Hollywood elite and millions of viewers for not leading lifestyles, Christ centered and holy. It would have been nice. Actually, perfect. But that’s not what her family chose to do with that space in time. They chose to have a funeral. And I know you understand that. They were grieving, and they sought comfort and to honor the life of their loved one. You know, a funeral. And I find it somewhat disturbing that there are people, even Christian people, who manage to justify sitting back and criticizing the way her family chose to do that.
Thanks Pastor Joel!
James 2:19 “You say you have faith, for you believe that there is one God. Good for you! Even the demons believe this”
I Corinthians 5:12 “it certainly is your responsibility to judge those inside the church who are sinning”
Matthew 3:8 “Prove by the way you live that you have repented of your sins and turned to God”
Non believers and people that are not well versed in scripture need to understand that you can not any lifestyle, say you believe in Jesus or go to a building called the church everyday and go to heaven. It does not work like that. I hope Whitney had a relationship with Jesus but her lifestyle did not reveal one who pursued after Christ but just believed in Christ. Many believe that in God but do not want to surrender their lifestyle or their sin in exchange for a true relationship with him. Yes there are christians who give their heart to God and struggle with addiction but are pursuing a lifestyle change to position themselves closer to God. Yes her family is grieving but hell is real, more people are dieing everyday and we need the truth!!!!!! Thanks!
Very Good Point. I like that, The truth is spoken.. May the Lord continue to Bless you and speak the truth, even when other people dont like it or dont belive it. But whats the truth is the truth. AMEN AMEN AMEN AMEN AMEN AMEN AMEN AMEN AMEN AMEN AMEN AMEN AMEN AMEN
Excellent. Not everyone who cries “Lord, Lord” will enter in. Seems like everyone that dies are considered to be heaven bound. What you do here on earth does matter. You can live a total sin free life and mess up right at the end and miss out on heaven. That is so troubling to not hear our pastors teach and preach that.
I agree wholeheartedly with M A. It was confessed openly that she loved Jesus and that it was her faith in Him that got her through. The word says that we war against the flesh and the flesh cannot please God nor will it ever. Man looks at the outward appearance but God looks at the heart. She was in war with the drugs while her heart cried for God. John 3:16 “For God so loved the world (opposite of Him) that He gave (we cannot earn it) that He gave His one and only Son (His very best) that we might have eternal life.” Romans 9 We are not made right with God by our good or bad works. If we live by the law then we are subject to the law. God also said in that same chapter that He will show mercy to whom He chooses to show mercy. However, with that being said, God values freedom so much that He will deliver you from your flesh while bringing judgment on the sin = short life. Especially if those who continue in the public eye say that their faith is in Jesus but continue in sin as though He approves. He surley does not. It is for God alone, the one who died for everyone of us, even while we were still sinners, to decide. “Whosoever calls on the name of the Lord shall be saved.”
This is why I love you Pastor Joel, I can always count on you to speak the truth in love. You are not out to win any popularity contest. But as a spiritual leader, your first and foremost loyality and devotion are towards God. May God continue to bless you and empower you with a spirit of boldness, love and a sound mind as you continue to be His bond servant.
Thank you Pastor Joel for speaking the truth! I agree 100% with this blog!
Pastor Joel, I have been wondering the very same thing. As I watched the funeral I asked myself, “Why does everyone ALWAY place a person who dies (whether famous or common) automatically in heaven?” Yes, I understand we all want to see our loved ones in heaven but that is certainly not the case. When you get to heaven you will stand ALONE before a Holy God and be judged according to His standards. I’m not judging whether or not Whitney Houston went to heaven or hell, but I’m here to say her latter part of life didn’t reflect what most would call a “godly” lifestyle. By my observation, it’s sad to see how the devil bound a woman with addiction to drugs, who knew that what she was doing was not right in the eyes of God. I pray that, before she ended her life, she made peace with her God. I pray more so for the peace of God to rest on her family during this grieving process.
Excellent blog post Pastor Joel! Always makes me think in a different perspective than what most would think.
Blessings,
Brad Barker-Pensacola,FL
awsm blog
M.A.- I agree with you 1000% percent!! It was a FUNERAL. Not an opportunity to be self righteous. My mother died several years ago and I had Pastor Claunch lead a prayer of salvation and talk about the need to be saved but mostly it was about her homegoing. As has been stated here, Whitney was one of the few singers in her day who WOULD talk about her faith. I have a hard time believing that suffering from an addiction automatically voids your salvation.
Amen, my sentiments exactly.
AMEN ~ “A VOICE THAT DECLARES THE TRUTH” WE NEED MORE OF THEM ! I HAVE REPOSTED THIS AND MADE A NOTE OUT OF IT ON MY FB PAGE. I KNOW SO MANY CHRISTIANS THAT ARE DECLARING THE BLOOD OF THE LAMB OVER THEIR LIVES AND LIVING THE OPPOSITE OF HOW THE BIBLE TELLS US TO LIVE IN ORDER FOR OUR NAMES TO BE WRITTEN IN THE LAMBS BOOK OF LIFE ! WHERE ARE THE REPENTANCE PREACHER OF TODAY ? WHERE ARE THE PROPHETC PROPHETS DECLARING THE TRUTH TODAY? I LOVE THIS POST ITS BEEN HEAVY ON MY HEART WHAT I BEHOLD TODAY IN THE CHRISTIAN BELIEVER’S LIFE.
This situation of what is shared at funerals has always been a touchy one. We are to comfort the mourning and to point out the deceased ones faults seems cold and compassion less yet everyone we allude to “good” people being in Heaven cause of their intentions, popularity or talent puts us in danger. What ever you reward as a society you will reproduce and my concern is to those in Hollywood that are starting out with roots in the church and a faith in Jesus will see the heros of the faith applauding the fallen for their visiting their churches the odd time and mentions of Christ on social media or award shows but living with a disconnect in their daily lives. We will produce a form of godliness but void of conviction and power.
God bless the Houstan family and may we remember that God loves all but approves of the diligent
I agree with Pastor Joel. Having a little knowledge of drug addiction, I truly believe that drugs addiction is nothing but a lot of demons living and manifesting in a person. Whitney Houston call her self a demon, seem like she had a little knowledge of satan but not enough to put him under her feet. fortunately, some people are blessed enough to get free by simply using their will power but sadly some can not like Whitney Houston. whether are not she received eternal life I can not say but I pray that men and women of God will stand up and call drug addition with it truly is, a demon. Thank Pastor Joel for always being a voice that speak the word of God .
Praise Jesus for every person who felt the Lord’s draw upon their lives as an outcome of Whitney Houston’s passing. She surely would rejoice if both her victories and her ailments brought others closer to God. I pray many are moved to attend a local church service where they might receive a word on serving the Lord and be led in a prayer of repentance and acceptance of Jesus as their Lord & Savior. Only through the goodness of God can a lifetime of change begin with such a small step. I find comfort in Jesus’ words: “All those the Father gives me will come to me, and whoever comes to me I will never drive away…For my Father’s will is that everyone who looks to the Son and believes in him shall have eternal life, and I will raise them up at the last day” (John 6:35-40).
Talking about someone’s death is not easy. I know she was a celebrity, but Whitney was also someone’s daughter, brother, sister, wife, & mother.
I agree with both M.A. & Joel. I think both of you are correct in what you shared, but I have to say that the manner in which M.A. shared was very honoring towards Whitney’s loved ones.
AMENT! AMENT! AMENT!
Thank you Ma for saying everything I wanted to say. but so much better than I could have.
Yet, can one not believe in the Lord but still lack deliverance from addictions? It’s not about how good we are but how good He is. BTW, Matthew 7:21 should be taken to heart by all, especially ministers.
Thank you pastor. I have the same thoughts…