#life – Kristian M. Marion

Pastors & Wolves

January 25, 2020January 25, 2020 Kristian M. Marion

Ever since I could remember, pastors have been held in high prestige. Nobody really knows why. Do they? We all assume that since he is dressed in a dignified and religious way, respect is due to him. A pastor is defined by what church he belongs to or what clothes he wears. However, we live in a time where if a pastor drives a Mercedes, wears expensive suits, lives in a mansion and travels all over the world, such a pastor was successful and would be extremely close to God. The problem is, you can’t use materialistic wealth to be an indicator of spiritual intimacy. There are rich people who have no clue of Jesus. Satan himself offered Jesus all the riches of the world so wealth cannot be an indicator of whether someone is right with God. Neither are gifts. Gifts are given and they are irrevocable. God doesn’t take a gift back because a pastor is living in sin. He may lose his purpose but not his gifts. It is very disturbing to belong to a church whose pastor delivers good sermons and heals the sick but is extremely far from God.

A pastor receives double honour on earth but double accountability on Judgment day.

1 Peter 5:1 As a fellow elder, a witness of Christ’s sufferings, and a partaker of the glory to be revealed, I appeal to the elders among you: 2 Be shepherds of God’s flock that is among you, watching over them not out of compulsion, but because it is God’s will; not out of greed, but out of eagerness; 3not lording it over those entrusted to you, but being examples to the flock.…

Therefore, being a pastor should be a pleasure to you and not a burden. Pastorship becomes a burden when the focus is no longer on Jesus but on other things. Most pastors are after money, fame and materialistic wealth. When this happens, services become a show, sermons become a speech, churches become a theatre and congregations become an audience.

Case Study 1

A pastor had a woman going through a divorce in his church. She asked him to pray for her. He told her that in order for her to be free from her husband, he must pray for her while she was naked in a shower. He told her, she needs to be baptized from her husband.

Is such a thing even mentioned in the Bible?

When the attention is no longer on Jesus and the flock, the church suffers. People will go astray, those who need to be set free continue in their sin and many are hurt. Many leave the church and join another while others never go back to church at all. I had the privilege to invite someone to church who had never attended a service in ten years! The whole point of church is to fellowship among believers so that our faith may be edified. The church was never intended for you to sit in the pews and warm the seats! Most pastors today entertain his guests so that they just sit in the pews and pay their tithes. No one ever grows and the pastor enjoys the money. The whole purpose of the pastor is to equip the saints to do the works of services.

Ephesians 4:11 So Christ himself gave the apostles, the prophets, the evangelists, the pastors and teachers,

12 to equip his people for works of service, so that the body of Christ may be built up.

Healing the sick isn’t only supposed to be done by pastors but by EVERY CHRISTIAN. Pastors don’t want you to know this because it’s bad for business.

Case Study 2

A pastor was preaching excellent messages at the pulpit. It was found that his sermons were rather similar. With investigation, it was found that his sermons were the exact imitation of sermons of some pastors on Youtube.

If your pastor is not spending time with God and studying the Word, how can you listen to someone like that?

Most people will back a pastor up no matter what. It’s not about taking sides with the pastor. The pastor never died for you. You need to be on the side of the truth. If the pastor is wrong, he must repent and continue in the work. If he persists in his disobedience, then he must be removed from his position before sin becomes acceptable. It is Jesus we must worship, not a man! An unrepentant pastor will lead a church that remains unrepentant. An ungodly leader of an assembly will eventually have an ungodly assembly.

Case Study 3

There was a pastor who also had a day job. He was interviewing candidates and if they were female, he would give them the job for sexual favours. One night at a hotel, he had a heart attack while he was doing the deed. The story leaked out into the newspapers and it became a scandal.

Matthew 7:¹⁵“Beware of false prophets, who come to you in sheep’s clothing, but inwardly they are ravenous wolves. ¹⁶You will know them by their fruits…

There are three types of people:

Those who bear good fruit
Those who bear bad fruit
And those who bear no fruit

If your pastor is not involved in the following in your church, it could mean he is a money-hungry false prophet or he ain’t got a clue on what the Bible is talking about:

Preaching the truthful Gospel
Helping the poor
Evangelism
Prison ministry
Hospital visitations
Helping widows and orphans
Helping the community

If your pastor is involved in these activities, then he is probably a false prophet:

Preaches prosperity and success in worldly things
Condones homosexuality and abortions
Preaches only about tithes
Has a lot of fundraisers
Preaches Motivation instead of repentance
Refrains from sermons that talk about hell and end times
Glamourises worldly ambitions
Refuses to accept he is wrong when he is wrong

So may you pray before you join a church and be discerning of what is preached on the pulpit for deception is a sugary snack that everyone indulges in upon.

Trip to Port Edward

December 29, 2019 Kristian M. Marion

I always wanted to go down to the South Coast of South Africa. I decided to plan a trip to somewhere far down like Port Elizabeth. After discovering that it was an 8-11 hour drive, I settled to book @ The Lighthouse Inn situated at the Black Rock in Port Edward. We selected seven days of stay, from the 21st to the 28th of December. We left Saturday morning at 10am. It was only a 2-hour drive that ran alongside the pristine beach shores, over bridges that crossed scenic rivers and estuaries. I arrived at our destination, Black Rock, which is where the Lighthouse Inn is located. The pounding waves is all that you hear as you are embraced by the sea breeze. There is a trail that will lead you to the beach and amongst the rocks that line the shores.

The next day (Sunday) I went to a local church called Southcity Port Edward. I was greeted and welcomed with much friendliness. This church only seated 60-70 people and the pastor was dressed in a shirt, jeans and takkies. He preached a really good message. He said that when the shepherds saw Jesus, they worshipped Him and went and told everyone about it. If you have an encounter with God, two things should occur: You worship Him in Spirit and in Truth and you are involved in evangelism.

Monday was the big day as we made our way to Lake Eland, a nature reserve and adventure park in the heart of Oribi Gorge. On our way along the treacherous trail, I spotted bucks, zebras and wildebeests. Eventually, we reached the suspension bridge. It spanned 80m at a height of 130m above the gorge. The view is breathtaking but there is no need to fear falling off or through as the bridge is well caged.

We then made our way back to the ziplines. This where things got intense! Its basically being hung upon a pulley system attached to a wire rope. There is also a safety wire rope that you are secondarily attached to. There are 14 ziplines, 18 platforms with a travel distance of 4,5Km. The ziplines vary in heights between 200m to 300m above the forest ground which means if you fall, you don’t get up again! You are then clothed in safety gear and equipment and briefed in an induction room. You go to your first platform. They connect you up and wait for the signal for you to go. With my gloved hands, I grab the strap that holds me onto the line and with my right hand, I grab the wire rope for stability and let gravity do the work. As I soar down to the next platform, I find myself thinking: “I don’t want to do this anymore!”

I brake by pulling down on my travel rope and I decrease in speed as I land at my next platform. 13 more slides to go. I cross valleys and forests, having a few seconds to glance at the amazing view that lies below me. At one point, I was ziplining way too fast and I braked but it wasn’t slowing down fast enough. I struck the stopper hard and I jerked, my knee kicks into the wire rope and it gives it a slight cut. I survive. I then crossed the lake and I underestimated the height I was coming in. The heel of my hiking boots struck the dark brown waters and I. Was. Wet.

Eventually, we reached the last platform after going through a tunnel. A bakkie arrives to take you back up to the office. The road back is so steep that if you don’t hold on to the handlebars, you will fall off! The road sometimes descends up to 45 degrees! When I reached the top, there was a staircase leading down to some caves. I had a look at it but it wasn’t that much. Just overhanging rocks!

On Tuesday, I went to the Red Desert, a 200m desert in Port Edward that has its own ecosystem. It was quite weird, I admit. The place resembled something from Mars! It was as if you were on another planet. There were large rocks but it wasn’t sandy or anything like that. We then went to the Wild Coast Sun and watched a movie.

On Wednesday, we went to Southcity Church since it was Christmas Day. Once again, the pastor preached a really good message. We went home and had a braai. After lunch, I went to the beachfront and frolicked in the waves. At the end of the day, I was battered!

On Thursday, we drove to the Riverside part of Wild Coast Sun, I went Kayaking which is quite difficult I must say. Your arms, back and legs feel it. I was at two places at once! Along the Umtavuna River, you are between KZN and Eastern Cape. The Eastern Cape bridge is a bowstring arch bridge that provides a way over the river.

On Friday, I went to Macbanana, which was an interesting place. They had a restaurant that served amazing food, a supermarket that literally sold everything, and loads of adventures that you could embark on.

And finally, Saturday arrived and we packed up and left Port Edward, leaving no trace of our presence but taking loads of memories.

Price Tag

November 10, 2019 Kristian M. Marion

Let’s look at two scriptures in the Bible:

Genesis 37:28 So when the Midianite traders passed by, his brothers pulled Joseph out of the pit and sold him for twenty shekels of silver to the Ishmaelites, who took him to Egypt.

Matthew 26:14 Then one of the twelve, named Judas Iscariot, went to the chief priests 15 and said, “What are you willing to give me to betray Him to you?” And they weighed out thirty pieces of silver to him.

In these two scriptures, we find two profound individuals practically sold for silver by people that they not only trusted but were most accompanied with. How many times are we sold by our friends or family and we never expected it from them? Fair enough, Jesus definitely expected it because He knew the future as well as the fulfilment of prophecy. But the audacity is that Jesus was given a price tag!

There’s a story I’ve heard before about a shop that was secretly broken into at night. the intruders didn’t break in with the intention to steal but to rearrange the price tags. The customers were astonished at their bargains but the cashiers had no clue of what was going on. Sometimes, circumstances or people can place price tags on us without us even knowing. This price tag can become a limit for us especially when we want to do great things for God.

You have price tags like:

Your bad past

Your bleak future

Your critical illness

Your disappointing failure

Your captivating addiction

Your empty loneliness

All these price tags are like labels that prevent us from living the life that God wants us to live. And just like that, we stand at a fork in the road. One tells us to listen to the opinions of people and the other, the Truth of Gods word. The choice remains up to you. The worse thing is when we choose to believe the price tag.

Your price tag says your past is bad but 2 Corinthians 5:17 says: Therefore if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation. The old has passed away. Behold, the new has come!

Your price tag says that your future is bleak but Jeremiah 29:11 says: For I know the plans I have for you, declares the LORD, plans to prosper you and not to harm you, to give you a future and a hope.

Your price tag says that your sickness is critical but Isaiah 53:5 says: But He was pierced for our transgressions, He was crushed for our iniquities; the punishment that brought us peace was upon Him, and by His stripes, we are healed.

Your price tag says that your failure is disappointing but Romans 8:28 says: And we know that God works all things together for the good of those who love Him, who are called according to His purpose.

Your price tag says that your addiction has you captivated but John 8:36 says: So if the Son sets you free, you will be free indeed.

Your price tag says your loneliness makes you feel empty but Hebrews 13:5b says “Never will I leave you, never will I forsake you.”

People can try to get rid of you but they can’t get rid of your purpose. You are here for a reason, don’t let people stop you from doing what God has planned for you. Those who betrayed Joseph and Jesus always regretted it. The only problem we face is when we choose to believe the price tag. Your worth is found in Christ, not in other people. It was Jesus who died for you, no one else. His blood is what makes you precious, nothing else.

You will never find a price tag on something that’s priceless.

Christianity and Ancestral Worship

September 22, 2019September 22, 2019 Kristian M. Marion

Since heritage day is coming up, I would like to deal with the question that seems to rise up is: Can a Christian serve Christ and still worship their forefathers? What I have found is that this brings up an ultimatum. It is either Jesus or your ancestors. You can’t worship both. You may ask why? Let’s read the Bible…

Deuteronomy 18:10-11

10“There shall not be found among you anyone who makes his son or his daughter pass through the fire, one who uses divination, one who practices witchcraft, or one who interprets omens, or a sorcerer, 11or one who casts a spell, or a medium, or a spiritist, or one who calls up the dead.

Isaiah 8:19

19When men tell you to consult the spirits of the dead and the spiritists who whisper and mutter, shouldn’t a people consult their God instead? Why consult the dead on behalf of the living?

So, since the Bible is compatible with Jesus but not compatible with ancestral worship. We can now say that there is now no commonality between them whatsoever.

Most people use the Transfiguration story to justify consulting the dead because Jesus called up Moses and Elijah. However, one must understand that Moses and Elijah did not die a natural death. Also, the disciples did not have a conversation with Moses and Elijah.

It is also vital to know what Ecclesiastes 9:5-6 says:

5For the living know they will die; but the dead do not know anything, nor have they any longer a reward, for their memory is forgotten. 6Indeed their love, their hate and their zeal have already perished, and they will no longer have a share in all that is done under the sun.

The dead doesn’t know anything. They can’t help you! It also says that they will no longer have a share in what is happening on earth. The question arises: Who are you communicating to? Are they really your forefathers? Are they really your ancestors? Or are they spirits disguising themselves as your loved ones deceiving you and drawing you away from Christ Jesus?

You cannot follow your ancestors and Jesus. They are going in two opposite directions. You can’t be in America and England at the same time. You will have to choose who you will be in. You may that it is your pride or your tradition but the Bible says in 2 Corinthians 5:17,

17Therefore if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation. The old has passed away. Behold, the new has come!

Unless you leave the old things, you can’t be with the new. You don’t need your forefathers to take you closer to God. We have Jesus for that. Jesus is the Way, the Truth and the Life. No man comes to the Father but through Him. John 14:6

In 1 Timothy 2:5;

5For there is one God and one mediator between God and men, the man Christ Jesus,

Hebrews 9:15

15Therefore Christ is the mediator of a new covenant, so that those who are called may receive the promised eternal inheritance, now that He has died to redeem them from the transgressions committed under the first covenant.

Therefore, Jesus is the ONLY essential person that will take us to God for in Christ all the fullness of the Deity lives in bodily form. Colossians 2:9

Repent and turn to Christ. Put away all false gods aside and serve the true living God.

The True Gospel

July 13, 2019 Kristian M. Marion

Previously, I have written warnings on this blog about false gospels that have infiltrated churches. But what is the true Gospel? People don’t have a clue! So I have taken the liberty to let everyone know. You might not like it but you have to know it.

Christians do not know the depravity of a soul caused by sin. When sin entered the world, death reigned. Romans 6:23 The wages of sin is death but the gift of God is eternal life. Sin is the reason why God and His people were separated, Romans 3:23 For all have fallen short of the glory of God. So from ancient times, this chasm between God and man has have had many attempts to fill it up with good works and religion. Nothing changed until God Himself decided to fill the gap so that He could be in union with the people He loved. And this is how the Gospel story began. Jesus came down as God in the flesh and gave His life for us so that we can have eternal life. The crucifixion of Jesus Christ was the only way that we could be saved. No other way. Matthew 26:39, Jesus prayed to the Father asking if this cup could be taken from Him, yet not as He will but what the Father wanted. In other words, if there was any other way…

But there wasn’t…

He died and was buried for three days and then rose again. Understand that He died for the remission of our sins and then rose again for our justification, Romans 4:25, Because if Christ died, who would be the advocate that would plead our cause and tell the judge that someone died for us? Hence, Christ rose so that He could intercede on our behalf. He has been doing it since A.D. 30?

While we were sinners, Christ died for us, Romans 5:8. Our good works can’t get us into heaven, Romans 3:27, it is only through faith in Christ Jesus that we can receive salvation. Jesus is the only way to heaven, John 14:6. Jesus is the way, the truth and the life, that means He gives us new life. 2 Corinthians 5: 17, Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; the old has gone, the new has come! Correct me if I’m wrong, but isn’t the new always different from the old? If there is no change, then you are still old. A convert cannot be living the same way he was living before he knew Christ. The Holy Spirit will bring conviction. Hence, if someone wants to follow Christ, He must repent and believe in Christ, Acts 2:38. Repentance means to turn from your old wicked ways and strive towards holiness and live a life that pleases God, and only God…

Conviction and repentance aren’t a once of thing in the life of a Christian. It’s ongoing, God begins to trim the fat of worldliness so that we become closer and closer to His image. It isn’t easy but I can assure you that it is worth it.

But it doesn’t stop there…

You also need to go tell others about Jesus too! They also need to be saved, I mean, without Jesus, the only destination is hell…

Mark 16:15 Therefore go into all the world and preach the good news to all creation. We must go and make disciples, not sit in church every Sunday until your life is over! What does it mean to follow Christ? Do we know what it costs? I don’t think we do. We think we can just say a prayer and smooth sail into heaven. Nope. To be Christian means giving everything to God. Everything belongs to Him. Even your very life. Jesus didn’t suffer and die on the cross so that you can sit on your couch and watch Netflix. There is a calling we need to respond to.

We can’t carry on walking in darkness, we can not continue to live in sin, Romans 6:1. The Bible says in Hebrew 10:26-27, If we deliberately keep on sinning after we have received the knowledge of the truth, no sacrifice of sins is left, but only a fearful expectation of judgment and of raging fire that will consume the enemies of God.

John 14:15, If you love me, you will obey what I command. That means if you don’t do what Jesus commanded us to do, you don’t love Him!

John 14:12, I tell you the truth, anyone who has faith in me will do what I have been doing. He will do greater things than these because I am going to the Father. That means if we don’t do what Jesus was doing, we don’t have faith in Him! Answer this question: Does a person who does not love God and does not have faith in Jesus go to heaven?

And here is something for you to think about. I know I’m crossing the line here. Read Matthew 25:31-46. We have the sheep and the goats. The sheep were welcomed into heaven because they fed the hungry, quenched the thirsty, invited strangers in, clothed the naked, helped the sick and visited those in prison. But the goats were cast into the eternal fire because they never did what the sheep did. We need to be careful that we don’t fall into a legalistic works based doctrine here but if we worship other gods instead of Jesus then we are hellbound. Jonah 2:8, Those who cling to worthless idols forfeit the grace that could be theirs. This scripture says that if we have idols in our hearts, we can actually forfeit the grace that has been given to us. The worst idol of today is ourselves. We worship ourselves so much that we just don’t care about anyone else. Our selfishness will drag us to hell.

There will have to be a part 2 of this blog. Has to be…

Prosperity Gospel #2

May 18, 2019May 18, 2019 Kristian M. Marion

In my previous post on this topic Prosperity Gospel, I discussed the dangers of a money orientated gospel. I would like to touch on this topic again with a bit more shocking information. I would also like to show you why I hate the prosperity gospel.

When I used to go to church when I was young, I attended a church that was spiritually competitive. A spiritually competitive church will never be spiritually edifying. It was the type of church that if you were the richest, then you were the closest to God and that’s why you were blessed. So if you drove a Mercedes or a BMW, it’s because you were spending a lot of time with God. Which is strange because non-Christians also drive those cars and so do thugs!

I remember reading prosperity books that members of the congregation recommended and sold. I would pray and read my Bible. Pray and be as good as I can be so that God would bless us. Spending money for school was a rare privilege. We sometimes walked to school. We couldn’t do what the other kids did because I couldn’t afford it. We were just happy with the plate of food we had on our table every day. I would pray for clothes, shoes and money. It was like talking to a brick wall. My uniform would get small and I would need new school shoes hoping that God would provide but nothing seemed to happen. Eventually, I would get what I needed but what about the abundant blessings that God spoke about in His word?

I remember walking 4Km to church while I saw other people with cars never show up. I never had money to godly things but others had cash for alcohol and club nights. God, why are you so unfair?

I remember when I stopped praying about all these things. I just believed and trusted God irrespective whether He ‘blessed’ me or not. I didn’t care whether he provided or not, my allegiance is not conditional. If I die today, I know where I’m going. I’m not living for here and now, I’m living for the mansion that Jesus is preparing for me. We should pray more for our eternal destination rather than temporary things. Don’t get me wrong, God does provide our needs, and wants! However, you have a problem if you only want to get close to God so that you can get what you want. You go to God to get God!

I have no respect for churches who have chosen leaders based on their paycheck. Wearing suits and expensive dresses doesn’t bring you closer to God. Owning that mansion won’t take you to heaven and driving that Ferarri won’t take you closer to God.

One of our leaders said this: “Are you still successful if you excel at your workplace but fail God and your family?”

Now to the scary part. The real scary part. Revelations 13:

16And he causes all, the small and the great, and the rich and the poor, and the free men and the slaves, to be given a mark on their right hand or on their forehead, 17and he provides that no one will be able to buy or to sell, except the one who has the mark, either the name of the beast or the number of his name

According to Revelation 13, The Bible predicts that unless you accept a mark in exchange for your soul, you will not be able to buy or sell. That means that you cannot work or own a business. No income. No way to pay for your house. No car debit orders. No way of purchasing food or water for your family. It is practically choosing to be a hobo on the street! You can beg all you like but no one can give you money because the mark is what the economy runs on. People will be told not to give you any food, besides in a world like today, people don’t help the poor. Why would they help Christian people that they hate? Farming would be illegal by then. Christians would have to live in jungles or on mountains, anywhere that has water nearby. And you would probably be hunted for breaking the law.

The question is: If the mark were enforced into the economy today, would you leave your job, your bank accounts, your home, your car? Would you leave everything for the sake of eternal life?

The prosperity gospel preachers are preparing people today to receive that mark! People are chasing the dime instead of drawing close to God. And when the mark of the beast comes out, people will take it because they believe in a God who wants them to be wealthy. How many Christians will be taking that Mark? How many will sacrifice their eternity for the sake of status and comfort? Who will tell these prosperity preachers to shut up?

Has God Rejected Israel?

May 1, 2019May 1, 2019 Kristian M. Marion

I have come across many articles written by many walks of life regarding the Holy Land and their occupants. Some are supportive of the Jews and some are antisemitic.

But I don’t care about people’s preferences and opinions. I believe in the Bible and not what the media shoves down our throat.

Let’s go straight to scripture…

Jeremiah 31:35-37 This is what the Lord says:

The One who gives the sun for light by day, the fixed order of the moon and stars for light by night, who stirs up the sea and makes its waves roar – the Lord of Armies is his name:

If this fixed order departs from before me-

this is the Lord’s declaration-

only then will Israel’s descendants cease to be a nation before me forever.

This is what the Lord says:

Only if the heavens above can be measured and the foundations of the earth below explored, will I reject all of Israel’s descendants because of all they have done – this is the Lord’s declaration.

This is what scripture states. God has NOT rejected Israel. How could He? Is not salvation first for the Jews, then for the Gentiles? Romans 1:16…

Christians fail to realise that Christianity originated in Israel by a Jew named Jesus. He died so that all could be saved if they repented and believed in Him. Now, some of the Israelites became Christians, are they still rejected? No. There are still Messianic Jews who believe in Jesus! God is fighting on behalf of Israel even though some of them don’t believe in Him. In 2014, an article was published about how enemies of Israel launched rockets in an attack against Jerusalem and those rockets swerved away from the Holy City for no reason. Why? God protects that Land. Today, Israel live in Kibbutz. A kibbutz is a self-sustaining village. they can survive without any help from the outside because they have everything they need. God provides for them. So if God is protecting them and you are against Israel, doesn’t that mean that you are fighting against God?

God still has a purpose for Israel which will be revealed in the last days. They will see the King of Kings and know who their Messiah is. Then they will believe. All Israel will be saved.

Romans 11:1 Did God reject His people? By no means!

As Christians, we need to support Israel and not back out because of politics. Israel was recently attacked by Palestinians and the media twisted the story stating that Israel attacked the Palestinians. We live in a world that is very biased. They don’t want you to know the truth.

Another issue in the church that is leading people astray is this crazy notion that the church is the new Israel! How absurd! There is Israel and there are Gentiles. Those who accept Jesus are Believers, also known as Christians. There is a huge difference. When we adopt the idea that we are the new and improved Israel, then we begin to believe the heresy that Israel was rejected by God.

So support Israel in your prayers. Support them by buying their products. Support them because when everyone turns against them, understand then that the end is near. Extremely near…