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Shields Of Brass
"So Shishak king of Egypt came up against Jerusalem, and took away the treasures of the house of the LORD, and the treasures of the king's house; he took all: he carried away also the shields of gold which Solomon had made. Instead of which king Rehoboam made shields of brass, and committed them to the hands of the chief of the guard, that kept the entrance of the king's house. And when the king entered into the house of the LORD, the guard came and fetched them, and brought them again into the guard chamber." -- 2Chronicles 12:9-11
Posted by Joey Kelly

Pentecost is in danger of losing the touch of God it has enjoyed for over a century. Worse still, cheap substitutes (worldly music, humanistic church growth methods, the social gospel, the normalization of immorality and perversion, etc.) are being instituted in our various denominational bylaws, just like our brethren in mainline and non-denominational churches. These new methods and ideas cannot replace the precious anointing of the Holy Spirit. What will we do when our golden shields are gone?

Solomon's gold shields were stolen out of the temple in Jerusalem, but inferior brass ones were ordered and paraded in front of the people in place of the gold ones. We too have traded the precious things of God given to us as Pentecostals — in little more than 80 years we've all but thrown away the touch of the Spirit and carved out for ourselves broken cisterns that hold no water (Jeremiah 2:13).

News flash: God never called us to forsake the old ways… they're still valid and just as relevant as they've ever been (maybe more so, in light of the imminent return of our Lord).

We want new music, church growth, skinny jeans, etc., but don't want repentance, we don't call folks to surrender their lives to the Lord at the altar, we don't want to tell people their lifestyles are wrong, we don't want holiness… we just don't want.

We used to see drunks delivered, and later we sometimes saw drug addicts delivered, but now we're afraid to even say that homosexuality is wrong, let alone believe God for strength to forsake that sin for those enslaved by it.

We no longer desire to sell all that we have for the pearl of great price, yet give no second thought to the selling of our birthright. The gospel still works, the power of Pentecost still works, prayer still works, and we need to get back to these things, pronto.

I am concerned about the Assemblies of God convention in Anaheim, California this week (but every major Pentecostal denomination convenes periodically and are under constant attack as well… the Pentecostal Free Will Baptists and the International Pentecostal Holiness Church had their respective convocations just days ago). This seems to be a make-or-break event in AG history. The proposed resolutions call for an expansion of the social gospel and a forsaking of the nation of Israel, among other things.

Over the past few years, many conservative AG ministers have gathered on the Facebook group Conservatively Speaking… in the Assemblies of God with the goal of steering the grassroots back toward the way our forefathers believed and practiced. In conjunction with that group, The Acts 6:4 Conference has been lifting up the name of Jesus Christ in old-time Pentecostal power for several years now. These efforts are great, but much is at stake, and we fear that ground will be lost at General Council this year. Please pray that God would help us not only keep the ground we hold, but to repent and reclaim that which we lost, and to be strengthened in the Lord and encouraged in the battle.

To the point, we all must return to that Rock from whence we are hewn (Isaiah 51:1), and we must be about the Father's business of preaching the cross of Christ and winning lost souls before it is too late… I must work the works of him that sent me, while it is day: the night cometh, when no man can work (John 9:4).