Leaders, and priests and pastors can destroy God's plan for his church

Leaders and priests and pastors can destroy God’s Plans for “His Church.”

Brendan Mc Crossan

Chapter one

God builds his church not you!

Matthew-16-18.-You are Peter and upon this rock I will build my church, and all the powers of hell shall not prevail against it. And I give you the keys of the Kingdom of Heaven; whatever doors you lock on earth shall be locked in heaven; and whatever doors you open on earth shall be opened in Heaven!

God builds his church on people like peter who was the first God chose to begin his earthly work. Peter was only the first he was the forerunner to God’s plans for a living active church.

I am 61 years old now and in 31 years of following the lord in fellowship and in leadership I have witnessed prayer meetings and organizations fall because of leaders.

I have witnessed a great move of God getting stopped in its tracks by a leader of a church. God has prophesied a great move coming and gave instructions to get ready for this move and instead of preparing for this anointing, I seen those in charge oppose this move of God, subconsciously, not consciously, but tightening their grip of ‘their’ church.

You are Peter and upon this rock I will build my Church. Would you as a leader choose a type of man like Peter, a rough, course, smelly fisherman?

You probably would not, if you answered truthfully.

I saw God use people from a child abuser {his own kids} background to become one of the best leaders I ever seen. He repented to his children now grown up; they forgave him and in fact came to his prayer meeting, and loved his every word, because they saw such a change in their father.

I knew from previously experience because Rose and I prayed for his children’s healing what kind of man he was, note I said was! Would you have chosen this man as a leader in your church even if God told you to do so? Yet God gave his elders specific instructions to make this man an elder or leader, and he was an amazing leader, right up until he died years later, and his children mourned his passing and loved him.

God chose a terrorist to be one of his disciples, Simon the Zealot, {a terrorist of that age.} God chose thosewith a willing and repentant heartto be his leaders, disciples. Would you have chosen any of them?

Let me give you some examples of leaders destroying the works of God, and I use that word ‘destroy’ literally.

Chapter two

The fall of a great movement!

The charismatic movement began in about the 1960 I may be wrong about the exact date, in a place called Notradame in the USA, a college, and it grew in numbers as the Holy Spirit released gifts to ordinary students and then to lay folk, then some priests became involved and

and priests and pastors can destroy God’s Plans for “His Church.”

some pastors also, and it began to spread all over the world, it was an exciting time for me when it reached Derry in Ireland where I live, as I joined following the lords call on my life. Miraclesandhealing werehappeningthroughcertainpeopleandpeoplegotseriouslyinvolved in worship and praise and God released his anointing on ordinary folk, it was a mighty move of God.

Then about the year 1994 the word of the lord came to the leaders of the local charismatic movement that all those in leadership in every prayer meeting were to step down and let new people take over. This prophecy was given to the leaders gathered in St Columbus' college in Derry at a charismatic weekend conference and given by a leader and approved by the discernment committee, gathered on that day. A leader announced this message over the microphone to all the people gathered there and the majority sighed with relief because they had know for quite some time the Holy Spirit was being restricted by the leaders. Everyone present waited for the leaders of all the groups to step down and elect new leaders, a year passed, then two, then even more years passed and still the same leaders stayed in power. Slowly over the following years the numbers going to a charismatic meeting dwindled, then the meetings themselves dwindled until eventually there was none left, not even one. Was this God’s fault? Did he stop being a supreme God with awesome power to heal and deliver? Were there people coming to those meeting in droves at the start? Yes they were! But because the leaders failed to obey God, God took thecharismatic movement from them, and now the people have nothing and its now 2009, and the charismatic movement never recovered and it was because those leaders wanted to be in control, it was ‘their movement,’ ‘their prayer meeting,’ they wereimportant. Peoplelistened to themuntilpeoplegotbored with their talking about themselves or dead words pouring forth from their mouths and eventually left seeking somewhere they could go to find a living God and touch on his power, but finding none they became disillusioned and gave up on God, as you might call them Backsliders. Whose fault was it? God for not being an awesome God they once touched, or the leaders?

Church meetings from other persuasions took off, and they two divided into little numbers as the leaders felt they were the most important person running the church and arguments broke out and people left and formed their own churches and still there is no awesome God in evidence and they were to blame not God. God is in the business of building a church and when people get it into their head they should do things their way, then God moves aside and lets them go their own merry way usually without God, and they play church. But there is no power displayed, showing that the church is dead, for without miracles and deliverance and healing taking place regularly then there is no God present, that church is dead in the water. There on occasions may be manifestations of God’s power for healing displayed because God answers people’s sincere prayer, but in general there is a dead church.

Amighty move of God worldwide on TV destroyed

Just last year there was a man come on God TV and the power of God was so evident on him, he was anointed beyond anyone else seen for generations, and millions watched the rise of his ministry live every night on God TV. They witnessed the God we all want perform miracles deliverance's and healing's, as obvious to the world as there were instantaneous miracles live in front of our eyes it was like watching Jesus walk the earth again. It was fantastic, at last

proof that God was alive, millions were saved and healed night after night and people were even being saved over the Internet and TV and being healed through all forms of media, and this mighty move was ridiculed by the churches and unbelievers alike, but it didn’t stop millions tuning in every night as country after country took this program and included it into their countries TV network.

Then after a few months of even the dead being raised through this mans prayer and peoples prayer, the dead were raised even here in Ireland in Belfast in the Elam church there. Over 24 cases of the dead were recorded by doctors all over the world as people were encouraged to step out in faith through this mans ministry. My own sister in law got Gold teeth through touching her TV while he preached and thousands of others around the world experienced this also. Itwas awesomein our day God is moving so everyonecan seeheis aliveand activetoday as he was yesterday and forever.

Then people began to notice that the anointing were not the same, they were diminishing, and there was more talking getting done than they were healing's taking place. There were still healing's taking place but not as many as before and this man declared that the power was getting stronger though the people watching could feel it wane. You could actually tell when the anointing was changing during the great days the atmosphere in your home changed as you were watching, then this man announced that the atmosphere in the church was changing as the lord prepared to do a different more powerful work. Then it began to wane instead of gaining ground it was diminishing and people felt this take place, then one day he announced he was taking a holiday right in the middle of this great outpouring, and everyone thought yes, he needed this, him and his wife and kids and the healing's took place as other preachers took over.

The holiday extended and then his appearance on the program became less and less, and the anointing on him was obvious diminished when he made some appearances. Then came the greatest shock to millions he was removed from God TV and they began to play reruns of the first program’s.

Then finally it was announced that this mans ministry was over. Later they explained he left his wife and kids for another woman during this great anointing and everyone was shocked beyond belief. How could anyone who was spending 6 hours a day in private worship with God every day suddenly blow it?

The Christian world was shocked; everything was left hanging in the air as God TV was overwhelmed by people looking for a justifiable answer.

Eventually his elders and leaders sent and email to all those in touch by email explaining, that this man stopped his private worship and began spending his time more and more with his babysitter and with other young people and drinking instead of praying, he gave up his ministry for lust and drink, and caused untold damage to the church of Christ, through what he done. And new converts poor souls what were they to think now? Where does that leave them? I was saddened beyond belief as was millions of other Christians, such a move of God in this present day and a man destroy it all for sex and drink!

Don’t say you would never do that if you had such a ministry, you should say; ‘there but for the grace of God go I,’ and forgive this man if you know whom I am talking about and pray for him, as he, according to his elders is still unrepentant.

You see you can have a great church and a great ministry beginning and you through your own fault blow it all.

Chapter three

Pastors, Leaders and Priests are the reasons God can’t do what he wishes to in those churches.

The Catholic church has a lot to answer for because they have so much control over everything, they are tighter than an earthly army, with secret societies and so much dirt they are hiding deliberately, they have to explain to God when they face him for their actions, from the Pope down to the parish priest they have kept hidden deliberately child abuse and abuse of people through homosexual acts between priests and between priests and their congregation members. If you get defensive here because I say these things then you need to look at where does you faith lie, in a church, or in God?

I was a lay reader in my local Catholic church, and I witness the demise of the congregation over the years. They have tried program after program to bring people back to church but none worked, IknowasIhavetaken partin meetingswherethey havetried tocomeup with answers to what is wrong instead of admitting they were abusing children on a massive scale and homosexual priests were practicing openly their foul acts. I know some of those priests personally so I am not talking without knowledge. The church has not repented from the Pope down to thepriests, their misdeeds of every kind, their unbelief in amiraclehealing Jesus.That is why people are leaving in droves. People and fed up with a dead church and no sign of this supposedly great God.

Protestant churches are also emptying because of a lack of power and sign and wonders so don’t slag the Catholic Church if your own has no proof of a miracle working God. Yours is also dead!

Chapter four

What are the causes of a churches downfall?

1- The pastor, priest, or leader is in charge, or to rephrase that he is in control.

2 -It is his church! It isn’t God’s church if it’s his.

3- He is not humble enough to listen to others, who may have more experience than him, after all he is the leader, priest or pastor, and no one will try and tell him what he should do or say.

4 -Arrogance on the leader’s part, he doesn’t seem arrogant but his mind set is no one will tell me what’s best.

5- Doing everything himself, where are the other leaders or elders?

6- The feeling that he is responsible for the church, that simply put means he is not trusting God with “HIS Church,” not the pastors, priests or prayer meeting leaders church.

7 lack of humility, he is the one who needs to do all because you can’t trust people to do a good a job as him.

8- He is the only one who can deliver a sermon that will bless the church. When is the last time pastor priest or leader that you let someone from your elders preach the sermon?

9 – When has the pastor, prieat or leader asked the other elders their opinion or advice?

10 – Does the pastor, priest or leader make all the important decision, or does he seek the advice and council of his elders, and more importantly does he seek the advice of God?

11- Does the pastor, priest or leader control the praise and worship, is God’s praise and worship controlled by the pastor or leader, is it set to a limited time?

12- Does the pastor, priest or leader give the worship leader a look or a signal to cut the worship even if it’s rising into a crescendo by the congregation who are being led by the worship leader who is being led by the Holy Spirit?

13- Does the pastor, priest or leader time the worship to a T? He is in control and not God’s spirit, just so he can get in his very important sermon. If you pastors or leaders do this, then God is no where near your meeting, you have replaced God with your importance.

14 –Pastors, priests and leaders here is a question for you, what is most important, God or your sermon or program?

15- Does the pastor, priest or leader tell the worship group what songs to sing, if you do you are in control, not God. By not allowing the worship leader follow the Holy Spirit, he has to follow you.

16- If your church has a healing program, note; I said program not service, who does almost all the praying? Are healing's even happening for you?

17-Does the pastor, priest or leader organize the other ministries in the church?

18- Does the pastor, priest or leader take over from another leader when he enters the room, and bore everyone with his unceasing talking? As he takes control, it means he does not trust the other leader to be able to fulfil his ministry.

19- Does your prayer take more than a few minutes, if so you are just talking to hear your wonderful self, and are more than likely not anointed by God! I‘ve been in a prison ministry where you have only an hour to try and get through to IRA and protestant terrorists a message

I’M sure they felt wonderful but no got saved or converted, and their prayer I doubt very much if God even listened to their boring litany.

20- Do you pastors, priests or leaders listen to those with more experience than you, who offer to help you?

21- Do you pretend to listen while plotting to ignore the advice of others more qualified in their ministry?

22 Do you pastors, priests and leaders listen with complete openness to someone who has a word of God, or do you dissect it in front of others by giving a better word. Or as in most cases I have seen, ignored it, even when it was repeated by another individual or two, on a different night.

23- Pastors , priests and leaders if you know best then you know nothing about God, God uses even those considered by the world to be of no use, he uses the foolish to confound the wise.

24- Do you pastors,priests and leaders accept the help of those in different ministries than you when they offer their help, or will your program get you by with a “clear” “Conscience?” only fooling yourself.

25- Do you pastors, priests and leaders listen to the prophecies people give and immediately follow them up by doing what the lord says through the body, or do you ignore week after week the same prophecies, shame on you! I know most don’t follow up prophecy unless they agree with it themselves, even when two or three testify the same message, and the message is repeated regularly by God.

26- Pastors, priests and leaders if you don’t follow up the prophecies do you understand that you are in disobedience to the word of God given through the body. You have never discerned those prophecies, with your other leaders and elders.

27-Pastors, priests and leaders is the worship time that is given to the lord longer than your sermon? If your sermon is always longer than the worship then you are playing God and want the praises of the people, subconsciously. I don’t say that you have been conscious of this, until now; but do you have the worship limited to a certain time so that you can fit the rest of the service in and of course your wonderful sermon.

28- Do you pastors, priests or leaders who read this get offended by what I write then you are in control somewhere in your church

I have witnessed pastors, priests and leaders sacrifice their time at healing conferences and services, so that the worship and praise when it took off, give God the glory by stepping down and

letting the worship go on past the specified time. Theses were men of God who only wanted to glorify God not themselves, and I seen these men and women, at the end of the service lay hands on the people and amazing miracles happen through them because God is more important that them giving a talk or testimony.

Theses men, Like Fr Ronnie Mitchell, Dennis Goodell, many a time urged the worship on and up as they choose to believe God was more important than ‘their’ ministry, God was ‘their’ ministry, and when God was getting so much glory they were delighted because they knew from experience it is better to let God have his way, then they will see the benefits of miracle after miracle happen. They knew miracles and healing and deliverance happen mostly during true worship.

Have you pastors, priests or leaders stopped the high praises because you had a program you need to follow, if you ever did and I am sure you did, we all make mistakes, then you can be assured that you were the one responsible for stopping people receiving a miracle or deliverance or healing. I know I done theses things and have repented and changed things years ago, there is still time for you to repent and let God get back in control.

And if I have offended you by what I wrote- “to bad”- get a life and make it a life in the lord, better to be offended by what I wrote than to offend God,. You as a Christian have to forgive me as I forgive you for destroying God’s great plans for his church.

Of course there are many, many pastors and leaders and some priests who sacrifice themselves all the time for the glory of God, and are wonderfully rewarded by the lord through the healing's and miracles that occur through the ministry and then the laying on of hands.

I as a young leader in a prayer meeting was told by one woman that she was scared of me, I was shocked because we were good friends, she told me when I asked why she was scared of me, she said she didn’t understand some things I taught and didn’t agree with some other things and wanted desperately to ask for more clarity on my part, but was afraid to do so. When I pressed her to explain why she was afraid of me she replied I didn’t seem to be ever wrong, and when someone challenged me on a subject I immediately gave them scripture after scripture, backing up what I was saying, I may have been right; but I realized I was a bully, a spiritual intellectual bully, quoting God’s word in my own defense. I may have always argued my case with people but eventually a few days later the lord would correct me and I had to go back to those I offended and apologize and ask for forgiveness. What Mary told me was correct, I didn’t like to be thought wrong, and you can’t be right all thetime. I asked her forgiveness and told her shecan comeand correct meanytimeshethought I was wrong or I was saying things the wrong way and I promised I would listen, I am glad to say Mary stayed with us for years, and grew in spiritual strength and in the gifts.

Rose my dear wife was the one woman in my life that always knew when I was wrong in my attitude she knew every stance every body position that showed I was getting my back up and shealways cameand listened in and took meaway from situations whereI was wrong, and later in privacy she scolded me and I huffed for a day or so defending myself with the word. But

Rose always quoted my own favourite Psalm back at me, Psalm 139-1-24-end of psalm. And told me to go to this Psalm and search my heart with God. This Psalm is the most wonderful Psalm in the Psalms as far as I am concerned, and is a true blessing when talking with the lord. And is the most difficult to be honest with the lord about. I won’t quote the full Psalm but the parts that are most important to us a leaders or pastors or priests.

Psalm 139-v1-8- O Lord you have examined my heart and know everything about me. You know when I sit or stand. From far away you know my every thought. You chart the path ahead of me, and tell me where to stop and rest! Every moment you know where I am. You know what I am going to say before I even say it. You both precede me and follow me, and place your hand of blessing on my head. This istoo glorious, too wonderful to believe! Ican neverbe lost to your spirit!I can never get away from my God!

V-23-24-Search me oh God, and know my heart; test my thoughts. Point out anything you find in me that makes you sad, and lead me along the path of everlasting life.

This Psalm will always keep us right with God if we use it often to examine our hearts. Pastors, leaders, and active priests, I don’t write this booklet to try and discourage you or to put you down, but merely as an extension of love because love wants the best for people. I want to see Priests Leaders of prayer meetings and Pastors walking in the glory of God and walking in the signs and wonders God promised.

I am 61 now and I have done the right things and the wrongs things mentioned here in this booklet, and it has at times been a very lonely painful journey. Rose and I have been rejected by those who witnessed God work miracles and healing's through us, we have been mocked because we talked miracles and encouraged others in prayer meetings to believe God for miracles also, and leaders who saw the miracles take place in front of their own eyes tried to stop them from happening, even though they also felt the glory of God come on people; they still went ahead and tried to stop Rose and I ministering to hurting sick and crippled people. If you are going to step out and begin praying with and for people then expect to be attacked from all sides, because you are doing the only things Jesus told his church to do, go and preach the gospel, heal the sick. If you are concentrating on this ministry, and we all have been told to do that then you are treading on Satan’s toes and he will retaliate. Believe me I would accept all the loneliness, the rejection, the mockery all over again and ten fold just to set one child that Jesus died for free, from the bondage Satan has kept them in for years, just to see even one person restored to new life and health is worth the pain and rejection of a thousand hypocrites.

Leaders and pastors and Priests, examine yourselves with this Psalm and with the things I have written about in this booklet and repent if you have done wrong, and rejoice if you have done right, step out in faith and God will reward you with miracles, healings, deliverance and signs and wonders for his wonderful Glory. It’s worth it all!

Don’t destroy God’s great plans for you, by refusing to examine your motives and ‘your’ plans. Doing things Gods way brings him glory and you victory.

Amen