No Time for Evil
Judgment must begin at the house of God.
A NOVELLA
Essence Magazine National Bestselling Author
Daniel Whyte III with Meriqua Whyte
No Time for Evil Cover Design by Atinad Designs. Copyright 2011 TORCH LEGACY PUBLICATIONS: ATLANTA, GEORGIA; DALLAS, TEXAS; BROOKLYN, NEW YORK This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, and incidents either are the product of the author's imagination or are used fictitiously. Any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, events, or locales is entirely coincidental. All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording or otherwise, without the prior permission of the copyright owner, except for brief quotations included in a review of the book.
Acknowledgements I want to thank God for giving me the joy and privilege to serve Him, lo, these past thirty years. It has been an exciting ride that I really cannot even express in words. One of the reasons why my experience with God has been so tremendous is because God has taught me very well, over the years, that we have no time for evil. God blesses obedience. He does not bless disobedience; He never has and He never will. I also want to thank my wife, Meriqua Whyte, for assisting me in this field of writing fiction—a field that I used to hate, but have grown to find very effective in getting the Gospel and biblical truth to people who will not hear it any other way, except in a story. Thanks also goes to all of my children: Danni, Daniel IV, Danita, Danae`, Daniqua, Danyel Ezekiel, and Danyelle Elizabeth, for assisting me in every aspect of my ministry and in all of my writing endeavours. A praying Christian family that strives to live by biblical principles is one of the most powerful institutions on earth. I thank God for giving me such a family. Daniel Whyte III Fort Worth, Texas
Judgment Must Begin at the House of God! Ring! Ring! Bishop Akron would call his friend, Prophet Malcolm, who was thirty years his senior, to fellowship and to talk about the services each Sunday afternoon. They talked about what they preached on and how the Lord moved. “Prophet, Prophet Malcolm, what saith the Lord this Sunday?” That was Bishop Akron greeting his old friend, Prophet Malcolm. Prophet Malcolm was an old “Hell is hot, Heaven is sweet, Jesus saves” preacher. He was from the old school, and he believed the Word of God that was good for yesterday is good for today. “And I’ll preach it ‘till the cows come home,” Prophet Malcolm often said. Prophet Malcolm had a small congregation, but as he always said, “I’d rather have a handful of faithful, praying, soulwinning saints who truly love God than a house overflowing with fake unbelieving hellions giving me hell each week.” This always set Bishop Akron a rollin’ with laughter. Bishop Akron, on the other hand, was the opposite. He was young, charming, and in the words of many, a rising star among the young megachurch pastors. He believed in the prosperity of the preacher and his family, and he took Paul’s words to heart: “They which preach the gospel
should live of the gospel.” He also believed in the prosperity of the congregation who took care of the Bishop whose messages always dealt with such subjects as: “You Were Born to Prosper,” “Out of Pain and Into Gain,” or “It’s Your Season.” “Prophet Malcolm, you preach too hard to the people. No wonder you only have a handful of people,” Bishop Akron often said to the Prophet. “Tone it down and you’ll jump in numbers.” “I got to preach sin and evil out of the church,” Prophet Malcolm would reply. “I don’t want to spend all my life in the ministry putting out one fire after another. In fact, I rocked my small flock this Sunday.” Bishop Akron laughed. He could just envision Prophet Malcolm up in the pulpit twirling in his ‘Elijah-type robe’, spitting out holy words of fire. He preached hard, but then he loved hard as well. And even though they did not often see eye-to-eye, Bishop Akron was drawn to this older preacher/prophet who had mentored him before he launched out to pastor his own church. “Tell me, Prophet, how did you rock the church this Sunday morning?” Bishop Akron asked with a chuckle.
No Time for Men Who Have Sugar In Their Tank If a man also lie with mankind, as he lieth with a woman, both of them have committed an abomination: they shall surely be put to death; their blood shall be upon them. --Leviticus 20:13 “Bishop, you know I led the march against homosexuality about two months back. Now, you know we love all people; we don’t hate anybody. But the act of homosexuality is beyond a sin, it is an abomination in the sight of God. “Well, anyway, these two homosexual lovebirds came into the House of God today. They came last Sunday as well and something did not set right with me about them then. This week, they were sitting too close to each other for my comfort. One had on jeans so tight I’m still trying to figure out how he got into them.” Bishop Akron chuckled. “Watch this— one of them laid his head on the shoulder of the other while I was preaching just to spite me. That took the cake and got me fired up! I became a preaching machine then. I preached against sin in society, in the family, and I zeroed in on sin in the church so that when I got down to their sin, they would not think I was picking on them.” “No you didn’t!” “I sure did. I hit on everything—idolatry, adultery,
hating people, envy, fornication, killing with your words, and then I hit on homosexuality.” “Now, preacher, you know you ought to leave them homosexuals alone. Just don’t give them a position in the church, but leave the door open for them to come in,” Bishop Akron interjected. “You must be crazy! One almost tore my church up— coming in smiling and making eyes at the men of the church. I preached him out too!” Bishop Akron laughed so loud he had to hold his sides. “I hit on the abomination of the homosexual lifestyle in the eyes of God and in my eyes too. The two of them, mad as hell, stomped out of the church. ‘Your preacher is sick in the head’ one of them said to my deacon standing at the door. ‘Tell him we won’t be back no more.’” “Say what!” Bishop Akron said. “Say ‘good riddance’,” Prophet Malcolm chuckled. “I have to preach against sin because time is winding down and we have no time for evil.” The men fellowshipped for a while longer, promising to uphold each other in prayer throughout the week. As soon as the Prophet hung up the phone, his wife, Sadie, entered the room. “You know, Sadie,” Prophet Malcolm said to her, “I’m concerned about Bishop Akron; seems like he’s always speaking up for the homos. He is too sympathetic towards them. I just hope my assumptions are wrong.” True, Bishop Akron was more tolerant of homosexuals in his church. His pianist and choir director were known to have some sugar in their tank. But in the Bishop’s eyes and
reasoning, “As long as they help us make a joyful noise unto the Lord, I won’t say anything. Plus, these homosexuals have money to give generously to the church.” Although many in the church condemned their lifestyle, they caused no problems in his church, and even though he did not condone their behaviour, he tolerated it. “As long as they do what they do in the closet and don’t mess with me, I’m all right with them,” he said. “I don’t see them out painting the town red and doing criminal activities and being a menace to society. They are just serving God like everybody else and keeping to themselves.”
No Time for Hanky-Panky Thou shalt not commit adultery. --Exodus 20:14
“Prophet Malcolm, do you have a word from the Lord today?” Bishop Akron greeted his long-time mentor on their regular Sunday evening chats. They fellowshipped by phone each Sunday evening exchanging views of the news and world events but particularly about happenings in the church. “I always have a word from the Lord, my brother,” Prophet Malcolm responded. “Not only is homosexuality on the rise in the churches, but adultery is on the rise also.” “True, true,” Bishop Akron agreed. “I preached hard on that today. Some did not like it. I told my people that adultery not only shows unfaithfulness to your spouse, but it shows unfaithfulness in every area of life. You vow to God to remain faithful to that one wife or that one husband until death do you part, then you break your vow, and you still expect God to bless you and all that you do. Folks, it don’t work that way.” “What kind of response did you get from the people, Prophet?” “God is working, son. A few came to the altar to confess. One couple came to talk to me privately after services today; they have been trying to handle it. And, of course, you have those people who are so full of pride,
mad at me because I dare to step into their business. They want me to leave the skeletons in the closet.” Prophet Malcolm continued, “we’ve been fasting and praying this past week so I believe God is cleaning house, and I want Him to do a thorough cleaning—not no dusting now, a cleaning that digs deep down and gets all the dirt and grime out.” “I hear you,” Bishop Akron said. The men fellowshipped for a while before saying their goodbyes promising to pray for each other throughout the week. Prophet Malcolm’s parting words were, “Always remember, Bishop, we have no time for evil.” Bishop Akron reclined in his easy chair settling in for the evening. His wife, Andrea, walked in all dressed up. “Where are you off to now? We just got out of church.” “I must have forgotten to tell you. I’m going over to Sis. Julian’s house. She has a Mary Kay party going on. It’s going to be a big one. I need to replenish my make-up kit.” It was just like his wife to spring these surprises on him at the last minute while walking out the door. “All right, have fun,” he said dryly. No sooner had Mrs. Akron left the house when the phone rang. It was Cecelia. “Now, why did I think it was you, precious,” Bishop Akron answered. “Are you coming over?” Cecelia asked. Cecelia was a long-standing member of Prosperity Temple where Bishop Akron pastored, and she was a close friend of the Bishop—too close. “Well, my dear wife left
me all by my lonesome self again with a last minute notice, so, I’ll be over there shortly.” Once there, the usual question came up again, “So when are you going to leave her for me? I must be doing something good for you to keep coming over.” She cuddled up to him on the couch, hugging him as tightly as she could. “You just be there for me, and keep quiet and you can have me any time you please. I’ve made time for you. Haven’t I?” “That’s not enough. I want to be your wife, or...” “Cecelia, we’ve been through this before,” the Bishop said loosening his tie. “I am not leaving my wife and children. How will that make the church ministry look? Plus, I don’t want your pretty little face on the front of the newspaper as the woman who stole the Bishop from his wife, and I definitely don’t want it put on blast on one of those online newspapers that are read all around the world. In this day and time, if the preacher gets his name in the local newspaper it is picked up through online wires and spread around the world overnight. Things have changed, my dear. I know of a preacher who recently killed himself because he got caught in a local affair. The next day, his picture appeared in newspapers around the globe because of the speed of the internet. The church has a reputation in this town and I don’t want to lose it. You’re better off just being there for me when I need you.” “Well, I hear you, but I’m tired of waiting. However, I guess this will have to do for now.” Cecelia was good at
hiding her emotions. Underneath, however, she was seething and plotting for the removal of Mrs. Andrea Akron, with plans to step in once she exited the stage. Her plans were to hire a hit-man (her cousin, the Deacon) to take care of the wife. Just a thought. Just a thought. And a thought that had been coming to her too often. Bishop Akron set off for home after a few hours of pleasure. It was costing him big money to keep her quiet, but he thought it was worth it. His mind went back to the conversation he and Prophet Malcolm had earlier. The Prophet’s last words resounded in his ears: “We have no time for evil.” His cell phone rang as he pulled into his driveway. It was Andrea. “I’m on my way, but I decided to stop off at the mall to pick up that new pair of shoes I wanted to go with my new outfit for the women’s conference. I may do a little shopping while I am there.” “Another pair of shoes!” said the Bishop. “You have enough shoes to open up a store yourself. But go ahead. I guess you’re going to pick up some jewelry to go along with it.” A jewelry store was another store she could open up. He knew there was no need to argue with her. She was a shopaholic, and in his mind, she was a rebellious, lying, stubborn witch of a woman who was the biggest hypocrite he knew, because she acted one way at home and another way at church. If there ever was a foolish Proverbs 14:1 woman who plucked down her house with her hands, she was it. Upon hanging up the phone, Andrea pulled into the
parking lot of the Steak & Ale restaurant to meet Burt Benson. He was an old college classmate who she had recently been in contact with on Facebook.
No Time for Rebellion and Disobedience For rebellion is as the sin of witchcraft, and stubbornness is as iniquity and idolatry. --1 Samuel 15:23
The women’s conference was a blast in the eyes of many, but as always, there were a few dissatisfied attendees. “You know, I could have coordinated the whole thing better. I would have the lunch catered for one thing,” Andrea said to her husband as she kicked off her shoes. “And I’d get an outline of each speaker’s speech to make sure they stayed with the theme. This one lady spoke at length about wives being obedient to their husbands as unto the Lord when the theme was about joy.” “Well, what’s so wrong with that? Isn’t that Bible?” Bishop Akron said. “You might be more joyful if you obeyed your husband more,” he muttered under his breath. Ignoring his statement, Andrea, a strong-willed and outspoken woman continued, “Women now-a-days do not want to hear about that obedience stuff. And if you start harping on that, the church will stop growing. No wonder her church is so small. You preach on that as she did, you will lose the women’s support and guess what? They’ll take their husbands and their children and their money with them.” Looking her husband in the eye she said with a
smirk, “So you be careful what you preach, preacher man.” Her tone of voice dared him to answer. The truth of the matter was, over the years he had toned down his messages so as not to cause a disturbance with her; he wanted to keep the peace. “We got our careers,” his wife continued, “and bless the little hearts of those women who have chosen to stay at home with their children.” “What’s so wrong with that?” Bishop Akron asked his wife who had been adamant about working even though she could have stayed home with their two children, especially when the children were young. He was getting somewhat irritated with her as he did with most of their conversations. He felt shame and guilt because he knew what the Bible said about wives being in subjection to their husbands, and the Prophet’s words would ring in his ears every now and then: “That part of the Bible which we do not obey, we really do not believe.” But to keep the women of the church happy and to keep the tithes rolling in, he felt it best to keep quiet about it. After all, he did not preach in favor of it nor did he preach against it; he just did not say anything. Andrea certainly did not fit the bill for a submissive wife. In fact, instead of setting that example for the ladies of the church, she had an uncontrollable tongue and had a reputation of leading the women of the church contrary to Bishop Akron’s vision and wishes. Often he and his men would make a decision about something, but once the men got home to their wives and discussed it with their wives during pillow talk time, they would return saying the
opposite beginning with, “My wife thinks...� But he could roll with that as long as his wife was off his back. Plus, the women contributed a great deal of money to the church each week, and he was all about the prosperity of the preacher.
No Time for the Untameable Tongue But the tongue can no man tame; it is an unruly evil, full of deadly poison. --James 3:8
“Do you have a word from the Lord, Prophet?” Bishop Akron greeted Prophet Malcolm on their next telephone chat. “Only one word, my brother, we must put away evil from among us. I had to preach a couple of ladies into holy silence today. They been gossiping and causing division and refuse to keep silent in the church and outside the church and mind their own business. They have more to say at every church meeting than even some of the men. I had to shut them up today.” “You don’t allow the women any say, Prophet Malcolm? They have insight into things also you know.” “Yes, I know. But they have their place as well. It’s all about respect, and in my church they can’t just blurt out what’s on their minds; they have to do it with respect and permission,” Prophet Malcolm said. “Prophet Malcolm, you’re something else,” Bishop Akron replied. “Yes, I had to put another lady down; she left in a huff saying she can’t be a part of a church where she can’t say her piece because she’s a Christian like everybody else.
Then I talked about moderation even in speech; I did a whole series on it before. That did not help her any; she kept on trying me. I had to take it to the extreme. I did not want to, but I had to. I tell you, brother, we have to get rid of the evil that creeps into the church and then seeps out into society. What a sad testimony we have because we have allowed sin in our lives and thus in the church.” “You’re so right, Prophet.” Bishop Akron had a few female troublemakers in his church as well. However, he chose to keep quiet so as not to rock the boat. He quietly bid Prophet Malcolm good bye. His wife was one of the troublemakers in his church— always had something to say and spurring on other women to question anything they considered negative or did not agree with. These troublemaking women were causing problems in their homes as well. Rather than minding their own business, they were “busy bodies in other men’s matters.” The Bishop shared with his wife what he and Prophet Malcolm talked about that evening. “That Prophet is going to be your downfall. He’s going to plant negative things in your mind and begin to block your blessings and all your prosperity preaching will come to naught,” she said firmly. “All I ask is that you don’t be like Job’s wife and speak like one of the foolish women.” “And what’s that suppose to mean?” his wife asked curtly. “You know. Just you think before you speak because you have a tongue on you too.”
“And what’s that supposed to mean, Sir?” * * * * *
Cecelia had a long talk with her cousin, Deacon Conley, about her and Bishop Akron. Although he was aware of their relationship, she knew he’d be game because he didn’t care much for Bishop Akron, nor his wife. He was only attending the church because of his position as business advisor to the pastor and head deacon and was on salary. He also helped to count the money and was in charge of making the deposits. One could not ask for a lighter job. Their plot was to rig the first lady’s car so she would crash and make it look like an accident, and one that could possibly lead to her death so Cecelia could then be free to wed the Bishop. “I’ll take care of it, Cuz, if you make me look good for all my troubles.” “Don’t worry,” Cecelia assured him. “Bishop Akron’s wallet is overflowing. I’m sure he’ll be more than willing to let more of it fall into my pockets to keep me from ruining his reputation. And once I get that position, your wallet will be overflowing as well.” “I’ll take care of it. Don’t you worry your little head,” Deacon Conley said.
No Time for Playing Church Having a form of godliness, but denying the power thereof: from such turn away. --2 Timothy 3:5
“Well, Prophet Malcolm, did you rock the church today?” Bishop Akron asked after he settled down in his easy chair for their regular Sunday chat. “I sure did, Bishop. I rocked it so hard some of my most reserved people became unglued from their seats,” Prophet Malcolm laughed. “I mean the Spirit was moving today for sure.” “What you preach on?” “Playing church. I am so sick and tired of people playing church. They come in with their pomp and pride, having this form of godliness but denying the power thereof,” the Prophet answered. “What do you mean, Prophet?” “I watch my members. I look deep below the surface. I know they don’t live a holy life during the week. They live like the devil. They don’t pray and read God’s Word throughout the week and so they leave themselves open for the devil to do a Mohammed Ali on them all week long; then they drag in here on Sunday morning for me to raise them up from the dead and get them back on fire, but for what? To throw them back out there for the devil to beat up on them again. Then they come back the next Sunday
saying, ‘Feed me, Preacha, feed me! Pump me up, Preacha, pump me up!’ Time out for that mess!” Bishop Akron was laughing so hard it took him some minutes to pull himself together. He himself had overheard some of that kind of talk after church, and it just fed into his ego: “Didn’t Bishop preach today!” “He sure did.” “I tell you, that choir director sure did have that choir rocking today.” “He sure did.” “What he preach on again?” “I can’t think of it right now, but he sure did preach.” He could identify with what Prophet Malcolm was saying, but he loved the praises of his members more than he loved the praises of God, so he learned to not rock the boat lest it capsize. He was not ready to put away sin out of his own life, let alone out of the church.
No Time for Sex Outside of Marriage But fornication, and all uncleanness, or covetousness, let it not be once named among you, as becometh saints. --Ephesians 5:3
“Hey, Prophet Malcolm, what’s new on this Sunday evening?” “The same ole, same ole—got to still preach sin out of the church,” the Prophet answered. “Some of these churchgoing folks are some of the most stubborn people in the world.” Bishop Akron loved to fellowship with his old friend because he always told the truth even though it cut through his heart most of the time. “You sound a little down this Sunday, Bishop. What’s on your mind, son?” “I tell you, Prophet Malcolm, that daughter of mine is really trying me again. She told her mother she is pregnant —again.” “Again? I didn’t know she was pregnant before,” Prophet Malcolm responded. “Yes, and I am ashamed to say this, but this is her second time. The first time my wife took her to the clinic to abort the baby telling her it wouldn’t look good for the church. They did this behind my back and I was devastated that they murdered my grandbaby. My daughter has never
been the same since then.” “Brother, I am sorry to hear that. What are you going to tell her to do this time?” Prophet Malcolm asked. He was known for getting to the heart of the matter. “Prophet Malcolm, I’m going to have to tell her to keep the baby; we just have to endure the shame,” a despondent Bishop Akron said. “Don’t let it get you down, my brother. It’s just another one of those sins that’s running rampant especially among our young people. When I preach on the sex sins of adultery, fornication, and shacking up, I often ask, what’s a few seconds of pleasure for a lifetime of misery? The Bible says ‘stolen water is sweet’ and ‘bread eaten in secret is pleasant’ but I always add, ‘when it goes down into the stomach and begins to burn, you have to endure the burning because you can’t bring it up again.’” Bishop Akron had to agree, but his mind was really on the shame the pregnancy would bring on his ministry and name. “Brother, you’re doing the right thing by insisting on her keeping the baby. I hate to say this, but people are so tolerant of sin—even in the church—that they won’t even give her pregnancy a second thought,” Prophet Malcolm said. Ouch! That hurt. But a spark seemed to light up Bishop Akron’s spirit at the thought that his church and ministry would not be that affected by this. He could not bear the thought of possibly losing any members and possibly having a reduction in money coming to him.
After saying goodbye, he confronted his wife. “Andrea, Ebony is going to keep the baby whether you both like it or not.” “What!” “Yes, and my word is final.” Bishop Akron loved his daughter and riding on Prophet Malcolm’s words, ‘they won’t even give her pregnancy a second thought,’ he was willing to risk her keeping the baby. “That child is living in regret and has not been the same since you had her do the abortion the last time just to make yourself look good. She should have learned the first time so now she’ll have to live with it.” His wife stood with her mouth gaping as he continued. “I’m tolerant of some things and will overlook many things, but not this. I am not going to be a part of you killing my grandchild like you murdered my last one, you witch.” “What about the church? How will it look?” his wife asked. “Like Prophet Malcolm said, people are so tolerant of sin nowadays—even in the church—that no one will give it a second thought.” Andrea still did not want to hear that. Those are the best words that man has ever said, thought Andrea. She did not care much for Prophet Malcolm who always preached what she called ‘gloom and doom’ messages. She loved the ‘feel good’ messages her husband and other prosperity preachers preached and she had some sharp words if he stepped out of line.
No Time for Rebellious Children A wise son maketh a glad father: but a foolish son is the heaviness of his mother. --Proverbs 10:1 “Prophet, how did the church service go today? Did you bring down fire from Heaven?” Bishop Akron greeted his friend. “Brother, I preached to those young people today; they are very mad at me. But as long as I have the parents on my side, I have no fear. And even if I did not have the parents on my side, I would still have no fear.” “Now what did you say to those young people to get them all riled up?” Bishop Akron settled himself in his recliner. He knew he was in for some good fellowship. “I preached to the young people, especially the teenagers about the rebellion that’s in them and how if they don’t get rid of it, the devil is going to take it and run with it, and mess up the good life they have. I told them what God told King Saul that ‘Rebellion is as the sin of witchcraft’ and that they are practicing witchcraft in their homes and that is why they are so miserable.” “True. True,” Bishop Akron had to agree. “I pulled out some verses from Proverbs and pinned them against the wall with those verses. They could not
move, my brother.” “I know you had the parents rooting for you,” Bishop Akron chuckled. “I sure did. But I got on them too. I told those parents that some of them have rebellious children because they did not obey God and whip their children when they were young and also because they might be living in rebellion against God themselves. I told them that some of them are just sorry parents. Dr. Spock and his crazy ideas on childrearing have not worked and will not work. Putting them in a corner for time out only gives them time out to think about the next evil they’re going to do after time out is over with. What these children need is a good oldfashioned butt whipping.” “You got that right,” Bishop Akron agreed. “You know I’ve been having some run-ins with my son, Cornel. He wanted to borrow my small car last week to take his buddies to the movies he said. I told him, no. When I jumped in the shower, that rebellious child took my keys and went off with my car. I stayed up and we had it out when he finally came home. It is only by the grace of God I did not knock him out,” the Bishop said. “Brother, these teenagers think they know it all and want to tell the parents how it should be—not how they think it should be, but how it should be. My parents always told me ‘God used me to bring you into this world, and I will take you out’.” Bishop Akron burst out in laughter. “Prophet, my son and I are at it constantly and part of the reason, too, is because my wife spoiled him rotten. She
still sees this big ol’ seventeen-year-old as her ‘baby’. I get so disgusted each time she calls him that. And that boy uses it to his advantage.” “Those teenagers know how to play that game well of siding with whichever parent they feel is in agreement with them,” Prophet Malcolm added. “We just have to pray for them, love them with tough love, and stand firm for what we know to be right as parents.” “True. True.” That week Bishop Akron’s son tried him again. He took the car again without permission. The conversation with Prophet Malcolm that previous Sunday spurred him to confront his son more directly. Bishop followed him to his friend’s house. “Turn the car around and drive it on back home,” he told his son after his son pulled into his friend’s driveway and hurriedly knocked on the front door. Bishop received no response. Not wanting to cause a scene outside, Bishop waited until his son was inside the house then rang the doorbell. The mother answered the door. Bishop explained what was taking place. The understanding mother, a member of his church, swung the door wide open and shouted, “Cornel, get out here right now. Your father wants you.” Cornel walked out. You could see the stubbornness written all over his face. “Give me the keys now. You can go out with your friends but not with my car that you stole.” Both stood their ground until Cornel finally gave in, throwing the keys at his father. Bishop stepped aside and allowed the keys to
fall to the ground. “Pick it up! You don’t throw anything at me, boy.” Cornel stood still but eventually conceded, and snatching up the keys dropped them into his father’s hand. Bishop walked out, locked up the car, and headed home. In many of the confrontations with his son, he had given in, and as he drove home Prophet Malcolm’s voice seemed to speak to him. He blamed himself for letting his son get away with sin. Yes, rebellion is a sin, as is stubbornness, a bad attitude, mumbling and grumbling, and a sad and sullen countenance—all sins he never confronted head on in his children, and now it seemed too late.
No Time to Rob God Will a man rob God? Yet ye have robbed me. But ye say, Wherein have we robbed thee? In tithes and offerings. --Malachi 3:8
Deacon Conley, Cecelia’s cousin, was the head deacon, and along with two other deacons, were in charge of counting the offering after each service at Prosperity Temple. He was being paid well as business advisor to the pastor, but felt he needed extra income which he stole from the offering plate. He was in charge of depositing the money in the overnight drop box on Sunday evenings or making the deposit on Monday morning. The Deacon, after doing a final count on Sunday would often change the amount on the deposit slip. No one knew what he was doing but God. The Bible does say men do not despise a hungry man who steals to get food even though he will be required to replace that which he took without asking; on the other hand, it does say that the love of money is the root of all evil. Deacon Conley loved money and would do anything for it, including stealing it from the church. He was no Robin Hood either—stealing from the rich to help the poor; he was more like one of the thieves from Ali Baba and the Forty Thieves—stealing and storing it up for himself. “Cecelia, I took care of the matter with first lady Akron.”
“What did you do ?” Cecelia asked out of curiosity. “Don’t you worry your pretty little head about it. Just have my just reward ready in about five days; remember $100,000.00.” “I got you covered, Cuz,” Cecelia said. As soon as Cecelia got off the phone, she called Bishop Akron. “Bishop, I just want to let you know that since you’re not leaving your wife, you’ll have to pay me more to keep me silent. I could be with anyone else you know.” “Baby, don’t do me like that. Two thousand a week not enough? And it’s just you?” Cecelia said, “I’ll spread it because I have nothing to lose; but you on the other hand...” “Ok, ok, ok. How about five hundred more each week?” “Nope. How about one hundred thousand up front and another one thousand extra each week?” Cecelia said. “You’re expensive, you know that? But I can fill that order.” “I offer high quality work, Bishop,” Cecelia said softly and with a smile. “You can bring it with you tomorrow. I promise you, you will not regret it.” Bishop Akron had no choice but to consent. Money sure does talk and answers all things, Bishop thought as he hung up the phone. He could take it from his personal account, but he changed that thought with No, I’ll take it from the church account because it’s for a good cause; she’s taking care of the Bishop. And if she doesn’t get paid, she is going to bring shame upon the church. Calling an emergency meeting of the three deacons who
handled the church funds he gave the explanation that he needed $100,000.00 to take care of something personal that came up unexpectedly. Deacon Conley, well aware of the so-called unexpected personal need, gladly signed over a check in the amount of $100,000.00, thinking Cecelia should be calling me in about another four days, if not today. Bishop Akron was walking out of the bank when his cell phone rang. It was the hospital. His wife had been rushed in by ambulance for a minor concussion and a broken arm. Her car had somehow spun out of control, hit a tree and overturned into a ditch. She lost two tires in the process. Thank God others had seen the accident and had come to her rescue while awaiting the arrival of the police and ambulance crew. She was on bed rest for a week. The cause of the accident according to the police was that the nuts and bolts on her two front tires had somehow become loose. The police concluded foul play. The Bishop and his wife had no idea who could have done such a thing. Probably some crazy idle teenager looking for something “fun” to do. “Just be careful,” the police warned. Bishop Akron asked for prayer for his wife at their Wednesday night prayer meeting and Bible study. “You didn’t fully complete the job,” Cecelia said to her cousin as she dropped half the money into his hand that night after church. “But I believe you will complete the job. You’re pretty thorough. This is just for starters. I’ll give you the rest when the job is completed.” “Don’t worry. That’s just to shake her up,” Deacon
Conley said. “I’ll complete the job. I always finish what I start.” “Make it quick, ‘cause I can’t wait to be the new first lady of Prosperity Temple.”
No Time for Divorce For the LORD, the God of Israel, saith that he hateth putting away: for one covereth violence with his garment, saith the LORD of hosts: therefore take heed to your spirit, that ye deal not treacherously. --Malachi 2:16
“I tell you what, Prophet Malcolm, I didn’t know Andrea had any enemies out there,” Bishop Akron said to the Prophet on their weekly telephone meeting after the accident. “Welcome to the real world, brother. As much as you try to live at peace with all people, you’re going to have enemies,” the Prophet said. “Look at Jesus. He had more enemies than you can count.” “True, true. Well, got a word today from the Lord?” “I tell you, Bishop, a couple I married ten years ago came to me with this crazy story about wanting to get a divorce. I asked them why and all they could come up with was ‘irreconcilable differences’. Now you know they gave me the wrong answer then.” Bishop Akron made himself comfortable. He knew he was in for another interesting story. “I told them there is no such thing as ‘irreconcilable differences’, but there is such a thing called selfishness and wanting your own way.” “What did they have to say then?” “They couldn’t say anything after that because I was
telling the truth. I reminded them when I married them ten years ago, not to come to me later talking about getting a divorce. And then I asked them what they plan on doing with the children. They didn’t even have a straight answer for that.” Bishop Akron and his wife had more than once entertained the idea of a separation during many of their ‘not-getting-along’ moments, and procedures for a divorce had begun out of one of those ‘not-getting-along’ moments, but was never brought to completion. “You know, Bishop, this is just a thought of mine, and I believe because of the wisdom, discernment, and insight that God has given me, I am right in my assumption and that is: we would not be having all these children missing and being physically and sexually abused, some who have disappeared and have never been found, and some who have even ended up dead, if these selfish parents would stay together. If you notice, many of these missing children are from the homes of divorced parents. I believe God is saying since you’re not going to stay together, you do not need the children. I’ll just bring them up here to Heaven with me.” “I never thought about that,” Bishop Akron said after thinking about the statement for a few seconds. “That’s some deep insight, Prophet Malcolm.” “I’m serious. Why drag the poor innocent children through a bitter divorce and custody battle. You know, Bishop, my parents did not have a great marriage, but I am glad that when I laid my head down each night both my
parents were in the same house with me.” “You know, Prophet Malcolm, I have never thought about it, but I am glad my parents stayed together, too. And they had some knock-down, drag-out fights. It wasn’t pretty at times, but now as I look back, the good times we did have make the bad times seem so insignificant. The bad times are blurry to me now, but I remember the good times that we had together very fondly,” Bishop Akron added. “You’re right. If we can get parents to see that it’s time out for this evil they’re bringing upon their children as well as upon themselves, then we would have better churches, better communities, and a better world. God says He hates divorce.” “If you don’t mind, Prophet Malcolm, I’m going to share your divorce/missing children insight with my people. I have quite a few divorced people and others contemplating divorce sitting under my preaching.” “Be my guest, Bro. Akron.” “What takes the cake is, I have two couples—one couple separated and the other divorced—and they’re still coming to the church sitting on opposite sides of the auditorium and just eyeing each other throughout the whole service, and then after the service, they do all these maneuvers to avoid running into each other. And what’s so sad, the children run back and forth between them. If that does not convince them to try to work it out, I don’t know what else will,” Bishop Akron said. “I say Amen to that. I hear that divorce is a bitter thing,
and that it is worse than death. God hates it. And couples do not realize that they are trying to sever a cord that God has bound together. On top of that, they vowed to God to keep the marriage together until death do them part,� Prophet Malcolm said with much conviction.
No Time for Bitterness, Envy, and Hatred Let all bitterness, and wrath, and anger, and clamour, and evil speaking, be put away from you, with all malice. --Ephesians 4:31
“I can see the bitterness, the envy, and the hate floating back and forth between them,” Prophet Malcolm said. “Sometimes it is so thick, it’s almost blinding.” “I have seen it too,” Bishop Akron agreed. “But I also see the love that was once there surfacing every now and then,” Prophet Malcolm continued. “You know, they just need to show God’s unconditional love, accept their situation, be content, and go on together for Jesus and give the devil a black eye. That’s all the devil wants—to cause havoc in our homes and break up Christian marriages so we’ll be a poor testimony for God. May the Lord help us.” “You know, Prophet Malcolm, I know I don’t say this too often, but I thank God for you, brother. We may not see eye to eye in light of your many years of walking with the Lord above me, but I appreciate your taking the time to impart some words of wisdom to a hard head like me.” “Brother, that’s what I am supposed to do -- help the younger saints become strong in the Lord to take over after I pass off the scene,” the Prophet said.
“Wait a minute now, Prophet Malcolm, you’re not thinking of passing off the scene any time soon, are you?” Bishop Akron asked in a more somber tone. “I don’t plan on it. However, I have no will about it. I am like Paul: I am ready to die and be with the Lord, and I am ready to live and bring more souls to Jesus.” “Well, hang in there with me for a few more years, Prophet.” Bishop Akron had not reached that place of contentment, and even though he was a bit envious of Prophet Malcolm’s obvious peace, he was not quite ready to go all out for Jesus. He loved the praise of men, the applause he heard each Sunday coming from his congregants, and he especially loved his fat wallet and bank account. “You know I am an old time prophet and people nowadays do not want to hear me speak because I am going to preach against their evil and about God’s wrath to come. I even preach against my own sin.” Prophet Malcolm chuckled. “I tell people God gives us space to repent, and when that space runs out, God’s judgment begins to fall. Sometimes, I have to shake them up,” he said matter-of-factly. “Shake them up?” asked Bishop Akron. “Yep. I’m here to preach against all the sins they love to do and against all their hypocrisy—calling themselves Christians but not living like one,” Prophet Malcolm said calmly. “Christians take God for granted because He gives us more than enough time to repent. But when He brings the hammer down it comes down hard and with mighty
force. My granddaddy used to say, ‘The wheel of God grinds slow, but it grinds sho’.” “It grinds for sure,” Bishop Akron agreed. “You know, Bishop, the Bible says people who persist in their sins and are warned often, will be destroyed— suddenly—without remedy,” Prophet Malcolm said. “Prophet, before I go, if you were on your death bed, what advice would you give to someone like me or any Christian for that matter?” Bishop Akron asked. Without hesitation, the Prophet replied, “I would tell you and them, you do not have time for evil in your life, and that judgment must and will begin at the House of God.” * * * * * The following Wednesday, Bishop Akron received the devastating news -- his old friend, Prophet Malcolm, had been rushed to the hospital’s emergency room after suffering a massive heart attack from which he never recovered. Bishop Akron was shaken up. He counted it an honor to be a part of the home-going praise and worship service held in honor of this great man of God whose only aspiration was to please God by living in obedience to Him, by preaching the Gospel of the Lord Jesus Christ, so people could believe that Jesus died for their sins, was buried, and rose from the dead, and also by preaching against the sins of the church that had brought so many churches, preachers and their families down. He ran his
race. He finished his course. He kept the faith. “For the time is come that judgment must begin at the house of God: and if it first begin at us, what shall the end of them be that obey not the gospel of God?” (I Peter 4:17) Bishop Akron’s world began to cave in after the death of Prophet Malcolm. He could not shake the Prophet’s last words to him: you do not have time for evil in your life, and judgment must and will begin at the house of God. The Bishop felt as though God had begun to pull the rug from under him, and bring judgment to his house. That week, the Bishop’s wife was involved in a serious car accident—one that almost caused her death. Someone had tampered with the engine of her car, as well as loosened the bolts on all her tires. “It’s a miracle she’s still alive,” the police reported. The concussion was so serious she was unconscious for several days. Bishop Akron knew without a doubt that God had been warning him through Prophet Malcolm about his lackadaisical attitude toward sin in his life, in the life of his family, as well as in the life of the church family, and God was slowly bringing things to a head... Cecelia became more demanding of his time and money, claiming she would blow the whistle on them both. Frankly, she was upset that Andrea did not die. “I have nothing to lose, Bishop. I’ll just relocate. But you have a
lot to lose for once a minister loses his reputation, he has lost it all.” All the Prophet’s words regarding adultery would come back not only to haunt Bishop Akron, but to help him see that the space God provided for repentance was just about out, and that he must turn away from his sin of adultery now. All in one week someone broke into his house as well as into the church and vandalized both, taking valuables in the process. There was an electrical shortage that caused a fire at the house. The Bishop’s daughter, Ebony, who was five months pregnant, barely escaped. For some inexplicable reason, members began getting sick, others began losing interest and just seemed to drop out. And the homosexuals began to die of AIDS, one by one. Bishop Akron fell under heavy conviction for not preaching against their sin. He could hardly bring himself to do the funerals for these AIDS victims because he knew he was partly responsible for their deaths. The deacons, led by Deacon Conley, expressed dissatisfaction with the way he was running the church and threatened to cause a church split. More couples were coming to him wanting him to condone their divorce. The hatred, envy, and bitterness was developing so fast among his church members it was like dealing with heathens who never knew the Lord; the Holy Spirit was being quenched and grieved. His daughter, against his wishes, carried out a late term abortion and lived to regret it—she experienced severe
internal bleeding that almost took her life. His son ran away from home, and no one knew where he was. Things were unraveling quickly one behind the other. It was as though someone had taken the beautiful knitted quilt of the church family and finding a loose end at the top right corner started pulling at the thread, pulling every stitch and taking away from its beauty, stitch by stitch, at a rapid pace. Bishop Akron started sinking in despair and despondency. Depression sought to take over his mind and life. He could not sleep at all. No matter how much praying and hoping he did, all that would flood his mind were the Sunday evening chats he and the Prophet used to have. He knew the Prophet was right—we have no time for evil because time is winding down for the return of Jesus Christ. The evil in families had seeped into the church and then into society. No wonder we have mayhem and wickedness around us constantly. Things are not getting any better and will never get any better until everyone, especially the people of the church, put away their sin and turn away from their evil ways. After about a month of fighting against what he knew to be the right thing to do, Bishop Akron recommitted his life to God and made a vow to God that he would get rid of the sin in his life: the adultery, the love of money, being a sorry husband and father, allowing sin in his church, and not doing those things he knew he ought to be doing. He
felt led of the Lord to give up his pastorate and to take on a new ministry—traveling across the country encouraging people in the church and beyond, to repent of their sins and to turn away from their evil, because God does not bless disobedience; He never has and never will. But God does bless obedience. His wife had time to think as she recovered from her accident. She truly was not happy; she did not have the joy of the Lord because she was living in sin herself. She was committing the sins of: rebelliousness, stubbornness, disobedience to her husband, lying, dishonesty, adulterous behaviour, being a church gossip, never content with anything, and never happy about anything. On her hospital bed she called out to God to give her true salvation—one that was real. Bishop Akron and his wife confessed their sins to God and to each other admitting every detail of their sins. Even though it was rough, they bit the righteous bullet and forgave each other and put it behind them so that they could move forward in God. A new love developed between them. Their daughter, Ebony, tired of feeling guilty and living a miserable life accepted Jesus Christ into her heart and was truly born again. She decided to join her parents in their new ministry of traveling across the country sharing with people that this was truly no time for evil. Their wayward son returned home. God had dealt with him severely in the short time he was away for his rebelliousness towards his parents and towards God.
After doing a deep house cleaning, Bishop Akron’s next move was to clean up his church spiritually before turning it over to another minister to carry out the work the Lord had started through him. He apologized to the church family for leading them astray by tolerating sin in the camp. Over the course of the next month, he preached against the sins of adultery, disobedience, hatred, rebelliousness, shacking up, the homosexual lifestyle, divorce, and all that God laid upon his heart and all that the Prophet taught him. He lost over half of his members. Deacon Conley left due to the declining tithes coming into the church, and because the FBI was investigating him for embezzling money from his job and from the church and for the attempted murder of the pastor’s wife. Cecelia tried to create a mess but Bishop Akron squelched it by coming clean about their relationship before the church. The funny thing about it all was that Bishop Akron felt good about this house cleaning. Why? Because he was now in God’s perfect will and the joy of the Lord was slowly but surely coming back. The Akron family traveled across the country from church to church, special meeting to special meeting, to revival meetings, and other places where they spoke to thousands about giving up their sin if they wanted to see God bless their land and their families. He even spoke at the White House. After he spoke, the President and his wife, knelt beside them and the President confessed his sin of promoting the homosexual lifestyle in America, when
he knew he should not have done that because he was a Christian. After this meeting at the White House, the President of the United States called for a solemn assembly of fasting and prayer to be held at the Lincoln Memorial. The country was in such bad shape because of wickedness, evil, and sin, that people came from all over, even from foreign countries, to join in this solemn assembly of prayer and fasting. This was the largest crowd to ever assemble at the Lincoln Memorial; it filled the entire length and width of the District of Columbia. Everywhere you turned, people were on their knees praying for God to heal this country. After being introduced by the President, the Bishop stood before this crowd of millions and said, “I give honor to God for this day and I give honor to God for an old preacher, my mentor, Prophet Malcolm, who repeatedly told me there is, ‘no time for evil.’”
If my people, which are called by my name, shall humble themselves, and pray, and seek my face, and turn from their wicked ways; then will I hear from heaven, and will forgive their sin, and will heal their land. --2 Chronicles 7:14
No Time for Evil In Your Life Here's How You Can be Saved from Evil and from the Punishment of Evil Everyone who has ever lived on planet earth, at some time in their life, has done evil. Both you and I have sinned. Unfortunately, we are incapable of living a perfect life. Because of our sin, God's Word says that we deserve to be punished eternally in a place called Hell. However, because God loves us so much, He decided to provide a way for us to avoid being punished forever in Hell for our sins. He did this by sending His only Son, Jesus Christ, to earth in the form of a man. On earth, Jesus Christ lived a perfect sinless life, and then he died on the cross to pay the debt that we owe for our sins. If you do not want to be punished in Hell forever, you must have a personal relationship with Jesus Christ. Please read the following to find out how you can do that today. 1. Accept the fact that you are a sinner, and that you have broken God’s law. The Bible says in Ecclesiastes 7:20: “For there is not a just man upon earth that doeth good, and sinneth not.” Romans 3:23 reads: “For all have sinned and come short of the glory of God.” 2. Accept the fact that there is a penalty for sin. The Bible states in Romans 6:23: “For the wages of sin is death…” 3. Accept the fact that you are on the road to hell. Jesus Christ said in Matthew 10:28: “And fear not them which
kill the body, but are not able to kill the soul: but rather fear him which is able to destroy both soul and body in hell.” The Bible says in Revelation 21:8: “But the fearful, and unbelieving, and the abominable, and murderers, and whoremongers and sorcerers, and idolaters, and all liars, shall have their part in the lake which burneth with fire and brimstone: which is the second death.” 4. Accept the fact that you cannot do anything to save yourself! The Bible states in Ephesians 2: 8, 9: “For by grace are ye saved through faith: and that not of yourselves: it is a gift of God. Not of works, lest any man should boast.” 5. Accept the fact that God loves you more than you love yourself, and that He wants to save you from hell. Jesus Christ said in John 3:16, “For God so loved the world, that He gave His only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in Him should not perish, but have everlasting life.” 6. With these facts in mind, please repent of your sins, believe on the Lord Jesus Christ and pray and ask Him to come into your heart and save you this very moment. The Bible states in the book of Romans 10:9, 13: “That if thou shalt confess with thy mouth the Lord Jesus, and shalt believe in thine heart that God hath raised Him from the dead, thou shalt be saved.” “For whosoever shall call upon the name of the Lord shall be saved.” If you are willing to believe on the Lord Jesus Christ for salvation, please pray with me the following simple prayer: Heavenly Father, I realize that I am a sinner and that I have done some bad things in my life. For Jesus Christ sake,
please forgive me of my sins. I now believe with all of my heart that Jesus Christ died for me, was buried, and rose again. Lord Jesus, please come into my heart and save my soul and change my life today. Amen.