FMH Children’s Club International
–– A Company Of Prophets –– P.O. Box 640109 El Paso, TX 79904 |
Steven York
16 Main Street
Deer Isle, ME 04627-3888
5 July, 2009
Dear Brother York,
The Lord gave me the entirety of the book of Habakkuk, along with the following Scripture from the book of John, especially for you on the 4th of March 2009:
“I am come a light into the world, that whosoever believeth on me should not abide in darkness. And if any man hear my words, and believe not, I judge him not: for I came not to judge the world, but to save the world. He that rejecteth me, and receiveth not my words, hath one that judgeth him: the word that I have spoken, the same shall judge him in the last day.” (John 12:46-48 KJV)
So what does it mean? How does it apply to you and your spiritual walk, Brother York?
Well, let me start off by saying how truly awesome it is that God Almighty used the Jimmy Swaggart Ministry – specifically SonLife Radio and Frances And Friends – to bring you, a backsliden “Apostle/Prophet/Evangelist/Preacher/Teacher”, back to the foot of the Cross of Jesus. In fact it was back in 1984 that the Lord used Jimmy Swaggart to bring me into a saving relationship with Jesus Christ through his teaching/preaching on the Holy Spirit.
Praise God!!! Thank you Jesus!!!
And with that in mind, you and I both know that the Lord God Almighty can even use an “unsaved” donkey to preach a salvation message to a way-ward sinner. In other words, Brother York, God should get the glory and not the woman (Frances Swaggart), the man (Jimmy Swaggart), or the donkey (Balaam’s ass)! Amen?
Now don’t get me wrong, Brother York. I am very appreciative for what Jimmy Swaggart has taught me throughout the years. Because you see it was back in 1984 that the Good Lord told me Jimmy Swaggart was going to be my earthly mentor in the Word of God. However, it was after many years of my obedient “study in the Word” that the Lord showed me how He was going to use the student (me) to teach the instructor (Jimmy Swaggart) the truth about “The Cross”. In fact the schooling started out with a “bang” on 12/30/01 with our first Jimmy Swaggart sermonet: “Jimmy Swaggart And The Accursed!”
That was in the beginning. And it was only shortly after having mailed out a copy to Jimmy Swaggart and each of the five “accursed” that the Lord had us (Brother Alan and myself) to just show up at the Jimmy Swaggart Ministry in Baton Rouge, Louisiana, in order to answer any questions. In fact it was early Monday morning, the 14th of January 2002, when I introduced myself to Frances Swaggart as she walked into the SonLife Radio station for her morning program Frances And Friends. I could tell that she didn’t take too kindly to me by the scowl on her face and the fire in her eyes, but I said what needed to be said anyway. I explained that the Lord had sent us to speak to her and Jimmy, and we would kindly appreciate a few minutes of their time. I ended our very brief conversation by saying that we would be waiting for them in the lobby of the administration building.
So from 9:00 until shortly before 12:00 we patiently waited for our God-called meeting…that is until one of the staff members gave me the bad news: Frances wouldn’t be able to meet with us, but we could make an appointment for a later date. And seeing how the Lord had already given me instructions on what to do if they didn’t see us before 12:00 noon, I followed His orders by writing out a quick note to Frances — “Sorry we weren’t able to see you - hope you read Jimmy Swaggart And The Accursed! (12/30/01) - it was from God.” — and then we left.
However, it wasn’t too many weeks after that the Lord started preparing me to write a sermonet that would be published on 5/5/02 – “Is Jimmy Swaggart’s Wife ‘Frances’ Really Uncovered?” In fact it was on 4/30/02 that He gave me the following Scripture specifically for (as applying to) Frances Swaggart:
“The pride of thine heart hath deceived thee, thou that dwellest in the clefts of the rock, whose habitation is high; that saith in his heart, Who shall bring me down to the ground? Though thou exalt thyself as the eagle, and though thou set thy nest among the stars, thence will I bring thee down, saith the LORD.” (Obadiah 1:3-4 KJV)
Now I think you’ll have to admit, that’s one more hard-hitting Scripture…but it is God’s Truth concerning Frances Swaggart!
So, why am I writing you this letter?
Well, as I’m sure you must remember, it was the 10th of April 2007 when we contacted you by phone and asked that you join us in our efforts to help Jimmy Swaggart. What a surprise that was, right? I mean, after all, you confessed it was only the day before that you visited our FMHCCI Web site. And it was that same night, as you were looking at our sermonets on Jimmy Swaggart, that we were watching a Family Worship Center Home Church video in which you were a part of the service.
Now do you really think that was a coincidence? I mean, we had been trying to get in contact with you since the early part of 2005, but nobody would give us your phone number or mailing address. We tried Jimmy Swaggart Ministry, but they said, “We’re not allowed to give out that information!” We tried Samanthia Cassidy, but she said, “Bill and I will have to ask Brother York first!” However, it was after having seen you in the FWC video on the 9th that the Lord instructed me to look for your phone number one more time…and by the grace of God I found it the very next day.
So on the 10th of April 2007 we had a nice long chat, with you promising to pray about our request (which was actually God’s request) and give us a call the following day. And, of course, the following message was what you left on our answering service the morning of the 11th:
- Steven York Phone Message (4/11/2007) - (Download MP3) |
“Ah, good morning Brother. Ah, this is Brother York. You called last night. Ah, Brother I, I, uh, understand what you’re trying to do. I, I just can’t be part of it for my own reasons between the Lord and I. Ah, I appreciate your call but I, I, I just don’t, uh, uh, I understand what you’re doing but I, I really can’t be a part of it. But I, I trust the Lord continues to guide you. Thank you. Bye-bye.”
What a phone message! That one really blew me away! I could hardly believe what I was hearing…seeing how it was coming from the mouth of an “Apostle/Prophet/Evangelist/Preacher/Teacher” that had only recently recovered from a serious case of backsliding. I mean, after all, “Hath the LORD as great delight in burnt offerings and sacrifices, as in obeying the voice of the LORD?”
Well, would you believe (?) it was only minutes before receiving your phone call that the Lord gave Brother Alan the following Word: “Whatsoever is of the law is disobedience!”
So just what did it mean? How does it apply to you and your ungodly decision to not join us in our efforts to help Jimmy Swaggart?
Well, the following Scripture will help us to understand what the Lord God Almighty was saying about you.
“There is no fear of God before their eyes. Now we know that what things soever the law saith, it saith to them who are under the law: that every mouth may be stopped, and all the world may become guilty before God. Therefore by the deeds of the law there shall no flesh be justified in his sight: for by the law is the knowledge of sin.” (Romans 3:18-20 KJV)
Are you starting to get the picture, Brother York? I mean you knew full well that it was God’s Will for you to join with us – the FMHCCI Ministry – in our efforts to correct the error within the Jimmy Swaggart Ministry. You knew it, but yet you chose not to do the Will of the Father. And with that in mind, please allow me to quote a portion of Brother Buffalo’s email to me that was published in our sermonet “Jimmy Swaggart And His Unholy Worship Team!”:
“Sorry you hit a sour note with Samanthia. I never expected you would direct her to your ‘sermonettes.’…I know you might find this hard to understand, but you can’t expect someone who wants to have a good relationship with the Swaggarts to want to be associated with your website in anyway. It is just too hard-hitting…and Samanthia just may want to rejoin the JSM Worship Team. That just would not be possible if her name were in your website as someone who said anything, even true things, about the Swaggarts.”
Well, as you know Brother York, the comments Brother Buffalo made were concerning your friend Samanthia Cassidy…and they were some very good comments at that…with the exception of his misunderstanding my motivation for contacting her in the first place. Because you see the reason I wrote Samanthia, requesting her help in getting the Truth of the Cross of Jesus Christ to Jimmy Swaggart, was the same reason that we called you – GOD TOLD ME TO DO IT! But of course she, just as you, refused to obey God’s directive for her life because of “personal” reasons.
And having said that, let’s get back to God’s Word of correction for you – “Whatsoever is of the law is disobedience!” – and yet another Scripture that will help explain it:
“For as many as are of the works of the law are under the curse: for it is written, Cursed is every one that continueth not in all things which are written in the book of the law to do them. But that no man is justified by the law in the sight of God, it is evident: for, The just shall live by faith. And the law is not of faith: but, The man that doeth them shall live in them. Christ hath redeemed us from the curse of the law, being made a curse for us: for it is written, Cursed is every one that hangeth on a tree:” (Galatians 3:10-13 KJV)
Now isn’t that amazing! I mean, what a lead-in for God’s chosen Scripture for you – the book of Habakkuk. In fact the following is a short overview of Habakkuk’s three-chapter dissertation on “the just shall live by his faith”:
“Habakkuk is eminently the prophet of reverential, awe-filled faith. This is the soul and center of his prophecy. One word alone he addresses directly to his people. It is of marvel at their lack of faith Hab_1:5. ‘Behold among the heathen and gaze attentively, and marvel, marvel; for I am working a work in your days; ye will not believe, when it is declared unto you.’ He bids them behold, and gaze, for God is about to work in their own days; he bids them prepare themselves to marvel, and marvel on; for it was a matter, at which political wisdom would stagger; and they, since they did not have faith, would not believe it. The counterpart to this, is that great blessing of faith, which is the key-stone of his whole book Hab_2:4 : ‘the just shall live by his faith.’” (Albert Barnes’ Notes On The Bible)
So the question is, Brother York, are you living by faith? Are you obeying each and every Word from the Father?
Well, in order to answer that question let’s go back in time to the 2004 Jimmy Swaggart Easter Campmeeting. God the Father miraculously opened the door for you to preach correction to Jimmy Swaggart at his very own Family Worship Center, and it was to be done in the three separate messages He gave you to preach – “Seek Ye The Lord While He May Be Found!” (4/18/04), “O LORD, How Long Shall I Cry, And Thou Wilt Not Hear!” (4/19/04), and “Pentecost Is Not A Denomination!” (4/20/04).
Now the truth being known, Brother York, you did preach correction to Jimmy Swaggart in those three messages, but you did not do it as God had instructed. You “pulled punches” that would have put Jimmy Swaggart on his knees in repentance… and the Lord calls your behavior “disobedience”!
“The sting of death is sin; and the strength of sin is the law. But thanks be to God, which giveth us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ. Therefore, my beloved brethren, be ye stedfast, unmoveable, always abounding in the work of the Lord, forasmuch as ye know that your labour is not in vain in the Lord.” (1 Corinthians 15:56-58 KJV)
Do you understand, Brother York, just how important it is that we “labor in the Lord” – doing ALL that He has instructed us to do?
“Wherefore, my beloved, as ye have always obeyed, not as in my presence only, but now much more in my absence, work out your own salvation with fear and trembling. For it is God which worketh in you both to will and to do of his good pleasure.” (Philippians 2:12-13 KJV)
So what happens, Brother York, when we tell God that we can’t do what He wants us to do?
“Now the just shall live by faith: but if any man draw back, my soul shall have no pleasure in him. But we are not of them who draw back unto perdition; but of them that believe to the saving of the soul.” (Hebrews 10:38-39 KJV)
Well, Brother York, now that you’ve drawn back from doing the Will of the Father, aren’t you frightened over the prospects of “perdition”? I mean, after all, God’s chosen Scripture is abundantly clear on what awaits you in the great hereafter:
“He that rejecteth me, and receiveth not my words, hath one that judgeth him: the word that I have spoken, the same shall judge him in the last day.” (John 12:48 KJV)
It’s not too late to turn this thing around, Brother York:
“For ye have need of patience, that, after ye have done the will of God, ye might receive the promise.” (Hebrews 10:36 KJV)
But, of course, your obedience to the Will of the Father will come at a very high cost:
“And ye shall be hated of all men for my name's sake. But there shall not an hair of your head perish. In your patience possess ye your souls.” (Luke 21:17-19 KJV)
Let’s get real, Brother York! Don’t you want to (?) possess your soul for all eternity:
“Then said Jesus unto his disciples, If any man will come after me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross, and follow me. For whosoever will save his life shall lose it: and whosoever will lose his life for my sake shall find it.” (Matthew 16:24-25 KJV)
You see, Brother York, the “Cross” that I’m preaching to you is the “Cross” that Jimmy Swaggart has refused to preach because of his very own disobedience to God’s Will for his life. But, of course, that’s what our sermonet “Jimmy Swaggart REJECTS The Cross Of Christ” was all about. You did read it, didn’t you?
So, all things considered, won’t you reconsider Brother York? I mean, it only hurts for a little while:
“But call to remembrance the former days, in which, after ye were illuminated, ye endured a great fight of afflictions; Partly, whilst ye were made a gazingstock both by reproaches and afflictions; and partly, whilst ye became companions of them that were so used.” (Hebrews 10:32-33 KJV)
God “illuminated” you with His Word on the 10th of April 2007, but yet you refused to put your faith in it and suffer the “fires of persecution” in Jesus Name. Your fear of “the fire” kept you from joining up with us…and even though you preached a sermon on the “fires of Pentecost” back in 4/20/04 at Family Worship Center.
In fact let’s wrap this letter up with a quote from that same sermon – “Pentecost Is Not A Denomination!” Because it was in the final moments of your message that you gave the following prophetic Word from God:
“There are false prophets in the land Saints! But I want you to know this morning that if you believe God’s prophets, you’re going to become two things, Brother Swaggart: you’re going to become established on Christ the Solid Rock – the Cross plus nothing – and secondly you’re going to prosper.”
Do you, Brother York, understand what it takes to become a “false prophet”? The transition is a simple one – it happens whenever the prophet refuses to do the Will of the Father. And just in case you’re interested in a deeper understanding on this subject, please check out our sermonet “The Anti-Christ Spirit In Pastor Warmath!”
And with that in mind, Brother York, the question remains: “Are you established on Christ the Solid Rock – the Cross plus nothing?”
Well, the answer should be obvious, Brother York…considering God’s Word of correction for you:
“Whatsoever is of the law is disobedience!”
And, of course, His Word to you was further defined through the following Scripture:
“But that no man is justified by the law in the sight of God, it is evident: for, The just shall live by faith.
So, where is your faith – “I just can’t be part of it for my own reasons” – Brother York?
You have now been told the Truth! It’s not too late to turn this thing around! Take up your cross and help us help Jimmy Swaggart recover. I mean, after all, obedience is better than death…seeing how there is no more sacrifice for your sin of disobedience:
“For if we sin wilfully after that we have received the knowledge of the truth, there remaineth no more sacrifice for sins, But a certain fearful looking for of judgment and fiery indignation, which shall devour the adversaries.” (Hebrews 10:26-27 KJV)
In the Lord Jesus Christ,
Bruce Hallman
P.S. – Here’s an “Expositor’s Post Card” to make it official:
Update: On the 17th of August, 2009, Brother Steven York left the following message on our answering service. God calls us "snake hunters for Jesus", and it's abundantly clear that we stirred up his snakes. Too bad he wants to keep them!
- Steven York Phone Message (8/17/2009) - (Download MP3) |
“ALL FOR THE LOVE OF JESUS”
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