EDDIE LONG – IT IS NOT HIS FAULT!

1. By Terry Loving

New American Standard Bible (©1995)
And on His robe and on His thigh He has a name written, “KING OF KINGS, AND LORD OF LORDS.”

(And His name is Jesus Christ)

New Living Translation (©2007)
“He prevents the godless from ruling so they cannot be a snare to the people.”

I love the Holy Spirit so much! He truly guides us into all truth if we are open to wisdom and instruction. While reading over some of my posts about Eddie Long, and contemplating what to write about concerning his new fiasco, the Holy Spirit gave me clarity concerning this false preacher.

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At this point, there is no need to blame Eddie Long for his continued blatant showmanship in the pulpit. Yes, he is responsible and will be held accountable by God for his sinful acts against his five accusers, his wife, and preaching false doctrine, etc. However, what we witness now past the sexual scandal episode falls on the shoulders of his congregation. Are they responsible for his individual base behavior? No they are not. On the other hand, they are responsible for continuing to allow him a platform to present his ungodliness to the world.

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No one can convince me, that there are not members of New Birth that know Eddie Long is guilty of the sexual misconduct for which he is accused. And yet, they continue to lift him up instead of calling him to repentance. They would rather take the easy way out and misquote scriptures, “Touch not my anointed,” and make excuses for his behavior. It is easier to look at all the “good” he has done, and weigh those deeds against his fallen state. Even so, good deeds alone will not grant one entrance into heaven.

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And please, someone tell me – how can they say they love this man? Isn’t love supposed to be about desiring the best for another? Doing what is best for another? Do New Birth members really understand that their preacher is in trouble with God, and can lose his soul if he keeps arrogantly flaunting his sins and not repenting? Do they really care if he goes to heaven or not? Do they care about their own souls for that matter?

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Even those who KNOW that this man is GUILTY of what he has been accused will not call him to repentance so that his soul will be right with God in the end. They claim to love him, and yet continually watch him inch closer and closer to hell fire. Why? How?

New Living Translation (©2007)
“If you warn them and they refuse to repent and keep on sinning, they will die in their sins. But you will have saved yourself because you obeyed me.”

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OK, let us suppose that the congregation is guilty of their own sins, and cannot bring themselves to call their preacher to give an account. Well, it is the preacher that God holds responsible for the saving of the flock by preaching His Word – undiluted and pure. If he is guilty of preaching false doctrine, and committing ungodly acts while in leadership, what good is he to the sheep? God never asked any preacher to be “perfect,” – just possessing higher spiritual and moral standards according to His guidelines for those who minister.

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Well, if you have a preacher doing all kinds of evil and never repenting, how can the Word he preaches have any positive and lasting spiritual effects – especially when mixed with error? In the case of Eddie Long, the dung heap that he is piling up is growing higher and higher, increasing the foul stench in the nostrils of Almighty God. And yet, his flock worships him, adores him, applauds him, give more money, idolize him, and never call him to repentance. And they love him? Really?

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Just recently, Jewish leaders were outraged and criticized Long’s latest antics – being “wrapped in a religious scroll and exalted as a “king” to the applause of his parishioners.” Huh? I mean, isn’t this man the same man that paid millions of dollars to hush the mouths of five sexual abuse accusers – the same man whose wife has filed for divorce – the same man that is being sued by his own members? Need I go on? And yet, after a brief exit, he came back to preach in “his” pulpit without anyone calling him to repentance. He just waltzed back in the church house and picked up from where he left off.

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In the words of Rabbi Ralph Messer, “a Messianic preacher”:

“It doesn’t matter where you go, how you try to attack him. He’s sealed,” Messer proclaims, before the scroll is opened to reveal a teary-eyed Long. Moments later, Long was seated in a plush chair, covered in a prayer shawl while holding the sacred scroll and lifted by four men.

“He now is raised up from a commoner to a kingship,” Messer proclaims, as the men walk Long’s seat around an adoring crowd.”

And this is idolatry!

Ezekiel 7:4 “I will not look on you with pity or spare you; I will surely repay you for your conduct and the detestable practices among you. Then you will know that I am the LORD.”

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Messer almost sounds like Creflo Dollar defending Long – “Attack him?” “He’s sealed?” Here is an unrepentant preacher flaunting his arrogance before the world, and he is wrapped in a “sacred scroll” and lifted above those who are truly “walking the walk” – to “kingship” – no longer a “commoner?” Huh? And all of this sacrilege in front of an “adoring” crowd? Several Jewish Rabbi found Messer’s actions to be “repulsive and inappropriate.” And New Birth applauded this travesty? Are you beginning to understand now why I said, “It is not his fault?” Eddie Long and Messer have now offended the “apple of God’s eye” – the Jewish nation.

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“Long’s church, which is in Lithonia east of Atlanta, issued a statement from Messer saying that the ceremony was based on a passage from the Old Testament on restoring the Kingdom of David.”

“My message was about restoring a man and to encourage his walk in the Lord,” Messer said in the statement. “The presentation of the Scroll of Torah was simply a way of bringing honor to a man who had given his life to the Lord and had given so much to his church, the Atlanta metro area and throughout the world.”

“It was not to make Bishop Eddie L. Long a king.”

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“Restoring a man?” He has yet to REPENT! You cannot bypass repentance and be restored to godliness – if you ever were – without confessing and forsaking your sins. Yes, Long should be “encouraged” to “walk in the Lord.” But his “walk” should be according to God’s Will and not his own. That goes for all who profess Jesus Christ as Lord.

“Bringing honor?” – How pray tell can you “honor” lies, hypocrisy, sexual sin, deception, adultery, false doctrine, all of which Long is guilty of. Where was the “honor” due Christ when he was accused of having sex with males right in the church house? Where was the “honor” when he groomed young boys to become his sexual toys at a later age? Where was the “honor” when he committed adultery against his wife? Where was the “honor” when he claimed to fight for his “honor”, and settled in court instead?

Proverbs 10:9  “The man of integrity walks securely, but he who takes crooked paths will be found out.”

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Long may have started out as having given “his life to the Lord.” But somewhere he made a wrong turn, as any of us can and often do. However, his position commands higher accountability, for he is leading souls either to heaven or hell. To say he “had given so much to his church” is no justifiable means to overlook his sins. An abuser may give his wife all the finer things in life, and she never has to work ever. But does that excuse the abuse? NO!

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This public charade performed at New Birth cannot restore Eddie Long to a right standing before God. “Times of refreshing” comes from the Lord by way of repentance.

New American Standard Bible (©1995)
“Therefore repent and return, so that your sins may be wiped away, in order that times of refreshing may come from the presence of the Lord;

Matthew Henry’s Concise Commentary

“3:19-21 The absolute necessity of repentance is to be solemnly charged upon the consciences of all who desire that their sins may be blotted out, and that they may share in the refreshment which nothing but a sense of Christ’s pardoning love can afford. Blessed are those who have felt this. It was not needful for the Holy Spirit to make known the times and seasons of these dispensations. These subjects are still left obscure. But when sinners are convinced of their sins, they will cry to the Lord for pardon; and to the penitent, converted, and believing, times of refreshment will come from the presence of the Lord. In a state of trial and probation, the glorified Redeemer will be out of sight, because we must live by faith in him.”

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So, Messer is the Lord now? This hellish performance is another strike against New Birth, and profanes what is Holy. But they cannot see. Why? The god of this world had blinded their minds.

New Living Translation (©2007)
“Satan, who is the god of this world, has blinded the minds of those who don’t believe. They are unable to see the glorious light of the Good News. They don’t understand this message about the glory of Christ, who is the exact likeness of God.”

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Those who continue to stay at New Birth are in the same category as “unbelievers.” For, if they had read the Word and understood it for themselves, they would have left along with those who left earlier. Those who remain choose to be blind, and support the works of the devil. Yes, I went there. The members at New Birth do not love Eddie Long with agape love. If they did, they would call him to repentance, so that his “refreshing” will save his soul in the end.

One of the major problems is this, the New Birth church house belongs to Eddie Long, and no one else. It is his brainchild, and he set it up where no one could sit him down or make him leave. It is his playground, and he decides what toys members can and cannot bring to play along with him. Now, does that mean that the members are trapped by his authority? No – they stay because they idolize this man that can do no wrong in their eyes. Sadly, some stay knowing he is guilty and wrong, but have no guts to take a stand and leave. He is not going to change any time soon – they know this, and yet they remain. Like the saying goes, “First time shame on you – second time shame on me.”

Now, after saying all of this am I judging? As a member of the body of Christ, and given God ordained permission to judge what goes on in the body of Christ, yes! Souls are at stake, and the devil is running rampant in and out of the church everywhere. Eddie Long and other mega church ministers cannot get away with what they do without support. If everyone left, what reason would false preachers have to open the door? It makes me angry as a believer trying to win souls for Christ, and there are fake Christians damning souls to hell with their deception.

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God’s ministers should be on fire to “preach the word; be instant in season, out of season; reprove, rebuke, exhort with all long-suffering and doctrine,” – but the church as a whole is silent, lulled to sleep as time winds down to the end of all things as we know them.

New American Standard Bible (©1995)
“The end of all things is near; therefore, be of sound judgment and sober spirit for the purpose of prayer.”

So many people are going to lose their souls because of weak-willed Christians. Abusers get away with their violence and abuse for no one calls them to give an account. No one preaches repentance and restoration to them, and show them the way to change and salvation. The church is silent on this issue and so many others. I tell you this truth though, if Eddie Long was a preacher at any other church with Elders and Deacons that respect the Word of God – they would have sat him down a long time ago. But in “his” church Long is the final authority – not the Word of God. And he purposely set it up that way. He arrogantly and pride-fully waltzes back in “his” church and continues to dishonor God and disgrace himself.

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In the words of Eddie Long

“2012 is here! Shake off the remorse, shake off the depression, shake off the financial burden, start using your hands again and reconstructing! God is more about your future than he was about your past,” Long said during the service, according to Charisma News.

“I’m still your pastor. You’ll still receive my direction,” the Atlanta Journal-Constitution quoted Long saying. “You’ve given me some weeks to take care of some family business.”

Eddie Long desires that his flock “shake off” his past deeds and the “financial burden” that his schemes have caused many. He wants his members to forget the sexual allegations and the settlement like it was no big deal. God is concerned about our past, present and future. He is concerned whether we learned from our past, healed from past pain, and if we let go of resentment and anger that hinders our walk with Christ. He is concerned as to our repentance of past mistakes, so that our spiritual future will be in accordance with His will, and our souls saved.

It is a slap in the face of his members to tell them to “shake off remorse, depression and financial burdens” – HE IS RICH! And how did he get that way? Hmmmm. Some members are in line for food stamps, and wondering how they are going to keep their homes. Depression is not just a matter of shaking it off. People need help –  real help – and not another charlatan feeding them feel good sermons about prosperity when their kids are hungry. Just imagine how many franchises that settlement money could have acquired to give unemployed members a job. What a waste!

Yeah, “start using your hands again and restructuring” New Birth – the funds are low – Daddy needs a new pair of shoes.

“I’m still your pastor. You’ll still receive my direction.” And what direction is that Eddie Long? Heaven or hell?

Wake up New Birth before it is too late. Living in denial will not save you. If you keep supporting wrong-doing, you will be called to give an account for it along with your minister. If you are remaining because you have invested years of tithing, and you are waiting for the “harvest” that was promised by Eddie Long, you are staying for the wrong reason. You many be comfortable, been there a long, long, time and this is your spiritual home. This is understandable that some of you may need more time to gather strength to leave. Pray for that strength and it will come. God can bless you anywhere. He knows where to find you to reward you according to His will.

I heard Creflo tell his flock that if they left, they would “miss their blessings.” Brain washing is very powerful.

Again, it is not his fault. Eddie Long could not flaunt evil if he did not have an audience, and members who applaud and worship him. He is just being Eddie Long – doing the devil’s bidding, and fleecing the flock to his detriment.

Definition of ENABLER

: one that enables another to achieve an end; especially : one who enables another to persist in self-destructive behavior (as substance abuse) by providing excuses or by making it possible to avoid the consequences of such behavior

Is he responsible for what he does? Yes, and he shall give an account both in this life, and that which is to come.

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Ralph Messer, the “Rabbi” Who Crowned Eddie Long, Isn’t Jewish

“Rabbi Ralph Messer isn’t Jewish.

Messer is a proponent of so-called Messianic Judaism, a religious movement founded in the 1960s that wraps evangelical Christian theology in Jewish cultural trappings.

Put simply, it’s a Christian movement. Messer is a Christian minister.”

LIES AND DECEPTION!

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I can only imagine how Eddie Long’s five victims feel. Gee, what a world.

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Exodus 20:3-6

“You shall have no other gods before me.”

“You shall not make for yourself an idol in the form of anything in heaven above or on the earth beneath or in the waters below. You shall not bow down to them or worship them; for I, the Lord your God, am a jealous God, punishing the children for the sin of the fathers to the third and fourth generation of those who hate me, but showing love to a thousand [generations] of those who love me and keep my commandments.”

New Living Translation (©2007)
But if someone claims to be a prophet and does not acknowledge the truth about Jesus, that person is not from God. Such a person has the spirit of the Antichrist, which you heard is coming into the world and indeed is already here.

1 John 2:18 Dear children, this is the last hour; and as you have heard that the antichrist is coming, even now many antichrists have come. This is how we know it is the last hour.

1 John 2:22 Who is the liar? It is the man who denies that Jesus is the Christ. Such a man is the antichrist–he denies the Father and the Son.

2 John 1:7 Many deceivers, who do not acknowledge Jesus Christ as coming in the flesh, have gone out into the world. Any such person is the deceiver and the antichrist.

Jude 1:4 For certain men whose condemnation was written about long ago have secretly slipped in among you. They are godless men, who change the grace of our God into a license for immorality and deny Jesus Christ our only Sovereign and Lord.

Titus 1:11 They must be silenced, because they are ruining whole households by teaching things they ought not to teach–and that for the sake of dishonest gain.

GOD’S WORD® Translation (©1995)
So change the way you think and act, and turn [to God] to have your sins removed.

Psalm 54:4 Surely God is my help; the Lord is the one who sustains me.

Psalm 141:5 Let a righteous man strike me–it is a kindness; let him rebuke me–it is oil on my head. My head will not refuse it. Yet my prayer is ever against the deeds of evildoers;

Matthew 18:15 “If your brother sins against you, go and show him his fault, just between the two of you. If he listens to you, you have won your brother over.

GOD’S WORD® Translation (©1995)
Brothers and sisters, if a person gets trapped by wrongdoing, those of you who are spiritual should help that person turn away from doing wrong. Do it in a gentle way. At the same time watch yourself so that you also are not tempted.

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The Secret Success Of A Hated Life

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BREAKING NEWS-Paula White allegedly set to be ‘enthroned’ by Eddie Long’s Jewish ‘rabbi’ accused of being a fraud

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FINAL PAULA WHITE UPDATE with links: No ‘Super Bowl’ crowning of Paula White by Eddie Long’s ‘rabbi’

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CAN WE REALLY BLAME FALSE PROPHETS?

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TRIALS AND TRIBULATIONS, OR SUFFERING FOR WRONG DOING?

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“WHAT SIN WRECKS THE CHURCH THE MOST?”

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CHRISTIAN CHURCH – JUDGE OR NOT TO JUDGE

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Eddie Long apologizes for offending Jewish community

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 Opinion: Eddie Long still has more apologizing to do

“It is clear that those who remained faithful to New Birth wanted to see their disgraced leader returned to his former power and authority. Long could have orchestrated a service that uplifted him spiritually and gave his members reason to cheer without including made-up Jewish rituals. Instead, Long perpetrated a fraud on the people who stuck by him and his church long after many others, including Rev. Bernice King, a daughter of Martin Luther King Jr., left.”

“Long is unlikely to issue any further apologies, and his church and community are unlikely to demand any.”

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Eddie Long: Blame Black People…Black People Alone…

“Although the outrage in regards to the Eddie Long ceremony in New Birth (an African-American church) was unanimous irrespective of race, nobody within the African-American religious community stepped forward and demanded an apology. In fact, let the record reflect that Eddie Long took fewer than 48 hours to offer a public apology to the Jewish community for an offensive ceremony, yet to this day has said nothing about the foolishness surrounding his behavior leading up to his sexual coercion settlement involving five young males.”

“New Birth…nothing.  We as African-Americans did nothing.  This is on us, as are his future transgressions.  We have allowed Long to proceed with impunity. He will embarrass and “abuse” the African-American community again and again, until we put an end to it and his ministry once and for all. We just have to care enough and love our own children enough to stand up for them.”

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Phoney Rabbis, Lost Discernment and the Eddie Long Disaster

“We must raise the standard of holiness. When a church leader falls into serious sin or scandal, those around him should—if they truly love him—cover and rehabilitate him. But covering a leader who has sinned should not involve cover-up. True restoration requires a lengthy process of repentance, restitution and inner healing. If we practiced biblical restoration on a wide scale, the cancer of immorality that is eating the church alive today would go into remission.”

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Eddie Long’s Wife Calls Off Divorce

Updated: Friday, 17 Feb 2012, 6:03 PM EST
Published : Friday, 17 Feb 2012, 4:42 PM EST

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Ephren Taylor Accused of $11 Million Christian Ponzi Scheme by SEC

“Ephren Taylor stepped into the pulpit with the ease of preacher’s son, taking the microphone at the New Birth Baptist Church in Atlanta, where the powerful pastor Eddie Long was introducing him to the Sunday morning crowd.”

“Everything he says is based on the word of God,” Long pledged to the members of his megachurch. But Taylor wasn’t a visiting minister. He was a financial adviser, one who claimed to have made his first million before he turned 18. And he promised he could do the same for his fellow Christians.”

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Bishop Eddie Long Accuser Centino Kemp To Release Tell-All Book

Centino Kemp, the fifth accuser who came forward in the Bishop Eddie Long sex scandal of alleged affairs with teen boys nearly three years ago, will release a tell-all book on Valentine’s Day, according to the Georgia Voice.      2013

Photo courtesy of OBNOXIOUSTV

 First Lady
(CLICK ON LINK TO GO TO AMAZON TO REVIEW BOOK)

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Related articles

• Eddie Long a ‘King’? Jewish Leaders Offended (theroot.com)
• Jewish leaders offended by Ga. preacher’s ceremony (sfgate.com)
• Jewish leaders offended by Ga. preacher’s ceremony (mysanantonio.com)
• Ralph Messer, the “Rabbi” Who Crowned Eddie Long, Isn’t Jewish (studentactivism.net)
• Eddie Long and His Stupid Congregation (themoxiesophic.com)
• Jewish leaders offended by Ga. preacher’s ceremony (newsok.com)
• Some Notes on Rabbi Ralph Messer (barthsnotes.com)
• Eddie Long’s ‘Ceremony’ Has Offended the Jewish Community (zwingliusredivivus.wordpress.com)
• Eddie Long crowned ‘king’: New Birth criticized for ceremony that went viral (thegrio.com)
• One Way to Escape a Sex Scandal (patheos.com)
• Eddie Long ‘crowning’: Why do black churches often put pastors on a pedestal? (thegrio.com)

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Bishop Eddie Long dies of aggressive form of cancer, church says

New details released for Bishop Eddie Long memorial service

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