Time Has Come (Pt. 2)

By Jim Bakker | | Filed in Uncategorized | Tags: , ,

In some ways, I feel like I can relate to John, the author of the Revelation.  It was through suffering,  imprisonment and the subsequent solitude that John found himself “in the Spirit” and ready to see, hear and record the spiritual mysteries of the Revelation.  John’s dedication to Jesus cost him everything, but his suffering paled in the light of those spiritual mysteries given to him to proclaim to Jesus’ followers – but these mysteries were reserved for another time, another age.

Daniel was instructed to “shut up the words, and seal the book, even to the time of the end” and that time is now.  We know it’s now because Jesus told us the signs to look for in Matthew 24, Luke 21, and in the deeply prophetic book of Revelation.  The time has come for the mysteries of Revelation to be revealed and each one confirm and herald the Second Coming of Jesus, Hallelujah!  The Revelation is not bad news – the Revelation is the Good News!

David once said that he would not give to God that which cost him nothing.  If there is one work of my lifetime that I could choose to do again above all others, it would be this book about my Revelation studies.

So today, these ‘mysteries’ that I share with you are a precious thing – a costly thing – that I joyfully give to you and others in hopes that they might help you to be prepared in the days of the Revelation.  We are surely in those days right now, and like the sons of Issachar, we need to understand the times and the seasons in which we live and know what to do.

Even as we see the world coming apart, we don’t have to be afraid.  In fact, we should view the very fact of our existence in this prophetic countdown as evidence of God’s invitation to be an active participant in the greatest event this world has ever seen – an event for which TIME HAS COME – the Second Coming of Jesus!

Time Has Come (Pt. 1)

By Jim Bakker | | Filed in Uncategorized | Tags: , ,

I couldn’t be more excited about my new book, “Time Has Come.” This book has been many years in the making, and for me personally, it’s the most significant work of my life in print.

Almost 25 years ago when I was in prison, I studied every word of the book of Revelation and God illuminated things to me that I had never seen before.  I hadn’t seen them because I was too busy building and expanding Heritage USA.  I loved Jesus, but it took a prison experience for me to “come away” with Him and get still long enough to develop a deep relationship with Him – deeper than I had ever had before in the spotlight of celebrity renown – and deep enough that He could trust me with the mysteries He wanted to reveal to me.   

When I came out of prison, I had over 400 typewritten pages of study on the book of Revelation, and a new perspective on the emphasis of my teaching ministry for the rest of my life.  Where I had previously taught a regurgitated prosperity message, I now knew that not only was I wrong, but the Revelation message was diametrically opposed to what I had been teaching. 

These studies and this perspective are what I now share in my new book, “Time Has Come.”  The book of Revelation is a mystery to most people, even those who are within the Church, but it shouldn’t be – especially not now because it is happening right before our eyes.  If the Church is asleep and cannot see that this age is about to come to an end and that Jesus is coming very, very soon, and its leaders do not preach the return of Jesus (in favor of a much more upbeat message), then the consequences are almost too terrible to ponder. 

I received a few invitations to preach shortly after I was released from prison, but I was shocked and appalled when I heard time after time, “Jim, you can preach anything but the Revelation.  We don’t want to scare our people and the Revelation is such a heavy topic.” 

(to be continued)

Can Dry Bones Live Again?

By Jim Bakker | | Filed in Prophecy, Teaching | Tags: , ,

What could be more unlikely than a pile of human bones living again? It doesn’t seem like a very intelligent question to ask and an even more impossible thing to actually occur.

Yet, God Himself asked the question of Ezekiel as he looked out over the valley of dry bones:

And he said unto me, Son of man, can these bones live?

and I answered, O Lord God, thou knowest. —EZEKIEL 37:3

As Ezekiel looked at the dry valley of bones, he had no hope. He saw only bones that appeared to be dead, dry and beyond hope.

There was a reason God asked Ezekiel if the bones could live. God wanted Ezekiel to know that the bones could live, and that he had a very important role to play in their living. Let’s read on:

Ezekiel 37:1-10: Then he said to me, “Prophesy to these bones and say to them, ‘Dry bones, hear the word of the LORD! 5 This is what the Sovereign LORD says to these bones: I will make breath enter you, and you will come to life. 6 I will attach tendons to you and make flesh come upon you and cover you with skin; I will put breath in you, and you will come to life. Then you will know that I am the LORD.’”

7 So I prophesied as I was commanded. And as I was prophesying, there was a noise, a rattling sound, and the bones came together, bone to bone. 8 I looked, and tendons and flesh appeared on them and skin covered them, but there was no breath in them.

9 Then he said to me, “Prophesy to the breath; prophesy, son of man, and say to it, ‘This is what the Sovereign LORD says: Come, breath, from the four winds and breathe into these slain, that they may live.’” 10 So I prophesied as he commanded me, and breath entered them; they came to life and stood up on their feet—a vast army.

In these last days, there are many of God’s people that appear to be dead, dry and beyond hope. The battles have been fierce, and while they appear to be defeated, don’t count them out just yet. In fact, it is the Lord’s heart to count them in! The Lord is raising up an army – a vast army from the bones of those who appear to be lifeless and without hope!

It is the prophetic call and responsibility of the Church to speak life to the dry bones within. The Lord said “I will build my Church, and the gates of hell will not prevail against it!”

From my own personal experience, when you have been down for such a long time, and someone tells you that you CAN get up – it’s as life-giving as the very breath you breathe! You can rise again! You may have been told it’s over, you’re done. But, God says NOW is the time, NOW is your time!

Jesus came to give hope to the hopeless. It’s time we learn to speak life to those who need encouragement and hope. When you speak words of life, you are literally creating the will to live – and that is Jesus’ heart!

NOW is the time to speak life to someone!

The Cutting Edge Church

By Lori Bakker | | Filed in General, Last Days

I believe the Church should be on the cutting edge. When you think about what that statement really means, it means to be razor-sharp and out front. The sharp edge is what goes first and cuts through obstructions so you can get to the vital target.

Sometimes the cutting edge is in revelatory teaching and preaching which we believe in doing here at Morningside. But more often the cutting edge is in action – you have to DO SOMETHING to complete the process! Faith without works is dead!

I have often said that we (the Church) should not be the victim in the end times. We know from the scriptures and from the signs we see in the earth and in the heavens that catastrophic things will occur and are occurring every day. We have the Word of God that illuminates (shines the light on) these things.

So, because we know what is coming, we should be proactive! The government should not be taking care of us – we should take care of each other! Pastors of local churches cannot take care of all the people. It will be too much for one man. You ALL will need to help one another! That is the definition of the Church being the Church.

Jesus said “you will know them by their love” for one another. Loving one another means doing the best we can to not only profess our faith, but to take action to first prepare, and then to protect and provide for the family of God. And not only should we take care of one another, but we should be able to give to others. I learned many years ago that you will never be able to minister to a person’s spirit until their hungry bodies are fed.

Jesus said the end of the age is the Harvest Time. When you think about the awesome plan of God to bring many people into the Kingdom at the end of the age, you have to marvel that we, as the Church, are entrusted to execute much of that plan. I don’t know about you, but that’s an awesome privilege and an even greater responsibility. One that requires a very sharp edge – a cutting edge.

The Joy of the Birth of Jesus!

By Jim Bakker | | Filed in Family Updates, Teaching | Tags: , ,

There’s nothing that compares to the joy of the birth of a new baby.  This week, we’ve been blessed with the greatest blessing a family can have – a new baby!  Little Lori gave birth to a baby girl, Olivia, on December 20th!  To say that we are excited is an understatement.  We are elated!

To have this birth happen at Christmastime is a double blessing for our family because we also love to celebrate the birth of Jesus!  When Jesus was born, He was received with great joy because many knew of His mission to be the Savior of the world.  But before all the joy, there was to be great sorrow in what he would endure on the Cross.

In John 16:20-22, this is recorded:  I tell you the truth, you will weep and mourn over what is going to happen to me, but the world will rejoice. You will grieve, but your grief will suddenly turn to wonderful joy. It will be like a woman suffering the pains of labor. When her child is born, her anguish gives way to joy because she has brought a new baby into the world. So you have sorrow now, but I will see you again; then you will rejoice, and no one can rob you of that joy.

I can promise you that before Olivia was born, Little Lori suffered in labor to bring her forth.  But, the moment she was born, there was only one emotion in that room – JOY!

Jesus suffered tremendously here on this earth – even going to the Cross so He could give all of those who would receive His sacrifice NEW BIRTH!  Now that’s something to celebrate and be joyful for!

Jesus Brought Joy even before He was Born

Even before Jesus was born, He brought joy to the world.  Luke records this in chapter 1:  But the angel said, “Don’t be afraid, Zechariah! God has heard your prayer. Your wife, Elizabeth, will give you a son, and you are to name him John. You will have great joy and gladness, and many will rejoice at his birth…”

John the Baptist was born to announce the coming of the Christ Child, Jesus!  

The Birth of Jesus Foretold

In the sixth month of Elizabeth’s pregnancy, God sent the angel Gabriel to Nazareth, a village in Galilee, to a virgin named Mary. “Don’t be afraid, Mary,” the angel told her, “for you have found favor with God! You will conceive and give birth to a son, and you will name him Jesus. He will be very great and will be called the Son of the Most High.

Mary Visits Elizabeth

A few days later Mary hurried to the hill country of Judea, to the town where Zechariah lived. She entered the house and greeted Elizabeth. At the sound of Mary’s greeting, Elizabeth’s child leaped within her, and Elizabeth was filled with the Holy Spirit.  Elizabeth gave a glad cry and exclaimed to Mary, “God has blessed you above all women, and your child is blessed.  Why am I so honored, that the mother of my Lord should visit me?  When I heard your greeting, the baby in my womb jumped for joy. New Living Translation

The Word of Jesus’ Birth brings JOY!

Matthew records in chapter 2: And the star they had seen in the east guided them to Bethlehem. It went ahead of them and stopped over the place where the child was.  When they saw the star, they were filled with joy!  They entered the house and saw the child with his mother, Mary, and they bowed down and worshiped him. Then they opened their treasure chests and gave him gifts of gold, frankincense, and myrrh. New Living Translation

News of Jesus’ birth brings Joy to the shepherds!

Luke records in chapter 2: That night there were shepherds staying in the fields nearby, guarding their flocks of sheep. Suddenly, an angel of the Lord appeared among them, and the radiance of the Lord’s glory surrounded them. They were terrified, but the angel reassured them. “Don’t be afraid!” he said. “I bring you good news that will bring great joy to all people.  The Savior—yes, the Messiah, the Lord—has been born today in Bethlehem, the city of David! New Living Translation

Mary and Joseph bring Jesus to the Temple!

Luke records in chapter 2: At that time there was a man in Jerusalem named Simeon. He was righteous and devout and was eagerly waiting for the Messiah to come and rescue Israel. The Holy Spirit was upon him and had revealed to him that he would not die until he had seen the Lord’s Messiah. That day the Spirit led him to the Temple. So when Mary and Joseph came to present the baby Jesus to the Lord as the law required, Simeon was there. He took the child in his arms and praised God, saying, “Sovereign Lord, now let your servant die in peace, as you have promised. I have seen your salvation, which you have prepared for all people. He is a light to reveal God to the nations, and he is the glory of your people Israel!” Jesus’ parents were amazed at what was being said about him. Then Simeon blessed them, and he said to Mary, the baby’s mother, “This child is destined to cause many in Israel to fall, but he will be a joy to many others. He has been sent as a sign from God, but many will oppose him. New Living Translation

Jesus brings Joy to His Father in Heaven!

Matthew records in chapter 3:  After his baptism, as Jesus came up out of the water, the heavens were opened and he saw the Spirit of God descending like a dove and settling on him. And a voice from heaven said, “This is my dearly loved Son, who brings me great joy.”  New Living Translation

 

We are to be filled with Joy!

Philippians 4:4 Always be full of joy in the Lord. I say it again—rejoice! 5 Let everyone see that you are considerate in all you do. Remember, the Lord is coming soon. 6 Don’t worry about anything; instead, pray about everything. Tell God what you need, and thank him for all he has done. 7 Then you will experience God’s peace, which exceeds anything we can understand. His peace will guard your hearts and minds as you live in Christ Jesus. 8 And now, dear brothers and sisters, one final thing. Fix your thoughts on what is true, and honorable, and right, and pure, and lovely, and admirable. Think about things that are excellent and worthy of praise. 9 Keep putting into practice all you learned and received from me—everything you heard from me and saw me doing. Then the God of peace will be with you. New Living Translation

Always remember this…

Nehemiah 8:10: And Nehemiah continued, “Go and celebrate with a feast of rich foods and sweet drinks, and share gifts of food with people who have nothing prepared. This is a sacred day before our Lord. Don’t be dejected and sad, for the joy of the Lord is your strength!”  New Living Translation

Blessing study

Luke 6:21-23: Blessed are ye that hunger now: for ye shall be filled. Blessed are ye that weep now: for ye shall laugh.

22 Blessed are ye, when men shall hate you, and when they shall separate you from their company, and shall reproach you, and cast out your name as evil, for the Son of man’s sake.

23 Rejoice ye in that day, and leap for joy: for, behold, your reward is great in heaven: for in the like manner did their fathers unto the prophets. KJV

Phil 3:1 Finally, my brethren, rejoice in the Lord…

KJV

Phil 4:4 Rejoice in the Lord always: and again I say, Rejoice.

KJV

1 Thess 5:16  Rejoice evermore.

KJV

The Christmas Story (Part 4)

By Lori Bakker | | Filed in Teaching | Tags: , ,

The Nativity

In those days the government decided that they should count everyone that lived in that area of the world.  So Joseph had to take Mary to his town, Bethlehem to register.

It took Mary and Joseph a long time to get to Bethlehem.  They didn’t have cars back then, so it probably took them a lot longer to get there.  This was very tiring for Mary because she was soon going to have a baby.

When they reached the town, all the hotels were full and there was nowhere that they could stay.  Finally, someone felt bad for them, and offered them a place to stay.

The Bible doesn’t say for sure where they stayed but most people think that they stayed in a small barn where animals were kept.  In any case, doesn’t it seem strange that Jesus, the King of the Jews wasn’t born in a fancy palace or even a hospital?

Mary and Joseph were thankful that they at least had a place to lay down.  It was warm, and there was plenty of straw to lay on.

That night an exciting, wonderful thing happened.  Mary and Joseph had a baby!  But it wasn’t just any baby, it was Baby Jesus!  The creator of the whole world, the King of Kings, the one who would save the world.

The little baby boy fell asleep in Mary’s arms and she wrapped him in cloths and laid him in a manger on some clean straw.

Mary and Joseph soon fell asleep, they were so glad to have this special baby join their family.

Some shepherds who lived near Bethlehem, were out at night in their fields watching over their sheep.  They were worried a bigger animal might come and hurt the sheep, so that sat on a hill visiting and watching their sheep together.

Suddenly there was a bright light.  Now this wasn’t just any bright light, the light was so bright that they had to close their eyes for a minute because the light hurt their eyes.

When they opened their eyes to see what was going on, a beautiful angel was standing in the air just above them with his arms opened wide.

The shepherds looked at each other in disbelief, but realized it must be real, because they were all seeing the same thing.  All at once they were very afraid, but they didn’t run because they were too stunned to do anything.

Then the angel spoke to them.  “Do not be afraid.  I’m here to bring you good news for all people.  Today in Bethlehem a baby has been born, He is the one that will save the world.  You will know the baby because He will be wrapped in cloths, and laying in a manger.”

Suddenly, just as quickly as the first angel came, there were a large group of angels, and they said together, “Glory to God, and peace to all people on earth.”  After they spoke, they floated away.

The shepherds were amazed and excited, did everyone know this news, or just them?  They had to go see this baby the angels were talking about.

They ran as fast as they could, and soon found Mary, Joseph, and baby Jesus.  The shepherds fell to their knees when they saw Jesus, they were filled with joy that they had found the Lord.

During the time when Jesus was born there was a very mean king who ruled the land, his name was King Herod.  Remember his name, because we will talk about him later.

Soon after Jesus was born,  wise men were traveling on their camels; one night they noticed a very strange star in the sky.  They knew that this star meant that the King of the Jews, the One who would save the world had been born.

When the mean King… (what was his name again?) Herod heard this he got very worried.

He called a meeting with all the other important people in the area and asked them where this special baby had been born.  The people replied, “In Bethlehem, because they heard that one day a special person would come from there and take care of all the people.”

Then King Herod called the wise men to a secret meeting and found out from them exactly where they saw the star.  He then told them, “Go and find this child.  As soon as you find him, tell me, so that I can go and worship him.”

After they had spoken to the King, the wise men left to find the baby.  They didn’t know exactly where the baby was, but at night they followed the star in the east.  They followed the star until it hung right over the very place where Jesus was.

Since it took the wise men a while to get to baby Jesus, they probably didn’t arrive the day Jesus was born but sometime later.  When they finally had arrived they were very excited and happy.  They found Jesus laying in Mary’s arms, and they bowed down and worshipped him.

After that they opened the gifts they had brought Jesus.  They were gold, frankincense and myrrh.  These were very expensive gifts, gifts that you would give to a King, not to a baby.

The story of Christmas is special, full of miracles and strange visitors all coming to visit a King and someday the Savior of the world.

The Christmas Story – Part 1
The Christmas Story – Part 2
The Christmas Story – Part 3


David’s Army Pt. 1

By Jim Bakker | | Filed in Last Days, Teaching | Tags:

When I came out of prison in 1994, E.V. Hill gave me a prophetic word from the Lord that I would raise up a “David’s Army”.  From the scriptures, we know that this is a fairly ragtag bunch, yet God used them in mighty ways to protect and restore His beloved Israel.

In the Last Days, God is using whoever has a heart after Him.  You may think “well yes, He always did” and that’s a true statement.  But David’s Army came together in a time when the illegitimate authorities of the day were failing.  Saul had tried to win Israel’s battles but he did it in his own strength and with his own wisdom and he failed – but there was a time that all of Israel was enamored with him.

If you will remember, Saul’s kingship was the result of the proud and rebellious demands of a disobedient Israel that was much more concerned with how the king looked than with whom God had chosen.  The Bible says Saul stood a head taller than most men and was very handsome.  David, on the other hand, was a ruddy kid that God chose when He sent Samuel the Prophet to anoint him as King.  David was God’s choice – and Saul was the people’s choice.

Well, God gave Israel just what they asked for, but told them they would regret that choice in the years to come and they did.  But only after many of their sons had lost their lives because Saul was proud and  disobedient, and he went out to battle and made other decisions without consulting the God of Israel.  Eventually this disobedience caused him to be so hardened that he even consulted a witch.  Saul, in the end, committed suicide in a battle he could not win because God was not with him.

David, on the other hand, always consulted God before he went out to battle the enemies of Israel.  One such incident is recorded in 2 Samuel 5:24 when God spoke to David and said, “And it shall be, when you hear the sound of marching in the tops of the mulberry trees, then you shall advance quickly. For then the LORD will go out before you to strike the camp of the Philistines.”  The principle is this:  Always seek God’s wisdom before you do anything and wait for His answer.  Ask God “what should I do?”  When you do that, He will go before you and move in your behalf!

In the Last Days, the true leaders of the Lord’s Army will arise, and they will inquire of the Lord what they should do.  Many of them will have been stripped of any self-importance in the valleys of life as David was, yet they go forward to do battle with the enemies of God because their heart belongs to Him alone – and God Himself has ordained them!  Man did not do it, and man cannot undo it.

As the leaders of the Lord’s Army arise, the Lord is going out before them to move in their behalf!

The Christmas Story (Part 3)

By Lori Bakker | | Filed in Teaching | Tags: , ,

The Wise Men

During the time when Jesus was born there was a very mean king who ruled the land, his name was King Herod.  Remember his name, because we will talk about him later.

Soon after Jesus was born,  wise men were traveling on their camels; one night they noticed a very strange star in the sky.  They knew that this star meant that the King of the Jews, the One who would save the world had been born.

When the mean King… (what was his name again?) Herod heard this he got very worried.

He called a meeting with all the other important people in the area and asked them where this special baby had been born.  The people replied, “In Bethlehem, because they heard that one day a special person would come from there and take care of all the people.”

Then King Herod called the wise men to a secret meeting and found out from them exactly where they saw the star.  He then told them, “Go and find this child.  As soon as you find him, tell me, so that I can go and worship him.”

After they had spoken to the King, the wise men left to find the baby.  They didn’t know exactly where the baby was, but at night they followed the star in the east.  They followed the star until it hung right over the very place where Jesus was.

When they finally had arrived they were very excited and happy.  They found Jesus laying in Mary’s arms, and they bowed down and worshipped him.

After that they opened the gifts they had brought Jesus.  They were gold, frankincense and myrrh.  These were very expensive gifts, gifts that you would give to a King, not to a baby.  Mary thanked them for bringing the gifts for Jesus, and the wise men went to find a place to sleep for the night.

As the wise men were sleeping, they each had the same dream.  They were not to go back and tell King Herod where they found Jesus.  King Herod didn’t want to find Jesus to worship him, he wanted to kill him because he was jealous that this baby would someday be better than him.

So the wise men went home another way so that Herod would not know where they had come from.  They also decided that they would not tell King Herod anything about what they had seen.

When the wise men had left, an angel appeared to Joseph in a dream.  “Get up,” the angel said, “take Jesus and Mary and run away to Egypt.  Stay there until I come to you again, because Herod is going to search for Jesus to kill him.”

Joseph immediately got up and woke up Mary, and she gently picked up Jesus so he wouldn’t wake from his sleep.  They left in the middle of the night for Egypt, so no one would see them.

They were safe in Egypt, and after King Herod died an angel appeared to Joseph and told him could go to a place called Nazareth.  And that’s where Jesus grew up.

The Christmas Story – Part 1
The Christmas Story – Part 2
The Christmas Story – Part 4

 

The Christmas Story (Part 2)

By Lori Bakker | | Filed in Teaching | Tags: , ,

The Angels Visit the Shepherds

In those days the government decided that they should count everyone that lived in that area of the world. So Joseph had to take Mary to his town, Bethlehem to register.

It took Mary and Joseph a long time to get to Bethlehem.  They didn’t have cars back then, so it probably took them a lot longer to get there.  This was very tiring for Mary because she was soon going to have a baby.

When they reached the town, all the hotels were full and there was nowhere that they could stay.  Finally, someone felt bad for them, and offered them a place to stay.

The Bible doesn’t say for sure where they stayed but most people think that they stayed in a small barn where animals were kept.  In any case, doesn’t it seem strange that Jesus, the King of the Jews wasn’t born in a fancy palace or even a hospital?

Mary and Joseph were thankful that they at least had a place to lay down.  It was warm, and there was plenty of straw to lay on.

That night an exciting, wonderful thing happened.  Mary and Joseph had a baby!  But it wasn’t just any baby, it was Baby Jesus!  The creator of the whole world, the King of Kings, the one who would save the world.

The little baby boy fell asleep in Mary’s arms and she wrapped him in cloths and laid him in a manger on some clean straw.

Mary and Joseph soon fell asleep, they were so glad to have this special baby join their family.

Some shepherds who lived near Bethlehem, were out at night in their fields watching over their sheep.  They were worried a bigger animal might come and hurt the sheep, so that sat on a hill visiting and watching their sheep together.

Suddenly there was a bright light.  Now this wasn’t just any bright light, the light was so bright that they had to close their eyes for a minute because the light hurt their eyes.

When they opened their eyes to see what was going on, a beautiful angel was standing in the air just above them with his arms opened wide.

The shepherds looked at each other in disbelief, but realized it must be real, because they were all seeing the same thing.  All at once they were very afraid, but they didn’t run because they were too stunned to do anything.

Then the angel spoke to them.  “Do not be afraid.  I’m here to bring you good news for all people.  Today in Bethlehem a baby has been born, He is the one that will save the world.  You will know the baby because He will be wrapped in cloths, and laying in a manger.”

Suddenly, just as quickly as the first angel came, there were a large group of angels, and they said together, “Glory to God, and peace to all people on earth.”  After they spoke, they floated away.

The shepherds were amazed and excited, did everyone know this news, or just them?  They had to go see this baby the angels were talking about.

They ran as fast as they could, and soon found Mary, Joseph, and baby Jesus.  The shepherds fell to their knees when they saw Jesus, they were filled with joy that they had found the Lord.

The shepherds only stayed for a few minutes,  they realized that Mary needed to sleep.  As soon as they left they began shouting in the streets and telling everyone they met about what they had seen, and about the arrival of baby Jesus.

Mary sat and watched Jesus sleep, she was so happy.  She was thinking about what it would be like when her son got older, and what an important person He was.

The Christmas Story – Part 1
The Christmas Story – Part 3
The Christmas Story – Part 4

Seeing with the Eyes of Jesus

By Jim Bakker | | Filed in Uncategorized | Tags: , ,

I’m excited to see my good friend, BeBe Winans again this week.  BeBe always encourages, always uplifts, always loves on me and our family when he’s here.  If I could keep him around, I would!  We need more real friends like BeBe.  The Bible says in Proverbs 17:17, “A friend loves at all times, and a brother is born for adversity.”  BeBe Winans is my friend, one that I can trust because his opinion of me doesn’t flow with the tides of public scrutiny – his opinion of me is settled in a lavish grace that gets its foundation and instruction from the very heartbeat of Jesus.

Jesus knew (knows) the hearts of people, and even when they failed (still fail), His love covered (continues to cover) them and didn’t (still doesn’t) expose them.  Jesus was and is tender, kind and gentle and His goodness leads people to repent of their sins so as not to grieve His heart (Romans 2:4). The love of Jesus is just the opposite of harsh and carnal judgment of people.

I am currently doing a series of teachings I titled “To Know Him” which will eventually be a book that contrasts the humble heart of one who knows they are utterly helpless and dependent on Jesus, with the proud heart that exhibits the harshness of judgment.  Jesus outlined the contrast in the Beattitudes when He said, “blessed are those who mourn (sorrow for their sins and the sins of others), and “blessed are those who are poor in spirit” (they know they are helpless in and of themselves, and they know they have great spiritual needs.)

The love of Jesus is always for and not against, always rooting you on to restoration and redemption, never satisfied to draw a conclusion from a failure but always moving you toward the final liberation from sin – salvation.

BeBe and I are going to talk about his new book about the life of Whitney Houston.  BeBe and Whitney were friends, and more importantly, brother and sister in the Lord.   You see, when Whitney passed from this life, there were many people who said she didn’t deserve the honor and the respect that the many who loved her and those who were close to her gave her.  Brutal people proclaimed her failures and sins as they scoffed at her legacy.

BeBe’s own personal knowledge of her couldn’t let the treachery of harsh judgment stand, and because he knew her as a Child of God who loved the Lord, he will tell the story of Whitney Houston from his eyes – eyes of love.

When my sins and failures were paraded before the world in the media, brutal people reviled me and said awful things that weren’t true, and put treacherous words in print – and they still do to this day!  It isn’t easy to live with the knowledge that there are people out there in this world who hate you and don’t mind telling others just how much!   But throughout the times of my life when others went out from me like a receding tide, BeBe never wavered in his love and adoration for me.  He looked beyond my sin and saw my heart – and he was (is) a friend who loves at all times.

I told Lori recently that if I die before the Lord comes, I know the media headlines will no doubt read, “The Disgraced Jim Bakker Dies.”  But for those who really know me and love me, maybe one day one of them will write about “The Jim Bakker I Knew.”  My legacy is not with my failures, but in the knowledge of the Blood of Jesus, which covers every single one of them, just as it did Whitney’s.