b'END TIMESSalvation By Feelingsed to become more aware of the pride, greed, sexualAgain,Iwasentertainingthatidolatrousaddic-By Michael Forti immorality, anger, unforgivness, jealousy, and mosttion while experiencing a temporary relief of guilt. of all, idolatry. I was replacing a true born again relationship with As I started to grow in my new found faith, I wouldJesus Christ with feelings, emotions, ego, and pride, Icatch myself looking up to, and admiring motivation- instead of Biblical facts and reality. I was just USING remember 53 years ago, riding my bicycle down to our local Catholic church, walking into the confes- al speakers and musicians, hopingthe Name of our Lord to keep me in sion booth, confessing all my sin to the priest, andthatoneday,Iwouldbeabletothe spot light.then FEELING much better and totally RELEAVED.touch the crowds just the way theyIstartedtonoticeasIread I remember kneeling down at the pew and sayingdid. I wanted to be someone whothe Word, that Jesus, through His about a half of a Hail Mary before I bolted out thewouldleadthelostdowntotheapostles, warns church goers that door to go play with my friends. alter and into the arms of Jesus,in the very last days, there will be A few years later, I remember getting involved withand to see people touched throughMANY, just like me, who claim to sportsalongwithotherpopularactivities,alwaysour music. be true believers, all preaching in hoping that one day, I would grow up to be someoneHowever, I started to notice thattheNameofJesus,whoarestill that everyone would notice, lookup to, and admire.something was wrong. It was thatliving in idolatry. Come to find out, Later on, I started to sing and play the guitar, imi- same old familiar way of life. I wasmany who once knew the Lord had tating all of the famous rock stars. I began playingnolongeradmiringthesecularalready left their first love without in all of the smoke filled bars, hell holes and joints,starswhoIonceidolized,Iwasevenknowingit.Idolatry,greed, which obviously led to a life filled with booze, drugs,admiringChristianstars.Ifoundjealousyandcompititionwillbe women and trouble. myselfentertaingtheflesh,pray- inthechurch\'s,andyes,church AftercrashingfromalifefilledwithfailureandingthatIwouldberecognized,goers will be focusing more on per-false hopes, I found myself on my knees once again,noticed,andclassifiedasoneofsonalities instead of the Words of just like when I was a kid, at a local non-denimi- God\'s anointed vessels. Michael Forti Jesus Christ. They will be admiring national church, with tears running down my face.Itwasn\'tuntilIrealized,afew"successful"personalities,num-However, this time, I bowed my head and I said theyearslaterintoourministry,howdeadlywrongIbers, money, wealth, insperational sinners prayer. I rememberd that same familiar feel- was. The Lord showed me that because my heart wasspeakers and teachers, in the same way that they ing of relief from many years ago. All of the guilt wasstillheadeddowntheentertainmentroad,peopleadmired the idols while living in the world. Church again lifted off of my shoulders. were not seeing Jesus, their Savior, they were seeinggoers will be more focused on the creation instead of Iremembergoingtochurchandlisteningtome. In reality, nothing changed. I was still an enter- our Creator.the pastors sermons, and I even joined the praisetainer with a new disguise, seeking to be noticed. IItsobvioustoday,thatwhensomeonefinally band.Themusicwasforsuredifferentthanthewas simply using Jesus as my promoter. I was nodecidestothrowinthetowel,andthentogive musicIplayedinthebars,but,ithadthesamelonger wanting to feed my ego by being noticed byreligion a try, they will have a few options when it ENTERTAINMENTFEELINGthatIalwaysknew.Itheunsavedworld.Iwastryingtobenoticedbycomes to finding a solid based church. After all, the wasnolongerthatinterestedinlisteningto,andthose in the church. new convert doesn\'t know much about modern day admiringthesecularentertainers,sportsstars, It wasn\'t to long after that when I could see thatChristianity. They just assume that Jesus is in every musicians and actors that motivated my ego. I thenI was not truly SAVED. I was simply responding tochurch.They don\'t know that Satan has his church-found myself listening to our pastor, along with otherthe same addictive FEELINGS of the relief of guilt,es out there too, just waiting to lure them into the inspiring preachers who were making an impact onand a Sunday morning adrenaline rush that I usedsame "FEELS GOOD," entertaining enviornment that my life. to feel while I was playing in the smoke filled bars.they grew up in. However, this time, the atmosphere As I started to get into reading my Bible, I beganIt was then that I realized that I was still hooked onseems more comforting, pleasing, inspirational, spir-to understand more about the sin nature that I wasSELF, and a good feeling just the way I used to beitual, sheltered and secure.entertaining while I was down that wide road. I start- with drugs and entertainment. Many pastors, because of greed and compition, feel that it is too shocking to stimulate these new visitors with the message of the end time signs of the times. Tothem,thedoomandgloom,andthefireand brimstone preaching about the increase of asteriod I started to notice as I read the Word, that Jesus, through Hisactivity,earthquakes,volcaniceruptions,violence andimmoralityisnolongerneededtostimulate apostles, warns church goers that in the very last days, there willchurch goers into wholesome thinking. It will create an uncomfortable environment.be MANY, just like me, who claim to be true believers, all preachingThis is why Jesus illustrates the conditions of the earlyNewTestamentchurchessothatallchurch in the Name of Jesus, who are still living in idolatry.goers can see the difference between those who are Continued on Page 81.WILLIAM MURPHY -6.TEDASHI - NEVER SETTLE HERE FOLD2.TRUE BELIEVERS -7.DONALD LAWRENCE - BACK TO THE ROOTS GOSHEN3.MICHAEL W. SMITH -8.THE TOMMIES - AWAKEN REUNION4.TODD DULANEY - TO9.CASEY J - THE AFRICA WITH LOVE GATHERING5.WOW GOSPEL 2019 10. BEN TANKARD - RISE4 APRIL 2019 BOCNEWS.com'