The Pretender - Pastor J. D. Howell 3-22-2026

That's Nathaniel.

Would you turn with me to the Book of Second

Timothy mad direct your attention to the fourth chapter and

the tenth verse. Brother Jesse Salm chapter number twenty six

and verse number four. And Beloved, I would like to

direct your attention to Ezekiel chapter number twenty three and

verse number twelve. Brother Thomas Sterot is a man that

loves righteousness, truth and holiness. We know without it we

will not see the Lord. And I want to obey

the Lord tonight. I want to preach what God put

upon my heart two days ago to preach to this people.

And I know they tell me there's seventy five to

eighty people present tonight. I know that the people of

Bethel Holiness Church are genuine, sincere, true blue, pure vanilla

grade A holiness people. I see the way the spirit

of God moves on you wall. But if Jesus had

one impostor and one pretender in that group of twelve

that followed him, then it's possible that we could have one, two,

or three in this building tonight. And the church said

amen not to mention that Brother Richard Jacob, while conducting

the offer, Tory felt led of the Lord to talk

about Judas and talked about him pretending. So I know

that we have the message of the hour. I want

to ask you to pray for me that God would

help me deliver this the way it needs to be

delivered tonight, because I desperately need his help. Brother Nathaniel,

Second Timothy, chapter number four and verse number ten, my brother,

for Demus has forsaken me, having loved this present world,

and has departed unto Thessalonaika, Cretians, to Galatia, Titus unto Dalmatia.

Now I want to say that I feel like Demons

had the spirit of the world inside of him all along.

Even though his name appears three times in the Bible,

and the first in the second time, he appears to

be doing good things for the Lord and for the

Lord's people. I want to propose to you tonight and

suggest that he had the spirit of the world already

rage and inside of him. Brother Jesse, Salm, chapter number

twenty six and verse number four, My brother, I have not.

Sat with vain persons. Neither will I go in with dissemblers.

Dissemblers. I will not hobnob with pretenders. Let's stand to

read the Golden Text please Ezekiel. Chapter number twenty three

and verse number twelve. The Bible says she doted upon

the Assyrians, her neighbors, captains and rulers, clothed most gorgeously,

horsemen riding upon horses, all of them desirable young men.

Then I saw that she was fouled, that they look

both one way. Let's pray, Heavenly Father, we love and

we praise you. We thank you for the opportunity to

be here. Tonight. I want to sound the alarm in

this house tonight. I know that these are good people.

Father.

I believe these people are the cream of the crop

because they are your people. They are the sheep of

your pasture. I know they love you, God. I see

the way they worship you in spirit and in truth.

Would you help us to have ears that hear what

the spirit of God says?

Or to the church. Would you help us to hear

and heed?

Lord, would you annoy this, thy servant, said a God

at my mouth. Watch the words that I speak Tonight,

I pray God, may these sayings go below the shoulders

and saturate the heart and the spirit. We'll give you

the praise and the honor and the glory in Jesus' name,

and the church said, heymen, looking again at verse number twelve.

As you're being seated, she doted upon the Assyrians, her neighbors,

captains and rulers, clothed most gorgeously horsemen riding upon horses,

all of them desirable young men. In this sacred riding

we find Ezekiel preaching against the gross sins of the

capital cities Samaria and Jerusalem. The capital cities are represented

by two Harlot sisters, Ollah and Olobi. These were representative

of the Northern and southern kingdoms of Israel, Olah being

the eldest, and Lliba the youngest, and brother Jesse. As

I think about the cities of Samaria and Jerusalem being

Israeli capital cities, I realize that if that could happen

to God's chosen people over there in that part of

the world, it could happen again in the Americas. Yes,

in the United States of America, not only North America,

but Central and South America as well. The nation that

turns away from God shall be turned into Hell. So

we see these two capital cities having occupants or residents

that do not have their minds wholly set upon God,

the God of heaven. And so this God of Heaven

likens these two capital cities as two sisters who have

over a periodive time, become immodest and immorl In fact,

they are now idolators because they did not keep their

eyes off of things that they should not have been

looking upon. And I know that the eyegate is one

way that the devil will enter the human body.

He will also enter through the ear gate.

But I'm sure that there was something about what these

members of the capital cities were looking upon. If you will,

I'm going to talk about these two sisters, but don't

forget about who and what they represent.

And so at some point, at a young age.

These two sisters they continue to dote upon or find

upon their neighbors.

In other words, they.

Were looking at the worldliness of other people, and they

deemed it a good thing. And within their own hearts,

they wanted to live just like those people lived. They

wanted to do the things those people were doing. They

wanted to talk like them, they wanted to share of

vocabulary with them. They wanted to look like the sons

and the daughters of this world. And according to this

particular chapter, they turn their heads from the great God

Jehovah and begin to look at other people of other gods,

and eventually they begin to worship the idols of other nations.

I can't understand how the children of Israel, which are

supposed to be the children of the Lord, would be

satisfied with committing idolatry. I don't know how they could

embrace the practices of pagans or do what the pagans do.

Sometimes I see the actions or the practices of pentecostal

and holiness young people. I listen to their vocabulary, I

notice the way they are dressing, and I can tell

that they have their finger on the pulse of this world.

It's not that they are windows shopping, as the generations

before this generation done.

It is that they have been busy on their cellular.

Devices monitoring the activity of the world. I feel like

they want to be in the know, and they feel

like her, they need to partake her of the forbidden

things of this world, or at least be knowledgeable of

the things of this world. Is this how the capital

cities of Samaria and Jerusalem fulton that they needed to

be identified and associated with the people of the nations

of this world. If you read our Golden Text again,

you will see that the Lord was looking upon these

people of the capital cities, and they were watching the

wicked lifestylesand of other nations like a Syria and Egypt.

The nation of Israel was eventually led into idolatry by

her capital city of Samaria. And the very thing she

desired was the very thing that destroyed her. And we

find the other sister should have noticed what happened to

the eldest sister, But no, she did not live and learn.

She did not heed the warning her of the preachers.

She did not listen to what the spirit of God

it said. She had an ear, but it was not

one to hear what God said. She had eyes to see,

but they were not asked to behold the way of

the pasthway of truth. And because she turned a deaf

ear and a blind eye to the happenings of her

sister and what became of her. In other words, the

other nation and what happened to the Northern kingdom.

Was of no interest or regard to her, and she

lost and out with God, just like them. The other

sister did.

I'm hoping to preest to some wise people, and that

will look out and realize what has happened to every

huge group and young adulter and elder that has ever

looked out of the windows of the church and gazed

upon the world.

The daughter of the great Man Jacob.

Namely Dinah, she had an eye on Jacob, she had.

An eye on her brothers, but.

She also had an eye on the daughters of the land.

And you know, the Bible said that she went into

the land as she was defiled. I feel like the

Holy ghost nose. There's some young people in this building

tonight with one eye on the church.

And another eye on the world.

So this youngest sister took the same path and it

led to her demise as well, and the Syrians and

the Babylonians destroyed them. God had said it in his word,

tow shalt have no.

Other gods before me.

And I feel like telling somebody tonight that ungodliness.

Never goes unpunished.

And God knows what you're looking at when nobody answer watching.

And even though summer may be watchmen.

On the wall and they're doing everything they can to watch,

and the sea to watch, and.

The pray to search.

And to find how come on now but steal somehow

you have thrown under radar that I want you to

know that God Almighty has looked at the way you

have looked at the people.

And the things of this world. And your hand is

being corder who that tonight.

Ungodliness never goes unpunished. If you repent and turn from

your wicked ways, then he will hear from heaven and

heal your land. But these two capital cities, they were

not going to turn from their wicked ways.

You let that sink in.

The cities of Sodom and Gomorrah were sister cities. And

the messenger brought the message that God is going to

destroy those cities Reinfower and Brimstone and so far out

of heaven upon them.

They did not pay any mind to it at all.

They did not give it careful consideration at all.

They kept on.

Living life they were living. They kept on doing what

they were doing. In fact, they continued with the weddings

that were planned. They had the banquets that had been planned,

they were given in marriage.

They were if you want partying.

All the way up and to your fire fell down

out of heaven. And I'm telling somebody here the not

you looked and somebody that.

Loves you dearly, and you have said emphatically, I am

not that way, I am not doing that.

Then how do you explain two days ago God telling

me to preach on the pretender, and then yesterday a

slip of paper in the general public growing by my foot,

and on of this said the pretend. I'm here tonight

to talk to the pretender. I may not know who

you are, but God knows, and the gig is up.

Don't you look at a holiness person and tell them

I'm not here, I'm not that one. I'm not doing

the things of the world in my mind. Don't you

say I am pure and I'm holy, and I'm Russius

and I love this holiness way.

Let that seek in.

These two were God's people, and young people, you can

turn away from your sin tonight.

People under the age of thirty.

Five, you can turn and for sake your sin tonight.

Secod Timothy, chapter number four and Burst number ten miss

the writing of the apostle Paul addressing a young preacher.

This is a man that is burning for the care

of the churches, but he's also burning about the defection abdemus.

He is worried that this could get off ho Timothy

the same way the elder sisters actions got off on

the younger sisters, the same way the capital of city

Herb Israel.

He got off on.

The capital city of Judah. Oh, come on, you gotta

be careful. Who are running with the Bible? Said evil

that communications corrupts good manners? What was going on? Somebody

who's keeping up? We want the Assyrians? We're doing these

daughters of kDa. We're looking at those Assyrian men right

true town holding their horses. They gave them men the

look they fell like than me in re gorgeously appareiled

of Oh.

Come on, now here a pail of hor This world

should not be appealing, I said to appareil Lord, This world.

Should not be appealing. I smell a read if I've

ever smelled one. He goes by in that little sports

car that's been modified with hydraulics. He goes by in

that jacked up full will drive that is gonna be

making payments on. That's gonna put his family in financial drest.

Come on, if he marries somebody. He is so selfish,

he is so consumed with his own ways. He has

no regard for the House of God or for the

people of God. And then that little girl with that

uncut long hair, that has never put a pair of

breeches hon in her life, gives him the looker that

she should not have even know how to give. I'll

tell you how you know how to give that look,

because within you here is a fortasous a spirit.

I said. The Bible said that spirit.

Come on Nima when they were young, and that stayed

with him.

I tell they.

World as a pastor, I've taken young people to camp meeting,

and people that I thought was innocent and just as

pure as a fresh snow in Alaska surprised me by

some of their actions. I've seen young men and young

women do things, James that shocked me. I have literally

been knocked to my knees at times where I went

into a private prayer closet and pray to say, why

is it even fascinating?

Why is it even interesting?

Oh? Why is there even a desire for the things

of the people of this world in you?

Anyway? Oh?

Come on, Paul told Timothy, for Demus hath forsaken me.

This is not a headline you want to receive from

your brother that's in prison. You don't want your brother

having to think about somebody defecting from the faith.

For Paul, even though.

This is a prison epistle, he tells the young preacher

about this situation.

He's warning him.

And the explanation is this, he has forsaken me, having

loved this present world. And it doesn't say he loved

Jack Daniels Ord, Jim Beam. It doesn't say that he

wanted to come in fornication, It doesn't say that he

wanted to rob a banker. But he just loved this

world and he's departed. You know what happened to these

to capital cities as Syria and Bible Lot sick their

armies and they stamp them out, They ground them the

powder because God said, you can't have two masters.

You will hate one and love the other. You will

hold the one and despise the other. Are you really

gonna take that path? Young people?

They pray and they say, God, give me a special somebody. God,

please give me a precious wife. God give me a

precious man that I can call husband. And God's words said,

give not that which is holy unto the dogs. As

a pastor, as a father, I gave away, sister Hannah,

and I had to make sure that that princess was

marrying a prince. And I'm not talking about a prince

of Assyria. I'm not talking about somebody that had a boombox.

Rocking in the back of the truck.

I'm not talking about somebody that had a dip in

the lip.

I'm not talking.

About somebody that was walking around swinging a mulletar wearing

two tight wranglers. I'm talking about a prince among God's people.

What are you looking for? Who ought to be ashamed

of yourself? That that worldly boy even told that you

wanted know if he thought.

You were prety.

No, he did not think you were pity. He thought

that is a precious life. I could destroy Assyria and

Babylon wanted to destroy these two precious sisters, these two

precious capital cities. The kingdom had already been divided into

the Northern and the Southern Kingdom. I don't know what

you all know about this, but there is a great

falling away that is still going on to this day.

And I'm gonna say it again.

Two days ago, God spoke it into my mind to

preach a message titled Their pretender. I've never heard anybody

preach on this topic. I have preached a message title

the Thespian Christian. I have preached against hypocrisy. I preached

along them lines for years, But I've never heard that

expression the pretender and Brother Nathaniel in that slip of

paper went by. I felt something that I hadn't felt

even in a great move of God in.

This church house. And that's saying something.

I felt something so powerful that Sister how Will saw

me for two hours last night reel back on my

heels and say, God, who are you speaking to? That's

the same thing that Peter James and John Andrew, Philip

Bartholomew and so many others asked that night that Judas

to betray her was going to betray Jesus.

I'm like a holy ghost.

Of Hell dog right here tonight, and I am sniffing

around your tree. I'm trying to find the impostor. I'm

trying to find a hippocrite. Oh come on, now, I'm

not talking about an adultra I'm not talking about a

Ford Cato. I'm not talking about a thief or a robber.

I'm talking about somebody like the religious leaders that Jesus

had a problem with. They knew how to pray, they

take a time in the altar, they'd pray alone, prayer.

Come on, now, they look right on the outside that

Jesus said, you're.

A fool the dead men's bones. Oh my god.

When the fashion trend changes and a holiness person knows

it not the week of, but the hour of, I

know they've been looking in the wrong places. I told sister,

how what matches nowadays would not have matched in mine

and your teenage years. We would have said that this

is a punky brewster men, a mixed up and a

messed up. Oh come on, I'm not exactly a nerd.

I'm not exactly trying to be the nerdiest pastor and

the holiness movement. But if I somehow stumble in to

the latest fashion trend, I've done just that. After three

to four months, I've stumbled in to J. C. Penney

and the only thing being offered. There's something there if

you would align yourself with the current fashion trend. But

I feel like this some of you. You're searching day

in and day out, trying to keep a monitor. Oh

whether or not you are in style. Oh, come on now,

since win should two sisters her p Israel be gawking

her Pine, the gorgeous apperil for the art righteous, for

the art holy.

That's what Kata ain't in their trouble.

Russ too goodly Babylonian garments, they were not goodly. I

want to call them Babylonian No goods. That stuff, how

there is no good for your soul. The Bible said,

love not the world, neither the things of this world.

If any man loved the world, the love of the

Father is not in them. Do you know I can

put on a pair of modest breeches, and I can

put on a baggy shirt, and Brother Nathaniel, I can

put on a certain style hat and immediately feel condemned

him my spirit, because I know I would be identified

with and accepted by certain genres.

Are you with me? Oh?

Come on, certain groups, certain cliques, certain people. Oh come

on now, I'm trying to preach to you here tonight. Listen,

I'm leave. God showed me who you are. I said,

I believed a little while ago, when there Noring got

so strong.

God showed me who I'm preaching to. You know who?

The greatest pretenders for the Lord's day was it was

not judas it was the scribes and the Pharisees. They

looked a party, but insider they were full of dead

men's bones. And that that you seek you shall find.

That is a biblical principle. And that that you look

for and seek afta you shall find it, and it

shall find you. Again referring to Dinah, the daughter of

the patriarch. The daughter of the patriarch went into a

certain land, and she com hold of them. They saw

what is this innocent, little pure girl doing? And the

leadership said, who will take her? You know why they

would take her because they know that she and not

being with a man. They noticed she had protective brothers,

she had protective family members. And then whenever she got up,

of course, and got off path and snuck down there

where all that protection was not, they took advantage of her.

You can go out in this world where there is

no protection of the pastor where there is no prayer

of the prayer warrior, where there is no perfect praise

of the praise group, and the devil will destroy your soul,

I said, the devil wheel destroy your soul. You want

to know why some got the holy Ghosta and others

didn't know. Because you are still right viewing through your

rose colored glasses of the world.

I want you to know the world is not world colored.

Amen, for demas have forsaken me, having loved this present world,

and it's departed. Unto Thessalonaka, I would say, Demus love.

The world all along.

Brother Philip, he didn't suddenly have it appeal unto him

Like Demus.

Many are active in church.

They make an appearance, but there is an appeal for

the things of the world. Sister Wooton, Sister Janet Hill,

Sister Neelie, Sister Him and Sister Howell, Sister road Cap.

The world doesn't appeal to you at all, does it.

We live in this world, we own things in this world.

Some of you own a lot of properties and a

lot of houses. Some of you on a lot of vehicles,

some of your own businesses. But even though you live

in this world, you are to remain unspotted from the world,

and we, as Christians, are to guard our heart. Can

I tell you what Jesus told the hypocrites of his

generation while he walked upon the face of the earth.

He said, woe to you scribes and Pharisees, and I

want to say it here tonight. Woe to you, young

people of the Bethel Holiness Church. How do you pronounce it?

Ho Lah and elib Oh. Come on now, two sisters

and partners in crime, a criminal couple. You're supposed to

be raising up the capital city. You're supposed to be

uniting from the spirit of God. You're supposed to be unified,

but you cannot even come together in a like mindedness.

I'm gonna say it again because I'm the pastor and

I can say it. You are a pretender and as

long as you pretend to have something you do not have,

you we are not to have it. It's time we

begin again at the altar. We do our first works

over again. We pray through, we get delivered. We have

a change of heart, we have a change of attitude

and a change of mina.

Say God forgive me.

I've seen preachers get up and preach, and I could

tell they were pretending to be preachers. I've seen saints

of God of all denominations pretend to be saints. They

had a form of godliness, but denied the power thereof

You know, that's what happens when gifted and highly annoying

musicians begin to look upon the world and begin to

tune in to you two musicians that are playing the

songs of this world, and eventually a spirit gets a

hold of them. And then they had to substitute that

anointing with lycs and lyrics that were created by Lucifer

and all of his singers and musicians. And they have talent,

but they have no anointing, and then they go on

pretending to have something that they do not have.

Listen.

I've never had to tell anybody that received the Holy

Ghost them that they had received the Holy Ghost. I've

never had to tell any Howell brother or any of

these other preachers of Bethel that you had a hold

of it tonight, that you were annoyed to because when

you get anointed, there ain't no devil in hell, There

ain't no spouse up, there ain't no child, There ain't

nobody that can tell you were pretending. That can't nobody

tell you you were faked, because you know, when you

tapa the anointing of God and God feels you with

that Holy Ghost to her liquid and nooughted and the

power of God is flowing.

Through your mortal being there.

You know that, you know that, you know as sure

A sister Crystal Harris knew last Monday night, as God

led me to preach a few times. We had three

altar services around ten thirty six. She said, I thought

something that I know was real. I thought something there

that I know. In one statement, she used the word

three times I know, I knew. Then her sister Wood,

she no longer would even have to.

Worry about pretending.

She would no longer he would have to worry about

her what other people think. Because of your genuine you

know it, and everybody else knows it. If you're nervous tonight,

everybody else in this building Heath knows that the Holy

Ghost is talking up to ray pretender. They can shake,

the pretender can sake, but they're like Sampson when they

ain't been living right.

There ain't no power.

Jesus told Coppas, the high priests, the scribes, and the Pharisees,

you can pray the longest in public prayer. Your robes

can be the longest. You can cause us to stand

out here all evening and all night long while we

listen to you pray, while we listen to you recite

to Pitt the cook the first five books of the Bible.

But we can tell there is something wrong on the inside.

And you ain't even worthy to cast a stone out.

A woman caught him the very act. I'm telling you

here tonight. You ain't the adulteress. You act the adulter.

You ain't the fornicator, you ain't the bank robber. I'm

not preaching to you right now tonight. I'm preaching to

that one that is casting a wistful iron to this world.

I'm preaching to that one's taking a second and a

third look. I'm preaching of that one. You better be

careful looking upon the forbidding thing. You better be careful

looking upon them worldly young men and them worldly young women.

I hope to God that this altar is not bearing

the night of them. I hope you take the right

path that leads to life. Anybody can sway, and anybody

can roll, and anybody can groan.

Whoa, here's me.

The pharis please, they said, I thank you Lord that

I'm not like that publican. I thank you Lord. I'm

not like a center. Isn't it pretty? It'scusy for you

to look at that gorgeously apparelled Assyrian and you to

think he was interested in you, and for you to

be interested in him. Now you can look at me

all the ways you want to, and try to fool

me all you want to, But I know who talked

to me. You know what I remember years ago being

in Pitching Forwards, Tennessee, and seeing a bus load of

Amish men and women get off of that bus. And

Brother Aaron Wood and Brother Jessa Howell when they got

off that bus, if you would, I guess you'd call

them the Orthodox or the Devouts. When they got off,

as the Bible said, they let their eyes look right

on and they walked right on through that entry door.

But there was a handful of them young people, Brother Nathaniel.

They may have had early stage square beard, and them

suspenders on their breeches that looked like they was going

to wade to a little tributary or something. And even

them little mama's there, them little girls. They had a

spirit on them. Brother Jesse. They might have had their

little white little hat covering their hair bun. But I

saw a spirit on them young people, And I said,

they are not in the business of Amish. They are

not in the business of Amish religion. They're not in

the business of what Daddy or whoever's preaching. They're not

in the business of what the bishop is promoting down

there in the Amish village. They are here in Pigeon

Forge to partake of things that I would not partake of.

They're here to indulge in things. And somebody told me,

they said, do you not know the Amish people have

accustom with They're okay with their kids searching for the

things of this world and seeing of whether or not

they want to live in the world. And you know what,

I see the same spirit, even though it's not permitted

or promoted or allowed in the Holiness Church. It seems

like sometimes we turn a blind eye when we realize

some of our young people are entertaining the spirit of

the world. I don't believe in this sowing your wild

oats and hoping for the best at a later date,

Should I keep preaching or should we go to the house,

Because what's going to happen is they're pretenders. They're gonna

act like there's nothing wrong. There's no way I would

ever pretend. Speaking in tongues for years now, Sister Christous Wung,

the gate on its hinges out here going to fire Forest.

I'd say for four years, probably at least an hour

a day. That's a lot of ray and seeking the

Holy Ghost. For those of you that have got a

little bit whimpy about I ain't received him yet. Well,

some might have felt like I was dragging out the service.

And when we got to our third altar call at

ten thirty six, we started praying with Brother Samuel Shivers

and we started working on a building, and Sister Hannah

Howell went that way.

That's Jesse's wife.

Brother Jesse's wife, and Sister Hannah Edwards went that way.

And then I saw Sister gil Hammon back there going nuts.

I said, definitely something's about to happen. And then I

see my wife go from where Brother Samuel Howell standing

to about right here in less than two seconds, and

I see Sister Rachel just run right up to Sister Crystal.

The timing was impeccable, everybody being led of the Holy Ghost.

I could have missed this most of the times I

would have missed it, but God wanted me to see it.

And you know what, in less than one second at

impact the power God hit her. There's no devil of

hell that can tell her she did not feel what

she felt. She didn't pretend falling out on the floor,

she didn't pretend to play pots, she didn't play possum,

she didn't pretend.

Are y'all with me.

I'm not saying anybody in this building pretended that night.

I'm talking about something else here tonight. I look to

my right, Sister Wooton and Brother Jesse at the same

exact moment, jumps up and goes to shouting, I'm not

talking about two seconds later, I'm talking about it that

exact moment. Brother Nathaniel starts shouting, Brother Samuel starts shouting.

Sister Heal and Sister woot come running from the back

of the church, and I realize everybody in the building

knows this woman is not pretending. And Sister Rachel said,

my little baby, Nathan. How old is Nathan? Five months?

She said Nathan could tell her she was speaking in

tongues where Sister Crystal has said before. I don't know

if I did or not, she said, I sure don't

want to go against the Bible, but I believe I did. Hey, man,

you know what, she ain't the only one that said

that I remember when you received the Holy Ghost. You said,

I didn't exactly just talk in tongues for a long time,

But I know I got him. I know I spoke

a few words in tongues. Hey, brother Jesse, you got

the Holy Ghost. Your brother Nathaniel may have prayed for

hours in the Holy Ghost. You may have shouted a

little while, You may have failed his presence and spoken

tongues for a little while. But the same baptizer baptize

you and your brother. I'm telling you I feel the

Holy Ghost in this place here tonight. This is not

a house of pretenders. This is not a place where

Judas is scared. It's going to be comfortable in very long.

This is not a place where Judas are scared. We'll

be comfortable in very long. Are y'all listening to me

here tonight. I'm not pretending to be a pastor. That

woman is not pretending to be a first lady. You

can't cheat your way to the Cross. I said, you

can't cheat your way to the cross, and you can't cheat.

Your way to Pentecost.

I said, you cannot cheat your way to pit the cough.

You can fake it all you want to, but when

he is come, he will change your nature. When he

is come. He will give you utterance when he has come.

That's what I like about it, Brother Jesse. He said,

you'll speak in tongues a little bit. He said, you'll

speak in tongues a lot. He said, you'll shout a lot.

You'll be slain in the spirit. He said, you'll speak

in tongues.

All night long.

That's what I love about my Savior. We give him control,

and he does it his way. And when he does

it his way, it's perfect. And you ain't got a

word about somebody imitating another's experience, because he will reveal it.

Many years ago I read an article about a man

named John. He was an expert at cheating the system,

the educational system. I want to tell you something. You

may cheat the system here, but you won't beat it. Amen,

you may cheat it, but you won't beat it. And

this man John, while attending elementary school, he avoided learning

to read. His careless teachers didn't watch him closely, and

they passed him on to the next grade levels. He

cheated his way through junior high and high school. He

did only enough to get by. It has been said

that others have done the very same thing. I played

on a football team with a young man that was illiterate.

He did not how to read or write. He did

the unthinkable and the unimaginable. This man John Cochran, I

believe was his name. He decided to be a school

teacher because he felt like if the system was so

weak that he could cheat his way through until he

received a diploma, then surely no one would catch on

if he worked there as a school teacher, one who

could barely read and write, how could he do this

so easily? He would have others do his work for him.

He would call people up to do his reading and

his writing, and on his behalf, they did just that.

In church, he may have held a diploma in his hand,

and on his big gri graduation day he may have celebrated,

but he knew what he had was not earned. He

knew he may have cheated it, but he did not

beat it. Listen, you can cheat the system at times,

but you can't beat God's system. You can shake, you

can speak a few syllables, just like kids do at

Christmas time.

Follow la la la la la la lah.

But brother Nathaniel Howe will will not be deceived by it.

You can sway, you can rock, you can roll, you

can run, you can change your wardrobe, you can even

attempt to change your vocabulary. You can come to church

faithfully all the days of your life. You can even

go on and pass from death into eternity, and the

preacher can stand behind your casket and tell how you

cheated the system. The preacher could even be manipulated and

deceved to the point that he assumed that you made

it to heaven. But listen, someone who is only professing.

They know that they are not possessing. They know that

what they.

Claim to have is not real.

Because they've learned as individuals how to manipulate others.

They pretend to be something they are not.

I'm not speaking about the actions of hardened criminals or

habitual sinners tonight.

I'm not speaking of someone.

Doing horrible things and doing wrong and trying to get by.

I'm talking about pretending to have a genuine interest in

the Lord. Individuals and Pentecostal and holiness churches pretending to

have a personal relationship with the Lord, pretending to read

the Bible daily, pretending to have her preer life. They

have good morals. Yes, sir, they have good manners. Yes

they know the mechanics and the mechanisms of the churching,

but they really do not love the Lord. I'll tell

you one more time. You are pretending and the gig

he is let's stand. I saw it that night that

middle aged man got tired of seeking the Holy Ghost

the right way. He got tired of fasting and praying.

He got tired of seeking God's will for his life.

And one night, right in the middle of a Holy

roller meeting were one of his best friends standing nearby myself.

I saw it when he decided he tried to manipulate,

deceive the church and fool everybody, and how will kids,

you will remember this. He decided to walk up there

in front of God and everybody, disrupt the service and say,

you know what I figured out. All I gotta do

is just faith it in. I just believe and receive

the Holy Ghost. And he went to I received. I

received the Holy Ghost, and we all looked at him like,

you're crazy, you are crazy. I've heard of charismatics taking

people into back rooms and jiggling them under the chin

and say repeat after me, my necktie, I tie my necktie,

eye tie Suzuki Samurai Suzuki. Brother Jesse, one of your

family members met one of them raging foolish charismatics years

ago and was talking about the genuine in dwelling of

the Holy Ghost and that loose living, worldly minded charismatic

Christian said, I got the Holy Ghost too, And that

holiness person that I'm telling you live the life of dedication,

it was a devout person. They said, really, And he

said yes, let me show you a party of upran sai.

And I was taking French at the time, and I

used to say that a lot, and that holiness preacher

he said, you just said, do you speak French? He said, yes,

See I'm speaking in tongues. He said, I've been into

the prayer room in the back rooms of the charismatic church,

and they've taught us how to say certain phrases like that,

to just start speaking ninety miles an. Now we're throwing

out syllables, talk pig, Latin talk, whatever we want to

talk foreign language. Could you imagine the night of Brother Gabriel,

who was fluent in the Spanish language, was to stand

up here and start speaking in Spanish, trying to fool

you all that he's praying in the heavenly language telling

and you probably fifty percent of the people in this

building would be fooled. But about the time he said

glorious the Dio, so Brother Nathaniel, and I'd say, oh, okay,

he's just talking in Spanish. And I want to tell

some of you. There's about seventy five or eighty of

you in here tonight. Let me talk to two or

three of you. You ain't talking in Spanish. You're talking

in stupid.

Huh.

And you can stiff in your body all you want

to and try to mimbic what happens to Brother Jesse

when he comes up off that piano bench. You can

try to shout like Sister Lea all you want to.

I'm gonna tell you, but people that have been around

for a while, we know that genuine from the counterfeit.

It'd be like trying to slip a counterfeit bill through

the hands of Sister Shivers. It might make it through

the hands of Brother Shivers and I, but it ain't

gonna make it through the hands of Sister Shivers and

Brother Thomas Sterit's gonna know the very seconds you pretend

are y'all with me. I'm not talking to sister Molly.

I'm not talking to Brother Dylan because eye witness what

happened to System Molly. I witnessed her testimony. I listen

to what she said. She doesn't have a church background.

She wouldn't even know how to pretend or be fake

or foe or phony. But I saw the power of

God lay her in the floor. I'm talking to people

that's been around Pentecostal church for years. Come on, you

can't fool God, and you can't fool anybody else. I'm

preaching a sermon titled the Pretender. I can tell when

a preacher is pretending to have a message from God.

He's a plagiarist. Oh, he's a cheater.

He's trying to cheat the system, and the Holiness movement

may not set him down. The Holiness movement may not

require that he go to his prayer clauset, repent of

that and go back to preaching and giving fresh bread.

They may just go ahead schedule him for the next

three to five big meetings, knowing he's guilty of plagiarism,

knowing Brother Jesse that he's cheating a system. Wouldn't we

all love to just be able to pull a sermon

off the internet and get up here and read it

word for word. I haven't even had that luxury in

a long time, about twenty something years now. Come on now,

are y' all listening to pastor here tonight? We can

tell when they're fake and phony. If I'm not mistaken,

that man John Cochran went on to get a college

decree in education. Come here and do my reading for me.

You've heard of people doing that applications for jobs, right,

fill it out, and then they wonder why they don't

last a year. They wonder why they don't last a

week because they had somebody else do it for them.

I can't do your praying for.

You, but don't you fake it when you get frustrated

that you ain't got what you need. And Brother Jesse,

there was one thing syster Irish Lynne wootnesses to Charity

Lynn Howell.

We'll tell you come here, son.

They watched that man for years refuse to pretend.

He would worship.

Coming up here, Brother Jesse, he would worship, he would

raise his hands, he had his pastor's back, he'd play,

he'd sing, he'd even get anointed. But I never one

time saw him pretend to feel something he didn't feel,

and I always knew he's holding out for the real thing. You.

I saw them shake, I saw him tremble. I saw

him run around that night you got the Holy ghosts

and acted like they got him in less than five minutes.

I saw him look at you, like, why is it

taking you three hours?

Wait?

Where are they at tonight? Most of them are backslid.

You know why, because they got tired of seeking and

they pretended to have something that they did not have.

We asked a woman one time from an Alabama church.

We said, how is it that you fall out every

time the Saints of God pray for you? In less

than three seconds? Her her daddy was a legendary Sunday

school teacher. She said, because I know them saints are

gonna pray with me for as long as I want

to pray, and I ain't interested in praying for an hour.

If I can just hit the floor, they'll leave me alone. Said,

I just shout a little bit and dropped to the floor,

and I'm done. Sister Teresa Wallace, I have admired you

since your family's got here. I've seen her step back.

I've seen her act just like Sister Howell would act.

And I ain't saying put on a phony act. I've

seen her conduct herself wisely. I've seen her actions, Brother

Dylan Wallace, as i've seen your wise mother sit back

and let you and your bride get in at your time,

let him be your God. I've seen her very little

try to push you and prod you to but i've

seen her back here crying and squalling like a baby.

But what I haven't seen her do, although she is

very spiritual, I haven't seen her try to fool them

and make it out like she's super spiritual. Because what

she knows it is, if we're going to be super spiritual,

we got to walk to walk and.

Talk to talk.

And she's standing back there, although I know her soul

is crying out within her, Get it dealing, Get it.

Go, Molly go.

I feel it through Brother Dylan. I'm not preaching the

Brother Dylan and system, Molly. I believe what they experienced

was as real as anything I've ever experienced.

And God's not done with them yet. And I want to.

Tell every Howl and every other person in this building,

you don't have to pretend any longer. Come here, Jeremiah,

you're my oldest son. I'm gonna say this. I've never

seen him pretend to feel something he didn't feel. But

I have seen him here lately start feeling something. I

have seen them knees start shaking. I have seen that

hand start shaking. And I realized, Sister Leah, he's getting

closer than he's ever been. Brother Sam shivers. The other

night you got a hold of your bride. Something got

a hold of you. Sister Denise, you sure have come

a long ways from a pretending Baptist to a genuine

Holy Roller.

My Lord Jesus.

Come here, Sister Denise, come here, Brother Sam, What do

you mean to pretend? The Baptists they weren't everything they

needed to be. But now, if I've ever seen a

genuine couple, it's this couple. Stand right there. Please, Sister

Woot and his sister Heill come here, Sister Hall, come here.

I feel like telling you Holy Rollers, let the fire

fall them profits of bell they pretended for hours. Come here,

Brother Jesse and brother Nathaniel. Please, Brother Philip, come on

over here, Sister Hill, Sister House, Sister wooton, brother Nathaniel,

Brother Jesse, over here, brother Philip, when you are sanctified,

and when you got both eyes on the Lord and

both eyes on the fire, come on, Sister Crystal, Come on,

sisters that have the Holy ghosts, brothers that have the

Holy ghosts. There is no pretending here. M If you

need to repent tonight, the altars open for you to repent.

If you need to do your first works over again,

the altars open for you to ask God to forgive

you and to go on unto perfection. An alter of repentance.

Start there. But I'm telling you there's no counterfeit here.

There's no pretending here. Praise the Lord.

He'll