Where did the Gypsies go?
Growing up in Brazil was a wonderful school of delightful events (some not so happy) ... I grew up on the front row of life’s theater.
Brazil always had a very large community of gypsy tribes that wandered from town to town... staying awhile, camping in open fields, bumming water and food off of the nearby good-willed neighbors. Then after a few weeks, usually during some dark night, they would disappear and move down the road to cheat the next group of gullible Brazilians with their fake fortune telling and palm readings.
Gradually, as time moved forward, after earning money here, money there... having very low overhead (free lights, water and food) and no long term expenses... they began investing years of untaxed money into an upscale real estate in a town nearby my home.
It was an astonishing sight to drive by, seeing luxurious houses with wide lawns and with a gypsy tent pitched in the front yard! They would sleep in the tents at night and cook and bathe in the mansions during the daytime! They had one foot planted in the gypsy world and the other foot in the world of convenience and comfort.
However, all of that has once again changed... today, the gypsy families are still there... but the colorful tents once seen from the paved avenue are no longer there!
What happened?
Their gypsy street-smart spirit of scamming simple souls settled into established communities and today are no longer clearly identifiable as Gypsies...
But many are still Gypsies in their soul structure! They were absorbed by the regional society, but never converted from their cheating ways. They are no longer identifiable by their colorful gypsy skirts... yet, you can instantly recognize their gypsy spirit usually only AFTER being suckered into some malicious scheme.
In years gone by, we all have had some so-called saints move into town and come to our churches... they were easy to identify by their clothes, actions and unwillingness to commit to the long term vision of the church. Soon, they would move on to other greener pastures, running through the same script/cycle of sly (and sometimes slimy) rebellion... until it was time for the next move over to the next town.
I have noticed, however, that this too is now changing... nowadays “gypsy” (so called) saints are harder to identify and deal with... they are “wandering stars” that have settled comfortably in our churches, “feeding themselves” while enjoying our “feasts of charity” (Jude 1: 12-13). They have no plans of leaving soon... they are now staying for the long term without changing their internal “gypsy-ness”... even to the point of proposing marriages of their gypsy daughters to our doctrine fed sons (who were groomed and raised on the shoulders of third generation apostolics)!
Our ONLY hope against long term Pentecostal gypsies is to revive the ENOCH prophetic spirit through apostolic preaching/rebuking without relent against “murmurers, complainers, lusters and those that speak great swelling words”(Jude 1:16) that are building their gypsy mansions in our Pentecostal communities!
My concern is: have we, the Apostolic ministry, also become comfortable with these settled gypsies in our midst? Are we now willing to benefit from their offerings and tithes all the while accepting their edgy worldliness as we look the other way while intermarrying our sons to their daughters on the altar of marriage... thus rooting that spirit, even deeper into our churches?!?
I plead and cry out to the Ministry: Keeping preaching! Preach until they truly convert from their ways (yes... the Holy Ghost has that power!) ... or until they leave!
P.S.: not all Brazilian gypsy tribes were bad folks... I know a number of wonderful saints raised among the gypsies that were not contaminated by the world they were raised in. Hallelujah!
Brad Lambeth