Cowboys of the Cross

Welcome to Cowboys of the Cross: your resource for Christian cowboys. Cowboys of the Cross has been providing cowboy church for the rodeo and cowboy community for more than 15 years. The website is your source for stories of faith and encouragement as well as devotions and news and information affecting cowboys of faith. Cowboys of the Cross leads cowboy church at rodeos and bull ridings in both Ontario, Canada and across the north and southeastern United States. 

To support the mission

Cowboys of the Cross is a full time ministry shepherded by Scott Hilgendorff (His testimony can be found below). Like other missionaries, Scott relies on the generous support of private donors to carry out the work of the Great Commission within the rodeo and cowboy culture. Donations are managed through LifeSong Family Church in Lewisburg, TN. To give online, please click the button, selecton online giving and please choose Cowboys of the Cross from the dropdown menu. To give via mail, please make checks payable to LifeSongFamily Church but include a note that it is for “rodeo ministry.” Donations can be sent to LifeSong Family Chuch, 1041 S. Ellington Pkwy
Lewisburg, TN  37091

False prophets and an eclipse

By Scott Hilgendorff / Cowboys of the Cross

This eclipse is not a warning that the end of times is here and Jesus is about to come back.

What’s happening right now, and what has been happening since Jesus first warned us about it 2,000 years ago, isn’t all bad because it’s proof to the truth of God’s word to us in the Bible.

False prophets.

They’ve existed since the Old Testament and whatever their current reasons for sharing false ideas from the Bible, they serve a purpose of distracting us from three important things: our focus on becoming more like Jesus (what’s called sanctification and happens to every Christian who has a real saving faith in Jesus), telling others about Jesus and how to be saved from God’s punishment of sin and making disciples (teaching others what’s truly in the Bible).

It’s a lack of discipleship, having someone trustworthy teaching us from the Bible, that makes us vulnerable when false teachings and ideas circulate. These false teachers exist for a number of reasons but many build prophecy or teaching around false ideas that sound good and that we want to hear and believe to profit. Many grow rich taking advantage of us as we help spread their messages to others.

Here’s an important Biblical truth—Jesus warns us that we won’t know when he is coming back.

In Matthew 24, Jesus teaches us some of what to expect in the days leading up to his return and it’s easy to see in global events how some of those signs could be true when he talks to us about nations rising against nations. But in just the last 100 years, there are numerous times we could think we were facing the end: both world wars, the Cuban Missile Crisis of the 60s, 9/11 and war on terrorism, the current conflict in Israel.

But he warns in verse 11 of this: And many false prophets will arise and lead many astray.

And then in verse 24: For false christs and false prophets will arise and perform great signs and wonders, so as to lead astray, if possible, even the elect.

Right now, people are using the eclipse and some fascinating theories about the path the last three have taken, to captivate our interests and lead us to believe we’re seeing signs of the end. They use scripture to try to back up their theories but they ignore one very important thing Jesus says in his discussion about his second coming in verse 36 But concerning that day and hour no one knows, not even the angels of heaven, nor the Son, but the Father only.

Only God knows. It is His perfect plan

Instead of getting caught up in these exciting sounding ideas that circulate, we should be living like today is the last day with an urgency to tell others the truth about Jesus and how to get to Heaven.

Then, we should make times in our lives to both be discipled, letting someone more mature in their faith, teach us while also doing the same for others as we grown, learn more and become more like Jesus.

And right now, you have a chance to learn more as Will provides a deeper look at false prophets and what happens when we follow them.

How we handle false prophets

By Will Brunke / Cowboys of the Cross

Prophecy. Who gets it, right?

Ironically, the answer is inside the question that was a poor attempt at dry humor. History tells us that modern interpretation of prophecy is akin to a complicated and entangled ball of yarn. Even the best of us can find that tugging on a single string in earnest opens up a realm of confusion that seems delivered to us by Hollywood’s newest multi-verse-themed blockbuster.

It’s true. New Testament prophecy is an elusive concept to biblical scholars today much like the Theory of Relativity once was to scientists. There are competing attempts to define New Testament prophecy and make it fit into a neat, clean, square little box –like we humans love to do. Typically, the main competing theories of how prophesy works fall into five main categories such as;

Inspired exegesis (interpretation)

Pastoral exhortation (preaching)

Exposition (proclamation of the Gospel)

Inspired thoughts (inner divine voice)

Mediation (spirits speaking native tongue of the spectator)

STOP!! We get it, it’s complicated!

Don’t worry, this is as far as we will go on “diving deep” into prophecy.

So why are we here then? What are you getting at, Will? The important thing to grasp is the lack of reconciliation between the five or how they fit together. But any of the five can be identified in the New Testament. The real danger for us today is that there are voids of ambiguity between these five groups where evil can set up shop, lurk, and look to devour the undisciplined.

There’s no secret that we are surrounded by false teachers and spiritual warfare. It has become so apparent in today’s society, that even a “prophet” who has a low-percentage track record of accurate predictions can still wield a huge amount of clout and influence.

Why? It is only because the “prophet”, (profiteer would be the better word) knows his/her consumer and is ready to supply their audience with the desired product of their hearts, feeding into what they want to hear. Corrupt hearts, that is. In today’s day and age, the desire for specifically obsequious and self-serving content is chosen at a far greater margin than content centered in truth and holding to account.

A heart truly given to Jesus, even in the infantile stages of faith, should be able to distinguish and want to question why a prophesied event did not occur. Because God is never wrong and His word and meaning in the Bible never changes. God does not change His plan on the basis of unseen information a ‘prophet’ today comes up with reading into or reinterpreting scripture to fit a scenario while we as humans do.

I could spend hours divulging stories about individuals who I have ministered to or have personal relationships with, who have bought into and supported false prophets.

There are strong parallels between false profits and many other scams that we poke fun at or wonder, “how did that person ever fall for that?” But while our neighbor may have sent $5000 to that imaginary prince in Nigeria, we have given our personal seals of approval by sharing, liking and reposting the latest scripturally untested fad, or bought the newest apocalyptical rhetoric of the latest profiteer of prophecy.

So what’s the solution then, Mr. Smarty-pants? Will, how do we defeat these heretical zealots and send them back to the pits from whence they came? Well, the short and sweet version is we can’t. The Bible affirms they will exist and if you want apocalyptic, end of the world signs, we’re told by Jesus himself in a list of what to watch for near the end that false prophets are what people will follow.

Matthew 24:11 And many false prophets will arise and lead many astray.

Earlier, Jesus warns us in Matthew 7:15 Beware of false prophets, who come to you in sheep’s clothing but inwardly are ravenous wolves.

And Paul encourages Timothy in a letter to him that Timothy needs to stay strong and press on with preaching the gospel because people are going to follow what they want to hear.

2 Timothy 4:3-4 For the time is coming when people will not endure sound teaching, but having itching ears they will accumulate for themselves teachers to suit their own passions, 4 and will turn away from listening to the truth and wander off into myths.

This was a problem 2,000 years ago and it still is. We will never remove from ourselves every wolf in sheep’s clothing just like we will never be totally free from the evil one’s temptations. However, we can each resolve to have a greater impact on our immediate surroundings through Christ and being intentional about learning and then teaching others Biblical truth.

The speed at which technology has enabled us to witness change in our lifetime is unprecedented. But this is still nothing outside of Gods perfect plan. For the Lord has given us powerful tools within our design that transcend time.

One of the best tools He has equipped us with is the value of intimate personal relationships. We are called to cultivate relationships both inside and outside of our marriage, church, and family. How Christians treat their neighbors and how we are seen as innocent as doves yet as shrewd as serpents will open doors for us not only to spread the Gospel and tell others about our Lord Jesus, but it will give others a pause for wisdom and a cause for ears to open to issues of concern that we share in our daily life.

It’s these personal relationships that we can have the most impact with as we minister to those who are frustrated and stumbling, whether in their faith or outside of faith. Used tactfully, conversations can lead and steer a person toward truth and away from chaos. These relationships and therefore the conversations within those relationships take time and attentiveness. It’s no wonder the enemy is trying its best to speed up the mechanism to a near blurry pace.

 

How we handle false prophets

The following was written to help us understand false prophets in response to false ideas that the cowboy community, among thousands of others, were sharing at the time of the April 8, 2024 solar eclipse, centered around End Times prophecy and the United States'...

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Mail: Cowboys of the Cross, 3710 Warden Branch Lane, Gatlinburg, TN, 37738

New devotions/teaching right here every other Thursday

Strength: Cowboy Strong, God Honoring

Part Seven, ready for battle with the helmet of Salvation and the sword of the Spirit.

A special series from Cowboys of the Cross

Where to find us

March 23 and 30 Blountville, TN, Bull Riders and Outlaws bull riding, cowboy church

Scott is found at events sanctioned by the Southern Extreme Bull Riding Association, the Bull and Outlaws Association, the National Cowboys Association.

They can also sometimes be found at PBR Velocity Tour events, International Professional Rodeo Association events  and others.

In all your ways...

In all your ways acknowledge Him and He will make straight your paths — Proverbs 3:6
A Cowboy of the Cross believes God comes first and strive to follow His leading from a desire that comes from the knowledge of the cost of our salvation, paid for by Jesus Christ through is death on the cross. Through a saving and repentant faith in Jesus and the knowledge of his resurrection, we know God has forgiven our sins and will take us home to Heaven when our time here is done. Through God’s grace, we’ll get through the mistakes we make and grow more like Christ with study of Scripture, time in prayer and learning to hear God and following the leading of the Holy Spirit.

How we treat our animals or handle a loss shows our hearts

By Scott Hilgendorff / Cowboys of the Cross

How we treat a drive thru worker when the wait is long or the order is messed up.

How we handle a person trying to merge in front of us in heavy traffic.

What we do with our shopping cart when we leave the store.

How we treat our animals, the ones that are worth the least, or nothing.

How we spend the drive home after we’ve bucked off or missed our catch at the rodeo.

Jeremiah 17:9-10 The heart is deceitful above all things, and desperately sick; who can understand it? “I the Lord search the heart and test the mind, to give every man according to his ways, according to the fruit of his deeds.”

Thankfully, through repentance, seeking forgiveness from God and a saving faith in Jesus, God will no longer condemn us for the words, thoughts and actions that come from our hearts.

Once saved, God begins to change us through the Holy Spirit in us and though we’ll never be perfect, we begin to change how we handle ourselves and each other in this life.

How we respond or navigate in each of the described situations can be a good heart check as we try to work out our salvation or want to see just how far we still have to go to be more like Jesus.

If someone at a rodeo sees your cross necklass or the Bible verse written on your vest or someone asks you at the ranch while you’re reading a Bible as you eat your lunch, “Why are you a Christian?” are you ready to give an answer?
Is that answer going to come from thoughts and ideas you have about God or is it going to come from truths you know right from Scripture? Your answer will do one of three things: point someone to a real truth about salvation through Jesus Christ, point them completely away from Christianity altogether that leads them to eternal suffering or provide an answer about having ‘faith’ and being ‘good’ that gives them false hope that still leads to eternal suffering.
What kind of hope do you have for yourself? Is it one grounded in the truth of what Jesus did for us on the cross with a repentant heart and a secure understanding of a saving faith in Jesus? What kind if hope do you want to offer others?
1 Peter 3:15 But in your hearts revere Christ as Lord. Always be prepared to give an answer to everyone who asks you to give the reason for the hope that you have. But do this with gentleness and respect,
Telling others about Jesus so they can know him should motivate you.

If someone asks at the rodeo why you’re a Christian, do you have an answer?

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