Isolationism

Proverbs 18:1 

Whoever isolates himself seeks his own desire; he breaks out against all sound judgment.  

After World War 1 and the Great Depression the United States adopted a plan of isolationism.  The pain of both previous experiences caused a national mood of staying out of involvement with foreign nations.  Then came Pearl Harbor and the U. S. was forced into war and a networking with other friendly nations that formed the Allied Forces.  It is a difficult thing for anyone to try to make it on their own.  North Korea has tried it and has suffered greatly for their policy of isolation.  It is hard to fathom that their people can be so blind as to follow their dictator and worship him as a god.  How could it happen?  It happens with church groups and individuals as well, just to a lesser degree.  In almost all cases isolationism is caused by reactionary behavior.  Some negative, painful experience of the past has caused a circling of the wagons and an independence to protect themselves.  I have watched people do it throughout my ministry.  The Christian isolationist will say things like, " I don't need the church.  I love Jesus and that's all I need."  At first glance it sounds super spiritual.  That is until we examine isolationism in light of the Scripture. We were never designed by God to live alone.  From the beginning after Adam was made by God, God said, "It is not good for man to be alone."  Let's now examine the theme verse from earlier, "Whoever isolates himself seeks his own desire; he breaks out against all judgment."  Regardless of the apparent reasons a person pulls away from others, at the heart of it is independence and pride.  "He seeks his own desire."  He doesn't want anyone telling him what to do!  The reason for isolation is to do what we want without anyone being a part of it.  When we do this, we restrict ourselves to ourselves.  We limit our world to our own limited sphere.  What a large world we imagine and what a tiny world we create.  Every individual is so limited and so blind to the larger picture.  Then from that place of tininess and weakness we "break out against all judgment."  We have resisted and insulated ourselves from the greater wisdom of the group.  We are in a downward spiral but are blind to see it.  

Certainly, there is a price to pay for submitting to living among the group.  There is a proper order and decorum to be observed.  But like enjoying the smell of a rose we must navigate the thorns in order to enjoy the aroma.

May all who have decided to leave God's people, the Church, reconsider today. After all, the Church was and is the plan of Jesus.  May we commit ourselves again to put up with the thorns for the sake of the rose.

Standing Strong Against Life Threatening Culture

James 4:4 "Do you not know that friendship with the world is enmity with God? Therefore whoever wishes to be a friend of the world makes himself an enemy of God." 

What a challenging time to be a follower of Jesus.  We aren't threatened with death yet for choosing to make our loyalties to the Lord but there is a great cost and great danger.  Just as "friendship with the world is enmity with God", in like manner, friendship with God is enmity with the world.  Serving Jesus makes us an enemy of the world, its system and its culture.  We are called to go into all the world and preach the Gospel and that means bringing the Gospel to current culture.  We hear a lot about that today but how far do we go and what does that journey into culture really look like?  It has to do with what is inside us being greater than what is on the outside of us.  It has everything to do with our appetites.  Christians who have a history of alcoholism shouldn't go into bars trying to bring the Gospel.  
Believers who haven't had a true cleansing of sinful appetites still have an attraction to the atmosphere and culture of the world.  We used to call that "worldliness" just a few years ago.  It seems today that it is difficult to discern between the world and the christian.  As soon as I say that I know I lose some who think that is just old fashioned religion that isn't flowing with the church in this hour.  Maybe it is.  But every true follower of Jesus needs to pause and get into the Presence of Jesus and ask for what Romans calls a "renewing of the mind."  You cannot follow Jesus securely without a renewed mind by the Holy Spirit.  It is from that platform of a renewed mind and with renewed appetites that we are directed into the will of God.  

I have seen so many fall away in the last few years.  Some who feel the Church isn't needed any longer.  Others, even ministers have abandoned their faith.  Many of them lessened their pursuit of God and increased their pursuit of the culture of this world. At first they thought it was even a calling to become like the world in order to win them to Christ.  A downward spiral occurred.  Their love for God and His Word lessoned.  I watched helplessly as they washed away from Truth in the river of modern culture and changing morals.  They embraced the LGBT movement believing that was showing the love of God.  They allowed same sex marriages in the church and finally left their own families to live that sinful lifestyle themselves.  Never seeing it as wrong but blindly believing they had made progress and the rest of the Church was wrong.  Culture is an always changing river that is flowing against God, His Truth and His Church.  It is easier to flow with it than to resist it.  It is a river that leads to a love fest with the world and its culture.  To stand in Christ and His Word is difficult and strenuous. There is only one way to stand and that is to make sure we have a strong foundation.  That strong foundation in only found in Jesus and God's Word.  The Golden Gate Bridge in San Francisco Bay has stood since 1937.  How could anything stand in such powerful Pacific currents so long?  It was built upon a strong foundation designed to stand against all the currents and forces of time.  As we stand strong in Him and His Truth the currents of this world will not move us.  

FATHER OR MOTHER WHAT YOU BIRTH

Matthew 28:18 "And Jesus came and said to them, "All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me.19Go therefore and make disciples..."  People today act as if we don't have the right to intervene into the lives of others and try to win their souls to Jesus so that they may spend eternity with Him.  However, we do have the right to do all we can to introduce others to Jesus. The foundation of the Great Commission above begins with the words of Jesus telling us we have the right and the responsibility because He gave us His authority to do so. "All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me.  Go therefore!"  We have the authority but having the authority doesn't negate good behavior as we seek to help people.  We should't be rude and socially irresponsible as we represent the Lord Jesus. The Bible tells us that Jesus had favor with God and man.  We need to seek to win people to Jesus within that framework of favor.  Often zealous church folks drive people away because they are more focused on a method than on love and the leadership of the Holy Spirit.  One thing that non-christian people are keenly sensitive to is the motive of the one approaching them.  If they sense you are selfishly motivated by anything other than love, the true love of Jesus, they will reject you.  There are rare times when you may be able to lead a stranger to the Lord but even then you must make a friend of that new convert and love them on into the church and a stable place in fellowship with the Lord.  Don't abandon that new "baby in Jesus on the steps of the fire station."  It is not the responsibility of someone else to make a disciple of your convert.  
It is the responsibility of every believer to "father what you birth."It is much easier to birth than to father or mother a person in their early days as a Christian.  Yes, go and make disciples but do it in the loving atmosphere of kindness and gentleness.  Remember that these new converts will follow the same pattern you set for them.  

An Opportune Time

Luke 4:13 And when the devil had ended every temptation, he departed from him until an opportune time.

After Jesus was filled with the Holy Spirit and led by the Holy Spirit from within into the wilderness to be tempted by the devil He came to a temporary place of victory and respite.  That last phrase is a bit troubling.  It says that the devil departed from him until an opportune time.  Jesus had won this battle and He would ultimately win the war on the Cross but this would not be the last temptation of Christ.  Satan would dog his every step trying to stop the mission of the Lord.  He would always be looking for that "opportune time."  What does the Scripture mean when it says, "an opportune time?" One of the Greek definitions for this is, "the time when things are brought to crisis."  A crisis is the point in a process of events that will determine the outcome good or bad.  Certainly our daily lives and the events in our lives are no different than that of our Lord.  Because He abides in us we are targeted for battles by that same ancient enemy. We must win as He did but not by our own efforts or our own goodness but by His power and might.  When will these attacks come against us?  There is no way to know for sure but they will come! What would constitute an opportune time for Satan?  Very good times and very bad times would be times when an attack might be launched against us.  Good times may find us too casual and spiritually lethargic to be prepared.  Jesus always warned to be alert as one in combat. Too much ease can cause us to lose our focus of spiritual things and our Kingdom position.  Difficult times are equally important to guard against.  While we may be alert in hard times we are also apt to get weary.  Depression and surrender are temptations of difficulty.  We can never give up!

The answer is certainly not that we need to live in fear and anxiety.  We need to live in the joy of the Lord while remaining steadfast in faith and mission.  We never stop our purpose in the Lord and His Kingdom.  

1 Corinthians 15:58 Therefore, my beloved brothers, be steadfast, immovable, always abounding in the work of the Lord, knowing that in the Lord your labor is not in vain.

What Must I Do?

When Peter was preaching on the day of of Pentecost, the people listening were so moved by conviction and revelation that they cried out, “Brothers, what shall we do?”(Acts 2:37). What was the motivation of the people to do whatever needed doing to make sure they were right with God?  The preceding verse says that those listening were "pierced to the heart."  That word pierced is defined in the Greek as "to pain the mind sharply; to agitate it vehemently and the emotion of sorrow." I said earlier that they were moved by conviction and revelation.  What was the revelation?  Peter's sermon brought clear understanding of who Jesus was, his death and resurrection and this crowd's part in His death.  Those words and the power of the Holy Spirit present brought about an atmosphere wherein those present were desperately wanting to be saved from sin.  From their place of desperation accompanied by hope they asked the question, "what shall we do?"  

I wonder why these kind of scenes are not seen much these days. Is it because people are smarter now or better educated perhaps?  Maybe the preachers are more sophisticated.  Maybe, but mostly I believe it is because of a lack in our churches and meetings. What kind of lack?  It is not a lack of technology or buildings or good parking or talent.  We have some of the greatest talent that the church has ever seen.  It is certainly not a lack of organization or structure.  Most Christian services today are well oiled machines.  If we have it so much together today then why aren't we seeing even greater fruit of true salvations and disciple making than the early Church? 

Why aren't more people running to altars crying out, "what must I do to be saved?"  If we are honest we must conclude that something certainly is missing.  Maybe it is the Pentecostal experience that is missing.  No, I preach in those churches too and I'm not seeing it there either.  

Certainly prayer is a big part of the equation.  However, not just any prayer but a specific kind of prayer. A prayer of faith believing and expecting the lost to come, repent and truly be converted to the Lordship of Christ. 

We must live our lives, work our jobs, come to church and preach our sermons expecting the Lord to do the work of conversion among us and be willing to allow Him to do it in whatever format He chooses.  Yes, there will be some painful conviction of the Holy Spirit clashing with self-will  and the sinful nature of man in our churches and it might not be calm and pretty.  As when Peter preached, I pray that in your church you will begin to see people cry out, "What must we do?"

The Problem With An Emphasis

A fresh new revelation from God and His Word is amazing!  Maybe we have read the same verse a hundred times or maybe we have preached it many times. Yet, on this day something happens as we read it and a kind of spiritual explosion occurs. How come we have never seen this before?  Then as we put this new revelation into practice we see fantastic fruit in our lives and the lives of those to whom we teach it. Then, more and more shared revelations come forth from different members of our group and before long our new revelation has grown into an emphasis that is spreading!  You begin to hear "your emphasis" being repeated by others just like you first stated it. Now it's gaining momentum. As wonderful as these things sound I have seen many, many emphases falter down the stretch and seen many left broken on the side of the road.

What could possibly go wrong with a new Biblical emphasis?  The fact that it is an emphasis makes it a limited perspective of truth. But look at all the people that have been helped and all those on board. An emphasis in one area means we have a limited vision on other fronts. As we gain more people on our journey we can easily encourage each other in our spiritual impairment and not even know it. Then it is difficult to avoid becoming proud over our new movement.  When other voices speak to us of balance or a different view of our emphasis we cast them aside and reject their input. After all we are certain that our original revelation came from God. Yet, no revelation in and of itself has ever been a complete stand alone doctrine. They have all had their blind spots. If we stare intently at one thing for very long and then look at another object, we cannot look at the new without seeing the old object superimposed over the new.  This is dangerous when we understand that people pattern their lives after doctrines that is believed to be true and complete. They can become blinded to the real Truth by partial truth.

We need to be thankful for a new revelation of old Truth. Remember that there is no new Truth just things others have seen that we are now discovering. When we see or hear new truth or a new emphasis we must bring it straight to Jesus for a more complete view. Let it sit as we pray and ask the Holy Spirit to give us wisdom as to how we should handle this new found treasure. Certainly don't start teaching this yet. Others may get on board too soon before the full measure of the Lord's light has revealed any possible darker side of the emphasis.  Then submit the revelation or emphasis to more mature believers and/or leaders for their perspective and discernment.  Once it has been reviewed by mature believers outside our group it is now ready to be slowly imparted to others.  No truth should ever be above evaluation by others using the full overview of Scripture.  May we be zealous to hear from God and just as zealous to represent his Truth in the fullness of His Light.  .

The Heaviness of Teaching

James 3:1 "Not many of you should become teachers, my brothers, for you know that we who teach will be judged with greater strictness."

It is a natural thing to aspire to be a teacher.  There are those gifted in the Church by the Lord to teach His people.  It is wonderful to be able to open the Scriptures and bring understanding to the congregation.  I have enjoyed this role most of my life.  The older I get the more I realize the weightiness of teaching. The hearers and especially the younger or newer believers listen as if the teacher was saying words from the very lips of God! Certainly that is often the case and the preacher/teacher should be heard.  But in hearing, we are encouraged to weigh the words being taught by the Bible itself.  You must have at least a working knowledge of the Scripture in order to use it to test and discern the message being heard.  

This brings us to the verse above and to address the teacher.  The greatest responsibility of discerning the message of teaching must be the teachers themselves.  Here are a few suggestions to teachers:

1. Make sure you are teaching Truth.  As I speak to groups of ministers today I like to say, 

   "Stay Close to the Book!"  The Bible has a lot to say about false teachers and prophets in           the last days. Deception will be one of the greases enemies just prior to the return of Jesus.

(By the way, false prophets should be dealt with by other leaders.  We have many "prophecies" given in the last few years, even with dates attached, that just didn't happen.  Accountability should be brought to bear.)

2. Give more fact and less opinion.  It might be exciting but is it true? Does the Scripture    validate it?

3.  Build to last.  When you teach remember that you are building foundations in lives.  Make sure it will stand the test of time.  As years have gone by I have been disappointed that some of what was put into me as a young believer was more hype and dated than true and eternal.  

4.  Don't let pride motivate your teaching.  We preachers love to hear, "that was the greatest sermon I ever heard!"  First of all, don't believe it! (LOL) Secondly, that kind of compliment can bait you to let your motivation come from trying to top your last teaching.  Be contented to let the Word do the Work.  Pride can motivate you to teach more from the fringes than the richness of the Book.  

James tells us that teaching comes with a greater strictness. May we who teach weigh our words before teaching so that Truth does the eternal redemptive work it is supposed to do.  

SUFFICIENT GRACE

2 Corinthians 12:9  But he said to me, “My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.”
Grace is so powerful and yet so misunderstood in the life of the disciple.  We still have a tendency to try to have grace as a fruit of our Christian character.  We use phrases like, "she is so gracious." The dancer is "so graceful." Grace is something that is always released from heaven to us and faith is something released from earth to God.  Grace from God even empowers us to have faith.  (Eph. 2:8-9) The Apostle Paul referenced in the verse above had done all in his strength to bring a remedy to his problem.  He had used all the faith he could muster, all the positive thinking and positive confession he could bring forth and yet the answer he thought he wanted didn't come.  Then Jesus spoke from the frightful and confusing circumstances and said, "My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness."  I am a person of faith as I am sure you are but there was a time when I walked among believers that had made "my faith" the main thing.  I have even known of some who after prayer would tell the sick person that the reason you weren't healed was because "your faith" wasn't strong enough.  For those of that persuasion this passage of Scripture is troubling.  Was Paul lacking in faith? Was the last chapter of Hebrews 11, the faith chapter,  filled with those who didn't have enough faith?  I think not.  I have heard those who hold personal daily faith almost at the level of salvation stumble with these verses and rush on to the next faith verses.  They didn't want to appear weak in faith nor did they want to tolerate those who appeared weak in faith.   Now here is the wonderful news about grace.   Grace is a free gift from heaven released upon those who are at the end of themselves, even in their daily faith, and when it arrives it is sufficient, it is enough!  Often it would seem that the enormity of the crisis releases grace in the measure of the need and even greater!  When the disciples were in the boat with Jesus in the storm, the Bible says in Matthew 8:23-27 that there arose a GREAT storm.  When Jesus quieted the sea there was a GREAT calm.  When we are confronted with a great storm we don't need simply grace, we need GREAT grace.  That is what God promises those who approach him in sincere humility.  The disciples cried out to Jesus, "Save us, Lord; we are perishing!" Often the emphasis here is the lack of faith of the disciples.  That is nothing unusual.  The emphasis should be placed on the great clam, the great grace of God that always follows a great storm. Whatever your storm today, acknowledge it to Jesus and cry out to Him!  Great grace is soon to follow.

James 4:8  "Draw near to God, and he will draw near to you. "

Make No Room For Satan

There is an interesting Greek word for our English word "fill" in the New Testament.  It is used in Acts 15:13  and it is defined as "to fill to the top: so that nothing shall be wanting to full measure, fill to the brim. "  In this instance the word is used in verse 13 as "May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace in believing, so that by the power of the Holy Spirit you may abound in hope."  This verse along with others exhorts us to be filled with the Holy Spirit.  Certainly we are filled with the Holy Spirit when we He enters our lives by our invitation including repentance, faith toward Him and our asking.  Then Ephesians 5:18 tells us to "avoid being drunk with wine, for that is debauchery, but be filled with the Spirit." There is an ongoing day by day filling of the Holy Spirit that comes from relationship with the Giver of the Holy Spirit himself, Jesus.  When we look back at our  definition  of "fill" we see there is a place where we are daily filled to a level of not leaving room for Satan to infiltrate our lives and lead us astray.  Certainly temptation comes regardless of how full we are but as with Jesus in the wilderness we are equipped to resist the temptation.  The answer to remaining stable in our faith life is to remain filled with the Holy Spirit.  Galatians 5:16 says, "walk by the Spirit and you will not gratify the desires of the flesh."  Ananias and Sapphira were a part of the early church and participated in the daily life of the Church.  In the midst of the greatest power and purity of the life of the Church something went terribly wrong!  They lied to Peter about an offering they were bringing and in essence lied to "the Holy Spirit."  The died on the spot!  We don't have time to go into the many obvious questions here about all the "whys and whats" but I simply want to address the words of Peter.  He asked Ananias, "why has Satan filled your heart to lie to the Holy Spirit?"  What a question!  There had been a temptation to appear greater than they were before man that resulted in sinning against God.  An evaporation had occurred and emptying of the Holy Spirit that allowed a filling with Satan.  May we today heed the warning of Peter and press in close to Jesus and remain FILLED WITH THE HOLY SPIRIT!

Christmas Trouble

Matthew 2:1 Now after Jesus was born in Bethlehem of Judea in the days of Herod the king, behold, wise men[fn] from the east came to Jerusalem, 2 saying, “Where is he who has been born king of the Jews? For we saw his star when it rose[fn]and have come to worship him.” 3 When Herod the king heard this, he was troubled, and all Jerusalem with him..."

The revelation of Jesus always brings trouble before it can bring peace.  Herod and "all Jerusalem" were troubled by the coming of Jesus.  Jesus had been promised, prophesied and now delivered to them and rather than celebrating they were troubled. Saul of Tarsus had studied the Word of God all his life and when the fruition of all his studies, the Word in the flesh presented Himself to Saul he was in great trouble and distress.  On the day Pentecost, that promised day of empowering and the threshold of the Kingdom of God the Scripture says that the mood of those present was varied.  Some were "amazed, some perplexed and others were mocking."  When my wife Teresa, declared by three specialists to be barren became pregnant after she prayed a prayer of faith, I was greatly troubled.  Why? Because the appearance of the living God in my world was a frightening thing.  It demanded a response!

We are celebrating the birth of Jesus this month.  People of all denominations of the Christian faith are having parties and services to celebrate.  Songs of joy are being sung by many. But what if Jesus appears alive and active in the middle of those services and festivities? What if miracles were to occur?  What if conviction of sin were to be evident breaking hearts over personal sin and coldness toward the loving Christ? What if the joy turned to trouble?  That would be a good thing.  Trouble is faith of a sort.  The worst kind of unbelief is indifference.  Trouble says, "I am concerned about my condition." Trouble can lead to repentance and on to faith and joy.  It is my prayer for all of us that this Christmas would bring a troubling visitation of Jesus in the Power of the Holy Spirit.  May we respond in awe, repentance and a drawing near to Him.  May 2019 truly be a year of worship with the Church presenting our lives as our gifts to Him.

Discernment

Over 40 years ago, the late A. S. Worley told me, "I marvel at the lack of discernment in the Body of Christ." It was during a season of great revival.  You would think that revival would be a time of great revelation and discernment.  Revival is usually an emphasis on a particular theme.  There have been revivals of repentance, revivals that focused upon backsliders returning to the Lord, and revivals emphasizing the works of the Holy Spirit. These types of revivals are not necessarily balanced in Christian doctrine.  They are works of God that are magnified but not the complete work of God. They are not all we need to develop to our full potential in God.  When we are in the river of revival, we are flowing in a particular strengthening of an area that has lost its fervency.  Therefore, it is needed to be brought back to the fore.  The problem, especially for those who are converted during these special seasons, is that they assume they are enjoying all they need to live the overcoming life in Jesus.  That is all they have known.  They find themselves at a great disadvantage. They need their sails enlarged and their vision sharpened.  They need an exposure to a larger portion of Truth beyond the stream of which they are a part. It is not that what they are experiencing is wrong, it is just incomplete.  The result of this limited exposure to truth is a limited discernment.  They are like a child with a limited world view.
Romans 12: 1-2 tells us there is a renewing of our mind in Christ that leads to knowing and doing the will of God.  Verse 2 tells us that "by testing you may discern what is the will of God..." Then in Philippians 1:9 the Scripture says that "your love may abound more and more, with knowledge and all discernment so that you may approve what is excellent..."  Discernment is a process that comes through living in the wide exposure to the Scripture and not a limited emphasis of some group or stream. It actually is a dangerous thing to feast only upon the words of a single view of God and his word.  We must study for ourselves the entire Bible.  Read the Bible with prayer for the Holy Spirit to direct us.  Our minds will be renewed and discernment will be enriched.  Discernment here is not the same as the gift of discerning of spirits which is quicker in its operation than daily discernment. Daily discernment like faith comes and develops slowly and regularly as it is under the influences of the living Word of God and the active Holy Spirit within.  Let me encourage you to move beyond the stale emphases that were living in the past and seek the Lord for His current living Word for you today.  You aren't looking for a new emphasis but a broader expression of who He is in a fuller revelation of His truth.  Be courageous enough to let his full truth adjust your past partial truth.   By partial past truth, I mean the partial truth of some past experience or movement.  We must always approach the throne of grace with an adjustable heart toward God, His Word and the Holy Spirit. We must rid ourselves of spiritual preferences and be willing to be changed, strengthened and expanded, always growing into a larger understanding of God.  A greater discernment will be a part of your progress.

A Legacy of Hope

The great depression took place primarily between the years of 1929 and 1939.  One fourth of the American workforce was unemployed.  Those numbers are still deceptive because many that had work had their pay reduced or their hours cut to part time.  During those meager years for the average citizen their motto became: 

“Use it up, wear it out, make do or do without.”

My paternal grandfather was born in 1900. 1929 came as he was just starting to a see a better life ahead for his family. With the stock market crash came the loss of his income with a wife and family for which to care.  I can’t imagine the stress and pressure of such a time. I have searched vintage black and white photos of that era. What struck me most, once I got beyond the poverty, was the difference between atmospheres of differing families.  The looks in the faces seem to tell a story.  Some homes seemed blighted, filthy and hopeless. Others were spotless and there seemed to still be joy.  Certainly every family has its on story and some had it worse than others.  However, having been born just a decade after the great depression I vividly remember the stories of the difficulty and even the humor of the time.  One phrase seemed to be uttered over and over again by those who were children during that time.  “We didn’t know we were poor.”  That simple phrase speaks volumes to us.  I can’t count the number of times I have heard it nor the many different families that said it.  I noticed in the photos that when the parents of the family looked depressed, the children looked depressed as well. While most people that I have talked with about their great depression childhood have said, “we didn’t know we were poor”, many must have had their lives wrecked by the devastation that was upon their family life. Possibly the greatest damage done to these children was the absence of hope. One photo that struck me most was a poor family sitting around the kitchen table waiting for breakfast. The father was present, holding a small child on his lap and the rest sitting patiently as the mother rationed out the limited portions.  All were very clean, the house spotless and the father had a pleasant demeanor.  Heralding from that photo came the message to me “a legacy of hope!”  We often talk about the responsibilities of parents to their children. Certainly, food, clothing and shelter are the basics.  Providing safety, decency and identity are crucial as well.  May we not forget to instill in our children and grandchildren a legacy of hope.  A legacy that says, we will make it through difficulty.  We will weather the storm and we will arrive safely at a better place. It is that steadfast inner strength that has seen our Nation through many dark hours.  At the center of real hope is our faith in God.  It is much greater than wishful thinking. True hope is solidly sitting atop a truth of knowing personally the One who is committed to the hope for our future.  Interestingly enough statistics tell us that the great depression did not see a huge increase in faith and church attendance. You would think that it would. Evidently when the calamity came on the heels of the "roaring twenties",  many had no Rock upon which to stand and no hope in which to believe.  We must build in prosperity that which will stand during difficulty. Let us not forsake our children and grandchildren by not preparing them for difficult days.  Every generation will see them.  While giving them happiness, may we also teach them to hope.  

"For I know the plans I have for you," declares the LORD, "plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future." Jeremiah 29:11

Degeneration

 I can think of nothing worse than violating our calling as shepherds, serving the Lord Jesus, and preying upon the weak in His Church.  As pastors we are often trusted in the Church because of our position before we are evaluated by our behavior.  I have seen it all too often as ministers are suddenly revealed as predators, wolves among the flock.  It appeared to be suddenly but it is never a sudden condition.  There were signs along the way but a lack of true accountability left the minister unguarded as a city without walls.  You cannot hear these stories without asking the hard question, "could I become that?"  Could I fall to such a low place in my relationship with God that I wouldn't realize it or not know how far I had fallen.   The Catholic Church has been uncovered in recent years and even recent months revealing hundreds of priests accused of sexual sins and many as predators of children and adults who were in vulnerable situations.  I'm not writing this to condemn the Catholic Church.  They are the largest denomination in the world so obviously by sheer percentages they will have more bad apples.  I'm sure the large majority of Priests are dedicated men of God following their vows and calling.  Every denomination has dark stories of ministers who have left the straight and narrow and wandered back into the world by their actions and sins. What is the process that leads to such debasement from the Holy Call of God?

In Romans chapter 1, Paul tells us of a process of degeneration that leads to corruption.  He tells us of a people who chose to look away from God, the Creator, and worship the creation.  They chose to follow the temptation of sin and to resist the corrections of God through the Scripture and the internal working of the Holy Spirit.  This is at the heart of the matter.  The voices in our minds.  The voice of God and the voice of Satan.  Righteousness or sin.  Three times in this chapter we read, "God gave them up to..."  He gave them up to "impurity, dishonorable passions and a debased mind."  There is a point when, if we continue to resist the correction of God,  he releases us to the worst of all of our enemies, ourselves, to our own lusts and temptations.  When that happens it results in a fast downward spiral.  Our faith connects us firmly to the righteous hand of God.  Our unbelief is a sin that is struggling to get a release from God's law.  In Romans, we see a principle that gives explanation to most if not all of the shocking headlines in our day.  A rejection of God and/or a resistance to his loving correction and adjustment always degenerates into moral decay.  Backsliding almost always ends in some form of sexual sin.
That principle is not only an answer for the crisis in the Catholic Church but in other groups as well.     There is a definition of degeneration in Pathology that is striking in this study.  "A process by which a tissue deteriorates, loses functional activity, and may become converted into or replaced by other kinds of tissue."  Degeneration is a process of deterioration that causes a loss of function and can even be converted into something else!  Even in true believers this degeneration can occur.  To avoid it we all must remain constant in the Scripture, prayer and fellowship in the church.  This was the pattern of Acts 2.  This surrounds us with the right guidelines of living, personal daily relationship with Jesus and the loving encouragement and accountability of living among true believers.  Ministers too often cool down in fervor and back away from these things that they preach for others to follow.  From the pulpit to the pew we must all take heed and hear the clarion call of heaven to practice what we preach.

In What Do We Rejoice?

The motivation of our heart seems to be the most important thing to God.  I have always felt this was true but the older I get the more I believe it and believe it even to a greater degree.  We know that man looks on the outside of a man but God looks upon the heart.  We have learned that the mouth speaks words that in time reveals the motives of the heart.  Even if a person is trying to cover the secret thoughts of the heart in order to get their way, if we listen closely long enough we will hear the true motivations in their lives.  We need to be careful with whom we align ourselves.  We need to make sure that we don't join the ranks of those in whom we sense or discern dishonest motivations.  It can be tempting to do so and especially if it could mean a promotion for us personally.  But the Lord will see to it that sinful ways will come to an end and all those supporting these activities will fall with the false leadership.  In 1 Kings Chapter 1 we read the story of one of King David's sons, Adonijah.  While David appeared to be on his death bed, Adonijah acted to take by political maneuvering and manipulation the throne of his father.  It has to be noted that he was a spoiled child. David the king seemed to be inclined to use his great wealth to spoil his children.  Spoiling our children is a form of child abuse in light of the life ahead of that child and the repercussions in store.  Adonijah invited a very special list of guests to his self directed coronation as King. He invited his closest allies and those who would benefit from his gaining the Crown.  He did not invite Solomon his brother who was the rightful heir or Nathan the prophet who had no problems confronting sin and exposing lies.
A great party convenes around Adonijah's self appointment.  The Scripture tells us that Adonijah was very handsome, he surrounded himself with chariots and horsemen and 50 men to run before him.  He set up outwardly everything possible to demand respect and to cause the "Wow" factor to come into play. It worked at first and many people gathered around him to feast and celebrate.  They rejoiced in the elevation of the new king.  He had done everything possible to gain the throne outwardly or in an earthly manner but it didn't make it happen.  Heaven still held the keys to the Kingdom!  Now there would be a reckoning.  Where would the reckoning come?  It would come to those who rebelled outwardly and inwardly against the will and plan of the Lord.

We live in a day of grace, mercy and forgiveness.  However, even in an hour of grace the plans of the Lord still come to pass.  There is a price to pay for hidden motivations of the heart that are wicked and steeped in rebellion.  Men follow men to ruin.  Wrong motivations are attracted to wrong motivations in order to fulfill aspirations that are not in God's choosing.  We must not be deceived by artificial anointing.  We must separate ourselves from a spirit of antichrist and accept God's destiny upon our own lives.  Be careful with whom you celebrate and rejoice and remember that God requires wholehearted devotion.

Artificial Anointing

I had the privilege of taking part in a Conference of Pastors numbering in the thousands from around the world.  It was held in the old Georgia Dome which since has been imploded to make room for a newer, more modern stadium.  During this conference a Communion Service was held.  I was amazed at how efficiently a stadium filled with pastors could be served communion in a matter of minutes.  Then, I vividly remember receiving the elements of the Lord's Supper.  There was such a powerful manifestation of the Lord's Presence that we all began to bow at first and then stretch out as best we could on the floor.  There was a uniform experience of humility and awe as we all sensed God's Holy Presence.  I believe it was God's favor on unity.  This meeting was not a single denominational gathering but rather churches represented from all the major groups.  We were not worshipping in any earthly liturgy but purely from an instinctual response to God's obvious Presence.  I glanced up at one point and really thought I saw smoke or a thin cloud above the congregation.  My reaction was to get back on the floor again!

The Book of Acts is filled with expressions of God's power and presence among his people following Pentecost.  The progression of these events is important to see.  There is usually a seeking of God by man.  There is some expression of looking to God for help or wanting God's direction in some life event.  Humility seems to prick heaven and the answer comes!  Man responds with humility, thankfulness and obedience.  Man has looked to God as his source, God has lovingly responded to man's approach to heaven and man moves in obedience to God's provision or direction.  A charlatan is defined as one who claims to have special powers or abilities.  He bypasses the Biblical pattern of the relationship between God and man.  He might orchestrate events or apparent experiences to make the people believe God is doing supernatural things among them.  These acts are very deliberate efforts at deceiving God's people for personal gain.  Then there can be another type of deceiving not intentional at all.  It can be something as simple as in an instant of human excitement declaring that God is about to heal a person.  Certainly God can give a word to someone that healing is about to happen and the healing flows.  Yet, what about when in human zeal healing is declared and no healing follows?  This is a kind of charlatanry that seems innocent enough but charlatanry none the less.  It is wanting to see God work without the relational aspect between God and His people.  There is no faith, no relationship and certainly no humility.  It is like Simon the magician who wanted the power Peter represented and offered to buy such power.  Peter made it clear that Satan was behind such a desire for artificial anointing.  I once told a minister that I didn't want to see "wild fire" in the church to which he said, "I'd rather have wild fire than no fire at all!"  Wild fire,  strange fire or artificial anointing confuses the people of God.  When the genuine anointing comes it won't be appreciated and possibly not even recognized.  In the church we need to be very careful in our zeal and efforts to fill the house with people, that we are preaching Jesus and not promoting hype.  That we are standing strictly upon the Word of God and not upon what we would like it to say.  Once we align ourselves as individuals and as the Church in humility and awe at His goodness and grace, the real anointing will come and it will break the powers of darkness.  The house will be filled with the true restoration Glory and with those seeking a relationship with Him.

The Purpose of Titles

There is deep within all a desire to be recognized.  The yearning to be admired by peers and to be seen as greater than ones own accomplishments.  I am reminded of King Saul when he was confronted with his sin by the Prophet Samuel.  Unlike the brokenness of King David when he found himself in a similar situation, Saul acknowledged his sin but had a request of self interest.  He asked the Prophet to go with him before the elders and Israel an an act of personal honor. "Honor me" he said.   How can one be honored when he has dishonored himself and most of all God.  Yet, this was very important to Saul.  He was more interested in looking like a righteousness man than being a righteous man. What a terrible thing Saul asked, "Honor me now!"  The cry came from deep within his own heart and deeper still from within the corporate heart of mankind.  We all, regardless of how we resist it, have an innate yearning to be exalted.  It took it's origin in Lucifer in heaven and was cast out of heaven to find a new lodging on earth in human form. " Honor me now" has been echoing throughout the universe ever since.  It even can be heard in the church.

In the early 1970's I was first exposed to what was called the five-fold ministry teaching based on Ephesians chapter 4.  I saw a powerful explanation of a functioning model of Kingdom Building in the earth through the Church.  It revealed the uniting of spiritual gifts in the church that could be identified, trained and activated by the ministry gifts of apostles, prophets, evangelists, pastors and teachers, the five fold ministry.  I was having coffee one day with a man who said the Lord spoke to him and told him that I was not a true pastor but that I was an apostle.  I had already started two churches as this point and was on my way to begin a third congregation.  I hadn't had a title up to that point.  The name or title bothered me internally and even embarrassed me.  Yet, I must admit that it felt good in a deeper place.  Too good!  Through the decades since I became known and was even introduced in meetings as an apostle.  It always was a bit troubling and yet it seemed to be the way the church world was going.  I did see that it could be a positive thing in the sense of having recognized leaders that could function and help build the church.  If it could help me serve the Church in a better way then that would be a good thing.  However, the discomfort never went away.  Once it was even suggested that we apostles be called Bishops and be ordained as such.  I couldn't even be a part of that discussion.  Looking back now I realize that these titles, at least for me, were not helping me to be a better servant but actually creating an elevated position where I could be better served.  I must say this loud and clear; I am not saying that others who are carrying titles are wrong or desiring elevation or to be served. I cannot judge others but I can judge my own heart.  Many years ago when others of my peers were choosing to wear clerical collars for a sign of humility was for me a sign of pride.  I wanted to do it and wanted to justify it.  For me, and me only, I could not.

Where has it taken us?  Again, I can't answer for any heart but my own.  My heart apart from Jesus is an evil thing.  It desires recognition and elevation all the while wanting that true motivation hidden from man.  Why does it matter?  It matters because Jesus has redeemed and emancipated His Bride, His Church.  Leaders in the Church must be men and women who desire from the heart to help liberate, equip and activate with no provision for self exaltation.  It seems to me that titles have not truly helped in that cause.  We all must decide for ourselves but many good lives have been ruined and many humble servants have become proud because of a simple Title.  Our heart cry must be, "EXALT HIM!"  It must not be honor me.

Is There Anything New...Really?

"What has been is what will be, and what has been done is what will be done, and there is nothing new under the sun." Ecc. 1:9 ESV

I was lost in the Okefeenokee Swamp for a day when I was about 12.  I grew up just a few miles from the center of the famous "land of the trembling earth." That is the meaning of the Indian word Okefeenokee.  I went into the swamp in a truck with another guy and we "stuck" the truck in the mud and decided to walk out.  We started walking out in the middle of the morning and were still walking without any idea of where we were when the sun set.  We thought we were making progress until we looked down and saw our our footprints from a few hours earlier.  Interestingly enough, until we saw the footprints we thought we were actually covering new ground!  It is possible to be lost and think you are making progress.

There was a time back into 1980's when it became popular to teach "new revelations". Familiar teachings from the Bible became a little out of vogue.  Of course no one would admit it but you could feel a little boredom with the old paths.  The way we became lost in the first place in the swamp was when the older guy I was with made the decision to leave the familiar way by which we entered the swamp in order to find a shorter route home.  I remember asking, "are you sure we should leave the way we know?"  He assured me he could get us home via a shortcut. Well, that didn't work out so well.  Of course the only damage done was our pride and a few scrapes and bug bites.  What made us decide to leave the old paths that had been used since the ancient tribes made them?  Laziness was a big factor but I think pride was the motivating force.  We left our pride in the great swamp that day.  

When it comes to Christian Doctrine and Biblical interpretation much more is at stake than our pride.  It is a dangerous thing to walk away from the ancient paths of our forefathers to find a shortcut to the Kingdom of God.  The old paths of hundreds of years have been established by devotion, spiritual hunger and Divine revelation.  They have been received in the atmosphere of humility from a stance of neutrality.  Pride causes man to believe he has a new revelation that history never saw or understood. Even as I write that last sentence I think, "what arrogance!  Certainly there are new lessons to be learned and new revelation to be gained. But what a frightening place for the preacher of the "new" and for those accepting it because of their faith in the preacher.  I'll leave you with an ancient path to trod. 1 John 4:4 "Beloved, believe not every spirit, but try the spirits whether they are of God: because many false prophets are gone out into the world,"

Nothing Needing Doing

[1Sa 12:16 ESV] 16 "Now therefore stand still and see this great thing that the LORD will do before your eyes."

In the Church world we talk a great deal about all we need to do as Believers.  It is true that we need to practice our Faith in real tangible ways.  Obedience is the true mark of faith.  However, there are times when that "going" mentality can actually serve us badly.  For example when we are instructed by the Lord to "stand still!"  In the verse above the command goes out to "stand still".  I must confess that I don't do too well standing still.  I never did!  As I view the church world today I'm not sure very many Christians do as well with standing still as they do with going forth.  We like the activity of going with the drive to complete a task. It is exhilarating. In all honesty much of the church world is what my Grandmother would have called "fidgety."  If you study the book of Exodus you get the idea that Israel sat or camped before the Lord a lot more than they moved before the Lord.  A fidgety spirit is probably a symptom of a lack of faith on the part of the fidgety.  A spirit of rest is a part of the foundation of our stance of faith.  From our foundation up the rest in our feet will affect the success of our hands.   There are a lot of "stand stills" in the Bible once you start searching them out.  I'm learning (and I never stop learning) that I can only really stand still when I am standing in faith in the last instruction I heard from the Lord.  It might have been a Bible verse, a quiet whisper heard in prayer or a word from another believer that rang the bell of Truth inside my heart.  

Recently Teresa was given the diagnosis we all never want to hear.  Oh, I have been there when many others heard that simple word.  That simple word of cancer.  As a supporter of others I have been there to pray and encourage.  But when I heard it regarding Teresa it shook my spiritual equilibrium a little I must admit.  It took about a day or two to regain a focus of faith.  I don't mean that "regain" in a doing sense but in a "standing still" sense.  Then after a few days I heard that small voice say, "there is nothing you need to do in this."  I'm not sure I have ever heard those words in the face of a crisis before.  In the past I have had "regrets", "I wish I had" and "I'm going to do more now" moments that bothered me and added to the load of the moment.  This time I had this anointing to stand still.  Now we are resting in His peaceful words of stand still and see!  Where does this apply to you today?  Just remember that the stand still in God's plan is always followed by , "and see this great thing that the Lord will do before your eyes!"

Christian Martyrs

Tortullian an ancient theologian said, "the blood of the martyrs is the seed of the Church."  That has been accepted as fact until recently when statistics and graphs have been compared to question the validity of the statement.  Of course we know from the book of Acts that it was persecution of the first century church that drove the church outward from Jerusalem taking the Gospel message to a non Christian world.  If it is not true today then it might be an indictment upon present day believers and our level of faith and devotion to Christ and His Kingdom.  Are we willing to die for our faith and are we willing to live for our faith.  Living for our faith may be more difficult at times than actually dying for it.  Then the question arises, "can you live for the Faith without dying for the Faith?  I am writing this as one who has been young and now I'm older.  I once trained teams to go out into the "highways and hedges and compel them to come in." This phrase is taken from Luke 14:23,
"And the master said to the servant, ‘Go out to the highways and hedges and compel people to come in, that my house may be filled."  The word here for "highways" mean a well traveled path.  We can see the secular world going about their busyness without much knowledge of God, His ways or His desire to become a part of their lives or endeavors.  The word "hedges" used here is a really interesting word.  The Greek definition for this word is something that hinders crossing or preventing from coming together.  The world and it's busyness and/or business and enterprise must be entered in order to bring the Gospel to them and present to them the Kingdom of God.  We must get through the hedge and not be afraid of it.  

My old way was to take disciples out on a planned adventure to confront people in malls and street corners in an effort to see them accept Jesus Christ as savior.  Some did!  Forty years ago the culture was more conducive to such tactics than they are today.  But is it possible that I was a little off even back then?  It is hard even to write that.  I'm so called "retired" now and have been for about 3 years now.  I still give pastoral input to some spiritual sons, I still preach some and teach discipleship classes, etc.  But what I am really enjoying is living outside the laboratory environment and living out in the highways and hedges.  I'm living among and enjoying friendship with people the likes of which I haven't had relationships with since I was saved several decades ago.  In honesty I didn't have time for the people of the world because I was busy running the church. I was always telllng people to get out there "among them" and make a difference.  Some did and some didn't.  Maybe most didn't.
After over 3 years now of living this life I'm seeing the fruit that comes by affecting people without a plan but by just living, talking and listening. Listening is more important and I'm not that good at it but I'm working on it.  It is hard to just live the life you believe in and let the Holy Spirit work through you as His vessel day by day.  Why should that be so hard?  Because we have been trained and conditioned to stop being who we are a night a week or for a week once a year and put on our missionary hat.  That was never God's intention.  From the beginning it was about me being changed/converted, growing in my love for Jesus and His Word, living among the world, out in the highways and hedges and serving them there.  Yes, serving the world!  Serve them away from the hedges and serve them to Jesus himself! Acts 1:8 tells us,But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you, and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the end of the earth.”  This verse tells us that it will be the Holy Spirit that empowers us to be witnesses.  The Greek word here is martyr.  The Holy Spirit will empower us to be martyrs for Christ to the world.  There will be days when that may mean knocking on the doors of strangers.  The balance of that is that every day we are already commissioned and empowered to be martyrs to the world.  We are servants to the world in the name and power of Jesus the Supreme example of servant hood leading to redemption.  As I leave my home these days I find myself praying less for converts and more that the Holy Spirit will help me prefer and serve others.  Guess what?  It ain't easy!  It involves death to self!  I believe in this sense that the "blood of the martyrs (servants) is the life of the Church!

The Burden of Prayer

My wife Teresa's Mother was a woman of prayer.  I could write a number of examples of her being awakened in the night or remaining awake for hours with the burden of prayer for someone.  One such occasion was a burden in the middle of the night for a missionary and his wife stationed on the other side of the globe in Singapore.  She prayed for them for hours.  She recorded the date and time of the burden and prayer.  This was before the days of social media or email.  She wrote a letter and asked the missionary about the time and date she had recorded.  He wrote back  and said, "Oh yes, that was when my wife was in labor with our daughter.  The Doctor told us that he was concerned that complications required that we make a decision to save either the mother or the child!"  They told the Doctor that they could not make such a decision.   Both mother and child came through the trial without harm!  Praise God for his power and intervention!  Praise God for His praying saints!

The burden of prayer is not intended to cause worry and dread.  Yet, it can seem that way when a believer becomes aware of a concern.  It is troubling because it can come without a shred of physical evidence of anything wrong.  There are times when you can sense a burden for someone without knowing any circumstances or details.  For the new intercessor it can be a troubling pattern of thoughts that is simply cast aside into the busyness of the day.  Each time we neglect the stirring of the Holy Spirit in our thought life we desensitize our spirit man even more.  But when we bring the thing to the Lord in prayer, even without understanding, we qualify for more usefulness to God.  How long should you pray about the burden or what feels like heaviness?  Until the burden is lifted!  That is what past generations of intercessors called "praying through!"  The lifting of the burden could be a momentary thing.  At times it might be a continuing prayer reminder that resurfaces for days in the Spirit.  The important thing is not to just suppose you are having random thoughts.  Your random thoughts may be very strategic leadership of the Holy Spirit enlisting you to enter spiritual warfare prayer on behalf of someone else in need.  Who knows how many others may be fighting the same spiritual battle for the same need you are engaging in prayer?

May we slow down today in our busy lives and keep an open ear to heaven for Kingdom purposes and assignments.