Did you know there is a big difference between a gifted speaker and a broken speaker? I do not see or hear any broken pastors or teachers anymore. Maybe this is the reason why people (in droves) are leaving the church in America. Even the secular media has picked up on this trend. A few weeks ago there was an article in our local newspaper and on the national news that discussed the desertion of people from church, but I thought it was a mistake until we started doing book signing for “Adventures with God.” During the signings I get a chance to talk with whom I would consider to be Christians at different levels of maturity. I would ask them what church they attend and most would say, “please don’t get me started on all that mess.” But, with a little prodding I get them talking and discover they have not left God, but they have left organized religion or what we today call the church. Never forget, the “true” church is not made with brick and morter, but is made of flesh and blood. We (people) are the church that Jesus gave His life for on the cross. Let us never forget this for when we do we get over into denominational traditions and religions of men that yoke and enslave the hearts of people Jesus came to die for. We must not be working to raise the Baptist, Pentecostals, Lutheran, Charismatics, Methodist, Presbyterians (you name the denomination or religion) name and numbers even to pay for churches and the programs that prop them up, but we are the work of God. We (God’s people) are His workmanship. Paul tell us this (and we must never forget it) in the Book of Ephesians, “For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God: 9Not of works, lest any man should boast. 10For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus unto good works, which God hath before ordained that we should walk in them.” (Ephesians 2:8-10) Sadly we boast of our churches, programs, and conference affiliations that many work so hard to build, but God wants nothing to do with these things. My friend it is not about working for God this leads us nowhere in Him, but it is all about becoming His workmanship (beastella in the German language); allowing God free reign and sway to work in our lives through the trials and tribulations He allows to come our way. Those, “which God hath before ordained that we should walk in them” the trials and tribulations not the “good works.” My friend “workmanship” is the focus of the verse not the “good works” He is working in us more and more to make us more and more like Him. Then and only then can we do “good works,” but until then our works are deceitful, carnal, and vile of the heart. We boast of our human abilities, outward strengths, doctrinal degrees, and pastoral resume as we strut across our self-made stage, but God cares nothing for these things. God is after our heart. God is after a broken and contrite vessel. It is no wonder people are leaving the church they are tired of ambitious and egotistical pastors, teachers, and leaders who will do and say (even lie and steal) whatever they have to do to get to the next bigger church or their name up in lights. The condition to be used of God to minister His word is not Bible School or seminary training. The condition to be the vessel of God is not our political connections or denominational influences, but our broken and contrite (crushed and grounded to powder) spirit. Isaiah had this revelation when he said, “For thus saith the high and lofty One that inhabiteth eternity, whose name is Holy; I dwell in the high and holy place, with him also that is of a contrite and humble spirit, to revive the spirit of the humble, and to revive the heart of the contrite ones.” (Isaiah 57:15) David too had this same revelation when he said, “The LORD is nigh unto them that are of a broken heart; and saveth such as be of a contrite spirit.” (Psalms 34:18) Why do we think today this has changed in God? We dance around the church singing, God changes not well guess what His spiritual principles changes not also. We will never be used of God unless we have a humble, contrite spirit, and a broken heart. Oh how this causes me great alarm to take heed. I see myself too often speaking and thinking not with a humble, contrite spirit, and a broken heart. Ever since returning from Germany (back in July 2003) I have seen a very very slow, but steady roll away from a more broken spirit I once had. Now I am still saved, read the Bible even more than before, and still have a wonderful walk and communion with the Lord the problem is not these things, but me gently going toward things of the world that can deaden my spirit. Things like technology: computers, the internet, the array of cell and data phones, and yes the biggest destroyer of the home today and in the past – the TV. I remember, in 1968, our Pastor Howard Reckley would not have a TV in his home so his kids came to our home to watch it. The church corporately (at that time) spoke out harshly against the TV, but time, apathy, and the people wanting a TV stilled their words. The more we go towards technology the less of God we will have in us. In Germany we had one station (Armed Forces Network) with six or seven channels. We did not have the channels of TV we have (basic cable) in Jacksonville. I find myself often putting on the mind of the news of the day instead of the mind of Christ. How can I be the vessel of God with the mind of the world within me? I cannot. How can I be the vessel of God for His word to flow through if I have put on the things of the world? I cannot. My friend it is the dealings and judgments of God in our lives that brings us down into a low, humble, and contrite place to be able to receive the things of God. If we are filled up with the cares of this world we will never be filled up with the mind and love of God. If we are filled with working for God we will never become the “workmanship” of God. We must allow God to empty us. The condition to be filled with the power and authority of God is first to be emptied of the world and of ourselves by God. This is something we alone give God free reign and sway to do in our lives.
The humble and broken alone are useful to God. It is the poverty of God’s ministers that makes the church poor in spirit (Matthew 5:3). The lack of humble and broken teachers and preachers of vision deprives God’s people of the glorious light. Since God gives light (revelation) to the church through His ministers, our task is tremendous and almost impossible unless we allow God to strengthen us in the inwards man. Knowing the words in the Bible is quite different from obtaining the word from God. Today, (because we are not humble and broken) the best most can do is know the words in the Bible, because obtaining the word of God costs far more than what most are really willing to pay. But, never the less it is still the process we must endure to be able to obtain God’s word and only when revelation comes can God enlighten us. This is the starting point of the ministry of the word of God not church attendance, singing, dancing, and paying our tithes. And if anyone has been dealt with by God so that his outward man has been broken that person will have a humble, contrite spirit, and a richness of thought for the word to flow out from. It is the breaking that makes us useful. It is the death to our self-life that brings forth much fruit (John 12:24). It is our humbling that allows God to exalt us. These spiritual principles like God never change. Our ministering God’s word to the world is never merely a matter of doctrine, if such were the case, Christianity would be a carnal religion, but it is our lives being poured out of us as Christ poured out His. The word of God comes from revelation. The more humble and broken we are the deeper and more complete our revelation is from God. If a person is right in his life with God then his words will be right, but if the opposite is true then his words and life will be wrong. The words of a pastor or teacher who is not humble and broken before God will yield a lower quality, weak, immature, yet humanly clever and persuasive word, but not spiritual at all. Contrast this with the pastor or teacher who has been humbled and crushed (contrite) by God. The word of God that flows from them is first and foremost spiritual, accurate, of higher quality and able to touch the heart of God. Today God intends to have His words become flesh once more, that is, He still desires to speak through human flesh. That is why He must deal with this flesh of ours, hoping that through it His word may come forth. God’s words must be created within us, by God Himself. They are formed through our daily trials and tribulations which He arranges in our circumstances. We may go through various trials for days or even months sometimes we are victorious yet at other times we are defeated, but the entire time we are learning to become humble, broken, and contrite before Him so we can become a quality vessel for His word to flow from us. The word from a humble and broken pastor or teacher comes through discipline, since God creates the words in us through Him disciplining of us. Oddly enough missing discipline from God means we forfeit the possibility of receiving revelation. Out of our chiseled and chastised flesh emerges the word of God. How much we can speak will depend on how much we have allowed God to work in our heart and lives. As our words are based upon our experiences before God so too are we chiseled, chastised, and tested by God through these experiences to the point our words become Gods words. Never forget a man’s word is measured by his brokenness before God.
I was attending a Pentecostal Freewill Baptist Church and was asked to greet the people (share a thought, but not preach a message). When I began to speak there was such a humble and broken spirit that suddenly filled the church. I spoke only a few words, most often much speaking is not of the Spirit of God. At the end of the service as everyone was leaving an usher handled me a piece of paper that was inscribed, “I, by chance stopped at this church today and your words were the reason your few words stood for great purpose, your few words explained years of shunned pain. I can accept now that I am broken for a purpose. I will let the Lord use me for I am broken and I will not self-pity for because I am broken, I am blessed. Thank you so much – God bless.” I believe there were two people in the church that day that knew exactly what the Spirit was saying, the author of these words (who I never knew) and me by the Spirit, both have been broken and poured out.
The broken alone are useful to God. Oh how we must come down from our lofty high places and allow God to pummel us to our knees. My friend I promise you troubling times are ahead. Please do not look to me, your pastor, your church, your denomination, or anything other than Jesus Christ. There is no other name in which man shall be saved! We must allow God to break us to the point where we too can say as Paul said, “For do I now persuade men, or God? or do I seek to please men? for if I yet pleased men, I should not be the servant of Christ. 11But I certify you, brethren, that the gospel which was preached of me is not after man. 12For I neither received it of man, neither was I taught it, but by the revelation of Jesus Christ. “ (Galatians 1:10-12) Any other revelation will not create the vessel God can use. And in this all is lost. Written by David Stahl
The humble and broken alone are useful to God. It is the poverty of God’s ministers that makes the church poor in spirit (Matthew 5:3). The lack of humble and broken teachers and preachers of vision deprives God’s people of the glorious light. Since God gives light (revelation) to the church through His ministers, our task is tremendous and almost impossible unless we allow God to strengthen us in the inwards man. Knowing the words in the Bible is quite different from obtaining the word from God. Today, (because we are not humble and broken) the best most can do is know the words in the Bible, because obtaining the word of God costs far more than what most are really willing to pay. But, never the less it is still the process we must endure to be able to obtain God’s word and only when revelation comes can God enlighten us. This is the starting point of the ministry of the word of God not church attendance, singing, dancing, and paying our tithes. And if anyone has been dealt with by God so that his outward man has been broken that person will have a humble, contrite spirit, and a richness of thought for the word to flow out from. It is the breaking that makes us useful. It is the death to our self-life that brings forth much fruit (John 12:24). It is our humbling that allows God to exalt us. These spiritual principles like God never change. Our ministering God’s word to the world is never merely a matter of doctrine, if such were the case, Christianity would be a carnal religion, but it is our lives being poured out of us as Christ poured out His. The word of God comes from revelation. The more humble and broken we are the deeper and more complete our revelation is from God. If a person is right in his life with God then his words will be right, but if the opposite is true then his words and life will be wrong. The words of a pastor or teacher who is not humble and broken before God will yield a lower quality, weak, immature, yet humanly clever and persuasive word, but not spiritual at all. Contrast this with the pastor or teacher who has been humbled and crushed (contrite) by God. The word of God that flows from them is first and foremost spiritual, accurate, of higher quality and able to touch the heart of God. Today God intends to have His words become flesh once more, that is, He still desires to speak through human flesh. That is why He must deal with this flesh of ours, hoping that through it His word may come forth. God’s words must be created within us, by God Himself. They are formed through our daily trials and tribulations which He arranges in our circumstances. We may go through various trials for days or even months sometimes we are victorious yet at other times we are defeated, but the entire time we are learning to become humble, broken, and contrite before Him so we can become a quality vessel for His word to flow from us. The word from a humble and broken pastor or teacher comes through discipline, since God creates the words in us through Him disciplining of us. Oddly enough missing discipline from God means we forfeit the possibility of receiving revelation. Out of our chiseled and chastised flesh emerges the word of God. How much we can speak will depend on how much we have allowed God to work in our heart and lives. As our words are based upon our experiences before God so too are we chiseled, chastised, and tested by God through these experiences to the point our words become Gods words. Never forget a man’s word is measured by his brokenness before God.
I was attending a Pentecostal Freewill Baptist Church and was asked to greet the people (share a thought, but not preach a message). When I began to speak there was such a humble and broken spirit that suddenly filled the church. I spoke only a few words, most often much speaking is not of the Spirit of God. At the end of the service as everyone was leaving an usher handled me a piece of paper that was inscribed, “I, by chance stopped at this church today and your words were the reason your few words stood for great purpose, your few words explained years of shunned pain. I can accept now that I am broken for a purpose. I will let the Lord use me for I am broken and I will not self-pity for because I am broken, I am blessed. Thank you so much – God bless.” I believe there were two people in the church that day that knew exactly what the Spirit was saying, the author of these words (who I never knew) and me by the Spirit, both have been broken and poured out.
The broken alone are useful to God. Oh how we must come down from our lofty high places and allow God to pummel us to our knees. My friend I promise you troubling times are ahead. Please do not look to me, your pastor, your church, your denomination, or anything other than Jesus Christ. There is no other name in which man shall be saved! We must allow God to break us to the point where we too can say as Paul said, “For do I now persuade men, or God? or do I seek to please men? for if I yet pleased men, I should not be the servant of Christ. 11But I certify you, brethren, that the gospel which was preached of me is not after man. 12For I neither received it of man, neither was I taught it, but by the revelation of Jesus Christ. “ (Galatians 1:10-12) Any other revelation will not create the vessel God can use. And in this all is lost. Written by David Stahl
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