I do not know about you my friend, but the longer I go with God the more I come to find out just how amazing people are. People do and say some of the most amazing things where all we can do is shake our head. Now I use to think God was amazing, but I have discovered God is more than amazing, He is God He is beyond my ability to understand Him so I just try to walk beside Him daily and do the things He tells me to do and say, but now people they are another thing they do and say some of the most amazing things in the world.
Amazingly I was told by a good friend a few week ago that he knew of a pastor who had a congregation of over 200 people and was not a Christian: he married, buried, counseled, preached every Sunday and Wednesday, all of the pastor duties, but was not a Christian then one day amazingly he discovered he was not a Christian. That night the pastor walked the aisle at an old fashion camp meeting (in front of the head deacons of his church) and made it right between him and God, something even more amazing and wonderful to see and hear about. Recently Karen and I have been painfully reminded again just how amazing people can be. The name of the pastor (who I still admire and love) nor the church is not of any real importance, but what is important is the critical spiritual lesson to be learned so that others do not make the same mistakes. Amazing to me there are pastors who do not know much about the things of the Spirit and more amazing they refuse to allow Spiritual things taught in “their” church so that peace can reign, but even sadder also to keep the rice bowls (monthly paycheck and positions) intact. Please hear this my friend; compromising the Word of God for peace at church is devilish. Jesus said, “Think not that I am come to send peace on earth: I came not to send peace, but a sword. 35For I am come to set a man at variance against his father, and the daughter against her mother, and the daughter in law against her mother in law. 36And a man’s foes shall be they of his own household. 37He that loveth father or mother more than me is not worthy of me: and he that loveth son or daughter more than me is not worthy of me. 38And he that taketh not his cross, and followeth after me, is not worthy of me.” (Matthew 10:34-38) This pastor who has been in the ministry for a very long time who told me he knows little of the Spirit yet he has asked us to stop attending his church (knowing in his heart God has brought us) because he does not want to deal with all of the questions that come up from my deeper teaching. At first everyone (including the pastor) loved what I had to say, but when I started sharing some harder truths (please read John 6:60-64) to understand from the Bible problems began. Until then all was sunshine and lollipops, but sunshine and lollipops will not get to you heaven as an overcomer. This pastor told me to my face I was spiritual man, yet he also told me he does not want to put up with the hassle. Now we know a man cannot give what he does not have and if you know little of the Spirit you cannot give answers to spiritual questions. Thus the outcome is typical; carnal Christians attack the Spiritual Christian and the Spiritual Christians move on in spiritual authority to the pastor. And as this shame plays out all over the Body of Christ pastors stand-by with their hands in their pockets, after all if people get upset they will not come and bring their money and worse still the Word of God is lost to the people. Personally to me the saddest part of this whole mess was the pastor requested of us not to contact any of our friends we made at church because he does not want our friends to learn anything from us that might rock the boat at church and cause him more problems. The truth here my friend is any pastor who would ask this is selfish and self-centered trying to cover their shame and lack of knowledge of the Word of God. Telling members of their congregation not to go somewhere or not to talk to people is nothing more than manipulation and control which is the biggest sin of most church leadership today. Oh I know the pastor will say he is trying to protect his people, but here too he is wrong because it is not “his people” they are “God’s people” and they have been given the Word of God and the Holy Spirit to help guide and direct them to all truths. If we have a walk with the LORD and are led by the Spirit of God we need no person to tell us who to talk with or where to go. It is the Holy Spirit’s job to do this not man’s. God has given us the ability to make choices and He (God) expects us to make Godly choices that will draw us closer to Him. It has been my observation over the years those pastors who do not work, outside the church, for a living seem to really depend on their rice bowls. When I pastored in Germany I worked two jobs; this way the congregation does not own me thus I could not be pressured by the folks and only responded to God’s desires. Working also helped me to never forget the effort needed to make the commitment and dedication to make it to church. When we started our church two Nigerians, Chuma and Augustine, would travel two hours (one way) to make it to our home group meeting on Wednesday nights I have never forgotten this. When we can feel another’s sacrifice we so appreciate it the more.
I am amazed at all of the good works we do to be seen. This is not a rice bowl thing as much as it is a “blow your own horn” thing. David said in the Psalms, “Yea, though I walk (not with our pastor or best friend) through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil: for thou art with me; thy rod and thy staff they comfort me.” (Psalms 23:4) We must learn to walk alone with the LORD when in the valley of the shadow of death or we will not be able to recognize our friend who sticks closer than a brother comforting us. If we have been taught the truths of the Word of God and have allowed God to work in our lives we will have a foundation and strength to be able to face anything in God, but if not and all we know is just being saved by grace (which is a critical foundational spiritual principle and a wonderful experience please understand me here), but God has so much more than salvation waiting for us. Salvation from our sin is just the beginning of what God has for us. And please know being saved from our sin does not afford us the rights in God to receive anything else, it just get us into heaven; naked we come into this world and with salvation (which is critical) alone naked we shall inter heaven, but God has so much for us. God desires after salvation, “there grow in the grace and knowledge of the LORD Jesus Christ. “ (2 Peter 3:18) this my friend requires teaching. Often times when someone is near death we go outwardly in a big show to support the family, but inwardly we do it to be seen of men to hear our brothers and sisters say at church, “what a wonderful dedicated brother or sister to go and talk with so-in-so, how wonderful and dedicated he is.” They even will stand in church and proclaim how the brother or sister is, well if God sends you to a brother or sister keep it to yourself God sees it and that is enough He will reward you in secret. If you stand up and speak of your good works you have your reward in the speaking. Amazingly we go and do things in church often to keep our position in the power structure, well that is not how God operates. God cares nothing about all of these selfish conflicts and power struggles, but cares greatly about our love one for another and our obedience to Him. He cares not what we do for Him (He sees everything), but how we do things for Him and about our heart condition for Him and our brothers and sisters. Did you know just because you do not understand something in God does not mean it is wrong or it is ungodly. Remember in God is not about right or wrong, but holy or unholy, righteous or unrighteous, godly or ungodly. I have been holding many things before the LORD for years and I know (because God’s word is true) in God’s time and when I am able He will reveal them to me. No one person (I include myself here) knows all things and knows what all of the Scriptures are saying, but often to justify our position we find friends to side with us to embolden us to take actions that are not in keeping with God’s word. Make no mistake my friend; in the natural realm if it walks like a duck, talks like a duck, looks like a duck, and smells like a duck it is probably a duck, but in the Spiritual realm if it walks like a duck, talks like a duck, looks like a duck, and smells like a duck please be careful because in God it may be a chicken. In God things are not always the way they seem. Who would believe God creates darkness? Yet in Isaiah we read, “I am the LORD, and there is none else, there is no God beside me: I girded thee, though thou hast not known me: 6That they may know from the rising of the sun, and from the west, that there is none beside me. I am the LORD, and there is none else. 7I form the light, and create darkness: I make peace, and create evil: I the LORD do all these things.” (Isaiah 45:5-7) And in a few verses before we read where God gives to his children treasures, “I will go before thee, and make the crooked places straight: I will break in pieces the gates of brass, and cut in sunder the bars of iron: 3And I will give thee the treasures of darkness, and hidden riches of secret places, that thou mayest know that I, the LORD, which call thee by thy name, am the God of Israel.” (Isaiah 45:2-3) Who would believe God has treasures in darkness? In most churches we are told darkness is bad, well now we know better or are these verses wrong? In Genesis before God make light for man He and the Spirit dwelt (Genesis 1:2) in darkness. I wonder how long God and all of heaven existed in darkness? Look into the starry night sky, in the realm of the heavens, and outer space, we see darkness. Look at the bottom of the oceans and seas, darkness. Even man created in the womb not in light, but in darkness. God is not so afraid of darkness I wonder why some many Christians are, maybe they have never been taught? There are two types of darkness in God. The first darkness is that which arises from sin. It is a darkness that is filled with unhappiness and leads the Christian to eternal death. The second kind of darkness is darkness which the LORD allows within our inward parts in order to establish and settle virtue. This is a happy darkness because it illuminates our inward spirit, strengthens it and gives it greater light. We must not try to look for some emotion or even a tender devotion toward the LORD. Only expose our desires to do His will and to be His pleasure. Otherwise we will go in circles throughout our entire life and take not even one step toward God’s goals in our lives, which is more than salvation. An emotional experience with Jesus Christ must not be our goal for it is not God’s goal. I am just so amazed Christians who do not know what other Christians know try to snuff out their light (because they disagree with their doctrine) especially if they are in authority. You can say what you want to about the crime (and it is wrong) of the Mafia, but one thing you can also say about them is they take care of their family. All we have is us. Paul said to the Church at Galatia, “As we have therefore opportunity, let us do good unto all men, especially unto them who are of the household of faith.” (Galatians 6:10) Did you get that? We are to “do good unto all men.” The writer of Hebrews instructed the church at Rome, “Follow peace with all men, and holiness, without which no man shall see the Lord:” (Hebrews 12:14) then how about the church, “especially unto them who are of the household of faith.”
I promise you my friend if you are given the opportunity to share some hard things found in the Word of God you will be the talk and the discussion at church, criticized, vilified, and even marginalized, but that is okay. Peter who at first was not a Spiritual man, but in the end could say, ”And account that the longsuffering of our Lord is salvation; even as our beloved brother Paul also according to the wisdom given unto him hath written unto you; 16As also in all his epistles, speaking in them of these things; in which are some things hard to be understood, which they that are unlearned and unstable wrest, as they do also the other scriptures, unto their own destruction. 17Ye therefore, beloved, seeing ye know these things before, beware lest ye also, being led away with the error of the wicked, fall from your own stedfastness.” (2 Peter 3:15-17) You see the truth is Peter was not as much as a Spiritual man as Paul (and that is okay) was and caused problems for Paul taking the Gospel to the Gentiles. Peter and Paul did not see eye to eye on church doctrine and even got into a fight, “But when Peter was come to Antioch, I withstood him to the face (the Biblical way of saying they got into a fight), because he was to be blamed. 12For before that certain came from James, he did eat with the Gentiles: but when they were come, he withdrew and separated himself, fearing them which were of the circumcision.” (Galatians 2:11-12) But in the end (and thank God because Peter was standing in the way of the message and teaching of grace) it does not matter what you know or the number of Bible verses you can quote, but in the end what matters is who you know. In the end, Peter and Paul understood what was really important, “Wherewith shall I come before the LORD, and bow myself before the high God? shall I come before him with burnt offerings, with calves of a year old? 7Will the LORD be pleased with thousands of rams, or with ten thousands of rivers of oil? shall I give my firstborn for my transgression, the fruit of my body for the sin of my soul? 8He hath shewed thee, O man, what is good; and what doth the LORD require of thee, but to do justly, and to love mercy, and to walk humbly with thy God?” (Micah 6:6-8) If we can do this my friend we will not worry about our rice bowl, our position in the hierarchy at church (knowing who we are in Christ), or who’s getting the credit, but just be in love with “the man Christ Jesus” our example. Written by David Stahl
Friday, July 26, 2013
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