One Healthy Body...

 

"How is it then, brethren? whenever you come together each of you has a psalm, a teaching a tongue, a revelation, or an interpretation. Let all thee be done for edification." 1 Cor. 14:26

The Olive Garden restaurant has a slogan saying: "When you're here your family!"  I look upon the church body as the body of Christ and my family unit as my church family, as you might say, even in a family, there is diversity and people are not all clones of their parents the children do not necessarily take after their parents as chips off the old block, but are individuals and we celebrate that individuality. There is once a song that goes, "He ain't heavy. He's my brother!"   We all stand up for our brother no matter what and do not let someone bully or pick on our brother because he's a brother.  It's alright if we do but not somebody else as they say. Christians are one unit because they're one in the Spirit, not one politically agreed or socially agreed some concept of that word is not a club or a sorority fraternity type of thing but a unity of organism, not that organization and that's a very important point. 

They say that in America "We celebrate our differences," and our diversity is our strength too. We are a pluralistic society multicultural coexisting in harmony.  This also goes through the church the more diverse the members the stronger it must be. If only certain people and certain doctrines were there and no one could just dare disagree then the church would be weakened and might even lead to a cult. 

The concept of being a protestant is that you can say this I dissent I disagree I protest. We are not slaves to church dogma but have individual responsibility as well as the privilege to read our own Bibles to interpret them as we see God open them up to us. We need to search out the scriptures and see what these things are so that the pastor says as the noble Thessalonians did.  We must learn to create community and we do this by loving one another.  We love people into the kingdom we don't scare them into the kingdom with scare tactics or threats or shove the Bible down their throats.  We simply do good deeds and see that our testimony speaks for itself but we must not jeopardize our testimony by sin so we must be careful of how we act and live out our faith.   The faith we have is the faith we show, in other words.   A real church has the active presence of Christ you can sense Christ moving through the spirit because there is love in the body. 

There is a spiritual wellness when people practice their own gifting because they realize they are there for a purpose.   Each one has something from the Lord to share to give to others we all have a place in the body. A healthy body of Christ is when all members participate we are not jealous of one another and we realize our need for one another We are friends in the church in the sense that we probably would not be friends otherwise it's because Christ is the one who unites us and this will be in place in heaven there's neither Jew nor Gentile slave nor free male nor female we're all one in Christ.

As the Holy Spirit works in the body, it says we are all baptized into the body by one Spirit. It doesn't matter what gift we have as long as we have the Spirit that operates through us.  The spirit of the matter in which we practice it is that that is important.   It is too bad that some people hold things against Christ because Christians do not live up to specs or par and do not meet their expectations. Atheists like to poke fun at Christians and think we are hypocrites there's something wrong with you and people don't necessarily judge Jesus but they judge us Christians.  We ought to take note of that and realize that we do fall short. 

When I realize that it's all about Christ as Jesus said the scriptures bear witness of him that he is the Spirit of prophecy, we realize that we are here for the sake of God, not for not to promote ourselves or to make a name for ourselves or to celebrate ourselves but to celebrate Jesus he is the reason we are here in body. I bemoan the fact that Gandhi said that I would be a Christian had I ever met one or it wasn't for Christians I'd become one!  This is really a cynical viewpoint but that's the one that he thought that he was holy when he wasn't he was just a religious man in his own way. He had many virtues but that did make him a godly man. 

We must realize that people see Christ when they see us and they judge Christ by the way we act in our daily lives we are the only gospel that some people see.  When we can see the differences in our bodies our local family in Christ the church and realize we are one Spirit then we can say viva la difference.  We celebrate this diversity and realize it is a sign of strength the more alike we are, the less strong we become.  That means we cannot tolerate those who differ from us or it could be we're in a cult where people think they are right and everybody else is wrong or someone has a monopoly on the truth and has cornered the market of biblical truth claims.  Soli Deo Gloria!

A Little Tough Talk Is Due

 Jesus didn't always say things easy to accept, his so-called hard sayings were controversial, roughed up some feathers, and caused many disciples to no longer walk with him, he was not a people pleaser neither did he tell the crowds what they wanted to hear or were itching to hear and they were not an easy pill to swallow.  For instance, many want to be the boss or Number One and are control freaks and think great people are only those in power.  They are not to lord it over the flock or throw their weight around indiscriminately.   But Jesus said the greatest is the servant of all!  Quite topsy-turvy to the conventional wisdom of the time.   Jesus came not to be served but to serve and he got down and dirty with mankind, especially in the "order of the towel" when he washed the disciple's feet and his fellow disciples and was not afraid to associate with anyone but meet their needs, especially in doing miracles or healing; it seems he was saying nothing is "beneath us." 

Some people naturally see the needs of other people in situations they just have a natural servant's heart when a need rises they want to do it. Other people are more like leaders, not because they want to lord over others or be the boss, but because they realize that good leadership is essential and lead by example.  They want to show the way and be trailblazers.  I mean to be scripturally versed and savvy and privy to the deep truths of the Word, able to teach what Jesus commanded--all his commands.   Jesus was loving with all in essence wanting us to assume the helm and to be in charge.  

Now there are only two offices to fill in the modern church: elder and deacon; nearly identical resumes are required but different job descriptions.  Deacons are a special breed of people who do not want to bring attention to themselves or are not self-seeking or self-ambitious but really want to help people out with their personal needs and to promote unity in the church in the bond of peace. The church elders or congregants do not look for a mechanic or plumber and appoint him because he could be very useful to those in need!   

They are caretakers and caregivers!  They want to do whatever they're called to do they do not have something that they think is beneath them.  Humility is a virtue necessary because power may go to one's head as well as being in the spotlight or on the church radar for it is widely known that power tends to corrupt and absolute power corrupts absolutely; we must not let power, influence, or authority ever reside in one single person. 

Deacons must be tested first before being appointed they must be proved they are faithful and pious or godly and must be blameless--this does not mean they are perfect because perfect people need not apply to the church at all because the church is not a hotel for saints but a hospital for sinners.  Deacons must realize they are not self-appointed but are recognized by the church this is a point when they do what comes naturally to them and find themselves serving the church they will be recognized that they are good candidates.  

They do not go around advertising. campaigning, drawing attention to themselves, promoting themselves, or running for the job like a politician gaining favors or namedropping! All things are to be done with dignity and order.  This is most unbecoming and unwelcome. a dignified believer to be self-promoting. And this is not something you apply for officially; you don't particularly say that you want to be a deacon but you must prove yourself first that's what the testing is all about you must prove your worthiness and your adeptness to the priorities and responsibilities of the office. 

Now,  deacons and elders are not spiritual gifts they are offices in the church and you can be very gifted spiritually, intellectually, and even very talented and not an elder or deacon.  We must also recognize that deacons are not junior elders or elders in training it is not a stepping stone to being an elder this is very important because in some churches they want to test you first.   You don't earn your right to be an elder by being a deacon first. It is not by seniority! 

The church calls them to this office just like they call a pastor to preach to a church, it is a calling, and God's gifts and callings are not repented of--he doesn't regret it.  They must remain true and faithful to their heavenly calling.  God calls and God gives members gifting or spiritual gifts are not something that we are taken away or forfeited but our calling is something that we must be faithful to in the church some priests for instance are pastors have been defrocked due to immoral behavior this does happen some some some people can be excommunicated even if they are in office. 

This has happened because elders have the authority for church discipline, to serve, not govern the body of Christ.  The difference between elders and deacons is that deacons are called to serve, and elders are called to lead.  They are the practical ones in the body, handy people!   Elders are in a position of authority whereas deacons are in the position of servanthood. You must learn to be proactive as a deacon because you must see a need to fulfill it just like an entrepreneur sees a need fulfills it to become successful. Some people are just blind to needs this is basically the way they are they don't see it but deacons are looking always looking for opportunities to serve God. I think it's not just like a handyman or spiritual person that's practically useful, but there's a spiritual gift of helps.   He must be spiritually qualified  (godly, virtuous, and pious, and biblically knowledgeable (not just qualified vocationally. But deacons can  be considered "good to be around," and many have the gift of "helps." 

One thing we must notice between elders and deacons is that sometimes an elder may be called to do the work of a deacon if somebody rides or help them up financially this has been done they always get together and decide to build somebody out of a financial situation or something.   All spiritual gifts are like that even if we have one gift we do not prohibit ourselves or exclude ourselves from other gifts if we are called to do them or see the opportunity to do them. Do what God opens the door for you to do even if you don't think we have that gift. Deacons may be called to the service as a teacher but they do not have the office of teacher or pastor-teacher or officially recognizes teachers like the elders who teach well.  You can say elders make and interpret the rules but the deacons apply and follow them. 

Basically, the most important aspect of a deacon  (a man on a mission) is that he promotes the "unity of the spirit in the bond of peace" he knows the church's mission statement and he sees a vision for the church and he works together with the other body members or congregants toward that goal. I like the concept of the deacons as the face of the church they are the peaceful people who bring people together and are peacemakers that we call when we need help they're the ones that know the issues in the church they are in know lots of things but they cannot possibly meet the needs of all the people by themselves they are part of the solution. 

Deacons are those who serve behind the scenes in a support role has been said wisely have a special function towards all of the members. One thing of deacon may do is if he cannot meet and eat himself he may know someone else who he can recommend people deacons are to bring the body together to concerted effort to help people as a body and to work together as a unity as one body in Christ.  Deacons have a supportive role which means they do whatever they are called to do they are open to suggestions and willing to do whatever the elders or the church members ask them to do willingly.   Soli Deo Gloria! 

No Perfect People Need Apply

It is an honorable and noble thing to desire or aspire to be an elder in a church.  This implies you are a man on a mission, have a high ethic or moral code, and especially know how to keep the main thing the main thing and do not major in minors; i.e., properly focused and trained.    Even though there are several criteria or checkpoints in selecting an elder, no one perfectly fits the bill or matches the resume. We all fall short!  They are more than believers who just look good on paper! 

We all have different strengths and weaknesses, strongpoint or fortes.  Elders are appointed (NOT AN INHERITED POSITION OR BIRTHRIGHT) by other elders just like you need to be a disciple to disciple or mentor someone.  Since elders are in a position of authority and leadership, they must be accountable and know first what it means to be led. Basically, elders are the exemplars or role models of the body.  Nowhere do we see one-man rule or control freaks in the church as acceptable as Paul rebuked Diotrophes for wanting to be Number One always?   

Since they should practice what they preach and preach what they practice without hypocrisy or duplicity, the body will emulate them and see them as authority figures, even father figures; hence called sometimes shepherds or overseers.  Without being authoritarian or throwing their weight around but being able to lift people up and edify them--that's what it means! No one has the right to "lord it over" the flock! 

Sometimes actions speak louder than words and always our lives can be our testimony just as well as what we say.  But this doesn't mean they are alone in charge or should challenge their authority. We don't them to ignore us because our lives speak so loud so as give them a reason:  "YOUR LIFESTYLE SPEAKS SO LOUD I CANNOT HEAR WHAT YOU SAY!"  They realize they have a heavenly calling and mission and not be disobedient to it! They should not neglect their spiritual gifting and be faithful to fulfilling it. 

Character counts!  They must be highly regarded or thought of even by outsiders. Elders are pious and godly in character and have virtuous conduct by their reputation so outsiders will have nothing negative or bad to say and they will not fall into the trap of the devil. One neglected criterion is that they hold the mystery of the Word with a clear conscience and understand doctrine well enough to not just be versed in it but to have a working knowledge of it and be a student of the Bible, the Word, and be able to teach others doctrine just as they were taught and to equip them the body for the work of ministering themselves.  

Elders never stop learning they do not think they have "arrived," even Paul admitted that and realized that the first condition or prerequisite of learning is to admit your ignorance or know that you don't know everything--often the result of learning is more than an awareness of ignorance.  Elders are engaged in OJT or on-the-job training and learn also through the school of hard knocks and experience. However, some are always learning and never able to come to a knowledge of the truth because of disobedience.  There are two kinds of elders, you might say, and looking at this qualification there are those who have been humbled and those that will be humbled.  If you do not want to be humbled or humble you have no business in the ministry or the leadership of the church in that capacity. 

Elders must be servants above all, especially as servants to all, for no one is beneath you as a servant. Be willing to get down and dirty with the flock and get to know them. What are we do to the least of Christ's disciples we've done unto him.   In sum, no church should "go beyond that which is written" and realize no one is perfect.  Soli Deo Gloria! 

The Focus Of Our Life

 

"I  wanted to write to you concerning our common salvation..." Jude 3 

Ask Christians if we should have a Christ-centered theology and church. A church without theology is a dead church and theology. Theology is always relevant and necessary but not sufficient. You could know all the theology in the world and fail in the point of Christian love which is the aim and be worthless.   We all have a theology we must realize that but how good our theology is is the point.

A Christ-centered gospel means that the gospel was about Jesus Christ's good news is about him. He solved the sin question by his death burial and resurrection. He conquered death itself and showed that there is life after death with infallible proofs according to Luke. Our whole lives should be gospel-centered because we are grace-oriented and focused on the gospel as we strive to know nothing but Christ and Christ crucified in our message. That means keeping the main thing the main thing and not majoring on minors but realizing that the Great Commission is our aim and goal as Christians someday it shall be called the great completion and we need a great commitment to it. 

We must realize that our salvation began in eternity past, is realized in time, and will be completed in eternity, and looks forward to heaven. Our Father purposed and authored our salvation, and the Son actually secured, accomplished, and achieved it but the Holy Spirit applies it to our lives.  All three members of the Godhead are necessary!  We must also realize that the whole person gets saved and we get rescued from the dominion of sin and that salvation is more than forgiveness. 

The whole point in justification is that God realized that we are reckoned as saints, not sinners anymore and that reconciliation ensures we are restored to our relationship with God and propitiation or that the actual sacrifice was made in the temple of God on our behalf by the blood of Christ itself. Salvation not only forgives us, but it also delivers us from the power of sin and regenerates us so that our spirit is alive and can know and Love and serve God in a relationship. 

Finally, we must realize that we are saved by grace alone not by any combination of grace and good deeds or good works or pre-salvation attempts to please God. Christ as a sacrifice and crucified saved us from the penalty of sin; his coming saves us from the power of sin and in heaven he saves us from the judgment of sin.

The foundation of all our lives is in Christ the solid Rock, not any one person or church or theology. What matters in faith is the object of the faith, not how strong the faith is.  You can move mountains with mirror mustard-seed faith and we can all walk on water by walking by faith.  You can be fanatical in your faith and have blind faith for no reason or not know why you believe or have a zeal but not according to knowledge but it matters what you believe in God and what kind of a god you believe in how big your God is not how big your faith is.

As Christians walking with the Lord we have the courage to face tomorrow, to live one day at a time, and to realize that we can live everything in the light of eternity and not be discouraged for we know that God is in control of our lives and that he holds our future and our destiny is in his hands. We know that we may have bad times but we must accept them for God gives the good times also and he has a purpose for them we see everything as related to the gospel that God will work everything for our good because of Christ what he has done and proven his love for us by redeeming us from the slave market of sin so we no longer servants of sin but servants of righteousness.

When we are Christ-oriented we have peace with one another ("My peace I leave with you...")  and we bare the image of Christ and have a natural love for one another as Jesus said we shall know we are disciples if we love one another. Christ said that the legacy he leaves is his peace and peace is the hallmark or calling card of the Christian life for there is no peace for the wicked. Jesus said peace to you and only Christianity can offer this. We can have peace with God, peace with our neighbors, and peace in our future. 

We must not doubt the saviorhood of Christ, that was His mission!   For in the Gospel of Christ, our past is forgiven, our present is given meaning, and our future is secured. It also means that we have been saved that our sins have been forgiven both past, present, and future and then we are being forgiven and being saved right now continually and ongoing basis as we have victory in power over sin and we shall be saved ultimately from the presence of sin itself in the final judgment and wrath of God.

That's what Christianity is about... salvation!   It is a religion of salvation and the saviourhood of Jesus should not be questioned for there is no name under heaven given among men whereby we must be saved, he is the only Savior of the world and there is no other one who came to save us for He was surely a man on a mission to seek and to save those who are lost.

We must recognize that the gospel is not new, it was given to Adam and Eve called the Protoevangelium and it was revealed more and more throughout the Old Testament until finally explained in Jesus Christ. We have always been saved by grace through faith in the Lord!  Looking ahead or behind.  Paul elaborated on the gospel message and the book of Romans is the highlight of the Bible's theology you could say that all roads lead to Romans. And Romans has highlighted in Romans chapter 8. This is the quintessence of the gospel.

Therefore, the foundation of our life is in the finished work of Christ it is a done deal we do not need to do this or do that we do not have a to-do list. Christianity is about having what Christ has done for us it is done and done already we just accept that fact. And rest in faith knowing that Christ did the work for us on our behalf and we can do nothing to save ourselves not even any pre-salvation work. Our present Christian life is based on faith as we walk in faith in the Spirit of God by his power we do not have permission to live in the flesh anymore or to sin because we have forgiven but we have the power to live in the Spirit. And our hope is not diminished as we hope for heaven with Christ in which we are like him and reign with him eternally our future is secure knowing that Christ is in us right now he has given us the earnest of our inheritance the Holy Spirit taking up residence with our spirit.

Therefore, we must realize that we are complete in Christ and that Christ fulfills us and gives us meaning and purpose in life as we are called to serve him and glorify him in our lives and to do his will. Without Christ, we are nothing Paul said he counted rubbish at all things he had compared to what he knows in Christ. Our past is not worth holding on to compared to the value of knowing Christ. What eternal life is about, not about improving our lives but having a transformation of our lives and knowing God is real and wants a relationship with us personally because he loves us.

The Great Benediction that closes Second Corinthians mentions Jesus first and specifically the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ. Hours with the love of God in the Fellowship of the Holy Spirit is the triune formula that they all work in harmony and unity with each other for one objective our salvation.  If these three things are what is so unique about the Christian experience when we encounter God in our lives. 

Christianity is grace-oriented and stressed and is salvation by grace, not by work or merit which has no place in our salvation. And we experienced the love of God shed abroad in our hearts by the Holy Spirit as proof of our salvation since we love because he first loved us and the love of God constrains us as we love another. And the fellowship is unique in the Christian life because we all have fellowship centered in Jesus Christ in the love of God through the power of the Holy Spirit in his name.  Whenever we walk in the Spirit we have fellowship with one another.   Soli Deo Gloria! 

Overcoming The Pitfalls Of Ministry

"I came not to be served but to serve.,.."  Mark 10:45  "Whoever desires to be first, shall be slave of all." Mark 10:44

First, "ministry" doesn't just refer to preaching but to all services rendered by believers who use their spiritual gifts for the growth or edification of the body of Christ. There are downfalls as well as fringe benefits and an upside.  Just like it is more blessed to give than to receive, the person doing the ministry feels the most joy over the one who benefited.  Now, most Christians are in the dark as to their gifting and this is because they have never ministered.  You don't just serve where you want to or think your gift is, but whenever and wherever the opportunity arises to serve and see where God blesses you. God isn't so much looking for ability as for availability.  Showing up is 90 percent of the success!  

We do not need impressive resumes to minister because God opens the door and breaks the sound barrier for to reach others.  Another distinction: ministry is to believers or to the body, and mission is to the lost. And we must always keep the man thing as the main thing and not major in minors with our mission statement. Many ministries seem like thankless jobs or of no consequence or fanfare or glory but to God, they are all vital to the work of the equipping of the saints. The unfortunate thing is when we have good intentions and poor follow-through; that is why we need to be faithful and obedient and leave the success to God. 

We need to focus on what matters! Recognize boundaries in our people skills and even our limits and not overestimate ourselves or even take ourselves too seriously. We have to realize that sometimes we can't win and let Gop provide the growth as we water and plant seeds. Big misunderstandings happen when we have a failure to communicate and people get the wrong impression.  There are two kinds of ministers to mention here at work: those who have been humbled and those who will be! If you think you're already humble, get out of the ministry! 

We are all called by God and are suited to minister in our own way. We must not have excuses when God calls like Moses: Who am I?  I am clumsy with words, they will not believe me! we must trust God with the results and realize we can move mountains and walk on water with mustard-seed faith.  It is not how big our faith is but how big our God is and what the object of our faith is. Remember, God is not looking to success or achievement or accomplishments but to faithfulness and obedience. We should be humbled that God is just using us as servants or vessels of honor. It isn't our resume that suits or qualifies us but the Holy Spirit's residence in our hearts. We don't want results from the energy of the flesh or the ways of the world but the glory to God in the power of the Spirit. As they say, you can accomplish much if you don't care who gets the credit; likewise in ministry: if you give God the glory, He will use and bless you. 

Remember that the mission of the church is to fulfill the Great Commission.  And there is no social gospel but you could say we have a social commitment to the betterment and blessing of our society. We may think we have a thankless job but what matters is the spirit we do it in and our faithfulness. The best we can hope for is that Jesus says: Well done thou good and faithful servant! That is why we look for the open door and earn our right to minister. Our deeds must correlate and match our creeds!  That they may see our good works and glorify our Father in heaven. 

Now, someday this mission will be the Great Completion and in the fullness of time Christ will come to reward us and our work never finishes as we never retire from the Lord's work.  We should all have a Great Commitment to the Great Commission and the Great Commandment!  The best mission statement of a church body I have seen is to be committed to knowing the Lord and making Him known!  Soli Deo Gloria! 

The Need For Effective Ministries

 Martin Luther was asked if the Reformation was complete with his corrections and he replied that the  Reformation had only just begun and would never end.  We are always to be an attitude of Reformation. The Latin for that is Semper Reformanda.  We ought never to become complacent in our church and think that we have arrived at the perfect ideal church or at monopolizing the truth or that we are the only ones. We could always learn from each other's churches because no church is THE "reformed"  church. There is a church for everybody in my opinion or what you call niche churches and have a certain demographic or an appeal that they have. We cannot be all things to all people. 

In other words, some churches try to become mega-churches or attract followers by teaching or preaching what the people want to hear especially when it comes to prophecy or prosperity theology.  These preachers are really gifted entrepreneurs and not called by God.  The Bible warns against those who have itching ears and only want to hear what they want to hear and preachers who cater to them.  Even the devil himself disguised himself as an angel of light.  So no wonder his servants do also.

We must admit that our teacher or our pastor will have his weaknesses and issues. But what is the bottom line? What is it that God considers important?  God called Moses and Paul who were not good speakers!  Good that the preacher admits and knows his flaws too.  But that does not mean that he cannot become all things to all people by God's grace as Paul claimed.   And that God cannot use him for what is important to majors are what's important in the minors are not we don't major in the minors in other words.   We don't get distracted by things that are unimportant but remember what is important: KEEP THE MAIN THING THE MAIN THING!  None of which I put first things first and realize our priorities. Pastors should never be people pleasers then you cannot please God and our praise ought to be from God and not man.

Too many churches preach another Jesus, another gospel, or another spirit than the one that they should have received or did receive. There are too many counterfeit churches out there, and too many counterfeit preachers that were not even called into the ministry.  They have just enough truth to deceive.  They are experts at marketing, even using Madison Avenue techniques.  They may be scammers or even grifters and rob their congregations because they do not gather the funds for God's purposes.

Today, we have too many churches that do not keep their eyes on Jesus and on the truth and have gotten side-tracked.  They have forgotten about the church being the cornerstone of the truth and doctrine matters and truth matters.   It is often looked drowned upon and frowned upon to be into polemics or defend against heresy. We ought to be obedient to the heavenly vision!   

We have a church without doctrine today.   The post-doctrinal era!  What really matters, in the long run, is the truth.   We ought to teach people to be searchers for the truth with an open mind yet a critical mind.   An open mind says they do not think they know all the truth yet and they're willing to learn more but a critical mind in the sense they must test the spirit whether it is of God or not.  Today, we have churches that are even into the New Age doctrine and want to say things like Jesus isn't enough.  We need Jesus plus this Jesus plus that.  We have the "church of what's happening now!'   We need to realize that Jesus is enough and we have Jesus. We have all we need.

Churches cannot be good at everything;  they each have a certain ministry in calling some churches are more evangelical,  some churches are more ministerial, some churches are more mission-oriented, and some churches reach out to the lost more and loft into causes like social causes like the social gospel which is another mistake.   We have a mission and a commission to reach the world through Christ but our commission is to preach the gospel. We have a social mandate yes to be a blessing to the world in the sense of being salt and light but not in the sense that there is a social gospel that all things work out good if we become Christians. The church ought to prepare and fight the actual enemy out there which is Satan and his minions and his servants truth that's why the doctrine is important we have a foundation of doctrine and we can readily discern who these false teachers are because, in the last days, many shall come in Christ's name saying they are Christ even.   

And many false teachers will teach doctrines of demons.  People will no longer endure sound doctrine!  These churches ought to recognize the needs of the church and should really be needy people in the church.  They should minister one to another. And the church also should be aware of strange teachings because many shall come in Christ's name and teach a new doctrine that sounds good to outsiders, especially in churches where they're overly seeker-sensitive rather than God-oriented.  

Yes, there is a true battle in the Lord and the battle is the Lord's.   If we know the truth and are armed with the truth and the word of God which is our only fence weapon we shall win this battle we should realize that we will not be good at everything and find and find what we are good at Christians ought to find their spiritual gift.   In other words, they do that by experimenting or serving God and finding out what God blesses them in.  Soli Deo Gloria!

Remaining Obedient To The Heavenly Vision...

Paul was really despised and disparaged in Corinth and had to defend his ministry and authenticity as an apostle.  He reminded them of the signs of an apostle: signs, miracles, wonders!  He even entreated them to accept his authority, even begging for their ears and was frank even blunt.  But this seemed to fall on deaf ears and they were spiritually hard of hearing!   This was done by literary techniques of restatement and repetition of his points to drive them home and strike a chord to resonate with them on their "home page" and get on the same page finding common ground and commonality, not points of disagreement, especially of opinions. It was obvious to the Corinthians that Paul could be quite articulate and authoritarian in letters but not in person.  This did not qualify him as timid or as a gifted speaker, and this in no way reflected on his knowledge, expertise, or experience, and especially his authority as the appointed apostle of Jesus. 

He used this as an excuse to teach and instruct them and he did not rely on a human playbook or means but used "divine power" to demolish the strongholds of Satan and the world. Not to rely on human authority but depending on the power of the Spirit so that their faith does not rest in the power or authority of men but in God alone! The divine weapon of choice was the Word of God and not opinion, oratory skill, education, or biblical or world savvy. But Paul knew how to get their attention! This is encouraging to us who are unlearned and have handicaps to overcome.  

Paul wasn't one to lord it over them either but shared the ministry of the Spirit that we all take part in the work of God according to the gifts of the same Spirit.  Paul knew that you could not argue someone into the kingdom or win one over by the art of persuasion techniques alone. He didn't try to rationalize nor appeal to logic alone.   Our faith must be in the power of God in the gospel ("for it is the power of God unto salvation..."). Paul believed in living the gospel message out and his life showed more suffering for Christ than anyone who ever lived.  But in all this Paul never had a martyr's complex thinking the more you suffer the better Christian. 

He was humble and thought of himself as the chief of sinners. He said that this is a way of becoming all things to all people and reaching out to the lost and those unreachable by other means such as the church.  This is to say that if we are not hypocrites and practice our faith and prove our faith by good works and fruit, then people will be drawn to Christ  God fills the vacuum in the soul and draws people to Christ.  In sum, to be obedient to the heavenly vision, we must see the light and depend upon God's armor and power of the Spirit not ourselves.  Soli Deo Gloria! 

Was The Apostle Paul A Christian?

 It has been disputed even today whether Paul was an apostle or one duly appointed and even an inferior one at that. Paul was so questioned about it that he wrote 2 Corinthians to refute the idea in chapters 10 and 11 he makes his case. What else is an apostle but one who has seen the risen Lord, can do miracles, signs, and wonders, and is personally appointed by the Lord Himself?  But the contention was that Paul was just a troublemaker, not a peacemaker, a divider, was always in trouble with the law or in jail, got shipwrecked, stoned,  beaten with rods, unpopular, left for dead, gone without food,  not an uniter, and a poor preacher and even too hard to understand and didn't get along with Peter or other apostles even disputing with Barnabas. 

We see believers do likewise today thinking that if you haven't achieved the American dream or are not a success in the eyes of the world, then you are not measuring up as a Christian and not be one at all, especially if bad things happen like divorce, bankruptcy, unemployment, disease, disability, or trouble with the law.  The proliferation of prosperity theology is appalling and widespread and is popular as even the mention of the word "sin" is considered a killjoy and taboo.  What we must learn is that we are not to cash in on our spiritual lottery ticket but learn to be content in whatever circumstance God gives and be thankful to be in God's will.  

But we must realize that hardship is par for the course in our Christian experience of hard knocks and the spiritual adventure and road to Reality 101 learning. In short, we are not promised a bed of roses and our life is no rose garden. We can have just as many hardships as an unbeliever. It is written that the Jews thought they were immune to disaster or calamity by virtue of being God's people but had a wake-up call during the Babylonian captivity. It is true God can and does put a hedge of protection around us but God can allow short-term evil for long-term good; look at Joseph saying, "You meant it for evil, but God meant it for good." and also Job saying, "Should we accept good times from the LORD and not evil times?" 

We are to judge Paul by his writings which Peter called "scripture" despite being hard to understand. He is the one we owe our understanding of the gospel message.  Paul is the one who preached to the Gentiles and founded more churches than the other apostles in Europe and Asia. But we must put his life into the perspective that Jesus said he would suffer 'great things for Him." Paul said it was a privilege to suffer for the sake of the Name. Paul wrote at least 13 epistles and is considered the chief New Testament writer. 

Be Prepared!

"... Always be prepared to give an answer to everyone who asks you to give the reason for the hope that you have..." (1 Pet. 3:15, NIV).

The Boy Scout motto "Be prepared!" is pertinent to our faith too. If we are prepared, God will see fit to use us for His glory to do His will and will give us opportunities to exercise faithfulness.  Jesus told us to teach all disciples to obey all He commanded in the discipleship of others.  But no matter how prepared we are, we must learn to lean on God's grace and power to complete the mission given to us.  We must humbly realize that we can do nothing apart from grace and Christ's power (cf. John 15:5). We all must prepare for our mission; Christ spent thirty years in preparation for three years of ministry and they all wondered how he had such learning, having never studied!

We don't do preparatory work to become saved or any pre-salvation exercise either.  We are totally transformed by grace as we are wooed into the kingdom.  If we came to the throne alone, we are likely to leave alone.  We can contribute nothing to our salvation either; if we had to, we would fail!  Remember Christ's words:  "No man can come to me unless the Father who sent me draws him..." (John 6:44, ESV).  As Martin Luther's hymn goes:  "Did we in our own strength confide, our striving would be losing."  We are subject to the enabling ministry of the Spirit.  The ironic fact is that the closer we get to Christ, the more we realize we need Him and realize our own unworthiness.  We must never forget that we have nothing we didn't receive!  (Cf. 1 Cor. 4:7).  We must always identify with Paul, who said he could do all things through Him who strengthened him (cf. Phil. 4:13; John 15:5).

We must prepare ourselves for the mission we are called to, whether by academic, experience, the school of hard knocks, or by direct discipleship.  Not everyone is fortunate enough to have a mentor and must learn to rely on books, online info, and church activities, fellowship, and Bible studies.  That's why it's so important to be in a Bible-based and Bible-teaching church.  We must never lose focus that Christ aims to make us in His image by knocking away at everything that doesn't look like Him.  We must learn from Providence and experience as well as directly from the Word.  Experience is the best teacher if one is applying what one learns.  We become good witnesses by experience--we don't just wake up one day and resolve to be a good witness!  We must never forget that "Iron sharpens iron" (cf. Prov. 27:17)! This is why a cloistered virtue is no virtue at all and we must not aim to live a monastic life escaping the real world where we are needed to be God's witnesses as salt and light.

Our aim is not to become scholars ("the world by wisdom knew not God"--1 Cor. 1:21) but to apply the knowledge we know and to use it to God's glory.  Knowledge is not an end in itself but a byproduct of seeking the Lord!  Wisdom is the right use of knowledge and the aim is to get wisdom even if it takes all we have!  Wisdom can come from experience, especially if we aren't in tune with the Word, but knowing the Word can be a great blessing too, and seeing God fulfill and honor it.  We reinforce it with doing it.  We don't study the Bible to know all the answers, nor to be content at being doctrinally correct, nor to be a cut above other Christians, but to but the purpose of Scripture is Scripture--we must learn to let God speak to us and enjoy the Word in communion and fellowship.  We will learn to love the Word as we apply it and it becomes real to us.

It's been said that the Bible is our Owner's Manual (meant to be user-friendly), but it's our line of communication with God whereby He has promised to speak to us, if we faithfully read the Word, an important "if" or conditional.  We must never think that our situation is special and God will make an exception in our case and see things our way!  We must be willing to pray the prayer of relinquishment as Christ did in the Garden of Gethsemane:  "Thy will be done!"   Instilling a basic love of the Word in people at an early age is of vital importance and they must realize that the faith can be defended in the open marketplace of ideas and we don't have to privatize nor apologize for our faith!  But unfortunately, most youths don't even know what they believe, much less know how to defend it, and this is a kind of unbelief.

Finally, it's been said that if you won't die for your honor, then you don't have any!  When we take up our cross for Christ, that's what it may entail someday and we must be ready to lay down our life if need be, and be willing to die for God's honor, our honor, and His will.  If we won't die for anyone or anything, we probably don't know how to live either!   All of us must ultimately ask ourselves the question:  Would you die for your allegiance to Jesus?  Only then can you know you are prepared to live for Him!     Soli Deo Gloria! 

The Man On A Mission

"I have brought you glory on earth by finishing the work you gave me to do" (John 17:4, NIV).
"However, I consider my life worth nothing to me; my only aim is to finish the race and complete the task the Lord Jesus has given me..." (Acts 20:24, NIV).  

One thing for sure, Jesus was par excellence the man on a mission from God.  From the very beginning, He sensed His higher calling that the Father had work for Him to do and He must lay down His life--He came to die!  His motto from the outset, when twelve years old, was, "I must be about My Father's business."  This was the theme of His life--to do God's will. You could say He had fulfilled the role of a lifetime:  "Thy will be done!"  And this is the yoke He has given us--to do His will, not to obey the law of Moses, which He fulfilled for us.  His yoke is easy and His burden is light!  One notable thing about Christ on His mission extraordinaire:  He never had "tunnel vision" and could always see the trees and the forest!  His secret was that He never forgot who He was or His mission: to be our Savior first, and then our King in that order.  He never forgot who He was and we ought to do likewise.

It is easy for us to get side-tracked and lose focus of what our mission is and to feel like failures--but keeping our eyes on Christ is a way to stay in touch with His will.  That is one unique thing about our faith:  it has a message for everyone, even failures and people who have messed up their lives, even sinners who have lost it all.  But if we haven't lost God, we haven't lost it all!  With Jesus as our Exemplar, we must not lose focus on the Great Commission and why we are here and that we must live our lives for Christ, not ourselves.

Jesus was on the Green Mile or His road to his (execution) cross and stopped to heal a blind man, never losing His compassion for people in need.  His mission was always front and center, but people mattered and they were never an interruption or inconvenience.  On His Via Dolorosa, Jesus stopped to tell a woman not to weep for Him: Christ was willingly going to the cross and knew what it entailed.  Even on the cross Jesus commended His mother to John and took care of her in her time of need, and the first thing He uttered was a prayer of intercession for those who knew not what they were doing and needed forgiveness--again thinking of others first!  Oh that we should never be too busy to welcome doing God a service or to lend a helping hand, for He has no hands but ours to help with.

As a guiding principle or rule of thumb, the more focused we are, the greater we can accomplish, and the more impact we have.  The problem with some people is that they are trying to do too much at a time, like walking and chewing gum as it were. We shouldn't try to multi-task so much and concentrate on doing God's will first and foremost.  David was known for doing all of God's will and was called a man after God's own heart for it.   It is not always good to have too many burners in the fire.  They are like spinning tops going around and around but getting nowhere!  If you're not going anywhere, it doesn't pay to be in a hurry.  It doesn't pay to be busy if you're going nowhere or have no purpose!

We need patience that our time is in God's hands and He controls the timing of everything.  To everything there is a season and purpose and a procedure, we must strive to do things God's way and in His timing.  In His time, He will make everything beautiful, so it is said in Ecclesiastes.  David prayed:   "My times are in your hands" (cf. Psalm 31:15, NIV).  In the final analysis, we must pray the prayer of relinquishment as Christ did at the Garden and commit everything to His will, not ours, lest He does let us have our way and mess things up--God does have our best in mind and we should know that!     Soli Deo Gloria!

Finishing Our Work

"I hope to see my Pilot face to face when I have crossed the bar."  (Alfred, Lord Tennyson).  
Note to the reader: Not to be morbid, but preparing for one's passing involves more than taking care of one's final expenses!  
OUR DAYS ARE DETERMINED AND PLANNED BEFOREHAND!  (CF.  PSALM 119:16).  
"In this meaningless life of mine I have seen both of these:  the righteous perishing in their righteousness, and the wicked living long in their wickedness" (Eccl. 7:15, NIV).  [The godly can perish before their time.]
"So He will do to me whatever He has planned.  He controls my destiny" (Job 23:14, NLT).

Paul thanked God and prayed he would complete his mission, which would be his greatest joy.  King David passed away, but having fulfilled God's purpose and having done all God's will (cf. Acts 20:24, 10:36).  It is true in a sense that we don't pass away till God is finished with us, which should be an incentive to do God's will and be ready.  We ought always to be ready to meet our Lord, for we know not when we will (cf. Amos 4:12).  Now Hezekiah was told directly from God to get his house in order because his time was short!  However, he objected and told the Lord that he was only in the prime of his life (it would be a shame!). Note that Matthew Henry said we ought to live every day as if it's our last.  Only God knows what we are here for and when our time is completed; we only see through a glass darkly--of which we will understand on the other side. (One mystery, or paradox that Scripture mentions, is that people who want to live often die, and those who would die, go on living. )

Now, the great question one must ask is whether the godly die before their time.  Yes, they can!  Isaiah 57:1, NLT, says so:  "Good people pass away; the godly often die before their time."  Some think that when no one needs them they will die, but God can always use a committed believer who is conformed to the pattern of His will.  We have no luxury of judging someone's life by its length.  It is good to live to be old, which is a luxury, but not all become wise.

We must acknowledge the wise wording of Solomon in Ecclesiastes 3:1ff that there is a time for every matter under heaven--including a time to die. Actually, the Bible declares the day of one's death better than the day of his birth!  "Precious in the sight of the LORD is the death of his faithful servants" (Psalm 116:15, NIV).  Christians have the hope of eternal life due to Christ's resurrection that gave us reason to believe and this should be all the more motive and inspiration to live a life pleasing to Him, and not for the day only, but one day at a time in light of the Word and of eternity.

Therefore, let's all be looking forward to "crossing" (not passing) our bar and meeting the Lord in glory.  In the meantime, we are to live as if it's "one step between [us] and death!"  CAVEAT: WE MUST BEWARE LEST WE SIN UNTO DEATH (CF. 1 JOHN 5:16) AND GOD DECREE TO TAKE US BEFORE OUR TIME AS DIVINE DISPLEASURE!    Soli Deo Gloria! 

Assumption Of Good Soil

"And my speech and my preaching were not with persuasive words of human wisdom but in demonstration of the Spirit and of power, that your faith should not be in the wisdom of men but in the power of God" (1 Cor. 2:4-5, NKJV).

Too many preachers are adept and savvy at preaching to the choir and have adapted their sermons so as not to reach nor be sensitive to seekers and the wayward sinner.  Jesus never assumed the crowds were believing in Him and were disciples, in fact, He constantly illustrated the kingdom of God as if the audience wasn't yet in.  He was always cognizant of false disciples and pseudo-conversions.  There were always the Pharisees listening in to find something to criticize and condemn Him for.  Preachers must be cognizant of all varieties of listeners: pagans, atheists, agnostics, skeptics, seekers, newborn believers, adolescent believers, and even the seasoned believer.  Their job is to feed the sheep and the lambs as well as call the sinner to repentance; the gospel message is never passe.

What happens in too many churches is that there is the presumption of good soil when many have gotten into a worship or growth rut and are even backslidden despite their Churchianity and attendance.  The preacher must be all things to all people in a sense, knowing not who may be listening in and God may be working on or wooing through the sermon, known as the "Hound of Heaven" tracking them down. The preacher sows seed in the manner of the prototype Sower Himself, Jesus, and the seed is the Word.  The preacher who relies on the Word and its effect on souls in melting the hardened heart will be most efficacious. Jesus sees through the veneer and the Word penetrates soul and spirit convicting and softening the hardest of hearts.  The Word shall not come back void and will accomplish God's will according to Isaiah 55:11.  Jeremiah adds in Jer. 1:12 that God sees well to perform His Word.

The preacher is to be attended that gives proper place to the Word--Isaiah 8:20 says that if they speak not according to the Word, they have no truth in them!  We must not rely on the articulate, eloquent talents of the mind, but the sensitivity of the spirit to the ministry of the Holy Spirit and the soul of the congregants and attendees' needs. This is so that our faith doesn't rest in the wisdom of man nor in the education, brilliance, nor talents of man but in the spiritual gift of preaching by the power of the Spirit; as the Word says, "Not by might, nor by power, but by My Spirit," says the LORD in Zech. 4:6.

The biggest error evangelists fall prey to is assuming the lost soul is already saved--they get saved without never having had a sense of being lost.  The preacher must get them lost before getting them saved; in other words, preach the law before the gospel--the bad news of sin before the good news of grace!  The reality of the matter is that there is good soil in the church, but also rocky, weedy, and shallow soil!  There is the good seed, but also the bad seed that the devil has sown and continues to subvert God's work.  Christ has commanded that the good shall grow with the bad and we are not to do any weeding as it were to cast out the bad seed.  This means that every church likely has an enemy of Christ who has crept in unawares, even a false disciple. The preacher must sow unadulterated seed, not the Word mixed with some bad seed.  This implies sticking to the Word and being faithful to preach it according to sound doctrine.  This will save him and his hearers.

The truth may be unbearable to the hardened in the heart (rocky soil) and the sinner shouldn't feel at ease in God's house.  The church is a place to convict of sin and bring to renewal in the Spirit, setting one on the path to righteousness in the will of God.   Jesus came not to call the righteous, but sinners to repentance!  (see Luke 5:32).  The sinner can prepare his soil but God can till the soil of the most hardened heart of stone and transform it into flesh.  We must believe in the power of the Word itself to transform lives and work miracles--the changed lives from the gospel are the best miracle we can witness.

This is why some churches don't accomplish much for the Great Commission because they have no focus on the soils.  Good soil is guaranteed to bring forth fruit!  They must not become complacent or let members get a false assurance of their salvation and comfortable in their walk, not committed to growth and service. Is it any wonder that Mahatma Gandhi said that he "likes their Christ, he doesn't like their Christians[?]" And that Nietzsche said that he would "believe in the Redeemer when the Christian looks more redeemed[?]"  The sermon should be a spiritual checkup and appraisal of one's walk and should have a message for everyone's heart.  This is precisely why the Pharisees couldn't bear His sermons: He preached to them as if they weren't saved or spiritually secure in their turf.  He threatened their job security and personal space!  It was like they were saying, "Don't you know who we are?"

This is why it's so important to prepare our hearts for the Lord's day and the sermon and not let it fall on unprepared hearts or other than good soil!   There is a grave error in assuming we are good soil and that the hard sayings of Christ don't apply to us or that we've arrived--for Paul, the apostle, said that he didn't claim to have laid hold of it yet!   But don't be discouraged, the preacher is promised that the Word will not fall on deaf ears if preached faithfully and there will be fruit, though foliage seems the immediate result.  Sooner or later, there will be results from the faithful preaching of the gospel working in the hearts of the lost--the flock need never grow tired of the gospel message but always open to new perspectives.

True preaching of the Word is as a two-edged sword:  comforting the afflicted and afflicting the comfortable. Jesus will see through the veneer and false pretense!  The preacher ought to be cognizant of all soil types in the church and try to get through to the hardened, to set free the weedy, and to give substance to the shallow--there are too many believers who have exhibited a shallow conversion and exhibit their lack of salvation by falling away, proving their ultimate disloyalty and lack of faith.  The love of the world is an obstacle to faith and the preacher must not let them feel comfortable with their weeds.    No matter what the threefold enemy of the devil, the world-system, and the old sin nature or the flesh attack with--don't succumb!  The preacher is commissioned to preach the Word in spite of the soil types and let God do His thing and work miracles.      Soli Deo Gloria!

Upsetting The Religious Applecart

"Nothing outside a person can defile them by going into them.  Rather, it is what comes out of a person that defiles them"   ( Mark 7:15, NIV). 
"You can identify them by their fruit, that is, by the way they act..." (Matt. 7:16, NLT).

Jesus was clearly antiestablishment and countercultural and was determined to overturn the tables on the Pharisees' religious turf.  He managed a revolution of topsy-turvy spirituality.  They had no notion of true spirituality, but only of externalism:  circumcision, tithing, offerings, sacrifices, festivals, Sabbath observance, fasting, handwashing, ceremonial duties, and whatever agreed with the outward show of religious piety but having no inward vitality or reality.  Jesus succeeded in internalizing religion and making it a matter of the heart and sin was on the inside that God could see.  The Pharisees were highly jealous of Jesus and protecting their turf was Job One.  Everyone wants job security, but this was too much for Jesus.  They sensed a threat to their authority and teachings, which Jesus referred to as the leaven of the Pharisees.

The people were burdened by 613 additional (248) commands and (365) prohibitions or laws of their legal system that made the Law of Moses a burden too heavy a yoke to carry.  Even the Sabbath with 39 additional activities regarded as "work" was nothing to look forward to anymore nor enjoy as a day of rest and spiritual renewal.  What really got them uptight and ill at ease was His popularity among the common people who heard him gladly and the miracles He was doing were both undeniable, and they had to come up with some explanation.  Jesus repeatedly made them out to be as fools and an embarrassment to their own cause.  Jesus seemed like a hero and authority the way He threw the moneylenders out of the temple.  They had every reason to fear His authority because He spoke like no man, not by authority, as one of the teachers of the law, (cf. Matt. 7:29), but with authority and they could not resist the Spirit by which He spoke nor answered His questions.

Jesus was against religion as they knew it.  The Pharisees were frauds at worship--just going through the motions with lip service and their hearts being far removed.  He saw the Jewish faith as one of knowing God, not of performance or a list of dos and don'ts.  The Pharisees were white on the outside but inside were as sepulchers.  They would strain a gnat and swallow a camel because they were so worried about the minor details of the Law but missed the main points of justice, mercy, and faithfulness.  Religion for them was mere show and Jesus despised it.

One thing that He wouldn't tolerate was duplicity and He saw this in the Pharisees they way they didn't practice what they preached. The religious authorities were never the same after Jesus was through with them and He changed the culture by changing people.  He was the light that shown on every man to see.  No one was unchanged nor the same after an encounter with the Lord.  The religious applecart had become an organization, not an organism, or living community of believers.

The major realignment in religion came as Jesus saw through legalism and hypocrisy and instituted undefiled and pure religion as coming from a sincere heart and motive.  Jesus saw through the veneer and facade!  The people needed to be set free from the burden and yoke of the Pharisees and their take on religion, in fact, most people didn't want to emulate them nor were they jealous, though the Pharisees were respected, Jesus saw their veneer and masquerade that they hid behind.

One sad commentary on the Pharisees was their tendency to exalt themselves and of having an air of superiority.  Jesus countered that the way up is down in God's economy and one must humble oneself first to be exalted in God's eyes.  He warned them that one must become as a child to enter the kingdom of God (cf. Mark 10:15; Matt. 18:3).

The normal Christian life was in contradistinction to the one of the Pharisees.  The Pharisees flaunted their faith and Jesus taught that people should not practice their righteousness before people (cf. Matt. 6:1) but keep their religious duties between them and God and to pray in their closet, inner sanctum, comfort zone, or private space.  The Pharisees were the ultimate goody-goodies who were working for God and kept up all appearance of propriety, but they knew not the Lord in reality.  Christ will say unto them that He never knew them at the Judgment.  But we all have feet of clay (flaws not readily apparent) and must repent of the Pharisee in us.  All our works are worth zilch if we don't love the Lord and do His will--"if I have not love, I am nothing."   Soli Deo Gloria!

The Soul Of A Church...

There is an ambiance to every church body that reveals the health and well-being of the body.  The culture is the sum total of the individual attitudes and parts--the sum of the whole being greater than the sum of the individual parts separately--church bodies are organisms working together as a team and must be cooperative, not competitive.  (It's a team effort and not a one-man band!)  We are not to engage in the "let's compare" game. The church has five distinct purposes or reasons for existence: corporate and public worship as a unified body in Christ in the Spirit and in truth, fellowship in the sphere and orbits of family and friends in the body including attendees, discipleship of all believers, ministry to the church body and members or congregants, evangelism, outreach and mission to the lost.

Note that we all are to be engaged in each function and not to assume the clergy has sole responsibility.  A mission is our work in the world to the lost--our outreach to the world at large, making Christ known.   Our ministry is to each other as we exercise our spiritual gifts in the body, everybody part being essential to healthy growth. They separate gifts in the church work for a common mission and ministry in unity and being one in the Spirit.

We don't just attend church to be social or to get a spiritual high or lift.  We go to share how the Lord is working in our lives and to get a regular spiritual workout or checkup.  We need to periodically examine ourselves as can be done more appropriately in the company of fellow believers.  We should enjoy our church family and even feel part of it as much as our biological one.  We must realize our responsibilities to the body and be faithful in attending for the sake of those that may need our ministry and we are connected with.  We ought to realize that if we really belong, we will be missed when absent.

The mature believer and congregant has realized his role in the body and finds fulfillment in reaching out of his comfort zone to bring life to the church.  The meeting of the church is not a social function, but it is a family and one ought to feel like when what they say, "When you're here, you're family!"  We should all feel at home and free to express ourselves just like the expression WYSIWYG or what you see is what you get!  We ought to feel free to be our real spiritual selves in the church and to see God at work in the sanctuary.  It is everyone's job description as it were to disciple newborn believers and to make them feel at home and welcome in the body.  

Fellowship is vital to the growth and there is a difference between fellowship and small talk or exchanging pleasantries and niceties.  We don't go to church to talk sports or the weather--you can do this anywhere.  We must realize our duty to minister and be interested in how our friends and church family are doing spiritually in life.  When we minister, we may share how God is working in our lives and may have may find commonalities and opportunities to meet needs.  We are all accountable to each other and must accept each other despite our personal flaws--making allowance for our faults.

Many Lone Ranger believers who are really going rogue believe they can worship God on their own and don't need to do it corporately!   However, the Spirit is present in the body in a special way and we ought to contribute to the needs of the saints and do our part in the body.  They may say they can worship in the cornfield, but do they?  We must realize that we really do need each other and no one is an island or rock or has all the gifts so as to be able to shine his light apart from being connected.

We know we are becoming mature when we enjoy our fivefold purpose:  worship, fellowship, discipleship, ministry, and mission.  We rejoice in that God considers us worthy vessels of honor and uses us for His glory. The more dependent we are on the body the more are contributing to it in a sense because we are humbled and realize the importance of each body part and we cannot stand alone spiritually no matter how gifted we are--we need each other!  Who are we that God should use us for His glory; but He created us for this very purpose: to bring Himself glory through our salvation from sin and evil.  It is only in the contrast and in light of evil that we behold and contemplate or apprehend the good; man has become like God in the sense that he is capable of knowing good and evil, but this is only realized in a mature believer who can discern (cf. Heb. 5:13-14).

The committed Christian has a great commitment to the Great Commandment and the Great Commission!  The ultimate purpose of the body is to fulfill this and bring it to the message and Word to the world.  A successful church isn't measured by its body count or membership roles, but by the spiritual health of its congregants--we don't need to worship in a crowd, but in a family that can interact and knows each other!  And in conclusion, the parachurch cannot fulfill the mission statement of the church and in the final analysis, the raison d'etre (the reason for existence) of the church is to know the Lord and to make Him known to a lost world.  Anything less must be seen as falling short and not measuring up to keeping the main thing the main thing.  In the final analysis, the church is not a crowd, nor an organization--both of which we see many churches becoming today--but it's an interactive and growing body or organism that grows spiritually together and is interdependent and reaching out with a mission bigger than itself--without vision the people will perish says Proverbs 29:18!

The church with real soul is one obeying the marching orders of Christ expecting the Second Coming, keeping the main thing the main thing--preaching the Word, namely the gospel; which involves all five functions of the corporate body:  worship, fellowship, discipleship, ministry, and mission.  We ought never to lose sight of what our mission statement is; knowing that even to have a mission statement is to have a vision of completing the Great Commission which implies that we not only know the Lord but make Him known by our public testimony and reputation to the community at large that is our common orbit.  

It is only then that we can say we have a soul as a church--not just because the seeker likes us (stressing seeker-sensitivity or consumer-driven policy) or that we just have great preaching or music (which can be selling points but we don't want to get off track and lose focus of our vision), etc., the church must coordinate all the gifts and realize that everyone has something to contribute from a body of happy, growing, and healthy members.  We must not seek to be everything to everyone or please everyone and ending up being nothing of significance to everyone, going nowhere.   Soli Deo Gloria!

Orientation Of New Pastors

A newly accepted pastor needs to know what he's getting into!  Orientation is the order of the day, telling it like it is, though this may seem to be a tall order, it's Job One, or he'll be wasting his time and energy on the futile.  The serenity prayer is in order: God grant me the serenity to accept the things I cannot change, the courage to change the things I can, and the wisdom to know the difference!  Nothing in an established church body will change overnight-- there are too many powers that be! We must acknowledge the de facto leaders as well as the leadership of the body for it is hard to kick against the goads, as Jesus told Paul in Acts 26:14, HCSB, meaning it's difficult and vain to fight God's will.   Just like in everything else, we all need to know our limitations and how the Lord uses us.  But we are all change agents used by God for His purposes and plan and need to make ourselves available and prepared, for He will accomplish His will with or without our participation or cooperation.  New ideas will ultimately be accepted if from God:  Nothing can resist an idea whose time has come!

All new coming pastors need to realize the already-existing powers that be and respect authority figures in whatever capacity--this is a general principle of life.  We should all be glad that Jesus is the Lord and in charge, not any certain micro-manager or contro-freak because pastor-driven or dictatorship churches are unbiblical.  We need leaders, not rulers!  There are limits to anyone's authority, for the biblical worldview teaches sphere sovereignty and domains or turfs of power and authority, and beware lest we violate God's order of things and the so-called powers that be.  As new pastors bring new life to a church, hopefully, it isn't moribund and needs revival, because no church body is standing still--it's either growing, going somewhere, and alive or it is dying a slow death.  Complacent churches are on the road to oblivion and are of zilch significance in the big picture of God's will and plan for a vigorous healthy church family.

We must realize the difference between the church, an organism, and any other organization or group: it's really a family and fellowship, not an organization.  It should be comforting to all that when you're here, you're family so to speak.   Note that the Catholic church operates as an authoritative organization rather than a fellowship with individual church autonomy.  We are to question authority as our privilege:  the slogan of the Reforms is appropriate, which says, "I dissent, I disagree, I protest!"  We must learn to disagree without being disagreeable and never to be contentious, argumentative, divisive, nor judgmental.  Whenever we feel slaves to church dogma or its leadership we have come full circle and are Catholics in effect.  Protestants question authority as a tradition and are Bereans at heart checking things out for themselves, not just taking a pastor's word for it all the time.  Trusting the pastor is earned, not part of the program or requirements for attendance and membership.

We will always encounter those fuddy-duddies who resist change and are stuck in a spiritual or worship rut, especially in denominational church bodies.  That's why we always need the influx of new, fresh blood to give a new perspective, insight, and M.O.s to implement the ideas.  In other words, visionaries are a rare commodity because everyone is a natural critic and fault-finder.  The warning for a healthy church is not to become complacent or self-satisfied with itself but to realize as Martin Luther did upon his death, that he had only begun the work of reforming the church and the work must go on: that's why the Reforms held to the slogan "Semper reformanda," or always reforming from the Latin.

But change must come from within and everyone must work with the system, not as a revolutionary but a visionary.  The book of Proverbs 29:18, KJV, says a lot, "Without vision the people perish!"  We must have a plan, purpose, goal, or we will end up in nowheresville.   The principle of synergy must be in effect as the only way to go:  the sum of the parts together can accomplish more than the sum of the parts separated.  Together, we can!  It is times when disagreements happen that letting Jesus be the Lord is appreciated.

Any pastor coming in should have a heart-to-heart, man-to-man talk with the man or the leaders to see where they are really coming from--are they on the same page?  It's not a job interview but a mission, calling, and vision interview.  He is not a wannabe but a man on a mission called by God and deserves the church's blessing and prayers.  We must never play the "Let's compare game!" and label a pastor or preacher or try to fit him into our categories, boxes, or preconceived notions, but God has called him individually and will use him for His purposes. When God has called someone, we might find ourselves fighting or resisting God if we resist his calling and vision!  We must remember the wise words of Henry David Thoreau, "If a man doesn't keep pace with his companions, perhaps he marches to the beat of a different drum."

Bear in mind that at the beginning he is still honing his skills and finding his audience and where they are spiritually speaking.  He may see something awry or even amiss that needs fixing in a broken system, but no one can even call something crooked unless he's got some idea of what straight is.  Remember that he's come from somewhere else and sees things from a new perspective. It is important for the candidate to be straightforward and aboveboard about himself and let them see him for who he is, not someone they have imagined:  WYSIWYG! What you see is [or should be] what you get!  Let him be himself and not what he isn't.

What a church shouldn't be looking for is someone who is just an educated wannabe or man of learning, but a student of the Word who's matriculated in the school of Christ and knows the Lord (cf. Jer. 9:24).  Real scholarship isn't how much one knows but how one uses and accesses information and data. He not only knows what he knows and what he doesn't know but knows how to find out information or whom to ask.   It is wrong to appear pedantic or to flaunt his knowledge, training, or education; on the other hand, a pastor shouldn't preach down to the body nor insult their intelligence!

WORDS TO THE WISE ARE SUFFICIENT:  let's heed the wise words of wisdom from Sir Francis Bacon, the founder of scientific empiricism:  "Knowledge is power!"  This is verified or taken from Scripture in Proverbs 24:5 that knowledge increases strength.  We must harness knowledge, not become its slave nor let it make us feel we are a cut above others spiritually because of the spiritual gift of knowledge.  A wise person knows his limitations and when to defer to others to make use of their expertise or learning, for no one has a monopoly on wisdom, the correct use of knowledge, and we can all learn from each other, even children.  The abuse of power is dangerous, and so the real goal is wisdom or its right usage.  Knowledge for its own sake is vain and puffs up one's pride, we must always have a reason for what we seek to know and not just want to know all the answers or to impress others.  We are not to reject knowledge; that's not an option.  "The discerning heart seeks knowledge, but the mouth of a fool feeds on folly [or trash!]"  God's people can perish for lack of knowledge!  (Cf. Hos. 4:1).  

CAVEAT:  CHRISTIANITY IS NOT KNOWLEDGE OF A CODE OR BOOK NOR EVEN ABOUT A GOD, BUT KNOWLEDGE OF A PERSON WITH A SUBSEQUENT RELATIONSHIP WITH HIM: WE TURN OUR KNOWLEDGE ABOUT GOD INTO KNOWLEDGE OF GOD BY TURNING CREEDS INTO DEEDS AND LIVING OUT OUR FAITH IN PRACTICE; HOWEVER, IT'S NOT ONLY NECESSARY TO HAVE THE RIGHT PREPARATION BUT THE RIGHT ATTITUDE AND SPIRIT!  THERE IS A VAST DIFFERENCE BETWEEN KNOWLEDGE AND GOD:  WE USE KNOWLEDGE AND RELATE TO GOD AS A PERSON!   (Proverbs 15:14, NIV).  

In sum, let me close with a quote from Prov. 15:7, HCSB:  "The lips of the wise broadcast knowledge, but not so the heart of fools."     Soli Deo Gloria! 

Teamwork Counts

"As iron sharpens iron" one friend can influence another.  "Two are better than one, because they have a good reward for their toil....  And though a man might prevail against one who is alone, two will withstand him--a threefold cord is not quickly broken"  (Eccl. 4:9-12, ESV).   Jesus sent the disciples out two-by-two in Mark 6:7, and in Luke 10 He also sent out the seventy in pairs. It is a fact that "iron sharpens iron," Prov. 27:17. 

We all are part of a team and need each other as the eye needs the ear and the body is incomplete without the foot or the hand.  The body is a mind through which Christ thinks, a heart through which Christ loves, a voice through which Christ speaks, and a hand through which Christ helps, it has been wisely put.  1 Cor. 12:12ff makes this clear that all members work together and are dependent on each other--no one has all the gifts and can do it by himself.  

Paul makes mention in 1 Cor. 3:6-9 that one plants or sows, one waters or fertilizes, and one reaps--but it is God who gives the increase!  No one is meant to be a one-man show or lord it over the others in the work. The model in the book of the Acts of the Apostles is teamwork such as Paul and Silas, or Barnabas and Mark, and this book is the paradigm for evangelism technique.

The Great Commission was given to the Church at large and it is to be done cooperatively, though we are each individually commissioned.  This is why the duty is not just to preach the gospel and make converts, but to teach them to do all that Christ commanded and to baptize, and disciple--a task only a body of Christ working jointly can accomplish.  Getting them saved is only part of the marching order.

We are all ambassadors for Christ and have the ministry of reconciliation per 2 Cor. 5:18, 20. There is no elite in the body or partiality with God and no one's work is insignificant, and he will be rewarded according to his faithfulness, not the opportunities, which are given according to ability.  "He who is faithful in little will be faithful in much," Luke 16:10. 

Don't go it alone in evangelizing because there are no spiritual lone rangers in God's service; however, the Great Commission says literally "as you are going" implying that we are to be witnesses in our daily walk and circle of friends and opportunities or open doors that God gives--it doesn't mean you have to "go" somewhere out of your way.   Soli Deo Gloria!

Who Is Our Leader?

Look to Joshua for someone to emulate:  "I, however, followed the LORD my God wholeheartedly" (Joshua 14:8).  The best leaders are, first of all, good followers or disciples or Christ.

Remember the sitcom "Who's the Boss?" This is the spiritual dimension.

By definition, I don't mean who makes the policies like the senior elder dictates something, but who leads spiritually and only Christians can do this. The leader in the office of leadership may not be the de facto leader as we will see.  I went to a Bible study and they told me that I was the de facto leader though I was not the teacher!  I believe that Christ alone is the cornerstone, which was rejected by builders, and He manifests Himself in His body the church through all believers in their gifting.

Many believers seem to idolize and put their favorite preacher on a pedestal when he is human and makes mistakes like everyone else.  "To err is human" applies to everyone but Christ.  Even the Supreme Pontiff of Rome is not perfect, though he claims infallibility when speaking ex-cathedra or from the chair of Peter.  Popes have contradicted each other, as Martin Luther testified at the Diet of Worms.  The biggest problem we have today is that sheep are too easily misled and led astray by false prophets and heretics and yes, false teachers.  Some have sufficient charisma to lead, if possible, even the elect astray.  Chuck Swindoll says that if we only "drink of one fountain," we lose our perspective (we can get brainwashed because we can get into the habit of letting others do our thinking for us).

The job of the teacher is to equip the saints for ministry, not to make them dependent on them--i.e., disciple them so they can do likewise.   Sheep need a shepherd and don't know the way instinctively--they must be taught.  We all need to learn to think outside the box and step out of our comfort zone to explore new vistas of opportunities where God wants to use us.

It is not necessary for a good preacher to have "charisma" as I have referred to, but to be faithful and know the Lord.  One can have a fine reputation of being a preacher and hardly know the Lord.  A good preacher and leader never goes over the flock's head or loses them while trying to "wow" them with their scholarship or expertise and education.  He is not a hireling who sees his calling as a "job" but should recognize it as a noble calling that not too many get.  Many preachers have not been called of God, unfortunately.  The hireling (who sees it as a "job" and is in it for the money or thinks religion is a means of financial gain), according to Jesus, cares nothing for the sheep.  Notice that Jesus asked Peter if he loved him and then asked him to feed His lambs and sheep (reaching believers at all levels of growth and having something for everyone from milk to meat).

To answer the said title question:  We are all leaders in our element (everyone can become a teacher in some domain even if only in the family); we are all stewards of this gift and the best leaders have learned to be followers, so they know the score and how the game is played, as it were;  we just have to find out what God has called us to do.  Jesus is the Head of the church, not some man in charge.  Jesus indwells all believers and He alone is the cornerstone and true Head of the body.  He works through all of us as we exercise our gift.  We all have different domains or turfs and would be awkward trying to do someone's else's calling--he'd really be on the spot, as it were!  We all have at least one gift according to our abilities for the benefit of the body and edification of the local church. No one can say that a fellow believer is useless of no value to the body--just wait till they find out who they are in the Lord!

By way of example, one believer may be anointed to pray and another to give announcements and pray and another to minister musically as a worship leader.  Sometimes they seem to steal the spotlight and outshine the pastor, but that is their gift and one must not compare (whoever invented the "Let's compare rule book?") ourselves with each other or be jealous of another person's gift or talents.  Some preachers are jealous because worship leaders are known for stealing the show.  Caveat:  Distinguish between personality and temperament and spirituality and what is "of God:"  Charisma or charm can be deceitful and has led many astray!

The more we have the more responsible we are because we are only stewards of Christ and for the building up of the body of Christ--not necessarily our personal gain or benefit.  It is an honor to be a vessel used by God for His glory and to be rewarded, to boot.

It is wrong, in my take of doctrine, have one person dictating the policies or affairs of a body because Christ works through the body as a whole and they are to work together as one in Christ--this shows unity, not all agreeing with one person.  Sometimes it seems like you have been upstaged or shown up and made to look bad (like when it seems like someone left a hard act to follow), but the key is to be yourself the way Christ loves you and saved you and to know how He uses and blesses you--too many Christians are completely in the dark as to their spiritual gift or even what talents they have.

"Take me to your fearless leader!"  In Judges (it said that they had no king and therefore did their own thing--this is the last type of leader type) three types of leaders or judges were given:  prophets, priests, and warriors.  Priests stand in the gap for sinner and saint; prophets proclaim the Word from God to man; warriors are the practical workers who do God's bidding and calling and do the "dirty work" that no one else wants to do--often the thankless jobs! Jesus' threefold office was namely prophet, priest and king and He is the final judge, to boot.

A spiritual leader doesn't mean he is on a different plain spiritually speaking but that God uses him as a leader to enlighten and encourage--the gift of encouragement is vital to the church and is in a great position to be in for an aspiring leader--if one desires the office of bishop or elder he desires a good thing but should be aware of what it entails.  Some of us are natural followers and bless through following rather than leading.

Who the "boss" is may not be the spiritual leader:  Spiritual leaders usually edify and lift the spirits of the body and these may not coincide.  I think of the relationship of husband and wife--he is the head but not necessarily the "boss" or spiritual leader. In antiquity "might makes right" but today we believe in universal right and wrong because Jesus is the personification of truth itself; He didn't just tell us the truth--He became it!  They need each other and she may be more "spiritual" than him.  Just because she is subordinate doesn't imply inferiority because Christ is subordinate to the Father and not in the least inferior--they are coequal members of the Godhead.  They say the man is the head but the wife is the neck that turns the head!  Sometimes a great sermon inspires me but sometimes what I needed to hear was in a worship song or hymn and it spoke to me as I was singing.  The person who picked that song was led by the Spirit just as much as the pastor preaching with an anointing.  We are all in this together and must realize that we need each other.

The Christian life is not about walking around on some spiritual high or in the memory of some experience--and God doesn't exist to give us experiences.  Usually, the filling of the Spirit is when God is equipping us for ministry and not for our own personal gain.  We are said to "walk in the Spirit" on the other hand, because Christianity is a faith walk.  The question one needs to ask is where they sense and feel God with them and how does God use them?  As mature believers, we learn to see Jesus in our brethren and see Him becoming real to us in our life and walk.  "But we see Jesus..." (Heb. 2:9).  And again "Looking unto Jesus, the Author and Finisher of our faith..." (Heb. 12:1). Seeing Him and having our spiritual eyes opened is a breakthrough to maturity.  When you see someone do a good deed don't you see Jesus at work?  Mother Teresa of Calcutta said that God has no hands but our hands, and no speech but our speech if you know what I mean and follow me.

In conclusion, never underestimate your impact and influence on others: "It's a good life!"   The goal is to be faithful and make a lasting impact with a legacy, not to accumulate wealth in this life--work for eternal wealth!    Soli Deo Gloria!

How Important is Knowledge?

Note that I am referring to the average Joe believer and not the one called into the ministry who must utilize all the tools of the trade and prepare himself by studying.  Knowledge is usually a byproduct and not a goal to see how smart one can become; there is little correlation between education and spiritual maturity or growth.  If there was I would certainly be rated a great believer, simply by virtue of my knowledge.  Knowledge must be accompanied by wisdom and understanding.  "For the lips of a priest ought to preserve knowledge, and from his mouth men should seek instruction--because he is the messenger of the LORD Almighty (Mal. 2:7).

Because in much wisdom there is much grief, and in increasing knowledge results in increased pain"  (Eccl. 1:18).  The meaning of what Jesus said, "To whom much is given, much is required" applies in that the more we know, the more responsible we are, especially in our sinning and ministry.  The goal, Hosea says, is to "go on to know the LORD"  It is better to know the Author than to know the Bible, no matter how vital this is.  But don't get the fallacious impression that ignorance is bliss!  "The fear of God is the beginning of wisdom, and knowledge of the Holy One is understanding" (Ps. 111:10).

1 Cor. 8:1 says that "knowledge puffs up, but love builds up." God hates arrogance and conceit.  We overestimate our place in the body and our importance when we know a lot and don't relate to the less informed.  We may think of them as a poor specimen because they aren't as clued in as we are and it may be a source of pride.  We are not to reject knowledge per se, but it is not the goal, it is the means to an end, and not the end itself.  We must always ask ourselves, "Why do I need to know this?"  For instance, I don't learn Greek, because I can't justify it, even though it would be a source of pride and I could brag.  I asked a friend of mine why he was taking this course and he really hadn't thought about it--it seemed to satisfy idle curiosity it seemed.

Hos. 4:6 warns the priest that has rejected knowledge (it comes with the territory). And "since they hated knowledge, and did not choose the fear of the LORD" God will not answer their prayers and let Himself be found by them.  For some brethren, it is more pleasing to God that they serve in a soup kitchen or charity than take a theology course to think they are "educated" and "informed" (i.e., a person should know his gift and how  God uses him in the body).  People erroneously think that "knowledge is power" and this only applies to the right kind used wisely and of spiritual knowledge, otherwise it puffs up (cf. 1 Cor. 8:1).

The man of God knows who God wants him to hearken to and submit to.  There are many courses over the internet, for instance, and one must exercise caution and discretion.   I like the prayer warrior who replied that he didn't have theology on prayer, he just prayed!  Another teacher said, "I don't need another book on prayer, I just need to pray, and I won't find the time, I must make time!  Most of us know enough, we just aren't applying enough.  The proverb that "curiosity killed the cat" has some validity, in that one may get too enamored with the intellectual side of Christianity and lose its main focus, which is seeking God and doing His will which will glorify Him.

Some people are converted to the program and not to Christ--and this is another danger.  If one is too intellectual and not practical, he may be in love with the idea of God, rather than God.  God is not looking for some genius to discover His truths (I have been told that I'm the brains behind the program and I don't take this as a compliment, because God is looking for a man after His own heart--it is no accolade to be smart in some one's eyes, but to be able to be a spiritual or spiritual leader is another thing)--He's looking for an open mind, willing spirit, and needy heart to search the Scriptures ("Keep your heart with all diligence, for out of it flow the issues of life," according to Prov. 4:23; cf. Prov. 23:7)  The question is whether a person's heart is in the right place, not how smart he is.

We want to know what God showed you in the Scriptures, not what the experts say:  Jesus was contrasted to the Pharisees who quoted the authorities and never footnoted His sermons, but said, " You have heard it said, but I say unto you."  "No man ever spoke like Jesus," cf. Matt. 7:29.  To be called a scholar is more of an insult than a compliment because he doesn't have first-hand knowledge of the Lord, but only knows what he has read in books.  "Of making many books, there is no end, and much study wearies the body" (Eccl. 12:12).

It is so refreshing to talk to a believer who doesn't read any book but the Bible,  in contrast to him.  We need believers with more than a second-hand knowledge of the Lord.  There is knowledge we all can commend: the knowledge of the Lord, which must be contrasted with knowledge about the Lord.  This comes from our daily walk in the Spirit.  Experience, indeed, is the best teacher, and we should always need someone who has been there and done that or has gone through the school of hard knocks, as it were.

To sum up in a sentence:  the gift of knowledge is a gift and we should try to be like them who have been filled with wisdom, knowledge, and understanding, not emphasizing and elevating knowledge, but not despising or rejecting it either--it has a place--we are to love God with all our mind, too.  Soli Deo Gloria!