Kingdom Builders or Earth Fillers?

 "Cast out the scorner, and contention shall go out; yes, strife and reproach shall cease." Prov. 22:10

It is not a surprise that those on the political left are anti America and anti God and anti church. What is a surprise is that those on the conservative right politically are almost identical to their leftist counterparts. What also is a surprise to me is how many pastors and church members in our Fellowship are also anti America and anti civilization. I've heard preachers say that if God does not judge SF that He will have to apologize to Sodom and Gomorrah.  Really?

How can you say that America is a Christian nation built on a foundation of Christian values and then condemn it to Hell? Do you think that everyone in your church is going to Hell too?

This is why partisan politics is incompatible with the Gospel. This is why pastors need to stop politicizing their message. Turn off talk radio. God forbid you have a TV. For us the scorner is the talking heads on radio and television. Cast them out of your life.

"And seek the peace of the city where I have caused you to be carried away captive, and pray to the Lord for it; for in it's peace you will have peace." Jer. 29:7

Instead of preaching hellfire and brimstone, maybe we need to pray for our country, our city, our president. Maybe we should let our light shine and not proclaim doom and gloom to fall like a shadow.

We are not trying to build a nation, we are trying to win souls. We are not kingdom builders, we are earth fillers.

Benefits Outweigh The Costs

"Two are better than one, because they have a good reward for their labor. For if one fall, one will lift up his companion. But woe to him who is alone when he falls." Eccl. 4:9-10

The Bible makes it clear that we are social creatures. No one thrives on his own. No one accomplishes much on his own. There is safety in numbers and there is security in community.

This is one reason why we do not send out single men. We send out married couples. Together they can can build a work for God in a new city. Together they can thrive in the place where the Holy Spirit leads them to go. While Paul was not married, he never traveled or ministered alone. Jesus always had men with him. We need others in our lives and in our ministries.

This is why marriage is so important for young people starting out in life. Marriage is not your ticket to ministry. Marriage is valuable on it's own merits. Having someone on your side no matter what happens. Having someone in your corner when life hits you hard. Having someone who you do not have to impress or coerce to get them to support you. The benefits of marriage far outweigh the costs of being married.

"Again, if two lie down together, they will keep warm; but how can one be warm alone?" Verse 11

We get more for going to church than hearing our pastor's eloquent preaching. We have a great social benefit just by assembling with those of like precious faith. The benefits of going to church outweigh any cost involved in going to church.

God in His wisdom noticed that man is missing something when he is isolated and alone. From the beginning of human history God set in place institutions to assure that men need never be alone.

"And a three fold cord is not quickly broken." verse 12

A Change Of Focus Needed

 "Most assuredly, I say to you, he who believes in me, the works that I do shall he do also; and greater works than these he will do, because I go to My Father." Jn.14:12

As the Fellowship grew pastor Mitchell began to travel trying to make sure that pastors stayed on track, and that we continued on in the faith once delivered to us. He preached at conferences. He preached in churches. He was focused on helping pastors thrive in their ministry. He was not taking vacations to exotic places.

When pastor Mitchell began to do crusades, what kind of crusades did he do? They were salvation and healing crusades, with the focus on healing. He would preach a short message, then work at getting people Divinely healed. He always gave an altar call, but he did that in a regular church service. They were not evangelistic crusades per se. We sent outreach teams to help promote the crusade and often we would tell people who we met to bring the sick and that Jesus would heal them at the crusade.

Those who are focused like a laser beam on soul winning, do you ever heal the sick? Do people carry their crutches or push their wheelchairs when leaving your crusades? Do cancers disappear or the deaf hear or the blind see when you preach? Why not? Are you so concerned with their souls that you ignore their infirm bodies? Where are the greater works my brothers?

Putting the pressure on your people to do all of these greater works is ignoring the fact that this burden rests on leaders to perform. Evangelism will happen, Divine healing takes a change of focus.

"Then the disciples came to Jesus privately and said, why could we not cast it out? So Jesus said to them, because of your unbelief..." Mat.17:19

How is it pastor that you have no faith?

The End Of The Mega Church Model?

The mega church model, or the bigger is better model, seems to be fading into the sunset of church history. Big churches are failing, going bankrupt, and closing their doors. Covid seems to be the beginning of the end for some of these trend setting churches. It's not all moral failure. Big churches depend on an ever growing revenue stream and when attendance falls off or when tv viewers diminish so does the millions of dollars that they need to stay open.

Our Fellowship has mocked those mega churches over the years. But when your church buys a multi million dollar building have we become just like them? The only thing that keeps some of our churches from growing into the thousands is the hard preaching we hear on a regular basis. I guess that if you notice your pastor sounding nice and acting cordial maybe he has discovered this. Pastor Mitchell has said that truth is hard on church growth.

"From that time many of his disciples went back and walked with him no more. Then Jesus said to the twelve, do you also want to go away?" Jn.6:66-67

I've lived long enough to see mega churches begin, and thrive, and now fail and close down. I think that we could learn some valuable lessons from our too big to fail neighbors.  The mega church model may just be a flash in the pan in the light of history. 

When a mega church shuts down, where do the people go?

 

Thoughts On Teaching In Church

There is a big difference between being a preacher and a teacher. A preacher preaches his message and then calls for a decision. A teacher, having studied and lived, tells us what the Bible says and also tells us what it means. It is not just preaching while other people read your verses for you.

Teaching means dispensing the truth, then opening for questions. If no one has questions, you are not a good teacher. A good teacher not only talks, but he ministers and his focus is on truth. If from week to week you have to re-teach the same thing over again you did not do a good job teaching it the first time. 

Doctrine is the focus of teaching. Explaining what the Bible says and what it means. Applying dusty old doctrine to real people. Causing the word to be made flesh among us.

I wonder if some teachers dumb down their lessons to keep people dependent on them for revelation. They do not trust people to grow up.

If teaching were easy anyone could do it. It takes a lot of study and it takes a lot of reading and it takes the spirit of Truth to guide the teacher into all truth.

No church will grow beyond the level of preaching of it's pastors. No Christian will mature beyond the skill of it's teachers. In church God has given us all that we need to grow and to mature.

Pray for your pastors that they may be filled with wisdom and that they will rightly divide the word of truth.

 

Clearing Out The Cobwebs

 This morning we had our regular Saturday morning prayer meeting. We had a good turnout today. But what I noticed was how even though all three of our pastors were present, not one of them shook my hand and greeted me. Our pastors here just do not do that. I don't go around and greet everyone either. But I'm not the pastor here.

We got together for lunch this week. Six of us retired guys got together. Not everyone who was invited came. But we had a good time anyway. We always get into deep theological discussions. We rarely talk about the weather or anything else. I tried to talk about health issues and that worked for a while. I wonder if there is a genuine interest, or if they feel like we are supposed to only talk about spiritual things.

Some guys were at church this morning cutting the grass and cleaning up the grounds. They recently repainted some of the stripes in the parking lot. I thought that conference was not until in the fall. I wonder why all of a sudden we are sprucing up the place.

Make new friends, and keep the old. I am grateful for friends near and far away.

Aging Saints

Because of my age and my underlying conditions I have to take precautions that others may not need to take. I get vaccinated when it's available. I see doctors on a regular basis. I do not want to get caught with something if we can catch it early. I take precautions.

It would be nice to live footloose and fancy free like I did in my youth. But my experience dealing with my wife's illness and death mean that I do not take medical issues for granted.

We as an aging Fellowship will need to continue to pray for the sick, but we also need to pray for the aging saints. Pray for strength and pray that their doctors will be wise in treating them.

Pray for me.