3 Questions

"Jesus replied, 'I tell you the truth, unless you are born again, you cannot see the Kingdom of God" John 3:3..."Why do you call Me 'Lord, Lord,' and do not do what I say?" Luke "Did you receive the Holy Spirit since you believed?" Acts 19:2...."It is amazing how church people who have been left alone so long and not disturbed from the pulpit react when such pointed questions are asked: they resent them as intrusions into their private and personal affairs." Vance Havner

Havner once wrote that he believed that three questions should be emphasized in any Christ centered church; Have you been born again?... Is Jesus your Lord?... Have you been filled with the Spirit? Simple questions that are too infrequently asked of most members of a fellowship, if they are asked at all. We don't mind if these questions are asked of the unchurched and unconverted, but let them be asked of us and for sure, the one who asks is poking the hornet's nest.

We have slipped into the deception of believing that because someone is regularly seen in worship services, they would answer yes to all three of the questions. To ask them is seen as rude, even judgemental. We say our job is to love everyone and let God decide who is, and who is not His. This is a cop-out of the highest order. Of this Havner says, "If this is as serious as we say, isn't it important enough to bring to the attention of every soul knowing that any one of them might be in eternity before tomorrow?" I'm convicted by this question. How about you?

The fact of the matter is, in the majority of evangelical fellowships, only the first question is much asked, and even that one comes forth in a watered down manner. We encourage people to "choose Jesus," as if we're doing Him the greatest favor in the choosing. Somehow we forget the Scripture that tells us that He chose us even before we knew Him. We invite the lost to come to Him, but usually don't tell them why they must, and the consequence of refusing to do so. There is no conviction of and confession of sin. There is no true repentance. Therefore there is no true transformation. They've believed on a Savior who has yet to actually be their Savior. That's why the first question must be asked in such a way that it pierces the heart of the one who is asked.

As for the second question, is He our Lord, we give almost no thought to it when we say that He is. The reality is that Jesus is welcome in many fellowships as Savior, but not as Lord. This is not new. The crowds were with Jesus as He healed them, fed them, and provided for them. In John 6, when He called them to total surrender, most turned back. Our flesh doesn't have a problem with the Jesus as Savior Package. It's with the Jesus Is Lord one that it rebels. Our flesh knows that a death sentence has been pronounced upon it when He truly becomes Lord.

The last question may be the most avoided of all. We have so little understanding of what it is to be filled with the Spirit. Certainly bad teaching has given rise to excess in the ministry and understanding of the Holy Spirit, but Scripture is clear that there is a work of the Spirit that ushers in the fullness of His life and power. It enables us to live an overcoming life and frees us from the control of our flesh with all its impulses. This fullness gives us the power to live in the victory we are called to, commanded to in Scripture. The weakness of so many believers today testifies to the lack of His fullness in so many lives.

These questions demand answers. Yes, they can make us uncomfortable, to as Oswald Chambers put it, "shuffle our feet in His Presence." But if the church in the west is to be what He has purposed us to be, they must be addressed. We can be sure, there will be backlash from those comfortable in their "faith," but who is it that we serve?

I'm not proposing some kind of inquisition here. Just a commitment to address these questions from our pulpits. Havner tells of a missionary who in the field, after each service of whatever church she was in, stationed herself at the door and asked each as they left, "Have you been born again?" In some way, that, and the other questions must be asked whenever we proclaim His Word and Truth. Is it being asked in your fellowship? What do you suppose would be the answer if it were? What would be the answer from you? Are you truly transformed? Is He truly your Lord? Do you truly walk in all the fullness of the Holy Spirit?

Blessings,

Pastor O 

Pajama Warriors

 "Stay alert! Watch out for your great enemy the devil. He prowls around like a roaring lion, looking for someone to devour." I Peter 5:8...."And when your light shines, it will expose their evil deeds. This is why it is said, 'Awake, O sleeper, rise up from the dead, and Christ will give you light.' " Ephesians 5:14

I recently heard a guest on James Robison's "Life Today" speak of spiritual warfare, and something he said caught my attention. He said that it was those in the church, sleeping in tents with their pajamas on, who were overcome when the enemy came through the camp. They were in their pajamas, sleepwear, and not their spiritual armor, dressed and ready for battle. To me it is a clear portrait of the American church. We are full of "Pajama Warriors," and not warriors of the Kingdom.

It's a stretch to refer to these sleeping brethren as warriors at all. Just what are they contending for? If they fight for a kingdom at all, it is usually for the maintaining of their own. Most live unaware that such a battle is raging around them because they can't even see it right before them. The enemy prowls our "camps" and we have no "guards" posted to warn of his approach or offer combat in response. So we continually see fellowships overrun, ministries destroyed, and lives crushed. All the while the armor and weapons He has made available to us are gathering rust in a forgotten corner. We know that the devil is real, we just don't think he's that real.

Scripture says he seeks those that he might devour, which means he can only do so to those who are unarmed and unprotected. He has no power against those who are. He flees at the sight of those who face him with the shield of faith, the shoes of peace, the breastplate of righteousness, and the sword of the spirit, which is the living word of God. More, our armor covers are front, and not our back, because the believer is never in the mode of retreat, but always pressing forward. Pressing forward regardless of the apparent might of the enemy before them. His Word says that He trains our hands for battle. He can only do this with those who actually engage in the battle. Pajama warriors never leave the comfort of their tents and beds. So the camp, the church, the ministry, the family, home, marriage, are overrun. Where has he overrun as concerns you?

Pajama warriors have no place in His camp. They never have. We must answer His battle cry. We must arise from our slumber, step out as His Light, and expose the works of darkness wherever they are taking place and wherever we find ourselves. If we don't do so, we will surely be "killed" in our sleep. Let us shed our pajamas, don our armor, grasp our swords, and step out into the battle. It is more real than all that we have believed to be real.

In The Lord of the Rings movie, "The Two Towers," Theoden, King of Rohan, is faced with the forces of the evil wizard Saruman. Aragorn, the rightful King of Gondor, urges him to ride out with his men and face him in battle. Theoden, wavering in his confidence, replies, "I will not risk open war," to which Aragorn says, "Open war is upon you whether you would risk it or not." That is what we must know. Open war is upon us, regardless of what we have believed. Evil grows, but it must recede before the people of God, clothed in His armor, using His weapons. Let us step out and forward, as we behold the evil one fleeing before us. The battle is the Lord's.

Blessings,

Pastor O

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Where?

"He struck the water with Elijah's cloak and cried out, 'Where is the Lord, the God of Elijah?' Then the water divided and Elisha went across." 2 Kings 2:14

I remember seeing a response to Elisha's question of "Where is the God of Elijah," and it was, "He is seeking a man with the heart of Elijah." Elisha was such a man. There have been many more, both men and women. Moses was that man, as was David, Daniel, Isaiah, virtually all of the Old Testament prophets, as well as Peter, John, the disciples, Martha and Mary, and of course, the apostle Paul. Beyond these goes a line of names known only to Him, but who also possessed the heart of Elijah. The question for you and me is, are we found among those names?

What is it that marks such a heart? Certainly it is not that it gives forth perfect behavior. All of those above were flawed people. Some of them failed Him completely at times. What marked them though was that they all had hearts that pursued His heart with a passion that could not be quenched. Not by the circumstances around and before them, and not by their own failings. David was called a "man after God's own heart." David had a heart that in any and all places, would relentlessly pursue the heart of his Father. He wanted to live in His Presence, His fullness, His all. This was life. Anywhere else was not. Is this what marks us? If not, why not?

Vance Havner said, "We are so subnormal that to be normal would be counted abnormal." Why is this so? Why is it that to be a surrendered, passionate pursuer of His presence and life is considered odd and out of place in the Body of Christ? Why do we look at such and think, if not actually say that they are, "so heavenly minded as to be of no earthly good?" How did we come to be this "subnormal?" It should be, as someone put it, that we be so heavenly minded as to be of much earthly good. Judging by the state of our culture, we, His church, have not been able to accomplish much earthly good.

Elisha asked God for a double portion of the spirit that his mentor Elijah walked in. I wonder how many of us desire even a fraction of it? What would be our state if we pursued Him with even a portion of the zeal with which we pursue our own comfort and well being? Elijah and Elisha beheld wondrous miracles. How many are we seeing? How many do we even expect to see? How many of us, when facing the challenges of our day, have hearts that cry out, "Where is the God of Elijah?"

Scripture says to the effect, that His eyes roam the earth seeking those whose hearts are fully His. Those with the heart of Elijah. It is these who will behold the God of Elijah. It is these who will behold the miraculous works He'll be pouring out upon His church, and through His church, a lost nation and world. Where is the God of Elijah? He's right before us, searching our hearts to see if we may be modern day Elijah's. What is He finding, in you, and in me?

Blessings,

Pastor O 

Revolution

Arise, shine, for your light has come, and the glory of the Lord has risen upon you. For the darkness shall cover the earth and deep darkness the peoples; but the Lord shall rise upon you, and His glory shall be seen upon you." Isaiah 60:1

Back in the 1960's, a movement took place in America that came to be known as the counterculture revolution. It touched, and in many ways, transformed every aspect of America. It did so through political and social activism, music and media, and most every form of communication. Seemingly overnight, the mindset of the country was changed. Many forms of long accepted and biblically based thoughts on morality were mocked, laughed at, and sought to be done away with. The parents and grandparents of that time didn't recognize the nation and culture they now lived in. The effects of that revolution have evolved into what we see today, which we, at least to a degree, were a part of that earlier revolution. We have reaped the fruits of it. As the Bible says, we sowed the wind and reaped the whirlwind. Now, we desperately need a new revolution. The rising of a new counterculture. It must be centered upon the Spirit of God moving through the hearts and lives of His people. The question is, are we fit vessels for such a move?

Jim Garlow says that there are 374,000 professing Christian churches in America. Studies show that 72% of them DO NOT base their faith on the authority of Scripture or have a worldview filtered through the authority of Scripture. What this should tell us, beyond the obvious shock, is that the needed revolution has to begin in the church. Scripture says that His judgement will begin in the house of His people, and folks, we are ripe for such judgement. Our sin, apathy, lukewarmness, and watering down of Scriptural truth must be brought out into the open. We are hearing much of the need for transparency in the political arena, much more is such transparency needed in the church. It is time for a spiritual counterculture to arise within the church to challenge and transform the prevailing, crumbling culture of the church of the west.

The enemy didn't really do his work overnight. He'd been laying the groundwork for it all for decades. This is plainly seen in the writings of Tozer, Ravenhill, Sparks, Havner, and Chambers. All of them saw what was happening. All of them warned of its coming. All of them were right. We must take hope, because God has been laying the groundwork in His church for not just decades, but centuries. His voice is being heard through many voices and their numbers grow by the day. Hunger and thirst for His righteousness increases by the day as well. More and more are responding to His call. A revolution is brewing. A holy counterculture is being raised up. Darkness may cover the earth, but the glory of the Lord has risen, and rises. It will be seen upon His people.

It is time, past time, to take back what the enemy has stolen from us. The only means of doing so is to be swept up in His holy revolution, swept up in His Kingdom counterculture. I want to be a part. His Word says that the gates of hell will not prevail against the power of God through His people. There's an old Jesus movement song with the lyric, "A Christian and an outlaw are rebels to the world." May we gladly be such, conquering and overthrowing not through violence, but through His love, power, glory, and truth. It is time for a revolution. Let the revolution begin. Indeed, it has begun. Who among us will join it?

Blessings,

Pastor O 

Power

 "But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes on you; and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth." Acts 1:8...."Too many people assemble at God's house who don't really believe in the power of God." Vance Havner

I came across a story recently from Vance Havner, where a pastor came across one of his consistently absent members and said, "Well, I haven't seen you in church much of late." "No," he said. "you know how it's been. The children have been sick, and then it's rained and rained and rained." The pastor said, "Well, it's always dry at church." "Yeah," he said, "that's another reason why I haven't been coming."

That story may draw a laugh, but sadly, there's a lot more truth in it than we care to admit. Too often, what we call a worship service has become more of a production that an encounter with a supernatural God. J. Lee Grady writes, "In trying to be trendy and relevant, we've replaced spiritual anointing with cool music, graphics, sermons, and programs that look and sound great but lack any real spiritual punch." The Bible tells of how His glory filled His Temple to the degree that His priests could only look on in wonder. Jack Hayford tells of the New Year's Day morning when he walked into his tiny church's sanctuary and beheld a mist everywhere in the room. He believed it could only be the glory and presence of God, and from that day on his little fellowship became a center of revival, especially among the disaffected youth of the 60's. I wonder, with the prevalence of so many churches using smoke machines, that if such a presence of His Spirit would even be noticed by the majority?

In too much of our worship, unintentional though it may be, we've become so locked into our agenda for the service that we leave no place for His. We have the right desire to draw people to Him, but we've inserted ourselves and what we can do rather than seeing Him totally free and in control of all of it. Despite all our efforts, we end up being dry rather than drenched in His presence. We can only hold people's attention for so long with our religious "smoke and mirrors." At some point they'll look elsewhere for bigger thrills, or simply stop looking and seeking at all.

In our churches, how many are coming expecting to really encounter Him in the Spirit? Or, are they simply satisfied with some good music, a nice message, and few spiritual "fuzzies?" Are we satisfied with sips and nibble of the water and bread of Life, or the crumbs from His table? Do we look and believe for the days of miracles and outpourings? Do our hearts yearn for these to the degree that we will cry out for His awakening until the awakening comes? Or, do we just go on, satisfied with our slick programs that look and sound great, but are mostly devoid of His Presence and power?

I do know this; if ever His power and presence does fall upon us, as promised in Acts 1:8. our days of begging people to come to church, and to be involved in real ministry when they do, will be over. Holy fire brings hearts to Him, and burns up all the dross within when it does. My hunger for this grows by the day. I want to seek this above all. Will you join with me?

Blessings,

Pastor O

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Until

 "Being confident of this, that He who began a good work in you will carry it on to completion until the day of Christ Jesus." Philippians 1:6...."Hold fast to what you have until I come." Revelation 2:25...."Occupy until I come." Luke 19:13...We are living in the great 'until.' " Vance Havner

Weariness. It's something we're all feelling. Weariness over the ongoing political and social turmoil. Weariness of the pandemic and its multi-layered effects. Weariness over the steady erosion of trust in government, media, and in some cases, the church. The people of God are not exempt from this weariness. Indeed, we may feel it more acutely than anyone. Even so, the Father calls us to press on, and to press on in hope.

I love Jesus' words in Luke 19. We, His people, are to "occupy" until He returns. One translation reads that we're to "do business" until His return. We're to be occupied with the business of the Kingdom. We're not to be deterred by the rising tides around us, or the seeming sinking sand beneath us. We're to faithfully live out our trust and belief in Him day by day, moment by moment, until He returns. And He will return. And He has issued sobering words concerning His return. He asks, "When the Son of Man returns, will He find faith on the earth?" Will He find that in me, in you?

The hope of the believer is that regardless of what is happening around us, He is at work both in the circumstances before us, and His life within us. He has purpose in both, and He means to bring all of it to completion. Our part is not to just surrender to the day to day events of life, but to live our lives out in faith that all that He has promised will be done. We live for Him and in Him....until He comes.

Havner writes of "living in the great until." It's a process of waiting, but not a passive process. When the Bible speaks of waiting, it is anything but passive. It is a position of actively clinging to Him, listening to His heart, acting on His direction, and living in full expectation that He will bring to pass every promise He has made to us. Waiting until He's put every enemy under our feet. Waiting until He "subdues all things to Himself." Waiting until He has made all His enemies "His footstool." And as we wait, we are occupied with the business of the Kingdom.

What will occupy us today? What business will we be conducting today? Will we be living out a robust faith in Him, or yielding to the weariness that the enemy seeks to neutralize us with? We need to hear His words anew, "Look up, for your redemption draws near." We must press on, in hope that will not disappoint, until He comes again. And His coming is assured. When He comes, may He find us faithful.

Blessings,

Pastor O

The Whisper

 "Then I heard the voice of the Lord saying, 'Whom shall I send? And who will go for us?' And I said, 'Here am I. Send me!' " Isaiah 6:8...."God is on the lookout today for a man who will be quiet enough to get a message from Him, brave enough to preach it, and honest enough to live it." Vance Havner....."You have to be close enough to Him to hear Him whisper." Samuel Logan Brengle

I think all who profess to be a follower of Christ would agree that God is always speaking. If this is so, why then do so few of us ever seem to hear what He's saying? Why do we most often depend upon the preacher to tell us what they've heard from the Lord? In some places, huge conferences are held where believers flock to hear what the Father is saying in these days we live in. Now, I believe we desperately need preachers who hear from the heart of the Father and proclaim to the people what they've heard. Yet nowhere in Scripture have I seen any indication that God limits Himself to a select few to speak with. Nor do I believe, as do some, that He has ceased to speak in these days. As Brengle says, we need to live close enough to Him that we can hear His whisper. Few of us are to be found in such a location with Him. So we depend upon those who do....to our great harm.

I've a retired pastor friend who has remained beloved in the hearts of those the Father entrusted him with. He was and continues to be recognized as one who walked close enough to hear His whisper. As a result, many of his flock would come to him and ask him what he'd been hearing from the Lord. One day a brother, we'll call him Jim, came and asked him that question. The pastor, only partly in jest, replied, "He says that He misses you Jim." His point was that the Spirit had much to say to Jim, but he wasn't in any kind of position to hear. How like Jim are you and I?

In Havner's above quote, we have much of the reason so many hear so little from Him. We're rarely quiet or close enough to hear. And we lack the courage to act upon what He'd be saying if we were. Last of all, too many of us are not living out daily what it is that we have heard. and say we know. Until we do, we won't hear more, indeed, we won't hear much at all.

I believe the Father is speaking the same words to the church today as He did to Isaiah more than 2500 years ago. Who can He send to a culture sick unto death? Who will go for Him to it and address the sickness both in the culture of the church and of the world? Do we hear His whisper? You don't have to be a preacher, evangelist or missionary to be sent out. If you truly are His, you've already been sent. You don't have to compose an eloquent message from Him. Your life is to be His message, a message His Word says has been written upon our hearts. That is, if we have lived close enough to hear His whisper. Have we? Have you? Listen for His whisper. Blessings, Pastor O

Whose Hands?

 When they hurled their insults at him, he did not retaliate; when he suffered, he made no threats. Instead, he entrusted himself to him who judges justly. I Peter 2:23

In response to the above Scripture, I have written in my prayer journal, "Father, may I at all times, leave my 'case' in Your hands." ....All of us have our "cases," often many of them. Things, people, needs, situations, that we are heavily invested in. We expend great amounts of energy, emotionally and spiritually, in seeing our cases come to the fruition that we desire. Because of this, we rarely allow them to leave our hands, and so, we never really place them in His.

Can we even begin to imagine the scenario the Scripture from 1st Peter describes. Jesus Christ, in whom the Bible says "all things hold together," is seemingly at the mercy of those who hated and reviled Him. With a word He could have put them all to flight, even destroyed them. He knew His purpose, and though He was seemingly controlled by the actions of others, He trusted His purpose, His "case," to be held in the mighty hands of His Father.

Paul echoed the same when he wrote, "I know whom I have believed, and I am persuaded that He is able to keep (all) that I have committed unto Him against that day." Neither Christ, or Paul, or an endless line of faith heroes took it upon themselves to engineer their own results, but entrusted themselves and all that concerned themselves, to Him. Can we? Do we? And if we don't, why not?

We have never been in control, but we have held to the illusion that we are. This past year, especially in the west, has shown us we are not. As individuals, families, churches and ministries, we are seemingly at the mercy of government agendas, social pressures, and yes, public opinion. Our flesh is greatly frustrated by this, and if it holds sway, the result will be the loss of our peace, joy, and hope. Our hands are inadequate to hold all of it. His are not. So why do we hold back? Why do you hold back?

The evangelist James Robison once spoke of how he had struggled to release all the concerns of his ministry to the care of His Father in heaven. He said that in the struggle he heard the whisper of God's voice saying to Him, "If you won't give this into My hands, into whose hands will you give it?" He would ask the same of us. Whose hands could be more trustworthy than His? Jesus asked His disciples in John 6 if they, like so many others, would also leave Him. Peter replied, "Lord, to whom would we go? You have the words of eternal life." Have we come to such a place as to realize there is no where else to go for life, for help, for hope, for that which we were created for?

We can be held in either the grip of our circumstances, cares, needs, and desires, or, we can be held in the grip of His love. Where do you think your life belongs? Why not come to the foot of the cross and release your grip upon the issues of your life, and with palms upward, commit them all into His hands? If you won't, into whose hands will you commit them?

Blessings,

Pastor O

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Two Tunes

 "For he was looking forward to the city with foundations, whose architect and builder is God." Hebrews 11:10...."The world has been moved most by those who have contradicted it most." G.K. Chesterson

Vance Havner tells the story of a group of small boys who were marching in a parade where one little boy was out of step with the rest. A closer look at it afterwards revealed that the little fellow had a transistor radio hidden in his shirt. He was marching to music a thousand miles away. To this Havner wrote, "That's the way a Christian ought to go through this old world - out of step with its music and its movement, marching to the drumbeat of another realm."

What's the music that we in the western church are marching to? Is it the drumbeat of the world, or that of the Kingdom? It can be very hard to come up with an honest answer to that. By the very nature of our faith, we are to appear "peculiar" to the world. Yet it seems the majority of professing believers want to appear as anything but that. We seem more interested in marketing an image than we are in bearing His image to a lost world. Many pastors and fellowships have sought to present a hip and cool Jesus to a world that is also hip and cool. The cross of Christ is put in a storage room in the back of the church as we seek to be relevant. Relevant to what? As someone said, we have been trying so hard to be relevant that we no longer know how to be reverent.

Do you know the verse from the old hymn "Higher Ground?" ...."My heart has no desire to stay where doubts arise and fears dismay; Though some may dwell where these abound, my prayer, my aim, is higher ground." How many of us can say that it is truly the desire and aim of our hearts? We seem to be far more comfortable with our focus being on what's to be found in the lowlands of this world. Comfort, security, success, applause. We, including pastors, are more enthralled with building our own kingdoms than seeing His come to fullness. We never behold the wondrous views to be realized from the high places in Him. We're content with the limited scenery of this world. Abraham sought tirelessly and constantly for that "city," that "country," whose builder and maker was the Father Himself. He was never in step with the world around him, and so, illustrating Chesterson's words, he left an impact that carries onto eternity. What impact have we?

Oswald Chambers spoke much of getting into the "stride" of God, moving in unison with Him. Moving in such intimacy that an observer could not see and space between the Father and ourselves. I want to walk in His stride. I want to be like that little boy in the parade, in sync with the music of heaven, out of sync with the drumbeat of the world. I want something only He can make possible. I want to spend my life on this side of eternity looking for that city that Abraham sought, while at the same time, living in the One who built it. Such a life is possible when we walk in step with Him. When we get into His stride. Two tunes will come to our ears; that which is composed by the world, and that which is composed in the heart of the Father, written in the blood of Christ. Which tune will we hear? Which are we hearing now?

Blessings,

Pastor O

The Cloak

But Amasa lay in his blood in the middle of the road, and Joab's officer saw that a crowd was gathering around to stare at him. So he pulled him off the road into a field and threw a cloak over him." 2 Samuel 20:12

Amasa was a man appointed by David to replace Joab as commander of the army of Israel. Joab, though loyal to David, had carried out a number of acts of lawlessness, including murder. When he encountered Amasa at the great stone in Gibeon, he approached him with a greeting, all the while concealing a dagger, which he then stabbed and killed Amasa with. Naturally, a crowd gathered to see the results, and Joab's man, wishing to distract from the act, pulled the body off the road and covered it with a cloak. In this act, I see a correlation with both our current secular culture as well as the culture of the church.

I don't wish at this time to delve deeply into what we see happening through this election season. Suffice to say that all are seeing, though many will wish not to, the deep level of corruption present in our culture. Lust for power, control, wealth, and influence, have taken over that system. God is exposing it and God can be the only remedy for it. No matter how they strive to "throw a cloak" over it, the "body" lying in the road will be seen. Nothing will be the same again. Yet, I see a wondrous opportunity for a move of God as I believe the agent to bring His healing will come through His people. But before this can fully happen, the church must deal with the corruption that exists within itself.

I love the church. It is His Body. Yet corruption and decay are present, though many within have tried mightily to cover the "dead bodies" with various kinds of "cloaks." And we don't lack for cloaks or bodies.

We all know that many have been wounded in the church. In too many cases, wounded severely. Very often it has been the result of the sinful acts of some towards another, or many others. The trail of blood left by broken pastors and broken ministries is seemingly infinite. I remember a woman once telling her pastor, who had been walking through the endless slings and arrows of some angry congregants, that she had dreamt of him. She saw him covered in blood as the result of the "beating" he was taking each day. There are so many fine pastors who, because they didn't preach right, lead right, act right, or simply, wouldn't do what they were told or expected to do, suffered in such a way. Almost always, they end up being forced out, and leave a place they have given their lives to in such a bloody state. Most often, the church, along with those with bloody hands, throw a cloak over what has been done, and begin the search for a new pastor. The prevailing thought is "things will be different" with a new leader. But the body is still lying there, covered with the cloak. And it festers.

This is not limited to pastors and leaders. It also happens to those who have been driven off or shunned by the majority for some kind of failure, real or imagined, or simply because they were "different." It could be because they dared to speak up about an ungodly spirit present in the church or the leadership itself. Churches can be very creative in the ways they can make a person or family know they're not welcome. Even in cases where sin has happened, instead of offering healing, restoration, and forgiveness, the church offered only condemnation. And so the bloody bodies continue to pile up, though we always seem to find some cloak to throw over them. We can't see them, so we think they're not there, but they are. And the stench of them permeates the church. Somehow though, we get used to the smell. God never does, and never will.

Many believers are livid over the obvious corruption and fraud we are seeing in this election. They want, rightly, for the corruption to be exposed and cleansed. Do they, we, have as much or more zeal to see corruption cleansed within the church. Particularly that one we call "our church." Where have we "covered the body" in our fellowship? If there is such a case, or cases, can, will we, as a fellowship, confess it, repent of it, and receive His healing and cleansing. Countless congregations are sick, some unto death, because such has never happened in their midst. All the cloaks that we have used, along with the blood that covers them must be brought to Him, and be cleansed, along with all who bring them. When this happens, revival, an awakening, will happen. Until it does happen, we won't have the awakening so many are praying for.

There's an old saying, much used, that certain people "know where the bodies are buried." Are you and I among them? Let us remove all the cloaks and bring them out from where we've hidden them. Let the decay and corruption be healed and cleansed. Then, let His Spirit fall down upon us.

Blessings,

Pastor O 

The Claim

 "Whoever claims to live in Him must walk as Jesus did." I John 2:6....."Do we seek a salvation that doesn't disrupt our lives? Do we claim to live in Him yet not live like Him?

Most of us welcome the invitation, when at another's dinner table, to "help ourselves" to the bounty placed before us. That invitation gives us license to take freely of what has been placed before us. Yes, we welcome that, but, do we place such an invitation before the Father as pertains to our lives? Do we invite Him, joyfully, to help Himself to any and all of our lives without reservation? Or, do we prefer and seek a life, a "salvation," that doesn't infringe upon what it is we really want? Have we placed boundaries before Him that say He can go this far in us, but no further? Have we sought to keep His "disruptions" of our lives to a bare minimum, or none at all? If so, we will never walk as He did, live as He did, and as He still does. In truth, we'll be hard pressed to give any evidence that we're really "in Him" at all, despite all our claims to the contrary.

Paul said that he had been crucified with Christ, and that it was "no longer I who lived, but Christ lives in me." He said that he was no longer his own, that he belonged, all of him, to Christ. He lived at the pleasure of His Lord, and he did so with great joy. Why is it that we think that such a life is only required of a few "super saints" like Paul, those called to full time ministries? How can we have become so deceived that we feel the Lord gives us an "out" on all of this because, well, we're not called to such ministries....are we?

Chris Tiegreen gives a wonderful portrait of what the life of a believer is to be. He pictures a 5 star restaurant where the finest service is offered to the patrons. In such a setting there will be one or more attendants assigned to a table. Their role will be to stand back and be aware of every need of the diner. When their glass needs refilled, or a plate cleared away. Their attention is focused solely on those that they serve. This is to be the life of a true follower of Christ, but in reality it is the life of far too few of us. Most of us are more aware of our own needs than of His desires. Few of us are so devoted as to just literally sit at His feet and wait upon Him, listening for every word, responding to every direction. To do so would bring unlimited disruptions to our agendas. In fact we much prefer a portrait where it is Jesus who waits upon us, attentive to our desires and wants. This fits our flesh much better. We're blind to the reality that it makes a total mockery of Christ and His cross.

We're to live totally at His disposal. Our flesh sees this as bondage. Paul saw it as freedom, because in being a slave to Christ, he was free from all else. He knew that true abundant life could be realized in no other way. We no longer claim to live in Him, we actually do. And, the only claim upon our lives is His, and with His whisper of grace, promises us that His yoke is easy and His burden is light. Where have we found such truth in the midst of all the claims of the world upon us?

What are we claiming today as concerns Him? What do you claim? Our lives will either bear witness to our claim, or make a mockery of it. Which is it for you....for me?

Blessings,

Pastor O