Pre-Ordained Breakup

To the uninformed, it appears as if we're breaking up. Churches are being emptied. People are running out the door in droves. Offense is running rampant throughout local congregations. It looks like we’re falling apart   – but there's something much deeper going on.

This is a little more reading than I normally put in my posts, but get over it - you can never go wrong with reading God's Word, right? I want you to see that this concept is straight from God's Word  - not my opinion! I don't have to interpret this story, Jesus did that for us! 

In Matthew 13:24-30, Jesus tells this story to His disciples: “Another parable He put forth to them, saying: “The kingdom of heaven is like a man who sowed good seed in his field; but while men slept, his enemy came and sowed tares among the wheat and went his way. But when the grain had sprouted and produced a crop, then the tares also appeared. So the servants of the owner came and said to him, ‘Sir, did you not sow good seed in your field? How then does it have tares?’ He said to them, ‘An enemy has done this.’ The servants said to him, ‘Do you want us then to go and gather them up?’ But he said, ‘No, lest while you gather up the tares you also uproot the wheat with them. Let both grow together until the harvest, and at the time of harvest I will say to the reapers, “First gather together the tares and bind them in bundles to burn them, but gather the wheat into my barn.”’”

A little while later, in verse 36, His disciples asked Him to explain the story. So Jesus responds with the application to the church in verses 37-43:“He who sows the good seed is the Son of Man. The field is the world, the good seeds are the sons of the kingdom, but the tares are the sons of the wicked one. The enemy who sowed them is the devil, the harvest is the end of the age, and the reapers are the angels. Therefore as the tares are gathered and burned in the fire, so it will be at the end of this age. The Son of Man will send out His angels, and they will gather out of His kingdom all things that offend, and those who practice lawlessness, and will cast them into the furnace of fire. There will be wailing and gnashing of teeth. Then the righteous will shine forth as the sun in the kingdom of their Father. He who has ears to hear, let him hear!”

It would be a true statement to say that this is the story of the rapture of the church – but it's also true to say that this is the story of what happens in the time before we leave. Now that we've found the key to this story in the second passage, let's go back and use it in the first.

Verse 24 -  The kingdom of heaven is like a man who sowed good seed in his field;
The man is Jesus. The good seed are those of us who “sons of the kingdom” or who understand Jesus absolute authority over us as King. We were planted by Jesus Christ and have been been growing for about 2,000 years now.

Verse 25 - but while men slept, his enemy came and sowed tares among the wheat and went his way.
It's not surprising who the enemy is, he's been the enemy of everything godly since the beginning. What is surprising to some people, is the tares. These are people who were planted by the devil “among the wheat!” Did you realize that the devil has plants (or “moles” to use a spy movie term) inside God's church? Verse 41 describes them as people “that offend, and those who practice lawlessness.” While God's leaders were sleeping, these people were slipped into our ranks.

I know that we have always defined offense as getting our feelings hurt. But the real meaning of “offend” in this passage is “to cause to fall away.” These are the people who cause others to leave God's kingdom. These are the people who spread strife and division in churches, destroying their reputations. These are the people who will split a church in two, carry weak believers out the doors with them, and then abandon them to the world. These tares are the people who are damaging the church by their rebellion and lawlessness.

Verse 26 - But when the grain had sprouted and produced a crop, then the tares also appeared.
Tares in the church are nothing new. The early church had to deal with them too. Both seeds were planted around the same time, but as we get closer to the end, the tares have gotten stronger and much more noticeable.

Verse 27 - So the servants of the owner came and said to him, ‘Sir, did you not sow good seed in your field? How then does it have tares?’
According to verse 39, we know that the reaper are angels. But this is another group called “servants.” Who could it be, having a conversation with Jesus and asking Him where these “tare” people came from? These are the local church leaders. These are the men and women that God holds responsible for local congregations. And as the tares get more and more obvious, I'm sure that there's been more than a few pastors who have had this conversation with God!

Verse 28 - He said to them, ‘An enemy has done this.’ The servants said to him, ‘Do you want us then to go and gather them up?’
As soon as these local pastors learn about where the tares in their church come from, their immediate, and very understandable response is, “Do You want me to kick them out, God?” No pastor wants tares in their church; ruining the good seed!

Verse 29 - But he said, ‘No, lest while you gather up the tares you also uproot the wheat with them.
God's response to these pastors is right on! A lot of times, when a Pastor confronts and tries to uproot a person who is a tare, their roots in that church pull out a lot of good seed.
But this next verse is my favorite part of this story!

Verse 30 - Let both grow together until the harvest, and at the time of harvest I will say to the reapers, “First gather together the tares and bind them in bundles to burn them, but gather the wheat into my barn.”
The two types of people, represented by the good seed and the tares, share the same churches until the “time of the harvest.” This harvest has two parts:

The first part of the harvest is when God sends His angelic reapers into His kingdom to gather out the tares “into bundles”. That means some people are going to leave. This is directly opposite to the church growth principles we’ve used in our churches! These divisive people are going to leave church, escorted out by angels! They may think they’re bored. They may think they’re offended. They may think they have a valid reason. But the reality is, God’s angels are removing the tares from the wheat. They're going to be gathered together into bundles – groups of these people gathering together! Can you imagine what that must be like? A group of divisive, disgruntled, and generally unhappy church people getting together every week – not my idea of a good time!

But here's the best part! After God uproots the tares out of His kingdom, “Then the righteous will shine forth as the sun in the kingdom of their Father!” We're gonna start seeing church – the way it was always intended to be! What will it look like to see groups of believers gathering together with no offense and no lawlessness? We're finally going to see God do what He wants done in His church!

And then, the second part of the Harvest happens...”gather the wheat into My barn.” When we finally become a “glorious church, without spot or blemish” - we'll be ready to leave!

Barnyard Basics 5 - Under-shepherds

John 10:14-16 “ I am the good shepherd; and I know My sheep, and am known by My own. As the Father knows Me, even so I know the Father; and I lay down My life for the sheep. And other sheep I have which are not of this fold; them also I must bring, and they will hear My voice; and there will be one flock and one shepherd.”

Jesus is the Shepherd of the church. When we follow Him and submit to His voice, then Psalm 23 applies to us. If we want our life to be centered in His will (with all the benefits that come with His will), we must learn to hear and follow His voice.

Here’s where so many miss out: Jesus, according to 1 Peter 5:4, is the Chief Shepherd. There are other shepherds under His supervision. He has delegated the care and the direction of the flock to “under-shepherds.” These are men that are called to lead the flock as they follow Jesus. Paul said it this way in 1 Corinthians 11:1, “Be a follower of me as I am a follower of Christ.”

There are many believers in the church who claim to follow the Chief Shepherd but have no relationship with the shepherds that He delegates. How can you follow Him and refuse to follow the one He put in front of you? How we submit to the under-shepherd who God set in front of us displays how we submit to the Chief Shepherd. Do you realize this? Do you understand that God has made another person accountable for you?

Hebrews 13:7 says exactly that: “ Remember those who rule over you, who have spoken the word of God to you, whose faith follow, considering the outcome of their conduct.” Evidently, while we follow the Good Shepherd - He’s going to give us an under-shepherd to follow.

In Peter’s first letter, he wrote to the people who were called to this position. His instruction can be found in 1 Peter 5:2-3, “Shepherd the flock of God which is among you, serving as overseers, not by compulsion but willingly, not for dishonest gain but eagerly; nor as being lords over those entrusted to you, but being examples to the flock.” God gave some people the responsibility to oversee His flock. Their responsibility is to set an example for the sheep to follow. Going back to Hebrews 13:7, we recognize that their example should be in faith.

Now we have a complication. These leaders are given the responsibility and accountability of leading the flock -  but they are never told to dominate their sheep. In other words, they’re called to set the example and preach right and wrong, but it’s up to the sheep to submit themselves to their leadership. That’s why, after writing to the shepherds, Peter immediately says “Likewise you younger people, submit yourselves to your elders.” The responsibility to lead rests on the shepherds - the responsibility to follow rests on the sheep. God will hold both of them accountable for what He’s called them to do.

That’s why Hebrews 13:17 says, “Obey those who rule over you, and be submissive, for they watch out for your souls, as those who must give account. Let them do so with joy and not with grief, for that would be unprofitable for you.” This isn’t about someone forcing their way on your life, it’s about submitting yourself to their doctrine and their example. In fact, the Greek word for “obey” (peitho) literally means to be convinced and to trust. So God’s command is for His sheep to actually trust their shepherds!

We can also see the reward of following an under-shepherd in Hebrews 13:17. It will be profitable on the day of accounting. I absolutely believe that God will bring to account how we treat the men and women He set in authority. The flipside is that it won’t be profitable for you to wander off or rebel. Can you see the encouragement together with the warning in this verse?

This isn’t a light matter. The people that are called to shepherd God’s flock have an enormous responsibility on their shoulder. Listen to this admonishment to them out of Acts 20:28-30: “Therefore take heed to yourselves and to all the flock, among which the Holy Spirit has made you overseers, to shepherd the church of God which He purchased with His own blood. For I know this, that after my departure savage wolves will come in among you, not sparing the flock. Also from among yourselves men will rise up, speaking perverse things, to draw away the disciples after themselves.”

These are sheep that Jesus died for! He loves every one of those precious people. And it’s important to realise that He’s entrusted them to the care of these under-shepherds...so can you see how important their job is? Do you see that it’s the shepherd’s responsibility to drive away wolfish people? Can you imagine that these under-shepherds would ever have problems with goats and pigs mingling with and upsetting the sheep? These people have an incredibly tough assignment and have to rely completely on the grace of God...why would any sheep want to make their job harder?

Barnyard Basics 2 - Savage Wolves

Acts 20:29-30 “For I know this, that after my departure savage wolves will come in among you, not sparing the flock. Also from among yourselves men will rise up, speaking perverse things, to draw away the disciples after themselves.”

In this passage, Paul is referring to a natural creature to describe a spiritual type of person. We’ve already learned what sheep are - now we’re going to find out about wolves.

Naturally speaking, wolves are one of the domestic sheep’s worst enemies. They are vicious and opportunistic predators. Wolf packs have a clear hierarchy and alpha wolves dominate by strength. Cooperating together with clear strategies, wolves try to separate the weak from the strong.

Paul calls this type of people savage. They don’t care about the sheep - all they're interested in is what they can take from them. They “speak perverse (twisted) things to draw away disciples.” Wolfish people are those who are directly and purposely opposed to God’s sheep - or more accurately, God's shepherds. After all, the spirits that drive these predators know this concept..."strike the shepherd and the flock scatters."

Some wolves hunt from outside the flock. They are the people you hear on the TV mocking and blaspheming our Shepherd. They’re heard every week in college classrooms as they ridicule the lone sheep who dared to stand out. They’re even attacking the flock from the podiums of our government, trying to shame believers out of their faith. These attacks are easily seen but still effective far too often.

Jesus knew that there were wolves in the world. He knew that there would be people that violently oppose and seek to prey on His flock. He warned us in Matthew 10:16 and Luke 10:3 that there would be times when His sheep would be surrounded by wolves! But according to John 10:12-14, our Shepherd will never leave us alone in those situations! Follow Him, and it will ultimately work out for your good!

There are other wolves that are more dangerous. Jesus describes them in Matthew 7:15, “Beware of false prophets, who come to you in sheep’s clothing, but inwardly they are ravenous wolves.” According to Jesus, some wolves disguise themselves as sheep. They infiltrate the flock, often going unnoticed by the sheep. But listen to me - these people are not confused about their identity! These are not wayward believers, they’re not saints living in sin, and they’re not mistaken leadership. These are not sheep. They have no connection to the Shepherd at all!

You can hear the howling when a so-called “christian” professor wonders out loud if the book of Genesis is true or not. You know you’re dealing with a wolf when a preacher tries to distort God’s commands to give credibility to sin. You’re being attacked by a wolf when a congregation member tries everything they can to separate you from your flock! Don’t be deceived!

Their goal is the same as any other wolf, to “draw disciples after themselves.” Their method is also the same, “speaking perverted things.” The only difference between the wolves outside and the wolves inside is the sheep disguise. Wolves in sheepskin hide their fangs inside spiritually-sounding words.

Every sheep needs to understand something, wolves only want to eat! They don’t twist God’s Word by mistake. They are trying to scatter the flock (according to John 10 :12). They can be false religions and militant atheists attacking from the outside, or they can be liberal theologians and slick-sounding preachers on the inside - but they’re both trying to steal your very life.

Wolfish teachings must be openly opposed! You can’t play games with a wolf. You can’t sit down and talk with them, hoping that they mean well! If someone is twisting the gospel of Jesus Christ to draw people out of their flock, you cannot stay with them! Your spiritual life depends on staying with the Shepherd and following His voice!

Everyone Has A Place

(If you want to read more on this subject - check out this post too!)

Proverbs 27:8 “Like a bird that wanders from its nest Is a man who wanders from his place.”

Everyone has a place. It’s the place you’re designed to be - the place God calls you to be. It’s where you’ll find you’re greatest fulfillment. It’s where God expects you to be when He wants to use you. It’s the spot where you can be the greatest blessing to Heaven and humanity. It’s the place you belong.

Jacob found that place in Genesis 28:11 - it was first called the “certain place.” Later, Jacob realized that place was where God was. “Surely Yahweh is in this place and I didn’t know it!...How awesome is this place! This is none other than the house of God! This is the gate of Heaven!” Jacob found out that his place was Bethel - the house of God!

Later in life, Jacob was aimless and without direction. He just experienced a family tragedy. His only daughter was raped and his sons massacred the whole town where her rapist lived. Now Jacob feared for his life! He was feeling down, depressed, probably doubting the promise God had made to him. What was God’s answer for him? Genesis 35:1 “Arise, go up to Bethel and dwell there...” God’s response was to send him back to the place he started; that certain place, the awesome place, the house of God!

About 450 years later, after God had brought Jacob’s descendants out of Egypt, He gave them almost the same command. In Deuteronomy 12:2 God describes how the nations in Canaan were worshipping on every hill and under every tree - wherever they felt like. In verses 5-7 He says, “But you shall seek the place where the Lord your God chooses, out of all your tribes, to put His name for His dwelling place; and there you shall go. There you shall take your burnt offerings, your sacrifices, your tithes, the heave offerings of your hand, your vowed offerings, your freewill offerings, and the firstborn of your herds and flocks.  And there you shall eat before the Lord your God, and you shall rejoice in all to which you have put your hand, you and your households, in which the Lord your God has blessed you.”

God declared that there was one place where He called His people to worship Him - and that’s where they would receive His blessing.

David understood this. When he was running from Jerusalem, from his son Absalom, The priests were going to carry the Ark of the Covenant with him. David stopped them and said, “Carry the ark of God back into the city. If I find favor in the eyes of the Lord, He will bring me back and show me both it and His dwelling place.” David knew that it was his responsibility to go to that set place - he couldn’t move it around with him!

When David’s son Solomon built the first temple, that was where God set His place. That was the place God picked to meet with His people. After the dedication, God met with Solomon and said, “I have heard your prayer, and have chosen this place for Myself as a house of sacrifice. When I shut up heaven and there is no rain, or command the locusts to devour the land, or send pestilence among My people, if My people who are called by My name will humble themselves, and pray and seek My face, and turn from their wicked ways, then I will hear from heaven, and will forgive their sin and heal their land. Now My eyes will be open and My ears attentive to prayer made in this place. For now I have chosen and sanctified this house, that My name may be there forever; and My eyes and My heart will be there perpetually.”

Can you see that it has always been God’s plan to emphasize certain places? For Jacob, it was Bethel. For Israel, it was the tabernacle and then the temple. But this place is always called “the house of God.”

Fast forward to the New Testament. Now we have believers who claim that they don’t have the responsibility to go anywhere. But we see in Hebrews 10:25 that we’re still called to assemble together. 1 Timothy 3:15 tells us where we’re supposed to do this - “in the house of God, which is the church of the living God.” God still has a place where He calls His people to come to Him - the church!

There is a place for you. You were never called to be a loner or a spiritual floater. You were called to be rooted in God’s house! You need to send those roots deep. You need to decide right now that nothing (no offense, no lure of the world, and no trap of the enemy) can ever pull you out of your place! Here’s why: Psalm 133 says that God commands His blessing to a certain place - where brothers dwell together in unity!

Have you found your place yet?

Winning Souls?

I think there are more man-made doctrines in the church than we realize. These are teachings that we’ve learned for years that have no basis in the Bible. They’ve just been emotionally exciting messages, but that’s all. Teachings like “Jesus went to hell to fight the devil and take his keys from him” or “Timothy and Titus were pastors” - things you can’t find in the Bible, but we’ve preached them because we can relate to them emotionally.


One of these man-made subjects is the teaching that we need to “go win souls.” It sounds good, the motivation behind it (reaching the lost for Jesus) is good, it’s led to some good results - but I think it’s also done a lot of harm.


First of all, remember what your soul is! If you haven’t read it yet - read my last post. Jesus doesn’t save your soul! Your soul isn’t born again, your spirit is! You are responsible for saving your soul through God’s Word! Remember James 1:21, “Therefore lay aside all filthiness and overflow of wickedness, and receive with meekness the implanted word, which is able to save your souls.” It is your habit of reading God’s Word daily that will save your soul!


So where did the concept of “winning souls” come from? One verse - Proverbs 11:30: “The fruit of the righteous is a tree of life, And he who wins souls is wise.” Notice the context, this isn’t talking about witnessing - it’s about doing what’s right! The Hebrew word for soul that is used here is “nephesh.” It simply means a natural type of life. It is often translated life or breath. Every living breathing animal has nephesh...it is simply the natural kind of life. Literally, it is the seat of the emotions, the place for thinking, and the activity of the will.


Keeping the phrase “wins souls” in context with “the fruit of the righteous” - we can see that it’s really talking about winning your soul! It’s moving past your natural life and normal way of thinking into the righteous way way of doing things! Do you see how this verse lines up with James 1:21?


Now, I know it sounds like I’m being overly technical and splitting hairs. But I believe that focusing on “winning souls” has been detrimental to the church! We’ve put the entire focus of the church on winning people to Jesus - but we’ve forgotten what should come next!


Jesus never called His church to win souls! Matthew 28:19-20 records the mission that Jesus gave to the church: “Go therefore and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all things that I have commanded you; and lo, I am with you always, even to the end of the age.” Do you see “winning souls” in that passage? Do you even see “witnessing” or “salvation messages” in that passage? What do you see there? Making disciples!


Don’t get me wrong, the salvation of a sinner is huge! It’s like the birth of a child...it’s necessary for life! But you don’t give birth to a baby and then say, “Congratulations kid, see you in a week!” Your goal isn’t the birth, it’s the life! You want that child to grow up, mature, make the right choices and ultimately produce and raise kids on their own! It’s the same with being born again.


We’ve missed it when we go out and lead a person to Jesus, and then leave them on their own. Our job - the commission given to us by Jesus Himself - is to disciple them. How do we do that? By “teaching them all things that I have commanded you.”


The believer’s calling is to take people from being a sinner, leading them into the new birth, and then taking them under his or her wing and discipling them. You do realize, after all, that once you lead someone to Jesus, you’re responsible to help them grow? The new birth is only the beginning of what you should be taking them through - with the ultimate goal of producing a mature believer that can repeat the process with another person!


I’m a product of this. My pastor wasn’t content that I was saved - he wanted me to mature in the faith. He took me under his wing and taught me how to be a disciple of Jesus Christ. As I grew, he taught me how to do the work of ministry. And now I’m teaching other people the things he taught me!


I believe that every believer, every follower of Jesus should be becoming a disciple! They should be learning His way of doing things. They should be learning to discipline themselves to do what’s right. They should be submitted to ministers who are growing themselves. And every believer should be discipling someone else! We have too many babies in the church that aren’t growing up! It’s time for someone to come along side of them and raise them up!

For All Of Us Who Were Raised In Church...

First of all, I want to make it clear that I am very grateful for the parents I have. I think we can all agree that all of the values and ethics that we have came from the way we were raised. All of us have had sort of a “head start” by learning right and wrong early in our life. However, what I want to relate to you now is the hidden danger that comes from being raised by godly parents and from spending your childhood years in church.

    The danger here is the lack of personalization – when you never internalize the faith of your parents. This condition can manifest itself in one of two ways. The best example of this is Isaac’s family. His two boys, Jacob and Esau, illustrate both sides of what I like to call “the second generation syndrome.” These two boys had an incredible family. Their grandpa was the Abraham. Their dad was the Isaac; the miracle baby of Abraham and Sarah. They were miracle kids themselves! So if anyone should’ve had a head start in their relationship with God, it was these guys. But this advantage didn’t mean anything to them, did it? Why is that?

    They both had problems. Neither of them  adopted their father’s faith as their own. Jacob sums it up in Genesis 27:20 where he told his dad that God was “the Lord your God.” That says it all...not my God, but your God. He and his brother were second generation. They were raised by righteous parents, even adopted it as their culture, but never personally knew God!

Still, these guys were as different as night and day. They show us the two sides of the second generation. Another story about the second generation is the story of the prodigal son and his older brother. This story almost parallels Jacob and Esau’s. Who knows - maybe Jesus was thinking about Jacob and Esau when He told it! Jacob and the older brother were on the same path, Esau and the prodigal were on the other.

Jacob was a homebody. He preferred to stay at home with his parents. He usually did what his parents told him (I know he tricked his dad, but he did it because his mom told him to), and worked hard to make them happy.  Esau was always gone. He was a rebellious guy who loved the party lifestyle.  Jacob was smart and a little tricky, Esau was more of a brute and very gullible. Jacob didn’t really hang out with girls very much, Esau was definitely a womanizer! This sounds a lot like the prodigal and the older brother, doesn’t it?

    The problem was, they were both stuck in the same trap! Neither of them knew the God of their parents. Both sides of this second generation need to realize something - being raised in by godly parents doesn’t make them godly! They needed their own encounter with God! It wasn’t until Jacob was on the run, with nothing except the clothes on his back, that he came to realize that something was wrong. He had an encounter with God at Bethel, (since you were raised in church, you remember the story about Jacob’s ladder) and right there made a promise that God was going to be his God.

    Sadly, Esau never had this encounter. But in the story of the prodigal son, it was the older brother that never got it. The prodigal realized that he didn’t really know his father like he should. The older brother didn’t really know his dad either, but he never realized that! Both of these boys only saw their father as someone to be obeyed; all they saw was rules! The prodigal rebelled, the older brother stayed and submitted - but neither of them had a relationship with their dad.

    There are thousands of young men and women who are in the same situation today. They were raised by Christian parents, raised in church, taught all the Bible stories; but they’ve never known God except as Someone to be obeyed. All they see is a list of dos and don’ts. The second generation in church still follows one of two paths

Some of them are like Esau – running, rebellious, turning their back on the way they were raised. Some of them are like Jacob – staying home, seemingly doing everything right, but never bridging the gap between their parents’ faith and their faith. What they both need to realize is, everyone “must be born again” - even if they’re raised in church! God has zero grandkids! The way to get out of the second generation is to know God for yourself!

Prodigal/Esau - is this is where you’re at? Are you running away from what you were raised in? Are you tired of all the rules, so you’re turning your back on everything you were taught? have you found yourself in a pigpen? Then it’s time for you to realize Who you’re running from. Your Father loves you and He wants you to come home!

Older brother/Jacob - are you still trying to earn God’s love? Are you doing all the right things and still wondering why something feels wrong? Do you go to church every week, maybe even volunteer there, but still feel alienated from your Father? You’re on the more dangerous path, my friend! You need to wake up now! You need to realize that going to church your whole life, working hard, and being a good person doesn’t make you a Christian!

We can’t do this anymore! We need to find our Bethel! We must come to the place where we encounter God for ourselves! I know you remember hearing how much the “unchurched” need a revival. What I’m proposing to you is that there needs to be a revival in us first – the ones who were born here, who were raised here, who know all the right things.

    This is where we’re at. Are you going to keep sitting in church, working hard, volunteering there - only because it’s how you were raised? Or are you like Esau? Are you going to keep doing your own thing, pretending like you have all the time in the world? Listen to this verse and hear what it is saying to you:

1 Chronicles 28:9 “And Solomon, my son, learn to know the God of your ancestors intimately. Worship and serve him with your whole heart and a willing mind. For the Lord sees every heart and knows every plan and thought. If you seek him, you will find him. But if you forsake him, he will reject you forever.”

Isn’t time you found your Bethel?

Slackers Don't Get This

Proverbs 25:19 Confidence in an unfaithful man in time of trouble is like a bad tooth and a foot out of joint.

Do you remember when you had loose baby teeth? You would go to take a bite out of something at dinner time, and it would just give way! Or how about this, have you ever sat on your leg until it went to sleep and didn't know it? You would get up and take a step, only to have your leg buckle under you! That feeling – knowing that something should work and it fails you – is the kind of feeling that comes from depending on an unfaithful person.

Have you ever depended on someone, and they didn't come through for you? It stings, right? Or, have you ever been the cause of that kind of frustration? I have been in both places, and I didn't enjoy either!

Faithfulness and loyalty are not common in this world anymore. Even in the church, where we should be true to our word, there are a lot of unfaithful people. Even Solomon noticed that trend back in his day; Proverbs 20:6 says, “Most men will proclaim each his own goodness, but who can find a faithful man?”

In the New Testament, the Greek word for faithfulness is “pistis” - and it's used to describe both reliability and faith! Why is the word for faith used to describe our reliability (faithfulness)? Because, the Bible is describing a faithful person's trustworthiness from someone else's viewpoint (“I have faith in them”). In other words, our faithfulness should allow people to put their faith in what we said we would do!

Faithfulness is our human reflection of God's character. God is always faithful to His word – that's why we put our faith in Him. As His kids, we should be faithful to our word as well! From marriage vows to job contracts, a believer's word should be binding. Psalm 15:4 shows how a faithful person views his promises; He who swears to his own hurt and does not change. Even when it's costly, a faithful person does what he says. This is the kind of character should be found in the home, on the job, and in the church.

God's currency is faithfulness!

For example, if you want to advance in your workplace, make sure you're faithful to your boss! Luke 16:12 says, “And if you have not been faithful in what is another man’s, who will give you what is your own?” If you have to be told two or three times to do something, if you're badmouthing your boss behind his back, if you're always complaining about the job you have – why on earth would you be expecting a better position? If you're not faithful to what your boss is giving you to do, you will never be made a boss yourself. 

When you're faithful, other people may call you a “kiss-up”, but God will honor your faithfulness to your boss!

This type of faithfulness applies to ministry as well. When someone has a call to preach, the best thing they can do is submit to another man's ministry. Be faithful in what is another man's and God will give you your own! The worst thing a young minister in a church can do is badmouth the senior pastor and constantly maneuver for a better position! You're setting yourself up for failure, my friend, so stop it! Take a lesson from Paul, look at how he was placed in ministry: “And I thank Christ Jesus our Lord who has enabled me, because He counted me faithful, putting me into the ministry” (1 Timothy 1:12).

Luke 16:10 sets the rule - He who is faithful in what is least is faithful also in much; and he who is unjust in what is least is unjust also in much. Go ahead, try to claim that you'll do a better job when you have something more important to do. But I'm telling you – the way you serve in the little things is a picture of what you will do with greater things. In God's eyes, someone who faithfully cleans the church bathrooms for ten years is more qualified to step into ministry than a fresh Bible school graduate!

Faithfulness is essential for your Christian walk! God emphasizes it over and over again. Be faithful to the people in charge, and God will bless you!

A faithful man will abound with blessings Proverbs 28:20

A Little Too Far

1 Corinthians 10:11 Now all these things happened to them as examples, and they were written for our admonition

            According to this verse, everything that happened to the Israelites in the wilderness served as examples for us. We can learn about our Christian walk by studying what they did in the desert. If that’s the case, what do you think we can learn from Numbers 16?

            I’ll abbreviate the story here, but it might be good to read that chapter for yourself! When God made Aaron and his family priests, He also assigned the Levite tribe as their helpers. Basically, they were the helps ministry in the tabernacle. Everything that the priests needed done, the Levites would to it for them.

            In Numbers 16, a Levite named Korah got a little too ambitious. He and his three friends gathered 250 leaders of Israel together and went to Moses and Aaron. This was their complaint, “You have gone too far! The whole community of Israel has been set apart by the LORD, and he is with all of us. What right do you have to act as though you are greater than the rest of the LORD’s people?”

            They were after the priesthood that God gave Aaron.

            Moses responded, “Tomorrow, God will show who He set in that position!” Then he said, “Korah, isn’t it enough that God chose you to serve in His house? Isn’t it enough that you’re responsible for the care of the Tabernacle? And now you’re demanding the priesthood too? Who is Aaron that you’re complaining against him? God put him there! You’re the one who has gone too far!”

            The next morning was the test. Moses told every one of the 250 leaders to fill their pans of incense to burn before God – something that God told the priests to do. They wanted the priesthood, so they were going to find out if God would accept their ministry. Aaron also filled his incense pan to burn before God. Moses called everyone to come and see who God would choose, but Korah’s friends refused to come. They even complained that Moses ordered them to come – accusing him of trying to be their king!

            It didn’t take long for God to make His point. The ground opened up under Korah’s friends and swallowed them up! At that very moment, fire erupted in the incense pans of Korah and the other leaders, and burnt them to a crisp! Only Aaron was left standing there! God’s decision was clear; Aaron was the man He chose.

            So if this is an example for us, what can we learn?

            Korah and his following thought that Moses and Aaron set themselves in their positions. They failed to see why Aaron was the only person that got to be priest. Their complaint was, “Everyone here has been set apart by God, what right do you have to take charge over us?” They didn’t realize that God chose Moses and Aaron to stand between Him and them.

           

            Sound familiar? This happens in churches all over the country. People are unhappy with the man that God placed in authority and with the decisions he makes. Sometimes they’re angry about nothing more than the way he preaches! They rise up against him, claiming that they have just as much right to run the church. In the words of Moses, they go too far! God’s response to them is clear, even in the New Testament!

            Ephesians 4:11 And He Himself gave some to be apostles, some prophets, some evangelists, and some pastors and teachers. – Not everyone is called to these positions! The responsibility of the ones called to be leaders is found in 2 Timothy 4:2, “Preach the Word! Be ready in season and out of season. Convince, rebuke, encourage, with all longsuffering and teaching.” They are responsible to teach us, to rebuke us and to encourage us. Most church-goers are lost when you get to rebuke – but correcting sin is part of a spiritual leader’s responsibility!

            God will be the One to judge them based on their responsibilities – that’s not our job! Our responsibility to them is found in Hebrews 13:7 “Remember your leaders who taught you the word of God. Think of all the good that has come from their lives, and follow the example of their faith.”

Again in 13:17, “Obey your spiritual leaders, and do what they say.” That is our responsibility. It’s not our job to oversee them; their job is to oversee us!

Theirs is the bigger responsibility by far, and God holds them accountable to it! The rest of Hebrews 13:17 is, “for they watch out for your souls, as those who must give account. Let them do so with joy and not with grief, for that would be unprofitable for you.” They are going to give an account to God for us. Wouldn’t you like that account to be joyful? How would you feel if their account is only about the grief you caused? That would definitely be “unprofitable for you!”

So help your pastors! Don’t be like Korah and complain about what your pastor is doing! Don’t be like the 250 and join in with complainers. Follow your pastor’s example and do what you can to help him! Ephesians 4:8 tells us that these men are gifts to us! Let’s treat them right!