Is Our Worship "Just Singing?"

Songs of worship have a distinct sound. And it’s not always about the words, though definitely a worship song should be exalting God. But sometimes even when the words are right, it doesn’t really sound like there truly is worship going on. It’s also not always about the style of the music. It has little to do with whether there are drums or if it is fast or slow or if there is a pipe organ playing. It’s more about what is there or what is missing in the hearts of the worshipers.

When Moses and Joshua were up on the mountain having an experience with God which included getting the original set of the 10 commandments, God told them they had better get back down the mountain to the camp because the people had lost control of themselves and had made a golden calf and were indulging in revelry.

As they approached the camp, Joshua and Moses had a conversation.

Exodus 32:17-18 (NIV)
When Joshua heard the noise of the people shouting, he said to Moses, “There is the sound of war in the camp.” Moses replied: “It is not the sound of victory, it is not the sound of defeat: it is the sound of singing that I hear.”

Interesting. What Moses heard was JUST SINGING. It wasn’t worship, it wasn’t the blues, it wasn’t like one of the old spirituals like “Swing Low” which cries out for Gods help… it was literally NOTHING. No substance. It sounded powerful and war-like which our worship sometimes needs to be, but there was no power. EMPTY.

These people were so energetic that it sounded like warfare. They weren’t just singing… they were shouting. Remember the context. They had just bowed down to a golden calf and had even made sacrifices to it followed by revelry which probably included drinking and dancing. But it was all done in a seemingly proper way in the context of how other nations worshiped their gods which was what the Israelite s wanted to emulate. Aaron had told them that the golden calf represented God. The calf was supposedly symbolic of God. The problem is that this completely opposed the way God wanted to be known and worshiped. He had told them that He was to always remain the “unseen” God. He said to never make “graven images” about anything to worship including Him. This is why committed followers of Jesus who follow His word don’t worship paintings of Him, statues of Him or of any other disciples, patriarchs, saints or anyone else. Because when we do, we commit the same sin of worshiping a golden calf. We aren’t even supposed to worship the cross. Is it ok to have a cross around your neck or at the front of the church? Sure! Just don’t worship it or think there is any power in that emblem. Your power only comes through a personal relationship with God through Jesus Christ!

This is why Paul encourages us in 2 Corinthians 4:18 to only focus our eyes on things that are unseen, since what is seen is temporary but what is unseen is eternal.

I have been in worship services that are marked by the presence of God and I have been in services that were empty. Sometimes the best services had terrible music because the sound system wasn’t great and the talent of the leaders wasn’t up to the level of others. But it was really from a heart that is committed to Jesus. I’ve been in some services that were awesome with incredible sounds, lights, talent that could be on an album and there was just an emptiness.

On a side note, I’m not saying that it is ok to have inferior worship. The Bible also instructs us to develop our skills and to sing and play instruments with excellence, but the condition of the heart is the most important thing.

What I want is worship that isn’t just singing. I want it for myself and I want it for the assembly that I pastor! I want worship that is marked with the presence and power of God! Worship that pleases God and transforms us!

So what do we need to do? We need to worship Jesus from a heart that burns for Him. We need to do what it takes to be in relationship with Him, communication with Him while we are worshipping. It takes repentance to do this. Asking God to forgive us of our sins, allowing the Holy Spirit to search us and to show us the changes that we need to make. This kind of worship requires us to reject the “just singing along” mentality. Because if we are just singing along, then it is probably JUST SINGING.

To Teach or Not to Teach the Tithe

This is a huge question that every ministry must answer for themselves.  I know Pastors who have chosen to never even mention the Tithe and stop taking offerings, only setting up boxes around the facilities to collect funds.  I know others who not only continue to pass the bags around via ushers, but they do a mini-teaching about giving literally every Sunday.  I think that neither of those approaches are biblically wrong but that it would depend on where the church is and on what type of environment they need to establish to reach their targeted audience.

I have been on a journey with this.  For many years now, I never mentioned the word “tithe” and only encouraged giving.  This, until recently when God literally spoke to me one afternoon when I was praying to Him about some financial concerns.  He said, “you are giving too much alms.”  Now alms is not a term that I would normally use, but it is a term that I am familiar with and I know exactly what it means.  It means money given to the needy or poor.

I had been giving quite a bit of money to people in need to the point that I had not been giving much in the actual collection at church.  I had in my mind, figured that as long as I’m giving, as long as I’m being led by the Spirit in it (assuming I really was being led), that all giving was lumped into one big category.  And I justified this with the argument that tithing isn’t even mentioned in the New Testament and more.  Now I was giving well over 30% of my income, but almost all of it in alms.

So why was I so loose in my interpretation of giving and why had I not been teaching tithing in the Church?  It is because I was intentionally being careful not to cause people to give reluctantly or under compulsion so that they would give what they have decided in their heart to give because God loves it when we give cheerfully.  That is New Testament.  Read about it in 2 Corinthians 9.

I also have this firm belief that if people are led by the Holy Spirit, that they don’t even need to worry  about details because the Holy Spirit will take care of those things for you.  I still believe that.  The letter of the law kills, but the Spirit brings life.  That’s scripture too!

However, I have come to realize that very few people including myself are nearly as Spirit led as often as we would like to think.  And so the law is there for us to check ourselves to see if we are actually being led by the Spirit.  Jesus said this:

Matthew 5:18 - "I can guarantee this truth: Until the earth and the heavens disappear; neither a period nor a comma will disappear from the Scriptures before everything has come true."

Jesus was saying, and I invite to you read the full scripture in Matthew 5, that He did not come to replace the Old Testament Law, but to fulfill it. He additionally said that we need to be even more righteous than the Pharisees. The Holy Spirit helps us, but that does not do away with the details of the law.

Here’s an example.  Last Sunday, the offering bag passed me before I had a chance to get my money out.  The Holy Spirit spoke to me and said, “Quick!  Go put 1k pesos in!”  So I ran up 2 rows and quickly threw 1k pesos in.  Later, I calculated and realized that 600 pesos of it had been tithe and the additional 400 pesos was seed offering.  The Holy Spirit led me to give the tithe and the offering.  When the Spirit leads you and then you check if it was according to the Word, then you know you were truly led by the Spirit and not by your own idea, agenda, or suggestion of some strange origin (like YouTube teachings).

In my research, I discovered that there are four primary ways that we can give.  The Tithe, First Fruits, Alms and Seed Offerings.  Tithe is the one that is dealt with in Malachi and other places that shows us that if we will give God back the first 10% of what He has entrusted to us, which belongs to Him, that He will rebuke the devourer for us.  Since it is His to begin with, it is not seed.  First Fruits work the same way Tithe does but applies more to income that is not regular like a bonus or a deal or an inheritance.  Alms are given to the poor and the interesting thing about the Alms is that the Word of God shows us that there is a very low “rate of return” on it.  You will get back what you gave, dollar for dollar, peso for peso.  There is no increase or multiplication on alms to the poor.  (Proverbs 19:17)  Should you give alms?  Yes!  Of course!  And you will be repaid.  But should you give alms in place of Tithes?  Absolutely not!  That would be a huge mistake!  A mistake that I was making.  It would mean that the devourer has access to your finances!  The seed giving has to do with planting the Word of God.  (Matthew 13 shows us this principle)  When you give to the Work of the Lord…  things that actually bring about an evangelistic harvest  (giving to the Red Cross wouldn’t apply because they don’t share the Gospel), then there is a multiplication that happens.  This is why people who give in every way end up being so blessed!  They have multiplication!  The Tithe and the First Fruits protects, the Alms get re-paid and cause us to be more Christ-like and the Seed spreads the Gospel and multiplies!

So I had to change.  I had to realize that unless I was teaching this, that the people in the Church I pastor were not really being led by the Spirit in this and they were falling prey to the devourer.  In the past several weeks, I have been teaching the Tithe and the ways of giving.  I have encouraged people to become intentional in their giving.  Of course, I still make sure to teach in a way where they are not feeling pressured, only invited by the truth of what God’s Word teaches.

The results have been amazing!  People are experiencing blessing!

So for me, I have gone from a person who never even mentioned the Tithe, to a person who happily encourages it.   I have changed!  J

Just a caution for those Pastors who will read this.  Some people will not like it and they will leave.  Let them leave.  These are the ones that will find any way they can to make excuses not to follow God’s Word and this is just the tip of the ice berg of their problems.  If they will submit to God’s Word on this, then they will on other issues as well.  If they won’t on this, they will remain stubborn and un-changing in other areas of their lives too.  It’s a big deal.  Don’t be afraid to stand firm with God’s Word.

Distraction can actually be Conviction

Yesterday, we had a really powerful and beautiful service!  The move of the Holy Spirit was sweet and amazing!

After service, one of our members came to me and was disturbed because she had felt "distracted." While other people were having all these amazing experiences around her, she felt she wasn't able to enter in, almost as if she had missed what the Holy Spirit was doing.

Upon asking her a few questions, I realized that actually, what had happened to her was exactly what I had been hoping would happen in the service.  That it wouldn't just be about feelings and sensations, but that God would speak to people about the things that they are doing that they shouldn't be doing, and that He would speak to people about doing the things that He has been asking them to do but they have not been aware, lazy or resistant about.  it's called conviction and it doesn't feel nice.

So instead of feeling bad of the awareness of not praying enough, not reading the Bible, engaging in gossip and slander and whatever else the Holy Spirit is "distracting" you about, embrace it and realize that He is drawing you to Himself and to becoming a better you for Him!

We talked about it in the afternoon Pastoral Candidate Training class and discovered that this is common.  It happens to many people.  They confuse conviction with distraction.

I have now begun to understand that in order for the Holy Spirit to convict us, He will often begin by distracting us!  Getting our attention!

No Money, No Problem!

Amy and I were on a road trip to a meeting earlier today to a place called Binan, Laguna.  It took about 5 hours to go there, meet and come back.  On the way back to Manila, I said that I want to stop by and visit one of our fellowship members who is having a hard time with money.  The couple has been jobless now for months and is simply at the end of their resources.  

As we got closer, I almost bailed out because I was going empty handed.  I wanted to at least pick up some groceries or some baked goods for their kids... anything!  But we had nothing to give.  Literally nothing.  We couldn't even give 100 pesos.  ($2)

But I sensed the leading of the Lord and I heard the words of Peter speaking to the lame beggar in my mind.  "Silver and Gold I don't have, but what I do have, I give you.  In the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth, rise up and walk!"  (Acts 3:6)

After we had been there awhile, the wife said, "we don't have anything to offer you."  Meaning they didn't have a snack for us which is the normal thing that people would give you in the Philippines when you stop by.  It meant they didn't even have money for their own food.

When we got to the prayer time, I prayed Acts 3 and the Spirit started stirring and out of my mouth came the declaration that the phone will ring or an Email will come and God is going to do a miracle.

About an hour after we left, without having given them a thing in a physical sense, I got a text from him that one of his old employers had just called and offered him a job to start on Monday.

Praise God!  Now this brother is still gonna need a few miracles to sustain his family until the first paycheck comes in but I know that my God is able to supply all his needs!  We keep praying!

People look at me, a white man living in an Asian country and they think I'm well funded.  Sent by a generous American church.  They don't realize how things have changed.  I used to easily get thousands of dollars a month from America.  That was 15 years ago.  Now, I have one supporting church in Tacoma, Washington which gives $230 a month.  Everything else comes in miraculously. Being a missionary requires just as much faith now as in the early days of missions!  I know exactly what Paul meant when he said he knows what it's like to have plenty and he knows what it's like to have little.  (Philippians 4:12)

Faith is not based on what we can see or what we know for sure is coming!  It is based on the fact that we serve a God who not only can give big miracles, but He can and does give us daily miracles! I praise Him!

So let us keep giving even when we don't have silver or gold to give!  And let us keep pressing on even when we don't know how we're going to get our needs met next month!  Jesus never fails!

God's Voice Comes from Behind You

One of the biggest sad issues that I am constantly reminded of as I navigate through life and ministry is that even though the Holy Spirit is constantly moving, speaking and prompting, the vast majority of Jesus followers are not in tune with Him. Either they aren't listening or their spiritual ears are clogged or both. But the amazing thing is that many of them are true believers, dedicated, faithful, committed, worshipful. The amount of hurt, waste and opportunities missed is staggering to consider. If we would only be in step with the Holy Spirit, (Galatians 5:25) the state of the Church, the world and of the lives of believers would be much better! We would be on course with God's destiny for us!

So what is the solution?!? Actually, we could write books of solutions, but today I want to emphasize just one truth that I believe, if it is embraced, will help each one of us.

Isaiah 30:21 -- Whether you turn to the right or to the left, your ears will hear a voice behind you, saying, “This is the way; walk in it.”

This is an amazing revelation from scripture. It means that we literally cannot outrun the voice of God in our lives. No matter how far off course we get or how far ahead or how far behind, the voice of God will speak to us. And of course we know this is true because nothing can separate us from the love of God (Romans 8:38-39). And because we are His sheep and we do hear His voice (John 2:3).

Oh, and please don't get me started about all the false teachings that use Romans 8 in a wrong way, implying that you don't need to respond to God's love in obedience. Just because you are not separated from His love does not mean you don't need to walk in His love. Jesus says, you love me if you obey my word. (John 14:24) To not obey His word is to not be in His love. It is available, you are not separated from it, but you are not benefiting from it without obedience.

So how can we hear? Listen for God's voice. You have to actually listen for it. God's voice is not normally going to break in on you. (interrupt) If you are busy, distracted, absorbed, consumed, uninterested, deceived (wrong doctrine), etc, than you will not be listening for His voice. Note that the scripture says His voice calls to you from behind you. He does not block your path and say Stop! Go this way! Instead, He leads you from a place of gentleness and gives you choice. If you are to be led, you must listen for the voice of your Leader.

We all know the Christian catch phrase that "the Holy Spirit is a Gentleman." That, by the way is not a scripture but it is a generally accepted statement backed up by scriptures. It means that He does not force Himself on anyone. He usually waits to move, to be asked. In the application of our main text today, it means that He seldom raises His voice.

Which leads me to my final thought. In 1 Kings 19:12, when Elijah was waiting to hear from God, God was not in the strong wind, He wasn't in the earthquake and He wasn't in the fire. God wasn't forceful or loud. God was in the "Gentle Whisper!" Some of you may know the term "still, small voice" used in some translations.

My advice? Quiet down. Settle down. Listen for the Gentle Whisper. Listen for that loving voice that comes from behind you. He is willing to help you to get back on track! He wants you to walk His path and fulfill your purposes!

Grace Requires More of Us than the Law

Jesus told us in Matthew 5 that He did not come to replace the law of the Old Testament, but instead, to complete it.  He went so far as to say that not one word of the Law will pass away... that we will be accountable to the Old Testament until the end of time.

He also said that our righteousness must surpass the righteousness of the Pharisees.  In other words, those who simply obey the OT law don't have enough righteousness.  They must obey the law and go beyond the law, led by the Spirit of Truth.  And so God's grace empowers us to not only follow the Old Testament law as our foundation, but to honor God at an even higher, even stricter level.  The New Testament is actually stricter than the Old Testament.  The new covenant we have in Jesus requires more of us than the old covenant.  Jesus gave us examples.  Here's a really good one:

Matthew 5:27-28 (NIV)
27 “You have heard that it was said, ‘You shall not commit adultery.’ 28 But I tell you that anyone who looks at a woman lustfully has already committed adultery with her in his heart.

What Jesus said is that the Old Testament only required that you cannot actually physically engage in sex outside of marriage. But according to the New Testament, it is already sinful just to fantasize about having sex outside of marriage.  The Holy Spirit empowers us to be able to live according to the higher standards of the new covenant.  A personal relationship with Jesus is the key to living a life pleasing to Him.

This is true grace.

John 1:17 (NIV)
17 For the law was given through Moses; grace and truth came through Jesus Christ.

Why Homosexuality is Such a Big Deal: An Answer to Many with Questions

In the past few days, I have had many well meaning people ask me what the big deal is about the same sex marriage ruling by the US Supreme Court.  Most asking me are young people from the Philippines, Malaysia, Singapore and Indonesia... a few from America and even Australia.  Most of them are horrified at how Christians are reacting to this news and are making statements about how we can come against true love and more.  These are Christians who are saying these things and in many of these cases, they are practicing Born Again believers who love Jesus, but they did not grow up with a strong understanding of the Bible.  They are not angry, but they are asking sincerely.  Some of them have been asking on Facebook and such and are getting blasted as if they are infidels but in reality, they need an explanation.  If those with a deeper understanding of God's Word will actually explain, it would be great!

This simple post I am writing is what I am referring to the people asking me about the issue simply because I am overwhelmed in answering everyone individually and more questions are coming more rapidly.  There are already many good, detailed explanations out on the net but I'm writing this one specifically to the kinds of questions I'm getting.  I pray this helps.

Firstly, I need to explain that any person who is going to be a life long believer in Christ, a person who will enter into eternal life with Jesus, will believe the Word of God completely and will not stray from it.  They will not accept any train of thought that is contrary to what God's Word says.  It is the Bible which defines my life and my beliefs and it is the basis for my values.  Not only the basis, the Bible is my set of values.

I'll only give one scripture in this explanation today, though there are others. 

In the final part of Romans chapter 1, the Bible speaks very strongly about God's wrath regarding sexual immorality.  It speaks of many sins and then at a pinnacle of speaking of these sins in a progressive way that shows how sinful behavior lead to deeper sin and bondage come verses 26 to 27.

Romans 1:26-27 (NIV)
²⁶ Because of this, God gave them over to shameful lusts. Even their women exchanged natural sexual relations for unnatural ones. ²⁷ In the same way the men also abandoned natural relations with women and were inflamed with lust for one another. Men committed shameful acts with other men, and received in themselves the due penalty for their error.

The number one reason that we are concerned about people who get involved in homosexual activity is that we love them and we do not want them to break God's law.  People who willfully break God's commandments end up with penalty's in this life and more importantly they will be separated from God for eternity.  To put it bluntly, they don't go to heaven, but they go to hell.

It doesn't matter if in our eyes they are a good, loving and a caring person or not, what matters is that God only allows people to go to heaven who have a personal relationship with Jesus Christ, which means they have repented of their sins (anything they do which is against the Bible) and that they love Jesus actively.  Jesus said you only love Him if you obey His Word, the Bible.

Regarding the Christian reaction to the court decision, I am, just like other American Christians, very disturbed by it, not so much because it allows gay and lesbian couples to marry, but because I know that it means things will go downhill faster from here.  The agenda of the homosexual community and those who support it is much more than to only allow them to marry.  It is to force other things in government and society including but not limited to things like forcing the hiring of homosexuals, forcing Christian owned businesses to serve homosexuals though it is against our beliefs and so much more.  It normalizes things in society that are contrary to God's Word and entangles them in a deep way.

I have no problem understanding that the Supreme Court is not using God's Word to make decisions and that America should be a land of liberty.  But the problem is that this is anther large step in the direction of taking the Christian communities liberties away.  It is only a land of liberties if everyone has freedom including the Christians.

In the church in which I serve in Manila, almost half of the males have had a homosexual experience in their past and some are still struggling.  We love them so much and they know we love them.  But we do not compromise regarding the Word of God and we speak the truth in love and help them to overcome the bondage of being attracted to a person of the same sex.  They get set free on a regular basis and now many of our leaders, even, are former homosexuals.  In my ministry over the last 20 years, I have lost count of the number of former homosexuals who came to Christ and were also healed of HIV and other diseases.  Dozens are now married and have families.  God can do it!

Regarding the argument that a person is "born that way," meaning they were born to be a boy liking boys or a girl liking girls, I have no doubt that in many cases, there is some truth to that inner desire.  Science has proven that there are people who are literally "wired" that way.  But read closely.  Science has also proven that there are people who were born with strong "wiring" to lie, to murder, to steal, to use drugs & alcohol, to be violent and more.  But their compulsions that they were born with do no make those behaviors right.  A murderer cannot tell a judge that it's ok because they were born that way.  If a judge is good, then the judge will condemn the murderer.  God is good in the same way.  God would literally not be good if He did not judge sin.  If we are attached to the sin, we get judged.  If we dis-attach from the sin through repentance in Jesus, we are saved.

Humans must fight their animalistic desires and discipline themselves.  Homosexuality is wrong even if someone feels they were born that way.  Practicing homosexuality separates people from the grace of God which is freely available to them and leads to eternal death!  We do not have eternal life unless we embrace and follow God's Word.

And so we hurt.  We are disappointed.  We feel that we have lost ground.  It is a sad day for America, but the answer is not to shout and complain.  The answer is Jesus.  It is evangelism.  It is loving people with the love of Christ.  This has happened because the Church has been asleep.  May this be a wake up call to the American church and even the world-wide church!

If you are struggling with same sex attraction, know that Jesus loves you and that we, the true Christians love you too!  We are here for you and the same power which raised Jesus Christ from the dead is able to work powerfully in you.  There is freedom available!  You don't have to live with guilt, shame and bondage.  You don't need to suffer eternal punishment!  But you do need to cooperate with Christ and come into alignment with His Word.  He will help you and we will too!

Please feel free to contact me if you have questions.

"Building Your Own Idol" video sermon

This is a message about idolatry in a modern context.  The main point is that an idol becomes anything that you want it to be. An idol is anything that God asks you to give up, that you are unwilling to let go of.

 

8 Weeks to Better Health

I am now 6 weeks into an 8 week program which was prescribed to me by a Doctor in Malaysia.  It has not been easy, but it has yielded incredible results in every area of my life.  Not just physically but also spiritually.  Discipline is good for the soul!

My blood sugar is completely normal for the first time in 5 years.  I have lost 13 pounds.  I have better mental focus and my energy level is better than it was when I was 18 years old.  In the gym, I can lift heavier weights and my heart rate doesn't soar at a slow pace anymore.  My skin is better, my hair and nails are better, I feel great!

My situation was that I am diabetic and I have a pretty bad tendency towards gout.

First of all, I went not low carb, but zero carb.  I have not touched a potato, rice, pasta or bread in 6 weeks.  The whole idea is to shock my pancreas into functioning better.  Once this program is done, my carb intake will be much more careful and carbs will be no more than 20% of my diet.

Second, I cut back on soda and even on coffee.  Moderation is good and I was drinking way to much of that stuff.

Third, I exercise 5 or 6 days a week.  Usually at a gym but sometimes just by going for a walk or joining in a round of golf without using a golf cart, etc.  At the gym, I do a combination of 45 minutes cardio and 30 minutes of various forms of strength training.

Fourth, I juice.  It started off by a friend of mine giving me a bottle of their concoction of garlic juice, ginger juice, lemon juice and apple cider vinegar in equal parts with some honey put in to combat the strong taste.  I took just 2 or 3 tablespoons a day.  I purged for the first 3 days, but the result was incredible.  And another benefit is that vampires won't come near me!  Hahahaha.  The garlic is strong.  Since then, I found that if I add parsley and celery into the mix with the garlic, that the offensive odor is greatly diminished.

So now that I got set up with my own slow pressed juicer (that is important that it is a slow juicer - I went for the Coway Juicepresso - in the States at Amazon, in the Philippines at S&R), I am actually doing a much better tasting blend that I drink by the glass full which still includes the lemon, garlic and ginger but also radish, celery, bitter gourd, carrot & cucumber, sometimes even a green apple.  I take a tablespoon of apple cider vinegar separately.  And we don't waste the pulp.  My wife uses the carrot in her now famous carrot cake (which I don't eat).  We put the other juiced pulp in sauces (like pasta sauce) or even in meatloaf.  Some of it we just eat raw as a salad and add some sweet vinegar.  Juicing really does the body good!

Fifth is not new.  I have been taking MaxOne by Max International for over a year now it was, is, and will continue to be the most important part of my health regimen.  The quality of my life went way up when all my aches and pains fell away from taking Max, which naturally increases my bodies production of glutathione.  My Dad doesn't have arthritis anymore from taking MaxOne and his varicose veins all but disappeared.  My Mom claims that the MaxOne has been the biggest key to getting her health situation under control.  They also have Cellgevity and GXL which do the same thing and even more, but I personally cannot take them because of my gout problem and there are ingredients in the other two products which trigger it.  Max products are high priced.  About $60 per month but since I have referred others, it is free for me.  In the Philippines, to get the best service & price, visit my friend Cindy's web site at www.maxgxlphilippines.com.  In other countries or to do more research, visit the official site at www.max.com

Sixth, I have switched from cheap quality, mass-produced vitamins bought in places like Wal-mart and Trader Joes with good vitamins.  After making the switch, I immediately experienced a huge difference to the point that I consider all of the other vitamins garbage now.  In researching the issue, I have found that those cheap vitamins can actually harm your body.  What I found is that we need to take vitamins that are taken specifically from foods.  For instance, a good vitamin C will come from something like an Acerola Cherry.  Non-synthetic is the best.  There are expensive ones and there are some medium priced ones.  Some of the Multi-level company vitamins are super good like Amway's Nutrilite Double-X.  There is nothing better than that one, but my missionary budget doesn't allow me to spend like that.  If you can afford Double-X, then do it.  Usana also makes some very good vitamins.  But the multi-vitamin that I now take isn't too bad in price.  Just $15 for a 1 month supply and that is 2 a day when the recommended dose is just 1 a day.  This taken with the MaxOne (which helps my body to absorb the other things much better), has helped me a great deal.  I also take a good Krill Oil (better than standard fish or salmon oil) and extra Vitamin B.  For good prices and great service on better quality vitamins in the USA, try www.iHerb.com.  In the Philippines, ask Cindy at www.maxgxlphilippines.com and she can help you to get good imported Vitamins at fair prices.

Seventh, again not different, I don't take sugar at all if it can be helped. 

I have not gone hungry at all.  As a matter of fact, I eat all the meat and veggies that I would ever want.  (thank the Lord I don't have high cholesterol)   Every now and then, I do kind of feel like I will go crazy if I don't get some sweets.  My remedy is the Valor brand (from Spain) of chocolate bar which has less than 1 gram of sugar because it is with dark chocolate and with Stevia sweetener (better than the synthetic stuff).  Just one or two squares with coffee is very satisfying!

I am not recommending my regimen to you specifically, but I am letting you know what is working for me.  What I do recommend is that you talk to your health professional and do research based on your medical history and condition and then make the appropriate change so that you, like me, will live your life to the length of your days that God intends and that they will be quality days.

May the Lord lead you into better health!  Be wise!  :-)

"Don't Die in the Wilderness"

 

Steve shares one of his life messages at Grace Assembly in Klang, Malaysia.  This message is about not dying in the Wilderness and making it into the Promised Land.  It is pointed, relevant and gives clear direction about how to actually make it into your Promised Land. 

 

Steve preaches for about 50 minutes and Pastor Richard Thong gives a follow up of around 10 minutes at the end which is equally powerful.

 

"Quacking" in the Church

When the Apostle Paul was speaking to the Ephesians, he told them this:

Acts 20:26-27 (NKJV) “Therefore I testify to you today that I am innocent of the blood of all men. For I have not shunned to declare to you the whole counsel of God”

In counseling the young Pastor Timothy, Paul said this:

2 Timothy 2:15 (NIV) “Do your best to present yourself to God as one approved, a worker who does not need to be ahamed and who correctly handles the word of truth.”

Paul used the term "innocent" about himself when saying that he had faithfully declared the Word of God. In other words, he believes he would have been "guilty" of some error, he would have had the blood of men on his hands had he not declared "the whole counsel" of God. What is the whole counsel of God?

Other versions of the Bible which interpret the same verse use terms like "the whole will of God" or "all that God wants you to know." In short, the whole counsel of God is to preach the balanced, big picture of everything He has to say about any given subject.

The Word of God is a collection of books which requires dedicated study. When I am preparing to preach a sermon or even give a simple Bible study, it is not a joke. I cannot simply go to the scripture that I want to base my teaching on. I must go to every scripture that I can find in the Bible that deals with that subject in that particular context. This is why it might take me as long as 20 hours or more to prepare a sermon, especially if it is the first time I have covered that subject. There have been times that I have reviewed more than 100 scriptures in order to teach on just 1 of them. On average, it's more like 20-30 scriptures I look at before I understand the broader context. Do I really need to do that much research to prepare a 45 minute talk? Yes, I do. The reason is because much of the studying that I am doing is simply to make sure that I am not preaching a slanted or a narrow piece of God's Counsel without taking into account and adequately teaching the bigger picture.

Could I throw a sermon together in an hour or two? Could I watch a YouTube video from some other preacher or read a chapter of a popular book and preach it? I suppose I could... many do it (quite obviously)... but I won't. First of all, I didn't get that revelation personally. Secondly, whenever I study someones sermon or book and really go into the scriptures, it is literally shocking how often they are casually throwing around things that are completely out of context or they have added their own words to scripture (always marked with emphasis, of course). Friends, I'm not talking about little known teachers but I'm talking about materials you can buy at your local established and reputable Bible Bookstore. Scary. It's good to remember that a Bible Bookstore is a business. They sell things that sell. They sell ear tickling, people pleasing books and videos right up there on the same shelves next to the solid, balanced, un-compromising books and videos that quite frankly in most cases, aren't selling nearly as well.

A famous Bible School professor once said that "heresy is the overemphasis of any minor doctrine." He was right! If we speak only a small part of the truth and major on what is minor, then we lead people astray. (He's so famous that I forgot his name!) The over-emphasis of minor doctrines happens every day. Think of abuses in the realm of prosperity, healing or grace teachings. All of these teachings have a place in the big picture of God's counsel, but they do not stand alone and it must always be remembered that at the core of an understanding of God is that He is sovereign. The sovereignty of God is a major doctrine. These other doctrines are subservient to it.

Let me put it this way. God does whatever He wants to do, whenever He wants to do it according to His Word, His own rules that He gave Himself. And the only prayer that He is obligated to answer is the one that you pray which is in accordance with His will. And so for instance, if you don't have the character to handle wealth, then you can tithe and give and pray all you want, but God in his grace probably won't entrust you with much of it. Why? Because He loves you too much!

When the Apostles selected 7 men to help them in serving the people in the early Church of Jerusalem, it was so that they could devote themselves to prayer and to the study of God's Word. Hmmm... they must have been studying and praying a lot!!! (Acts 6)

That was a BIG foundation for my main point! I hear the sound of "Quacking in the Church!" Like ducks? Nope. Like people who are "Quacks!"

Quack is an English slang term used to describe people who neither have the qualifications nor the experience but pass themselves off to be experts, usually for the purpose of gaining money or fame. The most famous type are "Quack Doctors." If you Google the subject, you will find a lot about them.

In years past, many of these quacks were involved in selling products including a very popular field of helping ladies lose weight. They would post advertisements saying that if you take their products, you can eat whatever you want and as much as you want and will still stay slim. One of their alleged products, was to intake tapeworms which would theoretically eat the food in your stomach. Great, right? Evidently, thousands of women went for it. Or, maybe it's an urban myth. There is debate even on this! This was a long time ago! I think most ladies now wouldn't do that. (they go for lipo or plastic surgery instead.. hahahaha) Potions, secret ingredients, items imported from exotic lands... These quacks have tried to sell everything to gullible people. By the way, they are still at it but are more careful about it. Billions of dollars are spent every month on things that don't work.

I was at a lunch the other day with a well meaning pastor who was telling me that I should eat a lot of honey. Well, as an under control diabetic who has done much research, I know that I am not supposed to eat a lot of honey, no matter the kind. What may be good for some people may not be good for me! He was telling me that if I eat natural honey, that it won't affect me and will actually cure my diabetes. How does he know this? Because people told him so and because he read an article on the internet. Sorry, but I need more than that before I risk my health!

The point is that people are constantly giving us advice that is narrow and even inaccurate. It's not only true in the field of health, but also in the field of spiritual advice.

If I told you all of the crazy advice based on mis-applied scriptures I have encountered, it would floor you! Some people have been damaged beyond imagination. Others still have not awakened to the error of what they have been taught and are in a state of blindness.

Here is my advice to you. Don't be a Quack and don't be gullible! Don't try to be an expert unless you have actually gone through the process of studying God's Word and gained godly, trustworthy counsel. Every Christian needs to be more careful when giving scriptural advice. To the same point that the Apostle Paul was at... Realizing that when we dispense partial truth, we are guilty of the blood of men.

And don't be a Prophetic Quack! Just because you think it was God who spoke to you does not mean that it really was or that it completely was. Every prophecy, every dream, every impression must be tested according to God's Word.

The term Paul used with Timothy was "Approved." He was saying that only after you have studied the big picture are you one who is approved by God who can now correctly handle the Word of God.

Let me tell you friend, the Word of God is a loaded weapon and you had better respect it and you had better learn how to use it. Remember this, even the devil uses scripture. The devil used scripture on Jesus and he still does it today. Because Jesus understood the whole counsel of God's Word, He was able to refute the scriptural manipulations of the devil. (Matthew 4:1-11)

Unfortunately, I believe that if Jesus were to show up in human form today in many Churches, He would keep interrupting the preachers in the same way he gave rebuttal to the devil. It would go something like this:

Preacher: "You're the head and not the tail, above and not beneath, the lender and not the borrower!"

Jesus: "Hello?! That's not for everyone who calls themselves a Christian. That will be true for those who are careful to obey all of My commandments."

You don't believe me? Check it out for yourself in Deuteronomy 28:1-14. And while you're at it, check the rest of the Bible as well. There are strict conditions for prosperity. It's not just a matter of sowing in the Sunday collection.

Where are the prophets?!? Not the "feel good" false prophets that only speak encouragement and never call out sin or confront bad attitudes or partial teachings... The real ones? The ones who are passionate about Jesus and His Word? The ones who care more about peoples salvation than they do about their own acceptance and their own reputation? The ones who weep over the fact that 5 of the 10 virgins didn't make it because they were foolish and ill-prepared! (Matthew 25) Where are the prophets who are grieved that many Churches have become dens of thieves... businesses which promote and enrich men rather than building the true Kingdom of God!

It's time for a major clean up. A shift is coming. A new reformation. Let us be sensitive to Jesus and to the Holy Spirit in this time and let us move with Him. Let us be disciplined to study ourselves to the point of approval by God to correctly handle His Word.

Tolerate the Attack?

The word "tolerate" is one that I normally think of in a negative light.  Tolerance is not a friend of the Christian, especially in modern political and social lingo.  I often  use the term in a sentence that begins like this: "I will not tolerate..."

Imagine my surprise earlier this week when a prophet who I sat down with, a female prophet from India, told me that I need to "tolerate the attack" that is coming!

She spoke to me straight from the heart of God for 35 minutes.  The meeting had been arranged by a Pastor friend of mine here where I'm ministering in Malaysia for a month.  He had Holy Spirit inspired urgency to put us together.  She spoke to me about many things that she could not have known.  I received more than a dozen confirmations in that meeting.

I noticed that she chose her words carefully (unlike some other prophets) and she is a highly educated lady of substance and means.  She could have used a more common word like "endure," but she used "tolerate."

To tolerate something is to allow it to happen even if you have the power to stop it.

Here is the exact prophecy:

"Tribulation.  A terrible time of tribulation is coming on you and your ministry.  Betrayal.  Accusation.  Satanic but carried out by the outwardly religious.  It will be terrible and intense, but it will be for a brief time and then it will be over.  Do not take matters into your own hands.  Do not defend yourself.  Tolerate the attack."

The thing that she didn't know is that I already know about this attack that is coming, at least to a degree.  I know the players and I know their game.  And I actually have the silver bullets in my gun to shoot the werewolf in sheep's clothing.  I could finish him.  But that's just what satan would want me to do now isn't it!

I have put my gun away...  I have even taken the bullets out.  And the others that I know who are tempted to shoot the same bullets on my behalf, I have strongly encouraged to also not shoot.

When we tolerate the attack, we show complete faith in God.  Earlier, the Lord had spoken to me directly, saying that "Whoever isn't really committed to the vision that I have entrusted to you needs to leave.  Let them leave son.  Trust me.  I'm working."

Once again, it's time to watch God trim the tree.  This is a moment when the fighting force will be whittled down just as Gideon experienced in Judges 7.

Here's the scripture:

Judges 7:1-8 (NIV)

Early in the morning, Jerub-Baal (Gideon) and all his men camped at the spring of Harod.  The camp of Midian was north of them in the valley near the hill of Moreh.  The Lord said to Gideon, "You have too many men.  I cannot deliver Midian into their hands, or Israel would boast against me, My own strength has saved me."  Now announce to the army, Anyone who trembles with fear may turn back and leave Mount Gilead.  So twenty-two thousand men left, while ten thousand remained.  But the Lord said to Gideon, There are still too many men.  Take them down to the water, and I will thin them out for you there.  If I say, This one shall go with you, he shall go; but if I say, This one shall not go with you, he shall not go.  So Gideon took the men down to the water.  There the Lord told him, Seperate those who lap the water with their tongues as a dog laps from those who kneel down to drink.  Three hundred of them drank from cupped hands, lapping like dogs.  All the rest got down on their knees to drink.  The Lord said to Gideon, With the three hundred men that lapped, I will save you and give the Midianites into your hands.  Let all the others go home.  So Gideon sent the rest of the Israelites home but kept the three hundred, who took over the provisions and trumpets of the others.

Bruce the Shark: A Prophetic Picture of a Typical Modern Church Leader?

No, I'm not really trying to be funny, though it is sort of funny until you realize just how sad it is..

Bruce the Shark, is of course, from the Disney Animated Film, “Finding Nemo.” He is a well-meaning Shark because his goal is to overcome his natural desire to eat other fish. He finds Marlin (Nemo’s Dad) and Dory and forces them to come with him to a meeting that could best be described as 12 step, Alcoholics Anonymous style of event. They meet two other sharks there and the meeting proceeds.

Bruce leads the other two sharks in a declaration which includes these words, “I am a nice shark” and “Fish are Friends, not Food.”

Bruce also lets the group know that it has been a few weeks since he has eaten a fish and the other two sharks go wild in admiration for Bruce’s great accomplishment of restraint.

In a sermon I delivered a couple of weeks ago, I changed Bruce’s statement to “Sheep are Friends, not Food” because many leaders in the Church feed on Sheep rather than protect them.

What happens with Bruce is that a few minutes after making his declaration, Dory has a little accident, her nose gets hit and some blood comes out into the water. Bruce, being the shark that he is, can’t resist and tries to eat Dory and Marlin. The other two sharks try to do an “intervention” but Bruce is going berserk because his shark instincts have been awakened by the blood in the water.

I think you’re starting to get where I’m going with this… Christian leaders are well-meaning, they have good intentions, they try every trick in the book to attempt to break in themselves, their improper ways, but in the end, if they haven’t been transformed into something other than a shark, when the blood comes into the water, they pounce.

This is why we are startled when it happens. Because we don’t expect that such well-meaning people, people who have supposedly devoted their lives to serving God’s flock, would harm God’s Sheep.

Being a follower of Christ and becoming a leader in His Church requires much more than behavior modification techniques and positive mental attitude exercises. We must literally change who we are and become “like Christ.” Develop the “mind of Christ.” We must be changed from the inside out by the Word of God & His power to the point that we are no longer swayed by the whiffs of blood in the water.

The blood in the water that tempts us is different for each person. For some it is to be provoked to anger. For some it’s jealousy. Others, it is materialism or greed that brings out the shark in us. Maybe for you it’s pride, revenge, selfishness, ambition, control, competitiveness or even lust.

The question that I’m wanting for us to consider today is this: Is there a trigger for you that still triggers you? What is your blood in the water? If you can identify it, then you can intentionally work on it.

2 Corinthians 10:5 exhorts us to “take captive every thought to make it obedient to Christ.” When we take a person prisoner, we question them for intel on how the enemy works so that we can win the war. And since the enemy is both the devil and our own flesh, we find out about his tactics and our weaknesses. If we will take prisoner our thoughts and deeds that are against God’s Word and ways, then with God’s help, we can change!

So what are we supposed to become? We are supposed to be sheep. Jesus is the Lamb of God and He is also our Shepherd. The big problem that we face is that no people naturally want to be sheep. They are helpless, defenseless, easily victimized and vulnerable. From a human standpoint, they make terrible leaders and seem very weak. 

If you asked any young man right now, “would you choose to be a shark, or a sheep?” The vast majority would choose to be a shark. Sharks are confident, cool, decisive, tough, in control and mean! Sheep are… well, they are “followers.” Who really wants to be a follower, anyway?

My son Ethan, when he was younger, enjoyed the movie, "The Adventures of Sharkboy & Lavagirl." That was cool!  But it wouldn't have been a hit if it had been "Sheepboy!"

But unless we are sheep, are we really even saved? I think not! Unless we are disciples, followers of Christ, are we really living for Him? Unless we die to ourselves daily, pick up the cross, place ourselves as living sacrifices on His altar, are we in His army?

Our only protection as sheep is to stay near to and listen to the voice of Jesus. It seems like a tremendous risk until you realize that His protection is the ultimate! And then our posture in serving within His Kingdom and even in the marketplace becomes Sonship. The authority given us as sons and daughters of the King is well beyond any other kind of authority that there is.  Sonship leadership is Jesus Style Leadership and it is the most effective kind!

Think of this...  King David, a man after God's own heart and a great leader was a shepherd.  He led sheep and he led people.  King Saul, his predecessor, was a donkey herder.  He drove donkey's and he drove people.  But that's a message for another day...

May we no longer be well meaning sharks, but may we be changed from sharks (wolves) into followers of Christ, gentle lambs, Children of God.

So the next time someone says, “You’re such a follower!” Say, “Thanks!  You can follow me as I follow Christ if you want!”

Hijacked!

Here it is.  Last weeks sermon which explains the vision given to me about many churches, groups & denominations being like airplanes which have been hijacked by wolves in sheep clothing and the Simon the sorcerer types.

When God is Silent, Expect Great Things!

 

One of the ministries that I conduct twice a week is Home Meetings.  I do one on Monday nights and another on Wednesday nights.  There are also many others that our leaders conduct on Tuesdays, Thursdays, Fridays, Saturdays and on Sunday afternoon & evening.  Wherever you may live and whatever your schedule is in the Metro Manila area, there is a Home Group that you can join to find the encouragement and love that will help you!  Just contact me at gatewaychurchphilippines@gmail.com to get connected.

 

Below is a typical Bible Study I did just this last Wednesday night.  I share many things including the fact that when God is silent, we need to be expectant that great things are brewing and are on the way!  And so much more!  It was a great night and it is an encouraging and poignant teaching.  Enjoy!

 

Marriage & Baptisms in Pagudpud, March 7, 2015

Amy and I were married on March 7 at a gorgeous beach at Pagudpud, Ilocos Norte, Philippines!  I'll post official pics once the photographer gets us the pics.  He happens to be my Brother, Doug from the Portland, Oregon area who was here in the Philippines for the event along with my Son, Devin who also lives in the Portland area.  My sons Chad and Ethan live here in Manila with me.  But the following day, I had the honor of conducting 4 Baptisms in the ocean.  I'm posting the Video here that we also showed in the Sunday morning service earlier today.  It's a compilation of the 4 testimonies followed by the 4 being immersed in the water.  The Vid is about 11 minutes.  Two of the folks are my Son, Chad and his Girlfriend, Lindsey who have both encountered God in an amazing way in the last few months and so this is not only a Church testimony, but it is a great victory for our family as well!  God answers prayer!!

 

 

This is a short 15 minute teaching that Steve delivered right from his living room couch about Jesus our Super-Model.  In other words, He is our ultimate example.  This teaching lays this subject right out there in a fresh way that will challenge your thinking.

Ruined for the Better!

The word “Ruined” is strong.  It means damaged and the idea people get is destroyed to a point that whatever was ruined is changed forever.  The term is often used when a precious garment gets bleached or over-dried in the laundry.  The despairing person will often cry out, “It’s ruined!”  Sometimes they’ll even follow this statement with something like, “I paid $50 for that shirt!”  There is a strong sense of loss when something precious is ruined.

 I’ve spent time in places like Greece, Italy and Turkey looking at “ruins”… formerly grand buildings which are now in beautiful disrepair.  When I look upon those ruins, my mind goes back in time and imagines how great those structures were and how proud of them the people of those days must have been. 

There is no doubt that the devil is trying to ruin us.  He comes to steal, to kill and to destroy and he’s not kidding.  (see John 10:10)  Sometimes, he is successful.  When the children of God fail to operate in obedience and faith, when we give in and give up, the results can be disastrous.

As I have been contemplating my life so far… my 46 years on this planet, I have experienced much ruin.  I’m sure you have too!  But I’ve noticed something!  Whenever I get ruined, as long as I cling to Christ, I get ruined for the better!  Someone once told me, “the devil always overplays his hand.”  This is a poker term (a card game favored by serious gamblers).  It means that the enemy doesn’t really have the good cards.  We have the winning hand in Jesus Christ!  But that dirty devil is a bold bluffer.  He uses intimidation and other tactics to try to get us to fold (give up). 

I have news for you friend!  Based not only on my own experience but also on the Word of God!  If you won’t fold, if you won’t give in or give up, you will always be victorious in Christ the end!  (see Galatians 6:9)

Joseph was one of the guys in the Bible that was ruined by the enemy, using his very own brothers and many others.  But he never wavered and never stopped trusting in God.  Many years down the road after he had been promoted from a slave to the number two ruler of Egypt, he had these words to say:

“You intended to harm me, but God intended it for good to accomplish what is now being done, the saving of many lives.” (Genesis 50:20 NIV)

Was Joseph ruined by the efforts of the enemy?  Absolutely!  The course of his life was directed negatively many times!  He spent a good amount of his life in jail!  But God turned it around!  And because Joseph never gave in and never gave up, he was “Ruined for the Better!”

I have many friends who have been ruined and not for the better.  Many used to be successful, had great family situations, fantastic businesses, careers, even ministries.  Then they were destroyed.  Ruined by situations, circumstances, bad decisions, attacks, you name it.  Today, they are empty, miserable, some have disappeared from Church, from life…  But this is unnecessary!  Sad!

I have many other friends that no matter what happened, they kept trusting Jesus, believing in God, persevering, working through the pain…  Yes, they were ruined.  Permanently changed, but because they didn’t give up, they became even better and more effective than ever before!  Stronger!

Job was ruined!  Completely!  But because he passed the testing, God blessed him all the more!

Many times in my life, I have been ruined.  Either through my own wrong turns, by seeming bad coincidence or through spiritual warfare.  But in those times, the voice of the Lord always broadcasts to my spirit that I will only be destroyed if I allow myself to be destroyed.  I will only be finished if I allow myself to be finished.

My encouragement to you is this.  Embrace the ruining process because it really is a pruning process!  Allow the adversities and the tragedies of life to change, mold and make you!  Don’t give up, don’t give in, keep trusting in Jesus, stay in the shadow of His wings!  Get Ruined for the Better!

I know some of your former friends want you to be ruined!  Former friends are worse than enemies, aren’t they? :-)  But it doesn’t matter!  I know they’re out there talking negatively about you, literally trying to assassinate your character & associate your name with scandal, but it doesn’t matter!  God is on your side and He will be the one to right the wrongs.  Stay positive, keep sowing positively, keep blessing, stay focused on Jesus!  Everyone reaps what they sow…

Everyone I know who is not in ministry anymore, allowed it to happen to them.  God’s calling is irrevocable… He will never take it away!  (Romans 11:29)  God still wants to use you, but you have to believe it and continue to go after Him without allowing the disappointments of life to derail you!  Allow yourself to be ruined for the better, everytime!

Becoming more Relatable means Becoming less Pretentious

Many people from my generation (I was born in 68') are having trouble adjusting.  We live in a new era and for those of us in ministry, it is especially important to be relatable which equates now more than ever to being trustworthy.  I'll explain.  The new generation, which I recently heard referred to as the "selfie generation" is all about being real & authentic.  Of course I don't actually buy the alleged authenticity of the reality shows which now dominate much of TV and I also don't believe the majority of what I see portrayed on Facebook.  These things do show us that authenticity is more valued now than ever before, but I still think most people are wearing masks.  These masks are just allot more realistic than they used to be.

So how do we become more relatable?  There are many ways, but I think the place to start is in the way we talk.  There is much pretension in our speaking.

To be pretentious means to exaggerate our worth, value, standing, importance or stature.  You guessed it!  It is to try purposely to be impressive to people!  This can be done by over-dressing, embellishing our background and a multitude of other ways, but many people do this in speech, trying to elevate themselves by using humongous, oops, complex, oops, big words.

Here's how to break away from being pretentious:

Don't use a complicated word when there is a simple one which expresses our thought just as well. Now of course if one of those bigger more impressive words really does say something the more common word cannot say, then by all means use it... not to impress, but to be more clear.  To be a balanced person is the key.  Balance in speech means we learn to be specific and simple.  This is relatable and trustworthy.  And believe me, you will probably notice that people will want to hang around you more!  This is good for making friends. (Proverbs 18:24a NKJV: A man who has friends must himself be friendly)

Now for the funny observation in all this.  In the past generation, to be more accepted, we needed to learn how to speak in a more complicated way.  But now, the opposite is necessary.  In order to be more accepted, we should learn to be just as clear, but in a simpler way.  It's time to unlearn again..

Buckle Up for the New Year!

As I was driving today, the red light on the dash was blinking at me.  It was warning me that I was in danger for failing to put my seat belt on.  It's obvious that it's a good thing to do to wear the seat belt because statistics prove that seat belts save lives.  The problem is that I had been affected by a rebellious streak that comes on me from time to time.  I didn't feel like wearing my seat belt!

But the red light was irritating me!  Irritating me allot!!  What was the solution?  To give in and put the seat belt on?  Or...  my thoughts went to the possibility to going to my mechanic who could easily disable the light so that I would never need to worry about that pesky warning light ever again!  I schemed for a couple of minutes, but then my thoughts went to "what if..."  What if I died in a car crash!  I would go straight to heaven, but what of my family, what of my friends, what of the people who I'm ministering to at this time if I left this planet pre-maturely!  I even thought to myself what I would say to the others in heaven when I arrived...  "um, sorry I'm early, but I didn't feel like wearing my seat belt!"

So I overcame my feeling, my irritation, my rebellious streak and I put on the seat belt.  And I determined that I will wear it and not finish this life until I'm really supposed to.

This was a silly episode, but it reflects human nature in many ways.  It seems that everyone wants to be a prophet but few want to be on the receiving end of a prophetic warning.  It seems that people like encouraging sermons, but when they hear a sermon that hits a nerve, we might not see them again.

Some time back, I was ministering in a Church as a guest and the sermon became quite direct & prophetic.  Too on point for the comfort of the Associate Pastor.  The Lead Pastor wasn't there...  At lunch, he said how blessed & challenged he was by the message personally, but that he hopes nobody was offended.  He said that if they lose people, that the leadership will be unhappy.  I have to admit that my human nature kicked in for a bit and I allowed his comments to affect me.  I went to my hotel wondering if I had somehow failed God.  After all, would God want me to share a message that would cause people to leave?  But in prayer, God assured me that I had been faithful and that I was following the example of Jesus & what  the Bible says to do..  to speak the truth in love.

Later on, I was invited back.  The same Associate Pastor said that they had lost a few people but that many were stirred to get right with God. Some of the Elders had asked specifically that I come back. In this case, the Senior Leadership was appreciative of that pesky warning light. It's not always that way...  You can look at it this way...  many in that congregation had been living their lives carelessly and at risk.  God loved them so much that He sent them a warning to buckle up!

On a personal level, I know that we all get warnings in our lives.  Some blatant on the dash and some like road signs that we can just glimpse.  Often we miss or ignore them. Sometimes they come from sources that we don't recognize or even like.  After all, that red light does irritate.  If we weren't irritated, would we act?

Was Jesus irritating?  Was Paul irritating?  Was Peter irritating?  What about Isaiah, Elijah & Elisha? You know the answer!  Some have said that if Jesus preached the way most preachers do today, that He would never have crucified. Maybe!  There is way too much ear tickling going on.  And it's not motivated by love or care.  It is motivated by kingdom building and I don't mean God's Kingdom.  A better term would be "audience building."  Were these men focused on making friends?  The Word tells us that "faithful are the wounds of a friend, but the kisses of an enemy are deceitful." (Prov 27:6)

When I evaluate my life & the lives of the others who I relate with, I've noticed that the greatest damage, the greatest losses have come from carelessness.  It's not that God didn't warn.  It's that we fail to heed the warnings.

In this new year, I and many in the community where I minister are fasting yet again.  We are wanting better spiritual eyesight & more.  I pray that we will become more welcoming, more cooperative, more alert towards the pesky warnings in our lives.  God has a fantastic year in store for us but we must be careful & pay attention in order to take hold of it!