1. The Discipline of Hanging Around Other Believers

2. The Discipline of Daily Reading (Studying) God’s Word – This is not easy to do because life has many distractions along with the devil trying to steal the Word from our hearts (see Luke 8:12). 2 Timothy 2:15 says we are to study the Word of God; Be diligent to present yourself approved to God, a worker who does not need to be ashamed, rightly dividing the word of truth. Joshua 1:8 states; This Book of the Law shall not depart from your mouth, but you shall meditate in it day and night, that you may observe to do according to all that is written in it. For then you will make your way prosperous, and then you will have good success. (We read the Bible to fellowship with the Lord, we study to apply His word in our lives).

3. The Discipline of Daily Praying (Talking) to God – Matthew 6:5-7 states; But you, when you pray, go into your room, and when you have shut your door, pray to your Father who is in the secret place; and your Father who sees in secret will reward you openly. And when you pray, do not use vain repetitions as the heathen do. Mark 1:35 states Jesus prayed in the morning; Now in the morning, having risen a long while before daylight, He went out and departed to a solitary place; and there He prayed. 1 Thessalonians 5:17 says; Pray without ceasing. Prayer starts with praising and thanking God for everything He has done for you. Simply being quiet before the Lord is also effective prayer as well as praying in the Spirit (spiritual language – Jude 20; 1 Corinthians 12-14).

4. The Discipline of Regularly Attending Worship – The fourth commandment speaks about resting and worshipping the Lord every 7^th day. Exodus 20:8 states; Remember the Sabbath day to keep it holy. Six days you shall labor and do all your work, but the seventh day is the Sabbath of the Lord your God. We are like coals in a fire; when you remove one from the others it usually goes out. Psalm 122 states; I was glad when they said to me, “Let us go into the house of the LORD.” Worshipping together is practice for what we will do together for eternity. Matthew 6:10 states; Your will be done here on earth as it is in heaven. It glorifies God when His all kids gather before Him in one place to thank and praise Him.

5. The Discipline of Honoring God with Your Finances First – From the very beginning, before there were churches, even before God gave commandments about tithing we read about Abraham and Jacob giving tithes (10%) of everything to God (Genesis 14:20) as a way of showing God was the One Who gives everything we have. Proverbs 3:9 states we should do this first; Honor the LORD with your possessions, And with the first fruits of all your increase. Deuteronomy 14:22, 23 states tithing is the way God teaches us to reverence Him; You shall truly tithe … that you may learn to always fear the Lord. Malachi 3:6-13 states when we don’t tithe we are robbing God from His holy portion! And tithing was the only thing Jesus commended the Pharisee for.  Matthew 23:23.

6. The Discipline of Service – The Bible states we were not only saved from hell but saved to serve the Lord and others; Ephesians 2:8-10 states, For by grace you have been saved through faith, and that not of yourselves; it is the gift of God, not of works, lest anyone should boast. For we are His workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand that we should walk in them. It is only as we work together do we see the part of the body God made us to be come alive and grow (1 Corinthians 12). Ephesians 4:16 states it this way; the effective working by which every part does its share, causes growth of the body for the edifying of itself in love. James 1:22 states we are to be doers of the Word not just hearers.

7. The Discipline of a Clear Heart – Perhaps the single biggest danger that “trips up” new believers are disappointments and offenses. When we are let down (and we will be) by some expectation we had of God, ourselves or other believers we are vulnerable to evil spirits whispering thoughts to us to give up. 2 Corinthians 2:10-11 states we need to always maintain a forgiving heart; If you forgive anyone, I also forgive him. And what I have forgiven—if there was anything to forgive—I have forgiven in the sight of Christ for your sake, in order that Satan might not outwit us. For we are not unaware of his schemes. Satan loves to put a “blaming spirit” on us so we don’t focus on God but on ourselves or other people. That’s why the Bible calls him “the accuser of the brethren” in Revelation 12:9-11. Therefore confess your sins to God and He will forgive and cleanse you (1 John 1:9). See also Matthew 5:21-26 and Proverbs 4:23.

Admittedly, this is difficult to do. One minister noted that when he began to open up and let his ministry know what he was really battling, he was criticized. The naïve members of his ministry didn’t want to hear that they were a burden to him. They effectively said, “We don’t want to know you are human”. (Kids don’t usually like to acknowledge their parents are people too until they have children of their own.) Yet this is absolutely necessary if we are going to bring God’s people to maturity.

We cannot expect to reach a lost and dying generation by pretending things are better than they are. If Christian  leaders are getting shot to pieces by their own troops, then we better say something about it. If leaders will honestly and candidly share what the real battles of the ministry are, I believe they will find a larger army of sensitive, well-informed soldiers ready and willing to lift their hands, even as Aaron and Hur supported the hands of Moses (Exodus 17:10-12). Don’t you think it is time for a candid conversation like this in every Christian ministry organization in America? I hope that you do.

The Strategic Purpose for this Book

First, it is a specific tool to help grow up the people of God, by having an adult conversation about the realities of the Christian ministry as it is played out in the local church, home group, jail ministry, homeless ministry, mission organization etc.

Second, it gives Christian leaders and the people in their ministries a tool to initiate this adult conversation with their core leaders, facilitated by someone outside their ministry. If the material is too heavy for some to digest, they can always eat the fish and spit out the bones. At least the conversation will have started.

Third, it exposes demonic strategies hidden in the local ministry, so God’s people can exercise their dominion over Satan instead of over each other.

Fourth, it may provide new insight about differences in ministry gifting and governmental adjustments that can be made in order to reduce the number of disagreements the devil uses to hide behind as he hinders the flow of the Holy Spirit in the organization.

Fifth, it reveals the sin nature operating among religious people and thus the need for all believers to let the cross of Christ have its deeper work in our lives.

Excerpt from “What In Hell… Is Going On?” – https://www.createspace.com/3560273

Our Image of God Has to Die Before We Can See the True God 

Many times our relationship with God is reminiscent of the relationship we had with our natural father that lacked closeness and intimacy because our dad was absent physically or emotionally. Our so-called high Biblical standards and sacrificial commitment to God are usually more about us trying to be special and worthy of being noticed by a distant God because we have yet to truly know Him intimately.

Ironically the Lord has to deliver us from what seems like our very commitment to Him in order to bring us to Himself. This is why Jesus had to let His disciples see Him die right before their eyes.  The Jesus they knew and loved, as awesome as He was to them, wasn’t the full representation of all He was. Jesus is so much more.

God wisely has to allow “our” Jesus, our Christian formulas, our systematic theology and our denominations to die in our eyes, before we will fully embrace the true resurrected Christ in His fullness. As the Lord worked to circumcise our outward behavior like smoking, drinking, and a life of promiscuity in the Outer Court, He begins to carefully cut and circumcise our souls as well in the Inner Court.

This painful cutting is actually like a pruning that will produce more life. Truly, except a grain of wheat falls into the ground and dies, it abides alone (John 12:24). Just as the seed may feel like it is losing everything, it is about to become everything it was destined to be. We will all experience this kind of death as we approach the veil that separates us from God experientially.

It’s not until we are drawn by the Lord to go even deeper in our relationship with God that we discover the impurity of our prideful motives. Here we discover the seed bed of all sin. Here we discover what really needs to die in our nature internally, not just the external surface sins. This process is usually initiated through great trials and tribulations accompanied by prolonged suffering.

This is God’s graduate school of heaven that we call Roadkill Seminary. If it were not for the suffering and trials, we would be content to stay in the place of Service (typical Christianity in America) where we just learn more knowledge without obtaining significant personal transformation. It is God’s gift to us to draw us into this difficult, unfamiliar wilderness (see Deuteronomy 8:2).

Excerpt from “The Inner Journey” – https://www.createspace.com/3560270

How might a pastor or elder “domineer” his flock? In other words, what makes a man a pastoral bully? Here are some ways.

1. A man can “domineer” or “lord it over” his flock by intimidating them into doing what he wants done by holding over their heads the prospect of loss of stature and position in the church.

2. A pastor domineers whenever he threatens them with stern warnings of the discipline and judgment of God, even though there is no biblical basis for doing so.

3. A pastor domineers whenever he threatens them with public exposure of their sin should they not conform to his will and knuckle under to his plans.

4. A pastor domineers whenever he uses the sheer force of his personality to overwhelm others and coerce their submission.

5. A pastor domineers whenever he uses slick verbiage or eloquence to humiliate people into feeling ignorant or less competent than they really are.

6. A pastor domineers whenever he presents himself as super-spiritual (his views came about only as the result of extensive prayer and fasting and seeking God. How could anyone then possibly disagree with him?).

7. A pastor domineers whenever he exploits the natural tendency people have to elevate their spiritual leaders above the average Christian. That is to say, many Christians mistakenly think that a pastor is closer to God and more in tune with the divine will. The pastor often takes advantage of this false belief to expand his power and influence.

8. A pastor domineers whenever he gains a following and support against all dissenters by guaranteeing those who stand with him that they will gain from it, either by being brought into his inner circle or by some form of promotion.

9. A pastor domineers by widening the alleged gap between “clergy” and “laity.” In other words, he reinforces in them the false belief that he has a degree of access to God which they don’t.

10. Related to the former is the way some pastors will make it appear that they hold sway or power over the extent to which average lay people can experience God’s grace. He presents himself in subtle (not overt) ways as the mediator between the grace of God and the average believer. In this way he can secure their loyalty for his agenda.

11. He domineers by building into people a greater loyalty to himself than to God. Or he makes it appear that not to support him is to work at cross purposes with God.

12. He domineers by teaching that he has a gift that enables him to understand Scripture in a way they cannot. They are led to believe they cannot trust their own interpretive conclusions and must yield at all times to his.

13. He domineers by short circuiting due process, by shutting down dialogue and discussion prematurely, by not giving all concerned an opportunity to voice their opinion.

14. He domineers by establishing an inviolable barrier between himself and the sheep. He either surrounds himself with staff who insulate him from contact with the people or withdraws from the daily affairs of the church in such a way that he is unavailable and unreachable.

15. Related to the above is the practice of some in creating a governmental structure in which the senior pastor is accountable to no one, or if he is accountable it is only to a small group of very close friends and fellow elders who stand to profit personally from his tenure as pastor.

16. He domineers by viewing the people as simply a means to the achieving of his own personal ends. Ministry is reduced to exploitation. The people exist to “serve his vision” rather than he and all the people together existing to serve the vision of the entire church.

17. He domineers by making people feel unsafe and insecure should they desire to voice an objection to his proposals and policies.

18. He domineers by convincing them, ever so subtly, that their spiritual welfare is dependent on his will. To cross him is to cross God!

19. He domineers by misinterpreting and misapplying to himself the OT command: “Don’t touch God’s anointed.”

20. He domineers by building a culture of legalism rather than one of grace. People are thus motivated to embrace his authority and bow to his will based on extra biblical rules that supposedly are the criteria for true spirituality.

21. He domineers by arguing or acting as if his movements and decisions are ultimately determinative of the spiritual welfare of others (cf. 2 Cor. 1:23-25).

22. He domineers when he leads people to believe that their faith hinges (i.e., rises or falls) upon his life and decisions.

23. He domineers when he uses people as a means to his own satisfaction rather than enabling them to experience satisfaction in Christ alone.

http://www.samstorms.com/enjoying-god-blog/post/pastoral-bullies

We often tell young Christians that God won’t put them through more than they can handle to comfort them. In general, from a theological perspective it is appropriate for new believers to understand God will not allow them to be destroyed or vanquished into oblivion by trying times in their life. However it can be terrifying when we are faced with a situation that is presently overwhelming our ability to cope. We can become greatly confused and disoriented because we have been incorrectly taught that these trials and tribulations were never supposed to get this difficult. Besides what makes this belief irrelevant in the first place is that our idea and God’s idea of what is too difficult for us to handle is not the same.

This failure to cope during a trial may cause us to think we are really messed up because we are presently experiencing more than we can handle; yet in our mind we remember being taught this should never happen to a Christian. We falsely think God should’ve come to our rescue by now. “Why don’t the Scriptures work for me?” we think to our self. I believe this misconception adds to the drop-out rate for Christians all over the world.

Believers who are experiencing tests and trials that are beyond their ability end up thinking God has abandoned them or they just don’t have what it takes, so they often give up on their walk. The source of this misconception is rooted in a misunderstanding of 1 Corinthians 10:13:

No temptation has overtaken you except such is common to man; but God is faithful, who will not allow you to be tempted beyond what you are able, but with the temptation will also make a way of escape that you may be able to bear it.

What the Bible says here is that no “temptation” will entice us so forcibly, so powerfully that we will have to succumb to it. No one will be able to stand before God on Judgment Day and say to God “I’m sorry Lord, I just had no choice but to sin, he or she was just too beautiful to turn down.” Joseph escaped the temptation of Potipher’s wife by running. God made a way of escape. However trials are different. Joseph couldn’t escape the pit or prison. There are no escapes from these kinds of trials. Just ask Daniel about the lion’s den and the three Hebrew children who were thrown in the fiery furnace, or the countless martyrs throughout history who didn’t have a way of escape. The Scripture here in First Corinthians is referring to no “temptation” will overwhelm us. It is not referring to a “trial.”

Paul himself said he was burdened by circumstances so great they were beyond measure and above his strength to bear. Contemporary preachers may try to sanitize RKS from the Bible but the apostle’s words are still in black and white in 2 Corinthians 1:8:

For we do not want you to be ignorant, brethren, of our trouble which came to us in Asia: that we were burdened beyond measure, above strength, so that we  despaired even of life.

For the Christian who is being prepared for a higher calling, it appears God will allow, and even specifically design, circumstances and trials to break them, to take them beyond their present ability to cope. It’s only when the Lord takes us beyond our breaking point and blows our “circuit breakers” that we truly discover where our life ends and His Spirit begins. This is the beginning of the Spirit-dependent life.

We acknowledge in the eternal sense that our God wouldn’t allow a trial to destroy us. In truth these trials are about us dying to the strength of flesh and discovering His enabling grace. However, there are times when the Lord out necessity allows us to be overwhelmed beyond our ability to bear it so we will discover the reality of His resurrection power. Are you still unconvinced that God would have you go through something you cannot bear? Look at how Jesus Himself fell under the weight of the Roman cross on the way to Golgotha (Matthew 27:32). It was more than Jesus could handle. The Roman soldiers had to get another man to help Him carry it to the finish line. God will also have particular people positioned in our life to help us continue towards our appointment with death … then resurrection.

As we become obedient unto death as Jesus did, the Bible becomes more than a religious book; it becomes the Living Word of Life. Those who don’t hunger for the higher calling and purposes of God or those who have shrunk back from God’s dealings may find this difficult to accept. Understandably there is a naïve sense of security in believing we’ll never have to face more than we are able. As we stated earlier, many are called but few choose the path of the chosen. Maybe we’ll never be given the opportunity to be tested like we are discussing here. Yes I said opportunity. It is a privilege to suffer for Christ. It is only the grace of God that has allowed anyone to suffer faithfully for the Lord.

Excerpt from Roadkill Seminary – http://onelordonebody.com/roadkill-seminary/

Anyone can give away something expensive, but those who understand sacrifice can give away something valuable.

If you dropped your trophy in the midst of the battle and have been wounded in your pursuit of purity, ask God to forgive you and restore your virginity/purity. Miracles still happen…we call these people, “born-again virgins.” And then fight to save yourself for the man/women of your dreams.

It may seem odd to suggest that Almighty God might not know something. How can the God who knows when a sparrow falls to the ground anywhere in the world or and who has numbered every hair on every human’s head not know something? 

Are not two sparrows sold for a copper coin? And not one of them falls to the ground apart from your Father’s will. But the very hairs of your head are all numbered. Matthew 10:29, 30

God even records every day of our life before we were born.

Your eyes saw my substance, being yet unformed. And in Your book they all were written, The days fashioned for me, When as yet there were none of them. Psalm 139:16

Many of us are aware the Holy Bible states that God is Omniscient (all knowing), Omnipotent (all powerful), and Omnipresent (every where all the time). He is the Alpha and omega the beginning and the end.

For I am God, and there is no other; I am God, and there is none like Me, Declaring the end from the beginning, And from ancient times things that are not yet done. Isaiah 46:9, 10 

Even some leading Astrophysicists, Molecular Biologists and Scientists involved in Quantum Mechanics, have acknowledged that some super-intelligence or master engineer had to have overseen the events of Creation or the Big Bang.

Why do they believe this? Because scientists now know that just to create one simple cell requires the simultaneous existence of over 30 proteins and amino acids; in other words these components had to show up on the scene at the same time. Furthermore there needed to be even smaller molecular machines transporting the DNA information throughout the organism. 

This irreducible complexity doesn’t even factor in the massive amounts of sub atomic particles like atoms, consisting of protons and electrons, which are made of smaller things called “quarks”, which have recently been discovered to consist of even smaller things called “preons”,… all of these things have to be properly aligned and precisely balanced for life to exist. Scientists have observed all these components are being held together by some invisible energy or power.

For thus says the Lord, Who created the heavens, Who is God, Who formed the earth and made it, Who has established it, Who did not create it in vain, Who formed it to be inhabited: I am the Lord, and there is no other. Isaiah 45:18

 God, who at various times and in various ways spoke in time past to the fathers by the prophets, has in these last days spoken to us by His Son, whom He has appointed heir of all things, through whom also He made the worlds; who being the brightness of His glory and the express image of His person, and upholding all things by the word of His power, Hebrews 1:1-3

If the testimony of Scripture is that God holds our lives and every atom of our universe together, how is it possible for Him not to know four things? Just what are these four things?

Number 1 – The First Thing God Doesn’t Know is a Sin He Doesn’t Hate!

These six things the Lord hates, Yes, seven are an abomination to Him:17 A proud look, A lying tongue, Hands that shed innocent blood,18 A heart that devises wicked plans, Feet that are swift in running to evil,19 A false witness who speaks lies, And one who sows discord among brethren. Proverbs 6:16-19

 Why does God hate sin so much? Because He sees it for what it really is. He knows the eternal consequences of sin like no one else. He understands it in its entirety. To sin means to miss the mark, to fall short of the glory and holiness of God. Furthermore when we miss the life and the glory of God, we hit something else that is not God.

Whatever is not part of God, will ultimately die because God is the source of life. We are like a battery that will eventually go dead with connection to God. In fact, our life has just enough battery life to allow us to decide whether or not we want to be plugged back into the source of life. That’s what our free-will is all about.

Since God is the source and author of all love, all life, peace, joy, happiness, health and fulfillment, He hates it when we miss Him and hit sin. God see’s the enormous domino effect it has on the human soul and society. God not only sees the damage caused to the one who has sinned, but the ravaging effects it has on others. There is always collateral damage with sin. Sin is like tar; it gets on everything.

We all know about the horrors of the pride and greed of people like Nero, Napoleon, Hitler, Stalin, Mao, Po Pot, Kim Young IL, which we all know are responsible for killing hundreds of millions of people.

But sin affects the every person right where we live.

Right now, there are people in positions of authority that are sinning and their sins are going to affect every one of us reading this.

• The pharmacist who is lazy and prescribes the wrong medicine.
• The drunken airline pilot that crashes his plane killing hundreds.
• The food inspector who accepts a bribe and lets tainted baby food into the marketplace, killing dozens of precious babies.
• The building contractor, who cuts corners with inferior building materials to make more money, and looks the other way when the bridge or high-rise building collapses killing hundreds.
• The Bernie Madoffs of the world, whose sin of greed will wipe away hundreds of thousands of retirement accounts.
• The CEO of a military supply company that foment wars which will kill thousands just to keep his stock price high.
• The criminals that results in every one of us paying higher taxes for police, judges, lawyers, courtrooms, parole officers and prisons.
• The subtle compromises we all make that allow Hollywood to fund God-hating movies and television programs year after year.
• Those of us who are carry bitterness and anger for whatever reason end up damaging and emotionally alienating our children, who will often turn to alcohol or drugs to medicate their emotional and psychological wounds. And the cycle continues, generation after generation.

The tragic consequences of our Godlessness and our immorality, is finally breaking the bank of our government. Every time we choose to live contrary God’s laws, we suffer and so does our nation. The government grows bigger and bigger as it tries to fill the gap created by absent fathers. Washington tries to provide the food stamps, child care, and the medical and housing subsidies, along with the increase spending for the costs of crime, which is always associated with inner city, single parent households.

 For all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God. Romans 3:23

God doesn’t know a sin He doesn’t hate because it is all deadly to our soul. Sin is like Bologna – it’s all sin, no matter how thin you slice it.  You might not think you have sinned much, but who do you compare yourself too. Mother Teresa who gave her entire life away to God by serving the poor in the slums of Calcutta, India – indicated she was helplessly lost and in desperate need of Savior. If she needed a Savior after a lifetime of service where do you and I stand? We fool ourselves when we compare ourselves to others we think are worse than we are.

It is all sin and it makes all of us guilty. Remember Rat Poison is 99% food and only 1% poison. A glass of water can have over 10,000 drops of pure water in it, but 1 drop of anthrax in it will kill several men. Would you drink a glass of water with one drop of anthrax in it?

Jesus gets to the heart of how deadly sin really is.

You have heard that it was said to those of old, You shall not murder, and whoever murders will be in danger of the judgment. 22 But I say to you that whoever is angry with his brother without a cause shall be in danger of the judgment. And whoever says to his brother, Raca! shall be in danger of the council. But whoever says, You fool! shall be in danger of hell fire. Matthew 5:22

 You have heard that it was said to those of old, You shall not commit adultery.28 But I say to you that whoever looks at a woman to lust for her has already committed adultery with her in his heart. Matthew 5:27

None of us escape the consequences of sin – even the cowardly and unbelieving tops the list of sinners. Listed at the end of the Bible.

 He who overcomes shall inherit all things, and I will be his God and he shall be My son.8 But the cowardly, unbelieving, abominable, murderers, sexually immoral, sorcerers, idolaters, and all liars shall have their part in the lake which burns with fire and brimstone, which is the second death. Revelation 21:7, 8

Probably the greatest reason God doesn’t know a sin He doesn’t hate is because it separates us from Him.

 Behold, the Lords hand is not shortened, That it cannot save; Nor His ear heavy, That it cannot hear.2 But your iniquities have separated you from your God; And your sins have hidden His face from you, So that He will not hear. Isaiah 59:1, 2

We forget that God is a being of a whole different order than we are – He is holy, holy, holy! Remember God is the just judge of the entire universe. We place high standards on our earthly judges and demand them to show no favoritism or partiality in their deliberations, over any individual who has broken the Law. Multiply that need for a judge to impartial by a billion, and you have an idea of how awesome and just God truly is.

We should remember that sin isn’t always something we do, it’s something we are. It’s part of our nature. Our soul’s clandestine and clever inclination to live independently of God is proof sin is active in us to some degree.

Wherefore, as by one man sin entered into the world, and death by sin; and so death passed upon all men, for that all have sinned: Romans 5:12 (Also Romans 3:10-12; 23)

Since Scripture says death has passed upon all men because all have sinned, and mankind’s supposed “sinless human nature” has never hit the mark (the glory of God) anywhere, at any time, it seems reasonable to conclude all have been infected by this terminal “mark missing syndrome”. Some say it’s just a weakness or a frailty – but Romans 3 indicates there is an enmity, a willful (even demonic) resistance to God pulsating in us. That would concur with the concept we have the venom from the original snake bite still in us.

Behold, I was brought forth in iniquity, and in sin my mother conceived me. Psalm 51:5

Sin cannot exist in His presence – He is too holy and powerful. It’s like a piece of paper trying to exist on the surface of the sun. It just can’t happen without protection.

Number 2 – The Second Thing God Doesn’t Know Is a Sinner He Doesn’t Love!

 Come now, and let us reason together, ”Says the Lord, “Though your sins are like scarlet, They shall be as white as snow; Though they are red like crimson, They shall be as wool. ¹⁹ If you are willing and obedient, You shall eat the good of the land. Isaiah 1:18, 19

He said to her, “Woman, where are those accusers of yours? Has no one condemned you?” She said, “No one, Lord.” And Jesus said to her, “Neither do I condemn you; go and sin no more.” John 8:10, 11

Number 4 – The Fourth Thing God Doesn’t Know, Is a Better Time Than Right Now to Accept Jesus.

We then, as workers together with Him also plead with you not to receive the grace of God in vain. For He says: “In an acceptable time I have heard you, And in the day of salvation I have helped you.” Behold, now is the accepted time; behold, now is the day of salvation. 2 Corinthians 6:1, 2

When a drowning man is thrown a life-preserver he grabs it, When a man falling from an airplane is offered a parachute he grabs it. A person bitten by a king cobra is offered anti-venom he takes it.

Every one listening to this message has now heard the Gospel – and is now accountable for what you have heard. You have received your spiritual MRI – you have seen the X-ray of your soul – now is the time to accept the surgery and take the medicine while there is time.

Not one more second is promised to you or me. A car wreck, a freak accident, a brain aneurysm could take us at any moment. Make the right decision for yourself and repent of living life independent of God and believe on the Lord Jesus Christ and his sacrifice He made for you today. Bow your knee and make Jesus the Lord and Savior of your life.

You will not only escape the greatest death, but you will discover a new and abundant life full of joy unspeakable and full of glory. You will discover the real reason you were put on this earth.

To receive Jesus Christ into your life, pray something like this.

Dear God in heaven. I confess that I am a sinner; I have missed the standard of your glory. I need You to change me. I repent this day of living my life independent of You and Your Word. I pray to receive Jesus Christ into my life, as my Savior and my Lord. Please forgive me and wash me by the precious blood of Jesus. Fill me with Your Holy Spirit, so I can be a new creation in Christ, and live the way You want me to live. I believe You have heard my pray and I Thank you Lord.  In Jesus name, Amen.

If you prayed that prayer – whether here or anywhere in the world – I pray for you my brother or sister, for the Holy Spirit to fill you – to make you a new person in Christ.  I declare that your sins are forgiven in the name of Jesus. I declare your inner-man is awakened to the Word and to the voice of God.

I challenge you to read your Bible everyday and find a Bible believing Church or home group right away, so you can grow in the knowledge of the Lord. Where you can be blessed and where you can be a blessing to others, as you learn about the spiritual calling and destiny on your life.

Congratulations the angels in heaven are rejoicing that are now part of the family of God.

Welcome home!

#1. Failure. You can’t be a Christian without it. We can’t be saved unless we have failed at being righteous, and the Bible states in Romans 3:10, “there is none righteous, no, not one!” Despite our intentions at being successful at being righteous, the sin-nature we have been infected with always raises its prideful head and causes us to do those things we wished we wouldn’t. Yet failing here is what qualifies us for the Salvation only God can provide.

#2. Failure. The gift of recognition. It is only after we fail at something do we discern our present condition and context. Thomas Edison is known to have said after he was questioned about failing to make a light bulb after a thousand attempts; He said, “I now know 1000 ways how not to make a light bulb”. He appreciated the beauty of failure. Each failure brings us one step closer to the answer if we look to the Lord. For a righteous man may fall seven times and rise again, But the wicked shall fall by calamity. Proverbs 24:16

#3. Failure. The portal to more grace. Failing shouldn’t be so much as a surprise to us but a reminder that failing is all we will ever do without the Lord. In John 15:5, Jesus states, “without Me you can do nothing”. What does a faithful believer do when they fail to live up to the Word of God? They faithfully repent and rely again, on the same grace that saved them in the beginning. 1 Peter 5:5 states, “God resists the proud but gives grace to the humble”.

So the next time you feel like a failure, just remember that failing is an “event”, not an “identity” when you have Jesus Christ in your life. This doesn’t make us self-confident but God-confident. Therefore no matter what you are facing today, when you have the Lord you can “fail-forward” in everything you do. Praise the Lord.

Now thanks be to God who always leads us in triumph in Christ. 2 Corinthians 2:14

I am the true vine, and My Father is the vinedresser.

I think we all love the “big stuff’ in the Bible like the Exodus, Elijah taking on the prophets of Baal, Jesus feeding the five thousand, walking on the water or raising the dead. Yet in order for us to see those “acts” happen in our lives we need to have the “seeds of that fruit” daily developing in our lives.

One of the most important spiritual principles we need to accept, is we need to be faithful in the little things. If we desire to live a significant life for God it starts by truly appreciating even the smallest word from the Lord. Just a whisper from Him should be enough to capture us and move us where He wishes. When we believe what the Lord said when He said, “If you abide in me and My Words abide in you, you will bear much fruit”; something special takes place in our hearts and minds. We no longer need to have a home run to win the game of life.

It is the small, almost imperceptible incremental flow of life that slowly flows from the Vine through the branches that over time, produces fruit. It is a good thing that it is a slow process because fruit is very heavy. Our branches need time to develop in order to support the weight of the fruit God wants to bring forth in our lives.

Do not despise these small beginnings, for the LORD rejoices to see the work begin…Zechariah 4:10 NLT

1.    God uses a teenage girl to bring forth His only Son into the world. (She has the responsibility of protecting the world’s only antidote for sin?)

2.    The Angel Gabriel appears to Mary. (Did Mary think; “God, why couldn’t Gabriel show up when Joseph and my parents were in the room?”)

3.    God impregnates someone’s daughter. (How will Mary explain this awkward situation to her parents? Where are her parents in this story? Is she an alienated teenager?)

4.    God impregnates another man’s woman.  (How will Mary explain this to her fiancé?)

5.    God impregnates Joseph’s woman.  (How will Joseph handle this?)

6.    God introduces this pregnancy in the most religious culture on the planet. (Did Mary and Joseph ask; ”Why did You have to do this here, with these people?”)

7.    They had to submit to the government decree to get registered.  (Did they ask themselves; “God aren’t You powerful enough to get us an exemption from this?”)

8.    Nine months pregnant and 80 miles traveling through hostile territory. (Did they ask themselves; “God, have you no compassion for how hard and dangerous this is?”)

9.    No room in Bethlehem to have the baby when they arrived from their long journey. (Did they ask themselves; “God, can’t You plan better than this? Are You sure You are in this?”)

10.  They have the baby in barn lying on top of animal dung. (Did they ask themselves; “God, why are there more animal witnesses than human witnesses for an event like this?”)

11.  The king (the government) puts a contract on them. (Did they ask themselves; “God, can’t you just kill the king who is trying to kill Your Son?”)

12.  God comes to earth. (God comes to earth Himself, to live as an example and to give us a blood transfusion that can heal us from the disease of our sin without infringing on our right of freewill. Priceless.)

So the next time you feel like God is on “dial tone” or He has left the building; think back to your school days; the teacher is always silent during the test. The Lord is closer to you than you know.

 Joy to the World, the Lord Has Come!

Filed under: Most Popular Articles Tagged: Christian Maturity, Christmas ]]> http://onelordonebody.com/2012/12/15/the-12-difficulties-of-christmas-by-jeffrey-b-krall/feed/ 2 jeffkrall Pic 14 http://onelordonebody.com/2012/10/27/weakness-and-foolishness-by-art-katz/ http://onelordonebody.com/2012/10/27/weakness-and-foolishness-by-art-katz/#comments Sun, 28 Oct 2012 02:35:13 +0000 Jeff Krall http://onelordonebody.com/?p=722 ]]> God delights in choosing the things that are weak and foolish in the eyes of the world to usher in the holy and glorious. He wants to rub this into our consciousness, and that the way of the kingdom is utterly contrary to the way of the world.

I feel like declaring war on Charismatic and Pentecostal “Amens” and “Hallelujahs”—anything that presumes to know anything, and I just want to be utterly foolish and celebrate failure, confusion and everything that characterizes what I believe is the true work of God; for only the true work of God will compel the attention of the world. I am suspicious of anything that is outwardly impressive, well-funded, runs smoothly, has an ambitious building program, or has programs producing shining examples of disciples. It seems to me to be not of God, but has rather the stink of man – precisely because it is too efficient. If something works too well, and has been accomplished without the suffering of the cross, we are likely out of the purposes of God.

It is not until you are saved and come into the church that you really begin to learn and understand the dimensions of human depravity. The revelation of what we really are as man truly begins at that point. That is why the church, the real church, is such a horror and a mess, full of confusion and contradiction, such an ugly revelation of the condition of your and the rest of mankind’s condition. If that has not been revealed in your church conduct, then where you are fellowshipping is not true church; it is something less that keeps the lid on, and allows you enough activity to give the semblance of services, the euphoria of meetings and songs, and a good preaching, but not sufficient to reveal what you are and what we all are together. That is why grace is not yet upon us all, because it is reserved for the wretched and the sinner. Until we have come to recognize how wretched we are, how totally bankrupt and incapable we are of anything, and just how much we really live in the spirit of the world, then grace is not available to us.

One of the reasons we show little fruit or virtue in our lives is that so little is required of us. To compound the problem, those who lead us are fearful to require anything of us. I want to vote for more disturbance, for agitation, for confrontation—anything that will get us off our comfortable pews and chairs and the things that we establish for our religious satisfaction. We need to embrace the things that are inconvenient and contrary to our self-serving will and desire.

Weakness and foolishness are therefore inherent in the faith; they are the key to the revelation of God’s glory. We need to see the collapsing contradiction of our humanistic hopes in order to come to a true ground and true foundation by which God can be Lord of all. A person is not yet in that place so long as there is human pride, assurance and learning in how to successfully conduct and perform religious service for God. The spirit of the world has unquestionably affected us. The whole emphasis today lies on power, ability, and the idea that we can “get the job done” as efficiently as the world – if not better. We take the world’s techniques and use them for the kingdom of God, and we can be just as charming, just as musical and just as able, and by that build successful churches, movements and organizations.

Our world has become drunk with power: Electric power, atomic power, military power. People are looking for their salvation in power terms. You hear phrases like, “powerful” men of God, “powerful” preachers. How about “weak” preachers? We, as the church, have been seduced by the emphasis on a power-celebrating world. How many of us are actually ashamed and self-conscious about any form of weakness? We do not want to take the risk of foolishness. We always want to come out smelling like a rose and doing something expertly and well on the basis of our own ability, rather than to trust the life of the crucified and Risen One. We here this scripture quoted: “Not by might nor by power but by My Spirit.” Well, how about the Spirit of weakness? How about the Spirit of humiliation? How about the Spirit of failure?

Our carnal souls are longing for the power of Pentecost and the glory of God that fell. We want to see the power! It sounds so spiritual, but how much of that is the celebration of man in our faulty motives? How much of that is really us wanting to exhibit ourselves clothed in that power, doing great things? In contrast, Jesus stood before His accusers, the Lamb who went silently to the slaughter. He demonstrated to them the power of the cross by His silence, humiliation, suffering, weakness, and finally by death.

There needs to be this power demonstrated by the church. It is the power of foolishness and weakness. It is the power of not succeeding on the basis of your own ability. It is the power of the willingness to be weak in order to allow His life to be expressed. It is the power that comes, not in conventional church circumstances, where we are not together long enough nor intensively enough to reveal and to show our weakness. We need to be willing to come into that intensity, allowing the mask to come off, and to show us what our real, naked condition is¾especially how hopeless it is without God. It is the willingness to be taken captive, to be restricted and to be constrained.

So long as our own natural desires reside in spiritual things, then there is still that stink of man. We still have our own flavor, and that is the difference between an dead work and a living and fruitful one. The authentic thing comes out of the weakness of that which has been emptied and brought into captivity, and the “flashy” thing, which is really powerless, is the life that is still living for itself and still assertive. Therefore, the one who allows himself to be overcome makes no demands, has no wall behind which he can defend himself. To be completely poured out is to be left defenseless. We remain foolish and utterly weak. It is this weakness in the inmost place that God is seeking after.

I think of our own community fellowship, and the numbers of people who have fled over the years, because “this was wrong or that was wrong, or this condition was irritating, or this elder lacked that, or things were not functioning, and it was not a happy and prospering fellowship.” In my opinion, God never intended that our fellowship should be “happy” and “prospering” at that time; that it was the God-given opportunity to be rid of the stink of man and of self. The abrasive situation was the only condition that could have searched it out, but because we were so sure, and had such clever ideas about what fellowship should be, then in our irritation and dissatisfaction, and in seeing the more attractive things elsewhere, we fled.

Every believer must experience the demanding relationship of intensive church life and fellowship together. It is not an option, for no other provision will fit them for the conditions that we are going to be required to face in a soon-coming hour. Mere Sunday services will never reveal the truth of our condition. We will never be tested in conventional church situations to any depth, however nice we think we are.

A man who has allowed himself to be overcome is one who will allow himself to be put into that kind of a situation where he is going to have to face his own stink and failure, along with the other believers who are joined with him. He must have his humanistic and romantic ideas, even of what the faith is, shattered and destroyed until he just collapses in a heap. You cannot go on, but it is at that very point that the blessed hope has the opportunity to come. That is where life really begins. That is where God becomes God. That is where His grace becomes grace. That is where he begins to unfold His will and His way, and provide the energy in the very place where our own efforts failed to obtain. How many of us are willing to go down to that before we can come up? Down to the human thing before we can rise up into a newness of life?

In order to demonstrate a “kingdom come”, there first needs to come a ruin, a scandalous failure, a collapse. Somehow one cannot leap over that necessity and still build the everlasting kingdom. Something must first fall away, and the church is that entity given of God to reveal what could never have been seen in the world. The world does not want things disturbed; it wants things smooth, efficient and smart. Man’s self-assurance is an abomination to God; his, his “know-it-all attitude”, his competence in learning how to conduct services and perform ministry, establish organizations and conduct programs and outreaches all in the name of Christ is contrary to His Spirit. The spirit of foolishness, weakness and failure is the spirit that overcomes the powers of this world. This is the faith. Have we said “Yes” to that?

The Study

The first room was the study – the library. In my home this room of the mind is a very small room with very thick walls. But it is a very important room. In a sense, it is the control room of the house. He entered with me and looked around at the books in the bookcase, the magazines upon the table, the pictures on the walls. As I followed His gaze I became uncomfortable.

Strangely, I had not felt self-conscious about this before, but now that He was there looking at these things I was embarrassed. Some books were there that His eyes were too pure to behold. On the table were a few magazines that a Christian had no business reading. As for the pictures on the walls – the imaginations and thoughts of the mind – some of these were shameful. Red-faced, I turned to Him and said, “Master, I know that this room needs to be cleaned up and made over. Will You help me make it what it ought to be?”

“Certainly!” He said, “I’m glad to help you. First of all, take all the things that you are reading and looking at which are not helpful, pure, good and true, and throw them out! Now put on the empty shelves the books of the Bible. Fill the library with Scripture and meditate on it day and night. As for the pictures on the walls, you will have difficulty controlling these images, but I have something that will help.” He gave me a full-sized portrait of Himself. “Hang this centrally,” He said, “on the wall of the mind.”

I did, and I have discovered through the years that when my thoughts are centered upon Christ Himself, His purity and power cause impure thoughts to back away. So He has helped me to bring my thoughts under His control.

The Dining Room

From the study we went into the dining room, the room of appetites and desires. I spent a lot of time and hard work here trying to satisfy my wants. I said to Him, “This is a favorite room. I am quite sure You will be pleased with what we serve.”

He seated Himself at the table with me and asked, “What is on the menu for dinner?” “Well,” I said, “my favorite dishes: money, academic degrees and stocks, with newspaper articles of fame and fortune as side dishes.” These where the things I liked – secular fare. When the food was placed before Him, He said nothing, but I observed that He did not eat it. I said to Him, “Master, don’t you care for this food? What is the trouble?”

He answered, “I have food to eat that you do not know of. If you want food that really satisfies you, do the will of the Father. Stop seeking your own pleasures, desires, and satisfaction. Seek to please Him. The food will satisfy you.” There at the table He gave me a taste of the joy of doing God’s will. What flavor! There is no food like it in all the world. It alone satisfies.

The Living Room

From the dining room we walked into the living room. This room was intimate and comfortable. I liked it. It had a fireplace, overstuffed chairs, a sofa, and a quiet atmosphere. He said, “This is indeed a delightful room. Let us come here often. It is secluded and quiet, and we can fellowship together.”

Well, as a young Christian I was thrilled. I couldn’t think of anything I would rather do than have a few minutes with Christ in close companionship. He promised, “I will be here early every morning. Meet me here, and we will start the day together.”

So morning after morning, I would come downstairs to the living room. He would take a book of the Bible from the case. We would open it and read together. He would unfold to me the wonder of God’s saving truths. My heart sang as He shared the love and the grace He had toward me. These were wonderful times. However, little by little, under the pressure of many responsibilities, this time began to be shortened. Why, I’m not sure. I thought I was too busy to spend regular time with Christ. This was not intentional, you understand. It just happened that way. Finally, not only was the time shortened, but I began to miss days now and then. Urgent matters would crowd out the quiet times of conversation with Jesus.

I remember one morning rushing downstairs, eager to be on my way. I passed the living room and noticed that the door was open. Looking in, I saw a fire in the fireplace and Jesus was sitting there. Suddenly in dismay I thought to myself, “He is my guest. I invited Him into my heart! He has come as my Savior and Friend, and yet I am neglecting Him.” I stopped, turned and hesitantly went in. With downcast glance, I said, “Master, forgive me. Have You been here all these mornings?”

“Yes,” He said, “I told you I would be here every morning to meet with you. Remember, I love you. I have redeemed you at great cost. I value your fellowship. Even if you cannot keep the quiet time for your own sake, do it for mine.”

The truth that Christ desires my companionship, that He wants me to be with Him and waits for me, has done more to transform my quiet time with God than any other single fact. Don’t let Christ wait alone in the living room of your heart, but every day find time when, with your Bible and in prayer, you may be together with Him.

The Workroom

Before long, He asked, “Do you have a workroom in your home?” Out in the garage of the home of my heart I had a workbench and some equipment, but I was not doing much with it. Once in a while I would play around with a few little gadgets, but I wasn’t producing anything substantial. I led Him out there. He looked over the workbench and said, “Well, this is quite well furnished. What are you producing with your life for the Kingdom of God?” He looked at one or two little toys that I had thrown together on the bench and held one up to me. “Is this the sort of thing you are doing for others in your Christian life?”

“Well,” I said, “Lord, I know it isn’t much, and I really want to do more, but after all, I don’t seem to have strength or skill to do more.” “Would you like to do better?” He asked. “Certainly,” I replied.

“All right. Let me have your hands. Now relax in me and let my Spirit work through you. I know that you are unskilled, clumsy and awkward, but the Holy Spirit is the Master Workman, and if He controls your hands and your heart, He will work through you.” Stepping around behind me and putting His great, strong hands under mine, He held the tools in His skilled fingers and began to work through me. The more I relaxed and trusted Him, the more He was able to do with my life.

The Rec Room

He asked me if I had a rec room where I went for fun and fellowship. I was hoping He would not ask about that. There were certain associations and activities that I wanted to keep for myself. One evening when I was on my way out with some of my buddies, He stopped me with a glance and asked, “Are you going out?” I replied, “Yes.” “Good,” He said, “I would like to go with you.”

“Oh,” I answered rather awkwardly. “I don’t think, Lord Jesus, that You would really enjoy where we are going. Let’s go out together tomorrow night. Tomorrow night we will go to a Bible class at church, but tonight I have another appointment.”

“I’m sorry,” He said. “I thought that when I came into your home, we were going to do everything together, to be close companions. I just want you to know that I am willing to go with you.” “Well,” I mumbled, slipping out the door, “we will go someplace together tomorrow night.” That evening I spent some miserable hours. I felt rotten. What kind of friend was I to Jesus, deliberately leaving Him out of my life, doing things and going places that I knew very well He would not enjoy?

When I returned that evening, there was a light in His room, I went up to talk it over with Him. I said, “Lord, I have learned my lesson. I know now that I can’t have a good time without You. From now on, we will do everything together.” Then we went down into the rec room of the house. He transformed it. He brought new friends, new excitement, new joys. Laughter and music have been ringing through the house ever since.

The Hall Closet

One day I found Him waiting for me at the door. An arresting look was in His eye. As I entered, He said to me, “There is a peculiar odor in the house. Something must be dead around here. It’s upstairs. I think it is in the hall closet.”

As soon as He said this, I knew what He was talking about. There was a small closet up there on the hall landing, just a few feet square. In that closet, behind lock and key, I had one or two little personal things that I did not want anyone to know about. Certainly, I did not want Christ to see them. I knew they were dead and rotting things left over from my old life. I wanted them so for myself that I was afraid to admit they were there.

Reluctantly, I went up with Him, and as we mounted the stairs the odor became stronger and stronger. He pointed to the door. I was angry. That’s the only way I can put it. I had given Him access to the library, the dining room, the living room, the workroom, the rec room and now He was asking me about a little two-by-four closet. I said to myself, “This is too much! I am not going to give Him the key.”

“Well,” He said, reading my thoughts, “if you think I’m going to stay up here on the second floor with this smell, you are mistaken. I will go out on the porch.” Then I saw Him start down the stairs. When one comes to know and love Christ, the worst thing that can happen is to sense Him withdrawing His fellowship. I had to give in. “I’ll give you the key,” I said sadly, “but You will have to open the closet and clean it out. I haven’t the strength to do it.” “Just give me the key,” He said. “Authorize me to take care of that closet and I will.”

With trembling fingers I passed the key to Him. He took it, walked over to the door, opened it, entered, took out all the putrefying stuff that was rotting in there, and threw it away. Then He cleaned the closet and painted it. It was done in a moment’s time. Oh, what victory and release to have that dead thing out of my life!

Transferring the Title

A thought came to me. “Lord, is there any chance that You would take over the management of the whole house and operate it for my as You did that closet? Would You take the responsibility to keep my life what it ought to be?”

His face lit up as He replied, “I’d love to! That is what I want to do. You cannot be a victorious Christian in your own strength. Let me do it through you and for you. That is the way. “But,” He added slowly, “I am just a guest. I have no authority to proceed, since the property is not mine.” Dropping to my knees, I said, “Lord, You have been a guest and I have been the host. From now on I am going to be the servant. You are going to be the owner and Master.”

Running as fast as I could to the strong-box, I took out the title-deed to the house describing its assets and liabilities, location and situation. I eagerly signed the house over to Him alone for time and eternity. “Here,” I said, “here it is, all that I am and have, forever. Now You run the house. I’ll just remain with You as a servant and friend.”

Things are a lot different since Jesus Christ has settled down and has made His home in my heart.

-Robert Boyd Munger

In India there was a certain province that had a severe infestation of poisonous snakes. People were dying in large numbers because of them. The government officials got together and decided to hire professionals snake catchers to rid themselves of these lethal pests. Months past and eventually the area snake population was almost totally eradicated.

Then the snake catchers found themselves in a real dilemma. They were working themselves out of a job. Their livelihood, even their sense of identity was at stake. Officials discovered later that the snake catchers had also secretly become snake breeders. Yes, they actually began raising snakes in private to ensure their services would always be needed. It was just too profitable for them to completely solve the local problem.

The same is true with many of the political problems facing us today. Some people whose identity and income is so completely derived from the social problems they champion are no longer truly looking for solutions. Their niche industry would go away if they actually solved the problem. These are political carpet-baggers who prey on any opportunity to be seen as the “professional problem solver”. They are especially prevalent in the “Civil Rights” and “Talk Radio” arenas. Wherever there is a problem and a camera you can count on them showing up.

In truth it seems the last thing some people want is the problem solved, because there is too much money to be made keeping the conflict alive. The “snake-breeders” of our day have no new ideas or real desire to see the issues they are supposedly fighting for solved.

We know this because they won’t sit down with the other side (without the cameras) and sincerely dialogue about equitable solutions. They almost never recognize or openly concede the other person’s valid points of view. A book such as this is easily dismissed as a meaningless moderate point of view to them and their constituents. Let us not act the same way. We can discover new solutions if we look in places we have not looked before.

Excerpt from – “A Better Way To Govern” – http://onelordonebody.com/a-better-way-to-govern/

Incompetent Leadership or God’s Divine Leading?

God told Moses to take three million Jews out of Egypt … tonight!!! Where is the competent planning and preparation? “What kind of idiotic leadership is this”? Then God told Moses to lead Israel to a dead-end by the Red Sea. “What kind of fool are we following”? Then God had Moses lead them to where there is no water. “Is this guy blind; I thought he knew where he was going”? He also married a black woman who wasn’t even a Jew. “How can he do such a blatantly unbiblical thing”?

God told Moses to go up to a mountain for 40 days to seek God’s will. “How could our leader leave us like this, to go on a leadership retreat at this time is unacceptable. He obviously doesn’t care about us”. These seem like valid questions, but they came from a rebellious people. God confronted these rebellious critics with judgment, even opening the ground and swallowing some of them alive. Then the people responded by accusing Moses of killing the people of God (Numbers 16:41).

Time and time again, the direct and specific leading of our God was met with ridicule and complaining by the people who lacked the discernment as to what was really going on in the Spirit realm. People still do the same things today. Some believers still perish in a wilderness of complaining and criticisms. Just like immature kids who only see things from their perspective, they have no idea what God is up to. Moses was invested in the will of God all the way. He was totally sold out, even if things looked foolish. He was going to follow the Lord in spite of the embarrassment of looking like an incompetent leader and the relentless criticisms from God’s people who wanted an easier way of life.

Some of the people who complain have lives that are so messed up you wonder how they could even attempt to criticize another person. Yet some of may also be well-educated. They may appear to be intellectually mature and quite successful in their occupation. They may look like they have their world all together. Their criticisms may even sound astute and sensible. However, their remarks are often the sharp arrows that come from a prideful and rebellious believer’s heart whom Satan is using to destroy your ministry leader.

They may have a form of godliness, but they deny the power or authority of God in your leader’s life (2 Timothy 3:5). They fake submission to God and His leadership. They are only invested in the ministry by offering their skills or expertise. They keep everyone at arm’s length, avoiding truly investing themselves in relationships or the future of the ministry. They are like Judas, who was part of the disciples, yet was never really one of them.

These cross-less Christians have yet to truly take up their cross and follow the Lord. They are essentially still the same person who came to the Lord yet without any significant character or personality transformation. They are often completely unaware of their immaturity and lack of discernment.

Excerpt from “What In Hell… Is Going On” – https://www.createspace.com/3560273

Some believers feel they are mature by how well they find fault in something. It is an adolescent, self-satisfying feeling they get when they criticize what appears to be the obvious lack of good decision making. But what these short-sighted believers don’t see is that it is often God who is leading your ministry along the present difficult path to mature the people in the ministry. Your leader may look like an idiot to you but may be following the direction of the Lord of lords for your ministry.

Excerpt from “What In Hell… Is Going On?” – https://www.createspace.com/3560273

The Creation Gospel

For since the creation of the world His invisible attributes are clearly seen, being understood by the things that are made, even His eternal power and Godhead, so that they are without excuse. Romans 1:18-20

The heavens declare the glory of God; And the firmament shows His handiwork. Psalm 19:1         

Job was able to refute the religious falsehoods of his peers without the use of the Holy Bible, by only using the oral law or traditions. The Old Testament wasn’t even written until centuries later. There was enough evidence surrounding Job and his friends in creation to come to the many  conclusions about God. This is called the “Creation Gospel” and it is described in Hugh Ross’ book: “The Finger Print of God”. (Hugh Ross. The Finger Print of God, Pages 181-182 Promise Publishing Co. 1982).

The Creation Gospel Goes Something Like This

The Creator must have awesome power and great wisdom. The quantity of material and the enormous power and resources within our universe are truly mind-boggling. The information and intricacy that is manifest in any part of the universe and especially in a living organism are beyond our ability to completely comprehend. What we see is only what God has shown us within our dimensions of space and time.

The Creator must be loving. The simplicity, the balance, order, elegance and beauty seen throughout the whole of the creation demonstrate that God must be loving and caring. Furthermore, the huge capacity and desire to nurture and protect seen in so many creatures only makes sense if the Creator possesses these same attributes. It is apparent that God cares for all of His creatures, for He has provided for their needs.

The Creator must be just and require justice. Upon inward reflection and outward investigation we affirm that human beings have a conscience. When human conscience is violated, guilt is incurred and shame is felt. The conscience reflects the reality of right and wrong and the necessity of obedience.

Each of us falls hopelessly short of the Creator’s standard. We incur guilt when we violate any part of God’s moral law in our actions, our words and our thoughts. Who can keep his thoughts and attitudes  perfectly pure for even an hour? If each person falls hopelessly short of his or her own standards, how much more so of God’s?

Because the Creator is loving, wise and powerful. He must have made a way to rescue us. When we come to despair over our helpless imperfection, we can begin to understand from the creation around us that God’s love, wisdom and power are sufficient to deliver us from our otherwise hopeless situation.

If we trust our lives totally to the Rescuer, we will be saved. The one and only path is for us to give up all human attempts to satisfy God’s requirements and to put our trust solely in Him and in His means of our redemption.

The Lord God has revealed Himself and His attributes sufficiently enough for people to make the right decisions for Him. That is why no matter where you go on the planet you will find natives attempting to worship some kind of god. Satan has distorted Man’s desire and quest for God through a multitude of false religions. But the fact remains, in the heart of Man there is an internal awareness of God’s existence and a vacuum that only He can fill.

Excerpt from – “It Really Is God’s Book” – https://www.createspace.com/3512605

One camp could be characterized as settlers, the other as pioneers. Similar to our early American settlements, one would be concerned with establishing Boonsboro. The others, like Daniel Boone himself, would be looking over the next mountain ridge to scout out new territory for God. Without pioneers, the Church would never take ground; without settlers, the Church would never keep the ground which has been taken.

One group is mostly concerned with “Maintaining the People of God”, while the other group is focused on “Advancing the Purposes of God.” One group desires to establish the people in Biblical Truth while the other motivates the people to exercise Biblical Action.

It is the tension between these two camps that results in much of the disunity among Christian leaders in cities today. These differences are even more prevalent than the doctrinal and cultural differences that divide us! Most of our problems with each other are more psychological than theological. In fact, most of the attacks we suspect are from evil spirits working in other people are actually our misunderstandings of their gifting.

When a person in ministry doesn’t flow with the way we are gifted, we can view them as a hindrance to what we believe God has called us to do. Pastors/teachers may see the emotionally charged or “hyper spiritual” services of the prophets/evangelists as a carnal or even demonic attempt to manipulate and coerce the people. Prophets/evangelists sometimes believe the reserved and cerebral emphasis of the pastors/teachers and perceive they are operating in a dead religious or Pharisee spirit.

This can separate leaders for months and years. Much  of what some do in ministry today is often more about slamming the other camp than advancing the kingdom of God. If we remain teachable, the Lord will reveal to us that those other ministers are not from the devil but are the other ministry gifts we are supposed to work alongside of.

The balance we and God’s flock need is not found in our own kind, but in those ministers we often think are working against us or holding us back. It usually takes years and many broken relationships before the typical minister realizes this fact. Unless a minister has attended “Roadkill Seminary” and experienced true brokenness he or she won’t be able to fully incorporate the revelation of the Scriptures into their daily lives. The reason is, we are too busy building our kingdoms our way to be bothered with material like this that addresses the believer’s inner life. Be forewarned! God is much more concerned about reaching all of you than He is about you reaching all of the world!

Excerpt from “Working Together for Jesus” – https://www.createspace.com/3560272

There is no mistaking what is flowing through you now; you know this is God and the people’s response seems to validate it. Not only has this touch of God blessed those you were ministering to, but it also greatly affected your life as well. Fresh in your mind is the new contrast between the “normal you” and the “empowered, anointed you.” Suddenly this contrast exposes weeks, months, even years of un-anointed preaching or teaching in your ministry. Now you are really sure you know what is God and what isn’t God. This is like your first teenage crush; often the emotions are so overwhelming you aren’t even aware of how you are acting.

This “anointed” endorsement convinces you that this fresh view of God certainly must be the ultimate one. This often results in the strong human desire to start building something, by trying to package what you’ve seen and heard or even by starting a new ministry. Read Matthew 17:4:

Then Peter answered and said to Jesus “Lord, it is good for us to be here; if You wish, let us make here three tabernacles: one for You, one for Moses, and one for Elijah.”

 Here we see Peter beholding the transfiguration of Jesus, plus Elijah and Moses. “This is really anointed!”, yet Peter’s desire to build a monument (or a ministry) to this revelation wasn’t the “anointed” thing to do. Peter’s excitement blinded him to the whole purpose of what God was doing. This is “anointed self-deception” and it occurs to all of us at one time. Anointed self-deception is when you are so amazed, even intoxicated by what God is showing you that you are convinced you have the whole picture. You think your understanding of God’s ways is now the way. Our human nature easily gets these things messed up. This can be especially true if you and I have been rejected in the past and are longing for some kind of affirmation or validation. Most of us need to be delivered from hidden psychological wounds and issues before we can successfully minister at higher levels. Even the great apostle John, upon seeing the most amazing revelations from God, missed it in Revelation 19:10:

And I fell at his feet to worship him. But he said to me, “See that you do not do that! I am your fellow servant and of your brethren who have the testimony of Jesus. Worship God!”

 John almost worshiped a man instead of God. He probably would have been convinced he was right to do so. After, all, he had seen all these marvelous revelations from God Himself; surely he wouldn’t be wrong. Oh yes he would be wrong! John even blows it a second time in Revelation 22:9. Even things God has clearly given to us can become stumbling blocks or idols such as the “bronze serpent” fashioned by Moses in Numbers 21:4-9. It was a symbol of healing in his day but in 2 Kings 18:4 it had to be destroyed because it became an idol.

If you are a believer, a pastor, teacher, prophet, an apostle or evangelist and you have given yourself to the Lord to minister to others, He has no doubt at times anointed you to minister to His precious Body. You must remember that you are only seeing a part of what God is doing — not the part. The Bible says now we know in part.

Excerpt from “Working Together For Jesus”

Who Are Controllers?

A controller can be a child, a parent, a grandparent, a spouse, a brother, a sister, a best friend, a church/ministry leader or anybody close to us. The controllers that affect us most are rarely strangers. We should remember that some of the people we are close to and respect right now might not continue to go on following the Lord at the same level we are. If you and I are not confident in the Lord, they might try to influence us to keep us in their comfort zone. They can also feel threatened by us growing in the Lord and may actually feel empowered by controlling or keeping us under their own influence.

Controllers are often obsessed with supervising the behavior of others. They are wrapped up in what others are doing in light of their own personal needs. Controllers can be very self-centered. Although outwardly they may appear confident, a person with a controlling spirit usually has low self-esteem, and many times is suffering from a spirit of rejection. This fear often causes them to try to control their environment and just about everyone in it. This is where Satan takes advantage of them by manipulating them to do his work through their own controlling behavior. We should note that all of us have some human tendency to control our environment and others in some way. That is why RKS is so necessary for every believer. Dead men have no needs for Satan to take advantage of. Remember, Jesus said that Satan had nothing “in” Him in John 14:30.           

How Do They Control Others?

Emotional Control ‑ A controlling spirit may use a person who will over react or under react in order to keep their victim suspended and second-guessing how they should respond. They will use tears, anger, rage, threats, outbursts, moodiness, sulking, silence and even illness as instruments to manipulate others to do what they want. Getting and keeping the attention of others is a priority of controllers. By controlling the attention and actions of others they feel secure or that they are important and in control of their own destiny.

Spiritual Control ‑ A religious spirit in a leader will often try to control or dominate the people of God to make the believers in their ministry totally dependent on them and not the Lord. Using guilt or legalism, some leaders will keep God’s people insecure and dependant on them. True spiritual authority should make believers less dependent on them and more reliant on Jesus. Mature leaders hold all their people with open hands. Insecure leaders are often great oppressors (Proverbs 28:16).

This also happens from individuals within a ministry. Insecure Christians, in an effort to fulfill their personal needs in their life, will purposely or ignorantly pray or prophesy over people in an attempt to fulfill God’s will according to their understanding. To the young and unsuspecting Christian, these “soulish” Christians may appear loving and sincere at first. But they can mother (or smother) us so they can feel important and fulfilled. It’s difficult to recognize what they are doing at first because they appear to be so mature and concerned about our well-being. Sometimes we are just thrilled someone is taking an interest in us.

Recognizing You Are Under Attack

If we desire to serve God, we can expect this demonic power will attack us at one time or another. We know we are under attack when we are suffering from depression, anxiety and despair beyond our ability to explain. We may also experience a frequent infirmity or sickness. We can experience mental fatigue and suicidal thoughts along with fear and anxiety so thick it paralyzes us. We may also struggle with powerful and shameful, lustful thoughts. However, when we really know who we are in Christ and recognize we are being attacked, these powers will easily fall under our feet where they belong.

Excerpt from “Roadkill Seminary” – http://onelordonebody.com/roadkill-seminary

Issue #1

The leader is told by several members that they think the worship service on Sunday mornings are too loud, too long and too contemporary. They are thinking of going to another ministry.

Issue #2

The very same week, several members tell the worship leader the services are too stuffy and traditional. They want more of a spiritual breakthrough that uses more lively contemporary music.

Issue #5

Months after being undermined by controlling board members, the minister discovers he is the 40^th minister in the church’s 70 year history. Wondering what he’s walked into, he considers if he will survive the demonic gauntlet in which he and his young family find themselves.

Issue #6

The leader receives word that the minister of music is having an affair with someone with whom he works. How much time and energy will he have to spend restoring this brother and his marriage in the weeks ahead? How will he explain the situation to the Church?

Issue #7

The Spirit of God has been moving powerfully in the meetings where people are being saved and set free from bondages. Several people complain to the elders that they don’t like the services because there isn’t enough Bible teaching.

Issue #11

Another teenager tells her youth pastor that her stepfather is sexually abusing her. He’s been secretly videotaping her with hidden cameras. How will the ministers bring healing into this situation?

Issue #14

The minister is informed by his board that he doesn’t really have the authority to lead the church the way he believes God is directing him. They remind him that he is really just an employee of the church, not the true leader of the ministry.

Issue #15

The counselor is shocked during a counseling session to hear a grown woman casually mention she’s been having sex with her brother since childhood. Where will she find the skills and the time to untangle this psychological and emotional mess?

Issue #18

The leader is told he isn’t sensitive enough because he doesn’t spend enough personal time with the people in his ministry. After all, all he has to do is preach on Sunday.

Issue #26

A single mother comes to the Sunday school teacher in tears explaining that her rebellious teenage daughter ran away because there aren’t enough programs at the church for teenagers. Once again someone in leadership is told the ministry let them and their family down.

Issue #28

The minister is asked by a husband if he would please cast demons out of his wife; she’s been hearing voices and he believes they are connected to the fact that she used to have sex with animals.

Issue #30

The local pastor is told a family doesn’t attend anymore because he doesn’t stand at the front door and shake hands. When he leaves the altar after service to shake hands at the front door, he is criticized for not being the kind of pastor who stays up front to pray with people after service.

Issue #31

The leader is criticized by part of the ministry for not preaching enough on political issues like abortion, gambling, etc. The very same month, the leader receives word that a family isn’t coming anymore because the pastor spends too much time on political issues and not on the gospel.

Issue #33

Because no one else will confront her, the Sunday school leader has to rebuke another high maintenance “drama queen”, who always seems offended or who is offending someone in the class.

Issue #38

The apostolic leader is called upon to pick up the pieces of a family; the “Christian” husband committed suicide. How will the leader explain this to the children?

Issue #42

One of the associate pastors decides to take half of the congregation and start a church across town, leaving the other leader with half a church and a whole mortgage.

Issue #47

The pastor discovers that the church van was in a terrible accident which killed three teenagers in the youth group. He will have to summon all the grace he can in order to minister to the devastated families, as well as believers wondering why God would let this happen.

Issue #50

A woman comes to the home group leader to tell him due to her “Christian” husband’s promiscuity she now has an incurable sexual disease. What is she supposed to do?

Issue #54

The senior pastor is told he should let other people in the church share from the pulpit and to be less controlling.

Issue #55

The pastor opens his pulpit to others in the church only to be criticized for wasting the people’s time with novice associates they don’t like or respect. How will the pastor convince the congregation to be more loving and patient with developing ministers?

Issue #65

The leadership is inundated with suggestions about what the ministry should do right after each sermon by people who offer little or nothing to see those ideas come to pass. They feel they have done great service for God by telling the leadership what they think the ministry ought to do.

Excerpt from “What In Hell… Is Going On?” – https://www.createspace.com/3560273

Why did God favor one but not the other. What is God trying to tell us in this story? Remember, this is the first act of worship or ministry recorded in the Bible. This is where the first murder is recorded, which was over how to properly worship God. This is an extremely important foundational truth for us to understand. There is a right way and a wrong way to worship God. We can begin to understand the difference between the right and wrong way by discerning the difference between self-sacrifice and sacrifice of self.

Self Sacrifice is when we give up the things we want to give up, the way we want to give them up, when we want to give them up. We are in control during the entire process. This is nothing more than the works of the flesh disguised as religious sacrifice.

Sacrifice of Self is when we put our entire being on the altar of God; we allow Him to show us what He wants us to sacrifice, the way He wants us to do it, when He wants us to do it. We are dead to our choice in the matter. Instead of offering things to God we are actually offering ourselves to Him, and we are what He is after.

We often fall into the religious delusion that God wants us to sacrifice stuff, when He actually wants us to sacrifice self. It takes years before the typical believer discerns the difference. One results in dead religion, the other in life-giving Christianity. Oswald Chambers wrote along this line:

“It is easier to serve or work for God without a vision and without a call or a word from God, because then you are not bothered by what He requires. Common sense covered with a layer of Christian emotion, becomes your guide.”

Excerpt from “Roadkill Seminary” – https://www.createspace.com/3560269

We don’t need a powerful person to pray for us; we need to believe and confess what the Bible says about who we are in Christ. You don’t “out muscle” or “out shout” the devil; you “out truth” him. We need to say the Scriptures out loud! Yes we need to believe, declare and act on the word of God; the devil is not obligated to obey our thoughts. When we truly assume the responsibility for our own life and believe the truth regardless of our sad emotions, we will find freedom.

When someone says, “I want to believe God but I just can’t believe,” they are being deceived. Of course we can believe God, because it is something we choose to do. Faith is something we decide to do, not something we feel like doing. Pay close attention to that statement. Faith is something we decide to do – it is a deliberate choice to choose God’s way, God’s will and God’s Word.

Don’t focus on not sinning. Abstinence from sin is an incomplete goal; we don’t abstain from sin in order to get right with God. We get right with God in order to abstain from sin. Our relationship to the one and only true God comes before any attempts at trying to be holy or good. That happens after we come to Him… in every area, every time.

We Are Saints Who Sin, Not Sinners Who “Saint” 

We need to stop trying to be perfect Christians. As believers, we are not trying to be saints; we are saints who are becoming like Christ. Remember the writers of the New Testament address their letters to the saints, not the sinners, of a particular city. If God said it, it is true, whether we believe it or not. 2+2=4, whether we believe it or not. Our lack of believing it doesn’t make it untrue. The Bible says we are in Christ ten times more often than it says Christ is in us. We are secure in His hands.

The fruitfulness of our entire Christian walk will be determined by how close we believe we are to God, and how close we believe He is to us. This is the abundant life that Jesus said we could have now; not when we die and go to heaven (John 10:10). Remember, eternal life isn’t something we are going to experience when we die; we have it now because of our union with God through Christ. Tap into that life; draw from its power.

Excerpt from “You Can Be Free” – https://www.createspace.com/3560257

I suppose all of our sins have some characteristics of a disease. After all the true meaning is “dis”-ease, or to not be at ease. But we should also remember that alcoholism, drug abuse, fornication, anger, murder, lying, stealing and overeating are not literal diseases; they are the attempts of our “adamic nature” to cope with sinfulness. They are the predictable behaviors of sinners separated from God who need to repent of living independent of God and receive God’s grace to live free and holy lives. We are without excuse. (See Romans 1:20; 2:1). If we want to be free, we must call sin what it is … SIN!

In our modern culture, some may struggle with the concept of two people of the same-sex who love each other being called sinful. Every one desires to love and be loved; that’s not sin. When they try to fulfill these needs in a way that goes against nature, biology and God’s order the Bibles says it is missing the mark of what God ordained. If God ordains one thing in nature we can be certain Satan desires to pervert it so people created in God’s image will do the opposite.

Remember, God is able to set us free. This means you and me! Freedom means we are willing to lose our old identification as an alcoholic or drug user. The world teaches us in their twelve-step programs to say “once an alcoholic … always an alcoholic.” But in God’s one-step program, the Bible says,

If any man is in Christ, he is a new creature, old things have passed, behold all things have become new. 2 Corinthians 5:17 

The key from this verse is: Do we want to be in Christ? You see Jesus isn’t a child molester, a thief, an alcoholic or a drug addict. If He is in us and we are in Him we will be transformed and we will certainly be free (Galatians 2:20)! The Gospel promises us access to the powerful and victorious life of the resurrected Jesus. As we daily grow and abide in Him and He in us, we bear much fruit and that fruit is sweet.

Excerpt from “You Can Be Free” – https://www.createspace.com/3560257

Behold, I send you out as sheep in the midst of wolves.  Therefore be wise as serpents and harmless as doves.

In the book of Ezekiel, the Lord describes Israel’s backslidden prophets as foxes that run and hide in the holes in walls instead of fixing the breach (see Matthew 8:20).

O Israel, your prophets are like foxes in the deserts. You have not gone up into the gaps to build a wall for the house of Israel to stand in battle on the day of the Lord. Ezekiel 13:4, 5

The Lord also describes King Herod as a fox in Luke13:32. Herod was the sly king over Jerusalem and was known for constantly maneuvering politically to placate the Jews and the Roman government to ensure a position for himself. Therefore we see Lord uses lions, eagles, serpents, doves, dragons, etc, to illustrate the character of a person’s personality and other profound truths throughout the Bible.

This material will help us glean more insight from these Biblical analogies as well as help us understand the different kinds of people who might be sitting next to us in church this Sunday. This book is not written so we can have a superior attitude towards other people, but that we can understand the reality of who populates the typical church. This is especially important if we are a new believer. Satan attends church and uses our gullibility to deceive and hurt the young believers among us. Therefore be aware; not everyone sitting next us is a good role model for us. They maybe still unlearning things from the world. They have some animal natures that need to die just like we do.

Excerpt from “The Blessing of the Tithe” – https://www.createspace.com/3560255

Today many Christians are waiting for Jesus (or a minister) to come by and lay His hands on them like He did for the sick people, so they’ll stop their sinning. People are praying for God to “take this sin from me”. Do you know that is a dumb prayer?

You and I will wait a long time, but the Lord will walk right on by. “Why doesn’t the Lord help me?” you might ask. The Bible says He already has … you just don’t know what He has done for you.  We haven’t taken advantage of what He’s done for us. We haven’t learned how to appropriate what He’s already done. That is the simple truth of why we aren’t free now.

Let me say here that it is fine to have people pray for us when we a struggling with a sinful habit. Confessing our faults to another humbles us and sets us free from pride so we can receive more of God’s grace. However the effectiveness of a person praying for us is really about them praying for us to recognize the blinders and demonic interference so we can receive the truth that sets us free.

With an open mind and a teachable heart, let’s look at what the Lord has already done for us. Remember this, “Christianity really works”. God gave us a way to live in Christ that promises 100% victory. If you and I are not experiencing victory it’s not because God’s plan is weak; it is because we haven’t correctly learned how to take full advantage of Biblical truth in our lives.

It’s like having lots of money in the bank but no knowledge of how to fill out the withdrawal slip to get the money out. If you’re ready to get down to business then let’s read on. Don’t be in a hurry; sometimes this process of freedom takes awhile before you get a handle on it and your thinking aligns with God’s Word.

Excerpt from “You Can Be Free” https://www.createspace.com/3560257

Can you imagine the mind games David must have battled as he was running from Saul’s attacks? Where was God during this time? Did David wonder if the prophet Samuel misheard God when he prophesied he would be the next king? What about young Joseph when he was languishing in an Egyptian prison; didn’t God show him something different in his dreams? What about Paul being regularly beaten and imprisoned for simply preaching great sermons? The mental anguish they faced must have been immeasurable.

This is where our “intellectual veil” is torn and greater access to spiritual perception and authority opens up to us. Up to this point our Christianity has been more about the adherence to the Christian religion. Now we become truly desperate for the person of God. When our formulas and memorized Scriptures don’t alleviate the torment, all we have left is God. This isn’t a loss for the believer; it is sweet deliverance from the “exalted intellect” we were cursed with during the Fall of Man. Yes this is painful, but it is God’s way of setting us free from dependence on our soul’s ability to figure things out. Through death of self we are set free.

Remember, Jesus wore a crown of thorns and so must you and I if we are going to take up our cross and follow His will for our lives. The Bible says that the soldiers twisted together a crown of thorns and put it on Jesus’ head. When we are breaking out of our dead religion or lifeless rituals, the battle to keep us in a form of godliness yet denying the power will be intense. As we wear our crown of thorns, many painful and sharp thoughts will “jab” into our head, our mind as well.

These fearful thoughts will also be twisted around other legitimate thoughts making it difficult to separate them in order to make sense of them. Internal arguments arise such as; “Is this God’s will for me? Why is this stuff happening? Is this a lack of faith on my part? Should I have done something different? Do I have sin in my life? Maybe I missed God? Should I be rebuking the devil or submitting to this process?” These thoughts are so twisted together that it is difficult to unravel them to see which ones are valid and apply to your situation.

We know the mental anguish Jesus suffered must have been unbearable because He actually sweat blood. The good news is Jesus wore His crown of thorns to enable us to overcome the flesh and the mind games the devil throws at us as we wear ours. This is where we identify with Christ in the fellowship of His sufferings.

It is awesome to realize how deep and strong Jesus’ love for God and for us truly is. His love enabled Him to keep His mind subject to the will of God even during the anguish of the garden and the horror of crucifixion. We must not forget the Lord Jesus stated plainly that if we are going to follow Him, we must deny ourselves, take up our cross (the instrument and circumstances of our death) and then follow Him. This is serious business for the follower of Christ!

Over the last several years I’ve met many Christians who were going through this breaking. When they went to their bishop, apostle, pastor or elder for support they often discovered that these leaders had no idea what they were going through. There are many in Christian ministry today who rule by their own strength and political maneuvering who simply don’t understand this process. They are really no different from the person on Wall Street or Madison Avenue trying to get ahead at any cost. When a “budding” David or a young Joseph with vision asks for help they are often ridiculed or they are rebuked instead of offered any encouragement.

When God is taking us through Roadkill Seminary, those in positions of authority who dropped out of God’s School will see us as strange or even a threat. Get ready to duck, because there is a good chance a spear is headed our way, or watch out, our brothers might be ready to throw us into a pit! Be of good cheer, they are also part of the curriculum.

Excerpt from “Roadkill Seminary” – https://www.createspace.com/3560269

Some of my other pastor friends see that philosophy as compromising the Word of God. They clearly see it as watering down the Gospel in order to draw larger crowds. They believe it to be the main reason why the American Church has become so worldly and unable to positively affect the culture. They also believe these ministers are spineless and fear man more than they fear God. They confidently say nobody in their church of 200 is sleeping around, because they are the “real” believers.

Ironically, one pastor boasts that they had hundreds of sinners in their church last Sunday, while the other minister boasts that they had no sinners in service last Sunday. Each ministry leader has a different idea of what a “ministry homerun” looks like. They are both standing at different stages along God’s ministry assembly line (see our book “The Inner Journey” for more on this Assembly Line). Some are dealing with the raw materials of lost souls; others are fine tuning the people to live the Christian life. Can you see where each ministry may have a different calling? Can you see your ministry in this scenario?

Excerpt from “What In Hell Is Going On?” – https://www.createspace.com/3560273

However, when the children come into the living room to join the conversation so does the potential for friction as the different parenting styles become evident. Everyone keeps their thoughts to themselves but on the ride home each car is filled with comments like “I can’t believe they let their kids act that way,” or “They are so mean to their children,” or “That’s not how I would deal with that situation”. These parents got along until the children came into the room.

This family analogy can also illustrate the sentiments between ministers of the Gospel. It may be easy to get along with other ministers, even from different camps, until the sheep (children) are in the room. Suddenly the gifting in each minister wants to impact the people of God according to their abilities. We sometimes presume we know what the people of God “really” need. Instead of each of us affirming and preferring the other ministers, we can doubt their validity.

Sometimes just being in the same room with someone with a different ministry gift can drive you “bonkers” as they seem to over react or under react to certain things. They can appear to be too intellectual or over spiritual. It is difficult to appreciate where they are coming from and why they are coming from there in the first place! But as we mature we will be able to love and really appreciate them and their ministries just like our Heavenly Father does. Remember… Jesus is building His church. It’s the leadership of our churches that must decide if they are going to be part of the bigger picture.

Excerpt from “Working Together For Jesus” https://www.createspace.com/3560272

When praise comes from a pure heart, it is beautiful and edifying. But unbeknownst to some believers is the subtle spirit of control they operate in as they try to make their ministry leader into their ministry ideal, instead of accepting them for who God made them to be. Like many things in life, it all seems innocent until you are on the receiving end of it.

Excerpt from “What In Hell… Is Going On?” – https://www.createspace.com/3560273

Often the Lord reveals by a “word of knowledge” what persons in the organization are causing the division. Just like a parent’s sixth sense, God gives His leaders the ability to know what each of their spiritual kids are up to. The enemy may have planted a selfish idea in their minds about what they think the ministry should do. Yet the minister has to love them, even as they are glaring at him while he or she is teaching the Word of God.

Parents Beware

One pastor recalled a service where he greeted one of the teenage girls in his church as she was getting a drink from the water fountain. As she turned to see him, her face lit up with joy as she said “Hi Pastor Bob”, but then she instantly turned away and looked down and walked away; almost with the look of, “I’m not allowed to like you”. The Spirit of the Lord spoke to him and said, “She loves and respects you, but her parents, particularly her mother, has been speaking negative things about you and the church because mom is immature and rebellious”.

Parents have no idea how much damage they can cause their own children when they are openly critical of God’s leadership. These parents have sowed the seeds of rebellion in their children that will manifest shortly in their lives. This teenage girl was receiving the anointing from this leader’s ministry gift as well as from the other associate pastors, but because her parents were in secret rebellion, she was confused. This can abort the Godly spiritual transfer of what God had for her. That poor girl loved her spiritual leaders, but was also confused by her immature parent’s remarks.

What usually happens next is the teenager suddenly finds fault with everything at her church. She experiences unexplained conflict with the youth leader and the other kids in the youth group. She ends up going from youth group to youth group or she may stop going to church all together. She may not even realize that she has also been programmed to not submit to godly leaders by her own parent’s critical comments. Sadly this criticism can lead to a directionless and promiscuous life. Most of us are unaware of why we are so critical of authority until we examine our developmental years honestly. So much of what we do in our developing years is often self-centered and tainted by our sin-nature. That is why Jesus said we must all take up our cross and kill the part of us that is dangerous to us and to others. Many Christians do not truly realize how often they are used to pray selfish and even demonic prayers as they succumb to “charismatic witchcraft”. In their insecurity they often try to control others and the direction of their church. They may attempt to push or influence some selfish or personal agenda while covering it in religious jargon (James 3:13-18).

They often fail to recognize that even if their spiritual leaders only have the I.Q. of a “speed bump”, they are still required to respect their office and authority from God. To not do so is extremely dangerous for the church and their spiritual condition. Their innuendos breed seeds of rebellion that seem harmless at first, but later reap chaos and hardships for all in the ministry. God will not hold those guiltless who speak against His leaders (Numbers 12:1-16). The Bible says things go well for us when we obey and are submissive to His leaders in our lives.

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. Hebrews 13:7

 Excerpt from “What In Hell… Is Going On?” – https://www.createspace.com/3560273

Every 6 Minutes a Leader Leaves the Ministry

Listen to the following statistics from a survey of  hundreds of ministers. 90% of ministers work more than 46 hours a week; 80% believe the ministry has affected their families negatively; 33% say that the ministry is an out-right hazard to their family; 50% feel unable to meet the needs of the job; 90% feel they were inadequately trained to cope with ministry demands; 70% say they have a lower self-image than when they started in the ministry; 40% report a serious conflict with a team member at   least once a month; 37% confess having been involved in some inappropriate sexual behavior with someone in the church; 70% do not have someone they consider a close friend. 85% of churches in America have plateaued or are in decline. These are the statistics of the ministers who were honest and courageous enough to even respond to the survey. The numbers may be worse!

Only 1 Out of 40 Ministers Entering the Ministry Today Will Retire as a Minister 

We are in a real war and all Christian leaders are on the front lines. Most of our modern Churches have had a peacetime mentality when we should have a war-time mentality. There is a real devil doing everything in his power to destroy life-giving ministries that are boldly proclaiming the Gospel. Satan wants to smite all the shepherds so the sheep will scatter and become easy prey. We need to understand and support our leaders because they feed us the Word of the Lord week after week.

One Baptist minister stated they were losing ministers to all kinds of failings — that only 1 out of 10 ministers entering the ministry today are still there after ten years. Another clergy organization said that 1,600 ministers a month quit or are terminated from their churches in America. Every 6 minutes a pastor leaves the ministry and fewer people are entering our Bible Colleges and Seminaries.

One wise, veteran seminary professor welcomes his new ministerial students each semester with the following comment, “Congratulations on accepting the call to Christian leadership; you just increased your chances of going to hell by 50%”. Then the stunned students are given the brutal statistics about how many ministers not only quit the ministry but end up bitter, backslidden and even atheists! The deadly poison in the enemy’s arrows accomplished their seditious work in these leaders’ lives.

A lot of these statistics, as well as ministerial burnout, can be attributed to many causes. Chief among them are unscriptural governmental structures that actually foster strife and political maneuverings. Much of what we do today as contemporary “church” has its roots more in man-made traditions than it does in Scripture. We address these “governmental glitches” and distorted pastoral job descriptions in our books entitled, Roadkill Seminary and Working Together for Jesus. The system is broke and we must address it. It is, what it is, and we have to deal with the people who are in it now if lives are going to be saved.

Excerpt from “What In Hell… Is Going On?” – https://www.createspace.com/3560273

To Catch a Thief

Try this. Write down what you actually feel about your situation when you hear Scripture saying you can be free. That’s right! Write your emotions down; describe them the best way you can. Write down the thoughts you are thinking and the feelings you are feeling – be specific. These inner thoughts are slippery at first but you can catch them. Keep a note pad handy when you are at church during a sermon. Monitor all your thoughts and emotional reaction inside while you are hearing God’s Word being proclaimed. We are usually good at keeping our outsides looking religious and dignified while our  insides are screaming “there’s just no“#@*!-way this will work in my life!”

This is an effective way for you to keep an eye out for the wrong thoughts sneaking across the field of your mind. You will be surprised at just how many “faith killing” thoughts dart across your mental landscape every day without you even really noticing them. This is how you can catch demonically inspired thoughts trespassing on your mind’s property. This is what exposes your thoughts to the light. The good news is that light always conquers darkness. Remember these are the thoughts that hang out around the real you;  they are the ones in control of your will, emotions and your actions.

When we catch our self thinking thoughts or simply having feelings like “this is a bunch of bull” or “I’ll never live this stuff” or “this isn’t the real me” or “I can’t see myself doing this”, mark them for termination right away! Sometimes you may just feel cynical and full of doubt for no reason. Stop right there and identify what the rationale is for you feeling this way. Expose the argument that is challenging the Word of God in your life. There may be rebellious spirit arguing with the Word of God at the center of your discouraging feelings.

Sometimes we will have an unexplainable mocking  attitude simmering beneath the surface of our façade when we hear someone ministering the Word of God. This is when we need to “doubt our doubt” concerning the Word of God. Why don’t we doubt the doubting thoughts harassing us? You need to challenge the thoughts that are challenging the Word of God. We must remember, something (or someone) is trying to steer the way we feel and think; don’t be a passive person any longer. We have the authority in Christ to conquer them.

The Thief Hates it When the Lights are Turned On

The devil absolutely hates this reflective inventory. That’s why he doesn’t want us ever fasting or meditating on the Word of God. He can’t stand it when we set apart time to pray. That’s why the devil wants us addicted to all kinds of activities, music and television programs, to text messaging and every other media that keeps you and I from going into our personal prayer closet and “shutting the door” (Matthew 6:6) to any and everything but God.  That is why Psalm 46:10 states:

Be Still and Know that I Am God

Once we develop the disciplines of a disciple, we will be able to take this “communion relationship” with God out of our prayer closet into our daily activities. We also recommend every Christian read Jeanne Guyon’s book “Experiencing the Depths of Jesus Christ” to learn how to receive the life and peace of the Lord Jesus from our time in the Bible. As we renovate our mind; we will renew our thinking through the Word of God (Romans 12:1, 2). This is where our freedom finds its sure foundation. God’s Word leads to Godly thoughts; God’s thoughts lead to Godly actions, which lead to Godly behavior.

Excerpt from You Can Be Free – https://www.createspace.com/3560257

We will show you Biblical truth that heretofore hasn’t been taught with the preeminence that the Bible teaches it. We will also try to explain along the way why it isn’t readily taught by most of our current leaders. We do this with the hope of removing the religious and psychological barriers hindering the advancing Church of Jesus Christ. Hang on, this is a road less traveled.  It is a little bumpy, but you are going to love the view.  Jeff Krall

Reason #10

It Was God’s Idea to Comprise the Nation of Israel from 12 Different Tribes

All these are the twelve tribes of Israel, and this is what their father spoke to them. And he blessed them; he blessed each one according to his own blessing. Genesis 49:28

In the beginning God created His people, the Nation of Israel from the 12 sons of Jacob/Israel. Each of these tribes had a specific identity and calling on them. They were unique and played a different role in the national affairs of Israel. They conquered different parts of the Promised Land. They had their own inheritance they were to fight for and settle. From this observation we can also see how the many Denominations and Independent Christian groups are simply tribes in God’s family; they are tributaries that comprise the Great River of God. Each one of these groups are stewards of the manifold wisdom of God as it is being unfolded through the centuries (Ephesians 3:10). They were given some truth or revelation from God for their generation. They aren’t supposed to be like the other tribes. In fact the only two areas where they were supposed to be unified, is in worship and warfare. They worship the same God, Jehovah; and they fought the same enemy, Satan and his imps.

The reason this is important to see in our contemporary setting is that there are many Christian leaders today who fall into two extremes. The first is to think their tribe or religious organization is the only correct one. It is good to be proud of your spiritual heritage. It is good to be a faithful steward of the particular scriptural emphasis God has given your organization. But there is a dangerous kind of pride that results in elitism and territorialism. This results in an arrogant superiority complex that insists on everyone being like them before they will fellowship and work with them.

Be Careful – Don’t Start Another “Anti-Denomination Denomination”

The second extreme is the belief that all denominations are wrong and not of God. This results in them starting their own organization. Remember, the prideful separatist spirit that often comes with denominations is unhealthy; but the truth or revelation that God has revealed through them is not.  People who believe that all denominations are bad usually end up starting their own movement, which unbeknownst to them results in another denomination called the “non-denominational denomination”.  The same separatist spirit they criticize in other organizations results in them forming another separate organization, church or network that isolates itself from the rest of the Body of Christ.

Our point here is God likes and designed unified diversity in His creation, in Israel and in His Church. Let’s not try to make everybody like us. Let’s also realize we need each other to be the whole Body of Christ, the whole Nation of the Lord. Therefore let’s lessen the hyper criticisms about denominations and ask ourselves, what are we currently doing to unite the Body Christ?

Reason #9

There Must Be Unity Before There’s Power

Behold, how good and how pleasant it is; For brethren to dwell together in unity! It is like the precious oil upon the head, Running down on the beard, The beard of Aaron, Running down on the edge of his garments. It is like the dew of Hermon, Descending upon the mountains of Zion; For there the Lord commanded the blessing— Life forevermore. Psalm 133:1-3

These three verses of scripture hold a powerful key the Church in our communities is missing. The place where the brethren dwell together in unity is the place where the Lord commands the blessing. In Acts 2:4, they were in one accord before the power fell. Peter’s shadow could heal the sick because the Church was in one city in one accord. Just like Jesus who was all together in one place in His human body did awesome miracles, so we will see the miracles again when we assemble all the parts of Jesus’ body today in one place in your town. Concentrated Jesus is what is lacking in our churches and communities.

Think about this scenario. A father comes home from a day of work and walks into his house to hear his children fighting and screaming at each other. One stole a toy from the other. One smacked the other and the third one is cussing and calling the other one terrible names. Do you think their father is about to bless them and take them out for ice cream? No way! Blessing isn’t what is about to rain on them … a swift paddle on their back side is more likely to come into their world. Yet much of the Church is treating their brothers and sisters the same way and are praying and expecting God’s blessing. No sane father blesses his children when they are fighting and attacking each other. However when they love on each other it pleases him greatly, resulting in him giving great reward. So whether it’s a home, a church or a city, to the degree there is maturity expressed in oneness there will be power released from the Lord.

That’s Not Satan We Are Fighting; It’s God!

Another example of how we are often far from God’s full blessing can be illustrated by some intercessors and pastors who were praying and fasting for revival in their city. One of them said the Holy Spirit told them the name of the principality hindering the move of God in their city.  Its name was “Yahweh”. The Lord showed them that God Himself was actually resisting the Church in their community. Why? God resists the proud but gives grace to the humble. God was showing them they didn’t need to worry about the devil and his crew. If He was displeased by their divisions and strife in the Church, He was the One who they should be concerned with.

The Bible states in Psalm 133, that God will command the blessing “there”! Where is there?  There, is the place where the brethren dwell together in unity. God commands it because of the nature of spiritual warfare fighting against this unity. He commands “life evermore” because “life” is what we need in our churches and cities. Life is that essence or force which stops atrophy, decay and death. Life is the one commodity man cannot produce in spite of all of our sophisticated religious knowledge. We need God’s life to manifest, to sprout in our midst and push back the death and demonic power in our     families, our churches and in our communities.

Look Where the Oil Goes

We see from the scriptures that when there is unity among the brethren the sacred anointing oil representing the precious Holy Spirit descends upon the leadership (the head of Aaron) of the Church or community. It is God’s endorsement that the organization’s leadership pleases Him so much that He anoints it with blessing – life evermore. Dear leader, could this anointing oil also represent God’s acknowledgement that we have effectively led the people of God into a mature understanding of unity? Do we have the necessary humility and maturity that qualifies us for more heavenly endorsement?

Reason #8

It’s About Our Father

Now it came to pass, as He was praying in a certain place, when He ceased, that one of His disciples said to Him, “Lord, teach us to pray, as John also taught his disciples.” So He said to them, “When you pray, say: Our Father in heaven… Luke 11:1, 2

Here we see what is commonly called the Lord’s Prayer, but is really the Disciples’ Prayer. The disciples asked Jesus to teach them how to pray.  It is important for every believer to realize that when addressing God, Jesus wanted us to remember that He is OURFather, not just My Father.  The very model of prayer Jesus gave for every believer starts with an emphasis on our relationship to God and one another. Jesus wants us always mindful that when in prayer we have brothers and sisters with whom we need to be in right relationship. Everything about God’s being reflects relationship.

The Godhead itself screams diversified unity as the very essence of God’s nature and being. We cannot escape the fact that our Christianity is irrevocably connected to other brothers and sisters in Christ. The Bible has over 30 “one another” commands which show us that we can’t be an authentic Christian who is isolated from other believers.

Reason #7

Your Will Be Done On Earth As It Is in Heaven

Your kingdom come, Your will be done On earth as it is in heaven. Luke 11: 2

Perhaps one of the most astounding blind spots in the Church today is the disconnection between what is going on in heaven and what is happening here on earth. What is going on in heaven?  Discerning what is going on up there is the key to what we need to believe for down here. First of all, at the risk of sounding like a “space cadet” out of touch with reality I will tell you that I have been to heaven. So have you if you have read your Bible with a heart of faith. Have you experienced the Holy Spirit and discovered the language of the Spirit, visions and dreams? Have you seen yourself seated with Christ in heavenly places? Has your inner man breathed heavenly atmosphere? All believers who have been born from above will at some level experience heaven before we get there. Let me tell you what I have seen in the Spirit, I trust it will bear witness with you and the scriptures.

First of all, there are no divisions and strife in heaven. No one is jockeying for the head position for it has already been filled by Jesus Christ Himself. Not one leader is seeking to promote themselves or is insisting to be the preeminent pastor or bishop or apostle in the room. The Lordship of Jesus is so glorious and all consuming no one even considers exalting themselves above another.

There is complete forgiveness among everyone in heaven as the reality of the depth of each one’s sins have been found out yet met with God’s amazing grace. There is immeasurable gratefulness and humility for even being allowed to be there. There is unalterable unity and appreciation among its citizens as they work seamlessly together for the glory of God’s expanding kingdom. There are waves of liquid love and joy unspeakable as the reality of Jesus and His benevolent reign saturates every corner of the heavenly realm in perfect peace. And there is unfettered, explosive worship from everyone whose focus is on the King of kings and the Lord of lords. It is clear; heaven has one star, one leader and it is the LORD!  This is not a fairy tale. This is the real reality of our universe.

This is Our Bull’s Eye, Our Touchdown, Our Finish Line.

This is what we are to pray will happen here on earth, in our communities and churches. Anything less would be ignorance and unbelief, or worse, downright rebellion to the Lord’s rightful place in our midst. Thy kingdom come is more than a verse we hang on our refrigerators, this is a command for us to pray and believe for. This is not a vain exercise without an expectation to see results here. This is our bull’s eye, our touchdown, our finish line. This should be the reality our efforts are working towards.

Failure to discern what is going on in heaven is an indication we have not been fellowshipping with Christ in heavenly places. We have been too immersed in our religious kingdoms. We have become shortsighted, earthly minded. Your focus is your future. It is time we focus on what Jesus told us to focus on. Let’s focus on His kingdom come; His will be done on earth as it is in heaven.

I often ask ministers what is the greatest example of the Lord’s presence among us. The common responses are usually people being saved, manifestations of healings or other spiritual gifts. These are great things to behold. I submit the greatest manifestation of the Lord being in our midst is when the elders, the pastors and leaders of our community throw their crowns at Jesus’ feet and fall on their faces in humble worship. There is no greater indicator that the true King is among us then when people who are lesser kings and lords fall on their face in humble adoration of Jesus. In our minister’s gatherings the tangible presence of the Master is always proportional to how much we are willing to cease from self promotion, preferring the Lord.  It is true of our churches and communities as well.

Reason #6

Jesus Recognizes His Church by Its Geography Not By the Signs on Our Buildings

To the church of God which is at Corinth, to those who are sanctified in Christ Jesus, called to be saints, with all who in every place call on the name of Jesus Christ our Lord, both theirs and ours. 1 Corinthians 1:2

Throughout the scriptures we see God speaking to cities and regions. Epistles were written to the Church of Corinth, Ephesus, Galatia, Philadelphia, Thyatira, Laodicea etc. What can we learn from this?  Jesus recognizes His Church by their geography not by the signs over our buildings. He speaks to the city elders or messengers of these cities and charges them with the spiritual well being of the Church in that region. If the Lord only recognizes His Church by its geography, shouldn’t we? Do you discern the Body of Christ outside your four walls? Can you see it? As we said before we often become myopic and develop tunnel vision when we only work on what’s going on inside our ministries. The maturing saint will see what Jesus recognizes as His Church.

Reason #5

We are Babies and Even Carnal,If There are Divisions Among Us

Now I plead with you, brethren, by the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, that you all speak the same thing, and that there be no divisions among you, but that you be perfectly joined together in the same mind and in the same judgment. For it has been declared to me concerning you, my brethren, by those of Chloe’s household, that there are contentions among you. Now I say this, that each of you says, “I am of Paul,” or “I am of Apollos,” or “I am of Cephas,” or “I am of Christ.” Is Christ divided? Was Paul crucified for you? Or were you baptized in the name of Paul? 1 Corinthians 1:10-12

Scripture tells us to speak the same thing. There should be no divisions among us. What are we doing to obey this? Why do we let divisions to continue? Is your God powerless to do something about this?  Have you become part of “the great falling away” the scriptures warn us about? What I mean by that is: “Have you fallen from the faith that believes the Lord is going to bring His Church to maturity”?  Where are the fathers and discerning leaders in our ministries and in our communities who can mediate these situations as they arise? Remember, when the Church is in unity we automatically win the battle with Satan and his hordes. That’s why he fights so hard to create divisions, and that’s why God’s leaders need to fight even harder to expose his efforts.

And I, brethren, could not speak to you as to spiritual people but as to carnal, as to babes in Christ. I fed you with milk and not with solid food; for until now you were not able to receive it, and even now you are still not able; for you are still carnal. For where there are envy, strife, and divisions among you, are you not carnal and behaving like mere men? For when one says, “I am of Paul,” and another, “I am of Apollos,” are you not carnal? 1 Corinthians 3:1-4 

Four times in this text the Bible calls us carnal or fleshly because we are allowing divisions instead of Christ to rule the day. Regardless of how we think of our religious status or our prominence within our religious institution or church, the Bible says we are “in the flesh” when we are divided from one another. It doesn’t matter what we say to each other to justify our condition … the Bible makes it clear who we really are in light of scripture. I pray we all find a healthy dose of humility from the diagnosis of the Word of God.

We Don’t Make Unity, We Keep It

I, therefore, the prisoner of the Lord, beseech you to walk worthy of the calling with which you were called, with all lowliness and gentleness, with longsuffering, bearing with one another in love, endeavoring to keep the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace. There is one body and one Spirit, just as you were called in one hope of your calling; one Lord, one faith, one baptism; one God and Father of all, who is above all, and through all, and in you all.  Ephesians 4:1-6

It is important to note that we don’t create unity; we are to keep the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace that already exists. The discerning believer recognizes the unity of the Spirit and cooperates with it. There is a present unity of the Spirit no matter where you are in the world. Heaven’s atmosphere is available to everyone in every place. We don’t try to work hard to manufacture this unity; it is already in existence because it is the nature of our God who is everywhere. It is like your favorite radio station. It is transmitting through you right now as you read this book. All you need is the equipment to tune into the right frequency. The same is true with the unity of the Spirit (heaven’s atmosphere). It is transmitting through the walls of religious bigotry and legalism in your situation too. It just takes a little teaching on how to tune it in. The fact that you are reading this material will greatly help your reception.

Reason #4

If Jesus Ordained You Then You Will Work to See the Body Christ Joined and Knit Together

And He Himself gave some to be apostles, some prophets, some evangelists, and some pastors and teachers, for the equipping of the saints for the work of ministry, for the edifying of the body of Christ, till we all come to the unity of the faith and of the knowledge of the Son of God … joined and knit together by what every joint  supplies, according to the effective working by which every part does its share, causes growth of the body for the edifying of itself in love. Ephesians 4:11-16

We need to know if our ordination for ministry comes from heaven and from a man made organization. Beware; if your ministry organization “ordained” you, you will often work to see it grow up into maturity instead of the Church of Jesus Christ. This is called building “my kingdom” in Jesus’ name.  If your organization ordained you, you will inevitably work to build it up.

If Jesus ordained you, then you will build the Body of Christ. It is that simple. For many, this distinction doesn’t become apparent until they go through God’s school of preparation and die to their self-life. We write about this process in our book “Roadkill Seminary”. This breaking causes the Christian leader to have a wakeup call to the real ministry instead of just being a company man.

If Jesus Christ ordained you, you will have an unquenchable desire to see the whole Body of Christ grow up into Him and become joined and knit together. That’s why Jesus gave apostles, prophets, evangelists, pastors and teachers to the Church in the first place. Please look at these verses with fresh eyes.  Have you been building a denomination or a religious company all these years? Or have you been building the “spiritual house” of the Lord in your area?  Are you connecting the body parts?

Maybe you, like so many other leaders, have been focused on the scaffolding rather than the actual House of the Lord in your community. There is a temptation to focus only on our ministry within our four walls because that is where we feel successful and derive our sense of value or our incomes. That is how we compare ourselves with the banker, the doctor and the dentist; by how our practice looks to others. However we should be more concern about how we are pleasing the One who ordained us for the purpose He set forth in scripture.

Reason #3

This is Authentic Christianity According to Jesus

A new commandment I give to you, that you love one another; as I have loved you, that you also love one another. By this all will know that you are My disciples, if you have love for one another.” John 13:33, 34

According to Jesus the world would know we are genuine disciples by our love for one another. This is how they will know you and I are the real deal – Love for one another (not just love for the Lost!).  Does the world see this in us? Is it hard for us to love Christians who are different from us because we are using our particular religious system to gain God’s approval? Are we still trying to make ourselves worthy of God’s love and acceptance by keeping our camp’s set of rules and rituals? Could it be we are more rule oriented than relationship oriented? Does this leave us loveless and disconnected from the other believers from different camps?

Reason #2

Our Relationships Reveal How Much Light We Are Walking In

But if we walk in the light as He is in the light, we have fellowship with one another, and the blood of Jesus Christ His Son cleanses us from all sin. 1 John 1:7

 He who says he is in the light, and hates his brother, is in darkness until now. He who loves his brother abides in the light, and there is no cause for stumbling in him. But he who hates his brother is in darkness and walks in darkness, and does not know where he is going, because the darkness has blinded his eyes. 1 John 2:9-11           

The proof we are walking in the Christ’s light is revealed by our relationships with one another. The level of fellowship we have with members of the Body of Christ reveals what level of light we are walking in. If we walk in the light as He is in the light we will have fellowship with one another. If you can only get along with one other believer you have a small level of light you are walking in. Getting along with people in your home group is another level of Christ’s light you are walking in. As you grow in Christlikeness you will be able to walk in more light which will enable you to have meaningful fellowship with an entire church, denomination, city or nation. How much light are you walking in?  I find it amazing as a leader in a local church that I can walk in fellowship with all who come to our house of worship, yet many within the same church will not get along with people different from them. They’ve chosen to stay at their low level of light.

I don’t know about you but I want more of God. He is light and love. He loves everyone. So if you are going to be like Him or be near Him you better plan on losing your dark areas and step into the light as you fellowship with believers from different streams.

Reason #1

We Are To Be the Answer to the Real Lord’s Prayer

I do not pray for these alone, but also for those who will believe in Me through their word; that they all may be one, as You, Father, are in Me, and I in You; that they also may be one in Us, that the world may believe that You sent Me. And the glory which You gave Me I have given them, that they may be one just as We are one: I in them, and You in Me; that they may be made perfect in one, and that the world may know that You have sent Me, and have loved them as You have loved Me. John 17:20-23

The last night of Jesus’ ministry on earth we get to hear Him pray the most important thing on His heart. The Holy Spirit records the most intimate and precious words the Son of God ever uttered in the Bible and we get to listen in. This is awesome! What would be on your mind if you were on your death bed? What would you say to your family if you only had hours to live? What would be your last prayer for them? I guarantee it would be the most important thing on your heart. What is the single most important thing to Jesus Christ? This is a very important moment so pay close attention.

The answer is, that we would be One as He and the Father is One, so the world would know He is the Savior of the world. It is absolutely astonishing beyond all belief that just about every Theological Seminary and Bible School misses the importance of this sacred point made by our Savior. Almost every Christian organization has a Statement of Faith or list of Orthodox Doctrines necessary to be considered a real Christian or minister. Yet according to Jesus Himself the world would only recognize we were authentic followers of His by our love for one another and our Oneness with God and each other. Did Jesus know something about the cynical time of this last generation? Did He know in the last days the love of many would grow cold and would need to see true love before they would believe Jesus was sent by God? Or is it true that in spite of all the religious jargon we use, people know when they see a sham and when they are witnessing authentic Christian love and unity … the kind that is a foretaste of heaven?

If you are still tracking with me and believe this is the missing element or as they say the “weakest link” in our testimony to the world, then listen to this. The standard of unity we are called to is no less than that of the unity of the Godhead. The Father, Son and Holy Spirit are three who are one.  This isn’t some surface religious unity we are talking about. This is not about fake smiles and Sunday morning relationships. This is the essence of heaven’s source of life. This is the kind of oneness every true believer is drawn to like protons and electrons are drawn to the nucleus of an atom.

According to the Bible, Jesus’ method for world evangelism is our ONENESS. (The word “glory” is mentioned 8 times and “world” an astounding 19 times in the Lord’s Prayer). Jesus knowing the end time generation would need something more than religious activities and buildings. To get the world’s attention, He calls us to Oneness. Due to iniquity abounding and the love of many waxing cold, only the glory of the unified Body of Christ can reveal the Spirit of Christ in a penetrating way. God’s unity of Spirit displayed on the canvas of flawed humanity will erase all the bad reputations of the Church and Christians alike. You may not have faith to believe for this oneness in your city but you can start with teaching your children, your cell group, and your church to believe and be part of the remnant Church, preparing herself as a bride.

Still unconvinced believers will get their act together? Don’t worry! Jesus prayed for this and Jesus always gets his prayers answered.

Behold, how good and how pleasant it is for brethren to dwell together in unity! For there the Lord commanded the blessing—Life forevermore.

Excerpt from “Working Together For Jesus” – https://www.createspace.com/3560272

Understanding Why God Wants You Dead

As we stated at the beginning, we are already dead as it is written in Galatians 2:20 and other Scriptures. What we are about to discuss is the outworking of this truth. You and I will have hundreds of situations that come up in our lives that will reveal whether or not we are actually “functionally dead” in Christ. We are going to look at some issues to the Christian life that are not very popular. Rarely is this topic discussed in our contemporary churches, you may only hear a brief or passing remark from the pulpit in a year of sermons.

Admittedly, this subject could be analogous to reading a book on the “Joys of a Root Canal,” but if you were going to have a root canal for the first time you would probably read up on the subject. Likewise, if you are a believer going through a prolonged breaking experience or wilderness you’ll appreciate this material as well. Maybe you know somebody who is being crushed by life’s circumstances right now; this material could bring real meaning to their sufferings.

Our culture is inundated with all kinds of books on self-help, self-esteem, and healing the inner self. I affirm the need and blessing of psychological healing, especially those of us from dysfunctional families. Many Christians are often resistant to professional analysis, which is a loss for them. Sometimes Christians reject teachings that sound secular. We can miss out on the many benefits of understanding how we process our life’s many painful circumstances mentally and emotionally.

Although these teachings do have merit and can be beneficial, there is a part of us that doesn’t need healing; it needs to die. God’s solution for a particular part of our souls is completely different from man’s. God’s solution to our sinful “adamic nature” is to kill it, not to counsel it, modify it, or renovate it.

Contrary to what the new-agers and secularists think, God has correctly diagnosed the true nature and condition of our sinful nature. He has prescribed the correct remedy, and that is crucifixion.

The heart is deceitful above all things, and desperately wicked; who can know it?  Jeremiah 17:9

Remember this. God knows the heart of man. The Lord says what He means and means what He says. That’s why Matthew 16: 24 states:

Then Jesus said to His disciples, if anyone desires to come after Me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross, and follow Me. For whoever desires to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for My sake will find it.

Let me state here that I am not suggesting that every act of the flesh or the soul is evil. A mother nursing her child or a husband working to provide for his family are  appropriate acts of the flesh. These are not the corrupt acts we are referring to. The Bible even commands us to love God with all of our heart, with all of our soul, with all our minds, and all of our strength. We certainly are not advocating some hyper-spirituality that’s out of touch with the real world. Jesus was called the Son of man and the Son of God. He was a role model as a carpenter and as the Son of God.

However, when it comes to genuine spiritual ministry, God knows that until the sinful aspects of self are out of the way, we will never experience the fullness of the Christian life. We will inadvertently minister out of our strength. Victory will escape us unless we fully die to our will and embrace His.

As we have already discussed, just about everybody God used in a significant way went through this death  experience. In the following chapters, we will look at how God arranges the circumstances in a person’s life to bring an end to self. Remember, God’s solution to our eternal problem is to kill the old nature, then impart a new nature.  If any man be in Christ he is a new creature, old things have passed, behold all things become new. 2 Corinthians 5:17. At the new birth every believer is given this new life and nature which when given time and fed the Word, will overcome the old nature in our actions and deeds.

Excerpt from “Roadkill Seminary” – https://www.createspace.com/3560269

Understanding the Transition the Church is Going Through in Our Day

Church as we know it is changing right before our discerning eyes. The old traditions of how we do Church are slipping away with the passing of the “greatest generation”. Along with their cultural religious preferences we see their money leaving the old institutions and it may never return. Some pollsters believe as many as 20 million evangelical believers no longer go to church on a regular basis in America.

Even though there is an increase in the number of mega churches, the net growth of believers remains the same or has decreased. In parts of the country where the population has increased 45% we see no growth in the percentage of believers over the last 20 years. It appears that instead of believers taking up their crosses and pioneering new territory in their communities, they are looking for highly produced services and church amenities to meet their consumer needs.

There are church growth experts that believe we will see a drastic decrease in the number of churches from the current 425,000 to half that number by 2050. Some see this as the “great falling away” depicted in the Bible, while others see it as the inevitable backward slide of western culture just as Europe has been sliding into oblivion. The places where Christianity has been the dominate religion for centuries appears to be losing ground.

Yet Christianity around the world is exploding in growth in places it has never been the dominate religion. Wherever Christianity is in its infancy, where it is cruelly persecuted and possessing new territory, it is pure and untainted by the deadly encroachment of religious form and stagnation.

Does this mean that wherever the Church of Jesus Christ has been established in a region for a long period of time it is destined for institutional rigor mortis and death? No. Not if it transitions into maturity. We submit that is happening by the grace of Jesus Christ as never before. Just as Jesus predicted; the tares and the wheat are growing up together until the end of the age. Everytime you see some gross example of unrighteousness and wickedness taking society over be of good cheer; it also means that God’s wheat is also maturing.

But where is this Christian maturing happening? It is happening where the voices of the apostolic, prophetic and evangelistic graces are received by the Church at large. Much of the ministry of the Church has been dominated by matriarchal ministries, primarily those with a pastoral or shepherding grace. These ministers provide the safe, secure and predictable environment of home life where mom nurtures and cares for new believers or those recovering from sin’s consequences (addictions, divorces, illness etc.)

Yet just as Egypt was a place of provision for the young nation of Israel, it later became a place of bondage. It became a place of slavery to another man’s egotistical monuments. Christians often become enslaved by the traditions and rituals of dead religion as well. Many believers who fall away and leave the Church have simply missed the next phase of their development. They were right to feel bored with the milk they have been receiving. Many fall away while sitting in the pew and are miserable like so many young adults who are too old to stay at home with mom but have yet to connect with the fathering graces (apostolic/prophetic gifts) that help them find their place in kingdom employment. Believers cannot reach maturity from the Sunday morning pulpit. There must be a time when fathers take us under their wings and we become an apprentice in the things of God.

This is the essence of the apostolic reformation; fathers taking the children of the household of faith onto maturity. Wherever those with apostolic and prophetic gifts work with the pastoral/teaching gifts along with the evangelistic gifts we see the Body of Christ transitioning into maturity in that locality or region.

To learn more, read “Working Together for Jesus”. http://onelordonebody.com/working-together-for-jesus/

True Christian Orthodoxy

Yet according to Jesus Himself the world would only recognize we were authentic followers of His by our love for one another and our Oneness with God and each other. Did Jesus know something about the cynical time of this last generation? Did He know in the last days the love of many would grow cold and would need to see true love before they would believe Jesus was sent by God? Or is it true that in spite of all the religious jargon we use, people know when they see a sham and when they are witnessing authentic Christian love and unity … the kind that is a foretaste of heaven?

Visible Unity Reveals the Reality of God’s Nature and His Love

If you are still tracking with me and believe this is the missing element or as they say the “weakest link” in our testimony to the world, then listen to this. The standard of unity we are called to is no less than that of the unity of the Godhead. The Father, Son and Holy Spirit are three who are one. This isn’t some surface religious unity we are talking about. This is not about superficial smiles and phony Sunday morning relationships. This is the essence of heaven’s source of life. This is the kind of oneness every true believer is drawn to like protons and electrons are drawn to the nucleus of an atom.

According to the Bible, Jesus’ method for world evangelism is believer’s ONENESS. (The word “glory” is mentioned 8 times and “world” an astounding 19 times in the Lord’s Prayer). Jesus knew the end time generation would need something more than religious activities and buildings. To get the world’s attention, He calls us to Oneness. Due to iniquity abounding and the love of many waxing cold, only the glory of the unified Body of Christ can reveal the Spirit of Christ in a penetrating way.

God’s unity of Spirit displayed on the canvas of flawed humanity will erase all the bad reputations of the Church and Christians alike. You may not have faith to believe for this oneness in your city but you can start with teaching your children, your cell group, and your church to believe and be part of the remnant Church, preparing herself as a bride. If you are a ministry leader you can stay faithful to what God has called you to do. Try giving 90% of your time to your ministry and give 10% to the Body of Christ in your area and watch God bless.

Are you still unconvinced that believers will get their act together and cooperate some day? Don’t worry! Jesus prayed for this to happen and the Lord Jesus always gets his prayers answered. The question is, “will you be part of the answer of His prayer?”

Behold, how good and how pleasant it is for brethren to dwell together in unity! For there the Lord commanded the blessing—Life forevermore. Psalm 133:1, 3

Excerpt from “Working Together For Jesus” – https://www.createspace.com/3560272

So Who Should I Vote For?

Here is the proof I am not just a mushy moderate. I know some may be thinking I was safe discussing this concept in theory, but why did I have to talk about politics again? Why did I have to go here? It’s great to have this new insight regarding human disagreements, but what about the real world? What are we going to do about choosing the elected representatives who will lead our country ? This is where I may upset some of you.

If the Holy Bible gave us the understanding of the male and female perspectives, it also has something to say about the kind of direction our nation should take. If you are still struggling with any of us receiving instruction from an ancient book, I would again suggest you read our book, “It Really Is God’s Book” to see some amazing and distinguishing facts that prove the validity of the Bible as the only authentic revelation of the one true God.

I must stipulate one caveat here that may irritate some. We need to have God’s Spirit to understand its mysteries. And we only receive His Spirit by surrendering our lives to Jesus Christ. When we meet the author, the book really makes sense.

We are going deeper, so please hang in until the end. There is nothing like choosing a country’s elected leaders that can make a group of people turn into an angry mob. Asking who we will vote for is like asking, who do we want to live with after our parents’ divorce—our mom or our dad?

If We Choose the Female Side of Government (Our Mom), She will…

She will fight for us to have a decent minimum wage. She will fight for our artistic rights and our freedom of expression (she still has our drawings that used to hang on the refrigerator). She will courageously fight for justice and to liberate the poor who have been falsely convicted because they couldn’t afford a good lawyer.

If we do become commit a crime and become imprisoned, she will fight to get us educated and she will fight to get us rehabilitated so we will have the skills to work when we get out. She will also work with the disadvantaged and disenfranchised among us to obtain health care for their family so their medical bills won’t bankrupt the family, leaving them on the streets.

She will fight to protect the environment we live in from over-development and pollution that can cause all manner of disease. She will protect our rights from the big corporate monopolies that would like to have a permanent underclass of cheap labor. She will insist that the nations we do business with overseas also have the same worker’s rights and protections we do so that our nation will be morally consistent abroad. She will compassionately reach out and welcome any immigrant coming to America in search of a better life for their family. She will always find a way to make the food in her pantry feed those in her home. Don’t you just love mom? She will remind us that Jesus commands us to reach out to the poor and the powerless.

If We Choose the Male Side of Government (Our Dad), He will…

He will fight to keep ever growing big government from taking our rights and freedoms by micro managing every aspect of our life. He will fight to keep wasteful bureaucracies from making us work 6 months out of the year for the government before we earn money for our family. He will fight the false utopia of communism that enslaves millions around the world. He will provide a safe haven for the desperate multitudes seeking to escape these communist countries. He will provide us with a strong military and a strong police force to ensure the peace and safety of our family and our nation.

He will make sure career criminals are locked away or executed so they can never harm innocent people again. He will fight the killing of innocent unborn children. He will fight to rid America of drugs in the streets as well as those in the classroom prescribed by misguided educators

afraid of disciplining children. He will fight the efforts of the Left to remove Christianity from our schools, from our universities and media throughout the nation. He will remind the Woman that there just isn’t enough money to fund all her compassion projects. He will remind us that our freedoms come from God and not the government. He will remind us that the government should not be the god we look to, but rather we should look to the God of heaven and earth to be our provider.

So Who Will You Vote For?

This seems to be more difficult for all of us with each election cycle. Both political wings violate their own promises and convictions with regularity. Our system seems to be hijacked by unseen forces rendering well meaning people impotent to bring reforms. There almost seems to be a conspiracy to bring about the demise of our nation with its freedoms and liberties.

Some say it is because both sides have lost a healthy fear of God. Some in our nation have asked God to leave our public institutions so we are left with carnal people devoid of godly wisdom making life and death decisions for the country. With no absolutes, we have been trying to build a society using different tape measures; no wonder the national building is teetering and near collapse.

For me it is less about voting for a person or party and more about voting for a philosophical direction I think the country should go in. I find it increasingly more difficult each year to vote for any of the political parties because the Biblical virtues I believe in have been so abused by each of them.

When a young person asks my opinion on the matter I often tell them as a believer in Christ I choose what I believe will best support the advancement of the kingdom of God. This may not always be what looks best for the country. As a Christian I usually side with the male side or the conservative side of politics in our great country on some of the following issues, and I disagree on some others, I will point out later.

Excerpt from A Better Way To Govern - http://onelordonebody.com/a-better-way-to-govern/