Friday, March 25, 2011

"Never Tire, Never Stop"

Laziness. Apathy. Discouragement. Restless spirit. Contrary spirit. Argumentative spirit. Prideful attitude. These are just a few of the things that can tire and wear a person out and make them less effective in proclaiming the gospel of Jesus Christ. How are you going to proclaim it if you can't even live it? 

You cannot quench another persons thirst when drawing from an empty well.

Acts 5:42 (AMP) - "Yet [in spite of the threats] they never ceased for a single day, both in the temple area and at home, to teach and to proclaim the good news (Gospel) of Jesus [as] the Christ (the Messiah)."

They never ceased. Where is that mind of Christ today? Today believers think they deserve a day off from God.

Is church really such a chore that you think you need a vacation from it? If so, then a). Your church is doing something wrong, or b). Something is wrong with you. It could be "a", but generally it's a wrong spirit. If you get enough people with the wrong spirit, then an entire church could falter.

The Word says "in spite of the threats". 

Do you think your situation from day to day is on the level of what Peter and John faced? Are you fresh from a scourging and feel you need to rest and patch up your wounds for a few weeks? Probably not, but those little rascals of yours can certainly try one's patience and just make you throw up your hands in defeat. Same thing, right?

No. It's not the same thing. Neither is the mild head cold. Or your iron broke and you don't have a fresh shirt to wear. Or you are a little stressed out from work this week so you decided to sleep in a few dozen Sundays. Or your love life is on the fritz and you feel depressed and lonely.

Don't worry. God understands. Right?

Wrong. He doesn't understand.

Here's what He understands. He has made you more than a conqueror in Christ. He has made you an overcomer. He has empowered you as a spiritual dynamo (dunamis). He expects you to act like the NEW creation He has made you, not like the OLD feeble and whiny shambles you used to be! No! He doesn't understand! Is it so hard to believe that what He bled for He is not so willing to compromise? Take it up with Him. I'm just His messenger. I'm speaking prophetically. While this is coming right from God, and is designated to spread to the masses, I have to admit that I have more than a few faces in front of me at this moment. Yes, I actually know people like this. Too many in fact. It is what's known as the pastor's heartbreak.

Nothing shall get in the way (barring hospitalization, sickness, occasional unavoidable conflicts). There is no excuse to compromise the work of the proclamation of the good news of God's provision in Jesus Christ and the Holy Spirit for the salvation, healing, and deliverance of mankind (sozo).

This is way beyond mere church attendance. Poor attendance is a symptom, not a cause. There's a lot more scary stuff going on in a persons life when they start missing church regularly. It's no longer "in spite of the threats they never ceased", but has now become "because of the threats they feared and drew cold".

Maybe your church is different. Maybe it doesn't matter when folks don't show up. In my church we view it as a ministry center. Things happen beyond the prayers, worship, and offering. It's a repair shop for the broken human spirit. We strive for "every person a minister", and when someone "no shows" it leaves a hole. It's not so big that we don't notice you were even gone. When someone doesn't show in my church it's like a child not showing for dinner. We get concerned. It's family. True members of God's family has those kind of strong bonds in love.

Is that not how it should be? Is that not normal Christian living? Has it gotten so modernized now that this model seems strange? Sorry if I don't jump on the popular neo-church bandwagon. I still believe that church matters. I also still believe in hell, as well as a slew of other biblical doctrines that are being jettisoned in this post-modern era..

Our life is never more important than the gospel we preach if we are a true child of God and a disciple of Jesus Christ.


Keepin' it Real,

Pastor Kevin <><

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