re-Barr

Concerned about Budgets

2012-01-08T22:34:00.001-06:00

When you are working on your budget, it is easy to get yourself worked up. Seems like no matter how much or how little you make, a little bit more would be helpful. Then God reminds you:

Matthew 6:25-34 NLT

“That is why I tell you not to worry about everyday life—whether you have enough food and drink, or enough clothes to wear. Isn’t life more than food, and your body more than clothing? Look at the birds. They don’t plant or harvest or store food in barns, for your heavenly Father feeds them. And aren’t you far more valuable to him than they are? Can all your worries add a single moment to your life?
“And why worry about your clothing? Look at the lilies of the field and how they grow. They don’t work or make their clothing, yet Solomon in all his glory was not dressed as beautifully as they are. And if God cares so wonderfully for wildflowers that are here today and thrown into the fire tomorrow, he will certainly care for you. Why do you have so little faith?
“So don’t worry about these things, saying, ‘What will we eat? What will we drink? What will we wear?’ These things dominate the thoughts of unbelievers, but your heavenly Father already knows all your needs. Seek the Kingdom of God above all else, and live righteously, and he will give you everything you need.
“So don’t worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will bring its own worries. Today’s trouble is enough for today.

Secret Santa

2012-01-07T21:42:00.001-06:00

Matthew 6:1-4 NLT

“Watch out! Don’t do your good deeds publicly, to be admired by others, for you will lose the reward from your Father in heaven. When you give to someone in need, don’t do as the hypocrites do—blowing trumpets in the synagogues and streets to call attention to their acts of charity! I tell you the truth, they have received all the reward they will ever get. But when you give to someone in need, don’t let your left hand know what your right hand is doing. Give your gifts in private, and your Father, who sees everything, will reward you.

At MFC they would push you hard on giving. So topics of giving can be a sore spot with me. Not to say I don't give. I just don't like hearing a sermon on it. This passage though would be the exception that proves the rule. Don't make a fuss over what you gave or how much. God and you are all that needs to know.

Think About It Overnight

2012-01-04T22:03:00.001-06:00

Psalm 4:4-5 NLT

Don’t sin by letting anger control you.
Think about it overnight and remain silent.
Interlude Offer sacrifices in the right spirit,
and trust the LORD.

Sometimes we all need a reminder of the basics.

The Ax is at the Root

2012-01-03T20:05:00.001-06:00

So in the 1 year bible I read today matthew 3 and saw this:

Matthew 3:7-10 NIV

But when he saw many of the Pharisees and Sadducees coming to where he was baptizing, he said to them: "You brood of vipers! Who warned you to flee from the coming wrath? Produce fruit in keeping with repentance. And do not think you can say to yourselves, 'We have Abraham as our father.' I tell you that out of these stones God can raise up children for Abraham. The ax is already at the root of the trees, and every tree that does not produce good fruit will be cut down and thrown into the fire.

And Genesis 6:

Genesis 6:5-8 NIV

The Lord saw how great the wickedness of the human race had become on the earth, and that every inclination of the thoughts of the human heart was only evil all the time. The Lord regretted that he had made human beings on the earth, and his heart was deeply troubled. So the Lord said, "I will wipe from the face of the earth the human race I have created—and with them the animals, the birds and the creatures that move along the ground—for I regret that I have made them." But Noah found favor in the eyes of the Lord.

How many times have we caused the LORD so much grief. For we have all been sinners. We have all had that time where we were evil. And our society seems to be running from God as fast as possible. I see 2 distinct things here. One was the large group that has turned away from God and will recieve God's wrath, but the other is God's remnant. Those who turn to God are spared.

Hopefully, God is not ready to turn away from America for our wickedness. The best that we can do is to keep our house in order like Noah, like Joshua and Caleb, like Daniel. Here in America we have a unique opportunity, historically speaking, to vote for our leaders. As a Christian we should go vote. If we do nothing, we let those who would destroy America through their wickedness win. I won't say who to vote for because that is between you and God. Just go vote. Don't stop praying, seek after God and God will spare you. Life will be very different after that day of God's judgement comes. And that doesn't mean there won't be hard times ahead. Look at how Joshua and Caleb still had to wander the desert with the others. Daniel slept with the lions. Noah had his world totally changed. But God spared them. The signs of economic collapse are there, good people will hurt along with bad people. Thank God that with His help that doesn't mean total destruction for us.

Leaving Los Eden

2012-01-02T21:32:00.001-06:00

I saw today that God posted cherubim to block the entrance to Eden and a flaming sword to guard the way to the Tree of Life.

Genesis 3:22-24 NLT

Then the LORD God said, “Look, the human beings have become like us, knowing both good and evil. What if they reach out, take fruit from the tree of life, and eat it? Then they will live forever!” So the LORD God banished them from the Garden of Eden, and he sent Adam out to cultivate the ground from which he had been made. After sending them out, the LORD God stationed mighty cherubim to the east of the Garden of Eden. And he placed a flaming sword that flashed back and forth to guard the way to the tree of life.

To the East? I always had it in my mind that they went west out of Eden towards Israel. I don't know why I thought that, just figuring on the locale of the rest of the Bible I guess. I know that is nothing deep or spiritual just correcting the historical portion in my minds eye.

Also as a side note does the flaming sword that flashes back and forth make anyone else think of a neon sign flashing?
Eat at Joe's. Joe's not here, go away.

Also while are on the subject of Eden, they had it so good there. When they sinned and got evicted, things seemed to go downhill pretty quick for them. Not only did they have the curse that was placed on all mankind, Their eldest killed his younger brother. Who then gets banished and cursed even more.
It isn't like he was going off to college or just another town. There weren't a whole lot of people. I guess the moral of that story is that sin takes you in a direction that you did not want to go, further than you intended to go.

New Year, New Thoughts

2012-01-01T23:22:00.001-06:00

So these last couple months I have been in a funk. Partially because of being sick and partially because of the holiday busy-ness. But it is a new year now and I plan on starting to take things in a bit of a new direction. I want to start posting basically what I find as I am reading my Bible and praying each day. Some days may have some length but most days will probably be short posts.

So today I was reading Matthew 2, and it struck me that Herod was scared by the wise men showing up in Jerusalem. Why?

Matthew 2:1-10 NLT

Jesus was born in Bethlehem in Judea, during the reign of King Herod. About that time some wise men from eastern lands arrived in Jerusalem, asking, “Where is the newborn king of the Jews? We saw his star as it rose, and we have come to worship him.”
King Herod was deeply disturbed when he heard this, as was everyone in Jerusalem. He called a meeting of the leading priests and teachers of religious law and asked, “Where is the Messiah supposed to be born?”
“In Bethlehem in Judea,” they said, “for this is what the prophet wrote:
‘And you, O Bethlehem in the land of Judah,
are not least among the ruling cities of Judah,
for a ruler will come from you
who will be the shepherd for my people Israel.’” Then Herod called for a private meeting with the wise men, and he learned from them the time when the star first appeared. Then he told them, “Go to Bethlehem and search carefully for the child. And when you find him, come back and tell me so that I can go and worship him, too!”
After this interview the wise men went their way. And the star they had seen in the east guided them to Bethlehem. It went ahead of them and stopped over the place where the child was. When they saw the star, they were filled with joy!

First off is the obvious reason of "the Messiah was born". But I was wondering if there was more to it. The wise men were magi according to the Greek. Yes the magi that we get the word magic from. We are talking magicians, sorcerers, and witch doctor types. Coming from far away to worship the newborn king of the Jews. I can see that ruffling some feathers. Side note here how cool is it that God was attracting the lost even at his birth. They were also astrologers. Following a star... That appeared when Jesus was born, and it moved and led these guys to Israel. What was this star? A real star or planet or comet? Or something of a supernatural origin like an angel? Could Herod see this star? Why didn't he follow it to Jesus? Was it something that only the magi saw? No way to answer that with the info we have from the Bible. But just a thought.

James 3

2010-02-14T21:39:00.001-06:00

So I have just finished reading James 3. Been a long time since I have ventured to this chapter because it was such a staple at MFC. All of the focus was on the unbridled tongue. Watch what you say. Get your confessions perfect. Well get past all of that and read the very next section about wisdom.

James 3: 13-18 NIV

13Who is wise and understanding among you? Let him show it by his good life, by deeds done in the humility that comes from wisdom. 14But if you harbor bitter envy and selfish ambition in your hearts, do not boast about it or deny the truth. 15Such "wisdom" does not come down from heaven but is earthly, unspiritual, of the devil. 16For where you have envy and selfish ambition, there you find disorder and every evil practice.

17But the wisdom that comes from heaven is first of all pure; then peace-loving, considerate, submissive, full of mercy and good fruit, impartial and sincere. 18Peacemakers who sow in peace raise a harvest of righteousness.

That is the section that should have been read at the church. Instead of always chasing after the next big thing, become the peacemakers who sow in peace. I know I sure have needed this scripture in times past. Glad I found it. I will do my best to start putting this into practice at work.

Stigma

2009-07-30T23:52:00.002-05:00

I feel like I will be living with the stigma of growing up in a Word of Faith Prosperity church for the rest of my life. So I take every chance I can to condemn it. It is vile and ugly and a total perversion of how God wants a Christian to live their life. It is all about them and not about our saviour Jesus Christ. Thinking back on things, I remember Jesus mainly being mentioned in the praise and worship music at the beginning of the service. After that, it was Spirit, Faith, Impartations, Pastor, and Money. And I know that he was referring to the Holy Spirit but the pastor always seemed to make things so spooky and vague. The faith part seems like voodoo to me now. The impartations seems like demon possession, and the pastor loved himself and money. All-in-all it was all just plain wrong.

Practically everyday, I am still thanking God I am away from there. Recently I had the pleasure of hearing Greg Surratt the Senior Pastor of Seacoast Church in Charleston, SC. He said something in his sermon that I can not put any more eloquently so I will quote him. "The only person getting rich in a prosperity church is the one preaching prosperity." Hey look at that, I am different from my former pastor; he would have just ripped that quote off and not had any guilt over it.

Missing the Point

2009-07-25T23:21:00.005-05:00

I feel like I have missed the point in sharing my faith with others. Because what was it that I shared about? MY FAITH. When in fact, it has very little to do with me. It is all about, "Jesus loves us." I am going to break that sentence down into basic components. First things first, Jesus is God. The entire Bible points to this fact. Next is love, and well God is love (1 John 4:8). So there is two-thirds of the sentence about God. Finally we come to us in the sentence. According to the U.S. Census Bureau there are an estimated 6.77 billion people on earth right now. And let's not forget all of our ancestors. Jesus died for all of our sins. Makes my portion of that sentence pretty small. Why would I share about my own faith and how I have done things, when I am a mere speck, a mist, a vapour. It isn't about me and the things I have stood in faith for or the things I have accomplished. This is about my savior. I should be screaming from the roof tops what He has done for us!

But unfortunately this is what I was taught at my church growing up. And this is an incredibly dangerous thing. Children were taught that the most important thing in their Christian walk is what they can get God to do for them. Children were taught that the most important thing is faith... they begin to have faith in faith, not God.

Do not allow your child to grow up in a church like this. A church like this will pollute you as an adult... think about how it pollutes the still forming mind of a child.

The Enormity of God

2009-07-04T21:34:00.003-05:00

Have you ever stopped to think about just how big God is? The creator of the universe. He spoke and created all of the animals and plants. He spoke and created light. He spoke and separated the land from the water.

He set into motion all of the natural laws... Gravity, friction, aerodynamics, erosion, and so on.

He created time.

And yet he formed man. Breathed life into him. Fellowshipped with this man. And when this man messed things up, God began to work to restore man to a place of fellowship with Him. You get that? YAHWEH wants to spend time with us.

He cares for us more than we can know. He made the Grand Canyon but He loves us. He made the sea shore but he wants to be with us. The Alps are beautiful but we are his favorite creation. The stars may help to light up our night, but when God spends time with us it excites Him.

This relationship with God should never be cheapened to an act. All of the philanthropy in the world can't take the place of spending time with God. He loves US. He doesn't love what we do for Him. He already gave of Himself to save us. Just because we don't give some money in this service or because we didn't volunteer for yet another area to work in the church, does not mean that God won't bless us. I have a 2 year old daughter. Do you think for a moment that I would not think of some way that I could totally make her day just because she didn't clean up all of her crayons. How much more is God going to be thinking about how to take care of us. The God of the universe loves me and he doesn't care about the three crayons I didn't pick up behind the easel.

God-Given Talent to Gossip?

2009-03-18T22:24:00.004-05:00

So I have been outside of my cult church for nearly 1 year now. And how awesome these past 11 months have been. I still find myself amazed at what I find and see. Case in point:

Since I have been away from MFC, I have not heard one single minister smear a congregant. I have heard ministers talk about how they have themselves have done things to embarrass themselves. But never, talking about someone sitting in the pews. At My Former Church, this happened on numerous occasions. One such occasion has always stuck with me, because of how vile of an attack the pastor gave. The pastor began to berate and belittle an individual who had just passed away. This was all from the pulpit. To make it more shocking, it was a staff member of the church, who was well liked. If he didn't like the person, he should have fired them long ago. But that wasn't it at all. They were an asset to him alive, but dead they were a liability. When a person dies of cancer in a church that the pastor "declares" a "cancer free" church, well it hurts his credibility.

This so-called pastor did not and, sadly, does not love and respect those around him. Rather, he uses people and when they are not convenient, he rolls them under the bus. This is not a sign of a true pastor. That man is a bully not a pastor. If a pastor begins to show this kind of sign, leave. Never look back, just leave. A pastor should never talk down to or bad about the people that sit in the congregation, especially from the pulpit.

I have an earlier post called "More Questions" where I reference the pastor stopping a service to talk down to some youth. This sort of behavior does not build up the congregation. It does, however, put fear into them. It begins to make people scared of what they have said to the pastor in counselling sessions or to go to the pastor for counsel. Nothing is sacred when a minister wants to humiliate you from the pulpit.

Right on the Money!

2009-02-19T22:55:00.002-06:00

I recently found an article on pathclearer.com titled "Right on the Money!" By Tom Dooley Ph.D. It was a very insightful article about the erroneous teachings of the prosperity gospel. This article is not trying to say that God does not want to bless His children, but rather that this message has been taken to an extent that God never intended it to be taken to. God never told us we had to take a vow of poverty to follow Him, but he also didn't tell us that we would all be as rich as Solomon either.

The preachers who preach this message often work their best to live a very affluent lifestyle that will help to inspire others to give to them. People tend to look up to them because of the money that they throw around. The Bible warns about following after money, and Dooley gives several examples early in his article: Ecclesiastes 5:10-11, Luke 12:15 and Luke 6:20-21, 24-25, 30.

Dooley says...

When Jesus was living as a man on this planet, did He live like a wealthy king? Did the forerunner John-the-baptizer live like a wealthy king? Did any of the founding apostolic-prophetic leaders of the Church live like a wealthy king? Oh, please listen! Some well-intentioned Charismatics express at this time, "I’m a child of the King, so I’m going to live like a prince (or princess)!" It is hard to defend Biblically this concept of a "nice God who is our ‘buddy’ and onlyprospers us" that is percolating through much of contemporary theology.

As Dooley points out, Jesus was an itinerant prophet-teacher without a home of his own. There were occasions when women who travelled with him met his financial needs. But let's not forget about John-the-baptizer in all of this. According to Matthew 3:4 "John's clothes were made of camel's hair, and he had a leather belt around his waist. His food was locusts and wild honey." Yeah, a real affluent guy there.

I have referred to the apostles in a previous post, they definitely did not live like kings. They had a compelling call to get the gospel out to the world, so they scattered and they all were tortured and beaten. Most of them were killed for the Gospel. How does being a sojourning martyr measure up to living like a prince?

Dooley mentions that there is wisdom in asking God to meet our needs. As a father, I couldn't help but to think of my toddler who doesn't really understand the difference between "need" and "want". She tells me that she NEEDS a cookie or to watch TV. Have we as Christians become so very immature that we do not understand the difference between our needs and wants anymore? Have we forgotten the Lord's prayer? Have we forgotten how God took care of the Israelites in the wilderness for 40 years? If you think about the fact that they had riches as they left, remember the fact that they were slaves for hundreds of years, God just finally got them just compensation for their labor. Remember the early church took care of each other's needs. People sold land to cover the needs of others. This wasn't putting up your mortgage to be surety on a fancy multi-million dollar structure. This was covering the gospel being preached and basic human needs of people.

Dooley says...

I like to remind myself that the really valuable things in life are Faith, Family, and Friends. The Creator’s blessings of prosperity are not measured primarily by wealth, although wealth can be one of the components of His blessings. If we judge by our natural eyes coupled to our greedy minds, we can be easily deceived. Many in the West live under the illusion of blessing, simply because they happen to live in affluence. But, it is a veneer! "You say, ‘I am rich; I have acquired wealth and do not need a thing.’ But you do not realize that you are wretched, pitiful, poor, blind and naked. I counsel you to buy from me gold refined in the fire, so you can become rich; and white clothes to wear, so you can cover your shameful nakedness; and salve to put on your eyes so you can see. Those whom I love I rebuke and discipline. So be earnest, and repent." (Revelation 3:17-19). The church of Laodicea in Revelation chapter 3 epitomizes our current Western worldview that elevates affluence. We are to obtain spiritual "gold refined by fire", meaning that which is virtuous and of eternal value. We are to obtain spiritual "white clothing", meaning that which is pure, forgiven, and redeemed by the Blood of the Lamb. And, we are to apply spiritual "eye salve" so as to have the "eyes of our hearts" healed to correctly
see the truth rather than deception or the illusion of blessing. It is my observation that few living in the West have this insight at present. Therefore, Revelation 3 says we need to be earnest and to repent. Our priorities must change!

Dooley reminds us of how Christians in other countries across the world are suffering for Jesus Christ. People have lost everything and yet God is prospering them. How can a person be prosperous and in poverty? Dooley says, "Prosperity that comes from God should not be viewed mono-dimensionally as: prosperity = financial blessings. Let’s not be short sighted in understanding the breadth of the meaning of Biblical prosperity. "

I had to chuckle as I read, "What a shame if we’re following Him just because we want Jesus to hand us a microphone, or a large bank account, or an annual ministry budget in the millions, or a Rolls Royce car, or a mansion on the lake, or a book contract, or our own television station. " Because I can just see some Prosperity Gospel preacher saying these days "Do you need a spiritual bailout? Give me a seed offering and watch God give you that bailout of a hundred-fold." Anyone notice that with those preachers it always seems that the offering you give them will ALWAYS return one hundred-fold. They always go for the top number, because they hope to fool more people with a bigger blessing. Let me remind you that Paul turned down an offering from the Corinthians because he did not want to give any kind of appearance that he was peddling the Gospel of Jesus Christ.

Dooley says...

It should be noted that the principles of return-on-investment for the seed-of-faith sown each have a legitimate Biblical basis. It can be supported by Scripture, but only as principles. However, they are not assured specific promises for a specific circumstance. Often the anticipated rewards are not realized by the "seed" donors. They think unwisely in advance, "I’ll give this seed to the man-of-God, and I expect to receive that reward from God." This can be a disheartening reality. It can produce disappointments, because it is built on a faulty foundation. Biblical principles are not guarantees of a particular outcome for an individual in a particular circumstance. They are general patterns, not specific assurances or insurance policies. This errant thinking can and does destroy hope, because the hope was in the wrong person, place, or thing.

Dooley reminds us that now is the time to act. We as Christians must stand up for "the Whole Counsel of the Lord". If we do not, then the secular public arena will. When the Senate investigates these ministries, it makes ALL Christians look bad. When their families expose themselves to undercover officers it makes ALL Christians look bad. We must take care of this ourselves. Nobody said it would be easy, and nobody said we can end this blight today. But we must pray that God would open the eyes of people who are in these churches. We must pray that God would turn the hearts of these "ministers". We must try to reach out in love to those trapped in these churches. We can make a difference one day at a time, one person at a time. Most people will not respond right away, but we must continue to pray for them. These churches are very cult-like in nature, so it takes time to break through the brainwashing. When you leave a church like this, be vocal about why you are leaving. Preach the errors from the rooftops. Do whatever you can to help others avoid the trap of following these so-called "men-of-God".

Dooley encourages us to search out effective and efficient ministries to give to. Just please stop feeding the beast of the prosperity preachers.

All quotes were used with the authors permission. Tom Dooley also told me that this article is a chapter in his upcoming book "Half-Truths are Lies".

Good Counsel

2009-01-31T04:14:00.004-06:00

So, I was reading Luke 24 and in particular the passage where Jesus met Cleopas and another believer on their way to Emmaus. I had always looked at that story before thinking "Ha ha, it is so funny that Jesus showed up and walked with them and talked with them and they didn't realize who he was for a long time. And once they realized who he was, POOF, he disappeared." That Jesus guy is a riot. Think about it. The walk was 7 miles. If they were walking at 4mph then they could have talked with him for nearly 2 hours without knowing it was Jesus.

Tonight I read that and, WOW! How awesome would that conversation have been. Here are these 2 guys that are obviously upset about how things they put their faith into didn't go the way they had expected. A fellow traveler meets up with them and asks what they are talking about. So they tell him. Then Jesus begins to go over all the scriptures that dealt with the Messiah starting with Moses.

Have you ever had someone to start counselling you about something that has you down? I have. When someone stops and talks to you, personally, about something that is bothering you. And they show you things in the scriptures (which you may or may not have already heard or known.), your heart just seems to burn. It can be the most uplifting of times. How wonderful it must have been to have had such an uplifting conversation about Jesus and his fulfillment of prophecy just days after his crucifixion, just to find out that it was Jesus resurrected that they were being uplifted by.

And on that note, how awesome is it to read God's Word and be uplifted by it?

Vision of Hope

2009-01-16T22:40:00.003-06:00

The first of the year is a time that my former pastor always made a big deal about writing down "your vision". This is something that I did for years. But it is something that I always did wrong. Or at least now I see that I was doing it wrong. I was taught to write down all of my goals, be it a big fancy car, a nice house, or vacations to take. But you know what... those aren't the visions that were being referred to in Habakkuk. Habakkuk is another post altogether. This post is about how our goals should look. How should a Christian view their goals? Is it money? Is it power? Is it vacations? Is it something inward? If you think so, then my friend, you have it all wrong. Our vision should be outward. Our vision should be in helping others. Our vision should be for the lost. Our vision should be for the widow, the alien, and the fatherless. If you call yourself a Christian, then you can't go around hating others, no matter what they have done. Be it, they have entered this country illegally or killed your dog.

For a lot of people these are hopeless times. The economy is down, unemployment is up, the price of most things are up, and there is always the most depressing things on the news. But our hope is not in the economy, jobs, houses, or Barack Obama. Our hope is in Christ Jesus and the resurrection to life with God in heaven.

So my vision for this year is that, with God's help, my heart would soften to those in need.
My vision is that this year I would decrease and Christ increase in my life.

What's your vision?

Justice, Mercy, and Faithfulness

2008-12-27T23:34:00.005-06:00

Matthew 23 is the chapter that contains the 7 woes. Verses 23&24 say:

Woe to you, teachers of the law and Pharisees, you hypocrites! You give a tenth of your spices—mint, dill and cummin. But you have neglected the more important matters of the law—justice, mercy and faithfulness. You should have practiced the latter, without neglecting the former. You blind guides! You strain out a gnat but swallow a camel.

The tenth was something I heard about at MFC all the time. Tithes were by far the most important thing at that church. You ask me why do I say that? Because it was what they harped on every week. They may miss doing an alter call, but God forbid they should miss doing tithes and offering.

Faithfulness was talked about at MFC, more specifically faithfulness to the pastor. But the pastor did not show faithfulness. He turned his back on people in a heartbeat if they did not give him total submission.

Justice was something that didn't happen there. In fact, the lack of justice exposed to many people, how rotten the foundation of that church was becoming.

They give mercy much lip service at MFC, but the reality is they don't actually offer mercy unless it is for the pastor and his family.

Our faithfulness should be to God first and foremost. But I would not say that the church or the pastor of a given church would be second on that list. Your pastor is not a stand-in for God. You should not allow a man to stand in that place, because he will disappoint you.

Justice and Mercy may seem like polar opposites, but they are not. Both of these must be carried out in love. And both can and should happen together. Justice involves someone else who has been wronged. It is to show that they are the victim and every effort should be made to correct the situation as best as it can be. Mercy is for the person who has wronged and is used to help restore that person. This is not to say there are no consequences, for there are. But mercy gives them a path to follow that can help to prevent a recurrence of destructive behavior.

Thanksgiving

2008-11-27T21:31:00.003-06:00

Thanksgiving is a great time. I love getting together with family. I love the turkey and stuffing. I love the children running around and laughing and playing. I love being able to catch up with loved ones. I love the family traditions.

I love my family. And I am very thankful for them.

Lord, thank you for this time of year.

Martyrs

2008-11-17T01:06:00.001-06:00

There is one group of people that I was never able to reconcile with the "name it and claim it" message or the "prosperity gospel". Martyrs! Let's think about it a moment. If God wanted us all to live these comfy cozy lives driving all these nice cars, flying in private planes, and never having to deal with the issues of life on earth, then why did almost all of his own disciples get martyred? How come they didn't live "the Good Life" and let others come to them saying' "WOW, you are so rich. How did that happen?" Former pastor used to always quote from Malachi 3:6 "For I am the LORD, I change not..." Well, former pastor, history does not bear out this gospel of greed, but the American Dream does.

Can we really look at the martyrs through the ages and say that they were just misinformed. Can we really look at the martyrs and say if only they knew Isaiah 54:17. They could have quoted it like 20 times really fast and would have been spared. Can we really look at the lives that were affected by their obedience to God even to the point of death and say "How sad that they were misinformed. God wanted them to live like kings, not die like dogs."

How come areas where Christianity is persecuted the most seem to be areas where Christianity is exploding the most, and here in America where we have this wonderful "revelation" about how God wants us all to be filthy stinkin' rich, Christianity is in decline?

Maybe God's definition of prosper is a bit higher than we have made it out to be. Maybe God's definition of prosper isn't talking about money. Maybe God's definition of prosper includes your soul and your spirit. Maybe God wants us to live out rich (in family and friends) and fruitful (in our obedience to God) lives.

You Must Give to Get

2008-11-11T23:56:00.001-06:00

Something that I heard frequently at my old church was the phrase "You must give to get." This was always in reference to giving money and it was in order to get money, health, and material things. I still get a knot in the pit of my stomach thinking about how much money I did give at that church. How could I have been so blinded?

God gave us freely a way of salvation. We did not have to do anything except receive it. There is no penance required for salvation or forgiveness. How much more would we have to pay for healing? How much more would we have to pay for our needs met? NOTHING! Christ paid for our salvation and our healing. In Matthew 6:25-34, God promised us that if he would take care of the grass and the birds then he will take care of us. 1 Corinthians 2:12 says "We have not received the spirit of the world but the Spirit who is from God, that we may understand what God has freely given us."

Going back to the quote in Matthew, Jesus said that the pagans run after things like clothing. God knows we need food, clothing, and shelter. But we are commanded to seek FIRST the Kingdom of God and His righteousness. This does not mean that we play church. This does not mean that we try our best to impress our pastor. This does not mean that we follow man. This does not mean that we must give tithes and offerings. *Please do not misconstrue that last sentence as me saying we should not give money to the local church. This means that what God leads you to do, you do it. This means that you should search the scriptures to learn about Him. Spend time talking to Him and worshiping Him.

I think back about how the message "Give to Get" was preached and now I can't help but to think about Simon the Sorcerer who tried to buy the ability to lay hands on people and they receive the Holy Spirit. In Acts 8:20-23 "Peter answered: 'May your money perish with you, because you thought you could buy the gift of God with money! You have no part or share in this ministry, because your heart is not right before God. Repent of this wickedness and pray to the Lord. Perhaps he will forgive you for having such a thought in your heart. For I see that you are full of bitterness and captive to sin.'" I was like Simon the sorcerer trying to buy things from God. I was like the pagan running after material things.

I will say it again God gave freely. We can not do anything to buy it. Instead of being taught this, we were taught that if we were going to give 50 dollars we should give 100. If we were going to give 100 we should give 200, and on and on and on. At that point it does not become worship, it is coercion. They used intimidation to obtain compliance. They just called it "the double". It has become increasingly clear to me these past few months that the sermons I was sitting under for years did not focus on seeking after the kingdom of God but rather seeking after material things. Paul said in Philippians 3:18-19 "For, as I have often told you before and now say again even with tears, many live as enemies of the cross of Christ. Their destiny is destruction, their god is their stomach, and their glory is in their shame. Their mind is on earthly things." My mind was on earthly things, but I was taught to have my mind on earthly things by my own pastor.

Prosperity preachers, like former pastor, are constantly wanting you to give them money. They say it is because they are "good ground" for you to give to. Because God has made them to prosper. Well, think about this: It is people like you and I who have made these men prosperous. And you may see them give gifts to other prosperity preachers, usually ones more well known then they are. But it is rare to see them give the money to people who actually need it. It is even more rare to see a prosperity preacher reject an offering just so that he can show that he is offering the gospel free of charge. Paul did just that in 1 Corinthians 9. Where is the "good ground" in giving to rich men who give money only to other rich men?

Friend of God

2008-11-01T16:10:00.002-05:00

One Sunday, while at MFC, we were singing “Friend of God”. We had a “special guest” minister in the service. And the special guest minister got up on the stage and had them stop singing the song. This minister looked out over the audience with a very upset look on his face. And he told us that we should not sing songs like that. Because we are not friends of God. We are children of God.

I seem to remember this guy telling us things that we should not do almost every time that he came to our church. I never left a service that he preached feeling uplifted or that my walk with Christ was better for hearing what he had to say. He was always bashing on the Baptists and saying things that would make you question if this man understood what love was. This minister was supposedly a prophet, although, I can't tell you one single prophecy that he gave that came true. I can think of some that did not come true... but I digress. Former pastor loved to have this guy in there so he came frequently. This morning was the icing on the cake for me.

Forget the fact that I actually liked this song, there was something really wrong with his statement. I did not know how to back up my belief though. After I left there, I very quickly found this passage of Jesus talking to his disciples in the NIV. It really helped to confirm in me how much I needed to be away from that place.

John 15:14-17
14 You are my friends if you do what I command. 15 I no longer call you servants, because a servant does not know his master's business. Instead, I have called you friends, for everything that I learned from my Father I have made known to you. 16 You did not choose me, but I chose you and appointed you to go and bear fruit—fruit that will last. Then the Father will give you whatever you ask in my name. 17 This is my command: Love each other.

By the way, after that Sunday morning we never sang “Friend of God” in that church again. That song became taboo. The way that minister handled that song was not out of a spirit of love or correction. Instead it was like so many other times, a spirit of control. It was the little things like this that they tell you not to do. So you do not do it - for them. But after awhile they begin to make the demands larger and larger until you realize that you are just like a little puppet on a string. You have bought their lies. You have given up your right to think and discern things for yourself. Some would call it brainwashing. Others call it cult-like.

So I have been sitting back thinking lately about my relationship with my father. Yes, I am his child. That is an obvious observation. But are we friends? Can a father and son be friends also? Well, if a father is abusive or neglectful then I don't think that the child will want to be friends with their father. Or if the child goes off on some wild tare and seeks to destroy anything and everything the father has worked towards, then the father will have a hard time being friends with his son. But most people, I believe, in time, become friends with their parents, at least to some degree. So why could we not become friends with God? God is not abusive or neglectful and all he asks of us is to love other people. That is the only qualification Jesus gives us.

Does anyone have any other thoughts on this? Can your son or daughter become your friend?

Characteristics of a Controlling Church

2008-10-27T23:19:00.003-05:00

My Former Church was a very controlling church. In fact, I would call it an abusive environment. For someone who is in a different type of abusive environment then anyone outside the situation would tell them to run for their life. Growing up at this church I did not really know that any other church was different. Staying in a situation like this will wear you down.

It can be hard when you leave an abusive church, because you have lost trust in the pastor of the church. While you were there, you had built up the pastor in your mind and could have even gotten to the point that thinking a word from the pastor is as good as a word from God. So that lost of trust can easily leak over into your trust in God. Detoxing can be incredibly painful and involve many tears. If you are not careful then you can turn away from God altogether because it may seem like it will hurt less. If a person needs time away from church then they should not feel any condemnation from it. For myself I wanted to see what some other churches were like and I have seen good and bad churches. But I wanted to see how other places portrayed Christ. I also dove into the gospels. I used to read almost exclusively KJV, so I tried another, easier to read version. Turns out if you didn't know, there are many wonderful versions of the Bible out there. The reason I went to the Gospels was to really just pour over who Jesus was and how he lived. He didn't live like my former pastor at all. And many of the things that Jesus taught ran counter to the teachings of MFC.

Jeff VanVonderen wrote a wonderful article at http://www.spiritualabuse.com/ that I would like to share an excerpt with you. This is from his article called “When You Are Ready To Try Again: Going Back to Church”

In hurtful churches you find the following seven characteristics:

1. Power-posturing. Those in leadership positions spend a lot of time and energy reminding others of their authority. Authority is used to boss and control members of God’s family.

2. Performance preoccupation. How people act is more important than what’s really going on in their lives. People aren’t what is loved and accepted. Behavior is the most important thing.

3. Unspoken rules. How relationships function is governed by rules that aren’t said out loud, but in many cases these unspoken rules have more weight than the out-loud rules or even Scripture. The most powerful and damaging of all the unspoken rules is the “can’t talk” rule. This rule keeps the truth quiet because the problem itself isn’t treated as the problem; talking about it is treated as the problem. People who notice problems and confront them are labeled divisive and disloyal. People shut up and call it unity.

4. Lack of balance. There are disproportionate focuses and values placed on certain areas of the Christian life. For instance, you must agree that certain gifts of the Spirit aren’t for today or you’re labeled “unstable” or “deceived.” In other churches, if you lack certain spiritual gifts or don’t exercise the gifts in ways accepted by the group, you are considered a second-class Christian.

5. Spiritual paranoia. There is a sense that people, resources, and relationships outside the system are unsafe.

6. Misplaced loyalty. A sense of loyalty is built toward programs, things, and people, rather than toward Jesus.

7. Secretiveness. Certain information is deemed suitable only for those within the church or only for certain people within the church.

These 7 characteristics do not look anything like what Jesus taught. So if your church looks like this description I encourage you to run for your life. A healthy "grace-full" church is going to show the opposite characteristics. Jeff's article goes on to describe what to look for in your next church.

Re-Focusing

2008-10-24T00:34:00.000-05:00

I believe that right now is a time of reckoning for the church. I believe that we have been letting in too much of religion and not keeping our focus on our first love, Jesus Christ. There is only one thing that we should be focusing on, “How can I best follow Christ?” Is that by trying to obtain things? Is that by trying to become powerful? Is that by tearing down others?

Think about how many of the disciples were focusing on those 3 things. Judas Iscariot? In the first few centuries of Christianity when the Roman Empire was so large, think about the Christians that you know of that were focused on getting bigger and better things. I can only think about the martyrs. During the Middle Ages, think about those Christians that were focusing on getting more stuff. Wasn’t that the corrupt Catholic/Anglican system that levied taxes upon people and killed people for owning a Bible? Think about the Renaissance, name those great Christians that focused on expanding their kingdom. I know that Martin Luther, William Tyndale, and Walter Milne did not. Think about America’s historical past and think about the Christians that have sought to become rich and powerful. Those circuit riders were not living it up.

Now think about today, think about the Christians that are focusing on getting more power and more respect. Think about the Christians that are tearing each other down, saying “You are wrong because you are not at my church or in my denomination.” Or “Evil will happen to you because you have left the covering of this pastor.” Think about all of the prosperity preachers.

Does this sound like the Christianity that has flourished through the ages? I would say no. On the contrary, I would say that I see a lot more of the Pharisees and the Sadducees in these things than I see Christ. We are fortunate to not live in a country that imprisons Christians for proclaiming Jesus. But that does not mean that we can forget the blood that was shed. There is no higher revelation than the revelation of yours and my salvation by faith alone in Christ. Now that we have that revelation we should be resolute in seeing that others are offered that revelation. If you have been attending any kind of prosperity church for any amount of time, then I recommend that you go back and look at the martyrs through the ages and get your feet back on earth. Do not keep your head in the clouds; there is not enough oxygen up there to sustain human life.

There was a time in my own life when I thought how misguided all the martyrs though history were, because God wanted them to be “over comers”. They could have had their best life then. It is through the difficult parts of life that we can prove we are a true follower of Jesus Christ. It was through the difficult times that Job proved he would follow God no matter what. Does God want you blessed? Yes, but not for you. Look at your neighbor that has been facing the hard reality of life in a fallen world. If we want to truly follow Christ, then we should give what God has blessed us with to those that really NEED it.

People of this world are hurting and dying without Christ. God doesn’t want you to kick back on easy street with your church friends, never venturing out to meet the people that God wants you to impact. Your church should not be an internal place. Jesus gave of his time, his knowledge, and his life to those who needed help. Jesus went to those that the Pharisees felt too important to go to, the hurting and the needy.

Who am I and Why Do I Hate K-Mart?

2008-10-22T00:03:00.005-05:00

Over at Set Free there was a recent post about this topic and it is incredibly well written, I would recommend reading it before continuing with this post.

I have been thinking along this line for a couple weeks now. When I left MFC (my former church) I immediately quit dressing up for church. I always hated dressing up anyways. That just isn't who I am. But I did it because that was required at my church. As I stated in my first post I have started over in my beliefs in Christ. I am taking nothing that I have learned in the past couple decades about God from here forward. I learned before MFC that God loved me enough to send Jesus, his son, to die for me. So I am building from that foundation. For a bit of back ground MFC is a Word of Faith church, read that as a prosperity church... also, read that as a charismatic church.

I have begun to notice that I seem to have a whole lot more questions than answers. Which makes me think, "have I ever really paid any attention to what I believe or why I believe those things?" And I don't think I have. For years, I bought the company line - hook, line, and sinker. Someone recently told me about how years ago Former Pastor told the congregation to not shop at K-Mart because the clothes were not good enough. I guess everyone should only shop at Jos. A. Banks or Harold's or Saks. I don't remember this "sermon" as it happened while I was still a child, but that explains why I felt like I was doing something wrong when I bought my Christmas tree from there a couple years ago. Subconsciously, I believed that K-Mart was taboo. On a side note: To all of the K-Mart exec's reading this blog, I am sorry for that, and I have come to realize that I can change things I have a K-Mart not too far away. I will give you guys a second chance. Now I feel bad for thinking about how terrible it was for Sears to have been bought out by you.

This one example has helped me to see just how deeply my entire life was impacted by MFC, not just my religious beliefs. So maybe while some people can just sort the good from the bad, I am left standing here considering myself fortunate that I am not just walking away from God altogether. And believe me when I say the thought has crossed my mind several times. I feel great empathy for those who like me grew up in a church that was abusive like mine and choose to walk away from God. I believe Jesus put things pretty plain about his view of this in Matthew 18:2-6.
2He called a little child and had him stand among them. 3And he said: "I tell you the truth, unless you change and become like little children, you will never enter the kingdom of heaven. 4Therefore, whoever humbles himself like this child is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven.
5"And whoever welcomes a little child like this in my name welcomes me. 6But if anyone causes one of these little ones who believe in me to sin, it would be better for him to have a large millstone hung around his neck and to be drowned in the depths of the sea.

Questions I Had About my Former Church

2008-10-20T13:01:00.005-05:00

I had a lot of things that I disagreed with about MFC (my former church). And while there is no perfect church, I began to think that these problems were common to all churches. Eventually things came to a climax and it was necessary for me to leave. At that time, around April, I decided to jot down questions I had asked about the church. Here are some of those questions:

Where are we helping the community, the region, the nation, the world?

Where is the accountability? Shouldn't ALL Christians have people they are held accountable too, especially if they are in full-time ministry?

Where in the Bible does it demand how I dress?

Former pastor demanded that people call him Pastor Doe (a pseudonym), even people that didn't go to the church. Where did God ever "require" that? What is so offensive about anything else? You know, Brother, Mister, etc.

Pulling an invisible lever made me feel stupid, and I refuse to scramble for a Pay Day candy bar.

Why are things so cliquish?

Why can we not continue a relationship with someone who has left our church to attend another? Are we not ALL the children of God? Are we not all ONE body?

Former pastor has recently been talking down about seeker friendly churches. Why? What is wrong about a church doing everything that they can to present the good news of Jesus Christ to everyone?

Do we really need a “tithe” sermon EVERY time before the tithes and offering are taken up?

Why is it more honorable to be the usher that opens a door for former pastor than to go help minister at a nursing home or prison?

Why are there no Bible studies? Could it be that they might lead to accountability? Could it be that former pastor can't completely control them?

Why does it seem that the stuff around former pastor's son seemed like a cover up? Is former pastor wanting to bring him back?

Why the nepotism? I understand it for a small church, but a church as big as MFC could have had much more qualified people working in these areas.

What on earth do they mean by "the Anointing"? I know Jesus was anointed (See Luke 4:16-21). For the sake of argument I will assume that former pastor is anointed, how does that seem to automatically be transferred to all of former pastor's family? If they are really anointed, why can't they be anointed elsewhere involved in other ministries?

More to come...

Why...

2008-10-19T23:47:00.005-05:00

After having spent nearly 22 years in a controlling and abusive church I began to think that I was going crazy. Turns out I might not have been. But I did realize that it was high time to leave. So my family and I did. Now that we have left what do we do? I don't know, I didn't plan that far. Well okay, let's see what I can do to get my sanity back, or my now shaky walk with God.

So that is basically what happened in April of this year. I decided to get a new Bible and "start over" with my walk with Christ. I was a young child when I started going to MFC (My Former Church) and all I knew then was God loved me enough to send his Son to die in my place. Okay, so I guess starting over means, right back at John 3:16. I fairly quickly found that Jesus didn't look like the representation I saw from my former pastor. I also found that I actually enjoy reading my Bible unlike just a few weeks before. So this is going to be my journey of re-gaining myself and a long lost walk with Christ (even though I went to church all the time and did and said the right things).