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If
not here, where? If not now, when? If not us, who?
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Messages We've
Received From Angry Ministers
Brothers and
Sisters in leadership who are disgusted with US.
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PLEASE
NOTE:
If
you're a Minister of the Gospel and you send a reasoned, calm, scripturally-founded
dispute or rebuke or disagreement, we're all ears and it's between
us (unless you give us permission to post it).
If
you're a Minister of the Gospel and you send us a hateful or
threatening note -- there's every possibility we're going to post it
on the site. You're not fit to lead if you can't model Christ
and speak with at least a hint of Love -- and we're going to tell the
world. (There was a time when I saw my Dad get death threats
from another pastor because people were leaving that church to come
to ours! So it's not like it couldn't happen! In fact, I'm
betting on it.)
Brothers,
I love you. I grew up a missionary kid, my Dad is a
pastor. I understand you. Many of you are trying very hard,
you're doing as you were trained. But God isn't in it if you're
relying on Man or on your own strength or pride. Jesus never hired a
consultant to spin His message or plan a fund-raiser.
Please,
PLEASE understand. I'm NOT against the Church or against the
Pastor. I'm not condemning big churches OR little churches
automatically. It's not automatically a sin to have a building
- even a big one. My whole effort is to point out that we need
to be VERY careful that we don't LOVE the Creation instead of the
Creator. I think 99.9% of all Christian churches start with the right
motivation. But it's undeniable that MANY lose their first love. The
question is HOW DID IT HAPPEN and WHAT DO WE DO NOW?
I
think it's perfectly reasonable (and scriptural, as it turns out) to
point out that we WILL be called to account. We WILL have to explain
why we decided this way or that with what was entrusted to us.
Our ONLY responsibility is to take earthly treasure and convert it
into Heavenly treasure. We should look to maximize the exchange. (Read
this)
Does
EVERY expense line in your budget have to be there? Is it
generating MAXIMUM treasure in Heaven? Is it producing more
than would the same money to support a native missionary or feed an
orphan or care for a widow?
Could
you collect one roll of toilet paper per member once a year and cut
hundreds of dollars out of your budget? Could you rent out
unused space in your building for offices or storage? Could you
do without a building? What if persecution came? What if a
hurricane wiped out your building? How would you adjust? Could you do
with less and still grow?
They're
just questions. Not accusations. Well, not exactly.
It's going to be you and God one day and it's going to be a LOT
harder to explain to Him than to little, old me.
Is
the tail wagging the dog? Is your cleaning and lawn budget
more than your missions budget? Do you REALLY need that new
______ more than 1,000 people in Nepal need to hear about Jesus for
the first time? Just be prayerful about every decision and be
transparent. As soon as it's about ego and personal gain,
you've made an enemy of us -- and God.
When
God seperates the Sheep from the Goats based on who cared for the
poor, hungry, lonely, sick or in prison - how many of your
congregation are going to be Goats? Like it or not, it's on
your head.
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We have several
real doosies in the file now,
but are
praying about how best to post them without doing more damage to the Body.
I've been warned
by international ministries. I've been kicked out of churches for
praying silently in the back. There are some that have banned for
life "you and anybody that agrees with you". I've
been physically assaulted by a pastor. I've been defamed,
libelled, slandered, lied about, gossiped about. I've had a pastor
send an email to everyone he knew saying I was mentally ill and/or
possessed by demons - probably both. I've been run off the road. I've
been pushed down stairs. I've had the police called on me for praying
on the sidewalk. I had a pastor come and tell me to "get
off my knees and start acting like a human being" because I was
praying in public. One spirit-filled, sanctified, holiness
pastor that won't even refer to me as a person anymore - I'm
"that thing" now.
I've had pastors
and "men of God" and leaders of ministries be patronizing,
insulting, demeaning, controlling, degrading, and worse. I've had
ministry leaders praying against me and wishing me harm. I've pretty
much seen it all.
But God loves them
and so do I. Jesus said it would be like this. He said if you were
like Him, those of your own family would kill you and think they were
doing God a favor. He said He came to be a sword, that would
cut even between the deepest of relationships. He wasn't
kidding. You got turning over tables and upsetting the status
quo and they're going to try to crucify you. Praise God, I've
had a chance to share in His sufferings - just a teeny tiny bit.
1 Timothy
5:17-21 (ASV) says:
17 Let the
elders that rule well be counted worthy of double honor, especially
those who labor in the word and in teaching. 18 For the scripture
saith, Thou shalt not muzzle the ox when he treadeth out the corn.
And, The laborer is worthy of his hire. 19 Against an elder receive
not an accusation, except at the mouth of two or three witnesses. 20
Them that sin reprove in the sight of all, that the rest also may be
in fear. 21 I charge thee in the sight of God, and Christ Jesus, and
the elect angels, that thou observe these things without prejudice,
doing nothing by partiality.
It's important
that you make note that the word "RULE" in that verse is a self-serving
mistranslation designed to maintain a heirarchical popish system. A
more accurate literal translation is "stand before."
Besides that, this verse is used by pastors to say that they are
worthy of double honor because they preach the word and teach. That's
not what it says. It says that those who do it "WELL"
deserve double honor. Those who are full of self and pride and lust
and desire to self-glorify and build a denominational empire need to
sit down and shut up. They are daily blooding the Body of Christ and
they are NOT worthy of their hire. Please stop feeding them!
Verse 20 makes it
clear how we are to procedurally deal with elders. It's not like
Matthew 18:15-17 where you do it privately, then you take another,
then you do it before the church. No. 1 Timothy makes
it clear that elders, by the testimony of two or three witnesses, are
to be exposed and rebuked publicly so that others might take note and
be in FEAR. And we're to observe that without prejudice or
partiality. That means you do it to ANY that need it and you do it
without trying to self-justify or get vengeance or maliciously crush
someone. You do it in love and you do it medicinally with the bare
minimum of force necessary to have the desired effect. That's the way
the Lord disciplines us.
2 Timothy
2:24-26 (ASV) says,
"24 And
the Lord's servant must not strive, but be gentle towards all, apt to
teach, forbearing, 25 in meekness correcting them that oppose
themselves; if peradventure God may give them repentance unto the
knowledge of the truth, 26 and they may recover themselves out of the
snare of the devil, having been taken captive by him unto his will.
So we need to
rebuke them, but we need to do it VERY carefully and gently and in
meekness. Understanding that ultimately, they're opposing THEMSELVES
because they are caught in a snare of the devil. And the only
way out is repentance and that's a GIFT from God that He may not give
you if you're going your own way. He's not going to release you until
you're sufficiently broken. So be gentle with them, but obey 1
Timothy 5:20 at the same time.
Pray hard about
how to do that and if you're meek and broken enough yourself.
As for me, I'm
holding lots of things back that would wreck lots of ministries and
individual lives. If I printed publicly some of the emails I've
received from leaders of the 'church,' everyone would see how NOT
like Jesus they really are. I'm holding all of that back because I
have to. The Lord has made it clear to take it like a sheep led to
the slaughter.
But that's not
going to last forever. There is a time when all things will be exposed.
But medicinally,
so that maybe God will let them repent and they can get free from the
snare of the devil.
2 Tim 3:1-9 (ASV)
1 But know
this, that in the last days grievous times shall come. 2 For men
shall be lovers of self, lovers of money, boastful, haughty, railers,
disobedient to parents, unthankful, unholy, 3 without natural
affection, implacable, slanderers, without self-control, fierce, no
lovers of good, 4 traitors, headstrong, puffed up, lovers of pleasure
rather than lovers of God; 5 holding a form of godliness, but having
denied the power therefore. From these also turn away. 6 For of these
are they that creep into houses, and take captive silly women laden
with sins, led away by divers lusts, 7 ever learning, and never able
to come to the knowledge of the truth. 8 And even as Jannes and
Jambres withstood Moses, so do these also withstand the truth. Men
corrupted in mind, reprobate concerning the faith. 9 But they shall
proceed no further. For their folly shall be evident unto all men, as
theirs also came to be.
The Light is coming.
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