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A MESSAGE FROM THE HEART

Recent exposure of problems and scandals in public ministries, similar to those in the '80's, has been sending a sting of disappointment and discouragement to the Body of Christ for quite some time. More importantly, the venom of mistrust and sarcasm from unbelievers only widens the gap to be bridged by evangelism. It's very sobering to consider this, and we all need to reflect on whether we are building the bridge, or contributing to the gap.

Of course we are to show mercy to those in ministry who have fallen. We may need it ourselves one day. And, God is able to restore, we can be confident of that. But when we teach from the Word to seek comfort from the knowledge that God forgave King David of adultery and murder, we do our entire generation a disservice if we do not include the fact that the child of the affair died, David's family later fell into total chaos and loss which caused him to grieve the rest of his days, and the kingdom of Israel suffered division. He was forgiven, but it was hardly carefree after Nathan's prophetic message.

And so it is with us. When we stumble, God forgives, if we ask for forgiveness with a sincere heart. This would indicate the willingness to admit sin, and the willingness to step into God's enabling power for change. If we could fix ourselves, we would not need Him. But we do need to be aware that affairs, divorces, hasty remarriages, or perversions carry consequences, the same that King David experienced. Positionally we are forgiven, but we live in society where other human beings are watching our lives and measuring our credibility. We can also count on God being our loving Father, and, if we have ever fallen, He may keep us in a protected place rather than releasing us into public ministry. If this is the case then we know it's for our best.

We happen to live in a time when many charismatic leaders have either directly or indirectly preached a "hierarchal reward" message for so long, the crops are springing up from the seeds sown. Catch phrases like "breakthrough", "it's my time", "it's my turn", or "I'm going to the next level" excite audiences into frenzied shouts of declaration. The perception of "promotion coming from the Lord" has shifted toward a modern day business model concept within the church, which breeds unhealthy competition as believers scramble to "serve" in ministry, often with the expectation of becoming wealthy. Unbelievers who are watching all this quite naturally conclude that we are all either nuts, or quite greedy, or both. We are seeing in the news that "foolish faith" easy housing loans resulting in defaults have contributed to our unstable economy. "Debt cancellation miracles" became the faith wild card for quick solutions to unwise business decisions. Believers and church leaders alike have bitten into the deceitful fruit of entitlement.

Where did all this come from? Well....more than likely it was birthed out of a sincere desire to lift up the wounded, raise self esteem, and motivate believers to participate in church work and evangelism. Let's face it, the church is full of wounded people (the same as the unbelievers), and every single one of them wants to feel special and accepted. The truth is, they ARE special and accepted, Jesus bought and paid for that, and it comes with salvation, but we often don't believe it in our hearts, or feel the need for more. When we go beyond desiring special....and decide we should be elite, or go beyond being accepted...and decide we should be entitled....then we open the door to deception, and the enemy is more than willing to add lie upon lie until our foundation becomes frail. When we wander into the fog of elite and entitled, then the enemy can hit us in any weak area of our lives, and the sad part is, we are blind to it when it happens because of pride. The enemy takes advantage of any secret sin, any of the things that are common to all people everywhere, and once he has humiliated his victim, he slithers away, leaving the blame to be heaped upon God and the Body of Christ.

You may wonder what this has to do with preachers and worship leaders who fall into sin. They are human beings, subject to the same weaknesses as their followers. Frankly, with the various mixtures and distortions that have clouded church doctrine in the last 20 years, it's a miracle that more haven't fallen. You may ask "what distortions"? Well....the test I always use is very simple, even for a busy lifestyle. Either read through all four gospels as quickly as you can, or download the free chapters from audiotreasure.com, and as you are listening to the pure Word of God, see if your spirit quickens to correction. The reason the church falls for deceptive preaching is lack of pure truth, plus the old "elite" and "entitled" issues in each hearer, due to unforgiven, wounding experiences.

It's worth mentioning in closing, the original lie that the serpent told to Eve was "if she ate, she would be like God". The lie was a twist in perception.....she was actually already like God.....both she and Adam were made in His image. The serpent convinced her that she wasn't, and it stirred in her a striving and feeling of entitlement, perhaps even a type of longing, but the mistake she made was devastating. The enemy still attempts to deceive us into thinking we are not special or accepted, either by humiliating us to the point where we no longer believe it, or by twisting the truth as he did with Eve, to convince us we should be grasping for elevation.

A parent does not love his son who is sitting at the dinner table more than his daughter who is still in a high chair. A parent's love is the same. So it is with the Father's love for us, so this eliminates the need for performing or struggling for position. Let's seek the Lord, and as Jesus said "rejoice that your name is written in the Lamb's Book of Life". If we seek first the Kingdom, then all these things will be added....so let's not fall for the lie that we are somehow being denied or held back. And if we are being kept close to the Father's heart, protected from many cares, be glad! And finally, let's remember to be merciful to those who have made mistakes...they are our brothers and sisters in the Body of Christ.

October 2008

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