Sunday, November 10, 2013

Human Resources--in the bad sense

I have wondered for decades why I am looking for fallen graduates of my Bible college, when no one else is. One Godly leader from my college, who is now in Heaven, used to do it as well, but I cannot find anyone else.

While researching a problem for a troubled Christian, I came across a hatesite dedicated to a Bible college similar to mine. It is an unaccredited Ruckmanite school, run by a single megachurch, that requires its students to perform a lot of service for the church while not giving them a genuine college education.

The posts were about six years old, and contained the usual complaints about being forced to live for God and obey man-made rules when the person didn't want to. As usual, the posters eventually broke out in hatred for each other. They could not produce any evidence of fraud or immorality against the pastor.

But one poster explained my own situation. The college used its students as "resources." They were there to produce numbers. When it was clear that a student needed to leave, he was pressured to stay and keep paying tuition money. He was not informed that the college would never recommend him for a ministry, and that his credits would probably not transfer to a real college.

I am in contact with graduates, some of whom excelled in their Christian service, who hate the college today.

Attending an unaccredited college is almost always a mistake. My own college falsified records, encouraged gang violence, provided a sorry education, slanders its critics, and discards its victims.

And attending a Ruckmanite college is always a mistake.

Monday, June 17, 2013

Ishbi-benob  is a picture of our attackers.

2 Samuel 21:
16 Then Ishbi-benob, who was among the descendants of the giant, the weight of whose spear was three hundred shekels of bronze in weight, was girded with a new sword, and he intended to kill David.17 But Abishai the son of Zeruiah helped him, and struck the Philistine and killed him.

OUR CRITICS

Ishbibenob is a symbol of our critics.
2 Samuel 21:16Then Ishbi-Benob, who was one of the sons of the giant, the weight of whose bronze spear was three hundred shekels, who was bearing a new sword, thought he could kill David.
17But Abishai the son of Zeruiah came to his aid, and struck the Philistine and killed him.
1) He didn't understand old age. Older experienced Christians can't be stopped:
Psalm 92: 13 Those who are planted in the house of the LORD Shall flourish in the courts of our God.
14 They shall still bear fruit in old age; They shall be fresh and flourishing,
Proverbs 16:31 The silver-haired head is a crown of glory, If it is found in the way of righteousness.
Isaiah 46:4 Even to your old age, I am He, And even to gray hairs I will carry you! I have made, and I will bear; Even I will carry, and will deliver you.
2) HE DIDN'T UNDERSTAND TEACHING
Titus 2:3 the older women likewise, that they be reverent in behavior, not slanderers, not given to much wine, teachers of good things ---
2 Timothy 2:2 And the things that you have heard from me among many witnesses, commit these to faithful men who will be able to teach others also.
3) HE SHOULD NOT HAVE USED A SWORD, WHICH PICTURES THE WORD OF GOD
Romans 14:4 Who are you to judge another's servant? To his own master he stands or falls. Indeed, he will be made to stand, for God is able to make him stand.
James 4:12 There is one Lawgiver, who is able to save and to destroy. Who are you to judge another?
4) HE SHOULD HAVE USED A BOW, WHICH PICTURES PERSONAL ATTACKS
Psalm 64:3 Who sharpen their tongue like a sword, And bend their bows to shoot their arrows --- bitter words,
4 That they may shoot in secret at the blameless; Suddenly they shoot at him and do not fear.
Notice that they pretend that their evil words are "like a sword." They are able to fake Godliness in their slander.
Psalm 11:2 For look! The wicked bend their bow, They make ready their arrow on the string, That they may shoot secretly at the upright in heart.
1 Timothy 4:10-11 For to this end we both labor and suffer reproach, because we trust in the living God, who is the Savior of all men, especially of those who believe.
These things command and teach. Reproach is an automatic part of serving God.
5) HE DIDN'T AMOUNT TO MUCH
Nothing else is known about him. His spearhead weighed half that of Goliath. Most critics of successful Chirstians are not leading successful ministries themselves.
6) HE WASN'T WELL THOUGHT OF
His name seems to mean "The Man From Nob," The Man Who Sits," The Man Who Breathes." He was not given any "champion" titles.

Sunday, April 7, 2013

USING WISDOM TO LISTEN TO THE RIGHT PEOPLE

Certain sites are dedicated to restoring the spiritual success of the independent Baptist churches of the 1970's. The people in charge reason that if we will listen to the teachings of the greatest independent Baptist preachers of that decade, we will bring back their spiritual success. And the people who run these sites don't understand why they are failing.

The leaders back then followed a policy of covering up sin "for the good of the ministry." Eventually, they had to start criticizing Christians who objected to the growing sin. Criticism eventually turned to slander, and by the 1980's, their movement was in decline. Listening to the people who led that decline won't work.

But the people who run these sites believe that they also should cover up sin "for the good of the ministry." They truthfully tell of the successes of these great preachers, while censoring out any references to their failings.

And they do not understand why they are failing.

Monday, April 1, 2013

Using Wisdom to Ask the Right People

During the 1970's, a new Christian school opened every seven hours. As they began closing at an alarming rate, Bob Jones University, which had heavily promoted Christian education, tried to find out why. They asked the churches, the students, the leaders, etc., and were unable to find the answer.

God forbid that they should ask the teachers, who would have told them that the school and church leadership routinely sided with lying parents who wanted revenge on teachers who made their children behave. Christian schools became a death trap for their teachers, most of whom no longer attend church. There were few teachers with more than a few years' experience.

So why didn't they ask the teachers? Perhaps the teachers would have told them that their Christian colleges did not prepare them for the real problems of teaching (the parents), and that the teachers were trained to always have a good, loyal attitude towards leaders who did not deserve it.

It takes wisdom and humility to acknowledge that your methods and beliefs don't work, but it does get problems solved.

Tuesday, March 26, 2013

WISDOM AND KNOWING WHAT'S WRONG

In describing the failure of Christian schools and the activities of violent gangs at my college, something constantly shows up: the people who failed didn't understand what was wrong.

One Christian did an analysis of people who started new churches and failed, and he concluded: they usually didn't understand why they failed. When I talk to unsuccessful missionaries here in Mexico, I usually see that they don't understand what they're doing wrong.

Furthermore, when you try to tell them what they're doing wrong, they reject your explanation, because it is so different from what they believe. It takes wisdom (along with humility) to acknowledge that your failure is based on something you deeply believe but is still false.

Friday, March 22, 2013

APPLYING WISDOM TO FAILURE

One of the most colossal failures in American Christianity is the collapse of the Christian school movement. At one point in the 1970's, a new Christian school opened every seven hours. With better discipline and better academics, Christian schools were a major embarrassment to the jealous public school system.

And the churches got a side benefit, as the teachers also served in church ministries, teaching Sunday School, running bus routes, and volunteering in other areas. Plus, the spouses and families of the teachers were an asset to the church. It is no wonder that the Christian school movement thrived.

But today, most of them are gone, and most of the teachers don't even attend church. Time and again, enraged parents would get a teacher fired for making their child behave. Wanting the tuition money, Christian schools would get rid of Godly teachers and keep ungodly students (along with their ungodly parents). In my ten years of teaching, I observed that less than half of all Christian school teachers entered their third year. A Christian school teacher with twenty or thirty years of experience was unheard of.

"Wisdom is the principal thing" the Bible tells us; "Therefor, get wisdom." The consistent lack of wisdom of Christian school leaders destroyed what was once a mighty work of God.

Sunday, March 17, 2013

APPLYING WISDOM TO SIN

One of the more puzzling parts of the four Gospels occurs when a person who was blind or had leprosy would approach Jesus for help, because Jesus would ask him what he wanted. Didn't Jesus know? And besides, wasn't it obvious? But what Jesus wanted was for the person to acknowledge what was wrong.

When I was in college, several students with large church bus routes organized violent gangs, with the encouragement of the college vice-president (a former Green Beret). When it came time for them to be expelled, they didn't understand why. They felt that they were the victims of a practical joke gone bad, and that their victims were partly to blame. The fact that none of them, including the vice-president, were disciples, nor that none of them feared the Lord, did not appear to be a problem for them.

A compromise was worked out: they would be suspended for one year, and the vice-president would be allowed to attach slanders to the records of the students who had opposed them. To the best of my knowledge, not one of them has ever obeyed the Biblical commands to get things right with their victims. And the result?

Despite their large bus routes, only one of them is pastoring today. One pastored for decades before his wife left him for another man. And as far as I know, none of them has ever figured out what the problem was. "Wisdom is the principal thing; therefor get wisdom" is a command they rejected.

Thursday, March 14, 2013

THE THIRD GREAT PRINCIPLE OF FAILURE

"Wisdom is the principal thing; therefor, get wisdom." Proverbs 4:7

For a while during the 1970's, a new Christian school opened in the United States every seven hours. It was a common practice in those schools to get rid of Godly teachers who offended ungodly parents by making their children behave. As a result, these school kept ungodly students while losing Godly teachers. Today, the majority of those schools have folded.

I have mentioned freshmen who arrive at a Bible college and learn that there are only a few dozen students, and that the faculty are church staff. Incredibly, most of them stay, even after realizing that they were deceived.

I am amazed at the number of Christians who dislike their churches, but won't leave because their church forbids them. Stuck and unhappy, they waste years with no spiritual growth or success.

It is incredible how many servants of Christ cripple and destroy their own ministries by doing something stupid. No matter how Godly you are, without wisdom you're headed for failure.

Thursday, March 7, 2013

Exalting Yourself Part 2

Thee are some very successful, unscriptural ministries run by wealthy televangelists who gain much of their wealth from poorly educated people. And these televangelists have something in common: self-promotion. The key to their success is teaching people how great the wealthy televangelists are.

As a result, churches are sometimes plagued by people who believe that they are authorized by God to glorify themselves by seizing control of ministries run by Godly people and taking all the credit. There might be exceptions, but in every case I know of, a person who seized a ministry that God gave to someone else ruined it. In every case in which the person held on to the ministry, it continued to succeed.

Jesus said that people who exalt themselves will be abased. It's hard to believe that when you look at the wealth and prestige of wealthy preachers, but their time is coming. And for their imitators in local churches, it often comes fairly quickly.

Sunday, March 3, 2013

EXALTING YOURSELF

Matt. 23:12 And whoever exalts himself will be humbled, and he who humbles himself will be exalted.

Folks, this is getting a little complicated. You'll have Christian people and institutions that keep doing the same stupid thing over and over, when it is obviously not working. Why? Because they are acting on a strongly-held wrong belief. Why do they keep the wrong belief? Because it is based an another strongly-held wrong belief, and so on.

It takes painful humility to admit that you were wrong about something that you have done for years, but God lifts up Christians who do. My college taught that soul-winning was the most important thing in the Christian life. Therefor, they could commit any sin necessary to protect their ministry. Therefor, they could cover up sin. Therefor, they could slander anyone who objected to the sin. As a result, the college has gone through forty years of scandal and disgrace. Their last pastor is in jail for sex with a teen-ager. Their sins continue, and nobody can stop them.

Jesus said that if we do not build our house on His Words, it will collapse, and "great was the fall of it."

Tuesday, February 26, 2013

HUMBLING YOURSELF

Jack Hyles, who at the time was pastoring the world's largest church, gave this advice more than once: "If you're failing in your ministry, find someone who is succeeding and ask him for advice."

I have been amazed at the number of unsuccessful missionaries in Mexico who will not ask for help from people who are succeeding. If they did so, they would not be "leaders," so instead of being successful learners, they are unsuccessful leaders. We have four Christian orphanages in this area, and some of them have successful missionaries on staff. One missionary did help at an orphanage, and now he has one of his own. But most missionaries will not help at all, despite the opportunities.

Jesus said that the greatest Christians are the ones who humble themselves. If you want to do something for Christ, find someone who is succeeding and ask that person for advice.

Saturday, February 23, 2013

THE SECOND GREAT PRINCIPLE OF FAILURE

Matthew 18:4 contains one of the most rejected verses in Scripture, a verse that is very contrary to what many Christian institutions teach:

Therefore whoever humbles himself as this little child is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven.

It gets even worse when you look at the context. The apostles asked Jesus who was the greatest in the Kingdom of Heaven, and Jesus explained that is people who humble themselves.

 
But someone will object that the people who accomplish the most for God are the greatest. However, other Scriptures tell us that God gives grace to the humble; it the humble who do the greatest works, because their works are accomplished through God' grace.

Tuesday, February 19, 2013

IF A CHRISTIAN DOESN'T LIKE YOU


Psalm 119:74 discusses people who don't like born-again Christians. "Those who fear You will be glad when they see me, Because I have hoped in Your word."

The Scriptures abound in blessings and promises to those who fear the Lord, but it makes clear that these blessings and promises are not for those who are hostile to God's people. When "successful" Christian leaders despise and fight Christians, they show that they don't fear the Lord. Some big-time Christians have been caught in immorality or other scandals, and it will then turn out that they had been mistreating their Christian employees for years.

When you see a Christian leader who despises God's people, no mater how successful he is, he doesn't fear the Lord. It's a good idea to steer clear of him.

Thursday, February 14, 2013

ARE CHRISTIANS UNCLEAN?

2 Corinthians 6 tells us 17 Therefore " Come out from among them And be separate, says the Lord. Do not touch what is unclean, And I will receive you." 18 " I will be a Father to you, And you shall be My sons and daughters, Says the LORD Almighty."

This passage is sometimes misused to teach that we should separate from Christians who belong to denominations that have unsaved people in them. A problem here is that the people who believe this are sometimes caught in scandals when some of their own leaders are actually unsaved.

The previous verses show clearly that Paul is talking about separating from pagan temples. Genuine Christians were still fellowshipping with the false gods they had served before coming to Christ, and God's Word strictly forbids this practice. But to separate from saints who belong to Christian groups that don't meet our standards is contrary to the Biblical command that we are to have fervent charity among ourselves.

Monday, February 4, 2013

YEARS OF DISOBEDIENCE

There is actually a doctrine that if you disobey God's commands to get right with a Christian you have wronged, God will eventually accept your sin. Which brings up the question: "How many years do you have to disobey God's commands to get things right, before God will accept your sin?"

My college vice-president was a former Green Beret (FGB) who was forced out of the college for supporting and protecting violent gangs among the student body. He had a strong policy of never gong back to someone he had wronged to make things right, explaining that his wrongs were "water under the bridge." He then built a successful church that included a successful school.

And then one day, Al Gore invented the internet. The FGB found himself the topic of a Christian hate site dedicated to his misdeeds. A couple dozen of his victims wrote in, and his church members began following the hate site, causing problems in his church. His defenders pointed out that he was winning more souls to Christ than his critics, and then a tech-savvy critic found out that all of his supporters were paid staff members of his church.

Believe it or not, I am actually on good terms with the FGB. I urged him to post an apology and admission of guilt, but he never answered me.

The best friend of a gang member who had been expelled began writing a series, claiming that the violent gang stories were false. After a few years, someone pointed out the solid track record of lying and church abuse that the defender had, using the abuser's real name.

Thirty-eight years later, the FGB's wrongs against the saints are still coming up.

Friday, February 1, 2013

Proof of Spirituality

Who's the best Christian? The guy with the biggest church? The one who wins the most souls to Christ? The one who reads the most Bible? The one who holds important leadership positions?

Jesus said "By this shall all men know that you are my disciples, if you have love one for another." Christians who constantly war against other saints are not Jesus' disciples. Christians who feel called to expose the sins of groups they disagree with are not disciples. Christians who slander their way to leadership positions are not disciples.

But don't we need to do certain things in order to please God? When you don't love the brethren, any blessing God gives you looks like an attack on your Christian enemies. Any failure you have is a comfort to your Christian enemies.

Also, it is hard to submit to the authority, or to help the ministry, of a Christian enemy. By fighting, you cut off many areas of service where God could use you. That's why God tells us "Above all things, have fervent charity among yourselves."

Tuesday, January 29, 2013

THE FIRST GREAT PRINCIPLE OF FAILURE

John 15:12  This is my commandment, that you love one another as I have loved you.
1 Peter 4:8 commands us "Above all things, have fervent charity among yourselves."

More important than soul-winning, more important than numbers, more important than doctrine, more important than which translation we read, we are to have fervent charity among ourselves. Why is this so important? Christians do not grasp how and why their failures in serving God are related to not loving the brethren. They place themselves in situations in which any success God gives them is an attack on other saints, while any failures they have are an encouragement to the brethren they've attacked. It is a common Christian error that if they succeed, God is "on their side," when God is actually on the side of every Christian.

Here in Mexico, I have seen Christians, including missionaries, attack other saints with no provocation, and then they wonder why God doesn't bless them. They believe that they are right in their attacks, when God tells us that fervent charity among ourselves is more important than attacking others. I'll be spending some time on this important doctrine, that fervent charity among ourselves is the most important thing we are to practice.


 

Wednesday, January 23, 2013

PRINCIPLES OF FAILURE  Part 4

 John 14:21, Jesus said
He who has My commandments and keeps them, it is he who loves Me. And he who loves Me will be loved by My Father, and I will love him and manifest Myself to him.


Folks, I'm on part 4, and I still can't get out of the introduction. How does Jesus manifest Himself to an obedient Christian? He might do it by "speaking" to him directly, or He might speak to him through the Scriptures or through a person. I have noticed that the missionaries who fail here in Mexico do not go to successful Christians for advice. Instead, they listen to people who are themselves unsuccessful. The Bible tells us that evil communications corrupt good manners; one missionary family spent four years listening to an untruthful person, and now the Jehovah's Witnesses are making an issue out of the false reports of success that they were posting.

God can bless a person by steering him or her to good advisors, and He does that to obedient Christians.

Friday, January 18, 2013

PRINCIPLES OF FAILURE   Part 3

Folks, I'm trying to teach "Three Great Principles of Failure," but I can't get past the introduction. We have to obey Christ if we are going to serve Him. In John 14:21, Jesus said

He who has My commandments and keeps them, it is he who loves Me. And he who loves Me will be loved by My Father, and I will love him and manifest Myself to him.

Sometimes disobedient Christians try to serve God and have no idea what to do. They try to seize successful ministries, take credit for the successes of others, and publish false reports of their successes. Without Jesus as their Guide, they listen to the wrong people and make their efforts more harmful than beneficial.

Jesus promised "Follow Me, and I will make you fishers of men." If you want Jesus to teach you, train you, and guide you, you need to obey Him.

Tuesday, January 15, 2013

Principles of Failure Part 2

Luke 6: 46 

46 "But why do you call Me 'Lord, Lord,' and not do the things which I say?

Before I get into the three great principles of failure, I want to talk about obedience again. When a Christian determines to serve God his own way, he sets down certain paths and goes through certain doors that are not available to obedient Christians. As the years and decades roll by, both sets of Christians develop their own strengths and methods. Disobedient Christians excel in taking credit, seizing ministries that God did not give them, and destroying opponents. Obedient Christians get things done for God.

Here in Mexico, I have observed three key failures in the lives of Christians, many of them missionaries, who accomplished little or nothing for the Lord. I'll be spending a few days on each one of these principles of failure.

Sunday, January 13, 2013

PRINCIPLES OF FAILURE

In Matthew 7:26-27, Jesus said " But everyone who hears these sayings of mine, and does not do them, will be like a foolish man who built his house upon the sand: and the rain descended, the floods came, and the winds blew and beat on that house; and it fell. And great was its fall."

Here in Mexico, I have been astonished at the missionaries who have arrived, failed, and left. Meanwhile, other Christians are being blessed with successful ministries. The envy and bitterness towards Christians who are being blessed by God is something that I saw in the US when I taught Christian school.

Jesus promised, "Follow Me, and I will make you fishers of men." Success in Christian service is GUARANTEED to anyone who will follow Jesus. When a Christian fails, therefor, it is going to come down to disobeying Him. I'll be posting a couple of times a week on three Principles of Failure, all of them involving disobedience to Jesus' words, that will explain why so many Christians fail in their service.