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.
Sunday, March 17, 2013
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.
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.
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."
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.
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.
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.
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