"God resists the proud, But gives grace to the humble. Therefore humble yourselves under the mighty hand of God, that He may exalt you in due time," 1 Peter 5:5-6
It is almost inevitable that after Nicolaitans seize a church, the attendance goes down. They do not humble themselves by admitting that something is wrong, because they feel that since they are in power, things are going well. And they do not submit to authority; rather, they seize it. Since God is resisting them, their various plans and programs cannot reverse the decline of the church.
Soul-winners, on the other hand, cause church growth. Sometimes, they slow or even reverse the church's decline. But, inevitably, the soul-winners see that the Nicolaitans are cancelling them out. By submitting to authority, soul-winners receive the promise that God will exalt them at the proper time, which often means that they have to separate from a Nicolaitan church. The Nicolaitans then blame the soul-winners (instead of themselves) for the decline in attendance. When the soul-winners explain what happened, the Nicolaitans accuse them of bad-mouthing the church, and heap further blame on the soul-winners for the church's decline.
Soul-winners do not always get exalted to leadership positions. Instead, God elevates them to be better soul-winners. And since God cares about their new converts, He often leads them away from Nicolaitan churches.
Friday, July 4, 2008
Monday, June 30, 2008
Why the Conflict? (Part 4)
We have seen that the Bible promises blessings on those who humble themselves. 1 Peter 5:5 tells us "Yes, all of you be submissive to one another, and be clothed with humility, for God resists the proud, But gives grace to the humble." Submission to authority produces humility, but Nicolaitans reject the idea that they, personally, should submit to authority.
Some months after I arrived in Mexico, I noticed something. Christians who were working for somebody else were getting results. Christians who "only answered to the Holy Spirit" weren't accomplishing anything. And Christians who concentrated on fighting their way into leadership were doing more harm that good.
Some months after I arrived in Mexico, I noticed something. Christians who were working for somebody else were getting results. Christians who "only answered to the Holy Spirit" weren't accomplishing anything. And Christians who concentrated on fighting their way into leadership were doing more harm that good.
Friday, June 27, 2008
Why the Conflict? (Part 3)
But he who is greatest among you shall be your servant. And whoever exalts himself will be humbled, and he who humbles himself will be exalted. Mt 23:11-12
Nicolaitans and soul-winners approach Christian service from opposite directions. Nicolaitans see Christian service as an opportunity to be leaders, while soul-winners see Christian service as an opportunity to be servants. Later, we often see Nicolaitans with unsuccessful ministries, while soul-winners are successful in theirs. The reason is that God blesses humility, but He resists pride.
2 Ch 7:14 tells us "if My people who are called by My name will humble themselves, and pray and seek My face, and turn from their wicked ways, then I will hear from heaven, and will forgive their sin and heal their land." WHY does this work? Because part of humbling yourself is admitting that something is wrong. But once a Nicolaitan has seized power, he feels that everything is as it should be.
Nicolaitans and soul-winners approach Christian service from opposite directions. Nicolaitans see Christian service as an opportunity to be leaders, while soul-winners see Christian service as an opportunity to be servants. Later, we often see Nicolaitans with unsuccessful ministries, while soul-winners are successful in theirs. The reason is that God blesses humility, but He resists pride.
2 Ch 7:14 tells us "if My people who are called by My name will humble themselves, and pray and seek My face, and turn from their wicked ways, then I will hear from heaven, and will forgive their sin and heal their land." WHY does this work? Because part of humbling yourself is admitting that something is wrong. But once a Nicolaitan has seized power, he feels that everything is as it should be.
Monday, June 23, 2008
Why the Conflict?(Part 2)
Why are soul-winners able to recognize tares, when other Christians can't? In thirty-nine years as a born-again Christian, I have been called upon to run "Children's Church" three times.
Shortly out of Bible college, I was in a church that ran about 175 kids in Children's Church, and they put me in charge. Several of us worked hard on bus routes, and we got the attendance up to 300. Then the pastor's wife stepped in, attacking me, slandering me to her followers, and demanding that she be put in charge. Her husband gave it to her, and three years later, they had about ten kids in Children's Church.
In another church, Children's Church was a failure. The woman in charge did nothing, and a handful of high school kids took turns running it. Most of it was play time. I took over, got it going well, and then the woman in charge found out about it. She quickly fired me, put her brother in charge, and abandoned it again. When she left for the mission field a year later, her brother gladly dumped the whole mess on me, and several of us were able to build it into a success.
When I retired to Mexico, our church asked me to start a Children's Church for the four kids in the church. We had a high day of 27, but we averaged around ten or twelve. The entire time, a woman in the church fought me at every step. She went around slandering me, cancelled the Children's Church service a couple of times, started a rival Children's Church service in the front lobby, and urged people not to let their children attend. On one occasion, she put a new Christian in charge, with strict orders not to let me in. She wanted to set up a system in which she would rule over a group of women who would run the Children's Church for her. Later, when a church started by her husband failed, they left Mexico.
In all three cases, a Nicolaitan saw a successful work, and felt that she should rule the people who were doing all the work. In none of those cases did the Nicolaitan contribute to the success of the work. But in all three cases, the Nicolaitan had been involved in Christian service!
Ga 5:19 tells us: Now the works of the flesh are evident, which are:... hatred, contentions, jealousies...selfish ambitions, dissensions...envy...of which I tell you beforehand, just as I also told you in time past, that those who practice such things will not inherit the kingdom of God.
How do soul-winners spot tares? We see them practicing the above sins when they attack us.
Shortly out of Bible college, I was in a church that ran about 175 kids in Children's Church, and they put me in charge. Several of us worked hard on bus routes, and we got the attendance up to 300. Then the pastor's wife stepped in, attacking me, slandering me to her followers, and demanding that she be put in charge. Her husband gave it to her, and three years later, they had about ten kids in Children's Church.
In another church, Children's Church was a failure. The woman in charge did nothing, and a handful of high school kids took turns running it. Most of it was play time. I took over, got it going well, and then the woman in charge found out about it. She quickly fired me, put her brother in charge, and abandoned it again. When she left for the mission field a year later, her brother gladly dumped the whole mess on me, and several of us were able to build it into a success.
When I retired to Mexico, our church asked me to start a Children's Church for the four kids in the church. We had a high day of 27, but we averaged around ten or twelve. The entire time, a woman in the church fought me at every step. She went around slandering me, cancelled the Children's Church service a couple of times, started a rival Children's Church service in the front lobby, and urged people not to let their children attend. On one occasion, she put a new Christian in charge, with strict orders not to let me in. She wanted to set up a system in which she would rule over a group of women who would run the Children's Church for her. Later, when a church started by her husband failed, they left Mexico.
In all three cases, a Nicolaitan saw a successful work, and felt that she should rule the people who were doing all the work. In none of those cases did the Nicolaitan contribute to the success of the work. But in all three cases, the Nicolaitan had been involved in Christian service!
Ga 5:19 tells us: Now the works of the flesh are evident, which are:... hatred, contentions, jealousies...selfish ambitions, dissensions...envy...of which I tell you beforehand, just as I also told you in time past, that those who practice such things will not inherit the kingdom of God.
How do soul-winners spot tares? We see them practicing the above sins when they attack us.
Thursday, June 19, 2008
Why the Conflict?
Mt 13:27 So the servants of the owner came and said to him, 'Sir, did you not sow good seed in your field? How then does it have tares?'
28 "He said to them, 'An enemy has done this.' The servants said to him, 'Do you want us then to go and gather them up?'
29 "But he said, 'No, lest while you gather up the tares you also uproot the wheat with them.
In other parables, servants are the ones sent to gather guests for the wedding feast. In other words, servants are soul-winners in the parables. It is often taught that we can't be sure who the tares are, but the servants knew; they even offered to get rid of the tares.
But the owner explained (in the Greek) that the roots of the tares and the wheat are so intertwined that if they started pulling up the tares, they would pull up wheat with them.
Which brings up the question: How did the servants recognize the tares? Why didn't the pastors, or the bishops, or the elders, or the teachers recognize the tares? What did the soul-winners see that the others didn't see?
28 "He said to them, 'An enemy has done this.' The servants said to him, 'Do you want us then to go and gather them up?'
29 "But he said, 'No, lest while you gather up the tares you also uproot the wheat with them.
In other parables, servants are the ones sent to gather guests for the wedding feast. In other words, servants are soul-winners in the parables. It is often taught that we can't be sure who the tares are, but the servants knew; they even offered to get rid of the tares.
But the owner explained (in the Greek) that the roots of the tares and the wheat are so intertwined that if they started pulling up the tares, they would pull up wheat with them.
Which brings up the question: How did the servants recognize the tares? Why didn't the pastors, or the bishops, or the elders, or the teachers recognize the tares? What did the soul-winners see that the others didn't see?
Saturday, June 14, 2008
Soul-winning Tares
Mark 6:12 So they went out and preached that people should repent.
It's hard to believe that an unsaved person can be a soul-winner, but it is possible. A major problem today with soul-winners is "easy believism." Easy believism is the doctrine that if you say "Jesus please save me," and mean it, you are saved, whether or not you believe the Gospel.
The Greek word translated "believe" has no perfect English translation. It does NOT mean that you believe that Jesus exists. The word means "completely accept, completely rely on, completely trust." A person who asks Jesus to save him, but has no intention of allowing Jesus to be Lord of his life, has not completely accepted Jesus. Nowhere in the Bible was a person saved by repeating a prayer, but many people in the Bible got saved by believing on the Lord Jesus Christ.
When a person turns to Christ, he has to turn AWAY from something at the same time. "Repentance" describes that turning away from sin. Getting large numbers of people to pray for salvation takes hard work and a lot of ability. Getting people to repent and believe the Gospel takes the power of God.
People who preach and teach easy believism do get people saved, but most of their numbers are false professions. (But to be fair, they are usually getting more genuine conversions that their critics are). Scripture plainly teaches that those who accept Christ will have changed lives, the indwelling Holy Spirit, a new birth, etc., and a person who merely prays for Jesus to save him, without repenting, does not have these things.
It's hard to believe that an unsaved person can be a soul-winner, but it is possible. A major problem today with soul-winners is "easy believism." Easy believism is the doctrine that if you say "Jesus please save me," and mean it, you are saved, whether or not you believe the Gospel.
The Greek word translated "believe" has no perfect English translation. It does NOT mean that you believe that Jesus exists. The word means "completely accept, completely rely on, completely trust." A person who asks Jesus to save him, but has no intention of allowing Jesus to be Lord of his life, has not completely accepted Jesus. Nowhere in the Bible was a person saved by repeating a prayer, but many people in the Bible got saved by believing on the Lord Jesus Christ.
When a person turns to Christ, he has to turn AWAY from something at the same time. "Repentance" describes that turning away from sin. Getting large numbers of people to pray for salvation takes hard work and a lot of ability. Getting people to repent and believe the Gospel takes the power of God.
People who preach and teach easy believism do get people saved, but most of their numbers are false professions. (But to be fair, they are usually getting more genuine conversions that their critics are). Scripture plainly teaches that those who accept Christ will have changed lives, the indwelling Holy Spirit, a new birth, etc., and a person who merely prays for Jesus to save him, without repenting, does not have these things.
Tuesday, June 10, 2008
Fishers of Men
Mt 4:19 Then He said to them, "Follow Me, and I will make you fishers of men."
Mr 1:17 Then Jesus said to them, "Follow Me, and I will make you become fishers of men."
If there's one group of Christians that Nicolaitans don't like, it's soul-winners. It is possible to be a soul-winner without following Christ, as Judas did, but it is impossible to be following Christ if you're not a soul-winner or growing into one.
The phrase "soul-winner" does not appear in the Bible, and I am defining a soul-winner to be a person who fishes for converts. People who witness, who invite visitors, who drive people to church, who show Christian films in public places, who preach how to be saved, who hand out tracts, etc., are fishing for men.
Nicolaitans seek power that God doesn't want them to have. Soul-winners seek power that God does want them to have: the power to win people to Christ.
Mr 1:17 Then Jesus said to them, "Follow Me, and I will make you become fishers of men."
If there's one group of Christians that Nicolaitans don't like, it's soul-winners. It is possible to be a soul-winner without following Christ, as Judas did, but it is impossible to be following Christ if you're not a soul-winner or growing into one.
The phrase "soul-winner" does not appear in the Bible, and I am defining a soul-winner to be a person who fishes for converts. People who witness, who invite visitors, who drive people to church, who show Christian films in public places, who preach how to be saved, who hand out tracts, etc., are fishing for men.
Nicolaitans seek power that God doesn't want them to have. Soul-winners seek power that God does want them to have: the power to win people to Christ.
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