- They can't believe something like this could happen; or
- They are happy to see a hypocrite fall publicly.
The greater issue here is not the Pastor's fall, the real hypocrisy is in what we call Christianity. Evangelicals support wars for oil in the name of God, yet turn a blind eye to countries practicing slavery. Evangelicals support the death penalty and yet on Sunday morning the church is the most segregated institution in America! We have acquired an unhealthy appetite for wealth, prosperity and the good life instead of demonstrating our love for others to show Christ. Christian television used to be a place where we could find a Word from God, now we can find a product from His "stand-ins". What's wrong with us? Are we blind? How can Pastors prosper so much and have even one person in their congregation on welfare?
The church needs to get right. How do you get there? I do not have all the answers but I am sure some of you will have some great suggestions. As I embark on my journey to lead my local congregation into a "real" relationship with God and others, I pray that my "planks" do not blind me from the truth: I will always need to be submitted to Christ. Holla back.
7 comments:
Greetings "Pastor D",
I first want to commend you on all that God as commissioned you to do, in your congregation and within this generation today. I am a minister of the gospel of Christ Jesus, a young prophetess of God, most importantly a servant and friend of God. I do acknowledge your stance on the current affairs in the 'christian-circle' in this world today. And while I am in agreeance with you, I am saddened as well. My spirit is grieving, as I know other "called-out ones" should be too. This 'thing' we call ministry/evangelism/revival/regenreation/etc...is seemingly proving itself to be counterfeit in the personal lives of some of us. What is really deceiving to the church/body of Christ and the world is how the enemy has allowed us to make 'chriatianity' bigger than Christ! So that no longer is this a 'love' that exceeds the different sects, denominations, religions in the world, but instead, the name 'christianity' becomes just another cult that the enemy seeks to make a mockery of. I encourage all young adults and teenagers to gird themselves, those of us who are not contaminated by the 'smoke screen' of this world or religion.
I just recently spent the summer in Jerusalem, and let me tell you, we are in an hour of dire prayer and intercession. Young people need to be taught about spiritual warfare and they need to encouraged in their effectiveness on what 'authority' we have from God. It's a very deceptive tactic the enemy uses against us...we can talk a good talk , criticize and give our opinions...but what saint/believer/'called out one' is really laying on their face, interceding for the welfare of their family, congregation, community, nation, and wordly affairs(1 Timothy 2:1-5). this spirit of hypocrisy and being counterfeit in our accoountability and obligations to the kingdom of God is being exposed! what else is there to do? gird ourselves in prayer and understand the dynamics of spirtual warfare.
You be encouraged Pastor D, and I pray that God continues to keep you in a favorable place.
Kira Buckley
Jackson, MS
pen2heart@yahoo.com
www.myspace.com/arikdivine
Greetings in the name of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. Now, i beseech you my brethern and yes i'm in agreement that the church as we know it has become enamored with the things of the world. The pride of life and the lust of the eye has for sure strangled our growth and literally has us in a stagnanted position. It is truly a strong hold that needs to be brought down but how you say? Only by a radical leap of faith and exercising the word of God praying His will literally forming prayer bands and proactively addressing the needs of our communities. getting involved and not choking the growth of the saints who have vison from god also and are looking for way ot grow therby planting the seeds with mcuh support farming the land. (You understand) in the communities starting with the church itself. We need to get back to basics, simple flyers will do and old fashioned missionary work in the inner cities.
Moving on, your blog headline candidly speaking saddens me on a whole other level. But it doesn't at all shock or surprise me. I don't know why people think that as a memebr of the clergy you are exempt from attacks of the enemy. IN fact, i beleive that the closer more devout walk you have with the Lord, the more pravelent the attacks will be that is why the word of God warns against such dangers. Apostle Paul wrote in several passages expressing the LOrd's decrees and statutes regarding pray there fore often, putting on the whole armor of God, admonsihing us to pray with all supplications in the Spirit. Even Christ gave instruction how to pray in the Lord's prayer petioning that we pray in such a manner as to ask God for divine instructions not to lead us in the path way of temptation but deliver us far from the evil one. this here is an issue regarding accountability. It is important that we understand our weaknesses and not intently set our selves up. I can have compassion on this pastor because i grew up the child behind the pulpit, in the pulpit behind the pulpit, u name it, i know the pulpit well. My father being a retired minister of pentacostal faith. And i saw my father's ministry take a grave fall from grace due to spiritual violations fo God's precepts and statures, commandments. So much scandal eventually leading up to a murder in the family. the tragedy tore our family and the enemy proceeded to divide and conquer. But i am hopeful and pray daily tha the Lord will restore it before the day of Christ Jesus and when He returns we will be reunited and found so doing that which he called us forth to do. Setting the captives free. I completely get it. The ministry can't die, it's of eternal substance besides we are linked to the tribe of the Levites, we are peculiar people. Holy and set apart. I didn't always feel this way. But the important thing now is that i do and i know the truth. it's all apart of His testimony that I vow to keep til the day of Christ Jesus again I declare. And i understand the importance of vow Gowd would rather that we not vow than make it and break it. he takes no pleasure in unkept vows.
However, and shifting gears congratulations on ur promotion to pastor your mother's church. So you see i understand all aboutlegacy and inheritance. I pray that God brings you the means and the resources to carry out the agenda of the vision He has entrusted you with. I shall place your ministry on my prayer list that God sheild you and give you wisdom to work His righteousness in this earthly realm.
In Jesus name, Amen.
Sincerely,
Jessica Richardson
citizen activist/aspiring ministress
caniwashurfeetplease.info
caniwashurfeet@yahoo.com
Man of God I could not agree more- we are living in a day and time where God is calling his people back to him the church wants to use perfection as a reason to not live holy and the world looks at the church and can see no distinction between it and them and feel there is no reason for them to get right, God is raising up a people in such a time as this that are going to preach the unadulterated word of God -not watered down straight from the throne we can't be concerned about who we are going to hurt (their flesh) but we have to save their souls keep doing what your doing as far as kingdom business and may the Lord bless you, strengthen you and keep you in these last and evil days
Your sister in Christ,
Evangelist Aziza Harris
kenyetta97@yahoo.com
Man of God I envy you. I wish a had this forum when I began my ministry. I have been in ministry for over thirty years now and since my father in the gospel has gone to his reward in glory. I have not found someone like yourself to confide in. I appreciate and support your stance. Hopefully we can be a support for each other via this blog. It concerns me that you have not recieved more responses from brethren. The sisters appear to be alert and watchful regarding these matters more than the men. I hope I am proven wrong by the responses that are sure to come. I look forward to ministering and receiving ministry via this blog. God bless. Pastor J
Thank you to my stong sisters who have responded to the call to get the church right! I am especially praying for you Jessica, you have nade it through some tight places. Pastor J, glad to see a man step up and step into this dialogue besides myself.
So, I am encouraged about one thing for sure...THERE IS A REMNANT out there! Sometimes, I get a little discouraged because it seems that have lost our way. Your responses encourage me greatly today as I write. I believe my post next week is really going to bless you.
Let me pose another question: Is is me or does it seems like the pendulum has swung way towards the liberal side. Now, I have to admit that I see myself as balanced and sometimes quiet liberal compared to my peers...but some of this stuff has gone to far. I guess this is the natural result of the church coming out of a tradition of being ultra-conservative and convicting people about things that where not biblical truths, i.e. "women in the pulpit, wearing pants, etc." Now it seems that my peers are teaching people that "what you do is not who you are" and many of the people interpret this as "I can do anything and be saved." Now, I know that Jesus loves everybody, but don't we at least have to make some attempt to love Him back? Isn't loving Him, keeping his commandments, let our flesh die daily and daily growing in grace? WE NEED BALANCE IN THE CHURCH! The self-righteous are convicted by there own standard, which they can not live up to. The unrighteous are convicted by their denial of the truth of Christ and what it means to live for Him. If you are part of the REMNANT, you need to get with this balance thing...this is what Christ was trying to show us when He walked among us.
Dear Pastor D,
I have read your vision and it sounds as if your heart felt vision of revival and being a "volunteer" pastor without pay has been one that has been going on for some time within our ministy and the several pastors who act as a board of verseers in my own church. I have had the opportunity to speak a few times and led a powerful deliverence service there once where a mighty move of God occured. I prophesied over Joy Tabernacle that there would be a revival in NJ and it would be an end time harvest that no church would contain. I believe that God has set up churches in each city because this won't be like past revival it will be church wide including several pastors and several churches. Like the 7 churches in the book of revelations each city had a church I prophesied that Joy tabernacle could grow to become that church in Newark. www.suddenministry.com contains a few messages, but moe importantly we have begun teaming up with more and more pastors to bring this last great awakening into our state. Feel free to e-mail me at kingdompwr#yahoo.com...I would love to have you join in with these other God fearing men and women pastors, prophets and apostles who are after nothing but exalting Jesus and riding ourselves of the wasted inventions of man.
I like your thinking....
Are you part of the SFM?
(Seeker friendly movement)
What is all this fuss about churches being “seeker friendly”? I can understand if reference were made to believers being “seeker friendly”, this would imply a friendly disposition to unbelievers, “the unchurched”, and the unsaved. This would be accurate in terms of the Word of God, “Go ye unto all the world, and preach the gospel (to the unchurched, the lost etc)…making disciples of the nations” But, I have a problem when church leaders try creating “seeker friendly” services, with the sole purpose of ensuring that these “unchurched” people are not offended in anyway. Come on, church, what would Jesus do?
In a sense, we then need to bottle up the “Holy Spirit’, to ensure this third person of the Trinity does not leak out when we least expect it, and cause a “Hallelujah” or “Praise the Lord” to slip from our lips. So our services need to be highly organised and programmed to ensure that the Holy Spirit remains well controlled. The focus then becomes “Seeker friendly”, with entertainment being the “carrot” to hold the “unchurched” captive.
So in my opinion, seeker friendly services just lead to compromise. Sermons do not include a call to repentance but rather the content is more ‘secular humanism”, which is able to leave the congregation with a warm fuzzy feeling, which dissipates as soon as they exit the church doors.
Llewelyn Wewege (Church on the Corner, Berea, South Africa)
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