Let Them Go!

I was talking with good friend and co-laborer in the Lord a few days ago and we got to talking about people leaving the church. This morning I felt compelled to write about all this, with the hope it may help another pastor or even church members who are walking through a time like this. My friend asked me how I handled it and what I did to make up the tithe. (Hello? That comes from God... he will take care of the need!) In my years of pastoring, I have made the mistake way too many times about trying to get people to stay. I used to worry and stress over people leaving the church to the point it would make me physically sick. I told him about a time a few years ago when the Lord gave me a sermon to preach based from Acts 27 and the shipwreck which Paul was on. On the 14th day of the storm the soldiers had lowered the life boats and were ready to flee the ship when Paul said, “Unless these men stay with the ship, you cannot be saved.” Literally, within 24 hours of my preaching that message, I had the first family tell me they were leaving the church. Within 2 weeks, more than 40 left. To be honest, I stressed... I even thought about moving on to a new church, until I felt the Lord impress in me, "stay on the ship!"  Just as they did in the Bible story, we went through a "wreck".  Two-thirds of our financial base was gone within 3 weeks, and we struggled for the next 18 months... but we made it! Now looking back, for the vast majority of those who "left the ship" I see families that have been devastated by alcohol, affairs, divorce, and while it is not true of all who left, it is clearly obvious that spiritually and even in the physical, in a good portion of those who left, there has been tragedy in the families and it is clear that people's lives are but a shadow of what they once were in Christ.  Absolutely, it altered the course of the church, delayed things... but we are still moving forward. 

After that whole ordeal, God spoke to me clearly to never again try to persuade people to stay that want to walk away, and when they do leave, to not go after them. If they return, then welcome them, but as for me... I was to push forward and let those who desire to go where I am going follow, and those who want to walk away, let them walk away. I've stayed true to this ever since, even though it has been painful to see people you love walk away. It has been so hard to watch marriages end in divorce, men who once wholeheartedly served the Lord turn to the bottle and become but a casual church attender. I've watched families that served God fade away and children turn their back on God and live in open sin. Others who were once faithful in church now renounce the church and proclaim that they "serve God at home" while the fruit of their lives reveals something different.  
Now please understand, as I want to be perfectly clear, that not everyone who left the church where I pastored is a "bad" person. There are many who genuinely felt led to go to other churches and ministries and they are very productive in the Kingdom of God. I believe that there are times for people to "move on" as the Lord leads... but if it is genuinely God directing that move, then the result would not be chaos and destruction. The fruit reveals the truth of the matter!


After my conversation with my friend, he said he was doing some praying and searching needing further direction from the Lord, and he said he ran across this video which substantiated what I had told him last week. I wanted to share it here, because it is in fact, a good word!

People Can Get So Goofy

Today while I was preaching on Overcoming the Grasshopper Mentality, I broke into a side note about tithing. There is one thing I have noticed over the years... if you want to absolutely KILL the atmosphere in a heartbeat... bring up tithing! 
Seriously!

I've done this a long time now... and I know that whenever you start talking about money and obedience... people get GOOFY!

I mean, people will be all with you when you start talking about blessings...

They are in the hallelujah choir when you are talking about healing and deliverance...

They'll shout the house down when you start talking about casting out the devil...

And they'll drive half way across the state to hear someone prophecy...

But start talking about money and giving!

Well... "He's meddling now! Who does he think HE is?"

The talk begins, "All they want to do is talk about money at that church!"

They'll eat everything else in the Bible up... but when you get to money and giving... they'll challenge you with... "That's not New Testament!"

They'll argue if 10% comes before or after taxes.

Do I have to tithe on the $1000 I won at Bingo last week?

Come on... you know I'm telling the truth!

People get absolutely GOOFY when you start talking about money!

But isn't this tithe and offering thing in the same Bible as the other things they are so excited to shout about? As I said this morning... your giving reveals your heart.

And that's enough said about that.

The $100 Bill

A simple explanation for a simple concept that most people find complicated...........

It is a slow day in the small Colorado town of Pumphandle and streets
are deserted. 

Times are tough, everybody is in debt, and everybody is living on
credit.

A tourist visiting the area drives through town, stops at the motel, and
lays a $100 bill on the desk saying he wants to inspect the rooms
upstairs to pick one for the night.

As soon as he walks upstairs, the motel owner grabs the bill and runs
next door to pay his debt to the butcher.

The butcher takes the $100 and runs down the street to retire his debt
to the pig farmer.

The pig farmer takes the $100 and heads off to pay his bill to his
supplier, the Co-op.

The guy at the Co-op takes the $100 and runs to pay his debt to the
local prostitute, who has also been facing hard times and has had to
offer her "services" on credit.

The hooker rushes to the hotel and pays off her room bill with the hotel
owner.
The hotel proprietor then places the $100 back on the counter so the
traveler will not suspect anything.

At that moment the traveler comes down
the stairs, states that the rooms are not satisfactory, picks up the
$100 bill and leaves.

No one produced anything. 

No one earned anything... 

However, the whole town is now out of debt and now looks to the future
with a lot more optimism. 

And that, ladies and gentlemen, is how a "stimulus package" works.

Where Is the Outcry?

I know I should no longer be surprised by the double-standards we see from the political left and those who adhere to a liberal philosophy, but the silence is deafening right now when it comes to the blind eye and deaf ear shown toward their view of the "Occupy" protests going on in New York, and many other cities across the United States.  I won't even go into the stupidity that is displayed by the lack of direction of these protests right now. Instead, I want to look at what IS going on and the leftist media, politicians and people at large are simply ignoring it. I'm referring to the Anti-Semitic climate and speech that is being propagated in these rallies. I watch a video on Youtube in which the crowd was chanting anti-Israel jargon and carrying signs that read things such as, "The Jews control Wall Street."  I watched another from the Chicago protest where a pro-Islamic speaker launched into a death to Israel, free Palestine rant as the crowd cheered him on. In another a group of Neo-Nazi's, in another there were jeers and cheers as attack after attack was made on the Jewish people. You don't have to take my word for it, go search Youtube for yourself.  And in the midst of all this, the media is silent. Far worse... Al Gore, Nancy Pelosi and even President Obama himself... and now the Democratic party is trying to align themselves with this movement in an attempt to garner support and votes... and NOT ONE of them has denounced the Anti-Semitic tone of some of those involved in the protests. I can already hear it, the liberal crowd will begin saying, "Oh, that's not the voice of the protest; it's only a few on the fringe."  First of all, it's not just a few. Look at the videos. But stop and think for a moment... if ONE, just ONE person from the Right says or does something or says something controversial, the media not only crucifies that person, but they will use their comments or actions to attack the entire GOP.  You KNOW it's the truth!  

So, where are they? Why the silence? Why is such a double standard allowed? Because the people allow it! People need to stand up, speak out and DEMAND that the truth be spoken! Those in the protests for what they deem to be the right reason, need to speak up and condemn the actions of the Anti-Semitic. They need to condemn the rants of idiots like Roseanne Barr who called for the beheading of those who would not give up their money and share it with others. They need to condemn the speech of those calling for a complete overthrow of the government and a communist revolution. But no... they cover their eyes and plug their ears and crawl into bed with this movement because they see a political advantage for themselves. It is time for America to scream until our voice is heard, because the vast majority of America is not seeing or hearing what is going on in New York or many other cities because the biased media has an agenda to get the POTUS re-elected.

Which One Are You?

One day an ox said to a mule, 'Let's pretend to be sick.' The mule said, 'No, we need to get this work done.' The ox feigned illness, and the farmer brought him fresh hay. 

When the mule came in from plowing, the ox asked how things went and the mule said, 'All right.' The ox asked, 'What did the farmer say about me?' The mule replied, 'Nothing.' The next day the ox pretended to be ill again. When the mule came home the ox asked, 'How did it go?' The mule said, 'All right.'

After a week of this, the ox asked, 'Did the farmer say anything about me today?'
The mule replied, 'Well, he said nothing to me personally, but I overheard him talking to his wife that you obviously were not capable or needed any more and he told her to call the butcher!' 

Understand this: you were born to fulfill a divine purpose. When you don't, there are consequences, both here and in eternity.

What If There Is No Heaven?

Yesterday I was in a "discussion" with someone who was an atheist about my faith in Christ (It was actually more of this person raving loud and and long, not wanting to let me get a word in edgewise.) I've never understood why anyone thinks they are "winning" a debate just because they get loud and abusive with their language. It's as if by speaking 90 miles an hour and they hurl a ton of childish insults, somehow they think they are better. In my view, they just prove the fact of their lack of argument because they have nothing intelligent to add to the conversation, so they refuse to let you speak. For instance, when Geraldo Rivera went to Wall Street to broadcast from the protest, the protesters beat drums and chanted en masse, preventing him from broadcasting. How foolish. If they really had something to say, this was the perfect opportunity, as the #1 rated news network was there to broadcast their story. They proved they really have nothing to say, but rather used the bully effort that is so often used by those who are ignorant of the facts. I'm convinced that those who want to push their weight around, scream, curse, threaten and otherwise kept the opposition from speaking are actually operating from absolute fear because they know they don't have a leg to stand on factually, so they simply do all they can to prevent the other person(s) from speaking their mind.

Anyway... back to my story...
This atheist kept screaming about how ignorant I was to believe in a God and, as he put it, "a fairytale land in the sky" (with a few other words mixed in there which I will not repeat.)  He kept challenging me with the question, (again leaving out his colorful language) "what if when you die, you rot in the grave and there is no life after death? What if there is no heaven? Then you've wasted your life?"  I simply sat there at let him rant for the longest time without saying a word back, until he finally screamed to the crowd of on-lookers that had gathered to watch, "See, the preacher man has nothing to combat that with." I held up my hand to him and he finally stopped his tirade long enough to say, "What?"  And I turned to the crowd and I said, "He has ranted without interruption, for several minutes now; do I deserve just 60 seconds to speak without him opening his mouth?"  The crowd cheered and he turned beat red. I turned back to him and said these words (as best I remember them): 
"You've ranted and raved about how I have wasted my life if there is no Heaven. My question to you is, 'How?'  Before I found Jesus, my life was racked with pain and depression and suicide attempts.  I was completely controlled by alcohol and drugs and I was living a life that sent me to prison for almost 3 years of my life. Since I found Jesus, I've been completely free from alcohol and drugs, I've not been suicidal, I actually have a life that I can be proud of and I am happy. You ask me, 'What if there is no Heaven?'  I say, 'So what?'  If I am wrong and there is no Heaven, who cares? My life is far better because of my faith in Christ, and if I am wrong and there is no Heaven, then I win because my life has been transformed and it's been worth it!  But my question to you is, 'What if I am right? What if there is a Heaven... and therefore there is a Hell... What then?"

He began cursing me, until one of the crowd started yelling: "What if there is a Hell?" He was getting more and more agitated and screamed more and more profanities at me and the crowd... until a young woman walked closer to us and said, "If his life is better because of his faith, what do you care? Isn't he better off now? But answer his question, what if there is a heaven? What if there is a hell?"  He screamed, "Then I guess I'll burn in Hell with the rest of you losers!" With that, he turned and literally ran off across the campus. The young woman said to me, "you've given me a lot to think about." And she turned and walked away.

I've been thinking about this now for almost 20 hours, and reflecting on how Christ had made a difference in my life. Let me say clearly, I have no doubt that Heaven and Hell are real. But what if? What if there were no Heaven or Hell? No consequence or no reward? How would that alter your life?  For me, I don't believe it would change anything. I've tried it both ways... and this way is FAR better. I'm glad that there is a Heaven... but if there were not, it's been worth having the Lord in my life!

Missed Promises

I've been sitting here thinking tonight about the promises of God and the way people view them. I've heard it sound countless times that if God said it, it would come to pass, and nothing can stop it. Do you really think that is true? Hear me out before you label me a heretic, because I believe that there is a crucial element that is left out of that line of thinking. Let me, at least partially, put your mind at rest. I am not saying that God is "wishy washy" or that ever goes back on his word or does not honor or fulfill his word. Still, I believe that many of the promises of God are never fulfilled. But the problem is not on God's end, it is on ours. The thing is, as you read through the Word of God, His promises are usually conditional. For example, in Deuteronomy 28 we read "If you fully obey the LORD your God and carefully follow all his commands I give you today, the LORD your God will set you high above all the nations on earth. ² All these blessings will come on you and accompany you if you obey the LORD your God:" and the rest of the chapter spells out blessings for obedience and the curse for disobedience.  I could list dozens of such conditions, and if you really need me to provide them for you, if you will leave me a comment or send me a message and I will be glad to do that for you.

Now, the point I'm trying to make is that we are given promise, both in the Word and by the Holy Spirit, of what God will do for us... if we obey the commands of God. And as I've been sitting here thinking about this, I was thinking of the many times I've had people say things like this to me: "I don't understand Pastor D... God promised me... I was believing and waiting, but He has failed me." I beg to differ with you, but my God NEVER fails. If a promise has not been fulfilled, then either, 1) It simply is not time yet, or 2) Someone had been walking in disobedience.  God has good things... the best intended for us. But we choose the path we walk.  For example, think about King Saul. He was anointed as King, and walked in the anointing of God. But he chose the wrong path later in his life and he missed out. How about Moses? For that matter, the whole of the tribe of Israel. God gave them a promise of a land flowing with milk and honey. Yet, only two of the millions that were hearers of the promise ever became receivers... because they disobeyed. Yes, their children received, but only because they obeyed. This has had me thinking for more than an hour... 39 years spinning their wheels and wasting time, when they were right on the threshold of receiving the promise. God still blessed them, prospered them, provided for them, but they never received the fulfillment of promise because thy disobeyed. 
I find myself wondering, how many of us are just like that? Right on the verge of the miraculous and spectacular of God... and we make the wrong choice, and thereby forfeit God's best for our lives.
That's something to think about.

You Are Not Alone

This song just spoke and ministered to me tonight more that I could ever express and I just wanted to share it for someone else. 

You are not alone!

Growing Pains

It seems to me that most people want the blessings of God without going through the pain that is associated with growth. I remember when I was a kid, around the age of 9 or so, when I grew so rapidly that I would wake up screaming in agony as my legs were cramping. Family members told me these were "growth pains" and that they'd pass, but they would surely come again. I have now idea about the scientific basis for this, but it came to mind today when talking with someone who was going through some stuff... and I told them that if they want t grow in the Lord, they are going to experience some pain in trials, and that these are temporary, but a needful part of our walk with Christ.  I told this person that there are two things that nobody wants to talk about, but they are needful in our walk with Christ.  One is tribulation, that works for you, and the other is grace that enables us to make it through the valley which we are walking through. Romans 5:3 says: "And not only so, but we glory in tribulations also: knowing that tribulation worketh patience." That same verse in the NIV reads: "Not only so, but we also rejoice in our sufferings, because we know that suffering produces perseverance." Have you been praying for patience, or for God to help you to grow stronger in your walk of faith? If so, you'd better get ready for tribulation, for there's no other way to get it! Patience grows only in the soil of trial and adversity. The truth is, some of the people that you absolutely cannot stand right now are the very ones who God will use to bring about growth and maturity in you spiritually. The Moabites were Israel's troublesome next-door neighbours who drove them crazy. But such people can also drive us closer to God! God said of them in Psalm 60:8 (NIV) "Moab is my washbasin." A washbasin is the place where you "wash out" all the crud and filth and junk that is in our garments... or in this case.. in us!  So here's a question for you... "who's your washbasin? Who brings out the worst in you? Who drives you to your knees? Who stretches your faith? Who develops your character? The problem is, we pray for certain things to happen our way in our time... but God has a process, and it is only as we get to know Him better that we begin to recognize this process at work in our lives. Here's how it works: you ask God for strength and He allows you to go through struggles that develop you. You ask Him for wisdom and you get to deal with messy situations that have no easy solutions. You ask Him for success and He gives you ability to work and wisdom to produce. You ask Him for favor and you get responsibility. (Which most of the time, we then want to run from.) There's a work going on in you right now! You may not be fully aware of it, but without it you'll never be equipped or qualified to handle what God has in mind.

It's Not About You, or Me... It's About God

A friend sent me the following in an email today and I wanted to share it. He said it was written by Ryan Whitley. I have no idea who Ryan Whitley is, but he makes a very good point.

While away on vacation I visited a handful of churches. I always enjoy being the anonymous guest of a church. I watch the pastor very closely. I also pay great attention to the people. In doing so, I try to learn from their unique perspective.

This year, my visits included some resort churches and a small church. Each worship experience was meaningful. I was particularly impressed with the pastoral skills of the three pastors. As an outsider, I noticed immediately these men sincerely loved their people.

During one visit I was reminded of a statement I read years ago, when a Christian leader said that Christians mistakenly think that church is about us.

Church really is not about us, it’s about God. Instead of looking for what you can get out of church, look for what you can put into church.

Worship is not about us, it’s about God. Worship isn’t about whether or not we like the music; worship is about God!

Troubles and trials are not about us, they are about God. They are sent to teach us things about God you could not learn any other way.

Marriage is not about us or our spouse, it’s about God. Neither is life about us, it, too, is about God.

Finally, this day is not about us, it’s about God. So look for Him in everything you do.