The Real Issue
Over the past year or so my heart has been heavy and burden about us; Christians. I have a heavy heart because when I look at us I don’t see Spirit filled believers. I see us as people who have been told all our lives what to do and how to be. I see questions in our eyes and we feel to afraid to ask them because we don’t want to be labeled “non believer”. Yet, we have some who still down grade our faith because we don’t walk in ignorance aka victory. I see some who have put all of their belief and stock in the power of their “faith”. I see some who put their entire identity in their guiltiness while others cling to their good deeds and self righteousness. So I set out to layout how we are to live out our faith but the more Christ showed me; the simpler it became. If you notice their is a section on my blog titled “LION ROAR”. I will be removing it soon. There is also a section on here titled “workplace ministry” and I will be removing that as well. I had thought about creating a facebook community site to correlated with this two section but I will not do that also. Here is why….
The local churches create so many programs, initiatives, applications, processes, workshops, conferences and retreats all to address issues. But what is the issue? What is the problem that we seek to solve? Is it church growth? Is it our community woes? Is it church funding? Is it product pushing? Is it book selling? Is it self promotion? Is it church planting? Is it to get congregations inline with the pastor’s vision? Is it to get people to drink the cool aid? Is it to make your church a group of entrepreneurs? Is it to change churches into social clubs? Why do we do the things we do? Are we simply trying to keep people involved and engaged with the church?
The problem is that we are so separated and group focused. The issue is that there is no Gospel! We are so consumed with numbers in the seats and money in the accounts. To fix this problem, we remove the issue of the Gospel by giving people a platinum cross with diamonds on it. We encourage works to atone for our own sins. We get up and belittle poor people for not giving as much as our influential as well as wealthy members. We program the congregation to death. We create all of these processes to mask the agenda of self promotion and money laundering. We create Christians who are not properly taught about the Holy Spirit. We create Christians who don’t understand election. We create Christians who are consumed with being blessed. We create Christians who only think about “kingdom building”. We create Christians who run from trials and tribulations plus they don’t talk about it because the other pharisees will say that they have sins they need to confess. So to fix these issues and solve the problem, we tell them that Christ died to make them the head and not the tail, to be lenders and not borrowers, to walk in victory, to speak it into existence, or to take back the wealth from the enemy.
But the truth is that we don’t need no more “programs” or anything else. We don’t need another gimmick or process like “LION ROAR”. All we need is the True Gospel of Jesus Christ. We need the cross, we need a Savior, we need to know Him and we need to know everything the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ has done. We need to know that God hates the sinner and not just the sin. We need to know that we are absolutely and completely nothing without Christ. We need to know that it is God the Holy Spirit that speaks not us. We need to know that the bible is words written by men inspired by God the Holy Spirit. We need to know that the bible is not a collection of good ideas but the mind of God. All these workshops about how to know the will of God; how about we just pick up and study our bibles? Everybody is searching for purpose, how about this read the Word of God. Everybody wants to hear from God, how about this open up in prayer thanking God then ask Him a question then shut up? How about we stop reducing the Gospel to a pleasing idea of Jesus simply dying on a cross. We must understand that God the Father poured out His wrath on God the Son for the sins of the believer. And that a believer is not just simply believing that Jesus was a actual person who lived a long time ago. But believer is a person who believes in the atoning work of Christ on the cross. A believer actually believes in what Christ not only said but commanded. A believer doesn’t look away when the Word of God says things that convict them. A believer knows that fellowship with others is not about gathering information to gossip with.
Ezekiel 34:1-10 (English Standard Version)
1The word of the LORD came to me: 2(A) “Son of man, prophesy against the shepherds of Israel; prophesy, and say to them, even to the shepherds, Thus says the Lord GOD:(B) Ah, shepherds of Israel(C) who have been feeding yourselves!(D) Should not shepherds feed the sheep? 3(E) You eat the fat, you clothe yourselves with the wool,(F) you slaughter the fat ones, but you do not feed the sheep. 4(G) The weak you have not strengthened, the sick you have not healed,(H) the injured you have not bound up,(I) the strayed you have not brought back,(J) the lost you have not sought, and with force and harshness you have ruled them. 5(K) So they were scattered, because there was no shepherd, and(L) they became food for all the wild beasts. 6My sheep were scattered; they wandered over all the mountains and on every high hill. My sheep were scattered over all the face of the earth,(M) with none to search or seek for them.
7″Therefore, you shepherds, hear the word of the LORD: 8(N) As I live, declares the Lord GOD, surely because(O) my sheep have become a prey, and my sheep have become food for all the wild beasts, since there was no shepherd, and because my shepherds have not searched for my sheep, but the shepherds have fed themselves, and have not fed my sheep, 9therefore, you shepherds, hear the word of the LORD: 10Thus says the Lord GOD,(P) Behold, I am against the shepherds, and(Q) I will require my sheep at their hand and(R) put a stop to their feeding the sheep.(S) No longer shall the shepherds feed themselves.(T) I will rescue my sheep from their mouths, that they may not be food for them.
2 Timothy 4:1-5 (English Standard Version)
1(A) I charge you in the presence of God and of Christ Jesus,(B) who is to judge the living and the dead, and by(C) his appearing and his kingdom: 2preach the word; be ready in season and out of season;(D) reprove, rebuke, and(E) exhort, with complete patience and teaching. 3(F) For the time is coming when people will not endure(G) sound[a] teaching, but having itching ears they will accumulate for themselves teachers to suit their own passions, 4and(H) will turn away from listening to the truth and(I) wander off into myths. 5As for you,(J) always be sober-minded,(K) endure suffering, do the work of(L) an evangelist,(M) fulfill your ministry.
We have gotten so far off the mark to the point were I don’t think we even realize it anymore. What we practice is so far from Christ until we just look like a more moral version of the world. And even at times the world seems more moral but its not about doing the right thing. Its about laying aside our self, accepting our identity in Christ, on Christ and with Christ and finally its about following Christ. To put it terms we can understand be a fan but not just any type of fan and especially a fair weather fan. We must be sold out fans; fans who are owners, we must be boastful but not in what Christ has made us, but in what Christ has done for us. To do that we must know the Gospel inside and out. We have to be real and authentic about our faith. We have to learn that when sharing the Gospel that its not our opinion but the true fact/reality of God. Don’t ever accepts a man opinion of God, we must study and read but not always alone. Fellowship is important because we are one body under Christ’s Lordship as Priest, Prophet and King. Christ prayed for our unity, a unity held together by the Gospel. Join some true Christians and worship together, edify each other and be good stewards of God’s manifold grace. We lack change, transformation and progress because we don’t do anything in God’s will. Its all about what we want, need and desire. We have become the house guest that has over stayed their welcome. We have become that guest we just eats up all the food, take the best of everything and when ask to help out gets an attitude.
Hosea 4:1-11 (English Standard Version)
1(A) Hear the word of the LORD, O children of Israel, for(B) the LORD has a controversy with the inhabitants of the land. There is no faithfulness or steadfast love, and(C) no knowledge of God in the land; 2(D) there is swearing, lying, murder, stealing, and committing adultery; they break all bounds, and(E) bloodshed follows bloodshed.3Therefore(F) the land mourns,and all who dwell in it languish,(G) and also the beasts of the field and the birds of the heavens,(H) and even the fish of the sea are taken away.4(I) Yet let no one contend,and let none accuse,for with you is(J) my contention, O priest.[a]
5You shall stumble by day; the prophet also shall stumble with you by night; and I will destroy(K) your mother. 6My people are destroyed(L) for lack of knowledge; (M) because you have rejected knowledge, I reject you(N) from being a priest to me. And since you have forgotten the law of your God,
(O) I also will forget your children.
7(P) The more they increased,the more they sinned against me;(Q) I will change their glory into shame.8(R) They feed on the sin[b] of my people;they are greedy for their iniquity. 9(S) And it shall be like people, like priest; I will punish them for their ways and repay them for their deeds. 10(T) They shall eat, but not be satisfied; they shall play the whore, but not multiply, because they have forsaken the LORD to cherish 11whoredom, wine, and new wine,
which(U) take away the understanding.
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Anointed Place Ministries 
amen! The last thing I need is another bible study, program, class, etc. when I am not even putting into practice the Word that I currently have. There are so many others in this same boat.. Most believers can hear, not many believers do what they hear. Forgetting what we heard.. Church is not the destination, it is the launch pad.. it is the fueling station.
I have church on Sun, Mon night, Tues night, Wed night, Thurs night and a bible study w/ the homeless on Fri night. Wanna talk about the Lord, I can talk all day long. I say “Lord, here I am. Send me!”, but no action, I sit on my hands. Woe is me..
Help me Helper, Guide me Guider, Teach me Teacher, Strengthen me Strengthener, in Jesus name, amen.
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At least you are honest about it, we can’t fellowship correctly because we are afraid of opening up. There are some many Christians who feel worn out because they are operating on their own strength. If we seek God first and His righteousness, everything else will be added. We need a return to the basics. God bless
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