COGIC AIM(s) At The Levitical Order

On last Thursday July 3rd in the AIM (Auxiliaries In Ministry) Convention Evangelist and Music Department President Dr. Judith Christie McCallister took the stage to deliver a message in pursuit of a new directive that Supt. Michael Eaddy, Chairman of the General Council Of Pastors And Elders has set forth within the church under the approval of Presiding Bishop Charles E. Blake. The event called "The Procession Of The Levites" involved renewing the perspective on the "Glory" of God within the church by emphasizing King David, and his purpose in restoring the Ark Of The Covenant, which represented God's presence, to Israel. this story of course can be found in 2 Sam. 6.  

In a particular part of the service many of the Elders agreed to dress in what was deemed "Levitical garments" with a recreated, mock, "Ark Of The Covenant", and were to process around the sanctuary/auditorium behind the singers and dancers with the mock Ark. Of course this was supposed to be representative of the "Glory Of The Lord" defeating the enemies of God's people through the invocation of the Lord's presence through the Ark and among the people. Ie: the church. 

Analysis:

In my book, "Ministering Effectively", I examine the Levitical priest and worship under the Levitical system as well, and I sincerely applaud the church leaders call to holiness by looking at and examining this model contained within scripture. So I simply want to say that I understand the basis of this concept. However, I focus on how the works and actions of that Priest interface with Jesus himself as he is a High Priest. Remember, Jesus is NOT a priest after the order of the Levites, but after the order of Melchisedic. 

Hebrews 6:20 ~ Whither the forerunner is for us entered, even Jesus, made an high priest for ever after the order of Melchisedec.

How We Got Here:

The examination of the Levite only takes us so far in understanding the glory of God as he reveals his path and plan. Understanding the Ark Of The Covenant is to also understand that it, (The Ark) was NOT a good luck charm or something that could, in and of itself, make the presence of God come into any situation. The understanding that God is not a charm, potion, or a set of commands such as an incantation, should be clear when we examine how Israel lost the presence of God to the Philistines to begin with. It was 1 Sam. 4:21-22 that said: 

21-And she named the child Ichabod, saying, The glory is departed from Israel: because the ark of God was taken, and because of her father in law and her husband. 22-And she said, The glory is departed from Israel: for the ark of God is taken.

Israel, under Eli, the last High Priest in that era, made the dreadful mistake of invoking God's power, by bringing the Ark Of The Covenant onto the battlefield without sanctifying God in their hearts. Their leaders, as a whole, refused to sanctify themselves and they did not obey God in purity. Remember, it was Eli's sons, Hophni and Phineas who were wicked in the service of the Lord and continued to do evil without the correction of Eli. Eli summarily addressed their sins, but the defiled priests failed to show or display any form of repentance. They continued to take more than what was their share of the meat brought to the Temple for sacrifice. They continued to sexually molest and defile the virgins brought to the Temple during the time of dedication to the Lord, and did service without regard to purity in any form. (1 Sam. 2:12-17, 22-25) 

Remember, the glory was LOST due to willful disobedience, stiff-necked(ness) and hearts that were hardened to and in sin. Although these evil practices happened at the place of worship, the whole multitude was affected, and God's people put to open shame.

THAT is how the Glory was lost. Before we can get it back, we must FIRST go back, offer repentance for what we have allowed and throw ourselves on the mercy and alter of God!     

Moving Into The Modern Pursuit Of The Glory Of God:

As I stated, the examination of the Levite can only take us so far. Why? Because, the Priesthood of Jesus is NOT dependent upon Levitical service and the practice of the Levite. Anything that we find the Levite doing  in detail, only points to what we would find in Jesus and in preparation for service in Christ. 

While I don't want to rain on anyone's party or throw a hammer and a wrench in the festivities, not because one should not be thrown, but because I really don't want to start fighting yet another battle and because I believe that calling the church to spiritual renewal is a good thing, (IF that was the call that was made, and I am not convinced based on the lack of call to corporate repentance) I couldn't help but think: "What are these folk doing?" and "Do they not understand that JESUS IS the glory of God and that HE is not and cannot be carried any longer on a cart?", and that "the Temple in which the glory of God now resides is the Temple of the body?"

Scripture records:

1 Cor. 6:19 ~ What? know ye not that your body is the temple of the Holy Ghost which is in you, which ye have of God, and ye are not your own?

Whereas in the Old Testament (OT) the presence of the Lord dwelt in the Temple or what was previously called the "Tabernacle Of Meeting" or the "Tabernacle Of The Congregation" (Ex. 33:7). the word "tabernacle" meant "tent" which carries the further meaning of "abiding with".  That tabernacle or "abiding with" presence of God is now with and in us the believer:

John 15:4 ~ Abide in me, and I in you. As the branch cannot bear fruit of itself, except it abide in the vine; no more can ye, except ye abide in me.

Col. 1:27 ~ To whom God would make known what is the riches of the glory of this mystery among the Gentiles; which is Christ in you, the hope of glory:

The presence of Jesus in the individual life of each believer is BETTER than the expectation of the glory of God  which was limited to the Ark Of The Covenant. Now, God's presence is more expansive and more comprehensive. Not only that, the glory is now a permanent, abiding presence that is to be with us always:

John 14:16 ~ And I will pray the Father, and he shall give you another Comforter, that he may abide with you for ever;

One may say, that is simply reflective of the Holy Ghost and the other scriptures of Jesus. I would say, to whom do you think the Glory Of God refers? The glory of God is not a coat, or a part of God. The glory of God IS God! Herein is the understanding of the entirety of the OT writing concerning HIS Glory. 

John 1:14 ~And the Word was made flesh, and dwelt among us, (and we beheld his glory, the glory as of the only begotten of the Father,) full of grace and truth.

Repentance...The KEY To Glory

The works and actions of the Levite Priest are only a look into the much better proliferation of GLORY that we find in Jesus. Repentance, however is the FIRST key and step to obtaining the abiding presence of God.

Unfortunately, as I alluded to earlier, I did not hear a call to corporate repentance from the leaders of this church. Neither do I see an effort to heal those who have been victims and continue to be victims of sexual abuse. That is only one part of all things, but it is a part of which I am and have been intimately involved in as far as reform is concerned. I have heard and continue to hear talk about what we "should" do and how we "need" to do thing etc, but I did not hear a clarion call to repentance as a corporate body of believers for what we have allowed and for what has caused the glory of the Lord to diminish at least within our camp. 

Please let it be known that neither a reversion to Judaism  or its customs will usher the "Glory Of God" into our presence or back into this church, if it be that the glory has departed. To walk as a reenactment of an historical event is one thing. To walk and process as Levites in order to gain the Glory of God back into the church or among the people of God is quite another. That latter will never produce fruit and is a fruitless effort and exercise of fantasy. 

However the concept of the "procession of the Levites" concept came to the church, it is my prayer that the church does not become more enthralled with the performance of ceremony than the acceptance of the substance that the ceremony represents and points toward.

JESUS IS the glory of God! Not only that, but Jesus IS God! God's presence cannot be carried in an Ark, on a cart with or without staves. The wall of partition has been broken down and destroyed. He cannot be paraded around at a particular place, for HE is in us ALL and will abide with us always.

Matthew 28:18-20 ~ 18-And Jesus came and spake unto them, saying, All power is given unto me in heaven and in earth. 19-Go ye therefore, and teach all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost: 20-Teaching them to observe all things whatsoever I have commanded you: and, lo, I am with you alway, evenunto the end of the world. Amen. 

We will continue to observe this movement within the church and advocate against some of the more fringe elements that seem to be appearing, such as the encouragement to purchase Levitical prayer garments or embrace customs of Judaism.

Blessed!

Read more!

Preachers, What Will You Do For A Soul?

Saints, Ive decided to do this post on me and some experiences that I've had. I've also recommitted this blog to refocusing in depth into exactly what we're doing in our churches and how hungry for sensationalism that we've actually become. Our imbalances have effected the power and flow of the Spirit of the Lord in our midst and subsequently the hearts of the individuals that we serve.

First, besides being a spouse, father and pastor, I have many duties that I perform daily. Three of those duties include being a defender of the Christian faith through apologetics ministries, being an edifier of the community through community service, and at all times, a servant of God and a servant of the people by just telling and living the truth as best as I possibly can with the help of the Lord.

This week has been one of those weeks that has involved actions in all three categories. I would in particularly like to focus on the last category of servant of God and servant of the people.

During the course of an unfortunately long and drawn out transaction I receive an email from a former friend of the ministry questioning my financial positioning of the ministry and his past arrangements to speak at our church. In fact, here is an excerpt from the rather derogatory email itself:

• "When you dishonored our contract and booked those flights that cost me to upgrade and even carry my product, I knew then that I should cancel. But you begged and talked about how it would let the people down. But had I known that there would be 15 people there and you would stiff me for the money initially, I would have stayed home."

This email would not have come if it were not for a check that I WROTE, for $1,500. Unfortunately the check initially bounced but was recovered and PAID IN FULL within 7 days from discovery of the problem. Yes, I know, you say "he need some of that Prosperity gospel now"...No Thank you, we're good.

Thank God that, my obligation was fulfilled, but not in the manner I would have liked from the beginning. In the interim, however, before the check was replaced with a guaranteed instrument of payment, the aforementioned comment was made by the MINISTER that thought he had suffered a financial loss. Let me restate, I'm the first to say, BOUNCING A CHECK IS WRONG AND UNACCEPTABLE...That without question is a truth that I must tell even if on myself. We must pay closer attention to details and numbers of our checkbooks. I stand in line FIRST for that.

The part that I question however, was the minister's motivations as revealed in this slither of his diatribe to me. First, there are 4 elements in this statement. 1- He (the minister) lost an opportunity to SELL ministry material because of the flight which wasn't up to his standards. (ie: if he wanted to transport more "stuff" HE would have had to pay for it-which he obviously refused to do) 2- He had no feeling for the people (Saints) who were expecting his appearance 3- He didn't expect the crowd was going to be large enough for his satisfaction (actually only about 75-110 people showed not the 15 he exaggeratedly stated) but took a gamble, I suppose, and showed up anyway, and 4-He knew he wasn't going to make as much money as he wanted to make and possibly not even get his $1,500 appearance fee.

Can Anyone Tell Me What's Wrong With That Picture?

If you said, "Where is God?" or "Where is the consideration for the people of God?" I say the same thing. There is no mention of God, his people, delivery of HIS council or salvation of souls. There's no mention of service and true servitude to the people of God or the Kingdom of God. It's all been reduced to MONEY, CROWDS, and SALES.

Yes, what you are reading is real. Bottom line is that this minister was paid. However, it doesn't take a rocket scientist to figure out that modern ministry has miserably failed. People seemingly have become a commodity, a resource, another book or tape sale and their money another offering to be received. Now, don't get it twisted, we know that "it costs money to buy land" and finances are necessary to carry on the work of the Lord, but what about when venues are chosen for profitability, churches are viewed for sellability and areas of the country are looked at as "markets" and potential "distribution outlets"?

This was the first part of my answer to this character:

• "You only do large churches? Are you like Paula and TD? You only want to be around them that are profitable or have cash? Now they have criticized you saying that you are only out for cash...I have chosen to not believe such up until now, but phrases like this make me question, what does the size of the church or money flow have to do with the ministry?...I see, you're not SENT...you just WENT! You go for the MONEY huh??? See that's another fundamental difference between me and you, I'll go for a handfull of people that need the word...I've done it before and I'll do it again...You want a guarantee...what is it, you forgot how to trust God and do the real work of the ministry??? Did you ever know it? Have you ever done a hospital visit on a evangelical trip? Have you ever shown compassion for God's people, other than them offering you money??? WOW! This is revealing."

Yes this is revealing. It is revealing when individuals who "we think" are about souls prove that souls are a minimal consideration of what they do. You see some ministries graduate to a certain level that they no longer preach at certain size churches. Some get so popular that they only go places where they can make a certain return on their ministry investment dollar. This is sad but true. This is a total devaluation of souls and needs of the people. When souls are valued however, that is the true peace of the Real Christian minister.

Personal Example 1

For instance, I could personally share how a certain pastor asked me to come to their church on an occasion and didn't have money, but needed some help. They took an offering but I asked that they defer and send me something later. The most important part was that the people were blessed. They sent me a sizable offering about a month later. We thanked God and kept blessing one another. Thank God that church grew and built a brand new edifice about 5 years ago.Guess who has an open door anytime to speak to the people of God and deliver HIS council?

What Ever Happened To Real Ministry?

What happened to true Kingdom building? I know, we've stopped doing that because our money could get funny...In Kingdom building we could possibly suffer loss. Yet it is only kingdom building that blesses the people of God and stands between them and the fires of hell. Kingdom building isn't comfortable at times, profitable at times, and is yet essential and necessary to the ongoing work of Christ

As stated and To BE SURE this minister was paid all that he was due financially. Thank god that the door was open to speak beyond that to the real issues at heart. I also added the following comments in response to his assertions:

• "...This displays no feeling or concern for god's people. The church is not your bank account."...


• "...I've traveled for over 20 years and NEVER have I ran into anyone quite like you. You have totally lost sight of the people...You only have insight into YOU...That's tragic..."

There is much more that this gentleman said that was very shocking and revealing, but that is aside from the point, and I won't deal with that at this time. But my heart was stirred to question:

What is a REAL minister willing to do to serve God and HIS people?

Mt. 20:25-28 ~ "25- But Jesus called unto him, and said, Ye know that the princes of the Gentiles exercise dominion over them, and they that are great exercise authority upon them. 26-But it shall not be so amongst you: but whomsoever will be great among you, let him be your minister; 27-And whosoever will be chief among you let him be your servant; 28- Even as the Son of man came not to be ministered unto, but to minister, and to give his life a ransom for many."

Abraham In Sodom

We are all aware of Abraham attempting to rescue his nephew Lot and Lot's family from Sodom. In Genesis 18:22-33 we see the story of Abraham bartering with God for the salvation of the city. Abraham simply could have advised Lot to move from the beginning, but there was more to the story because Abraham wanted his environment and the people of God to be blessed. Abraham also knew that God valued souls. In verse 22 Abraham starts by asking God to spare the city for 50 righteous. Out of humility and servitude Abraham goes on an unusual mission to save the city by further bartering with God and decreasing the numbers incrementally. He goes from 50 righteous (v.22) to 45 (v.28) to 40 (v.29) to 30 (v.30) to 20 (v.31) and finally to 10 (v.32). God responds in the latter part of v.32 saying that "...I will not destroy it for ten's sake."

Even though 10 couldn't be found, God agreed to deliver the city with and for a small amount of righteous individuals. the point is that Abraham (being a type of Jesus) placed himself in the way of God's wrath for just 10 people. This story is evidence that god loves souls. Yet in spite of God's love for souls, these 21st century ministers refuse to serve because of the potential is that there will only be "15" persons at the event, and that they will not make enough money or sell enough product...WHAT IS THAT?

Personal Example 2

Last winter, there was a particular sub zero degree Sunday. We were preparing for morning service as usual. Thank God mostly our entire church was able to attend and we were blessed. One of the members, who has a mother that attends another church, told me that her mother had called her and said that their pastor had told them that there wasn't going to be any services for their church that Sunday because the Pastor didn't feel that there were enough members to warrant the inconvenience of turning on the heat.

What Happens When Souls Are Valued?

When souls are valued, love and reaching them rules the day and the love of God is displayed and people will change not out of fear, but out of appreciation. That's the goal.

Personal Experience 3

On the other side of these tragic stories and experiences I've shared, a few years ago, we had a man of God that came to our church. He paid his own way to get there, and what he received from the Saints at that time he probably just did break even. This man however was blessed and blessed the people of God in a great way.

I don't know about you, but that's what I look for in a minister...one who may not be flashy, or have all the "bells" and "whistles" that attract crowds, but one that has quality of spirit, a biblical message, is sent by God and SERVES the people of God with and through humility. That's MINISTRY. Selling a tape or book IS NOT ministry. Swaying a crowd to heights of emotion IS NOT ministry. Demanding money is certainly NOT ministry.

TV/ Media Age, Personalities & Expectations

We seemingly have become so duped by television and media and what it brings into our homes that many of us have forgotten that every ministry that has media ability is not necessarily ordained by God. Every ministry will not be a TV ministry and neither does every ministry deserve to be on TV or media.

The prosperity message, that has been the greatest disappointment of the current recessionary period, has taken on even the best media ministries claiming to be church restorationists. As I noted in 2 of my initial blogs Saints vs Celebrities Pt. 1 and Saints vs Celebrities Pt. 2 "Stars" and "Celebrities" do what they do and the bottom line is that getting paid is top priority. To those type of ministries, it really doesn't matter where Jesus is because they can't perceive him and they second guess his leading because they are unfamiliar with the leading of the Lord.

Celebrities have appeal and sell plenty of "snake oil" to attract the masses, but where is the authentication of the spirit? I'll tell you where, it's in humility and serving the people of God. The REAL POWER has never left TRUE SERVICE and Love for the People of God and his church.

I guess the temptation is to look at how easily profits can be gained with a "gimmick" But the church is being called back to REAL ministry. Real Ministry is done in the trenches, in the hospitals, in the ghettos, in the gutter with them that are hurting. Real ministry feeds, clothes, shelters, and assists their communities...Real ministry, suffers loss, spends gas, runs up miles on the car...but NOT without reward:

Heb. 6:10 ~ "For God is not unrighteous to forget your work and labor of love, which ye have showed toward his name, in that ye have ministered to the saints and do minister."

I know what I will do for a soul and to bless a soul. I have done it before and will do it again. Maybe that's why, the people of god that serve this ministry in return are at such peace spiritually. Maybe that's why The Saints look forward to good, biblically centered messages and apply those things to their lives. One thing is for sure, I can't take the credit for it...All I can do is continue to serve faithfully.

Blessed!

Read more!

Black In America's Church

This post is dedicated to my Mother-in- law Mother Ella Mae Rutherford (Collins) (1925-2008) This 83 year old Saint took me in when I was homeless and fed me when I had nothing to eat. Best part of all she let me marry her daughter and prayed until God gave us two of her grandchildren. May the Lord forever bless the memory of Mother Ella Mae.

In the recent and highly anticipated CNN documentary "Black In America" the condition of the black community was discussed from various perspectives through community and family representatives. The bottom line seems to be roughly about 50%.

This means that about 50% of all homicides, new AIDS cases, and crime are committed by persons who identify themselves as black. This is especially alarming since black individuals only represent roughly 35% or less of America’s total population and in certain segments such as black men only (13%) and black women only (19%) of population figures the problems are disproportionately high.

The truths that "Black In America" exposes are nothing new to those of us who have examined the condition of our community and continue to pray and address issues that are damaging our communities and seemingly exploding in our faces. Here is an excerpt from my soon to be released book "Ministering Effectively" regarding the same issue:

"According to statistics compiled in 1999, 69% of all African-American children are born out of wedlock. This is in comparison to a rate of approximately 33% for all American families in the same year. This quite naturally sheds light on the fact that the majority of African-American children are being raised either by single-women, grandparents or in foster care. Other information released by the Center for Disease Control (CDC) in early 2008 shows that Sexually Transmitted Diseases (STD’s) were most rampant in the African American community especially among youth’s ages 16-25. African-American women accounted for more than half of the new HIV infections annually. The four most infectious diseases of chlamydia, gonorrhea, herpes and HIV, were all led in numbers by the African-American community, and African-American women were the target and highest group of new infections when broken down by numbers. Even syphilis, which was once thought to be stamped out is currently in resurgence and the leading group is once again the African-American individual.

According to the 2008 Guttmacher Institute report, African-American women make up about 19 percent of all US women, however the figures demonstrate that African-American women account for approximately 35 percent of all annual abortions." ~ Pastor Harvey Burnett "Ministering Effectively" (Dunamis Publishing 2008) Introduction pg. ii

Now, one thing I am interested in hearing addressed is the relationship of AIDS, and fatherlessness to homosexuality. If Black women have such a high rate of STD's (this is partially because women are more likely to seek immediate medical attention for unknown changes to their bodies) then there must be a pool of individuals from which these diseases and especially AIDS are being contracted. AIDS and HIV are acquired, which means that there are some interactions with already infected individuals that cause the spread and proliferation of the disease. There seems to be an effort to make AIDS a heterosexual disease when the fact remains that the homosexual community yet remains the place from which this disease has had it's exposure to the heterosexual community. Will the church community during this special acknowledge homosexuality as a SIN or merely a societal ill? This remains to be seen.

Another excerpt:

"There is an attack of epidemic proportions on young black men. Both personal and moral failures and a complete social breakdown has filled the prison system with an overwhelming amount of black men. According to the Justice Policy Institute, a Washington-based research and advocacy group that supports alternatives to incarceration, as of 1997 Black men under any type of correctional supervision 

were 2,149,900 representing 9% of the total African American population as compared to white men totaling 3,429,000 or 2% of white population in the US.. The study found that in 2000 there were 791,600 black men in jail or prison and 603,032 enrolled in colleges or universities. By contrast, the study said that in 1980 there were 143,000 black men in jail or prison but 463,700 enrolled in colleges or universities. The study did not directly address why the number of black men in jail and prison climbed so quickly. Some experts suggested as one explanation a rise in the number of black men serving time for drug offenses. But Justice Department figures show that from 1990 to 2000, 50 percent of the growth in inmate populations at state prisons was for violent crimes, and that only 20 percent was for drug crimes. African American men are roughly 13% of American total population but almost 50% of the nations total prison population In New Mexico, for example, 30 percent of young black men, aged 20-35, are in prison (or, less commonly, in a secure mental institution). That is an extreme case, but there are 32 states with more than one in ten young black men in prison, and ten states where one in six young black men are behind bars" ~ Pastor Harvey Burnett "Ministering Effectively" (Dunamis Publishing 2008) Introduction pg. iii

When we have preachers going to jail at rates comparative to the world and rank sinner, that is not a good sign. I have taught and continue to teach that in many cases our communities are a mere reflection of the church condition. One comment by earring wearing, Bishop T.D. Jakes aired Wed. July 23rd was that our realities are many times dissimilar to our ideals. That the church preaches ideals of what should be, but must deal with the reality of what is. On first brush I say, OK, that sounds like an accurate account of our condition. According to Merriam-Webster’s Dictionary & Thesaurus 2006 ideals are a standard of excellence or those things regarded as a model worthy of imitation or a goal.

When I reviewed Jake’s comment analytically, the assessment of the WORD of God as a mere "ideal" just didn’t feel comfortable. Why? Because it makes no allowance for the power of God or the supernatural change that can and must occur within individuals and our communities.

I Cor. 1:23-24 ~ "But we preach Christ crucified, unto the Jews a stumblingblock, and unto the Greeks foolishness; But unto them which are called, both Jews and Greeks, Christ the power of God, and the wisdom of God."

Rom. 1:16-18 ~ "For I am not ashamed of the gospel of Christ: for it is the power of God unto salvation to every one that believeth; to the Jew first, and also to the Greek. For therein is the righteousness of God revealed from faith to faith: as it is written, The just shall live by faith. For the wrath of God is revealed from heaven against all ungodliness and unrighteousness of men, who hold the truth in unrighteousness;"

The WORD of God was and is the power to bring change. This change was to be efficacious. The church and ministry is not merely about "ideals" "values" and "goals" it is about the transformation of lives through the Power Of God. That power is not devoid of ideals or idealistic paradigms but is not centered on those things. I believe that this is why the fulcrum of American problems lay at the door of the black church and in the bosom of the black community. We have preached and taught "ideals" and have not cause the people to enter into the true power of God through repentance and turning from sin.

I believe that the following scripture typifies Bishop Jake’s and far too many ministers regarding the issue,

2 Tim. 3:1-5 ~" This know also, that in the last days perilous times shall come. For men shall be lovers of their own selves, covetous, boasters, proud, blasphemers, disobedient to parents, unthankful, unholy, Without natural affection, trucebreakers, false accusers, incontinent, fierce, despisers of those that are good, Traitors, heady, highminded, lovers of pleasures more than lovers of God; Having a form of godliness, but denying the power thereof: from such turn away."

Although the CNN special was not a religious show, it was unavoidable to discuss this topic without consulting religious leaders. As I watched, I began to wonder do our "Christian leaders" believe that God can change the condition of our communities?

In my article on Antisupernaturalism and Miracles, I discuss the effort of the metaphysical naturalist to remove the supernatural from life and living, therefore removing God from all rational conversation and discovery. Naturalism does not account for the supernatural and therefore cannot be evidential or scientific as it claims because it refuses to consider all available evidences. The deception is that religious leaders have also fallen from this line and make no or very little allowance for the "Power Of God" in their lives, communities or ministries.

Many of my atheist friends, who read this blog from time to time, have made a correct observation by questioning why they should follow a God that cannot provide evidence of HIS presence through the changed lives, behaviors and actions of the people who claim to be his. In other words, if God is real, then why aren’t we changed?

This is an indictment of the modern and powerless church. We can argue concepts of "free-will" and discover that man truly is a "free-will" agent and has certain controls over his own destiny quite convincingly, but the true question is what are we as the church actually doing to help our community through the lives that we live, and how are the community and people changed as a result of the Power Of God through us? What is at question is our consistency of living not the abundance of things we do or services we offer.

We have more ministries today than ever before and seemingly everybody is called to preach. For example, we have male and female Apostles, Bishops, and Pastors, not to mention Evangelists, but yet our communities are weaker than water. We’ve got larger buildings, but a weaker message. A louder and more diverse message and low morality. We have a message of inclusion that engages the homosexual, child molester, drug dealer and murder without ever leading them to the altar of repentance and purging. We present the "ideal" of salvation and a better life in Christ as an escape from current conditions, but where is the "power" that effects change?

Look At The Scripture

In Mk.11: 11-15 We find an inclusio of the barren fig tree which was representative of Israel, God’s people. Here we observe Jesus entering Jerusalem 2 times. The first time was to observe (v.11) and the second time was to scourge (v.15) In between this inclusio, there appeared a barren fig tree, as if it should have something to offer both Jesus and the disciples that were with him, but there was "nothing but leaves" Jesus then curses the fig tree commanding that it will never yield fruit again. (v.14)

The temple was active. The individuals were buying and selling sacrifices and other items to be used for the remission of sins. When Jesus got there he found the equivalent of "nothing but leaves" and consequently condemned the actions of the people and beat the "money changers" out. In what appears to be another and prior incident in which Jesus did the same thing at a prior Passover celebration, in John 2:12-21 Jesus asked the people to contrast the temple to his body, both of which were to be destroyed, but only one raised. This challenge was fulfilled in AD 70, and until this day, only one temple was raised and that was the temple of the Body of Jesus.

Huge buildings and dynamic ministry programs, TV and radio outreach does not the Power Of God make. These things by themselves do not facilitate God’s power. If that were the case we would have no problem within our community in evangelizing the lost and turning these atrocious conditions around. Yet an abundance of social and moral problems exist and to speak against such seems to be out of vogue as too many ministers merely want to be perceived good by the public and stand with politicians for popularity and gain.

The Call To The Church

I believe that the greatest call to the church today is to REPENT and serve the Lord with purity of heart.

2 Chron. 7:14-15~ "If my people, which are called by my name, shall humble themselves, and pray, and seek my face, and turn from their wicked ways; then will I hear from heaven, and will forgive their sin, and will heal their land. Now mine eyes shall be open, and mine ears attent unto the prayer that is made in this place"

I believe when we truly repent as a whole for making a muck of truth, morality and absolutes our communities would be ripe for and experience the change necessary to turn these situations around. The time is now for turning back to God. Barack Obama (Now President) claims that he wants to "tear down walls" and calls himself a "fellow citizen of the world" so that the world can be unified and bring a new and more clear vision to humanity. Unfortunately many of the walls he wants to tear down include walls of righteousness and the church of God.

Lord please let the reader help spread this message of repentance before it is too late.

In the words of Mother Ella Mae, "Now them people know they just need to get right and get saved, cause they crazy."

Amen Momma Ella and again I say amen.

Blessed!

Read more!