| Author | Message | ||
| River Registered user Username: River Post Number: 1452 Registered: 9-2006  |
It never ceases to amaze me at how God can give us a particular ministry just suited to our own unique individuality and temperament and abilities and the first thing you know someone ups and declares that you are doing it all wrong and with jealous hatred they begin to undermine you and bring you down. If God makes you a Pastor there is always someone to say you are doing it all wrong, if he makes you a teacher, the same thing, there will be someone who wants to run your ministry for you their way. No matter what the ministry (job?) that God gives you to do as an individual in the body of Christ, whether it be the hearing or the smelling, or the more comely parts as Paul explains it, there will always be someone to try to run it for you or belittle you and your methods or just plain undermine you and tear you down. “Well he needs to be cut down to size” says the critic. I remember when I was just a babe in Christ and the Lord was already training me in the gifts, The Pastor and associate Pastor came to me and told me to preach the Sunday evening message, that church believed in training young people to go out those doors and minister to the world and it was simply part of the carrying out of their program to call on certain ones that they felt to call on to “get their feet wet” so to speak by actually taking on responsibility. To cut it short, I arrived at that moment that I stood before about 35 or 40 people with the responsibility of preaching from the word of God. I think it was right about there that I was given the gift of discernment of spirits as spoken of in 1 Cor 12:10, I do want to say that this is not to start an argument over the gifts so please bear with me. I probably know less about the gifts than anybody anyway. There was a woman sitting on the very back row and as I looked out over the audience my eyes met hers and I was able to discern the thoughts and intents of her heart and I saw a spirit of jealousy and heard the thoughts “what’s he doing up there?” so I pulled my eyes away and looked on the more friendlier faces who were willing to follow the Pastor’s wishes as to how the church should be run. I wasn’t up there because I was desiring of that, I was there because I was instructed to be there. As I said, I don’t want to pull your attention off onto the Gifts, I gave that example of the experience to point to the fact that there will be people who will appose you whom you might not think would, More especially if your ministry carries you into the public forum. Some folk are not willing to bend to the will of God, or they think just because it doesn’t come up to their ideals that it’s not the will of God and set about trying to make your ministry of none effect and that’s because they are unable to hear what God has to say, they’re just running under their own steam and if you ain’t running under God’s steam you ain’t got no steam. The thing is that if you are being obedient to God in your ministry, no matter how awkward you may start out or how awkward you feel about your abilities God will carry you in his power just like he did me that Sunday night and the gates of hell will not prevail over it. Moses, from the way I read the story, felt pretty awkward but God chose him for God’s own reasons and he chooses us for his own reasons. At times I feel like I am the last one that should be doing what I am doing, the least qualified, slow in my thinking with a brain that runs slow as molasses, I feel like I am the very last one he should have chosen to do anything really. But this I know friends and I know it from experience, God is able to take what you give to him with a humble and yielding heart bent to his will and make it work, and the opposition can just hoop and holler all they want to and it won’t do them good to stand in opposition, the opposition will lose out in Gods blessing simply because the times they spend in opposition they are robbing themselves of their own ministry that God would have given to them. So I want to encourage to ask God what he would have you do in service to him and yield to him the very best you can. Just a few years back I came to a place of repentance for the years that I have wasted doing my own thing, I just woke up one morning realizing that I was already in my sixty’s and had wasted so many years of time I should have dedicated to the Lord and there’s just no way to recoup what I should have done and all I could do is repent in bitter tears, the years God had invested in training me I had taken and trampled under the feet of my own willfulness when I could have just yielded to him and trusted him like I knew to trust him. One morning as I sat here and thought on the things of God and realizing my age I thought about Sampson and how after he had misused what God had given him, ask for one last burst of strength and God had mercy on him and I prayed “Lord, like Sampson, just give me one last push to minister for you” and I will stretch my arms against the pillars and push” I don’t know about you friend but whatever God gives me to push at, I am determined to push and people can just do what they think best, and if God gives me a pillar to push on the house is coming down, not by my strength but by his strength and if someone happens to be standing under it in opposition that’s just his hard luck. This is just something I had to say so I said it. It wasn’t said to pertain to anyone on the forum including myself, nor anything that has ever been said on the forum, it’s just meant for the general population. It is meant to encourage you whom have submitted themselves to the Lord, and if your family or your friends stands in opposition to your stand for Christ, know this, it has happened to those that have gone before you, take heart and yield humbly under his mighty hand and he will lift you up. Some of the folk have Adventist families that stand in opposition to the way they are conducting their own families and their ministry to Christ, some who stand under open onslaught from their own Mom’s and Dad’s, Immediate Sisters or brothers or uncles or Aunts or local SDA pastors and its just not that they can walk out from under it. I want to say this, you ain’t got forever, for as you know you only have today so if God has given you a pillar to push at then stand with your arms stretched between those pillars and push. Know this, there are other Christians who stand with their arms between the pillars. One of these days this old roof is going to give and fall in and the great weight of it will crush your opposition and the ones that put out your eyes and kept you grinding at the mill. Now is it ok that I said all this? River | ||
| Helovesme2 Registered user Username: Helovesme2 Post Number: 1071 Registered: 8-2004  |
You ask if it's ok right after a lecture on 'opposition'? LOL! I needed a good laugh to start the day. More seriously, from where I sit, it's alright for you to say it. I find encouragement and things to learn in it. Thanks for the reminders! Blessings, Mary (Message edited by helovesme2 on September 14, 2007) | ||
| River Registered user Username: River Post Number: 1453 Registered: 9-2006 |
Good morning Mary. I,m sitting here eatin honey bunches of oats on a cool Oregon fall morning. Blessings back on ya. River | ||
| Jeremy Registered user Username: Jeremy Post Number: 2143 Registered: 10-2004  |
River, Thanks so much for your post of encouragement. It was very insightful and helpful. Jeremy | ||
| Colleentinker Registered user Username: Colleentinker Post Number: 6787 Registered: 12-2003  |
River, thank you so much. I appreciate your spiritual insight and encouragement. (Has anyone ever called you "Barnabas"?) God has gifted you, River, and He has gifted us with you. Colleen | ||
| River Registered user Username: River Post Number: 1457 Registered: 9-2006 |
No, but I been called a buncha other things.  | ||
| Bobj Registered user Username: Bobj Post Number: 247 Registered: 1-2006  |
River, I know the feeling! When God puts a burden on your heart, it’s hard to keep it to yourself. I bet everyone gets tired of hearing us yap about this stuff, but it’s important, and I know that you share your burdens in love, not to drag others down, but to make sure that Jesus is uplifted.. I recently visited with a dear old saint who is nearing the end of his life, and he knows it. After we had been visiting for awhile, I turned the conversation to spiritual things, and mentioned how grateful I am for the life we have in the Lord Jesus Christ. One of the things I’ve learned in my job is that people often tell you more than you want to know, especially if you don’t ask! It’s just human nature, I guess. Since they know that I’m for sure going to talk about the Lord whenever I visit, I’m not surprised when they eventually tell me about their theology. I’m sharing this because I so often hear things that are just heartbreaking. So when this dear gent told me that “we just have to be perfect” it wasn’t a total shock. The reason I’m sharing this is that his heart is breaking. He doesn’t know why or how to fix the problem. When he mentioned my trust in the Lord, he began to weep. There was no end to the weeping. Say what I might, there was no way for me to get him to transfer his trust to the Lord. The same day, I visited with a younger guy, recently retired, who told me “but we have to keep the 10 commandments.” We all hear stuff like this often. Billy Graham says “God does ninety-nine percent of it but you still must do that last one percent.” (quoted from an article by R.C. Sproul). So whatever that one percent is—Billy says we’re responsible for it. Push this a little, and you realize that in reality he’s saying that Jesus doesn’t really save us, that Jesus just makes it possible for us to save ourselves. The final decision—and the glory—are really ours. To the degree that we’re responsible for anything having to do with our salvation, to that same degree we cannot be certain of our salvation. I apologize for returning to this theme so often, but I see so much desperation and grief over this. The dear old gent I visited just couldn’t stop weeping. We all know where he got his theology. I couldn’t fix his problem. Only the Lord can lift the veil. But if I had a recommendation, it would be to spend a lot of time with the Lord, yield to Him totally and completely, without reservation, trusting him totally, not just 99 percent, for our salvation. The reformers tackled the problem of the free will of man, our election (being foreknown in Christ) the sovereignty of God, justification, original sin, etc. I have a friend who says that it was when he began to study reformation theology and accepted the doctrines of original sin and election that God gave him great peace. I think we really can’t appreciate that doctrine until we have entirely given up on ourselves—including Billy Graham’s last one percent—and that it only then that we can know for sure that we are secure in His rest. Don’t stop sharing, River. Bob | ||
| River Registered user Username: River Post Number: 1459 Registered: 9-2006 |
Don’t apologize for returning to theme Bob, because this is the theme and I know what you mean about the old fellow and the younger fellow and Billy Graham’s 1%. One of my friends is 75 years old, he knows that his time will come up soon and he yearns for assurance for his soul. I really can do nothing for him accept to praise God for my salvation and let my assurance be my witness, I can’t attack his beliefs because he would feel that as a personal attack on him, he reads the red books for inspiration, but I know that when his time comes up they will not be of help in his uncertainty. The truth is there is no 1%, why do we think that while we live we have 1% of control over where we will spend eternity when we die? I found piece when I realized that there was nothing I could do to save my soul, not one thing and yet people cling to that 1% of control, why is that do you think? I know how it hurts when they reject the gospel and in a way they are not rejecting you, but are rejecting what God says. Matthew 9:6 But that you may know that the Son of man has authority on earth to forgive sins" --he then said to the paralytic--"Rise, take up your bed and go home." John I 5:11 And this is the testimony, that God gave us eternal life, and this life is in his Son. John I 5:12 He who has the Son has life; he who has not the Son of God has not life. John I 5:13 I write this to you who believe in the name of the Son of God, that you may know that you have eternal life. It is 100% in his Son, not 99%. What allows me to love him and trust in him and work for him is because he died to save me 100%. Of course I am preaching to the quire here, but maybe some one will come along and read it. Jesus wanted us to know that we are saved, he loved us so much, before he returned to heaven he told Peter three time’s “Feed my sheep” he was concerned about his “Sheep” and we are his sheep who hear his voice and trust in him, the good shepherd of our souls. He then sent the Holy Spirit to quicken our hearts and comfort us in our life in him, not much else left to do is it? People are like the rich young man who came to Jesus and went away sadly because he had riches, they turn away sadly when we speak of assurance, not because of us, but because of disbelief in God. Well, better not get started. River | ||
| Colleentinker Registered user Username: Colleentinker Post Number: 6794 Registered: 12-2003 |
So true, Bob and River. We have no 1%. God totally saves us, and we do not contribute anything. He saves us—or He doesn't. If He doesn't do it all, then I'm responsible for my own salvation. That 1% will kill you! It is so freeing to be able to know for sure that Jesus did everything required for my salvation—from becoming sin, dying my death, rising from the grave, and bringing me to life by the same Spirit that raised Him! No 1% there... Praise Him! Colleen |
