Category Archives: Christians

November 16, 2009 · 9:00 am

Lord, Why Not Call Bill Instead Of Me? (Part 1)

prayer_home In early 1994, I attended a friend’s funeral in Illinois. What was so unusual about this funeral is that I had two encounters with the Holy Spirit while I was inside the church. The one experience, I wrote about in My Journey Out (Part 12). This is the other one.

My parents and I walked up to the church together, but just as I was ready to open the door and go inside, I head a low voice behind me. “Larry, is that you?”

I turned to see a friend whom I had not seen in twenty years. “Yes, it’s me. How are you, Eugene?”

We spent a few minutes talking and promised to talk more after the service. In the meantime, my parents had gone on ahead without me. When I finished, I walked inside.

Because it was a small church, there was only a center aisle which led directly to the pulpit; and of course, pews lined each side of the aisle. The casket stood at the front of the aisle and was closed. Some pictures of my friend sat on it.

Now, I do not recommend Christians asking the Lord whether a particular friend (or relative) makes it into heaven or not. What if you don’t like the Lord’s answer? What can you do about it? Complain. Pray him out of Hell. Depart from the faith. Your options are nil. So, it’s best to leave questions like that unasked and understand it was between the Lord and your friend…and not you.

But I did not heed my own advice this time. I asked the Lord over and over on the trip home from Iowa if my friend had made it into heaven.

As I approached the casket, a voice spoke to my heart. “Your friend is not in the casket. He’s with Me.”

I could have shouted and danced. I was so happy.

Then, at the casket, I turned left and headed toward a reception line with my friend’s wife, children and family. As I slowly inched forward, a tremendous grief came over me. It was overwhelming.

I began crying and wailing and whooping aloud. I was out of control. There was nothing I could do to stop myself. I wanted to die!

When I finally reached my friend’s wife, she consoled me. “Oh Larry, he’s out of his pain now.” She continued on and on. Finally, she introduced me to her sons and my friend’s sisters.

The whole time I cried and blubbered aloud. What an embarrassing mess I was!

Then, as I headed toward where my parents were sitting on a pew, the grief lifted. I was somewhat normal again.

Sitting next to my mom, I asked the Lord, “What was that all about?”

A gentle voice spoke to my heart: “Your friend was called to be a prophet and he did not make it into his calling. What you felt was just a fraction of the grief I feel when a person does not make it into his divine calling.”

For the gifts and the calling of God are irrevocable. (Romans 11:29)

(Continued in Part 2.)

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Filed under Christianity, Christians, Church, church planting, Emergent Church, Faith, Gifts of the Spirit, God, grace, Home Church, Inspirational, jesus, Kingdom of God, Prayer, Prophecy, Red Letter Christians, reformation, Religion, spiritual warfare

November 13, 2009 · 8:36 am

“My Journey Out” (Conclusion)

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Click on following for earlier articles: Part 1, Part 2, Part 3, Part 4, Part 5, Part 6, Part 7, Part 8, Part 9, Part 10, Part 11, Part 12, Part 13, Part 14, Part 15, Part 16 and Part 17.

As with most walks with the Lord, my journey out of the traditional church system has not been a straight line. There have been a few left and right turns along the way.

One such detour happened in the fall of 2001.

Honey was selling furniture in Yorba Linda, California, and a Christian couple invited her to attend their church for a Sunday service. She wanted to please them and felt we both should go.

Now, the couple’s church was the mother church for a denomination which is famous for worship music, casual dress and laid-back style. The denomination’s founder had recently passed away and another had replaced him. And to be honest, the denomination was one which Honey and I usually searched out in the many cities we had lived in.

So, I was eager to visit the church.

The couple greeted us at the door and led us inside the sanctuary to where they were sitting. As we sat down, the husband leaned over and said, “The new pastor mentions finances a little more than our founder did. It’s probably because the church has dropped from 5,000 in membership to 3,500. ”

My antenna went up, as did the hairs on my neck.

The service began with worship music, followed by the taking of the offerings, a few prayers, and then, the pastor strolled to pulpit. He was forty-ish, dressed in Dockers and had a pleasant voice.

“I was going to speak on prayer today, but I felt a pressing need to speak on a different subject,” he said, looking around the sanctuary.

Now, what subject do you think had jumped over prayer to the top of his sermon docket? Was it salvation? Or healing? Or love? No, no, no!

It was finances!

The pastor explained how the church had just spent millions of dollars to purchase a parcel of land next to the church for planned expansions in the future. The additional expenditures increased the church’s total debt to $13 million. $13,000,000.

“As always,” said the pastor, “our goal is to help the poor, but until we pay off our debts, the poor will have to be put on the back burner. Then, when the debt is retired in twelve years or so, we will be in a strong position to help the poor and others.”

Yipes! Yuck! Yowie!

Now, you might be thinking this left turn experience is the exception for the traditional church system, right? Sadly, not so!

The Barna Group which is known for their extensive surveys on Christianity and churches has conducted yearly surveys on church finances. Their findings for all of the Protestant churches in America are that 85% of the tithes and offerings are spent on mortgages, construction, salaries, building upkeep, special programs and miscellaneous. Less than 10% is given to the poor or foreign missionaries.

For me, this last church experience was the dot at the bottom of the exclamation mark after the words, “Pull the plug!“

(Starting Monday a new series will begin on the callings. Stop back if you’re interested.)

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Filed under Christianity, Christians, Church, church planting, Emergent Church, Faith, Gifts of the Spirit, God, grace, Home Church, jesus, Kingdom of God, Prayer, Prophecy, Red Letter Christians, reformation, Religion, spiritual warfare

November 11, 2009 · 10:27 am

“My Journey Out” (Part 17)

Click on following for earlier articles: Part 1, Part 2, Part 3, Part 4, Part 5, Part 6, Part 7, Part 8, Part 9, Part 10, Part 11, Part 12, Part 13, Part 14, Part 15 and Part 16.

…Feed My Sheep (John 21:17 NKJ)

It’s interesting to note that John recorded the intimate discourse between Jesus and Peter when the “Feed My sheep” quotation was spoken, but Mark did not. Supposedly, Mark received most of his information from Peter; and yet, Peter must have chosen to remain silent about this particular conversation.

Now, wouldn’t you think one of the apostles chosen as the foundation for the church would have mentioned such an important quotation as this? After all, it provides the basis for which all of our modern American traditional churches revolve around: the pastor’s sermon.

Yet, Peter does eventually provide insight into the “Feed My sheep” theme.

Shepherd [or Feed in the King James Version]the flock of God which is among you, serving as overseers, not by constraint but willingly, not for dishonest gain, but eagerly; nor as being lords over those entrusted to you, but be examples to the flock. (1 Peter 5: 2-3 NKJ)

When did Peter first hear about not being a lord over believers and being an example to them instead? It was on one of those days when the disciples were arguing over which of them should be considered the greatest.

But Jesus called them to Himself and said to them, “You know that those who are considered rulers over the Gentiles lord it over them, and their great ones exercise authority over them. Yet, it shall not be so among you; but whoever desires to become great among you shall be your servant. And whoever of you desires to be first shall be slave of all. For even the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give His life a ransom for many. (Mark 10: 42-45 NKJ)

Maybe you’re thinking, “So what?”

But once again, you have to take off your rose-colored glasses and ask some interesting questions, like: How can there possibly be a separation between clergy and laity if no believer is supposed to lord – or exercise authority – over other believers? Isn’t that exactly what clergy are supposed to do?

And how can the modern pastor be an example to a congregation when he (or she) is standing behind a pulpit preaching a sermon and the passive believers can not do likewise? Or should all the pews be removed and everyone be allowed to have their own pulpit to stand behind, awaiting a turn to speak?

Doesn’t it seem that our traditional church system consisting of clergy, laity and sermons falls apart when it is lined up with scriptures?

(Continued in Part 18.)

Need To Be Inspired?

This video is from Ransom 33′s recent post, Do You Feel Like Giving Up? Watch, Learn and Be Inspired!

It is awesome!

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Filed under Christianity, Christians, Faith, God, grace, Inspirational, jesus, Kingdom of God, Prayer, Religion, Spirituality

November 9, 2009 · 7:28 am

“My Journey Out” (Part 16)

moses-parting-red-sea

Click on following for earlier articles: Part 1, Part 2, Part 3, Part 4, Part 5, Part 6, Part 7, Part 8, Part 9, Part 10, Part 11, Part 12, Part 13, Part 14 and Part 15.

Feed My Sheep.

According to the Bible, what do sheep eat?

The Lord is my shepherd, I shall not want. He makes me to lie down in green pastures; He leads me beside the still waters. (Psalm 23: 2)

Sheep are herbivores; and thus, in the Bible, sheep graze on grass. No other diet or dietary supplement is mentioned for sheep.

Now, when it comes to comparing the word, or scriptures, to food products, Jesus used the analogy of sowing seed in Mark Chapter 4. The word was the seed and the sower was a type of preacher.

But in the Bible, sheep do not eat wheat or oats, they graze on grass.

In Hebrews 5: 12-14 , the word is referred to as milk and strong meat. And in John 6:48, Jesus refers to Himself as the Bread of Life, and you could make a good case that the Living Word is bread. Milk, meat and bread are certainly foods.

But once again, in the Bible, sheep graze on grass. Period.

If the words Feed My sheep are an analogy signifying that modern pastors are supposed to preach sermons to solemn congregations, then we are stuck with nonsensical mental images. (Remember: every analogy in the Bible is used to give clarity to the reader, not to add confusion.)

So, in order to justify a modern interpretation of Feed My sheep, you would have to envision a pastor walking out to his back lawn, clipping the grass, bagging it, carrying the bags to church, and then, tossing grass out of the bags from the pulpit to bleating, hungry sheep. Not a good mental analogy, right?

Furthermore, there are no supporting verses in the Bible for the interpretation of Feed My sheep as meaning a pastor preaching a sermon to a congregation. None. Zip. Nada. It is a modern tradition which is really a cloud without water, carried along by the winds of time.

But interestingly enough, the answer of what Feed My Sheep truly means is provided by Peter.

(Continued in Part 17.)

“My Journey Out” (Part 15)

Click on following for earlier articles: Part 1, Part 2, Part 3, Part 4, Part 5, Part 6, Part 7, Part 8, Part 9, Part 10, Part 11, Part 12, Part 13 and Part 14.

Let’s say that we conduct a survey of every Christian in America, asking, “What do you believe is the number one duty for church pastors?”

Do you have any ideas on what their responses might be?

Well, I would guess that 95% of the Christians would say something like, “Feeding the sheep.” And of course, what this really means is, “Pastor, bring on the sermons.”

What’s the scriptural logic behind this answer?

He said to him the third time, “Simon, son of Jonah, do you love Me?” Peter was grieved because He said to him the third time, “Do you love Me?” And he said to him, “Lord, You know all things; you know that I love You.” Jesus said to him, “Feed My sheep.” (John 21:17 NKJ)

Out of this single discourse between a newly resurrected Jesus and a broken, discouraged Peter has grown the tradition of pastors preaching sermons in today’s traditional churches. So ingrained is this tradition that few of us even question its scriptural validity.

But wait a second! What was Peter’s calling? Pastor. No!

Peter was one of the original twelve apostles, chosen to be a part of the foundation for the Church, with Jesus being the corner stone. He was never a pastor, restricted to a local assembly; but instead, He was a traveling, church-planting apostle. This is an important point, one which is usually overlooked when this section of scripture is studied.

So, what was Jesus’ main purpose in His “Feed My sheep” discourse with Peter?

I believe our Lord’s main purpose was restoring and reconfirming the apostolic calling on Peter’s life. Do you want to know why I believe this? The answer can be found in a prophecy spoken by Jesus to Peter a few days earlier:

Simon, Simon, behold, Satan has demanded permission to sift you like wheat; but I have prayed for you that your faith should not fail; and when you have returned to Me, strengthen your brethren. (Luke 22: 31-32 NKJ)

How would you like to receive a prophetic word like this? And then, have it come to pass? Wouldn’t you be so discouraged that you’d believe your calling had been tossed out of the windows of heaven? Forever and ever!

This particular discourse between Jesus and Peter is the most personal and intimate conversation recorded in the New Testament. It reveals the compassion and love the Head of the Church has for an individual and his unique calling.

But yes, there are some other scriptures with a “Feed the sheep” theme.

(Continued in Part 16).

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November 4, 2009 · 7:33 am

“My Journey Out” (Part 14)

Click on following for earlier articles: Part 1, Part 2, Part 3, Part 4, Part 5, Part 6, Part 7, Part 8, Part 9, Part 10, Part 11, Part 12 and Part 13.

What peerage titles come to mind when you think about the Kingdom of God? Prince? Princess? Duke? Duchess? Baron? Baroness? Earl? Countess? Lord? Lady?

Probably none of these, right?

We only think about the King, the Lord Jesus, when we consider the Kingdom of God.

But as you know, the Kingdom of God is not a democracy or a dictatorship. No one is ever elected to head it or can take it over by a coup d’etat. It is an ongoing, never-ending kingdom with the King being the supreme ruler and authority over His royal monarchy. And royal monarchies usually have peerage titles, right?

So, this being the case, what are the various titles for all the different citizens of the kingdom of God?

But when the fullness of time came, God sent forth His Son, born of a woman, born under the Law so that He might redeem those who were under the Law, that we might receive the adoption as sons. (Galatians 4:4-5)

The only title given in Scripture for a citizen of the Kingdom of God is son. No other hierarchical or peerage titles are mentioned at all, as in none, zero, nada and zip.

And guess what?

Then the King will say to those on His right, “Come you who are blessed of My Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world.” (Matthew 25:34)

The Kingdom of God was a part of the Father’s plan when He created the world, even before the creation of the first man. How awesome is that?

And yet, the Father’s plan only includes a King and His sons. No other hierarchical levels were ever envisioned by our Father, as in never-ever-never!

Every believing reader, or at least 99.9% of you, would most likely agree with me so far, right?

Then, if the above is true, why would the King allow feudal fiefdoms known as traditional churches to exist in His kingdom, with lords in the pulpits and peasants in the pews? Is it possible the Kingdom and the Church oppose each other, as in America’s separation of church and state policies?

The answers are simple: the Church was created along the same lines as the Kingdom of God without any artificial hierarchical separation known as the clergy classes or the laity classes. Period.

After all, what is the message of the Church?

This gospel of the Kingdom shall be preached in the whole world as a testimony to all the nations, and then the end will come. (Matthew 24:14)

The word gospel is a shortened form of the phrase the gospel of the Kingdom of God. This is the church’s message to a hopeless world.

So, admittedly, we Christians do not really understand the calling of pastor or the role of leaders in the Kingdom of God or the Church, right?

(Continued in Part 15.)

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November 2, 2009 · 9:24 am

“My Journey Out” (Part 13)

moses-parting-red-sea

Click on following for earlier articles: Part 1, Part 2, Part 3, Part 4, Part 5, Part 6, Part 7, Part 8, Part 9, Part 10, Part 11 and Part 12.

A bunch of nice losers!

Would the Holy Spirit really say that about His church?

After all, look at the forefathers of our traditional church system: Martin Luther. John Wesley. George Whitefield. Jonathan Edwards. Charles Finney. Dwight Moody. William Booth. Maria Woodworth-Etter. Smith Wigglesworth. Katherine Kulhman.

Plus, what about the leaders of today’s traditional churches? Billy Graham. Oral Roberts. Bill Hybels. Mike Bickel. Rick Warren. Joel Osteen. T.D. Jakes. Joyce Meyers. Charles Stanley. And many, many others.

All of these great men and women of God have been proponents of the traditional church system. If the “old time religion” was (and is) good enough for them, shouldn’t it be good enough for you and me?

NO! Absolutely not!

When Jesus arrived on the scene in 30 A.D., the Judaic Temple system had its forefathers and heroes, too. Moses. Joshua. Samuel. King David. Elijah. Elisha. King Hezekiah. King Josiah. Ezra. Nehemiah. Jeremiah. Etc.

And yet, Jesus became the Head of a new wineskin: the ekklesia or the assembly or the called-out ones or the church.

Jesus is the Head of the Church. Period.

Yes, it is important to learn truths from our church forefathers, but we are to follow Jesus. If He turns right, we must go right. If left, go left. If He stands still, do the same. He knows where we are going and why. Our duty is to follow and trust in Him…even if He walks out the doors of our traditional churches.

Okay?

When the Holy Spirit called the church “a bunch of nice losers,” He wasn’t talking about our personal beliefs in Jesus as the Savior or Lord. No, not at all. He was referring to who we are as sons of God, walking in the kingdom of God.

Do you realize each believer is:

an heir of God,

a joint heir with Christ,

more than a conqueror,

a chosen generation,

and a royal priest?

When we do not walk in our royal benefits as sons of the Kingdom of God, we are losers; and always will be. Every wave, every wind of doctrine, the trickery of men and their craftiness will toss us here and there like cork bobbers in the midst of a hurricane.

And guess what?

(Continued in Part 14.)

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October 30, 2009 · 7:04 am

“My Journey Out” (Part 12)

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Click on following for earlier articles: Part 1, Part 2, Part 3, Part 4, Part 5, Part 6, Part 7, Part 8, Part 9, Part 10 and Part 11.

In early 1994, I drove back to Illinois to attend a high school friend’s funeral. It was held in a small church and I sat with my parents in a middle row of the sanctuary.

As I sat there on the wooden pew, listening to the pastor, the Holy Spirit interrupted my thoughts and blanked out all noise from the service and the people around me. I was there, but I wasn’t. Then, He spoke to me:

“My Church consists mainly of a bunch of nice losers,” He said. “They pray for the sick, and if the person dies, they aren’t angry and don’t really feel that bad about it. After all, they did their religious duty.

“Now, in Major League Baseball, both the winning teams and losing teams want to win; it’s a part of each player’s make-up. But after a while, the losing teams’ players don’t really mind losing anymore. They still receive large paychecks and enjoy all the fantastic benefits of just being a Major League player. So, losing is not such a big deal to them.

“But this is not true for the winning teams’ players. Each of these players hates to lose and will do anything and make whatever sacrifice is needed to win games. They absolutely hate losing!

“I want My Church to hate losing!”

The conversation ended and I began weeping so hard I thought I was going to vomit. My sister leaned over. “Don’t you think that you should get a hold of yourself? You’re making a scene,” she whispered.

I shrugged my shoulders. There was nothing I could do, nor did I care what others thought of me at that moment. I was devastated by the Holy Spirit’s description of the Church: “a bunch of nice losers.“

Now, what’s funny is that I was upset with God for allowing my friend to die. I had witnessed to my friend over the years. Prayed for him. Fasted for him. Invested time in his healing. But still, he died and I was mad at God as I sat there in the pew!

So, wouldn’t you think that God would have corrected me about my anger at Him? And yet, He didn’t. Instead, He redirected my anger toward the Church’s losing attitudes.

From whom the whole body, being fitted and held together by what every joint supplies, according to the proper working of each individual part, causes the growth of the body for the building up of itself in love. (Ephesians 4:16)

(Continued in Part 13.)

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October 28, 2009 · 6:45 am

“My Journey Out” (Part 11)

moses-parting-red-sea

Click on following for earlier articles: Part 1, Part 2, Part 3, Part 4, Part 5, Part 6, Part 7, Part 8, Part 9 and Part 10.

Just weeks after my salvation in 1985, I had dreams and visions. Most were about this and that, but there has been one recurring dream which I’ve had in almost every city I’ve ever lived in.

The dream has always been about explosions, gas pipes blowing up, bridges being destroyed, cars falling into rivers, buildings being destroyed, death and devastation. And the dream has always been adapted to the particular city I was living in at the time.

For instance, in Virginia Beach (VA), I saw US navy ships at the Norfolk Naval Station being blown up by missiles and bombs. Powerful ships sank into the bay, much like the ships at the bombing of Pearl Harbor. In a matter of moments, the largest naval station in the world was gone.

Maybe some people might attribute my dreams to a wild imagination and pepperoni pizzas, but that would not explain the many people who have had similar dreams.

Now, moving to California was certainly not on my life’s to-do list, but in August, 2001, Honey was upset with our sales jobs in Virginia Beach, Virgina. She kept seeking the Lord about something different and new for us.

Then, one day she said, “Larry, the Lord wants us to move to California. Pray about this, okay?”

I cringed when she mentioned moving to California; weirdos and lefties – yuck! But I caved in to Honey’s pleas and sought the Lord for a few days.

What happened is that the Lord filled my heart with an overwhelming peace, much like morphine mellows out a person who is sufering extreme pain.

And also, at the same time, I felt the Lord say that He would show me a sign for His reason in having us move to California sometime during our trip to the West Coast.

Thus, we loaded a twenty-four foot Ryder truck with our belongings and headed for California. Along the way, we stopped at our children’s and parents’ homes in Pittsburgh (PA), Polo (IL), Faribault (MN) and then, Glidden and Jefferson, Iowa.

Most of us probably remember what we were doing on September 11, 2001. I was sitting at a computer in Jefferson, Iowa, checking emails. Honey was in the bedroom; and Honey’s uncle was sitting in a recliner watching the Today Show. Then, the first plane hit the World Trade Center. And then, the second plane.

Two hours later, both towers collapsed. A third plane crashed into the Pentagon and a fourth one crashed in a Pennsylvania field. We were glued to the TV sets, wondering what was happening to our nation.

But somehow in the midst of the confusion, I knew 911 was my sign from the Lord for moving to California.

Now, before you get all huffy, remember: 911 was going to happen whether we obeyed God or not. The Lord just used the tragedy – which He knew about ahead of time – to imprint on my heart that America was at war.

So, how does my journey out of the traditional church fit into all of this, right?

I see possible major terrorist attacks hitting San Diego, Los Angeles, San Francisco, Portland and Seattle. These terrorist attacks may not be low-level ones like 911, but instead, they may be nuclear or electro-magnetic pulse attacks. Hundreds of thousands of lives may be at risk.

And just like 911, we are not prepared.

Our federal and state governments, police departments and whatever are helpless. At best, we can expect them to show up with body bags to stuff corpses into, but that’s about it. So, don’t misplace your faith and hope in our governments. It’s a waste of time; time which we have too little of!

The only hope for the West Coast (and America) is the church. The one with Jesus Christ as the Head.

Yet, this underscores a major problem which the Body of Christ has in America.

(Continued in Part 12)

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