Christians, Your Job Is To Persuade and Encourage! And save souls with Jesus!

Christians, Your Job Is To Persuade and Encourage! And save souls with Jesus!                 by Kelly Durant 

1 Thessalonians 5:10-11 10 He died for us so that, whether we are awake or asleep, we may live together with him. 11 Therefore encourage one another and build each other up, just as in fact you are doing.

2. How many of you know about Aesop’s fables, the Greek philosopher with parables of wisdom? There is one where the sun and the wind have an argument over who can get a man to take his coat off. Each of them think they have more power and influence so they decide to compete. The wind says, you have seen how I blow over trees; I will make him take the coat off right away! The sun laughed and said okay, you go first then. The wind blew and the man feeling the cold wind held his coat tighter. The man even fell over but he held on to the coat even tighter. The wind gave up. Then the sun came out. He made himself hotter and hotter, then the man took the coat off from the heat. The sun won!

These Aesop tales are simple children’s stories but they teach each of us, no matter the age or culture basic principles. This one teaches us that people will do things given the right type of persuasion and encouragement, but people will not do something if they feel forced into it!

Wouldn’t you agree with me that all of us need to learn how to encourage and persuade others better? God is giving us many opportunities all through life. Last week we had an opportunity to connect with many of the new visitors, so consequently we must with love and wisdom encourage them to get closer to the Lord and to be our friends! We must bring them to know Jesus! How much do you encourage? What kind words do you say?

3. Let’s apply these encouragement (not discouragement) verses, for the moment, not to others but to ourselves. To learn what something is, you need to know what it is not, do you not agree? How many of you have visited a church where instead of knowing you as a person, they just dictated to you their doctrine, or their preacher’s theology, like a set of rules and behaviors that you must follow? Do this, and do that, which is a works religion, the follow the leader without question attitude? They have their ten or I should say 100 commandments! Thou shalt not wear jeans, thou shalt not dance, thou shalt not…on and on.  

This type of ineffective religion is like the wind, trying to force people into a mold. The irony is that human nature resists being pushed into a prefabricated mold. The system of knocking one down forces people to become either, hypocrite, passive-aggressive, or just bottle up with anger for being pushed into something. You and I know bitter resentful people in the churches, these people have their own unresolved personal issues with God but these people from time to time spill over their discouragement and burn others standing nearby: they discourage, not encourage!  

God made each of us all as individuals and we must allow for the personalities that God created, no one will be perfect, but God is in the process of perfecting and His Holiness will burn out impurities. If you want to compare God’s diverse choice of personalities, compare Moses, Samson, David, and Peter and notice it took time to shape their lives into what they needed to be! Sadly people who discourage, who are rude, or prideful, or offensive to another, later pay the price! The price is usually they end up without any friends! Loving encouraging people attract friends and followers, but critical negative people repel others like a magnet with another having both polls set on the negative.  

4. In general people that go to church for the first time get turned off by Christians that are hard-faced, proud, critical, legalistic, condescending, arrogant, over corrective, and unfriendly! What a crime to misrepresent our loving Lord Jesus in this manner! 

I am sure in the past we have lost a few members from someone’s bad behavior in this Church Corps: it happens everywhere and in all churches! We must repent and start over! It is sad but true that it is the human nature of many people to just naturally be legalistic, critical, negative, judgmental and condemning, pointing out the faults of others. How many times have you hear comments about people who come to church, and someone was finding fault with them, or the pastors? People who want everyone perfect forget they also have several huge faults in their own lives to work on! What God needs is encouragers to win others to Jesus!

Jesus did not leave an example for us to embarrass, judge or condemn those He reached out to. He convicted to not sin anymore, but He never was discouraging. Remember he talked into the night with the wine-drinkers, tax-collectors, and sinners? He also did not even condemn a naked prostitute when the self-righteous hypocrites brought her to Him, right? Jesus, however, was harsh and critical with the ones who did judge others being hypocrites their selves! The self-righteous hypocrites of the Jewish leadership of his day he labeled as a den full of vipers, and that their spirits were as white painted coffins full of dead men’s bones! 

If Jesus had mercy on others, how much more mercy we must have! We have not had a guilty prostitute in our Corps yet, but when a person you do not like or approve of does visit, I hope every person here treats that person with great love and kindness! Abused people expect abuse from others but Christians should be the first ones to break that cycle and seek to heal the wounds of someone that is broken, trapped, and suffering!

5. Romans 14:20 For meat destroy not the work of God. All things indeed are pure; but it is evil for that man who eateth with offence.21 It is good neither to eat flesh, nor to drink wine, nor any thing whereby thy brother stumbleth, or is offended, or is made weak.

This verse is describing that some Christians were rejecting eating meat because usually the Romans would say a prayer offering it to a Roman god, (a false one!) Certain Christians had the conviction to just not eat it, yet there were others that had the attitude that well, his god really is nothing, so if I pray and bless it in Jesus name it will be alright to eat it. Which is correct? Paul says according to your faith, you decide, but not to eat it if a brother will stumble and think you are a pagan! 

So, we must consider others on what we encourage. It could offend me when someone corrects another in their personal matters, please don’t do that! Notice that this dispute over eating meat was amongst Christians, so amongst Christians we solve things in house. Those outside the faith or visitors deserve more tolerance when we see them doing something. They may be unaware of it not being alright according to Scripture.

6. Differing ideas on things is not just a church community issue but differences also apply to politics, workplace rules, schooling methods, and within family kin. There will always be disagreements but we should never get offended and overheated over any matter! Some people even scream at each other when others won’t agree with them! This is like the wind blowing, not as the sun shining! 

The truth through God’s Holy Spirit will always win so no one ever has an excuse to get ugly with anyone over the standard they want! God has everyone in a process of maturity and holiness; it is His work, so to be discouraging with the visitors or the pastors shows a lack of love for Jesus! God does not credit one for being more holy because one rebukes another, or because one prays all the time, and it’s not in going to church all the time either. 

What credits a person to be holy is the amount of love for Jesus they have which is reflected in the love they have for others that makes one a true Christian. And these people who are close to Jesus just overflow with encouragement for everyone! 

7. It is pride and arrogance to presume that your own sins do not count, that your frank words are always well spoken, to think that you own self is above others, that you have never been very bad so you are better than others and you can therefore dictate what is correct according to your way of understanding.    

In the Salvation Army a person might comment, “Look who is here without uniform”, or “look what kind of a dress so and so came in with” but who is anyone to judge? There should always be within the Church Corps and in God’s work flexibility to allow for growth and maturity and some different ways of expression. Around the world TSA has many strange uniforms and ways of expressions! Our doctrine in no way condones us to become legalists but to the contrary, we are taught that we are in the process of becoming holy, and with obedience over time, full of more and more love and grace!

8. The verses of today says to build others up! I just told you how each of us have been guilty of breaking others down, so we must learn to do the opposite and pray to learn how to build others up! 11 Therefore encourage one another and build each other up, just as in fact you are doing. So, are you doing that? Some of you are and do great! But always there will be a few of you who need to learn how to encourage others better.

I was told recently that someone said to a person, “Oh, I see you only come when there is food”. Imagine, several dozens of people worked many dozens of hours to decorate and make our event special. Dozens more spent many hours in the kitchen, and several more spent many hours in prayer for people to come to learn about Jesus, but then with one sentence all of that work can be destroyed by a discouraging comment!

We must have a revolution of encouragement in our lives! Better always is a hand on the shoulder than a hand swat on the rear! Ask God to help you to see that your job is to encourage, and to allow people space and time to mature in.  I know of a person that use to eat free in a mission home every day. Every day he would get preached at until one day after 6 months and about 180 sermons, he gave his life to God and went on to be a missionary! It is my friend, Robert, and today at age 75 he still serves in food pantries! People need space and time to choose what is right. The Holy Spirit does the work!   

9.  Hebrews 10:24-25 Let us consider how we can stir up one another to love. Let us help one another to do good works. 25 Let us not give up meeting together. Some are in the habit of doing this. Instead, let us cheer each other up with words of hope. Let us do it all the more as you see the day coming when Christ will return.

Church meetings 2 and 3 times a week have been happening ever since Jesus died due to these verses that recommend we do so. These verses encourage us to get together to cheer each other up, and we need each other. How many times have people expressed they didn’t feel like coming to church, but they went anyway and then afterwards they felt so much better and happier full of hope! It has happened to me! 

We must speak good of one another and encourage one another cheering each other up. I always brag on the people wherever I am at, that you are hardworking people and that we love everyone! Often people who visit comment that they feel love here! Thank God love is transforming you! But just a few bad words from one or two people can bring many down.

10. So, in communicating with others we always should bring a word of hope and cheer about your Christian family, your Corps, your leaders despite the fact that there are faults, and things that you and I wish were better. Do not let that get in the way of remaining upbeat and encouraged because an awful lot does get done for Jesus! Think of all the good done here, and of the soul winning that gets done for Jesus because as a team everyone plays a part in it all getting done. 

So encourage others with some kind words, with a small note, with a bowl of soup, or with a cup of coffee! We can all show more our appreciation and love to others by deeds of kindness, and by words that lift up! Jesus Words are ‘spirit & truth’ and they do touch you deep inside!

So, whether we are dead or alive, whether Jesus comes within a decade or a century, the encouraging truth is that we will all live with Him and our loved ones forever! How encouraging that knowledge is! Praise the Lord for these words from the book of 1 Thessalonians & Hebrews! 

The Character of Men in the World vs. Men of God

Men in the World vs Men of God              Kelly Durant 9-15-13 Re 6-14-26

1. I Tim 5: 17 The elders who direct the affairs of the church well are worthy of double honor, especially those whose work is preaching and teaching.

2. Have you heard about the woman waiting for the perfect man? She waited and waited and then so much time went by that she just never seemed to find him! (See image of skeleton) Ha!

It is a very complex problem when we want to analyze men being perfect. How can men be perfect in his relationship involving the treatment of the woman and children and also in relation to his treatment of his fellow man? 

The real issue of men being perfect is in their knowledge and obedience to how God has revealed in Scripture. A man flourishes in spiritual maturity, wisdom, and a connection to God provoking a passion to treat everyone with respect, lovingly, and guiding them into God’s truth by words and deeds. Men must mature, and maturity means learning to be humble and doing God’s will in everything. Altruistic love is the foundation which Jesus taught.

3. Men maturing into men of valor as God intended contrasts the opposite image to what the pride of the world projects. There is a glory in men being strong; we all glory in seeing strong soldiers, but consider this, the strongest man who ever lived was Samson, and he killed a lion with his bare hands. However, look how the ultimate strongman ended up broken without faithfulness to God! Obedience and faithfulness is everything!

The ultimate question is, what does God want from me and you, or of men in general? All cultures have different ideas of how the perfect man should be. Usually when you say the word “man”, an image of how a man should dress, talk, and act is shaped by the expectancies of that culture and by the standard of the women of that society. And many cultures of the world have created evil men!

Woman live concerned about what the men do in relationship to them, so they are usually focused on the home and family. Men care for the women but men usually live very concerned about what other men might do to them and they think more about the society at large preparing their selves for survival and making a living within their environment which is often surrounded by hostility. 

4. Ever since the murder of Able by Cain men have worried how to protect their selves. They govern the society with police and armies and write laws and carry arms to help protect their selves from their own fellow man, and in particular defend their selves from those of other tribes, gangs, belief systems, or countries. For millennia men have had the tendency to scheme how to conquer and dominate their part of the world and this comes by cruel brute organized force.

I will confess as a man when I go out in the community, I subconsciously put myself on high alert and I focus in on any danger or threat that could be around me either while walking or in the vehicle. It is a natural tendency, right?

The sad reality is men, due to the sin of pride in the world, have failed in their mission to stop all hostility and greed and just love and obey God and enjoy Him! Men were created to love, not fight and kill. The inflicting of pain and the absorption of pain creates trauma and the results create the broken hostile, sad world of men today.  Why are there so many addicts in the world? Men (and women) are often trying to drown out their pain! Sin either committed or imposed causes a person to have pain, but Jesus does heal it and take it away!

5. God created men and women to give and receive love through their families and friends and fellow brothers in the faith. Every person in life gets an interest in knowing God usually because someone who loved God was loving, caring, and helpful to them. Doesn’t it seem that way? Love changed them and they gained hope, faith, and a new happy life. But only the Christian faith expresses correctly the most important concept of God that exists: that God is love!

What is the final purpose for man’s existence, anyway? Why am I here on earth we often ask ourselves? Ecclesiastes 12:13 Now all has been heard; here is the conclusion of the matter: Fear God and keep his commandments, for this is the duty of all mankind. Jesus said to love God with all your heart mind and soul as well! Men analyze: If God made me in the womb, then He is the Father I must obey. Those who hate, steal, and do violence of course hate God even though they know inherently He exists. The demons fear God and tremble! Hell ultimately is a prison for the rebellious souls who do not stop their destructions.

Imagine how perfect, holy, and righteous a man could be if he would just practice the wisdom of God in the Bible! The men who truly understand God’s word always want to live to teach and preach it! It becomes their burning passion! 

6. Reviewing the verses of today, a man highly honored by a double portion in God’s view is one who teaches His Word. I Tim 5: 17 The elders who direct the affairs of the church well are worthy of double honor, especially those whose work is preaching and teaching. Here is the example; the ideal man is esteemed by God and others when he learns the Holy Scriptures so well he practices them becoming responsible in the church; it is then he becomes qualified to teach.

What God wants from a man, which is his love, service, and obedience transferred into living a life of teaching & preaching, and what about loving your neighbor as yourself? Who is your neighbor closest to you? Usually, your wife and family, right? How a man treats his wife and family reveals everything about his character! 

7. Expounding more on a women’s definition of a perfect man she might describe him as one that is faithful with no other loves, one that is faithful to provide and protect, who does not lie, kill, abuse, and loves her always, caring to listen to her intimate concerns and communications.

Do not these desires remind you of something? They sound a lot like the list of things included in the 10 commandments, right? 

The Mosaic laws set up a good control and in most parts of the world, most of these basic commands are applied in some form because it is justice and righteousness to punishment those that offend God and others. The Law may guide and teach to deter man’s natural born abusive sinful nature, but only love can transform him into a self-controlled exemplary model for others.

8. Christians in the church, or the body of believers, are compared to being the bride of Christ. In the real world men must submit to other men in their jobs, schools, & etc., Women submit to men as well, but the ultimate submission of everyone must always be to Jesus & God’s will. Submission brings on freedom and protection from God and in our case with Jesus, eternal life as well! 

Romans 7:4 Wherefore, my brethren, ye also are become dead to the law by the body of Christ; that ye should be married to another, even to him who is raised from the dead, that we should bring forth fruit unto God. 

Men were created to live in relationships. God desires a deep connection with each one of us. God also desires that we have a connection with one another and that ‘being one’ with love. This brings health, happiness and progress. 

9. Sadly, a majority of men in the world today are deceived and not being real “men” submitted to God and loving as we have covered so far. The defamation of the character of men in the West (USA) has been happening for decades. It is a Satanic ploy to disintegrate respect one for one another and crumble our society. The media and the dark higher powers promote the feminization of men, the mocking of men’s roles as fathers and authority figures. Music and sports influences the debauchery of men by having them copy these narcissistic arrogant violent stars. The lack of good men role models is devastating communities indiscriminately! Good leaders always come under attack just as Jesus exposed.

Men, nor women, are upholding God’s standards and enforcing laws and responsibilities in society demanding the standards that maintain happiness and peace! So, the end product is hate, broken dreams, frustration and violence, and the resulting extremely perverse horrible sins wreaking havoc on everyone. 

10. Another male problem are the undesirable customs of ancient man still influencing modern man today. In 80% of the world with the Arabs, Israelis, Native Americans, Hindus, Asians (past and current), the men are expected to principally be spiritual teachers in the home and community and they are expected to fight and defend, hunt or do commerce. The women are expected to work hard but usually in domestic chores. This stereotype is in many cultures.

Some people are happy with this ancient way of life but not many. It seems like a good life for man, but often the women are not happy with it. Willing service and servitude are distinct things! The oppression of men, women, and children today is at an all time high! Look at the Far East, the Middle East, Africa and all the world, observe the governments. Mafias, gangs, slave labor, the sex trade, and abuse of all kinds are on the rise and being ignored by governments and the media! What an injustice! PS Don’t forget to pray for the victims of human and labor trafficking! We know men are doing great evil, no matter the country or race!

In the West (USA), today, it is often expected that men help with the duties of the home in order to share the daily workload. This is love manifested in deeds of service and this is a noble thing to be respected. This shift of men helping at home occurred in part because the women started work in professional jobs and they no longer had the time to serve in the home as their grandmothers use to. In today’s modern world, men must learn professions and also how to be handymen at home because to call a painter, tech man, or plumber over to your house can cost you in one day what you earn in a whole week! 

11. Let’s go back further and look at the position of men for millennia. Men in most cultures in history have not ever really had the chance to be in the role of being good fathers, providers, and lovers. Why is that?

The reality is that most men throughout recorded history have been at war defending and building their cities, or fighting to acquire more land and all of their energy is consumed with just basic survival. The training to fight, and the fabrication of war weapons, or the actual engagement in conflict is what most men have been forced into ever since the beginning of time. In the end men have suffered greatly under other men who never learned to submit to God and love!

Consider how it was to rebuild the wall of Jerusalem for Nehemiah. 4:17 They which built on the wall, and they that bare burdens, with those that laded, every one with one of his hands wrought in the work, and with the other hand held a weapon.  All of what we enjoy today was defended and built by the blood, sweat, and tears of the ones before us and we should always honor them!

12. All of the former so called “great” world domineering societies, the Egyptians, Greeks, and Romans had within their own practices the suppression of other men (slaves), and women and children. Socrates stated “I thank god that I was born Greek & not Barbarian, free man & not slave, man & not woman, but above all, I was born in the age of Socrates”. This arrogant attitude was fueled by their worship of false gods, knowledge, progress, and pride. 

Only 500 years ago with the Renaissance, which was the product of the Church Reformation under Martin Luther who translated the Bible, was a new light shed and only then did respect and esteem open up towards men, women, and families. The Bible clarifies how we are to love God and our neighbor and keep his commandments, but evil men cannot oppress, deceive, and dominate other men who learn these values that Jesus taught. God’s word liberates our souls with wisdom, and with Jesus, and we are appalled by the injustices in the world and we are moved to do something about them.

13. So where do we stand with men in our corrupt societies of the world today? Most men today have never been taught to, “Fear God and keep his commandments… the duty of all mankind”. Men today have lost their role as loving defenders and providers following the lies of the world. Men today still have an innate desire to conquer and govern, but the problem is when they obtain a high position without a fear of God, they rapidly fall into corruption keeping the cycle of oppression and destruction alive. Laziness and idle time is becoming the enemy of many souls of men as well due to slow economies.

Today, men, I challenge you, will you be thankful you have the freedom to love and serve God and also to love and serve your families and help in the community? The world history of mankind is dark, cruel, and bloody, and it can only change when we, as illuminated Christians who know the “duty of man” take a stand in wisdom against our own pride and then take a stand in the community against the injustice of man to man and against women and children.  

Instead of Socrates statement, we as men of God could state, “I thank God that I was born to be in Christ & not continue as a Barbarian, a free man & not a slave to sin anymore; born a man so women I will love as equal to my own self; but above all, I am glad that I was born in the age of Christianity”. The world is suffering because too few men teach God’s wisdom! Souls are being lost because people have not accepted Jesus love because no one shared it! Be ready at all times as honorable men to teach and preach the word of God to your families and friends!

Maintaining Faith…Don’t Get Shipwrecked!

Maintaining Faith…Don’t Get Shipwrecked!                     By Kelly Durant  

 

1 Tim 1:18-2018 This charge I commit unto thee, son Timothy, according to the prophecies which went before on thee, that thou by them mightest war a good warfare; 19 Holding faith, and a good conscience; which some having put away concerning faith have made shipwreck:

20 Of whom is Hymenaeus and Alexander; whom I have delivered unto Satan, that they may learn not to blaspheme.

 

2. We are entering into the summer, then soon the fall season! The European immigrants who arrived to this country were worried about getting food stored up for the winter or they were going to die, and sadly many in that first colony did die in that first winter! They did not die at sea but in the new land, which for them was a type of Promised Land escaping persecution.  

In the end all of us as strangers on this earth are preparing to migrate to heaven but some will not make it through the winter of the cold harsh persecutions on earth if not maintaining the faith in God which strengthens the soul, fighting to be uncontaminated by the world conserving their lives and of those of our loved ones and family! We have a daily fight!

   

This is a story about a poor young man, somewhat lazy, and an old rich man; the lesson in this story is applicable in real life today. The world is full of people, some like this young man, who do not think things through, to assess the whole picture. Observing the patterns of rule in dictatorships in Latin America and the Caribbean, we note that some people who are uneducated and unfaithful in little things believe they deserve position and power just for the fact that they are poor. The young man employed by the rich man in this conversation was envious that the rich man had a yacht, and it took a crew to maintain it in top running shape. The young man thought, “Life is not fair, why doesn’t someone give me a yacht? He thought, I deserve to have one as much as the rich man! He wanted one but he was not willing to work day and night like the rich man had to do to get it. 

 

The young man even thought, I am going to ask him to just give me his yacht! He has so much money he could give it to me and just get another one! 

So he spoke up the next day, “I think you have so much that you could just give me your yacht! Share the wealth, give me your yacht! The rich man paused a minute and then he answered quite wisely, “I could give you this yacht, and I have been generous in the past to people, but there is one big problem; if I give you my yacht, you would not be able to afford to maintain it!” For anything in life, a person must have the means and preparation to do the upkeep or it would be a waste and like sinking the ship! Each person must seek wisdom to measure and judge what they are capable of maintaining and with God you must do one step at a time to build up to greater things. Capacity and faith go hand in hand and it is a learning, growing, and applying timely process. 

 

3. Certain material things you and I are not trained in or called to maintain in this life such as a yacht but faith is not one of them! God requires faith from everyone! Faith requires work as we practice God’s Word and faith is something free strengthening anyone, rich or poor. The question today is: are you maintaining your faith? You as a Christian are as a rich man or woman with a promised eternal life in heaven, even having blessings on earth, but are you maintaining your yacht, an anecdote comparable to your soul, keeping it clean and pure and running for God as He expects? 

 

There are many people in life, sometimes like you and myself, that have at one time or another wanted things, and then more things, and then power and more power. 

It is quite sad when you and I see people killing their selves sacrificing their time with God and other with Christians in fellowship (on Sundays or any day) trying to catch hold of their material dreams, like reaching for the yacht of their dreams, only to wake up one day to see that they are shipwrecking their faith. 

 

Jesus stated “You cannot serve God and mammon” (the God of riches) and people saved by Jesus will always be fighting in the long process to subdue their flesh, seeking to overcome their weakness in faith.  The usual case is people have their own set of dreams and priorities but they’re not God’s, and they pursue the illusive rusting rotting material goods of this world that sink easily in a storm. How tragic that a majority of people are feeding their bodies yet starving their souls… shipwrecking their faith!

 

4. How disturbing that you and I see people with shipwrecked faith every day and they do not even see it! By not caring about God, their own soul and the salvation of others, these people have taken on so much water that they are sinking fast and they don’t perceive it! How many people do we see in and out of our Corps church doors? It is very sad they do not stay to learn to grow in faith! People are ignorant to the fact that their soul and relationship with God must be constantly maintained or it gets lost at sea! Maintaining faith is maintaining a good conscience as expressed in verse 19 of 1 Timothy today!

 

We must fight to keep it! This is what holiness is all about! William Booth stated that as long as men go in and out, in and out of prison as they do, I’ll fight, I’ll fight to the very end! We can apply that to church where God’s Word is studied too! We who have faith must fight to help those who do not have any! Our doctrine commands us to maintain salvation, which is in essence our faith. Doctrine 9 ‘We believe that continuance in a state of salvation depends upon continued obedient faith in Christ’. But it is more than one’s own faith at risk, it is our influence of helping others in their faith.

 

Many people have a shipwrecked faith and they do not even care or are aware of it! They are going nowhere in life! They come a while to church in certain times of the year when things are pretty, but they are not maintaining cleanliness in their lives and conscience as God wants them to.  They remain their same old carnal bad selves, and Jesus calls us to be changed, to be radically and totally like Him, humble, loving, and helpful being a new creation!  If a person continues in sin after learning of God’s word, then they ruin and sink their selves out of belligerence, not out of ignorance. 

 

5. Imagine that big yacht not maintained; it gets rusty in the hull, has the wood deck rotted from the sun and saltwater, and it could sink at any moment! This is what the scripture is referring to as it describes many people’s lives today. 

19 Holding faith, and a good conscience; which some having put away concerning faith have made shipwreck:

 

There are people in this church and in all the churches who think they are saved and Christian but they actually have little faith and few fruits to prove they are worthy enough to be called a good Christian. There is no Holy Spirit fire of conviction moving them! 

They are carnal and not spiritual. There are people who never read their Bibles during the week, and never pray for that matter! Their faith is not a lifestyle but rather far down the list of their priorities.

 

But when a true Christian loves God, that man or woman wants the whole world to know about it and they tell everybody! But some people are like a certain person who came to church for decades and after years later she invited her sister, and her sister came and said she never knew her sister went to church and that we, TSA were a church! Imagine, one of our own members here who never even told her own family about the blessings of God and salvation! That is hiding your faith under a bushel and not putting it on a hill to shine! 

 

6. We are shipwrecked in our faith if what, according to the scripture? If we have put away a good conscience! A conscience is your ability, with the Holy Spirit, to discern between right and wrong. And what is not right and wrong is not according to what we decide, it is right and wrong according to the way God defines it in His Holy Word!

 

The people of the world today, and the children in the churches, are rapidly having less and less conscientiousness of the Christian faith because it is not being taught and lived in their homes. We must teach and regain a conscience awareness of right and wrong because it is not being practiced by our governing authorities, being taught at schools, and not being enforced in the community so we must maintain it at home.

 

The child, relative, or neighbor that sees you or me go to church, but then suffers from your verbal abuse, or sees you or me sinning in some way, suddenly then believes that God and the faith do not really exist, that hypocrisy, not faith, is what Christianity is really all about! Being a hypocrite in your personal life is having a shipwrecked faith!

 

 7. How are carnal shipwrecked and hypocritical people? They stab you in the back after you have been good to them and taken care of them in a time when no one else would help them. They rob whatever they can from you, and even in the church some people have robbed things, thinking they deserve things just because you have them and they don’t, even though you worked for them and they did not. People who lose faith are arrogant and proud and unwilling to sacrifice their time to do anything to help anyone while expecting to get everything in return. They become as those who say they only got faith in their selves (implying not in God, which is humanism), and witnessing their miserable lives you and I conclude that their faith and philosophy is a sunken ship that’s bankrupt. 

Let’s read more about the character of people who are not sincere in their faith.

 

Rom 1:21-25

21 For although they knew God, they neither glorified him as God nor gave thanks to him, but their thinking became futile and their foolish hearts were darkened. 22 Although they claimed to be wise, they became fools 23 and exchanged the glory of the immortal God for images made to look like mortal man and birds and animals and reptiles. 

24 Therefore God gave them over in the sinful desires of their hearts to sexual impurity for the degrading of their bodies with one another. 25 They exchanged the truth of God for a lie, and worshiped and served created things rather than the Creator-who is forever praised. Amen. 

 

8. So how do we escape the judgment God has against those that are faithless and do not have a clean conscience but a shipwrecked faith? As Paul put it into words, fallen under Satan? Quite often people cannot appreciate the goodness and justice of God until they have been victim to the injustices of Satan and his people!

 

See Verse 20   Of whom is Hymenaeus and Alexander; whom I have delivered unto Satan, that they may learn not to blaspheme.

 

Some people get confused by that verse that how could Paul want to give someone over to Satan like cursing them? But Paul is simply exposing that if someone leaves the faith by not maintaining it with a good conscience, if someone starts to blaspheme God by vile words or by wrong actions in their lives, doing damage to the saints, then they have chosen to leave God’s kingdom. The reality is that person is to blame for their consequences. There only exists God’s kingdom or Satan’s kingdom! Paul says he delivered these two, but that just means he gave up on them and they chose their own fate! At some point you and I cannot waste any more of our time with belligerent, rude, disrespectful, God insulting people who show off they prefer Satan’s ways! If they chose him and evil, they will have to pay the price! Better it is to keep them far away!

 

9. You and I are in an Army of God, but if someone chooses to be a traitor to what you believe in, no one, not even God will stop them; and Satan and his possessing demons will be there to welcome them.  You and I have a free will on what to choose in life.  But if anyone wants to go over to Satan’s side, it is like sliding down a wide highway full of people on their way to the bottom of self-destruction. Like the Titanic rapidly sinking down! But you and I and hundreds of people suffer and mourn when we lose a rebellious soul or a former Christian to a shipwrecked faith. 

 

There are pastors from time to time from mega-churches who get caught using illegal drugs and being with prostitutes, or preaching compromised heretical doctrines, and the damage gets done and people get offended. This is another example of those who shipwreck the faith.  How horrible to have to answer to God for that! When a ship goes down it often drowns the whole crew with it! A deserter of the faith could be anyone, so always be on guard!

 

Satan wants people to be offended at God and at his loving Christian people, but if you and me are maintaining our conscience, keeping the Holy Spirit close, then we will not have any Achilles heel and we will not become victim to having a shipwrecked faith!

 

10. So how will we make good warfare and defeat shipwrecks of faith? 

By maintaining a good conscience! And how do we do that?

We must live in contact with God who speaks to our conscience at all times.

And how do we do that? By daily reading God’s word and praying all day long!

And how will that protect us?

It will cause us to maintain our conscience clean and keep the faith by having the strength to resist the temptations of the world. It is like a bath of clean water, you will be cleaned every day and you will not desire to get dirty with sin! How did Jesus overcome temptation? He quoted God’s word to Satan when Satan tried to get him to switch sides. Satan fled!

 

All of us have something worth a whole lot more than a yacht, and that is our Salvation and eternal life in Jesus! We not only have eternal life, but we have many blessings on earth too. We have joy and love amongst ourselves and peace of mind due to our clean conscience; we also usually have more prosperity than the average person since we are wise with our money and God rewards our giving to Him and for serving others in need. 

 

If God spoke to you today, if you feel your yacht, or life and relationship with God and others is in need of repair, if you are embarrassed because you know God and others see the rust in your faith, then come forward to pray! Faith in God is everything!

Don’t let yourself get in such bad shape that the water gets in and sinks your ship and shipwrecks your faith all the way down to hell on earth and hell hereafter! 

Jesus’ Authority: Your Authority is Nothing without His!

Jesus’ Authority: Your Authority is Nothing without His!       By Kelly Durant 

 

Luke 22:24-30

 

24 Also a dispute arose among them as to which of them was considered to be greatest. 25 Jesus said to them, "The kings of the Gentiles lord it over them; and those who exercise authority over them call themselves Benefactors. 26 But you are not to be like that. Instead, the greatest among you should be like the youngest, and the one who rules like the one who serves. 27 For who is greater, the one who is at the table or the one who serves? Is it not the one who is at the table? But I am among you as one who serves. 28 You are those who have stood by me in my trials. 29 And I confer on you a kingdom, just as my Father conferred one on me, 30 so that you may eat and drink at my table in my kingdom and sit on thrones, judging the twelve tribes of Israel. 

 

2. Have you ever had a problem with a bill or service and you call the company and the person on the other line of the phone keeps running you around in circles? In frustration, what do you do? You say, “Can I speak to the manager?!” It’s obvious that some people cannot resolve certain issues, right?

 

The story of the life of Jesus covers so many subjects before His arrest, trail and crucifixion! If you want to know more, He covers everything from the coming of the Holy Spirit, to the hypocrisy in the fake people of God, to the Signs of the final days of earth.

You can read all of these things between John chapters 12 to 18, or in Matthew 23 to 26.

 

Today, however we are going to focus in on something in Luke. Jesus made it clear He only acted upon the authority of is Father and today we will examine the problem all of us have with authority. Imagine, Jesus knows He will be crucified in a very cruel way in the next few days, and the disciples are not perceiving this by all that He is teaching them, they re too worried about who will be first in the kingdom of God! 

 

3. My wife and I had meetings before with the coaches of the soccer leagues we did programs with and do you know what the biggest problem was with the leagues? It was not the kids getting hurt, or the lack of no money for uniform needs, it was a problem with authority, of who is in charge! Who obeyed who was always an issue.

 

Apart from coaches not respecting one another, a coach may say to some by standers, “Hey, you are too close to the field”; and the people instead of replying, “Okay, sorry,” and move their reply was, “Who are you to tell us anything? I will stand where I want!” 

 

Not respecting authority also included the people using the other fields in the park that they do not have permission to, and then we had the problem of losing the city park’s permission due to the disrespect of these people. 

 

In today’s world a lack of respect towards authority is creating a lot of repercussions in society and in the church! Authority is not about who is the most arrogant bully to just appropriate it, it is about leadership as Jesus modeled it.

 

4. You may be aware that some Anglo Americans complain that certain immigrants do not respect their culture, that they do not respect our laws, and they do not even try to learn English. This is true for certain ones, but not all. I wish for you to see after this message today how a person can earn respect as a leader no matter the culture since we are covering leadership, and the way Jesus did it.   

 

To begin with, as we see with these passages, a leader and his authority is not determined by himself or herself, arguing amongst others as to who should have it. It is determined by God, by functional systems, and by their merits of how one serves others. 

 

Let’s look here again in verse 26 that says that the leader is the one who serves, not just the one who sits at the table and expects to be served. Jesus says it clear in verse 27 that He wants us to follow His example by serving as He served. 

 

5. There are plenty of unprepared people today who want to be in charge because of some idea they have that their race deserves it, that their money should buy it, or that their position should just be because they want it?! Even people in the church, amongst some church leaders today, want to be the big leaders so they have others serving and obeying them. This is what is wrong with politics today, people who assume power, but they are people full of greed and self-interests not qualified and then everything falls apart! 

 

Those that know Regina and I well know that we are the first to arrive and the last to go and real leaders carry out responsively their duties. Leaders are usually doing humble tasks that others could do but often don’t do so a real leader must step up and do them.

 

I want you to know as servant leaders, as appointed commissioned Majors, we are not too proud to load and unload trucks, to cook and wash dishes, to vacuum the floors, to clean the bathrooms, and to sit and listen to people a long time when they want our ear.

 

6. I know dozens of you respect us and you have caught the same vision to serve and you are humble not concerned over what you need to do to help and Regina and I are proud of you. Jesus even says right here that we will be judges in the Kingdom of God if we show the fruits of serving Jesus in a way that wins others to the Kingdom of God.

 

In the Salvation Army we teach others to serve Jesus by example and working hard, not being concerned if you are the leader or not, and it is the best way to follow Jesus. What is it we say? “Saved to Serve, and also Saved to Save”! Actually, we see by the verses of today that Jesus expects every Christian to be so thankful to have His truth, love and Salvation which came from the cross, that he or she is willing to do anything at any time for Him and others. 

We must be willing to take up our cross and follow God, serving others in love. 

 

A leader is one who is serving so well that he or she has experienced blood, sweat, and tears on their own body, as Jesus had, to prove that they love God.

 

7. I will tell you that even amongst ourselves, in all church Corps, there has been these conversations of who is the greatest. It happens everywhere in all circles. It is just the dynamic of fallen creatures and our corrupt human nature. But respect from God, and from a handful of others, will only come with hard work. A title, or a piece of paper means nothing if the people do not see you sacrificing yourself, truly loving them by being concerned for them. 

 

Do you pray for another when you see they need it? Do you pray when you see another being out of place? In the end it is God wo corrects us! Consider this verse, Hebrews 5:8

though He was a Son, yet He learned obedience by the things which He suffered. If Jesus learned like that, we too will need to learn by suffering as well!

 

If you want to know how to make Jesus happy with you, look at the good examples we know. Observe the people who have served in the body of Christ not even wanting a title of leadership. Some people have served hundred hours for years, faithfully being here without pay and you and I know their reward is in heaven. 

Most of you know in your heart if you are serving God as He wants you to or not. 

 

8. Many of you give all of your free time to the Lord and you come very often to help and serve in many ways and this makes you be a leader by merit. Regina and I, and many people are very thankful for you, and you will be the ones who will have rewards in heaven!

 

Matthew 25: 44 “Then they also will answer Him, saying, ‘Lord, when did we see You hungry or thirsty or a stranger or naked or sick or in prison, and did not minister to You?’ 45 Then He will answer them, saying, ‘Assuredly, I say to you, inasmuch as you did not do it to one of the least of these, you did not do it to Me.’ 46 And these will go away into everlasting punishment, but the righteous into eternal life.” 

 

So, with us and with the Lord, anyone who wishes to be a leader and does not serve as Jesus did, will not be considered as one in this life nor the next. The proud will be abased, and the humble will be exalted.

Those that sit and want others to serve them at their table had better realize that Jesus expects them to be serving the table too! Who has authority in the eyes of Jesus? Only the ones who are obedient to submit and obey the rules, to do Jesus’ commands, serving others in love! Good followers make good leaders! 

Are you serving Jesus in love as we must do in The Salvation Army? Do you take up your cross daily and obey Jesus? Lead as Jesus led!

Comfort: Give it...& take it!

Comfort:  Give It & Take It!                                        By Kelly Durant 8-10-14 Re 5-24-26

Romans 1:11-12 For I long to see you, that I may impart unto you some spiritual gift, to the end ye may be established; 12 That is, that I may be comforted together with you by the mutual faith both of you and me.

2. How many of you have ever heard the story about the person in the mental hospital that bangs their head on the wall and they do it off and on all day? The professionals and doctors decided to go into the padded cell and interview the crazy man, “Why do you bang your head on the wall every day?” The man looks at them dumbfounded and answered, “Don’t you know? Because it feels so good when I stop!”

Believe it or not, this pattern of seeking pain, then relief, is a reality for many people in this life who live without a connection to the Lord! People live on a treadmill of up and down because they have never known real love, healing, and comfort from God! I have known people who seem to thrive in life, not on encouragement and comfort, but thrive on discouragement and preventable pain! They seem to be energized running from one crisis to the next just to get attention!

Real life examples: I have dealt with a dozen or more people in my past who from week to week always have a life and death emergency crisis and they say, “Oh, pastor you must help me right now! I don’t have my rent money this week!” Then next week they’ll tell me someone robbed them, then the next week a car hit them, then after that they have to move and no one is there to help them, so I am expected to answer the call! My stomach use to churn when I would hear these opening words on the phone, “Oh pastor, you don’t know what happened to me now!” That phrase meant I was going to be interrupted and busy doing something unplanned for. I am not complaining about serving others, this is what I am here for, but my concern is how do we fix this situation that certain people have so many problems non-stop and seem energized living in the crisis mode? They need an extra supernatural dosage of comfort!

3. All of us confront problems in life, but it is how one handles them that matters! Crisis situations are not the whole problem, how one reacts and handles them determines if matters will calm down or if they will get worse! The reaction of most Christians is to ask for prayer and help from a brother or sister, and this is the way it is supposed to be.  We are supposed to help one another. Galatians 5:13 For, brethren, ye have been called unto liberty; only use not liberty for an occasion to the flesh, but by love serve one another.  In other words, don’t abuse, but serve, or be served, and with love. Don’t be abusive in your flesh bringing on sin and pain.

The issue is many people without the Lord in their lives are weak and obsess over the things in this world. There are many TV shows on people’s addictions such as drugs or alcohol, or an addiction to hoarding things which is idolatry and materialism, or to eating, or politicians addicted to power and fraud of our tax money, or to Botox, or obsessed with music. Actually anything actually can become an obsession! People become extreme and crazy to lust and want and get, and to get attention, and why? It is because God’s love and Jesus does not fill their empty hearts so they get crazy trying to get satisfied with something, or just anything! They crave one more bite, one more drink, one more relationship, one more person helping them as a victim and yet nothing soothes the soul! They create wrecks and disasters over and over!

It is like that old song by the Rolling Stones (a song deemed #1 of the century?!) ‘I Can’t Get No Satisfaction’. When I was about 10 years old, I played that miserable song over and over non-stop for hours on a 45 record (making my mother crazy!) and I thought to myself, you mean he is a rich and famous rock star and he is not happy? No satisfaction in life?! Well, it is true, people without God, whether rich or poor, are never content, they are always obsessing, stressing, and creating drama if no drama is coming to them! It is a lifestyle! And a stressful one at that! There is no rest for the wicked!

4. So, if we look at the scripture today, Paul in Romans 1 is expressing that no matter how dark this world is, no matter how many horrible sins are taking place around you (see the rest of the chapter!), our comfort is in the encouragement and comfort we can give each other and get from God through the Holy Spirit!  Paul mentions “impart a spiritual gift” and what does that mean? Paul wants to empower every believer against the evil ones, problems, and hardships that attack each one of us as a Christian.  

The gifts of the spirit we have learned are in I Corinthians 12:8 For to one is given by the Spirit the word of wisdom; to another the word of knowledge by the same Spirit; 9 To another faith by the same Spirit; to another the gifts of healing by the same Spirit; 10 To another the working of miracles; to another prophecy; to another discerning of spirits; to another divers kinds of tongues; to another the interpretation of tongues:1 1 But all these worketh that one and the selfsame Spirit, dividing to every man severally as he will.

So basically, the Word of God encourages and comforts us, it tells us to seek the Spirit and no matter the problem we face, God will make a way for us to get by without us worrying, obsessing, or becoming crazy!  If we are ignorant on matters, God increases our knowledge, if we doubt the faith or need faith for our needs, God will supply it. When we are sick, God will often heal us and even do miracles! God’s Spirit can help us to discern between the true and false, and even help us to learn languages, or understand people speaking in the Spirit.  These are all Spirit gifts we share and they are all done within the context of us helping one another by praying and sharing them, practicing them within our community of brothers & sisters.

5. So why do we have such an abundance of craziness, obsessiveness, and drama in the world today? It is in great part because of the lack of (or rejection of) the knowledge of God (which Romans 1 makes clear), but also according to the verses today, we could conclude it is a lack of us comforting one another in hard times as we should be.  Paul says, “that I may be comforted together with you by the mutual faith both of you and me”. Let’s look at comfort a bit deeper.

Paul is clearly saying here that it is our faith in Jesus that brings us comfort and we must comfort one another, he wants to give comfort and he wants us to receive it. How do you comfort another person? That depends, right? Comfort is a personal thing, you have to be with the person, you must communicate and share the faith together which implies praying, studying, and listening to what that person’s needs are. You may not have the answers to all their needs, but when you pray for them, God will answer somehow, right? The biggest problem is many people do not know how to express what their needs are because their life is comprised of carnal things, and not spiritual things. The people ask for the carnal things, rent or bill money, but the greater need they have is spiritual. People do not see that it is their way of life and habits that are impoverishing them. The wounded person must first be healed; soup, soap, and then salvation!

6. God comforts us to be encouraged and consoled but not for us to get comfortable! In carnal people’s ways (Romans 1 describes quite a few!) there is the selfishness factor of some people that they start wanting all your time and attention, or too much comfort. To the contrary, I think none of us get tired of serving a Christian brother or sister because if they are true, they will always appreciate it, and they serve you back when you need it! I personally have had to learn a balance to spend the more time with our leaders, planning and doing, instead of too much of my time with people who are always going to keep having one crisis after another!  If I help a person 5 times, then maybe it’s time that I choose a different person to help. But what can we do for the poor, old, single ones with no relatives in this country, and no welfare check?

The frustration is one is always trying to win someone to Christ and you serve them in their crisis, but then they may not even appreciate it! Often people want more and more and are abusive! I have had my kindness interpreted as stupidity a few times! Imagine a person almost homeless, you help them, and then they judge you as a dumb person to invest in them?! As I mentioned before, my commitment is to serve people with love and this implies doing things not very pleasant at times like going to represent them in the courts, helping pay late bills, visiting them in the hospitals, taking them to apply for jobs, and on and on. The factor is, neither you nor I can afford to get discouraged from dealing with the sufferings brought on by someone’s sin! Sin brings pain and when in pain, it’s an emergency! Life is like a battlefield and as Christians we are the only soldiers still well enough to go out and rescue the fallen ones!

Remember the 10 lepers that Jesus healed, and only 1 came back to thank Him! The general mission of all of us in life is to preach the gospel and do good matter what and that includes showing God’s love by comforting, healing and helping! We cannot focus on ourselves and any reward in this life, we just must simply comfort each other however needed whenever needed! 2 Corinthians 1:4 Who comforteth us in all our tribulation, that we may be able to comfort them which are in any trouble, by the comfort wherewith we ourselves are comforted of God. 

7. All of this to get you to think about the following, do you know what the greatest human need is? It is to be loved! Everyone is hungry for love, each one of us wants comfort, we all want connectedness and a feeling of belonging! As Christians we have a lot of work to do to be able to have confidence amongst ourselves to build up trust and feel free to confess our weaknesses and needs to one another. Can we trust that the other person will listen, care, pray, and comfort us? We all need comfort in our pain and we should be able to get it!

The problem is the following, those immature in the faith are like little children, they are selfish, they have no consciousness of the needs of others, and they are not aware of their own carnality and abusiveness of what they expect from others. They want to get help and comfort, but they do not give any! They obsess only over their own self! With some you may help them 2 dozen times, but that one day you cannot help them then you suddenly become the bad guy! In the end, our help is for the needy, not the greedy! But we focus on the good ones, some people really do change, and this is our comfort to keep on ministering! The thankful make our day!

Love, which entails comfort should work like this: we as Christians are tapped into God’s system, like a water system that never runs dry and the Holy Spirit fills us and refills us again so we just keep pouring out on others. Those that are empty and receive God’s love get filled up, and if they allow God’s healing, then they become whole, and instead of remaining broken and leaking out the love given them, they retain it, appreciate it, and then after getting full, they too start overflowing on others as well. This is also a way of observing how holiness works, God’s Spirit of purity fills us up until there is no more emptiness and then we overflow on everyone!

8. Referring to whom to comfort, as a pastor I always try to focus in on the neediest persons in the group, the weakest and most vulnerable, the ones suffering the most.  A church should be a place where people arrive for love, comfort, and mercy! The mature are here to guide the immature; the strong are here to help the weak without a judgmental attitude. As believers we have all things common and we share with each other so that no one is suffering from a dire need. (Acts 2:44,45) It is the job of all Christians to know how everyone is doing spiritually and materially, and everyone should serve to show love and this brings comfort knowing that all areas are covered in our fellowship! 

Comfort is an expression of love and it is shown in many ways: it is a human need! Without natural affection babies have been known to die, so what about people?  Ask yourself right now, do I have the confidence to seek advice and comfort with a brother or sister near me? When is the last time you comforted another person who had a problem, something secret no one could know about?  Seriously, how do you serve others if you are not alleviating their distresses? It should be with acts of service and that is love in action! We need to establish closer relationships amongst ourselves so we have more love and confidence and God gives us our talents and the Holy Spirit to be used and shared.

All of us should do a better job of listening, understanding, and comforting others!  John 13:34 A new commandment I give unto you, That ye love one another; as I have loved you, that ye also love one another. John 13:35 By this shall all men know that ye are my disciples, if ye have love one to another.  This love implies that your whole life is wrapped around others!

9. Do you know of anyone suffering or of anyone who gets into crisis often? Do you know of anyone who obsesses over things because they don’t have the peace of God in their heart and they are trying to fill a void?  Someone with no satisfaction with anything?  There is a cure!

Philippians 4:7 “And the peace of God, which passeth all understanding, shall keep your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus.” And this next verse is a promise I have claimed often…

Isaiah 26:3 “You will keep in perfect peace those whose minds are steadfast, because they trust in you”.  Also, with the Holy Spirit anyone can access the gift of having a comforter or obtain the power needed to get through a trial… John 14:16 “And I will pray the Father, and he shall give you another Comforter, that he may abide with you forever;”

10. Despite God, Jesus, and the Holy Spirit comforting us we still need each other for comfort! We love God but equally as important, we must love our neighbor as ourselves! Comfort may be expressed with encouragement from sharing God’s word, through prayer, through serving or giving or providing in the time of need, through hugging someone who needs it, through loving care and concern, and even just by your presence by being there for them when they need you most! Do you allow yourself to be available? Break down your defensive walls, and connect with people on a human level! 

Jesus warned us how it would be in the last days. Matthew 24:12 “And because iniquity shall abound, the love of many shall wax cold.” Ask yourself, am I an indifferent, a self-protecting ‘stagnant water’ type of Christian? Or do I overflow the Spirit on to others? Do I obsess and worry too much and live in the crisis mode? Or am I one that pours out the love and comfort of the Holy Spirit freely onto others? The formula of God has always been that to receive you must give! People are dying for a lack of love and comfort, so do something! 

Do you know of anyone who really does have a need to be comforted? If you do, then just act! Call them, visit them, spend time with them! Don’t worry about how much Bible you know to share; people are comforted just by knowing you care! You are a living Bible representing the Holy Spirit and Jesus to them! Break your old habits, learn to comfort or you will suffer and many others will continue to suffer as well!