I actually had a couple dreams over the last 2 nights. I can’t remember everything and have been chewing on it for the last 24 hours….I am going to share what I do remember and what I think.

In this dream the Lord took me into the Spiritual world…. I was able to see situations from the eyes of the Lord and or angels. I remember one scene when I was looking at man who was hurting, angry, bitter and I’m not sure what was going on in his life. Looked like a normal man, someone I might see any day or any time and not give a second thought about. From the outside he looked like he had a good life, dressed well, smiles and looked at peace. But when I looked again he was very angry and crying off and on again between out breaks of spewing out anger. HE WAS SURROUNDED by angels trying to bring comfort and change to his life, his heart and his mind. Jesus would speak to the angels and they would bring the message to him….I sat and watched it all as it was taking place…. then I would see the human side of the situation…. his outburst of anger and pain….crying …..in the flesh I had no idea what was going on… why he was like this….I would find myself judging this man, then my eyes would open to the Spirit world and would see what was taking place. An angel or Jesus spoke to me and said something about how this man prays for help, help to loose the anger, the depression, the bitterness that he held onto and really didn’t know why…. He hated his life, wanted to end it, people in his life was all about to write him off and his last effort was JESUS…..he said he fights every inch of the way….  he won’t allow Jesus / Angels to minister to him, help him, free him of these things. Bottom line he is angry with God and blames God!

This is the core and the heart of ministry!! Preaching is good and needed, worship is good and needed, a thriving body  of Christ is good and needed, teaching is good and needed, it’s nice to have nice buildings, best sound equipment,…. all the things churches strive for. Pastors and leaders who spend countless hours, time and energy, not to mention millions of dollars trying to build “successful” churches, creating all these groups to have all these ministries that keeps a church going….. you know we have bigger and better!! It all is good and has it’s place…. BUT THE CORE of ministry is touching the hearts and spirits of men, women and children with the LOVE of JESUS!!!

Transformation – New Hearts – Freedom – Renewed minds – CHRIST-LIKE people, this is the goal.

Is this dream of any importance to me? I believe it does have importance to me and my life, but not only my life but to the life of EVERY believer on this earth. We have NO idea what people think, feel, need, want…. we have not idea what most people have gone through and where their pain is… we have no idea of the depth of hurt and how it affects their daily living!! And we have NO IDEA of how badly some people want out of this life or pain or hurt. In the church we kind of take the stand of getting them in the doors, teaching them how to “be a Christian” and never go any deeper.

A my stage of life and all that I’ve been through I think I would rather make the difference in one person at a time, a REAL difference helping them find Jesus and the reality of a renewed mind, heart and spirit, then have a successful church that is always on the edge of collapse trying to keep “everyone” happy…. if you have ever been in leadership, church board or a pastor you know exactly what I mean.

I love the Lord and I love people…… I KNOW WHAT the LORD can do in the lives of PEOPLE!!! To me this is a winning combination.

…………or it was just a stupid dream. 🙂

Here is where I left off last week, this is the Scripture I challenged people on and no response. I posted it on FB and Twitter and only one person gave an answer.

Mathew 7:22-23 “Many will say to Me on that day, ‘Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in Your name, and in Your name cast out demons, and in Your name perform many miracles?’ 23“And then I will declare to them, ‘I never knew you; DEPART FROM ME, YOU WHO PRACTICE LAWLESSNESS.’

This is a very important scripture as it shows that there will be people that “think” they are saved, in fact they believe it so strongly that they are blown away when Jesus says “I never knew you….” They can claim that they cast out demons, healed the sick, etc etc….and yet they are ask to depart from His presence. I don’t know about you but for me that is a SCARY scripture…..lol and I know as I write these words many would say “it’s not scary…I’m secure…I love JESUS” In the last days deception will run so deep even the one who thinks they will never deny Jesus …. will never turn away….will.

We know the church now as an organization that has flaws. We have seen corruption, we have seen lies, we have seen theft, we have seen abuse, we have seen deception and much more than we like to even think about. When God shakes the very foundations of the church and things that are NOT of Him fall what will be left will be the “true church” that will supernaturally rise up in power, truth and love. I personally believe it will look NOTHING like it is today. I also personally believe that the day is approaching quickly.

Even with all it’s flaws, all it’s divisions and all the flesh involved, this is the BODY OF CHIST and the body that Jesus died for and is coming back to marry!! We are the bride and the bride is in the process of preparing herself for the wedding…. how does that look? (a very good question….and could be a book lol) As God raises up men and women with a heart for “Christ-Likeness” believers, ones who lead the body into a new place of intimacy with the Father the light will become brighter.

We (the church) has focused on the “legal” side of salvation for years – we have seen it all and mostly it’s man’s attempt to put God’s laws into practice and it usually becomes legalism. The younger generations are searching for a “better way” of church and many are leaving with the thought “I love Jesus, but I don’t need church” – in reality I can’t blame them there are time I feel this way too!

All I believe about this comes from my stance and belief in the role of the church during the tribulation and the return of Jesus! I believe the church is GOING THROUGH the tribulation and will be a POWERFUL force in this world. ONE BODY UNITED in power and LOVE that will and can withstand anything and everything even if it cost our human lives.

When a bride and groom are betrothed they do NOT separate… it is a legal contract that is bound by LOVE…. you spend your days preparing for the wedding — this is exactly what Jesus is doing and this is exactly what the church is to be doing? One of the problems we have in the “church” world is all the different denominations, churches, types of churches etc etc….as long as they are “CHRIST-CENTERED” they are brothers and sisters in the Lord. What we disagree on is man-made not God-made. There will be a day when all these walls will fall down and we will be united together. In the meantime use your gifts in a local body where your gifts can be used to touch your city, state, nation and world. Do not give up on the church (body of Christ) be part of the bride that is preparing for the Groom. OUR SALVATION IS NOT ABOUT US AT ALL!!!

I hope and pray this little blog makes sense…. to do it justice it would need to be laid out piece by piece, page by page to build a foundation and a conclusion. I am not a writer of books. So I tried to do the best I could in a couple pages.

I am VERY PASSIONATE about this issue.

As I mentioned in a past FB post I think it is a very dangerous place for a Christian to be….outside the church! Most would think it’s because of so many reasons, like isolation, not using gifts, bad theology, and well the list could go on and on. But the truth is even in the church all of these things can be happening.

So let’s get right to it. My thoughts are based on what I have read and learned from the Scriptures. I have taken many classes, read many books, and listened to many sermons on the book of Revelation. I have come to the conclusion on a few things….

1. It is important what we believe when it comes to the return of Jesus. For years I thought, I taught, I believed it didn’t matter, you know how ever it pans out… I am SAVED. But today I believe that how you believe things will take place is how you will live out your Christianity. The book of Revelation its self tells us that we will be blessed if you READ and UNDERSTAND this book. It’s in the Bible to KNOW, to PREPARE, to have VISION for your life as a Christian and as a CHURCH!!!

I ask people all the time what their stance is and most say they have no stance. I have come to believe this is because most do not know the book….the truth is most have no knowledge. I was a person like this for 20 years of my Christian life.

2. I believe that the Church, Christians will go through the tribulation. That the church is a major player, has a major role in the end times. NOW, many  Christians have end time theology from the movies and books “Left Behind” series and what most do not realize is that they are FICTON books…..not theology!! NOT all hold to this but for the most part many do. They have not read or studied Revelation, they watched and read books about it….(not saying this to offend anyone)

Our job as the body of Christ is to become the “Bride of Christ” – to usher in the return of the Bridegroom JESUS. The church will be a church of HOLINESS, UNITY and incredible POWER during this time leading up to the rapture.

So what does all of this have to do with the danger of forsaking the body of Christ? EVERYTHING!!! The Word tells us that in the end times there will be a great falling away and a great revival. The church will not look as it does now, there is NO doubt about that. The supernatural will become the natural!

I believe we can see this starting to take shape in our world today. The church is being divided right down the middle into two different mind-sets, two different camps and attitudes. It is taking place in social and moral issues in our world. It is taking place in  abortion and in same-sex marriage issues, along with many other things. The body of Christ is being split right down the middle and the fall out looks kind of like this….

Those who go with the tide, the world, the “politically correctness” are viewed as a church that is relevant with the times, up to date and progressive and very LOVING. I mean who doesn’t want to be known as all of these things? And the other side that is viewed as old fashioned, haters, holding back progress, and narrow minded. Who wants to be known as any of these things? Just take a look around and you will see it. Pick up the news, turn on the news and see how the “Christians” are portrayed. And many leaders, denominations are falling into this trap trying to stay relevant and not loose any of their flocks over such things. And then there is the opposite like the people from Westboro church!! These people are doing more damage for the cause of Jesus than anyone!!

The world is changing very rapidly and we need to keep a watch on the events taking place and line them up with the Scriptures. In my opinion the division is really not even about “gay marriage” or “abortion” the actions that are taking place and have taken place over the years have been very well calculated  and planned out and put into action to ANGER people. The war is not over these things…..even though it is made out to be. That is NOT the point.

Back to my main point 🙂  There is a Scripture that is very important and one I think we need to take a very close look at, we need to understand it, and be able to reconcile it in our sprits, minds and hearts. It is a Scripture that most look at and say “that’s not me” But the question that has always burned in my heart is “who are these people?”

Mathew 7:22-23 “Many will say to Me on that day, ‘Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in Your name, and in Your name cast out demons, and in Your name perform many miracles?’ 23“And then I will declare to them, ‘I never knew you; DEPART FROM ME, YOU WHO PRACTICE LAWLESSNESS.’

Chew on this for a few days…..do you know? do you have an answer?

Part 2 on the way …. SOON!!!!

Imagine a church staff where each person’s primary vision is to attain Christlikeness. Picture working with this group of people: not only do they each fulfill their responsibilities, but they are also earnestly walking in both Christ’s humility and His redemptive view of life. Add to these virtues that they are committed to unoffendable unity in their relationships. Is there any doubt that with such a team God could change the world?

Before you say the above is impossible, I’m actually describing my staff. While none of us is perfect, and we still have to match individual gifts correctly with ministry needs, the compelling vision for each person is to become Christlike.

It wasn’t always this way. We have had our share of misunderstandings and immaturity. We even suffered a couple times from “staff infection.” Over the decades, however, we have learned some things that are invaluable in creating both vision and right attitudes.

In Ancient Times

According to the dictionary, a staff is “a group of assistants to a manager, executive, or other person in authority” (The American Heritage® Dictionary). However, originally a staff was not a team of people but a strong, straight branch that was cut from a tree and sanded smooth. Upon this staff a traveler would lean as he walked. The purpose of the staff was for support, balance and also used as a weapon to protect the traveler. From this insight, perhaps we can better understand the genesis of the word staff and how a spiritual staff can provide strength, balance and protection for a leader.

Of course, when we talk about leader/staff relationships, the leader must first be passionate about personal conformity to Christ. Obviously, the leader will not be perfect, but he or she should be sincerely reaching for Christlikeness. A leader, by definition, is someone whom others follow. The more clearly leaders demonstrate that their life goal is conformity to Jesus, the more they will inspire their staff to follow them.

Amazing Power in a Godly Staff

Yet, there is further insight into the power of a Christlike staff. Remember when the Almighty appeared to Moses in the burning bush? The Lord told Moses to cast his staff to the ground. Immediately, the staff turned into a dangerous snake from which Moses fled. Rather than being the leader’s protector, it had become his enemy. My first point is this: If a staff has not been touched by God to serve a particular leader – if it still harbors jealousy and selfish ambition (James 3:16) – then it has the capacity to suddenly turn into a serpent.

In the above story, however, the Lord told Moses to pick up the serpent, and as he did it returned again to being a staff. When we lay our staff at the feet of God, that staff will be different when the Lord tells us to lift it again. When God gives you the staff He has chosen, there will be supernatural power accompanying it. In fact, listen to what the Lord said to Moses: “You shall take in your hand this staff, with which you shall perform the signs” (Exod. 4:17).

The Holy Spirit placed an anointing upon Moses’ staff and with the staff he worked miracles. Repeatedly we see in the Israelites’ deliverance from Egypt that it wasn’t Moses alone that released miracles; the signs and wonders came through his staff. Moses pointed the staff, struck the waters with the staff, and waved it up at the sky; the staff was the instrument through which divine power manifest!

Not only that, but from that point on Moses’ staff was called by an additional name. It was now called the “staff of God” (Exod. 4:20; 17:9).

Oh, I pray this is a revelation to your heart! It is not enough for a man or woman of God to be anointed – their staff must become the staff of God. And there is no greater means to fulfilling the purpose of God than when a leader and staff all choose to pursue conformity to Christ.

It is time to focus upon the high calling of God for our churches, which is nothing less than “to grow up in all aspects into Him who is the head, even Christ” (Eph. 4:15). Regardless of how successful your ministry has been in the past, imagine the success that awaits you with a staff united in their pursuit of Christ’s likeness: the staff of God!

Let’s lead the body of Christ to be the BRIDE Jesus is coming back for.

I’ve been divorced four times, but homosexuals are the ones destroying marriage

¹³ Afterward Jesus went up on a mountain and called out the ones he wanted to go with him. And they came to him. ¹⁴ Then he appointed twelve of them and called them his apostles.^[b] They were to accompany him, and he would send them out to preach, ¹⁵ giving them authority to cast out demons. ¹⁶ These are the twelve he chose:

²⁰ One time Jesus entered a house, and the crowds began to gather again. Soon he and his disciples couldn’t even find time to eat. ²¹ When his family heard what was happening, they tried to take him away. “He’s out of his mind,” they said.

At this point Jesus had personally hand picked his disciples and it was on!!! They are seeing things never couldn’t even imagine…it must have been AWESOMSE to see this taking place. They got so wrapped up in what was taking place that they didn’t even have time to eat….notice it says “when his family…..” even those closest to us if they don’t “get it” will think we are nuts for the things we do for Jesus!! They said he is out of his mind….crazy!!!! So, do what He ask of you….Go where He asked you to go…..Give what He ask you to give …IT DOES NOT MATTER WHAT OTHERS SAY or HOW MUCH THEY MAKE FUN OF YOU…MOCK YOU…. just do it, step out to the unknown!!!

²² But the teachers of religious law who had arrived from Jerusalem said, “He’s possessed by Satan,^[e] the prince of demons. That’s where he gets the power to cast out demons.”

²³ Jesus called them over and responded with an illustration. “How can Satan cast out Satan?” he asked. ²⁴ “A kingdom divided by civil war will collapse. ²⁵ Similarly, a family splintered by feuding will fall apart. ²⁶ And if Satan is divided and fights against himself, how can he stand? He would never survive. ²⁷ Let me illustrate this further. Who is powerful enough to enter the house of a strong man like Satan and plunder his goods? Only someone even stronger—someone who could tie him up and then plunder his house.

²⁸ “I tell you the truth, all sin and blasphemy can be forgiven, ²⁹ but anyone who blasphemes the Holy Spirit will never be forgiven. This is a sin with eternal consequences.” ³⁰ He told them this because they were saying, “He’s possessed by an evil spirit.”

This scripture here is probably one of the most asked about scriptures in the entire Bible “What sin cannot be forgiven?” Well let me try to give you a very simple answer to this question:

blas·phe·my

/ˈblæsfəmi/ Show Spelled [blas-fuh-mee] Show IPA

³¹ Then Jesus’ mother and brothers came to see him. They stood outside and sent word for him to come out and talk with them. ³² There was a crowd sitting around Jesus, and someone said, “Your mother and your brothers^[f] are outside asking for you.”

³³ Jesus replied, “Who is my mother? Who are my brothers?” ³⁴ Then he looked at those around him and said, “Look, these are my mother and brothers. ³⁵ Anyone who does God’s will is my brother and sister and mother.”

When it comes to the Word and ministry of God, family is NOT more important…. GOD IS — GOD FIRST!!! FAMILY second…… not trying to sound harsh or mean, there is a perfect balance but if God gives you an assignment do not allow anything to get in your way. Now there is balance, and LOVE involved, we are NOT Jesus we did not come to save the world or die for the world…. 🙂

I made many mistakes while in ministry when it comes to this…..but looking back it was mostly all FLESH rather than the Spirit when it came to “doing His Work” — KNOW HIM, LIVE IN HIM, LIVE IN HUMILITY, LIVE PURE and OPEN LIVES. YOU CAN’T LOSE!!!!!

How Does Disunity Affect You?

When Nehemiah, living among the Jewish exiles, heard of the condition of Jerusalem and its temple, he “sat down and wept and mourned for days.” The fallen condition of the temple thrust him into an extended position of “fasting and praying before the God of heaven” (Neh. 1:4). The modern Jews also weep as they face the Wailing Wall, lamenting over the ruins of their temple. Paul mourned when he saw the ruined condition in Corinth. He said, “For I am afraid … that perhaps there may be strife, jealousy, angry tempers, disputes, slanders, gossip, arrogance, disturbances; I am afraid that when I come again my God may humiliate me before you, and I may mourn over many of those who have sinned” (2 Cor. 12:20–21). Jesus Himself wept over the divisions of Jerusalem, lamenting, “How often I wanted to gather your children together, the way a hen gathers her chicks under her wings, and you were unwilling” (Matt. 23:37).

This mourning concerning the disunified condition of the Father’s house ought to be in our hearts as well. Yet, for most of us, not only have we failed to mourn our situation, but also we have not even grasped that our disunity, jealousy and strife are a fallen state! How far we have fallen, and how little we know it!

While the redemption of man was always motivating Jesus, remember, His most ardent desire was His zeal for His Father’s house; He was consumed with it (John 2:17). Building the house of God – the born-again, praying, loving, citywide church – is still Christ’s highest priority. The world is His harvest; the church is His bride. His love for the church was the basis of His last recorded prayer: that we would be one. It is still His highest passion today. For until we are united in Him and one with one another, our testimony lacks credibility. The world will not believe that God has sent Christ if our lives are splintered with the same divisions that infect the world (John 17:20–23).

I appreciate and defend the origins of our many denominations. Most were born as godly men who fought against the sin and spiritual apostasy of their times. Their heroic stand preserved (or in some cases, restored) the truth of God in an otherwise dark world. From my heart, I thank God for our denominational heritage.

Today, however, the need to remain divided from other evangelical congregations is unjustified. We can remain unique congregations with unique callings and a unique spiritual heritage, yet we can be united spiritually, and even functionally, with other assemblies in our communities.

Knowing Christ has called for unity in His church, many leaders today are reexamining the legitimacy of division in the church. Today’s heroes are not isolating themselves from other congregations; rather, they are working with others to repair the breaches, seeking to build the citywide church on the foundation of Christ alone.

Yet our traditions of division have taken on the garments of orthodoxy; they appear biblical, but they are not. The various divisions in the history of the church were stages in restoration meant to preserve truth, not isolate it.

Is Christ Divided?

Every true Christian believes the Bible is God’s sacred, eternal Word. Indeed, Heaven and earth will pass away, but God’s Word will endure forever. What was relative and powerful in the first century ought to be just as powerful today. Listen, therefore, to what Paul wrote to the Christians in Corinth:

“Now I exhort you, brethren, by the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, that you all agree, and there be no divisions among you, but you be made complete in the same mind and in the same judgment. For I have been informed concerning you, my brethren, by Chloe’s people, that there are quarrels among you. Now I mean this, that each one of you is saying, ‘I am of Paul,’ and ‘I of Apollos,’ and ‘I of Cephas,’ and ‘I of Christ.’ Has Christ been divided?” —1 Corinthians. 1:10-13

How strange that we smugly look upon the divisions in the Corinthian church. We boldly criticize their carnality. But why was it wrong in the first century to say, “I am of Paul (or Apollos),” but permissible in these last days to say, “I am of Luther … or Wesley … or the Baptists … or the Pentecostals”?

Again, please remember, I am not suggesting we should end our denominational affiliations, nor should we strive for unity with churches that do not believe in Christ, God’s Word, the Holy Spirit, the virgin birth, or the Second Coming. However, I am saying that, within the sphere of the local, born-again church of Jesus Christ, divisions are unbiblical and wrong.

Paul continued his rebuke to the Corinthians: “For since there is jealousy and strife among you, are you not fleshly, and are you not walking like mere men?” (1 Cor. 3:3).

The credibility of the church is that we are not “mere men,” creatures born of the flesh without spiritual vision or destiny. We have been born again of one Spirit from above. Within our spirits is the actual spiritual substance of Christ Himself!

“Do you not know that you are a temple of God, and that the Spirit of God dwells in you?” —1 Corinthians 3:16

We are the temple of God. Our churches, like the stones of the temple, are to be laid side by side, building us together “into a dwelling of God in the Spirit” (Eph. 2:22).

Paul went on to issue a warning that every Christian should heed. He said,

“If any man destroys the temple of God, God will destroy him, for the temple of God is holy.” —1 Corinthians 3:17

We have attempted to use this verse to condemn such things as cigarette smoking and sexual vices, and on an individual basis, there are obvious consequences to these sins. However, Paul is speaking here of more than the sins of excess and immoral pleasure. The apostle is warning against allowing division in the temple of God, the church. He says, “If any man destroys the temple of God [through jealousy and strife], God will destroy him.” The context is plainly speaking in regard to divisions in the church!

When pure Christianity degenerates into divided camps of ambitious people, it literally destroys the harmony, power and blessing of the “temple of God.” The individual who brings or supports such carnal divisions in the church has positioned himself in a very dangerous place before God. The temple of God is holy. Our unity together is holy. Our love for one another is holy, for the Father Himself dwells in the resting place of caring attitudes and loving relationships. Collectively, we are the dwelling place of God on earth.

The warning is severe: “If any man destroys the temple of God, God will destroy him.”

Yes, there are times when church leaders sin and confusion enters the dynamics of church life. So, let’s make room for failings and transitions. But let us not lose sight of the fact that the living God is a God of order; He will not dwell in ruins! Because He is a God of love, He will work with us to rebuild, but He will not sanction our fallen condition with power. He will not lend His credibility to our disorder.

How Does Disunity Affect You?

When Nehemiah, living among the Jewish exiles, heard of the condition of Jerusalem and its temple, he “sat down and wept and mourned for days.” The fallen condition of the temple thrust him into an extended position of “fasting and praying before the God of heaven” (Neh. 1:4). The modern Jews also weep as they face the Wailing Wall, lamenting over the ruins of their temple. Paul mourned when he saw the ruined condition in Corinth. He said, “For I am afraid … that perhaps there may be strife, jealousy, angry tempers, disputes, slanders, gossip, arrogance, disturbances; I am afraid that when I come again my God may humiliate me before you, and I may mourn over many of those who have sinned” (2 Cor. 12:20–21). Jesus Himself wept over the divisions of Jerusalem, lamenting, “How often I wanted to gather your children together, the way a hen gathers her chicks under her wings, and you were unwilling” (Matt. 23:37).

This mourning concerning the disunified condition of the Father’s house ought to be in our hearts as well. Yet, for most of us, not only have we failed to mourn our situation, but also we have not even grasped that our disunity, jealousy and strife are a fallen state! How far we have fallen, and how little we know it!

While the redemption of man was always motivating Jesus, remember, His most ardent desire was His zeal for His Father’s house; He was consumed with it (John 2:17). Building the house of God – the born-again, praying, loving, citywide church – is still Christ’s highest priority. The world is His harvest; the church is His bride. His love for the church was the basis of His last recorded prayer: that we would be one. It is still His highest passion today. For until we are united in Him and one with one another, our testimony lacks credibility. The world will not believe that God has sent Christ if our lives are splintered with the same divisions that infect the world (John 17:20–23).

Privileged to Become Christlike

There were many reasons why Jerusalem fell to Babylon during Jeremiah’s day, but underlying them all was the spiritual apostasy of the religious leaders. God Himself would have defended a humble, praying city, but in Jerusalem the spiritual leaders were corrupt. Listen, therefore, to Jeremiah’s fearful revelation: “The adversary and the enemy could enter the gates of Jerusalem” because of “the sins of her prophets and the iniquities of her priests” (Lam. 4:12–13).

Do we see this? Israel’s enemies entered Jerusalem because the spiritual leaders were unrepentantly full of sin. Oh God, help us to see and accept that the future of our cities exists in the corporate relationship the spiritual leaders have with You and one another. Jesus said that any city, any house “divided against itself” cannot stand (Matt. 12:25). The place of spiritual protection of a community has its origins in the quality of life that exists in the spiritual leadership of that community: a vibrant, praying, united body of believers will move that city toward the blessing of God; a divided, sinful leadership will allow the adversary to enter the city’s gates.

The path narrows for leadership until our only choice is to become Christlike in everything. However, Christlike leadership in the church can transform the world around it! You see, our cities are in disorder because our congregations are in disorder. James tells us that where there is jealousy and strife, “there is disorder and every evil thing” (James 3:16).

Our selfish ambitions have taken our eyes off the will and purposes of God for our cities. We have become jealous of one another. Consequently, the “disorder,” lawlessness and “every evil thing” we see in our society are, at least in part, rooted in the soil of a misdirected and distracted church community.

Because of this, the church has lost a measure of its credibility. How can we expect the world to hear our message of love when we, as Christ’s body, fail to love each other? We have no right to condemn the world for its pride and arrogance when we, the body of Christ, still refuse to humble ourselves and work with the other congregations in our neighborhoods.

Beloved, over the years the world has seen many incredible ministries. However, the time of the “incredible” has passed; the hour for the credible is being established.

When someone falls into sin, addiction, abuse, lying, cheating, pornography, well anything….nothing left out…..how should we react? What should be our view? Our words? Our support or non-support? Where is the line drawn? Is there a line to even draw? How do we help restore? NOW, I know we all have “our” opinions….but what is God’s opinion?

There are people in all walks of life that are good, God loving people along with people who are not God followers. People who fall into some type of sin, addictions, actions….secret things that sometimes shock us and rock our world. I want to focus on the “religious” world in this post although I believe the principles relate both to secular and spiritual people.

This is such a complex subject with many different levels surrounding it. We react many ways when a brother or sister falls down. Some of the reasons we react negative to this is:

1. Pride, it makes me more “spiritual” than they are

2. Deflection, it takes the light off of me and my sin, faults, secrets.

3. Position, it puts me in a greater position than they are.

4. Anger, the actions of the person somehow reflects who I am

There are so many reasons we react the way we do. In this post I will attempt to show how we react and how God reacts. MY THOUGHTS on how people should react and how the church should react. It will be taken out of my own life, my experiences on both sides of the fence. I have been the one who has sinned, fallen and I have been the one in position that needed to deal with one who has sinned/fallen.

One of my first memories after being a Christian in any type of leadership position seeing someone fall was when I was in a church in Fremont Ca. I was in school and in a leadership role in the church, this church was on fire and growing like crazy. The senior pastor helped me in so many ways and is a huge part of why I became a pastor and finished school. I loved this guy and I loved this church. One day the head line news on all the major news stations was about a pastor in Colorado who had disappeared and the search was on for him. Within a day or so it came out that he was in some serious trouble with the IRS, personal and business…he FAKED his death and was on the run. The world knew about it and people were outraged, Christians were horrible along with rest of the world. Well it turned out the man was a personal friend of my pastor. I went to him thinking we would be angry together etc…. I walked into his office expecting anger and rage but he was weeping. I asked him how he was doing and he said he was boarding a plane to go get his friend, bring him to his house and help nurse him back to full “spiritual” health. He did just that!! He did whatever it took to get there and get him to bring him home to just ‘love on him”. I was amazed, shocked and confused. But that memory will never leave me!! I really thought as Christians we were suppose to “protect” the church, and get him out after all he put another HUGE black mark on God’s Church!! I learned much that day…but surely not enough for I have made so many mistakes in the years of ministry.

There was Jimmy Swaggart, Jim Baker, and so many other well known leaders not to mention the thousands of leaders, pastors that fell from grace in the churches in our world. Most never to heard from again.

The goal is/should always be restoration. I would like to know how many have been restored over the years. I know some are back in ministry and they still have to live with the “talk” or I should say GOSSIP as they try to enter back into ministry.

As a pastor I really had no clue when it came to this…I thought I did, but in reality I did NOT. Early in my ministry I didn’t know how to deal with things, I was so scared of losing people, not having a church any longer, I was ignorant of any type of counseling and yet was expected to be a counselor. Later I tried dealing with issues as they came up in lives of the congregation and most of the time I thought of protecting the church more than the soul of the person I was suppose to be helping. And in the last years I was afraid to confront and do right because of my own secrets I had in my life. I never wanted to cause any ripples so that nobody would look at my life. I did everything wrong in this area. And in reality did much more harm than good. Get them out of the way….Lord please forgive me!!!!

When it came to people with addictions, deep rooted things in their lives, sins, anger, divorce, just about anything I did it wrong.

On the flip side when I fell I heard from most people how it affected them… what it did to their lives, how it made them feel, how it angered, hurt and crushed them. I WANT TO SAY I GET THAT!!!!! And I do get it totally ~ 100%. I don’t blame anyone for feeling that way and part of my healing was to see that in the lives of people around me. SO please do not mis-read what I am saying.

In my case I take 100% responsibility for what happened, it was my fault, my doing, my choice. With that said when one gets tangled up in a situation, it’s a slow process it just doesn’t happen…..by the time it’s full blown out of control most don’t even realize what had happened or how they ended up in a place like this! How it went so far….the deception is deep and as for me I was convinced/deceived into believing lies and could not see past my own selfish thoughts and desires. It was a long road back to reality and truth. It was a wake up when my eyes were opened but it took losing everything in my life to see it!!! When it happened I was devastated, hurting like I’ve never hurt before. Nobody knew what to do or how to react except my counselor. He just loved me and had hope for me, he loved me as God loved me.

Family does not know, friends do not know, the church does not know how to handle such things. Like I said earlier people around me all told me how it affected them, the church wanted me out FAST and NOW….the goal in church leadership was to “restore” and I think they tried as hard as they could the best they knew how. BUT there is a deeper issue here, there is a time of healing and restoring LOVE over everything else. I can speak from my own experience…… I understand there is a process that has to be gone through when it comes to such things, but when someone is devastated, just lost it all they really can’t think in a logical way.

There is a HUGE difference between someone who is rebellious, not repentant and does not think they did anything wrong and someone that is repenting. At the same time repentance is a process that you go through….I know that sounds “wrong” you either repent or you don’t…….but there is an element of things coming up in your spirit and in your mind. It depends on the depth of the sin/addiction.

I know my wife got it for the most part – she stood between me and people for a long time knowing what I was going through –  it was almost a year before I could even bring myself to see anyone, be around anyone….why?  guilt and shame….brokenness, repentance, and trying to find my way back to my Father. In church circles rumors and gossip fly around like crazy, in the community secular world it was worse.  I heard some pretty crazy rumors (lies) during this time. Most people didn’t know what to say to me…….and some just discarded me. I will say that I stayed away from people too. Some gave me space and a couple gave me “unconditional love” and time. It was very difficult.

Please understand I am NOT angry, or bitter towards anyone….like I said I get it, I know it was my fault….here is where I stand now coming out the other side. For people to treat sin, see sin, understand the person who fell into it they must be “Christlike” period. How can we see a man or woman as God does if we are NOT? We cannot period!!!!!!

What does it mean to be Christlike? How does God see it? How does God respond? How should we respond? This will be the subject to my next blog — PART 2.

⁷ Jesus went out to the lake with his disciples, and a large crowd followed him. They came from all over Galilee, Judea, ⁸ Jerusalem, Idumea, from east of the Jordan River, and even from as far north as Tyre and Sidon. The news about his miracles had spread far and wide, and vast numbers of people came to see him.

⁹ Jesus instructed his disciples to have a boat ready so the crowd would not crush him. ¹⁰ He had healed many people that day, so all the sick people eagerly pushed forward to touch him.

The crowds were getting HUGE and I would imagine sometimes out of control. I would LOVE to see this!! And like I always say and I always preach….this is exactly what people are looking for….still today. Is it just the healing, the miracles that people want? I don’t think so…there are so many ministries that are totally focused on “miracles” “the show” and it draws large crowds and big MONEY!! Are all of these ministries just looking for money and a name for themselves? NO I do not believe so…I am sure there are thousands of men and woman out there doing exactly what the Lord has instructed them to do.

So, what is it then? Why did they follow Jesus by the thousands? Why do ministers today fill auditoriums? I think people want a God that is REAL, that really moves in their lives, that they can touch, feel, see and that they want HOPE, hope of eternity, hope of love, hope of healing, hope of a touch from a creator.

So, how do we apply this to the church/body of Christ? For the most part many have been let down by the church, they have been promised and nothing delivered. Our Christianity is not based on healing, miracles or success, it’s based on a relationship with Him, it’s based on you and me becoming Christlike, it’s based on you and me loving the way He did, it’s based on us seeing people through the eyes of Jesus, it’s about you and me dying to our FLESH completely, it’s about us ministering to God, it’s about you and me learning to worship in truth and spirit, it’s about you and me leaning how to pray as Jesus did, it’s about you and me preparing ourselves to be the BRIDE of Jesus, ushering in Jesus to take His bride.

We have made church so man-like that it is sickening for the most part. There are times when all I can say is “I am about done with church.” although I know that will NEVER EVER be the case for me and it shouldn’t for you either!! Until the church becomes the bride and is purified, (I believe that this will take place long before the return of Jesus, when HE shakes the church and it becomes totally different than it is now) I will remain in the body of Christ (the church)

1. I will worship deep

2. I will pray for revelation from the throne of God for the church to see the church through the eyes of Jesus

3. I will support and pray for the pastor and leadership team.

4. I will continue to become Christlike – through the Word!!!

Can you imagine a church full of leaders that are Christlike, leading a congregation to become the BRIDE OF JESUS? Can you imagine a church on fire, in revival, and lacks NOTHING? Can you imagine a church where God rest? I can’t wait myself!!!

I say there is way too much of man and way too much of Satan in today’s churches. When I see such “un-Christlike” behavior from church members and leadership that just sweeps it under the carpet………oh man!!!! How do I know? Well, I’ve been on both side……I am a church member, I have been a pastor, and I was full of way too much flesh, making the church more about me and my abilities than about God….wasn’t always like that, but I fell into it just like so many others. I AM DONE with living that way. My life is about HIM and HIM alone today………in ministry or not in ministry.

¹¹ And whenever those possessed by evil^[a] spirits caught sight of him, the spirits would throw them to the ground in front of him shrieking, “You are the Son of God!” ¹² But Jesus sternly commanded the spirits not to reveal who he was.

This is a strange scripture in my opinion. The spirits knew who he was and they would have the person they inhabit throw themselves on the ground in front of Jesus proclaiming who He was and then Jesus would command the spirits not to reveal who he was!!! Why did he say that? Why did they throw themselves at his feet proclaiming His name? This will be the topic of my next blog in the next couple of days….