Spiritual Fruitfulness

“You did not choose Me, but I chose you and appointed you that you should go and bear fruit, and that your fruit should remain.”
JOHN 15:16

When we allow the Holy Spirit to increase Christ, and when we allow the Cross to do its work of decreasing Self, the fruit will come forth in abundance. This makes everything we experience worthwhile. What is the fruit of the Spirit? It is the reward, the prize, the end result of all those seasons of increasing and decreasing: the character and nature of Christ reproduced in a person. It is the precious Seed finally coming into maturity.

The fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, gentleness, goodness, faith, meekness, self-control. Against such there is no law (Galatians 5:22,23). Fruit is not how much work we can accomplish or how many things we can do for God. Fruit is, “How much of Christ can be seen in me instead of me?” The fruit of the Spirit is found in the transformed character of someone who walks with Jesus in the Difficult Path.

Source: Embrace the Cross by Chip Brogden

Who is Your Elder?

“You younger people, submit yourselves to your elders. Yes, all of you be submissive to one another, and be clothed with humility.”
1 PETER 5:5

If our desire is for maturity, that is, if we desire to come to the full-knowledge of Christ and grow up into Him in all things, we should naturally pay attention to those who are elder in the Lord. My elder brother, or my elder sister, has walked with the Lord longer than I have. The implication is that they are more conformed to the image of Christ than myself; they have experienced a deeper work of the Cross than I have; thus, they have more practical wisdom than I do, they have something to teach me, and I need to hear Christ in them so I, too, can grow.

It should be obvious to you who is, and who is not, your elder in the Lord. And, it should be plain to see that not everyone who is older is necessarily elder. If you say you are a believer but you live no differently from the world, then you can be as old as Methuselah yet you are certainly not an elder.

Source: The Church in the Wilderness by Chip Brogden

When to break fellowship 4

 

Hi all,

The body of Christ is expert in breaking fellowship over things they should have worked through, and failed miserably at breaking fellowship for reasons scripture actually addresses.

Knowing when and for what reason to break fellowship is the subject today. Loving someone in the Lord is an art, which means no 2 situations will be exactly alike, but there are core sins the NT mentions as reasons to break fellowship. Paul puts them together in a list in I Corinthians 5:11.

 

The list

"But I write to you not to keep company with anyone who is called a Christian if they are a fornicator, or greedy, or an idolater or abusive person, or a drunkard, or swindler (dishonest in business), with people like that, don't eat nor fellowship with." (v12-13: For what have we to do with those outside the body of Christ? Aren't we to judge those within (the body)? But those that are outside the body God judges. Therefore put away from yourselves that wicked person.")

 

We aren't to judge motives, but we are to judge the fruit of a person's life. I've previously identified the sin of fornication as sex outside of marriage. The context of Paul's writing was a man in the (house) church who had an ongoing sexual relationship with his step-mother. All the believers knew of it, yet no one confronted him about it, and Paul said that was wrong, for a lifestyle of unrepented fornication is a reason to separate.

 

'Greedy' - this word literally means 'eager to have more'. Think about the 'prosperity' teaching and how greed has entered into so many churches and the hearts of many believers, disguised as the blessing of God. People try to mix unholy spirits of greed/lust with the Holy Spirit and the result is erroneous teaching that appeals to the flesh and emotions rather than stirring people to deeper growth as individuals in Christ and developing Christ-like character.

 

'An idolater'. Idol worship in Paul's time often also involved having sex with temple prostitutes, but in general an idol is something a person is devoted to, that comes between that person and God. Paul lists idolatry right after greed with good reason. An idolater is someone who has elevated something or someone as more important than God. Not the occasional infatuation with a new car or new shoes or new friend, but someone who as a lifestyle holds the object of their devotion as most important in their life. 

 

I had a friend who was very proud of his car. One day while driving it the Lord told him he was committing idolatry. He argued back that he had no shrines nor statues nor did he pray to the saints. The Lord simply replied: "You've put this car between us." He repented of pride in his car and submitted it to Him in his heart.

 

'An abusive person', which is the literal translation of the Greek. Paul doesn't define abuse, though 'one who reviles' is often used here. This would refer to verbal and mental/emotional abuse, with the implication that it could involve physical abuse.

 

I had to tell a man who beat his wife that he was not welcome at church. They had 5 children and he would beat his wife so badly it would take her nearly a month before the bruises would heal, yet neither I nor her friends could get her to leave him, nor would he repent; She refused to understand when he beat her he had broken the covenant of marriage as surely as if he had slept with another woman.

 

We tried to get her to go to a ministry that had a safe house, separating for awhile in the hope of bringing him to his senses and that he might seek counseling for his anger and abuse, but each refused. Sad, but I was right to break fellowship with him while embracing his family who were the victims of his violence.

 

'Drunkard'. This means 'to be drunk with wine, intoxicated.' Today we would define this as substance abuse, one who as a lifestyle or regularly gets drunk, on drugs, etc. We must walk in love towards those seeking to overcome such addictions and lifestyle, and the key seems to be whether these people are making progress in Christ towards overcoming their sins, or not. For those who call themselves Christian yet they make no effort to judge themselves, we are to turn away from, again, because they have refused to deal with it themselves.

 

'Swindler'. This word, 'harpax' in Greek, is from the root meaning, 'to seize, carry off by force'. In ancient times it described what we would call a grappling hook or snagging hook that is sometimes used by fisherman. It is the act of throwing out a hook to snag (someone) and reel them in. Thus, swindler, dishonest in business, a liar and deceiver. When you read of 'ravening' (wolves in sheep's clothing), it is this word. From those who make prey of others in church, business, or life - have no fellowship.

 

Again, all these sins are practiced by people who call themselves Christians, yet live a lifestyle or maintain habits exactly opposite all that is called God and Godly. These are people who have hardened their heart towards God in one particular area. They may say they love God and that can be true in some areas, but they protect this particular sin, refusing to judge themselves. From such Paul says break fellowship.

 

Weak Christianity would say for the sake of the part of their heart that loves God we should continue with them, but there comes a point you become an enabler of their sin, helping them continue in that sin. The man sleeping with his step-mother no doubt loved God in maybe 70% of his life and heart, but it was based on the 30% he refused to repent of, that they were to break fellowship. Paul said that sin would affect the whole church, so for the sake of others they had to break fellowship with the man.

 

Focusing on the 70% they love God and refusing to deal with the 30% that is potentially lethal to the their spiritual and moral lives, is like a physically abused wife of an alcoholic refusing to protect herself though she has been hospitalized due to her husband's beatings, because he is a good provider when he is sober. There comes a point you have to realize the person is using the 70% they say they love God to manipulate you to serve as they do, their 30% sin that is ruining their (and your) life.

 

But what if...

But what if you know of someone, or work for or with someone, or are married to someone, who fits one or more of these descriptions? What if you love them and want to work with them to overcome one or more of these sins? What is the point you end your involvement in their life in this area?

 

Let us look deeper into what happens after you've walked that extra mile in love, after you've been slapped that 2nd time, after you've given your resources but are now at a point you must protect what remains and go on with what God has called you to do.

 

Balance, balance

"And if he trespasses against you 7 times in a day, and 7 times in a day turns back to you and says, 'I repent', you shall forgive him." Luke 17:4 Note that's immediate repentance after the sin, which means this person is trying to overcome, and we are to respond with forgiveness in such a case.

 

But what if you are walking that extra mile with them and they exhibit false repentance (next week's subject) and insist on continuing in their sin, and you can walk no further? In Exodus 14:22 the Lord tells Israel they had sinned against him 10 times (over the course of about 13 months) since they left Egypt, and He was finally going to give them what they wanted.

 

Insert history lesson here: They got to the border of the Promised Land within 13 months after leaving Egypt. On the 10th rejection of His Word/Voice in Numbers 14:22, He allowed them to have what they said they wanted, to die in the wilderness, a process which took 40 years of wanderings. But the initial journey to the border of the Promised Land was no more than 13 months. (Covered in Exodus 14, through Numbers 14)

 

Israel had hardened their heart to the Lord - remember, on the outside they looked to be lovers of God and religious. These people made offerings through the priests, kept the Sabbath, kept the dietary laws and everything a good Jewish person would have done - but at each opportunity for growth in God, they refused. That is why after 10 times, God let them have what they wanted.

 

In Steven's final words in Acts 7, he summarizes that time frame in Israel and says in verse 42: "And God turned" (and gave them up to worship whatever they wanted). And God turned. The word 'turn' here, 'strepho', means "to turn the back to people" and is used to describe what God did to Israel after their 10th time in 13 months of unrepentant sin.

 

If you read Numbers 14:40-45, it was only AFTER that 10th time, AFTER God turned His back on them to give them what they wanted, that they 'repented'. And still, His decision was firm, He did not change His mind. That is the hard part when we love someone, to get to the point we can go no further, then have them cry and beg us to take them back, to let them live at home, to just help them out '1 more time'. But once the Lord had turned, He turned, and let them suffer the consequences of their sin.

 

How do we know the difference between genuine repentance and false repentance so that we can make such a decision? That's next week. Until then...(and remember to email me at cwowi@aol.com).

 

Blessings,

John Fenn

www.cwowi.org and email me at cwowi@aol.com

 

 

A Prisoner of Love

“I therefore, a prisoner for the Lord, urge you...”
EPHESIANS 4:1 ESV

To be the prisoner of the Lord means that we accept the sentence of death and are resigned to our fate. We are not the Lord’s prisoner if we are still protesting our innocence. If we do not agree with the Lord that Self is worthy of death then we unnecessarily delay the inevitable.

If we must take up the Cross and be crucified, it is better to submit ourselves to it as Christ did, giving up our spirit into the Father’s hands, and bowing our head in peace. So let us drink the Cup that the Father gives us. If we struggle and protest, like the two thieves, then we only prolong our agony, and the soldiers must come and break our legs. Either way, the Cross means death. The sooner we surrender to it, the sooner we find Resurrection.

Source: Embrace the Cross by Chip Brogden

The church planter must determine whether he will be a man pleaser or a God pleaser.

The Pain of Losing Key Leaders

By Sam Douglass For Demas, because he loved this world, has deserted me . . . ~ II Timothy 4:10
READING: I Samuel 20; Colossians 4:14; Philemon 24
The Apostle Paul knew first-hand what it meant to lose partners and key leaders in the ministry. When it comes to parting and severing relationships, it is painful. Whether it be personality conflicts, like Paul experienced between Barnabas and John Mark, or the loss of a fellow partner due to sin and earthly desires, like with Demas, parting ways is difficult.
Some of the most painful memories of my first church plant center around the loss of a praise and worship team leader who “came out of the closet” to pursue an alternate lifestyle. His lack of repentance and defiance of church discipline caused his removal from the body. It was painful for his wife, two teenage sons, and the church when fellowship was withdrawn based on Matthew 18:15–17.
Or what about the key leader who left angry because I wouldn’t accept the free Country Club membership he offered if I would play golf with him every Thursday afternoon? When confronted by another church member he said, “Our church is getting too big, and my pastor is too busy for me and my family.”
Losing key people is always painful and costly. The church planter must determine whether he will be a man pleaser or a God pleaser. Who is going to set the agenda for the pastor’s time and the future of the church? I discovered long ago that people have a “wonderful plan” for your church; Satan has a plan for your church plant; and our Heavenly Father has His plan. Who will set the agenda? Whose plans will be accomplished?
Heavenly Father, Today I choose to be a God pleaser. Please fulfill your plans for this church and comfort my heart as I grieve those I’ve lost. Amen. 
Dynamic Church Planting International (DCPI) “Equips Leaders to Plant 5 Million Churches Worldwide.” Learn more

Let's Set the Record Straight...

Hello Dave!

Funny how Internet rumors get started...

A long time ago (2002) I wrote an article titled, "The Prophetic Savant."

I remember that day because I remember writing that essay in about half an hour, in one sitting. It was as if I was standing outside of myself, writing it.

When I was finished with it, I sent it out to my mailing list, and the effect it had on people was massive.

Well, in the introduction to the article, I quoted something from A.W. Tozer and gave him credit for the quote.

Years went by...

The article became popular and got forwarded and reposted.

All good, except...

Somewhere along the way, some careless person saw A.W. Tozer's name on the piece and assumed it was written by A. W. Tozer.

So then they posted the article with A.W. Tozer as the author instead of me.

Well, stuff happens. It's not like I'm too worried about who gets credit for what.

Until...

People started emailing me and posting comments that accused me of plagiarizing A. W. Tozer.

"I saw this exact article posted on another website and it was written by A. W. Tozer! How dare you take credit for what you didn't write!"

*Sigh*

All because people see what they want to see, not what is really there.
They believe whatever the Matrix tells them to believe.

So if they saw it the Internet then it must be true.

Well, here's the deal...

I wrote "The Prophetic Savant" in 2002… and I am offering a $10,000,000 cash reward to anyone who can find my article, "The Prophetic Savant", in any of the published works of A. W. Tozer (actual books or materials printed before his death, not something someone else posted on a blog somewhere).

And if you can help correct this Internet rumor whenever you hear it, you will have my great thanks and appreciation.

Now with such a provocative story behind the article, you might want to read it and see what all the fuss is about.

So here's the link to the article:
http://theschoolofchrist.org/articles/the-prophetic-savant.html

And you'll find this article has been published in a real book, "The Prophetic Mandate" by me, which has been available in print, and is now available as a downloadable eBook on Amazon, Barnes & Noble, and iTunes.

Here is the link to the book:
http://theschoolofchrist.org/books/the-prophetic-mandate.html

I'd love to hear your comments on the article or the book.

I am your brother,

Chip Brogden
http://TheSchoolOfChrist.Org

The Depths of Christ

“Oh the depth of the riches both of the wisdom and knowledge of God! How unsearchable are His judgments, and His ways past finding out!”
ROMANS 11:33

To illustrate, let us imagine that we here on earth desire to reach the moon. That is a definitive goal which we can see. We can measure the distance and make plans to reach the moon. To us here on earth that is the ultimate in space exploration. Now let us imagine that one day we reach the moon. Just as we become acclimated to this enormous triumph, our eyes turn upward yet again and we see the vast expanse of space, the innumerable stars, planets, and galaxies, stretched out before us for more than 15,000,000,000 light years, and enlarging its borders faster than we could ever hope to keep up. We will never get to the end of it.

This, in a nutshell, is what it is to find ourselves lost in the depths of Christ. The more we know of Him, the less we realize we know.

Source: Lord of All by Chip Brogden

How to Be the Church In Your Community

By Jeremy Myers 1 Comment

Share this Post:

7

It is popular today for people to say, “Don’t go to church; BE the church.” Everybody nods their heads at this, but few actually know what it means or how to truly “be the church.” With this post, Sam Riviera is starting a series of posts on how to be the church in your community. If you have ever wondered how to be the church in your community, you don’t want to miss a post. I will try to put one up each Monday for the next several weeks.

---

When most people in our culture think of church, what comes to mind?
Most people think of church as a location with buildings and property, or as an organization. When asked about our relationship with “church”, people usually ask us  “Where do you go to church?”, “What church do you belong to?” or “Where is your church”?
While that understanding of church is common, my wife and I think of church as “those people who  follow Jesus.” For some, that may include properties, buildings, programs, staff, and all the other accouterments that go with the organizational, institutional understanding of church. For some of us, it does not.
While we find it important to gather with other believers to share the common hope we have in Jesus, we do not limit that to the organizational, institutional scenario.  We try to “be the church” in the community – every single day.

What Does It Look Like To “Be The Church In The Community”?

As we proceed through this series, I will give various examples of what this looks like for us and encourage you to share examples of what this looks like for you in your community. None of these examples are intended to be a model for you to follow. Instead, they are only instances that will not only help us to dream of what it looks like to be the church in our communities, but also help us to live out our calling to follow Jesus in our communities.

A Day in the Life of Being the Church

What does a typical day  of “being the church in the community” look like for us? I doubt that there is such a thing for us as a typical day, but I will describe what it looked like for us today.
After spending the morning on jury duty, I came home and changed to go running. First, however, I watered plants and pulled weeds for a neighbor who is out of town. Then I talked with another neighbor whose wife recently left him. I invited him to our upcoming block party.
After running, I talked to another neighbor about some details for the upcoming block party that she is helping us organize, then greeted another neighbor, a widow who told me her phones had not worked for two days and she could not call anyone because she had also lost her cell phone. A couple of hours later, we had determined that there was a problem with her phone system, and had found her cell phone so she could report the problem with her landline to her landline provider.
After my wife came home from work we walked through our neighborhood before leaving for our evening class. We greeted several neighbors, then drove to class. After class, we discovered a backpack in the parking lot next to our car. We opened it (No, it didn’t explode) and found a driver’s license, credit card and other personal items for a person vacationing from out of the area. With the help of a friend who has a smart phone app that found a phone number for the address on the driver’s license, we reached the owner of the backpack and arranged for her to pick up her backpack.

It Takes Nothing Big to Be the Church.

As you can see, nothing about our day would be material for a book or a mini series. It would never be  the sermon illustration for a mega-church sermon. Yet we see days like this as a somewhat typical day of being the church in the community.
To be the church, all we do is keep our eyes and ears open to the people around us, and try to show them love in whatever way we can.

To be the church, all we do is keep our eyes and ears open to the people around us, and try to show them love in whatever way we can.

In future posts we will look at various other ways we have sought to be the church in the community, will give examples of other people we know who are being the church in their communities, and will encourage you to give examples from your experience.

Do you seek “great things for yourself"? Seek them not.

Seek Them Not

By Mark Alan Williams And do you seek great things for yourself ? Seek them not . . . ~ Jeremiah 45:5a (ESV)
READING: Jeremiah 45:1-5
Who would want to endure a major failure, a terrible national disaster or a “plucking up” of what has been planted (Jer. 45:4)? Such was the situation that kept Baruch, Jeremiah’s secretary, awake at night constantly groaning. Yuck! That situation would make me groan, too. I struggle to handle failures, set-backs and disasters. I long for accomplishment, admiration, and success. Don’t you?
It is so easy to focus on the wrong thing. But God had an important message for Baruch and for us. God wants us to focus on what is of greatest importance.
What should we seek? We must seek only to know Jesus and to please Him – that alone – whether it brings what people consider success or even failure.
The Apostle Paul briefly recounted his great “successes” in Philippians 3. But his point was not his personal greatness; it was the triviality of all human accomplishments, when compared to knowing Jesus. His conclusion was: “But Christ has shown me that what I once thought was valuable is worthless. Nothing is as wonderful as knowing Christ Jesus my Lord. I have given up everything else and count it all as garbage. All I want is Christ and to know that I belong to him” (Phil. 3:7 – 9a CEV).
Church planting leader, do you seek “great things for yourself”? Seek them not. And don’t seek failure and disaster either. Neither of these should be our aim.
If success is our goal, we will end up with “garbage,” even if we are “successful.” If knowing and pleasing Christ is our goal, we will be filled with His love, peace, assurance, hope, joy, comfort and grace. That is true greatness and success.
Lord, Help me focus on the right goal, which is You. Help me to seek You first and know You intimately. Amen.
Dynamic Church Planting International (DCPI) “Equips Leaders to Plant 5 Million Churches Worldwide.” Learn more

The most effective evangelistic tool for reaching the world is the planting of new churches.

It's Time to Plant!

By Sam Douglass There is a time for everything, and a season for every activity under heaven: a time to be born and a time to die, a time to plant and a time to uproot . . . ~ Ecclesiastes 3:1, 2
READING: Esther 4
As church planters, now is the time to plant! The world cries out for the gospel and we have found that the most effective evangelistic tool for reaching the world is the planting of new churches. Here at DCPI, we know that “today is the day of salvation” and now is the time to plant.
On the local scene it behooves the planter to be sensitive to God’s timing.“In the fullness of time” it will come to pass. Just like Queen Esther, you have come to your location for a “time such as this.” Pray today for an extra measure of sensitivity to God’s Spirit as to the timing and pacing of events in your church plant. There is a sense of God’s timing that is ideal for every situation.
Jesus had an uncanny sense of timing in all that he did. He knew when to speak and when to be silent. And when he spoke, He knew what needed to be said, whether words of rebuke, exhortation, hope or comfort. There is a time for everything. Ask God for wisdom to know when to speak, what to speak and His timing for the next step as you lead your church plant.
Father, Today I ask for wisdom and sensitivity to your timing as I lead my flock.Teach me when to speak and when to be silent; when to sit still and when to step up. Please show me the next step in the church planting process. Thank you for hearing my prayers, in the name of the One who had perfect timing and perfect words in every situation. Amen. 

Dynamic Church Planting International (DCPI) “Equips Leaders to Plant 5 Million Churches Worldwide.” Learn more

In church planting, it’s easy to let our service for Christ distract us from Christ.

Distractions

By Jim Carpenter A woman named Martha welcomed him into her house. And she had a sister called Mary, who sat at the Lord’s feet and listened to his teaching. But Martha was distracted with much serving. And she went up to Him and said, “Lord, do you not care that my sister has left me to serve alone? Tell her then to help me.” But the Lord answered her, “Martha, Martha, you are anxious and troubled about many things, but one thing is necessary. Mary has chosen the good portion,which will not be taken away from her. ~ Luke 10:39b-42 (ESV)
READING: Luke 10:38-42
Jesus came to visit His friends Martha and Mary (sisters of Lazarus). Mary honored Christ by sitting at His feet, while Martha worked hard to prepare an elaborate meal. But Martha became agitated and complained to Jesus, expecting Him to make her sister help her.
Jesus answered Martha lovingly, but firmly. She was upset by many things, He said, but only one thing was truly important – the thing Mary had chosen.
In church planting, it’s easy to let our service for Christ distract us from Christ. The word “distract,” used only here in the New Testament, means to “turn aside,” to stir up and confuse.
Worry distracts us from worship. Martha’s worry kept her from truly honoring Christ. Looking at others distracts us from looking at Christ. Poor Martha’s resentment of her sister kept her from enjoying Jesus. Dabbling in many things distracts us from the “one thing.” Martha did many things, but she missed Mary’s one thing – spending time in the presence of Christ.
Don’t let your hard work in serving Jesus distract you from the intimacy of your worship and fellowship with the Lord.
Jesus, Help me always to begin where Mary did – at Your feet – before I rise to serve You. Amen. 
Dynamic Church Planting International (DCPI) “Equips Leaders to Plant 5 Million Churches Worldwide.” Learn more

Giving in Secret

“When you do a charitable deed, do not let your left hand know what your right hand is doing."
MATTHEW 6:3

Jesus did not advocate anonymous charity in order to make us paranoid or fearful of being caught doing a good deed. He did it to liberate us, to enlarge us, to help us experience the pure joy of a no-strings-attached gift, to ensure we would not become proud, and very importantly, to prevent others from rewarding, manipulating, regulating, or expecting us to give to them on a continual basis apart from His direction.
He understood how easily people, even with the best of intentions, make value judgments of others based on material possessions. He obviously didn’t want that to be the case among His people.
Source: The Church in the Wilderness by Chip Brogden

Reduced to Christ

“He who establishes us with you in Christ and has anointed us is God.”
2 CORINTHIANS 1:21

If we have Him then we have everything that is in Him already. If only we can get less of everything else, there will be more of Him revealed! With less of me there will be more of Him.
Jesus said that “only One Thing is needed,” but like Martha, we have become troubled over “many things” (Luke 10:40-42). When those many things are discarded, and we are decreased, then we are free to focus our attention on the One Thing that really matters, and Christ is increased in us. This is why we say that spiritual growth is not more knowledge or increase of years; it is simply more of Him and less of me. He increases as I am decreased. This is what it means to be a disciple. This is how Christ becomes preeminent over us individually. It does not happen all at once, but over the process of many temptations, tests, trials, and a fair amount of suffering. I call it being reduced to Christ.
Source: Embrace the Cross by Chip Brogden

 

No church plant will be successful if the testimony of the leadership is lacking.

Fully Prepared for Every Good Work

By Ron Thiesen Do not be hasty in the laying on of hands . . . ~ I Timothy 5:22a
READING: I Timothy 3:1-7
Churches are raised up by people who have been discipled or mentored (“Fully prepared for every good work” II Tim. 3:17). It is too often the case that we are disappointed by someone that has not measured up to our expectations. We place them in a church planting leadership position before they are ready. We get discouraged sometimes when we have to start over. We should be aware that a disciple is someone who has achieved a measurable level of maturity in the standards that the Lord Jesus set forth for his disciples.
What are those standards and what are the characteristics that must be present for a person to be released to head up a church plant? In my experience in the Amazon, three broad qualifications must be present and growing in a church planting pastor in order to expect their church plant to have success.
A disciple must have the proper godly motivation. There are so many different motivations that we see in church leadership, especially in those who have not been tested. Some unworthy motivations, among others, are an opportunity for a salary or a desire for respect and authority instead of the rejection that they grew up with.
They must be of proven character. No church plant will be successful if the testimony of the leadership is lacking. They must have a level of maturity and stability that new believers can count on explicitly.
They must have credibility, which includes knowledge of the Word and an ability to positively influence their congregation of all ages.
Heavenly Father, Help me to be wise in choosing church planting pastors. Forgive me for expecting too much from those who are not yet ready. Teach me how to develop good traits in promising young leaders. Amen.
Dynamic Church Planting International (DCPI) “Equips Leaders to Plant 5 Million Churches Worldwide.” Learn more

Everyone Won't, But Somebody Will

“He who overcomes, and keeps My works until the end, to him I will give power over the nations.”
REVELATION 2:26

The Remnant is not an exclusive, elitist circle of super-spiritual saints. Not at all. The promises are made to the “whosoevers.”

Anyone can be a friend of God! Anyone can overcome! But we know that everyone will not. Why won’t they? I wish I knew why, I wish I could explain it, but I cannot explain it, and I just know it is a fact that everyone will not go on with God. We know it from history, we know it from looking around us right now. Everyone is not going to press into God, everyone is not going to seek His Kingdom, everyone is not going to lay down their life and follow Jesus. Not that they CANNOT, but they WILL NOT.

Anyone can, everyone won’t (in fact, a large majority will not), but SOMEBODY will. That group of “somebodies” who will is the Remnant.

Source: Embrace the Cross by Chip Brogden

» Like this? Post your comments...

MAKE A FRESH START WITH GOD

Make A Fresh Start With God

by Chip Brogden

Occasionally people write in to ask me for advice because they are worried that they are not really saved. I do not try to convince them that something they did in the past was sufficient; I simply have them make a fresh surrender, and then the question of being saved is settled once and for all.

Read the rest of this article:
http://theschoolofchrist.org/articles/make-a-fresh-start-with-god.html

The Potter's House

“You are our Father; we are the clay, and You are our potter.”
ISAIAH 64:8 ESV

I went to a pottery once and watched the potter form a lump of clay into a jar. He demonstrated the technique and in his skilled hands the jar began to take shape. But there was something about it that was not quite right, something was a little off. I didn’t see anything wrong with it, but the potter did. So he just crushed the whole thing back into a shapeless lump like it was no big deal and started again.

Notice that he did not throw the lump away and say the lump was no good. Nor did he blame the lump for not turning out correctly. Nor did he get angry, frustrated, or upset. It was just easier for him to start over with the lump and work with it until it was perfect.

Well, that was encouraging to me! The lump really couldn’t do anything to help itself get any better, or make itself more worthy. It was just a lump, yielded to the potter’s hands.

Source: Embrace the Cross by Chip Brogden

An Exchanged Life

“It is no longer I who live, but Christ who lives in me.”
GALATIANS 2:20

Most of us are still trying to attain something and have not yet realized that we have already obtained it. We wear ourselves out in order to be Christ-like. We are hoping that through much effort we will one day reach some standard to which we can finally say we are living like Jesus. But this is not God’s way.

It is not a changed life that God seeks from you, but an exchanged life – that is, your life is to be given up in exchange for His Life. That is the exchanged Life: my life for His Life.

Source: Embrace the Cross by Chip Brogden

 

The church planting pastor must daily fight the pull of the flesh with the weapons of the Spirit: confession, prayer, faith, and the Word of God.

Declaration of War

By Del Loy And from the days of John the Baptist until now the kingdom of heaven suffers violence, and the violent take it by force. ~ Matthew 11:12 (NKJV)
READING: Matthew 11:1-19
Jesus tells us here that the kingdom of God can only become a reality through violence. Planting a new church takes for God what previously belonged to the Devil; and souls are not won easily. But the soul of the planter is the most critical battleground for the new church.
Paul instructs us in Romans 8:13, “For if you are living according to the flesh, you must die; but if by the Spirit you are putting to death the deeds of the body, you will live.” While putting the Devil in his place is important, he is not our greatest threat. Jesus promised the gates of Hades cannot prevail against the church (Matt. 16:18), but many well trained and educated church planters have fallen victim to the weakness of their own flesh.
Peacetime Christian servants will be ill-prepared for their inward battles as they seek to advance the kingdom of God. The deeds of the flesh will wage war to keep the planter from being the leader the task demands. Doubt, unbelief, timidity, pride, vanity, exhaustion, confusion, temptation, lust – all works of the flesh – raise their ugly heads to weaken the planter and kill the church.
Only by the Holy Spirit can we put to death sinful deeds. The church planting pastor must daily fight the pull of the flesh with the weapons of the Spirit: confession, prayer, faith, and the Word of God (Ephesians 6). A cleansed and confident church planter cannot be beaten!
Father in heaven, Give me courage to fight the impulses that surge within me. Cast down any sinful stronghold and deliver me from the chains of sin. Today, I claim victory over my flesh, and declare freedom in the Spirit of Christ. Amen! 
Dynamic Church Planting International (DCPI) “Equips Leaders to Plant 5 Million Churches Worldwide.” Learn more

When to break fellowship 3

Hi all,

Last week I shared the perspective that breaking off fellowship with another Christian, if done correctly, is merely a response to THEIR breaking off fellowship with the Lord in some area of their life. Anything we must do in the natural to limit our contact with them is the unfortunate result of their actions.

 

What NOT to do

A woman who was a student at the Bible school where I was Director, came to me for advice. A family had left the church she attended and the pastor from the pulpit told everyone that family had demonic problems and he was forbidding anyone from talking to them, because it was not God's will that they leave his church.

 

She worked with the wife in that family and saw her every day. She wasn't aware of any demonic problems, but they had left the church due to constant pressure and infighting. The student told me she didn't feel right about what the pastor said, but still....she wondered. I told her to ignore her pastor, start looking for another church, and be the best friend she could be to that woman.

 

How many of us when involved with a church thought we had made life-long friends, only to discover after we leave the church our 'friend's want nothing to do with us - our 'friendship' was totally dependent on us going to the same church? How sad, and not necessarily a reason to break off fellowship.

 

Knock these off the list of reasons why

Over the last 2 weeks I've shared scripture that says it isn't right to break fellowship with someone over their belief in what day to worship, nor their diet or drink. And though it says we discuss opinions, the discussion should never become an argument, so differences of opinion aren't valid reasons though you may get to the point with someone all they want to do is push their 'pet' doctrine or argue - then for self-preservation you may have to limit contact.

 

Going back 1 and 2 weeks, the person we are considering breaking fellowship with has lost sight of the fact they are accountable first and foremost to the Lord. They forget they must prove their own faith, they lose sight of the fact we have attempted to be at peace with them, but not to the point we come to ruin, and they've lost sight of the fact they must recover themselves from their situation - we can try to help, but they must summon up the courage and backbone and take charge of their life, spiritual life and natural life.

 

If they won't do these things, we have to move on with our life. We can only run after them that 1 extra mile, only let them slap us 1 extra time, only give them 1 coat - for we too are accountable to the Lord, and we too must prove our own way, and we too must live in peace, and we too must recover ourselves out of our situations.

 

But what about the 'big reasons'?

Remember, I lead a house church network. But that is the exact context of the whole of the New Testament, for the writers of the New Testament were house church leaders, writing to people in house church, so the context of the New Testament must be understood from the living room perspective, not the auditorium.

 

So when Paul wrote I Corinthians 5 about how they should have dealt with the man having a sexual relationship with his step mother, it means that this man was sitting in Justus' house*, having meals together as house church does, having the Lord's Supper with everyone else - and they all knew of his sin but did not confront him. (*Acts 18:7)

 

Paul said "...and you are proud and arrogant! And you ought to be in sorrow and shame, until the man who has done this thing is removed from your fellowship and your midst! v2

 

Now THAT is a reason for breaking fellowship. But remember what I said last week about how Jesus handled people who wouldn't follow Him - He didn't run after them, and in fact it was they who stepped away from following Him. So any action the body would have to take would only be a confirming act of the stepping away from the Lord the person already did. Don't let them blame you for their own failings.

 

The man in I Corinthians 5 was evidently a Spirit-filled, tongue talking, water baptized, believer in Jesus - he just had a seriously dysfunctional family and an equally serious problem with lust. Sexual sin in particular is mentioned in scripture as a reason to break fellowship, in part, because it endangers everyone.

 

Why is this sin listed so often?

Paul went on to tell the Corinthians in the very next verses:

"I wrote you in my previous letter not to associate (closely and habitually) with unchaste (impure, sexually immoral) people. Not meaning of course that you must altogether shun the immoral people of this world, or the greedy graspers and cheats and thieves or idolaters, since otherwise you would need to get out of the world and human society altogether!"

 

But now I write to you not to associate with anyone who bears the name of Christian if he is known to be guilty of immorality or greed, or is an idolater (whose soul is devoted to any object that usurps the place of God), or is a person with a foul tongue (railing, abusing, reviling, slandering), or is a drunkard or a swindler or a robber. No, you must not eat with such a person." I Corinthians 5:9-11 Amplified Version

 

The first instruction had to do with 'fornication'. I'll look at the other things he lists next week - verbally abusive, reviling, slandering, drunks, dishonest in business, and thieves.

 

Paul said to break fellowship with someone living in sexual sin. The reason I say living in that sin and not a one time or sporadic sin, is because the man in Corinth had an ongoing relationship with his step-mother, ongoing to the point the whole house church knew about it.

 

The word translated 'fornication' is mentioned 15 times in the KJV epistles as something believers should avoid. It is listed as a work of the flesh and a characteristic of an unsaved person and lifestyle. So why is 'fornication' so important that Paul and others say we should have no fellowship with someone in that sin?

 

The word 'fornication' in Greek is 'porneia' or 'pornos', and means 'illicit sexual intercourse'. Let me explain the difference between adultery and fornication. In Matthew 5:28 Jesus defined adultery as a fantasy, of the imagination and thought process. Fornication is the physical consummation of the imagination.

 

First century temple worship included the making of offerings to a god and then sealing the offering by having sex with a temple prostitute. If you wanted your livestock to make lots of baby sheep and goats, then you made a meat (animal) offering and had sex with a temple prostitute, hoping by your sex act to inspire the god to stir the animals to mate- the same went for blessing crops, a business deal you hoped would lead to increase, and so on. I go into more detail in my 'Jezebel Spirit' series it helps define what the 'Jezebel spirit' really is.

 

Paul directly addresses sex with temple prostitutes in I Corinthians 6:13-18: "Meats for the belly, the belly for meats. But God will destroy them both. The body is not for fornication, but for the Lord. And the Lord for the body. And God has raised up the Lord by His power, and will raise us up as well (to eternal life). Don't you know your bodies are the members of Christ? Shall I then take the members of Christ and make them members of a prostitute? God forbid. Don't you know he that is joined to a prostitute is one body? For two He said, shall be one flesh. But he that is joined to the Lord is one Spirit."

 

Best Case Scenario  

The act of sex is the physical consummation of a covenant made in the heart between a man and woman, and this covenant as all ancient covenants are, is witnessed by God (in other cultures other deities), so that a man and woman can't be 'married' to each other in heart until and unless that covenant of the heart is witnessed and sworn before God and/or His representative. That means every time a husband and wife have intercourse, it is a confirmation of the covenant in their hearts.

 

To commit that act with another person you aren't first in covenant with, not only messes with the head and heart, it is the act of breaking the covenant with your spouse - or Christ if a single person. The offended spouse may acknowledge the covenant is broken and file for divorce. The mystery of the covenant of heart and physical consummation of that covenant is a type of Christ and the church, now mystically united by the Spirit, but one day we will see Him and be in His presence physically.

 

So fornication for a Christian is a slap in the face of Jesus, a breaking of covenant with Him worthy of breaking fellowship with that person. For a Christian to commit fornication it means they have broken covenant with their spouse and/or their walk with God - and that is why Paul in I Corinthians 5, James and Peter and the apostles in Acts 15, and elsewhere say not to fellowship with someone living a life of regular fornication.

 

The solution for them is a repentance that acknowledges the 4 elements I have mentioned the last 2 weeks: They must realize they are accountable to Jesus, just them and Him. They must realize they must walk out, prove, their faith. They must realize we have tried to be at peace with them, but their decision to live in continued sin forces us in our relationship to acknowledge the truth of their walking away from the Lord in this area. And they must realize they alone must recover themselves out of this snare of the enemy.

 

If someone is struggling with porn, do we fellowship with them? If they harbor fantasies about a person in (house) church to the point that other person(s) feel uncomfortable around them? That is why Paul said to the Corinthians when they wouldn't deal with the man; Don't you know a little yeast leavens the whole lump of dough?

 

That person may have to be separated if their personal battles become manifest so other people feel uncomfortable by wandering eyes or suggestive talk - that is a reason to confront them with the 4 elements above. Remember, they have first stepped away from growth in the Lord in this, forcing you to take action you don't want to take, but merely a reflection of decisions they've already made.

 

They may need to stay away from (house) church for a time, perhaps some personal ministry with another man if it is a man with the problem, or a woman if it is a woman - some personal mentoring time through the week as they walk out repentance and deliverance from lust, adultery, fornication until the body as a whole feel comfortable once again having them in their midst.

 

I've run out of space this week...more next week!       

       Blessings,

        John

www.cwowi.org and email me at cwowi@aol.com

 

 

New CD/MP3 Series:

(2 cd/MP3, $12/set or MP3 $10)
When Jesus Disciplines Christians: How & Why

Paul said if we judge ourselves we won't be judged of the Lord, but if we are judged by the Lord it is so we won't be condemned with the world. How does the Lord judge us? What are the ways He uses to get our attention that we should judge ourselves in an area? Would He make something private known to others? Is His judgment always harsh, or are there increments of judgment with increasing insistence from Him that we judge ourselves? All these questions and more will be answered in this 2 cd/MP3 series, and will give insight into the Lord's efforts to get us to grow up, clean up, and be all we can be in Him!