Exhortation to Gospel Workers

Some of you may wonder, "Jerry, why this?" Well, the writer may seem to be "doing an 'over-kill'(?)", but I didn't mind. It was a reminder that I surely must fail or forget how valuable our time and opportunity is. If we "read it right"...it should be an encouragement (for us) to keep on putting forth our very best effort...

"The elders which are among you I exhort." (I Pet. 5:1.)

I am simply using this text for a starting point. My purpose is to exhort that class of Gospel Workers who are fully given up to the work of the Lord. To exhort, means to "urge strongly to good deeds by words of advice." This, of course, gives me license to branch out on several subjects. The first fact I want to remind you about is that you have been set apart from secular labor for the specific work of the ministry. First, to lead souls to Christ. Second, to feed the flock of Christ, and instruct them in the way of the Lord. This is the highest calling under the sun.

In being set free from secular labor and not having your mind contaminated therein, you are expected of God to live a far more devout life than your brethren in the ordinary walk of life.

"You are not only to live an ordinary holy life, but strive to attain to the highest pinnacle of Christian perfection, and imitate God in all of your actions to the uttermost of your ability."

You are also expected of God to devote yourself to every kind of virtue; to aspire after everything holy and pious and to please God in the highest and most perfect manner. Since you are fully set apart from secular labor, there is no excuse for you not imitating the most eminent saint that ever lived; for God has set you free and given you time to pray, fast, search the scriptures and meditate in holy books. You are not a whit behind the chief apostle for long seasons of prayer, long fasts, much time in searching the Word and seeking after souls."

You should do everything as the servant of God, and live everywhere as in his presence, remembering that it is never allowable to throw any time away. "Idleness is the parent of all vice." It paved the way for King David's downfall. "You must also remember at all times, in all places, at all occasions, and in the use of all things, you are to act like a holy man, the mouth-piece of God, and the watchman on Zion's holy hill."

You should study God's word and aim to be as well equipped therein as the attorney does in law, the physician in medicine, and the musician in music. The astronomer gazes upon the stars of heaven until he drops dim-eyed into the grave. The miser spends all of his energy grasping for another mite. The physician and the attorney grow gray-headed pondering their books and briefs, striving to excel. But the man of God goes into the pulpit to face immortal souls, and combat with all of the powers of hell, with but little prayer and preparation. Is there any wonder that sinners and hypocrites are not awakened, convicted and brought to God?

Let us take a brief retrospect and see the Holy fathers getting ready for the fray. See the Son of God in the mountain praying all night. See John Wesley pleading with God in prayer for immortal souls until his face shone like an angel. Behold Fletcher praying and groaning until the walls of his study are damp with the moisture from his breath. Remember John Welch the holy Scotch preacher who counted the day ill spent if he did not spend eight or nine hours in prayer.

Hear him exclaiming to his wife: "Oh, woman, I have the souls of three thousand to answer for and I know not how it is with many of them!" Reader, "Sigh and grieve that you are so ready for laughter and dissipation and so unready for weeping and so inconsiderate in speech, so unable to keep silent, so undisciplined in manner, so impetuous in action, so greedy for food, so deaf to the word of God, so unwilling to suffer and so eager for consolation, so anxious to finish devotion, so wandering in attention, so often making good resolutions, so seldom bringing them to good effect. "Think what it may mean to some soul for you to give the wrong advice, set the wrong example or leave the wrong impression for a single hour." "Think how holily departed souls would live if they had your chance on earth again."

Think what degree of holiness you will wish for at the river of death.

Heavenly Wonder

"And I heard a great voice out of heaven saying, Behold, the tabernacle of God is with men, and he will dwell with them, and they shall be his people, and God himself shall be with them, and be their God. And God shall wipe away all tears from their eyes; and there shall be no more death, neither sorrow, nor crying, neither shall there be any more pain: for the former things are passed away." Revelation 21:3,4

I often think of how wonderful Heaven will be for us. We will no longer shed tears, see death, feel sorrowful, or ache with pain any longer. But best of all, We will see Jesus as He really is! And in His presence we will live forever!

In Heaven, we will completely come to understand how in every thing, God worked for our good here on earth. Those little puzzle pieces of life will finally be put together for us to visualize, and we will praise God for all His dealings with us.

No eye has seen nor any ear heard the wonderful things God has prepared for those who love Him.

What might boggle our mind more than anything else is the fact that sinners like us are going to be there too! But our Savior assures us through His Word, that "Whosoever believes in Him shall not perish, but have everlasting life."

It is incredible that God has given us the gift of eternal life with Him in Heaven. We certainly don't deserve such a gift as this ~ we never will! Only by God's undeserved love, His amazing grace, have we come to faith and received Heaven as our eternal home. So, now, as His children on earth, we joyfully live for Him before we live with Him that very special day, in our wonderful, heavenly home.

May we give thanks to God for His open door to that mansion in the sky!

Settled Relationship

"At that day ye shall ask in My name . . ." "The Father Himself loveth you." (John 16:26, 27)

"At that day ye shall ask in My name," i.e., in My nature. Not --- "You shall use My name as a magic word," but --- "You will be so intimate with Me that you will be one with Me." "That day" is not a day hereafter, but a day meant for here and now. "The Father Himself loveth you" - the union is so complete and absolute. Our Lord does not mean that life will be free from external perplexities, but that just as He knew the Father's heart and mind, so by the baptism of the Holy Ghost He can lift us into the heavenly places where He can reveal the counsels of God to us.

"Whatsoever ye shall ask the Father in My name. . . ." "That day" is a day of undisturbed relationship between God and the saint. Just as Jesus stood unsullied in the presence of His Father, so by the mighty efficacy of the baptism of the Holy Ghost, we can be lifted into that relationship - "that they may be one, even as We are One."

"He will give it you." Jesus says that God will recognize our prayers. What a challenge! By the Resurrection and Ascension power of Jesus, by the sent-down Holy Ghost, we can be lifted into such a relationship with the Father that we are at one with the perfect sovereign will of God by our free choice even as Jesus was. In that wonderful position, placed there by Jesus Christ, we can pray to God in His name, in His nature, which is gifted to us by the Holy Ghost, and Jesus says - "Whatsoever ye shall ask the Father in My name, He will give it you." --- The sovereign character of Jesus Christ is tested by His own statements.

The Unforgiving Debtor

Matthew 18:23

This parable teaches two great fundamental truths rejected by a great percentage of modern Christendom.

1. Our forgiveness from God is conditional and continuously so.

2. Eternal torment. This parable of our Lord was given in response to the question of Peter, "Lord how oft shall my brother sin against me and I forgive him? 'Til seven times?" But Jesus said unto him, "I say not until seven times but until seventy times seven. " Seven is the perfect number, and ten signifies completeness. So our forgiveness must be the equivalent of perfection times completeness times perfection again. In other words, no end to it. No man can become a Christian and find forgiveness if he refuses to forgive everyone else. Likewise, anyone who starts holding a grudge in his heart against someone after he obtains forgiveness, forfeits his own from God. He does not need to commit murder, blasphemy or adultery. Just refuse to forgive. While it is true in a judicial sense that forgiveness cannot be complete until the offending party repents and asks for it, yet Jesus says, "When you stand praying, if you have ought against any, forgive." The word servants in this parable comes from the Greek word doulos which means literally a slave, or possibly a bondservant. His debt of 10,000 talents, if of gold would be about $67,000,000.00 If of silver $4,422,000.00. There was just no way a slave or bondservant completely dependent upon his master could ever pay such a sum, excluding forever the possibility that the merchantman of Matthew 13 were sinners and that the pearl they bought was Christ. His earthly lord knew that he could not pay, and that even if his wife and children were sold into bondage it would not begin to pay the debt. So moved with compassion he forgave him the whole debt. It appears that the very next thing he did was take his fellow servant by the throat who owed him seventeen dollars and demand payment. When he begged for mercy, instead of having compassion, he cast him into prison. Read it carefully. His pardon was rescinded. The old debt was brought back against him again, and he was delivered to the tormentors 'til he should pay all. When could this be? Never! If he could not pay sixty or seventy million dollars when free, he could certainly pay nothing when bound. End of parable.

Then Jesus turns to His own disciples and speaks literal truth to them and to us still answering Peter's question of verse 21. "And thus shall your Heavenly Father do to every one of you that forgiveth not his brother their trespasses." If some will twist the scriptures to seek to make them harmonize with their own preconceived notions, to make them support the unscriptural idea that our standing with God is unconditional, I dare not.

Our forgiveness of others is so important and basic, that it is included in the model prayer. "Father forgive us as we forgive," and "for we forgive everyone that is indebted to us."

Riches Have Wings

"Labor not to be rich: cease from thine own wisdom. Wilt thou set thine eyes upon that which is not? For riches certainly make themselves wings; they fly away as an eagle toward heaven."
Proverbs 23:4-5

People, in their search for security, eventually find out nothing is forever. Money being spent for pleasure, and even daily needs, is soon gone.

People put their money into what they believe to be sound investments, such as stocks, bonds, real estate, or they fill their safety deposit boxes with jewelry and cash. However, no investment, and no safety deposit place on earth is safe. Stock markets go down as business firms fail. Banks close their doors every day. And natural disasters wipe away the value of land and buildings.

We may look at investments as future security or burglar-proofed to common thieves, but time and death, the cleverest thief of all, take away the owners. And so, we end our days as we began them, with NOTHING!

Now I have to ask, How much wiser is the Christian who, through the love of Christ, is generous toward the Lord and invests time, talents, and treasures in that which will bring eternal dividends!?

Jesus tells us, "Lay not up for yourselves treasures upon earth, where moth and rust doth corrupt, and where thieves break through and steal: But lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust doth corrupt, and where thieves do not break through nor steal: For where your treasure is, there will your heart be also." Matthew 6:19-21

Be the Church

Last week in his sermon, brother Lewis said, “Instead of just going to church, we need to be the church.” AMEN… and again I say AMEN!!! Preach on, brother!

Too often, we get so caught up in going to church that we forget that we are the church. That is just one of the problems that arose when Christians started erecting special buildings to meet in. Before long, they started referring to the church building as the church. The church building is NOT the church. It is just a meeting place for the church.

Where is Jesus ?

The Church is NOT: a place to find Jesus...

Many of you won’t understand this one until I explain what I mean. If you can’t find Jesus in the church, where on earth are you going to find him?

As stated before, most people today think the church is a building or a denomination. That is a false assumption that creates many other false assumptions. Among other things, this leads people to mistakenly believe they have a life outside the church and another life within the church. They forget that people who have accepted the gospel message about Jesus are the church! The church is a living body with Christ as the head and heaven as the headquarters. It is impossible for a true believer to have a life outside the church and another life within the church.

Nevertheless, people try to separate their church life from their non-church life. If they want to share Jesus with their everyday friends and neighbors, they will invite those friends and neighbors to come to church with them. What are they forgetting? They are forgetting that they are the church. Jesus does NOT live in a "brick" building.

I’m going to pick on my own church (the group of Christians I fellowship with) to make my point. Our mission statement is: To bring people to Christ, build them up in the faith, and send them out to make a difference in the world. I was part of the eldership when we came up with this mission statement. I see now, though, that we got a portion of this statement wrong.

What could possibly be wrong with this statement?

God did NOT call us to "bring people to Christ". Read what Jesus says in what we now refer to as The Great Commission.

“All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. Therefore, GO and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit…” Mathew 28:18-19

The very first thing that Jesus instructs us to do is to GO. We are to go and make disciples. God did not call us to bring people to Jesus. God called us to take Jesus to the people. So, what’s the difference?

Modern-day Christians have spent millions and millions of dollars to build elaborate church buildings, and then they spend millions and millions of dollars to staff these elaborate buildings, and then they spend millions and millions of dollars and hours creating very detailed and spectacular worship programs. And then... they do their best to bring people to this place where Jesus is supposed to be – the worship service, in the church building.

Jesus may be in the building we meet in – but only because he came with the people who meet there. Jesus lives within his people – NOT within a building. Believe it or not, the preacher does NOT keep Jesus in a back room of the church building – and the preacher is NOT the only one who has access to Jesus.

In the Great Commission, Jesus said, “GO”, and that is exactly what the apostles and early Christians did. Modern-day Christians should do no less. Everywhere we go, we should be taking the gospel of Christ with us – and we should be sharing it with the people we come in contact with. That is what God called us to do.

That does not mean that we should try to cram Jesus down everyone's throat. That would not be very productive, would it? Rather, it should be plainly evident by the way we live, and by the things we do, and by the things we say that Jesus is with us. If Jesus really is with you, the people around you will see it and will want to know more about him.

When you get an opportunity to share the good news about Jesus Christ with someone – TAKE IT! Don’t lose or waste that opportunity. Most of us, though, when we have the opportunity to share Jesus with someone will think, “I need to invite him or her to come to our church building next Sunday morning.” We think we have to bring that person to Jesus. That is wrong!

The world is full of Sunday-morning Christians who leave Jesus at the church building every Sunday when they go home. DON’T leave Jesus at the church building. If you are a Christian, I challenge you to take Jesus everywhere you go – to work, to school, to sports events, to the coffee shop, to the sale barn, to the parts store, to a neighbor, to a friend, to a family member.

When you walk out of the building that our church meets in, you will see a sign above the door that says, “You are now entering the mission field.” What does this mean? Allow me to tell you what I think it means…

As saved believers in Christ, we need to come together on a regular basis to fellowship with one another, to pray with one another, to encourage one another, to study God’s word together, and to participate in the Lord’s Supper. Church meetings should provide an opportunity for Christians (saved believers) to get their batteries recharged – in preparation for the work ahead. When we leave these church meetings, we should take Jesus with us.

Our mission field is outside of the church meeting and outside of the church building. Jesus said, “GO and make disciples of all nations…” Whatever you’re a doin’, you should be a preachin’. The reason your church hires a preacher, or an associate minister, or a youth minister should NEVER be to do your job for you.

In conclusion, it seems that the church (saved believers) really is a place to find Jesus!

The Wellspring of Life

"Keep thy heart with all diligence: for out of it are the issues of life."
(Proverbs 4:23)

We are apt to regard our thoughts as fleeting and unimportant. As a result, we imagine that it matters very little what we think, as long as we say and do what is right. Yet, in the last analysis, everything depends on our initial thoughts.

Our thoughts are the products and proof of our character. But they are infinitely more than that! They are the very materials out of which our character, lives, and destinies are built. Evil thoughts mar and destroy. Good thoughts build up, encourage, elevate, and refine. What we shall be in the future is based on what we think today. For what we think today, provides the basis from which all our words and actions spring.

Above all, as Christ rules in our hearts, His radiance beautifies our thoughts. He enables us to lift our thoughts above all that is sinful and to keep them steadily in the presence of God. Paul had this in mind when he said, ". . . whatsoever things are true, whatsoever things are honest, whatsoever things are just, whatsoever things are pure, whatsoever things are lovely, whatsoever things are of good report; if there be any virtue, and if there be any praise, think on these things." Philippians 4:8

This is the peace that Christ earned for us by His death on the cross and that enters our hearts by faith in Him.

Guard your heart ~ for it is the wellspring of life.

"Create in me a clean heart, O God; and renew a right spirit within me."

What's the Purpose of Life?

People ask me, What is the purpose of life? And I respond: In a nutshell, life is preparation for eternity. We were made to last forever, and God wants us to be with Him in Heaven.

One day my heart is going to stop, and that will be the end of my body-- but not the end of me.

I may live 60 to 100 years on earth, but I am going to spend "trillions of years" in eternity. This is the warm-up act - the dress rehearsal. God wants us to practice on earth what we will do forever in eternity.

We were made by God and for God, and until you figure that out, life isn't going to make sense.

Life is a series of problems: Either you are in one now, you're just coming out of one, or you're getting ready to go into another one.

The reason for this is that God is more interested in your character than your comfort.

God is more interested in making your life holy than He is in making your life happy.

We can be reasonably happy here on earth, but that's not the goal of life. The goal is to grow in character, in Christ-likeness.

This past year has been the greatest year of my life but also the toughest, with my wife, getting cancer.

I used to think that life was hills and valleys - you go through a dark time, then you go to the mountaintop, back and forth. I don't believe that anymore.

Rather than life being hills and valleys, I believe that it's kind of like two rails on a railroad track, and at all times you have something good and something bad in your life.

No matter how good things are in your life, there is always something bad that needs to be worked on.

And no matter how bad things are in your life, there is always something good you can thank God for.

You can focus on your purposes, or you can focus on your problems.

If you focus on your problems, you're going into self-centeredness,'which is my problem, my issues, my pain.' But one of the easiest ways to get rid of pain is to get your focus off yourself and onto God and others.

We discovered quickly that in spite of the prayers of hundreds of thousands of people, God was not going to heal my wife or make it easy for her.

It has been very difficult for her, and yet God has strengthened her character, given her a ministry of helping other people, given her a testimony, drawn her closer to Him and to people.

You have to learn to deal with both the good and the bad of life.

Actually, sometimes learning to deal with the good is harder. For instance, this past year, all of a sudden, when our book sold 15 million copies, it made me instantly very wealthy.

It also brought a lot of notoriety that I had never had to deal with before. I don't think God gives you money or notoriety for your own ego or for you to live a life of ease.

So I began to ask God what He wanted me to do with this money, notoriety and influence. He gave me two different passages that helped me decide what to do, II Corinthians 9 and Psalm 72

First, in spite of all the money coming in, we would not change our lifestyle one bit. We made no major purchases.

Second, about midway through last year, I stopped taking a salary from the church.

Third, we set up foundations to fund an initiative we call The Peace Plan to plant churches, equip leaders, assist the poor, care for the sick, and educate the next generation.

Fourth, I added up all that the church had paid me in the 24 years since I started the church, and I gave it all back. It was liberating to be able to serve God for free.

We need to ask ourselves: Am I going to live for possessions? Popularity?

Am I going to be driven by pressures? Guilt? Bitterness? Materialism? Or am I going to be driven by God's purposes (for my life)?

When I get up in the morning, I sit on the side of my bed and say, God, if I don't get anything else done today, I want to know You more and love You better. God didn't put me on earth just to fulfill a to-do list. He's more interested in what I am than what I do.

That's why we're called human beings, not human doings.

Happy moments, PRAISE GOD.
Difficult moments, SEEK GOD.
Quiet moments, WORSHIP GOD.
Painful moments, TRUST GOD.
Every moment, THANK GOD.

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