Hope for the church. Only God’s Word.

From a blog. to read the whole blog go to:http://alienman.blogspot.com/

He is a pastor.

Congregations do not get any deader than the one to which Ezekiel preached. These folks weren’t simply apathetic; they were quite dead. They were so dead that they were even past rotten. They were dusty, dry bones. If you think that your church is a spiritual wasteland, imagine the view from Ezekiel’s exalted pulpit.

As Ezekiel beheld the desolation that was the House of Israel, the Lord queried him saying, “Can these bones live, Son of Man?” Look at the beauty of Ezekiel’s answer: he said, “Oh Lord God, you know.” In case you didn’t catch it, that’s prophetic code for, “I have no idea. You tell me.” Ezekiel did not know if these bones could live again, and he definitely didn’t know if they would live again. So instead of speculating and pontificating on possibilities, he simply said, “I don’t know, Lord, but you do.”

Notice what happens next: The Lord commands Ezekiel to prophesy to corpses. He did not bring them to life so that Ezekiel could speak to them. Note this carefully and let it sink into your spirit deeply until it changes how you view God’s Word and God’s work: God didn’t bring the bones to life so they could hear Ezekiel preach; God had Ezekiel preach so He could bring the bones to life.

In what way did the bones cooperate with this grace? What service did they perform? I can see no service that they rendered, nor can I see any trait that they manifested that God should do this great thing. What I see is a faithful man of God, preaching the very words of God to a bunch of dead bones, and as he prophesied, the bones began to come to life.

In my own denomination, the SBC, we have over 16 million members and about a third come to Sunday worship service and less the 15 percent attend Sunday evening service. Where are all the rest? Someone attempted to make an amendment for churches to clean up their rolls but the SBC want the prestige and political clout rather than to be honest. What a disgrace. Hurry Lord Jesus.

My name is Ricardo and I am from Guatemala City. I am a business man and I also serve in the local church. Reading your discussion reminds me the constant debate there is actually in the church (at least here in Guatemala). It shouldn´t be this way. I believe you are both right. We are called to both things: be saved and have a whole life. Wholeness in life is what makes the diferrence of us from the world, and I believe Jesus paid the price for both things at an equal basis.
I also struggled for a long time before I understood that working is a calling. And probably my deepest struggle was because I truly never felt the burden of leaving everything and go preach to dying world. I felt guilty because I thought I needed to feel that burden. But I didn´t, I instead I felt the burden, or need, to work very hard to produce money for the kingdom. Later I discovered that God put this call in me. I first thought I was being rebeliuos, but later, because of men like Michael Pink and others, I understood that working (which comes from the same word as worship), is a true ministry.
Hopefully there will soon be an understanding between marketplace ministers and curch ministers. We are all brothers and we shouln´t judge each other. We just have diferrent types of burdens towards the lost and diefferent perspectives of christianity (both right), but it should be for the purpose of us complementing each other and the benefit of the Kingdom.
Best

Given American culture’s greed and coming demise, it may be too late to bind up those woulnds. Harvest Laborers may have to settle for salvation first followed by a healthy dose of reality. The latter needs to emphasize that God is offended by the state of the institutional church and is returning to bless those who are True Believers and restore all things.

the greatest need is not salvation. It’s being made whole. Salvation is only 1 part of the equation and the doorway to a life in Christ. Once a person gets saved then their is the life long responsibility of the believer to get to know the Father as well as ministering to others.

Strongholds to bring down. Thoughts to confess. Beliefs to be crucified. Learning and practicing dying to self daily. Releasing ownership of one’s life. All this along with running a business, raising a family, meeting the needs of others.

Preaching only salvation to a lost and dying world, robs the unsaved of the marvelous life they can have and experience, along with becoming a new man, once they come to know the Saviour.

You said:

“But many Christians are too busy and wrapped up in our own situation to meet the needs of those that are hurting, and I am the chief sinner in that regard.”

Study Ecclesiastes. Solomon states that the Father has given us work to occupy our time. He also states in Proverbs that we should be diligent in our work and to work as much as we can.

Solomon even goes as far as telling us to study the ant and follow their example. Ants are continously working and building. So the Father wants all men to work and be of such an example to others that their efforts will be see by others.

The more others notice your skilled work, the more they will turn to you and that’s how you get to reach the lost at work.

Regardless of how others live is not your place to correct. They have their reward. If their lives displeased the Father he is quite capable of correcting them.

Remind yourself of John 21: 21-22. Here is where Peter wanted Jesus to tell him about John’s business with the Saviour. But what does Jesus tell Peter?

“Jesus saith unto him, If I will that he tarry till I come, what is that to thee? follow thou me.”

Meaning stop looking at what others are or are not doing and focus your whole attention on what tasks the Saviour has called you to do.

Michael has been called by the Father to teach us how to make a difference in the work place. Constantly putting down others on an open forum or correcting Mr. Pink publicly is shameful on your part and does not help.

It’s distracting and disrespectful to a brother who pours his life into making business men and women, like myself more effective for the Father’s use.

Because of men like Michael, Os Hillman, Zig Ziglar & etc. I am more equipped by their ministries to witness and excel in business. Before them I had no business people to look to for direction.

Working hard is not the problem. As Christians we are commanded to work as unto the Lord. We should be the best and most productive workers but we should also told my God to be His messenger where ever we are. Many times we let our circumstances control us instead of the Holy Spirit controlling us. At least that is my problem.

You Said:

“Binding up their wounds is the main reason we Christians are where we are. The greatest wound is a lost soul. But most of the time we are to busy chasing after the American dream, adding more stuff, to help those in need. The greatest need for most people is Christ. Only He can remove the heart of stone and replace it with a heart of flesh that will seek after Him.”

Condeming brothers and sisters in Christ, because they are hard workers, is wrong of you. Who are you to condem? Evidently you haven’t learned to forgive, but you got the condeming part down to a tee.

Remove that beam from your own eye.

Whenever I read Christians putting other Christians down, it’s usually because the one doing the putting down, doesn’t have what other Christians appeared to have.

Deep down they want it so bad, but due to their current station in life they can’t obtain it so they resort to a devilish tactic.

Let’s go about condeming believers. They try to place quilt on those who are busy working and building their lives.

What I also find amusing it that you think you have a handle on what the Father is doing all over the Earth.

You know Kern, I’ve read just about all your posts these past few months and you still don’t bring anything to the table that builds anyone up. Why is that?

Effective messengers of the gospel are sent by God. Speaking for Christ is not a merely human impulse. God blesses God-sent messengers of the gospel. But be careful here! Don’t say to yourself, “I am not sent, and so I will not speak.” Rather say, “Here I am, Lord, send me. Send me to an unreached people. Send me to that company. Send me to the urban neighborhoods of where I live. Send me across the street in my perishing suburb. Send me across the office. Send me to the telephone today. Send me across this room when the service is over.”

Yes, there is a divine calling and a sending that is more official and vocational - that is what I have as a vocational pastor of this church. That is what some of you will have. But there are more spontaneous, occasional callings and sending. If you have Christ within you, you will experience this. So let’s all pray for this to happen to us more and more: Lord here I am, send me. Open my mouth with the gospel. May many hear and believe and call on your name and be saved. Oh how beautiful on the mountains are the feet of the one who brings good news!