Does big equal best?

Why do we read the books of church leaders that have thousands of members on their lists? Did the leader create the faith that converted their souls? Do the numbers really mark success?

1 Corinthians 3:6-8,

"I planted the seed, Apollos watered it, but God has been making it grow. So neither the one who plants nor the one who waters is anything, but only God, who makes things grow. The one who plants and the one who waters have one purpose, and they will each be rewarded according to their own labor." 

Since church growth is of God, Pastors of small churches are no less faithful if the measure is the size of the congregation. Even if we could see the measure of Faith in the membership, that Faith is not the result of gifted speaking. Sermons, lessons and prayer are parts of ministry, but not the result of man's efforts.

Ephesians 2:8-10, 

"For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God: Not of works, lest any man should boast.
For we are His workmanship, created in Christ Jesus unto good works, which God hath before ordained that we should walk in them."

If the Faith that saves is not of works, then the rule applies to the church leader as well as to the individual believer. Why then does God choose to make some churches large and others tiny? While we are on the topic of God's moving among people, why are there a disproportional number of churches in one country versus the next?


Isaiah 29:16,
"Surely your turning of things upside down shall be esteemed as the potter's clay: for shall the work say of him that made it, He made me not? Or shall the thing framed say of him that framed it, He had no understanding?"

God works in the small and in the large. Jesus gathered for Himself, twelve, and one of them was a traitor. In the public ministry, Jesus had crowds measured in the thousands. Did these masses stay in Jesus's teaching?

John 6:63-68,
"It is the spirit that quickeneth; the flesh profiteth nothing: the words that I speak unto you, they are spirit, and they are life. But there are some of you that believe not. For Jesus knew from the beginning who they were that believed not, and who should betray him. And he said, Therefore said I unto you, that no man can come unto me, except it were given unto him of my Father. From that time many of His disciples went back, and walked no more with Him. Then said Jesus unto the twelve, Will ye also go away? Then Simon Peter answered Him, Lord, to whom shall we go? Thou hast the words of eternal life."

Jesus knew how the crowd would respond. He didn't go running after them crying, "Oops, I'm sorry, I didn't really mean that. Please come back." Jesus let them walk away, KNOWING they would never return. The heart of His disciples was his concern, not the numbers. Not everyone will believe, in fact the John passage shows The Father has a specific list, and "few the be that find it".

To the leader of a small group I write, (to myself as well) obey God, teach His Word and His Way. The Father will draw to Himself those that He chooses. 

Galations 6:9,
"And let us not be weary in well doing: for in due season we shall reap, if we faint not."

2 Thessalonians 3:13,
"But ye, brethren, be not weary in well doing."

We need the books written by leaders of the few, as well as the leaders of many.

I had a vision today, my father shaking hands with Miriam's dad. It would not be that unusual, in the past they have shaken hands, and there was no animosity between them. They likely agreed when Miriam and I were about to wed (Dec. 21, 1978) that we should have waited til we were more mature, more financially secure, and maybe out of college. Now thirty years later, well their concerns were rational but we have remained committed in love.

No, the uniqueness of these two Christian men shaking hands is tested in that Miriam's Dad died back in the early 1990's. My Dad died this morning. In full assurance and confidence, they are rejoicing in the presence of our Lord. I venture that they have few thoughts of us in our earthly doings. It isn't that they are heartless or cruel, but rather they have entered into the rest of our LORD and have left the trials, pains, and burdens of this life behind. Jesus has promised to "wipe away all tears". For them to leave behind sin and this sin filled world, God may have a way for them to cheer on those of us who are still running the race, but not be discouraged by sight or sound or ...marks of evil that are in abundance around (and in) us.

I have pondered that Jehovah is the master of time and eternity, so when we, those before us, and those to follow will step off the "Heaven Express" to arrive at the same station, same time, ready to join in the jubilee.

Dad was a farmer, electrician, mechanic, teacher, preacher, welder, father, husband, and outdoors sportsman. The Master Architect, Father God (of Abraham, Isaac, Jacob, Joseph, David, Solomon, Daniel...and a bunch of Westbrooks) has woven together an incredible and sometimes unrecognized bigger picture built from seemingly disjointed lives. In giving back to God, the people around us receive grace from the things HE has put in our hands, or made our hands to do. Love lived out by our skin and bones.

It was in one of those giving plans, that Dad got his ticket home. As farmers tend to do, one helps another by supplying what the other lacked, then in turn giving with what the second had. Brother lifting up brother. One of Dads hobbies involved collecting and rebuilding, and rebuilding, and rebuilding bulldozers (his cats). The project was somewhere that required a dozer being put on a truck with a "lowboy". In the steps of driving the dozer up, something went wrong. It fell off and rolled over. Dad was gone just like that.

I know where he is, and look forward to joining him, at a date not yet identified. His hope is in the Lord, my hope is in the Lord. The blood of Jesus was sought to purchase us back from Death and Hell. That is our only claim to allow us into "the joy of our Lord". Were Dad to be able to speak aloud to me, I'm sure he would say, "Come anytime, I'll be here, Our Father sends His love".

Why the book of Acts?

The book of Acts (of the Apostles) is a record of the transition from the age of the Law, to the age of Grace. Not that all rules went away, but actually a higher code where LOVE is the core. True Love is more than a feeling. It shapes everything into expression for the other and not centered on self. It demands REAL commitment.

When baking a cake, is it important if you use baking soda or baking power? They look essentially the same. Why should it matter? For those experienced in baking, they might be very aware, especially if they made such a mistake.

Getting into the book of Acts, we will find a time frame where the new order is mixed and confusing for some. There will be errors made, some small, some very large with catastrophic results. In reality, this was the arrival of a “New Age”. It might be like putting an assemble-yourself car together before anyone knew what a car was. Like unto the first cake ever baked. All the parts/ingredients are there, but it is all new with no example to follow.

The understanding of the book of Acts will invariably guide to what a present church should be and do. The mission and priorities of the Church as a local assembly (if it should be looked at, in that manner) and the Church as a total of all Christ followers (if it should be looked at, in that manner) has foundations in the book of Acts.

The question has been asked, “Have we faithfully modeled the design handed down to us by the Apostles, handed down to them by Christ Himself?” Many have answered, “No”, and created entities that are referred to as cults. A schism exists between large groups that say, “elements of Scripture: A, B, F, and L, are required to be defined as Church”. Another will demand A, B, G, E, and O, to be properly defined. Lively debate over the crucial elements have been going on for two centuries.

“Can we really know what is the truth?” Join in for the next quarter as we delve into the book of Acts, for an honest search of where we come from, why we are here, and where are we going?

Why do the heathen rage.

How many of us remember Salmon Rushdie and The Satanic Verses? His book caused so much uproar, that there were death contracts (not just threats) on his life forcing him to go into hiding. What deep, dark, heinous crime did he commit? His text suggested that the Koran was not absolute, that it might in fact have untruths in its pages. For that, the followers of Mohammed could not contain themselves, they cried out in “righteous indignation” for the blood of Rushdie.

Why are Christians less offended when the Bible is questioned? Are we cowards not to take up arms, or to charge the “infidel” screaming at the top of our lungs? The reasons for our restraint are in the character of our God and the instruction to the Church.

I have to start with who our God is and demonstrations of His nature. We are told in Exodus 33:19,

“And the LORD said, “I will cause all my goodness to pass in front of you, and I will proclaim my name, the LORD, in your presence. I will have mercy on whom I will have mercy, and I will have compassion on whom I will have compassion.”

Bottom In Deuteronomy 32:35,

“It is mine to avenge; I will repay. In due time their foot will slip; their day of disaster is near and their doom rushes upon them.”

He will bring greater destruction than is possible by us. He is watching and will mete out His fire on those who turn their backs to Him. Job 21:18,

“It is said, ‘God stores up the punishment of the wicked for their children.’ Let Him repay the wicked, so that they themselves will experience it!”

Jehovah is distinct from Allah (in so, so many ways) in that He owns vengeance but can show mercy to someone like Saul of Tarsus, who was not seeking Him, was cursing Him, and yet was found of Him.

The justice of Adonai is longsuffering. 2Peter 3:8-10,

“ But do not forget this one thing, dear friends: With the Lord a day is like a thousand years, and a thousand years are like a day. The Lord is not slow in keeping his promise, as some understand slowness. Instead he is patient with you, not wanting anyone to perish, but everyone to come to repentance. But the day of the Lord will come like a thief. The heavens will disappear with a roar; the elements will be destroyed by fire, and the earth and everything done in it will be laid bare.”

The argument for righteous wrath could be made from the case of Elijah and the five hundred prophets of Baal. Elijah personally delivered the deathblow to that crowd, should we not also be so bold? The difference is Elijah was acting on the rule of law that Israel was living under. Israel was to be an earthly kingdom, the commands were literally written in stone. The full Law of Moses called for the death penalty to those who go after other gods. Deuteronomy 18:20,

“But a prophet who presumes to speak in my name anything I have not commanded, or a prophet who speaks in the name of other gods, is to be put to death.”

And Leviticus 24:14-16,

“Take the blasphemer outside the camp. All those who heard him are to lay their hands on his head, and the entire assembly is to stone him. Say to the Israelites: ‘Anyone who curses their God will be held responsible; anyone who blasphemes the name of the LORD is to be put to death. The entire assembly must stone them. Whether foreigner or native-born, when they blaspheme the Name they are to be put to death.’ ”

Today Israel exists and they should hold the Law of Moses as their mandate. I am not Jewish, nor am I living in Israel. Those who are Jewish and live in Israel, aught to live by Moses Law. I myself, and most of my acquaintances, are Christians living in the United States of America. We live under the laws of this land, established by The Declaration of Independence, and The U.S. Constitution. Looking back on Lev. 24, note that the judgment is upon those within the congregation. Not for those who are without.

Jesus laid out the pattern for us in the current age. We will be brought before judges and councils for our Faith, as in Matthew 10:16-20,

“I am sending you out like sheep among wolves. Therefore be as shrewd as snakes and as innocent as doves. Be on your guard; you will be handed over to the local councils and be flogged in the synagogues. On my account you will be brought before governors and kings as witnesses to them and to the Gentiles. But when they arrest you, do not worry about what to say or how to say it. At that time you will be given what to say, for it will not be you speaking, but the Spirit of your Father speaking through you,”

Mark 13:9, has the same message. We are to allow ourselves to be quietly brought before evil rulers, but not retaliate. BottoRomans 14:11,

“For it is written, As I live, saith the Lord, every knee shall bow to me, and every tongue shall confess to God.”

And Philippians 2:11,

“And that every tongue should confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.”

We can rest assured that the day will come when ALL will stand before His Throne!

What if the tree fell the other way?

In a dream the other night, I was having some friends over to my house. Being a dream, some odd people were at this party. They were both former co-workers, but one is dead, and the other moved off to another part of the state. "M" is the one who died but was alive in the dream. "P" was the one who moved away.
"M" and I were pulling on some dead branches on a living tree. The branches broke off and fell but were logs instead of branches, they fell on "P"s car. "P" was sitting on the hood of the car, so the dead logs crushed the bumper...and "P's toes. For some reason, "P" got angry and pulled a revolver out of his boot holster. His intentions were clear that he wanted both "M" and I dead.

It wasn't about old grudges or past hurts, just a crisis brought on by my impetuous and not well thought out actions.

I woke up in a cold sweat, heart pounding. What came to mind were flashes of events that started by my foolishness, but had by grace fallen the other way. The tree in the dream fell the wrong way, crunching a car and nearly killed a man. Without revealing some past antics specifically (I plead the 5th), there were a number of situations where my initiation or complicity could ... well I knew guys in prison, who had done something that resembled my loonacy, but theirs went bad enough to have a Judge give them 5-7 years.

Please understand I did not always have malicious intent, however when the snowball starts rolling, it can go beyond the first action and end up catastrophic. I won't put any specifics in this paper, because (1) in the event that it involves others, I need to go to them and resolve face to face. Also (2) the statutes of limitations may not have expired.

Psalm 103:8-14, "The LORD is compassionate and gracious, slow to anger, abounding in love.
He will not always accuse, nor will He harbor his anger forever;
He does not treat us as our sins deserve or repay us according to our iniquities.
For as high as the heavens are above the earth, so great is His love for those who fear him; as far as the east is from the west, so far has He removed our transgressions from us.

As a father has compassion on his children, so the LORD has compassion on those who fear Him; for He knows how we are formed, He remembers that we are dust.

So many times I did not get what I deserved. Knowing this, I should make every comment, evaluation, and correction, knowing full well, I might be as guilty as any common criminal (in the thought process, if not in actuality). IT IS THE HOLY "BEER LAHAI ROI" (Gen 16) that sees our needs, and forgives our fault.

Also He has promised, Psalm 19:13, "Keep back thy servant also from presumptuous sins; let them not have dominion over me: then shall I be upright, and I shall be innocent from the great transgression."

I know that there were times when it was Heavenly guardians, that prevented my movement toward sin, and they cut me off. I had the desire for evil, but thankfully, things were not where they were supposed to be, or that quiet place suddenly had crowds.

Some day when the saints of God surround His throne, we may find out how MANY-MANY times Jehovah comes to protect us from our foolishness, when we never knew. I was/am a foolish person that the True and Living God answered my prayers to keep me away from presumptuous sins.

I pray that you will not pursue foolishness, or if you do, God will send angels for our own good, just like Baalim riding his donkey met a flaming sword. By grace, he was allowed to see the weapon of death, before it fell on him.

Fighting For Life

Fighting For Life

I jumped on to a moving train once. Back when I was a street cop, we were attempting to apprehend some men illegally “riding the rails”. My subject was standing on the coupling between two boxcars. I ran alongside, grabbed the step, swung up, grabbed his wrist and hung on till the train came to a stop. Writing this article will be harder.

A few years ago I got myself into a fight for life. While it was supposed to have some risks, I did not expect to have ALL of them thrown at me. A guy in our church was dying of a congenital liver disease through no fault of his own. He was a candidate for transplant, but had yet to find a cadaveric donor, so was looking for a living donor. His condition was deteriorating and the doctors needed to perform the transplant soon or the operation would be too risky to attempt. I became the donor. My recipient went on to recover and has beaten records for survival for transplant surgery. I was a worst-case scenario. My six to eight weeks for expected recovery ended up being a little over four months. I got to return to ICU. After an initial stay in the hospital, I went home only to return for several more weeks. Thankfully, I did recover and except for scars and memories have left all that behind.

I am currently dealing with an ailment that is a mystery. Doctors have not been able to tell us what it is but have told us a lot of things it is not, or may not be. It is not related to the liver surgery. Dozens and dozens of blood tests have come back negative for various types and forms of infections, deficiencies, or malformations. Scans have looked for shapes, movements, and displacements from head to toe. I have been told that there are diseases that are elusive and may require repeated testing over time, or much more invasive testing to detect. Even if the culprit is found, there may not be a course of action to take. I may have a condition for which there is no cure, only some relief of symptoms.

I write this to say I have and am fighting for LIFE. Not a tooth and nail struggle daily right now, but I honor the notion itself. I have joined those who call themselves the “Right to Life” movement. I strongly support the rights of the unborn, who cannot speak for themselves. But they are not why this article is being written. I wrestle over youth who end their own lives.

Don’t misunderstand me. I have felt the desire to quit. I have put together plans to exit. There have been times where the promised spirit world seemed like a much better option than the physical world with its sweat, failure, hatred, distrust, and no options. Even the Apostle Paul wrote, “(NIV) If I am to go on living in the body, this will mean fruitful labor for me. Yet what shall I choose? I do not know! I am torn between the two: I desire to depart and be with Christ, which is better by far; but it is more necessary for you that I remain in the body.”(Philippians 1:22-24) In a less sanctified moment he mentions being “pressed out of measure, even despairing of life” (suicidal).

I hope you will hear that I am NOT saying the kids who take their lives have “no reason to do so”. I am troubled that they in fact have reason to. What is going on that someone so soon is being “pressed out of measure”? I hope it is a matter of perception that can be cleared in the minds of ones who are yet considering the option of suicide. I have to believe that God is not pushing people to quit early. I am confident that Satan does want to inflict pain, and suicide does inflict pain on the family and friends of the victim. People are the image of God, and since Satan cannot successfully attack God directly, then he goes after the “image” in any way he can.

If I can be allowed a venture into possibility, it is to compare the last moments before a suicide to an avalanche. Up until near the end things may have been perceived as in control. A person can have a few things out of place, break a few rules, then suddenly too much is gone to go back (that is the false perception, but the person is unable to escape their own perception). Situations happen that are beyond a persons control and life appears to have no viable options, everything is just too painful to consider. The trouble for those of us who want to help is we can’t see the swirling storm inside of another person’s mind and soul. Often the person who is hurting will even try to hide the evidence.

There are as many causes to end a life, as there are lives. There is no magic pill or formula to bring happiness to a darkened soul. Jesus is the only Light in this world. Without Him, hope is lost. With Him, hope can begin. He is the sure and steadfast solid promise of the future. In this present world He will never leave us but we are going to face battles of unknown levels of ferocity. When we don’t seek company of people who are also pursuing hope or avoid signs of “avalanche territory” trouble is sure to follow.

There is great trouble in life. Jesus told His disciples “I am sending you out like sheep among wolves”. If you have ever seen what a wolf can do to a sheep, then it should be no surprise when a sheep might choose to end its own suffering. Pretending the violence does not exist or the level does not exist will only aggravate the pain of those who suffer. This is a world at war and the war exists on many terms.

The body can be kept alive but why do so if the spirit fails? Proverbs 18:14,
“A man's spirit sustains him in sickness, but a crushed spirit who can bear?” I want to find a way to tell these kids that there is a reason to live beyond it wrong to kill yourself. While there is no single answer, those of us who call ourselves Christian must practice what we preach. It will mean spending less time on our careers, our cars, our makeup, just generally on us. We won’t make as much money, look as fancy or have as much status, but how much value will the life a person return if you invest in them?

This is a conscious choice to devote less energy to stuff and more to people. Unless deliberate action is taken, opportunity will be lost. The clock keeps on ticking whether we like it or not. Mark 13:20,22 “If the Lord had not cut short those days, no one would survive. But for the sake of the elect, whom he has chosen, he has shortened them…For false Christs and false prophets will appear and perform signs and miracles to deceive the elect—if that were possible.” Deception is not reserved for some far off time period. Even now we can be lead to believe that “I’ve got more important things to do”. Who is dying because we are too busy.

Join me in praying, “Lord, help me let go of ONE thing today, to help ONE more person”. We have to start somewhere.

Can You Obey God?

Can you obey God?

It sounds like an easy question. Can you obey God? Our first response should be, “Yes!” It is a question that deserves an honest inquiry. Given the ability of our human mind to rationalize our own point of view, it should come as no surprise that to some degree we are all evading the truth.

In 1 John 4:20, it says, ‘If anyone says, "I love God," yet hates his brother, he is a liar. For anyone who does not love his brother, whom he has seen, cannot love God, whom he has not seen.’ (KJV)

I propose that the same principle applies to obedience. Let me rephrase 1John 4:20 to illustrate. ‘If anyone says, I obey God,” yet disobeys his father, he is a liar. For anyone who does not obey his father, whom he has seen, cannot obey God, whom he has not seen.’ (JPW)

I say that because of Romans 13:1,2,”Everyone must submit himself to the governing authorities, for there is no authority except that which God has established. The authorities that exist have been established by God. Consequently, he who rebels against the authority is rebelling against what God has instituted, and those who do so will bring judgment on themselves.” (KJV) Parents, husbands, love, and governments are examples of those authorities.

When children rebel against their parent’s rules, they are also fighting against God’s plan. We have heard that instruction and it is true, whether the rule has merit the child understands or not. So long as the child is in opposition to the parent, he is also in opposition to God, therefore not able to obey God. Psalm 66:18,“If I regard iniquity in my heart, the Lord will not hear me:”

Now how about the wife who does not obey the husband? But what if she truly loves God and just wants to serve HIM? Can’t she just leave the disreputable husband out of the formula? The problem is, God does not. Romans 8:28, “And we know that all things work together for good to them that love God, to them who are the called according to his purpose,”(KJV) including the husband that you have. Obedience to God requires obedience to His authorities.

All men have to serve authorities. Scripture never gives an age of release to no longer honor parents, but he does have a time for a man to make his own household. A man in his own house still must also honor governments, Again Romans 13:1, “Let every soul be subject unto the higher powers. For there is no power but of God: the powers that be are ordained of God.”(KJV) If the Trilateral Commission, Rockefellers, Bilderbergs, and other secret groups are actually running America instead of our constitution, then they are a power ordained of God. The Bible does not give a caveat for “legal or illegal”. If a power rises by means of the gun, money, or by the pen, it is still power. Our response to it is still a matter of obeying God because no power can rise without His permission. If you can’t live under its rule, then move! or go to war to remove it from power. Civil disobedience is still disobedience, and 1 Samuel 15:23, “…rebellion is as the sin of witchcraft, and stubbornness is as iniquity and idolatry.” (KJV)

If we cannot obey those who God puts in our path, how can we in any honesty believe we can submit to the one who put them there? Was He a fool to make the arrangements? Did He blindly put people in random places, and order events to occur without reason?

Dare I suggest our wisdom is greater than God’s, so we then are able to find a better way of dealing with the order of life? We think the chain of command/hierarchy is an outdated concept and our modern thought has exceeded God’s ability and vision. Be sure to tell Him that when you stand before the Throne.

Obedience is not a selective discipline. We are not offered which portions of Scripture we want to follow. The commandments are not “best 8 out of 10”. Walking with God is a package deal. He is well aware that we are unable to keep up. Our weakness says that we cannot keep the whole Law. TRUE. But that is not justification to dismiss any aspect of obedience.

Philippians 3:13-15, “Brethren, I count not myself to have apprehended: but this one thing I do, forgetting those things which are behind, and reaching forth unto those things which are before, I press toward the mark for the prize of the high calling of God in Christ Jesus. Let us therefore, as many as be perfect, be thus minded: and if in any thing ye be otherwise minded, God shall reveal even this unto you.” (KJV)

If I claim to obey God, then I must show it by my deliberate ACTION toward other people, in view of people. Matthew 5:16, “Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works, and glorify your Father which is in heaven.”

Even as Jesus said, “Not my will but thine be done”, can you say that to someone here on earth whom God has placed in authority over you? If not, then don’t try to fake it before Jesus.