Prodigals Return

Prodigals

What is it that is so endearing about returning prodigal sons and daughters? Is it that they have strayed far from God but have then come back again? Is it that they have strayed from their family and have returned to the family fold once again? I don’t know the answer so it is a purely rhetorical question. Some prodigals, of course, stayed away longer, some never came back at all.

We have one or two in our church. Likeable rascals is the best description for them. One in particular is very adept at playing “the game” with people. He does and says all the right things. Then, when your back is turned, he reverts to type and spends whatever money he can get his hands on, on his particular demon – which is alcohol. He has spent time ‘inside’ although he is basically only a bad lad with drink inside him.

In our dealings with such as these, how do we handle them? This is a question that has vexed the church for ages. So much so that for the most part we have tried to sweep the ‘problem’ under our carpet and pretend it doesn’t exist. Actually, in vast swathes of the church, to all intents and purposes, it really does not exist. It has not only been swept under the carpet, but the church has actively fought to cover up the problem either by pretending it doesn’t exist or by expelling the culprits from the congregation.

So the question remains for us to resolve today – how do we deal with prodigals. First we have to identify the real problem – the root problem. Is it a relationship problem? Or a ‘bad influence’ problem? Or a rebellion problem? What is the true root cause? In many cases, I think we will find that love or rather the real or perceived lack of love that is the root problem. What would Jesus have done? He would have loved them – unconditionally. Unconditional love is perhaps the one thing most needed throughout the entire Church in this modern day and age. I have often said that pastors and leaders must love the people, love the people  some more, then love the people again. However, pastor cannot do this on his or her own. Even the leadership team cannot do this on their own. Love is the one thing that the whole church must buy into and do as a corporate thing. We are so very fortunate to have joined a church where we were welcomed with such a love as this. First by the pastor who sets the example. Then by the leadership team who echo pastor’s example. Then, most importantly, by the whole church following the example of leadership.

Prodigals need love more than anything else and sometimes they are extremely unlovable people. I often hear folk saying things like, “How can we accept someone like that? They don’t really want to be here.” I have also heard the response, “Jesus didn’t ask us to like them – only to love them.” It is so often only love that gets through to the prodigal. It is only love that shows him or her what it could be like if they were to turn their life around. We have a group of ex-prodigals in our church who all agree that the turning point for them was when they realised that they were loved and not hated. It was when they were shown respect that they began to show respect. It was when they were trusted that they began to trust once more.

Who knows what caused your prodigals to turn away – apart from God? Who knows the result that seeds of love sown into their lives may harvest?

It’s time to bring the hurting prodigals back to the family.

God arranges, We make changes

Meddling with what God Does

I believe that the majority of us here agree on the Word of God being trustworthy and true. So I will let the Apostle Paul, say this for me. "I appeal to you, brothers and sisters, in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, that all of you agree with one another in what you say and that there be no divisions among you, but that you be perfectly united in mind and thought." 1 Corinthians 1:10

Why is the church ravaged by so much controversy and disagreement? Why so much distrust and ‘hatred’ over points of ‘law’? Why allow the minor points that separate us to keep us apart in the way they do? On one trip overseas, about two years ago, we were doing a little shopping with a local pastor. Another local pastor came out of the supermarket carrying a bag for an elderly lady. In the bag were two bottles of wine which the pastor placed carefully in the old lady’s car. After exchanging greetings with one another and going our separate ways, our pastor shocked us with this statement. “If that man had been seen carrying that bag by one or two pastors around here, he would have immediately been black-listed from their pulpit, and many others too.” Somewhat taken aback, we asked why. “Because he was carrying alcohol.” It didn’t matter, apparently, that he was helping an elderly lady, the “crime” was that he was carrying alcohol – not consuming it, but carrying it. Not for himself but for someone else.

There are many other more or less ‘criminal’ sins that the church has invented. Sure they use scripture to back it all up, but like politicians, they twist the meaning to suit their own agenda. In many churches, you will be escorted out for carrying the wrong Bible translation. You will be shunned for the life you led before you were saved. You will be thrown out for having alcohol in your house. The bigotry goes on and on. On the more flippant side, whole denominations have split over the way one side supports their missionaries in the field.

None of this is funny of course and the Lord must weep over our fickleness. The Pharisees are still alive and well inside the church. They spread their poison as ‘law’ and have enough influence to get good Christian folk thrown out over their little faults. No wonder Jesus told his followers to first get the plank out of their own eye before they try to get the speck out of their brothers eye. In my mind’s eye, I see Uzzah guiding the ark back to Jerusalem. There came a moment when he thought he needed to make it safer so he touched it – and he promptly died for his pains. God did not want him touching God’s own holy things. It is the same surely today. God does not want us touching His ideas and creations. Yet we are continually touching them – adjusting here, modifying there – always in the name of the correctness of our obedience to God’s perceived instruction. He may not kill us when we touch His Bride but He surely weeps over what we do.

Why do we always think we can improve on what God has started?

Never too old for God

Are we ever too old?

At our church today we have a senior’s lunch. It is the first such lunch specifically aimed at the older generation with the intention of becoming a regular outreach to those whom secular society deems ‘retired’. It is called “Soup, Sarnies, and Soul Food”, and lunch is soup, sandwiches, and some ‘soul food’. I have the privilege of supplying the ‘soul food’ which is, in reality, intended to be an edifying and encouraging chat for five to ten minutes.

As a ‘pensioner’ myself, I am entitled to ask certain questions about the way the world and governments in general treats older people. We all know and are joyful in our grandparent roles, but this is not what I refer to. Here in the UK, the government and the secular world in general throws all our experience away at 65 and we are thrown without thought or good reason upon life’s “used parts” scrap heap. In that lunch room today there will be 10 to 20 people with the accumulated experience of at least a millennium of life experience.

So my main question to everyone today will be this – Are we too old to serve? Whether it is our families, our community, or God – are we really too old to serve now? Well, we know all about our families where, hopefully, we are still treasured a little bit. We know, too, about the world who had us too old and therefore retired. Now – what about God? Are we really too old to serve Him?

There is a saying that runs – “Working for God doesn’t pay very much but the benefits are out of this world.” Hmmm – ‘Out of this world’ – what does that mean. Well, we all have to die sometime. As Mark Twain once said, “There are only two certain things in life. One is taxes and the other is death.” So what does that mean in the context of working for God? It means quite simply that we can, indeed we are expected, to work for God and His Kingdom until we earn the privilege of our crown of glory and join Him for ever. As many put it, until God takes us home.

I can think of a few who have lasted a long time and are still serving Him in whatever way they can. George Beverley Shea (102), Arthur Burt (100 this year and still travelling and preaching). Dr Billy Graham (92 – a ‘youngster’). We have octogenarians and older in our own church who are wonderful witnesses and testimonies to God in their older age. As scripture says in Joshua 13:1 “ ......... you are old and full of years but there is still much land to be won.” Still much work to be done, people to be won, souls to be saved.

We have a whole generation that still has not heard the Gospel. Now maybe it is not our job to preach the Gospel, but we are called to be witnesses and, by the power of our testimony, we will overcome the spirit of this world and we will win souls to Christ. Our lives speak to the unsaved. We sow seeds into their lives. Maybe someone else will harvest and bring the hearer to salvation, but we need to sow that seed.

Too old for God? Never! There is too much land to be won; far too many lost souls for us to simply abandon them to their unbelief. We “oldies” have a job to do and what a privilege it is to be able to do it.

Rescue the Wounded

Rescue Ministry

Recently, I started to speak about a different kind of church. Actually it’s more like a different kind of ministry. The Lord has been asking me some questions, one of which was this – “You have a ready made people for this new church in those who have been hurt and discarded, or walked away from, the present church. How will you bring them back to Me?”  Wow – what a challenge.

We had been thinking only of the lost, the unsaved, the unchurched, and the untold or uninformed when the Lord brought this to mind. I mean, it is so obvious isn’t it, yet as a group, the churches wounded soldiers will be the hardest to pull back onto the front line again. The old saying of ‘once bitten, twice shy’ springs instantly to my mind. Also, the church is the only group who leave or discard their own wounded. The stories are multitude. The shame upon the church is enormous and that upon the hurt is almost unforgiveable – yet forgive they must.

The obvious reaction of such as these will surely be to pull away, or to complain bitterly over their past treatment. Either way, they will be holding onto old pain and hurts, old insults, and all manner of bad memories. Everything from shunning over their past life before salvation, to rants over their lack of faith, or false accusations of sin and ‘crimes’. The list is endless.

The possibilities are also endless.

Just think of all the people you can invite along just for a social evening of music, BBQ, a theme (A Cowboy Evening, Music, or a craft evening etc). You don’t have to be ‘churchy’ with them – just be yourself. If anyone has a problem just say you’ll pray for them – not with them as that may embarrass them – unless they ask you to do that. Any other religious talk is off the menu unless raised by someone else, but even then, take it slowly. What opportunity lies in all of this – Lord open the doors !!

The rescue ministry can serve both parties. Both sides need to learn about love and forgiveness. Also, remember, those who have been hurt may never even have heard the Gospel and if you truly believe that a non-believer will go to hell, how can you not tell them about Jesus, heaven, and eternal life?

Wow

©Chris Bennett May 2012

Jesus confronted Legalism & so should we

The Pharisaic Spirit

Perhaps I should have called this ‘Legalism’ as that is what this passage is all about. Matthew 23:27 (NKJV) “Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For you are like whitewashed tombs which indeed appear beautiful outwardly, but inside are full of dead men’s bones and all uncleanness. “

The Message Bible puts it very bluntly - Matthew 23:27 (MSG) "You're hopeless, you religion scholars and Pharisees! Frauds! You're like manicured grave plots, grass clipped and the flowers bright, but six feet down it's all rotting bones and worm-eaten flesh. People look at you and think you're saints, but beneath the skin you're total frauds.”

Legalism robbed the people of Jesus’ day of nearly everything He came to bring to them. Through the centuries, legalism has consistently robbed Christianity of almost everything the Lord wanted us to have. So today, legalism still robs us. It has been, and still is one of Satan’s most efficient and successful weapons.

Whenever there is the slightest move of the Holy Spirit, there are many churches who will say sternly, “We don’t do things this way in this church.” In saying that, they are throwing away what might have been God’s most precious gift to them for centuries. They still and stifle the Spirit. They grieve Him and reject Him – mainly because they do not know Him, nor do they recognise or acknowledge His gifts.

This is that to which Jesus referred when asked for a sign by the Pharisees. Matthew 12:38-40 “ Then some of the scribes and Pharisees answered, saying, “Teacher, we want to see a sign from You.” But He answered and said to them, “An evil and adulterous generation seeks after a sign, and no sign will be given to it except the sign of the prophet Jonah.  For as Jonah was three days and three nights in the belly of the great fish, so will the Son of Man be three days and three nights in the heart of the earth. ” They did not recognise the signs Jesus was already showing them but wanted another one. I suspect they would have been asking for signs every day if Jesus had accommodated their requests.  It is the same in our generation today. We see the signs of God all around us, particularly in our churches, yet, like the Pharisees of old, we continue to ask for more proof.

I saw Bill Johnson, of Redding California, speaking to a meeting. The clip is on You Tube (https://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=96gsFuSfhuA#at=213)  “By not celebrating what God has given you, you have shown yourself unworthy of increase. So the very people who are crying out for revival have cancelled their opportunity for it because they didn’t celebrate what God had done or what He’d given them. It’s a huge deal.”

Unworthy of increase. Is that what we are? What an indictment that would be were it from the Lord Himself. And all because we didn’t acknowledge and celebrate what the Lord has given us. We already have revival in our grasp and we don’t recognise it and celebrate it giving Glory to God. Why do I say we have revival already? As surely as an acorn is an oak tree waiting to take root and grow, so any visitation of the Holy Spirit is an embryo revival. Yet we look at it and say, “This isn’t revival.” That statement is only true because of our attitude and our voice which articulated the condemnation. Just as David celebrated the return of the ark, so we need to celebrate Holy Spirit in our meetings with our praise and worship – with great joy and thanksgiving.

What will it take, I wonder, for us to acknowledge what we have in order for the Lord to release more. For he who has much, to him much more will be given. Yet for he who has little, even the little that he has will be taken away.

What We ALL Believe

What Do We Believe?

What is it that binds all Christians into a family? What is it that separates us from all the other religions? What is it that says to the world, “Jesus is different, follow Him”? The answer of course is Jesus Christ. Not just Jesus Christ, it is Jesus, and Him crucified, risen, and sitting at the right hand of God.

So what is it about Christianity that is so different? It is love. The love of God for us that was so great that He sent His only Son as the ransom, to pay the price Himself for our wrong doing so that we might go to heaven and have eternal life. It was the command to love God first and to love our neighbours as ourselves. Nowhere in scripture do we find God commanding us to hate other people or to kill anyone just because they don’t believe as we do.

Many religions say there are many ways to heaven, whatever their version of heaven may be. Christians believe that there is only ONE way to heaven. It is variously called the narrow gate and the narrow path. Jesus said, “I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.” John 14:6 Christians believe that unless we are born again, unless we give our lives and ourselves to Jesus and have a personal relationship with Him, we will not get to heaven but we will get to hell.

So, in summary, we believe that Jesus is the Son of God, He came He died He rose again from the dead – all for our wrong doings and so that we can have eternal life. In order to gain the “prize” of eternal life, we must go through Jesus Himself. We must be born again and enter into a personal relationship with Him.

All this is what binds the whole church together as one big family of God. We have a difference of flavours of course, they are called denominations, but these are the basic beliefs of all real Christians everywhere. Our faith is not in a book, or any translation of that book, it is in a person – Jesus  Christ. This all being so, let me ask you all one simple question.

If we truly believe that any non-believer will go to hell, how can we not tell them about Jesus, heaven, and eternal life?

How will we answer that question on the day of judgement? How will we account for the members of our own family who died not knowing Jesus or not knowing about Jesus?

We must maintain our obedience to the great commandment to preach the Gospel. As the Word of God says in Romans 1:16, “I am not ashamed of the gospel, because it is the power of God for the salvation of everyone who believes.” The Gospel is the Power of God for salvation. Yet in thousands of churches worldwide, the Gospel is virtually never preached and virtually no-one is ever saved.

So it looks like it’s up to us – up to you and to me – to preach the Gospel to anyone or anywhere we have opportunity. Perhaps “share the Gospel” is a better way to put it as nobody like being preached at, least of all in a one to one environment. And remember, God never asks us to do something we cannot manage to do as He will always help us get the words right. He will use even our worst efforts for the good of His Kingdom.

P.S. Don’t forget the repentance bit of the Gospel – OK?