Since we are getting close to the end of the year, now is the time to make last minute preparations and planning steps for the annual ritual of the dreaded United States income tax return. Once you provide your information to your CPA to prepare your income tax return, it is too late to take any tax planning/tax saving steps for the prior year (aside from possibly contributing to an IRA).
“I have depended on you my entire life, yet I have never seen you with my own eyes. You have served me faithfully and yet we have never spoken. You have helped me every day to reach out and touch the world but I have never thanked you. …read more
If you are a parent, friend, or family member of someone who is rebelling and living a destructive lifestyle, never cease in praying for that person. Without a doubt, the only reason I am still breathing on this earth today is because of divine intervention, caused by prayer, during dangerous scenarios. This intercession kept me alive until I finally responded to God’s love and redemption. …read more
As we traveled the Mediterranean recently, I found myself periodically looking out at the water and imagining Paul on one of his voyages. During the day when the sun is shining, the Great Sea (as it was called by the ancients) is stunningly beautiful. But at night, especially if there are rough waters, the Sea is daunting, intimidating, and not at all inviting. …read more
God’s plan is to bring multiplication and increase into our life. Each of the seven Laws of Increase defines a different aspect of increase according to God’s definition, challenging our existing definitions, presumptions, and motivations to pursue increase. … read more
Your ability to connect with people and stay connected with your spouse will be directly determined on how approachable you are. People will marginalize you if you lack approachability. Your spouse will disconnect from you if s/he cannot trust you, if you are moody, or come across with a chip on your shoulder. … read more
Ever since Adam and Eve tried to hide their sin from God in the garden, mankind has had the temptation to hide his sin from the eyes of the Omniscient One. How futile this is when we consider that God is able to know every moment of our being, nothing being hidden from Him. Hebrews 4:13 says, “And no creature is hidden from His sight, but all are naked and exposed to the eyes of Him to whom we must give account.” Luke 8:17 says, “For nothing is hidden that will not be made manifest, nor is anything secret that will not be known and come to light.”…read more
“Whatever it takes to get the job done” means that you are willing to roll up your sleeves, to get your hands dirty, to go the extra mile, and to go above-and-beyond the call of duty. It means that you are not a prima donna, that you are not too good to serve. It means that you are a person of resolve, determination, and conviction. … read more
If you had a chance to do something over relative to your journey in ministry, what would it be? If you want to share more than one example, that’s great. This question is not meant to get anyone to focus on past mistakes, but rather, to help younger ministers learn from the wisdom and experience of others.
In the fourth chapter of Philippians, a “fragrant offering, a sacrifice acceptable and pleasing to God” has arrived from the Philippians to Paul through Epaphroditus. This is not the first time the they have sent aid to Paul as he journeyed through the land, preaching the good news of Jesus Christ to all who would listen. …read more
Something believers need to strongly consider these days is the issue of authority, and more specifically, God’s authority. A fundamental question every human being must answer has to do with whether or not they will submit their lives to God’s rule and reign. …read more
I’ve heard it said that pastors need to be life-long learners. That makes sense to me, but I wonder exactly how pastors go about accomplishing that?
There’s power in praise. Some would probably call this a cliché, but I don’t know of a statement that holds more truth. I think sometimes we forget that praise is more than just a part of our church services. Amazing things happen when we praise. …read more
Today’s American church culture does not lend itself to having a Healing Service on Sunday service meetings, nor does it lend itself to long, protracted services. But, healing the sick was a large part of Jesus’ ministry and purpose of His redemptive work on the Cross. …read more
Recently, I read an article that stated between 1,700 and 1,800 pastors leave their assignments each month, most due to burnout or marital stress. Honestly, I read statistics like this and tend to think they will never affect me, my circle of friends or my sphere of influence. Recently, however, I had a big wake-up call. …read more
Church. The word by itself evokes a powerful image in the mind of most Americans. We imagine a building with a steeple, a gathering of like-minded people, the place people go to worship on Sunday or Saturday, at least on Easter or Christmas. Love it or hate it, church has been a part of our culture, and the culture of many parts of the rest of the world, for a long time. …read more
In the past I did, but I no longer believe in food. If you stop and think about it, there is no unity or agreement in the food industry, so how could food be true? All you have to do is drive down the street and you’ll see countless contradictions when it comes to food. One place has Italian food, another place offers Chinese food, while yet another place promotes Barbecue. If you keep driving, you’ll see pizza joints, fast food places, and Mexican restaurants, all of which claim to provide—you guessed it—food. …read more
I’m a pastor who is endeavoring to balance church, marriage, family, work, etc. How accessible should I be? Should I be accessible 24/7 to everyone? Who should know my cell phone number? My house number? What is a healthy balance? I’d like to hear how other pastors manage their accessibility and make sure the people are properly cared for.
What does the Bible say about preborn children?
“You made all the delicate, inner parts of my body and knit me together in my mother’s womb. Thank you for making me so wonderfully complex! Your workmanship is marvelous—how well I know it. You watched me as I was being formed in utter seclusion, as I was woven together in the dark of the womb. You saw me before I was born. Every day of my life was recorded in your book. Every moment was laid out before a single day had passed” (Psalm 139:13-16 NLT).
Earlier David had written, “From My mother’s womb You have been My God” (Psalm 22:10 NKJV).
God told Jeremiah, “Before I formed you in the womb I knew you; Before you were born I sanctified you; I ordained you a prophet to the nations” (Jeremiah 1:5 NKJV).
Speaking of John the Baptist, the angel told his father, Zechariah, “He will be filled with the Holy Spirit, even before his birth” (Luke 1:15 NLT).
When Elizabeth was six months pregnant with John the Baptist, Mary (who was pregnant with Jesus by the Holy Spirit) came to see her. Elizabeth said, “Why am I so honored, that the mother of my Lord should visit me? When I heard your greeting, the baby in my womb jumped for joy” (Luke 1:43-44 NLT).
Solomon gave us some insight concerning leadership, and its effects on people, organizations, and nations. He said, “A good leader motivates, doesn’t mislead, doesn’t exploit.”(1) He went on to describe good leadership by saying, “Good leaders abhor wrongdoing of all kinds; sound leadership has a moral foundation. …read more
In 2004, I began experiencing some nagging abdominal pain in my lower abdomen. I went to my family doctor who is also is my cousin. She felt I needed to have an MRI on my abdomen. So, it was scheduled for the next week at North Carolina Baptist Medical Center in Winston-Salem, NC. …read more
There are basically two types of people on the planet. Those who insist, and those who assist. One type insists everything goes their way, and insists things are done the way they want them done, and if they are not, then you are going to hear about it. They are not looking to add value to anyone, they are takers, self-absorbed and self-consumed. For them it is, “my way or the highway.”… read more
“Fear not, little flock, for it is your Father’s good pleasure to give you the kingdom” (Luke 12:32). Oh that we could truly fathom the depth of this statement! What an incredible difference it would bring to our lives if we would but accept and walk in the understanding of all that this verse means to us. …read more
Everybody wants to be right. If you watch cable news and see a panel of “experts” debating a topic, you can hardly tell what anyone is saying as they incessantly talk over the top of one another, each trying to prove their own point. It’s not uncommon in society today to hear some vilify and defame anyone who disagrees with them, even if it means grossly misrepresenting the other person’s position and distorting their views.
Proverbs 21:2 tells us that “Every way of a man is right in his own eyes…” and Proverbs 12:15 (NLT) says that even “Fools think their own way is right…” While we all want to hold to clearly revealed truth with assurance and conviction, we would all be wise to make sure that we don’t falsely believe in our own infallibility. None of us are that smart.
I think we will discover in heaven that none of us were 100% accurate about every thought, idea, and interpretation we had. While I fully embrace the Bible as God’s inspired and infallible Word, I am reminded that even Paul said, “For now we see in a mirror, dimly, but then face to face. Now I know in part, but then I shall know just as I also am known” (1 Corinthians 13:12). Though strong, bold, and fearless in his convictions, Paul remained mindful that God alone is omniscient.
When a person thinks he knows it all, arrogance and haughtiness abound. Paul said, “Knowledge puffs up, but love builds up” (1 Corinthians 8:1 NET). In the Message version, 1 Corinthians 8:3 says, “We never really know enough until we recognize that God alone knows it all.” Norman Grubb said it well when he remarked: “Being human, we can only receive infinite truth in finite doses.”
A minister friend told me once about a service he attended. He remarked that the people were all very enthusiastic. However, he noticed something interesting about the overall atmosphere and the tone of what was conveyed. He said that much of what was said in the message and even expressed in the songs was overwhelmingly self-congratulatory. They were, in essence, singing and speaking about how wonderful they were. They were on the cutting edge. They were the ambassadors of God’s newest and freshest move. They were the custodians of God’s deepest truths. Under the guise of worshipping God and giving Him glory, they were, in reality exalting and extolling themselves most lavishly.
Paul said, “When people commend themselves, it doesn’t count for much. The important thing is for the Lord to commend them” (2 Corinthians 10:18 NLT). Just before that, he had referred to, “…some who exalt and furnish testimonials for themselves!” (2 Corinthians 10:12 AMP).
Gordon Lindsay wrote in his book, “God’s Twentieth-Century Barnabas,” “Some spiritual moves have been blessed of God, and then suddenly have faded away because of the presumptuous and erratic conduct of certain of the leaders. One such move occurred some years ago in America… At first we rejoiced in this outpouring of the Spirit. But very soon we saw something develop that alarmed us. Some of the leaders were claiming that they were the ‘Powerhouse’ and all other churches ‘dried up.’ They said that people should come to them to get recharged. When we saw such bold pretensions, we realized that the usefulness of such leaders could not last long.”
We need to avoid the trap of spiritual pride, and this includes falsely believing that we are always right and everyone else is wrong. Perhaps some attempts to validate oneself are really based on deep, underlying insecurities, but nevertheless, we need to remove the false props that only boost our egos and do nothing to advance the Kingdom of God. Here are some things we may need to remind ourselves of from time to time.
1. I am not necessarily right because my church (or following) is big.
Every pastor wants to have a lot of members and multitudes of people attending weekly. No pastor enjoys preaching to empty seats. Every preacher wants many people reading his books, watching his television show, listening to his radio broadcasts or podcasts, etc. Hopefully our motives reflect a desire to see people reached and impacted by God’s love, not because we want to bolster our egos or make ourselves look good or feel superior.
Further, if we happen to have a church of significant size or a number of people following our ministry, we must be careful not to assume that it is an absolute indicator that we are right about everything. I actually heard a minister say once, “I must be right; look how many people are following my ministry.” Islam, Buddhism, and Hinduism all have large followings, as do certain so-called “Christian” cults. A large following does not necessarily equate to accuracy, or being right.
2. I am not necessarily right because my church (or following) is small.
On the other end of the spectrum, there are people who feel that they are more genuine, authentic, or holy than others because their church and/or following is not large. Some automatically assume that any large church has obviously sold-out, compromised, and has diluted the truth. It stands to reason, then, that if my following is small (they say), it’s because I’m ministering to the remnant, the chosen ones, and the true believers.
The truth of the matter is that there are some great small churches and some great large churches. There are also some unhealthy small churches and some unhealthy large churches. Numbers alone are not the ultimate or absolute litmus test of anything. If you stop and think about it, the crowds that Jesus had fluctuated drastically. He wasn’t right because His crowd was large at a given time, neither was He right because His crowd was small at a given time. Jesus was right because He remained perfectly aligned with His Father and focused on doing His will.
3. I am not necessarily right because my church (or ministry) is popular.
This is somewhat similar to the size issue. Every church and ministry likes to have people excited and “buzzing” about what’s going on. Popularity, though, is not something we are to pursue through slick marketing, catchy slogans, and clever PR. It’s true that Jesus was popular and that, “His fame spread throughout all the region around Galilee” (Mark 1:28), but Jesus’ notoriety was based on the substance He ministered. Popularity was a by-product of the quality of what Jesus was actually ministering, not a goal to for the purpose of increasing His market share.
Honestly, I’m not against genuine advertising or even against good marketing, but we need to avoid hype and marketing with wrong motives, and we must avoid interpreting popularity (as fleeting as it can be) as some kind of stamp of divine approval. Some who thought their popularity was a sign of heavenly endorsement found out that, in fact, they were simply the “flavor of the month” among fickle Christian consumers. What I’m saying is that we need to focus on the steak, not the sizzle.
4. I am not necessarily right because my church (or ministry) is persecuted.
Over the years, I’ve seen various ministers get off on a weird doctrinal or methodological tangent, and they proclaimed that this new direction was based on a special revelation God had given them. When others did not concur with or celebrate their new course, they immediately began to play “the martyr card.” They began to use this so-called persecution as a validation that they were on the right track. I’ve heard different individuals say over the years, “Well, they persecuted the prophets, they persecuted Jesus and the apostles, and now they’re persecuting me.”
Part of the overall deception in some cases is a false belief that essentially says, “If you don’t agree with me and submit to my new revelation, then you are persecuting me.” Obviously, I am not in favor of anyone persecuting anyone else, but simple disagreement is not persecution. People are entitled to their own opinion and perspective, and if someone disagrees with me and I’m offended, maybe I just need to get a little thicker skin.
5. I am not necessarily right because my church (or ministry) is wealthy.
It is common for people to associate financial increase with the blessing and favor of God, and it can be. However, financial gain or accumulation is not absolutely synonymous with divine approval; some people have just learned how to play the game well (and some play dirty). The Bible is actually quite clear in teaching that material wealth alone does not automatically equate to divine favor. In Revelation 3:17, Jesus warned the church of Laodicea, “…you say, “I am rich, have become wealthy, and have need of nothing’—and do not know that you are wretched, miserable, poor, blind, and naked.” Proverbs 10:22 says, “The blessing of the LORD makes one rich, and He adds no sorrow with it.” There are ways of obtaining wealth (crime, manipulation, etc.) that have a distinct downside to it, and those we are to avoid. As much as we all appreciate abundance and prosperity, we must avoid coming to the conclusion that the presence of wealth is an absolute indicator of divine favor.
6. I am not necessarily right because my church (or ministry) is poor.
At the other end of the spectrum are people who think that poverty is a sure-fire indicator of God’s favor. They ascetically delight in their lack and deprivation, believing it is a sign of piety. While some have commendably chosen to have less instead of compromising (Hebrews 11:26), others may be lacking for less noble reasons. Wearing a “poverty mentality” as some kind of badge of misguided honor (in reality, it can be spiritual pride) is simply not in the Kingdom’s best interest as it often takes substantial finances and resources to carry out God’s work in the earth. I deeply appreciate all who have genuinely sacrificed for the Kingdom and for the benefit of others, but a believer or minister being dirt poor is not an absolute guarantee of spiritual superiority.
Like crowds and popularity, income can vary. Paul said, “I know how to live on almost nothing or with everything. I have learned the secret of living in every situation, whether it is with a full stomach or empty, with plenty or little” (Philippians 4:12 NLT). Just like Jesus wasn’t more right when crowds were growing than when crowds were shrinking, Paul wasn’t more right when finances were good than he was when finances were tight.
I really shouldn’t declare myself “right” based on the size of my following, large or small. I can’t assume I’m right based on popularity or persecution. And I can’t determine how right I am based on an abundance of money or the lack thereof. Perhaps one of the best things we can do is follow Paul’s admonition to a group of believers who were actively engaged in politicking for who their favorite preacher was. He said in 1 Corinthians 4:5, “…judge nothing before the time, until the Lord comes, who will both bring to light the hidden things of darkness and reveal the counsels of the hearts. Then each one’s praise will come from God.”
Should we strive for accuracy? Absolutely. 2 Timothy 2:15 (AMP) says, “Study and be eager and do your utmost to present yourself to God approved (tested by trial), a workman who has no cause to be ashamed, correctly analyzing and accurately dividing [rightly handling and skillfully teaching] the Word of Truth.” There are some workers who are approved, and others who are not. We should endeavor to be accurate so that we can properly represent and portray God to those who need to know Him, not so that we can arrogantly boast that we are right and everyone else wrong.
