When God Breaks Our Heart

We don’t often think of God as a heartbreaker. He is love.  In His presence is fullness of joy. He binds up the broken hearted! So how could God, or why would He, break my heart?  Is it even possible that God would ‘cause’ me to experience sorrow?  Sure it is! The bible even says in 2 Corinthians 7:10 “Godly sorrow worketh repentance.” 

Certainly God’s heart breaks for lost humanity. Genesis 6:6 tells us that it repented God, or grieved Him, that He created men. (It wasn’t that He made a mistake, but that we brought sorrow into His life.)  Jesus looked out over the city of Jerusalem and mourned saying, “Oh Jerusalem, Jerusalem, you who kill the prophets and stone those sent to you, how often I have longed to gather your children together, as a hen gathers her chicks under her wings, but you were not willing.”

So, here is a point I want to make: If God’s heart breaks for lost humanity, why doesn’t ours?  We have been redeemed from eternal damnation! Why then are we so unconcerned with those who are still on the way to Hell?

I have often asked God to allow me to feel what He feels. I have found on occasion, that I cannot handle it.  I don’t know if you have ever experienced it, or not, but I am experiencing it to a certain degree even now as I write this, and I have experienced it several times before.  I honestly believe that God will sometimes allow us to experience what breaks His heart to galvanize us to His purpose.

Some of you will remember, I recently stood before the congregation unable to speak through the anguish I was experiencing on behalf of abandoned children in Brazil. We need our hearts broken! Not just for Brazil, or for Uganda, or Pakistan or Israel or even... America, but our hearts should be groaning within us because of the pain in God’s heart for His lost world.

We sing a song in worship sometimes that says, “(Lord) break my heart for what breaks yours.” Do we really want it though?  Because, it’s far easier to just be satisfied with what God has done for us, and just let the rest of the world go to hell.

Oh, God shake us! Wake your church to the cry of your heart! If our hearts need to break so that we might feel Your grief for the lost, then let us experience heartbreak! Let Godly sorrow bring us to repentance for our lack of concern for those around us!  For Lord, if we will partake of Your glory, should we not also partake in Your suffering?  Save this region Lord, and use us to do it!

You can take the the politics of of the church...

The laws in the United States governing separation of Church and State were written to protect religion from the control of the government.  As we all know, the opposite has become the common mis-interpretation.  Most people now believe that these laws are in place to keep the religious community from becoming 'too controlling' in the direction of the country.

Do your own research and you will see the original intent of the founding fathers, but hurry, history is being rewritten constantly.  I urge you to read their writings and see for yourself.

With that said, I get to my point.  You can take politics out of the Church, but you can't take the Church out of politics!  What do I mean by that?  Well, the law prohibits churches, or pastors for that matter, from endorsing specific candidates.  I believe that is an attack on my freedom of speech actually, but I'm not really trying to go there today.  If asked, I would be glad to tell someone who I am voting for but I'm restricted from urging others to vote similarly. Not fair!  Anyone else can do that... why not me?  Because the secular world is afraid of the mouth 'pieces of the religious community'.

Why should they be afraid of the religious right?  There is really nothing to fear. Yes, we have an agenda.  Our agenda is to be the salt of the earth, to preserve it.  Our agenda is to be the light of the world.  Yes, to keep the darkness from taking over. Our agenda is to keep this great nation, great, like our founding fathers envisioned it to be.  Our agenda IS NOT, however, to control government or to force others into Christianity. Rather the agenda of the religious right, as I see it, is to keep a check on government to make sure it serves us rather than us becoming it's servant, to protect the morals this nation was founded on, and to keep secure our right to share our faith with others.  We don't want to force Christ on anyone.  Why would we?  That would do neither us, nor the one upon whom He was forced, any good.

Here is the truth though, no matter how many laws there are restricting what we can, or can not say, about politics we have a duty as Christians to uphold a greater law, the Law of Christ.  Which simply put, is to love.  We must love in spite of the love, or lack of love, returned to us.  We love first and foremost, Christ, then family and somewhere still toward the top of the list is this country. Similarly, we have to speak the truth, whether it is received or not, and we must do our best to be a preservative, because these things are mandated by Christ.

I know the majority rules. I understand that we cannot set up Christ's Kingdom in the United States. That is not the goal.  Jesus will set up His Kingdom Himself, when He's ready, but like Jeremiah, I can not be silent!  Like the New Testament church in Acts, the more we are demanded to be silent the louder we should become.

You can take politics out of the Church, and I may not be able to publicly endorse a candidate, but you can never really take the Church out of politics because the Church in this country is made up of free citizens, and  like everyone else we, have the right to make our opinions known.  Get involved Christians, don't be afraid to let your opinion be known and your vote count.  Vote what you believe!

If Jesus had a Church...

What if Jesus came to your hometown and planted a church?  Would you go?  Rather, would you make that your home church? We all know we must answer yes here, if we want to feel like good Christians but the answer would probably, more realistically, be no.

Okay, here’s the scenario…
You live in a town that is already very religious.  The gospel has been preached here for years.  There is a church on nearly every corner. There is a Baptist Church just around the corner from where you are now.  A Methodist Church is two streets away.  There is a Lutheran Church, or maybe two, at the center of town.  There is a Catholic Church, and now even a Non-Denominational Church, which is usually code for ‘Charismatic’ or 'Pentecostal'.

You may have already found your place. Perhaps you grew up in your church and plan to be there until you are carried out ten toes up.  Perhaps on the other hand, you’ve tried almost every church in town and so far haven’t found one that suits your tastes or worship style.

In recent years ‘church’ has become a place of preference.  We all seem to gravitate toward some place that suits us. Preaching styles, congregation size, Hymns or Praise and Worship songs, stuffy or free, spirit filled or seeker friendly, are but a few of the choices that are available to church goers.

If Jesus had a church…? Wait let’s call him Pastor Joshua, since Joshua is another translation of Yeshua (Jesus). If Pastor Joshua came to your town to plant a church, who would attend? Well I guess it really depends on what his church would be like.  Would that church be a place that you would want to make your home church?  I seriously doubt it!

Most of us would visit once or twice, but wouldn’t stay. Why?  We wouldn’t attend regularly because, like it or not, most of us are either too set in our religious ways or too in love with the world around us.

Here’s what it might look like at “Pastor Joshua’s” church.
There would always be large crowds of transients just passing through, because many would come to see the miracles.  Yes, miracles! Pastor Joshua has a ‘gift’.  It has been said that in his services blind people have gained their sight, deaf people began to hear, and even a few dead people have come back to life… Well, that’s what I’ve heard anyway, but we would have to go see for ourselves.

The crowds would also love the feeding program. Food always draws a crowd, you know it as well as I do.  He and a few guys who came to town with him to plant the church, have been known to give thousands of hand-outs when he suspected people were hungry.

He is very direct though, maybe even too rude with his bold statements. Most don’t really like that in a preacher.  The rumor is that a little while back, he was having a discussion with some of the greatest theological minds at a top seminary nearby.  When they spoke about their great faith in God and what they believed it took to have fellowship with God, he actually called them hypocrites right to their faces!  Yes, it was the most educated pastors in town which he scolded, in public, and to their faces.

Speaking of education, He doesn’t really have much.  He used to work in the construction business and doesn’t really have a degree, or any formal bible training for that matter.

He hangs out with a pretty bad group of people too. He has been seen in the street with prostitutes. He sometimes eats dinner with some really sinful people, gluttons and drunks. He has friends who work for the IRS, not just auditors but those who going out and ‘forcefully’ collect taxes that are due.  Actually, some of the guys who are helping him plant his church are sailors, who used to work on commercial fishing boats.  We all know what their language can be like.

When he preaches he tells a lot of stories.  His style is like that of a teacher, and he preaches kind of long sometimes.  He is extremely black and white in his views, even narrow minded. He says that there is just one way to get to heaven and believes that all other religions are false. He talks a lot about sin and even Hell.  Aren’t we kind of past all that stuff?  People seem to like the feel good stuff better, but he doesn’t seem to care.

He may have some anger issues too, because once when he was visiting another church he got so angry that he turned over a bunch of tables in the foyer where some guys were simply trying to sell some things to make a living.

Here’s the clincher, He seems to have delusions of grandeur.  He believes that he is actually the Son of God.

No, if a pastor like Pastor Joshua came to our town to plant a church most of us would think he was a lunatic.  We would steer clear of that church saying: He’s too dogmatic, he preaches too long, he is intolerant, and the list of complaints would go on and on.

If Jesus had a church there would only be a few in membership, and they would probably be a pretty radical and rigid group.  If Jesus had a church most of us wouldn’t like his message, or his bold personality, or his doctrine.  We’d stay right where we are, where we can feel comfortable and hear the kind of sermon we like.

If Jesus had a church it would be over on Narrow Way, just off Broad Street, and we don’t really like that part of town.

Oh, by the way, Jesus does have a church.

Life is Hard...

Let's face it, it is!  Life is tough.  

When things are going well we forget how hard they can be.  When the bills are all paid, and everyone is healthy, and you and your spouse are getting along well, and the kids are making good grades, and the dog doesn't have fleas, then we forget how tough life can get.

On the other hand when things get ugly we seem to forget the good times too.  When the mortgage is past due, and the car has a flat, and the doctors office calls to give you a bad report, and the last word you spoke to your husband or wife was weeks ago and it was during a fight, and the kids are threatening to run away, and the dog just got hit by a car... Then, it's hard to see the good in life.

No matter where you are right now in that spectrum, one thing is certain:  Jesus has gone there before you and will be there with you. Don't ever doubt him.

God is always good and he has promised to be there with you.  You may not feel him, or see him, or sense him in any way... but he's there.  Hebrews 13:5b (HCSB) ..."He Himself has said, I will never leave you or forsake you."


Sure, life is hard... But God is good.  

Abiding in Christ

John 15:4 (NASB) 4 Abide in Me, and I in you. As the branch cannot bear fruit of itself, unless it abides in the vine, neither can you, unless you abide in Me. -Words of Christ

Abiding in Christ... I have thought a lot about what it means to abide in Christ.  Many of us have.  Yet we have probably come up with lots of different ideas of what it looks like.  

Understanding what it means to abide in Christ will help us get back to basics.  However I in no way expect to cover the fullness of this subject here, I don’t think I could do it justice in this short letter.  Yet I want to share a few of my thoughts with you.

If a branch abides in the vine, it always remains connected.  If it becomes disconnected, it no longer abides.  It's really that simple.  For our spiritual wellbeing, we must endeavor to always remain in connection with Christ.

A vine (trunk) is where the nutrients originate.  It has all of the resources needed for the branches to thrive, yet if the branch become disconnected those nutrients never reach their intended destination.  The vine is still producing and supplying the nutrients needed, yet the branch isn't getting them because it has been pulled off, cut off, or separated in some way from the vine.

In our everyday lives there are so many things that tug on us, pulling us away from our connection to Christ.  There are a thousand things that try to cause us to ‘disconnect’ from Christ.  These things in themselves are not all bad, but they can be interference.  

Anything that interferes with our relationship to the vine (Christ) will impede our fruiting process and can even cause us to 'dry up'.   If we want to survive as Christians, we must remain connected to the vine... But we can do far more than just survive... God desires that we thrive!

I am sure you feel the same way I do, I don’t want to dry up.  I want to flourish in Christ!  So we must daily guard our connection to Christ, with all that is in us, and that is done only by intentional discipline. 

We have been studying discipleship lately.  Discipleship is not just a class we attend.  It’s a way of life.  We have to discipline ourselves to follow Christ in all things.  The scripture below is an example of what it looks like to discipline the mind.

Phil. 4:8 (NASB) 8 Finally, brethren, 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.

It takes focus to remain in constant connection and communion with Christ, but the reward is to be a fruitful and flourishing Christian!  I’m sure that is what we all desire.

One more thought.  If we remain connected to Christ we also remain connected to one another because he is the vine that unites us all.

My prayer for you and the body of Christ today is that you abide in Him, and that we remain connected to each other. Lord, let us be fruitful and multiply in your Kingdom.

Blessings, Pastor Jerry

Satan Actually Got Something Right!

I believe Satan actually got something right!  Yes, you read that statement correctly!  No, I didn't make a mistake in writing it.  But please, wait just a minute before calling me a heretic. I know that’s a bold and controversial statement for a Christian to make.  It sounds even more radical because it's being said by a pastor, the pastor of a charismatic/full gospel, non-denominational church none the less. 

However, I have found one thing that Satan said in the Bible that I believe we should take notice of, and perhaps we should even ask the same question from time to time.  It's not that his words had merit in the context which he said them because in that context he was wrong. It's the question itself, or at least a portion of it, that we should ask and consider.

We all know the story of Creation from the book of Genesis.  We know that God told Adam in Genesis 2:16,17 that he could eat from any tree in the Garden of Eden except the Tree of Knowledge of Good and Evil.  If we will notice, God gave this instruction to Adam alone.  This was before Eve was created because in the very next verse God says, "It is not good for man to be alone, I will make him a helper."  So God went on with creation and soon Eve is introduced.  Then, the very next person to come onto the scene is the Serpent, who of course is widely accepted as Satan. (To remove any doubt about his identity, look at Revelation 12:9.)

Genesis 3:1 (NLT) says, "Now the serpent was the shrewdest of all the creatures the LORD God had made. "Really?" he asked the woman. "Did God really say you must not eat any of the fruit in the garden?"  This question asked by Satan, I believe, has so much merit for us today.  "Did God really say...?"  

Sure, I believe that God really told to Adam not to eat from that one tree.  Yes, Satan is a deceiver!  And yes, he was trying to distort the truth that God had given to Adam, which in turn he had passed on to Eve.  Sure, in doing so Satan was certainly trying to cast doubt on God and His word which are forever true, but there is some validity to the question itself, in our lives today.  

"Did God really say...?"  See, Eve had heard that God had made this statement but she probably hadn't heard him say it herself.  This brings me to my point, well two points actually.

Firstly, I do believe that God guides us by his Spirit still today.  John 10:27 (KJV) says, "My sheep hear my voice, and I know them, and they follow me:"   Romans 8:14 (KJV) tells us, "For as many as are led by the Spirit of God, they are the sons of God."  God speaks to us in many ways, but what concerns me is the number of people saying "God told me this", or "God has instructed me to do that".  What I have witnessed in my years of ministry is that much, if not most of what is said to be God speaking, is not God at all.  Far too often Christians, especially Charismatic Christians and Pentecostals, say “God has told me to do such and such”, but often it doesn't line up with the word of God, nor with God's character.  It's time for us to stop blaming God for our choices, and take responsibility for our own actions.  

Secondly, and most importantly, we need to know God's word, the Bible, for ourselves.  It is the ultimate authority, inspired by God's himself. (See 2 Tim.3:16)  

We can't just go by what someone tells us even if they are thought to be a reliable source of truth, or a trustworthy minster of the gospel.  The bible itself tells us that there are many false teachers (Read Jude).  

Satan is cunning.  He is real.  He is a liar, and he is seeking do destroy your life.  He is the epitome of wrong, but he did make a point that rings true today when he implied that we cannot blindly trust what someone else has told us God said.   

Here is a bit of sound advice: Find out for yourself what God has to say by reading His word, and be led by what it says rather than going solely by what someone else has told you, or even by what you have determined in your own mind to be "God's" course of action for your life.  God will lead his people by his Spirit, but it will come under the authority of His word, and will line up with his character, or it’s simply not God!

“You can't bear fruit if you haven't first put down roots.”

Just the other morning on the way into the office Tracy and I were talking about how so many people seem unstable when it comes to church membership, or even faithful attendance for that matter.  As we were talking about how many seem to flow in but then just breeze right on through, I felt like the Lord began to speak to me.  The word “flux” came to my mind.  This isn’t the most common word but I did understand its meaning.  Just to be sure, I looked it up when we got to the church. 

Flux means, “flowing, movement, or continual change.”  This is exactly what seems to be going on in the body of Christ!  The church is in constant flux!  We flow from one movement to the next, one congregation to another.  I believe with all my heart that this is one of the greatest tricks that the Devil is using against the church of this generation.  Satan is keeping people in constant transit, or flux.

Then, I believe the Lord gave me a great understanding.   “You can't bear fruit if you haven't first put down roots.”   The enemy has caused the body of Christ to be in such flux, that we have no root system.  Without roots a tree cannot live, much less be fruitful. 

Psa. 92:12-14 says, “¹²The righteous man will flourish like the palm tree, He will grow like a cedar in Lebanon. ¹³ Planted in the house of the LORD, They will flourish in the courts of our God. ¹⁴ They will still yield fruit in old age ; They shall be full of sap and very green,”

I want you to notice that verse 13 tells us if we want to flourish in the courts of our God, that we must be “planted” in the house of the Lord.  Wow!  That is a powerful passage of scripture.  We all want to flourish, but far too few want to be planted.

I’ll admit.  Staying planted is often difficult.  Some days it looks like the trees over in another courtyard are receiving more water.  Sometimes it appears that the trees over there are being recognized for their stateliness, while here where I have been planted I am not being celebrated.  It isn’t always easy to ‘bloom where you are planted’.  Things won’t always go your way, here or anywhere.

But the truth is, if God has planted me here, then here is where I will flourish.  Not over there in another courtyard, not at a church across town, right here where God put me. 

In a time people are not settling in one place long enough to get rooted or gounded we need to put down roots.  Without settling in and getting connected in the place God has chosen for you, you will never, I repeat never, be fruitful.

Spiritually speaking; Do you want to flourish like a palm tree?  Do you want to be strong and stable like the cedar of Lebanon?  Do you want to still yield fruit in old age?  Do you want to be green and full of sap, which is symbolic of life and vigor? 

If you answered yes to any, or all, of these questions, then allow God to plant you in the house of the Lord.  Don’t give in to Satan’s trickery and be plucked up and moved so easily.  You have found a great home right here at Abundant Life Tabernacle.  Dig in, put down roots and let’s be fruitful!

If you are reading this on my blog and aren't a part of ALT but perhaps go to another great church my advice is the same.  If you are in Bible believing church that takes the word seriously, and believes in serving the Lord faithfully, then put down roots.  Do what you can to make the church where you have been planted the best church it can be.  Don't jump and run at the first sign of difficulty.

May God bless His church!  And may God bless those who are planted in His house!