It seems that no matter where we turn some are self-appointing themselves to ministry. Some are calling themselves prophets despite the fact that what they say does not come to pass and often is not predicated upon the Word of God. Others call themselves apostles even while they have no church homes and have planted no churches. Even more are simplistic in their self-anointing referring to themselves as ministers, evangelist or missionaries yet there are no signs following them, no one is brought into the Kingdom and the only missions fulfilled is the pulling together of the evening meal. Even more, many of these “ministers” are married and neglect to tend to the most important ministries of all, their spouses.
The reason the above groups are hypocritical at best is because they tend to ignore not only the Word of God but also the vows they have taken. If a minister is married, be that minister male or female, his first and primary ministry is to his spouse. There is no more important relationship other than that between Christ and the Church. As such the relationship between Christ and the Church as the example ministers need to follow in marriages. Too many marriages are falling apart in the Church because one spouse spends more time in “ministry” than actually ministering to the spouse. God is not pleased with this. In fact He is angered by those that choose not to honor His Word. Consider the words of Ephesians chapter five as it relates to marital relationships.
With this in mind consider just a few things the “minister” can do which are actually ministry. If you are on the phone with your best friend and your spouse has need of your attention the friend can wait. Hang up the phone and listen to the heart of your spouse. If the friend does not understand then the friend is not really a friend. And, do you have to go out with your friends every Friday night. What if that spouse wants to have a candlelight dinner with you? Will the answer be no? I should hope not. Wives need to understand what it means to be submitted to their husbands. Submission is a choice to honor and obey with all respect. It means not going behind his back when he has clearly made opposition to a matter rather it is giving him due as head of the house.
Now, it is certain that these words seem archaic in this modern society but much of the reason there are problems in households is because the wife often does not understand submission. It is not being a doormat but it is the intentional surrendering of selfishness in order to please the husband. It is the same thing that is required of the Christian in respect to Christ. It is not that the Christian is forced to serve Jesus rather he chooses to follow Jesus because of the love he has for his Deliverer. With this the husband is not excused from doing what is right. He is commanded to love his wife as Christ loved the church. This means that he will not ignore her needs rather will do all to meet those needs. He will not be her commander-in-chief but will be her leader and protector. His wife is not his servant rather she is his lover so that she walks with him and not behind him.
The point of this brief missive is simple: if you count yourself a minister and neglect your spouse in any way you are not a minister. You are a fraud because there is no greater ministry than ministry to your spouse.
^WC Deuteronomy 28
King James Version (KJV)
28 And it shall come to pass, if thou shalt hearken diligently unto the voice of the Lord thy God, to observe and to do all his commandments which I command thee this day, that the Lord thy God will set thee on high above all nations of the earth:
2 And all these blessings shall come on thee, and overtake thee, if thou shalt hearken unto the voice of the Lord thy God.
3 Blessed shalt thou be in the city, and blessed shalt thou be in the field.
4 Blessed shall be the fruit of thy body, and the fruit of thy ground, and the fruit of thy cattle, the increase of thy kine, and the flocks of thy sheep.
5 Blessed shall be thy basket and thy store.
6 Blessed shalt thou be when thou comest in, and blessed shalt thou be when thou goest out.
7 The Lord shall cause thine enemies that rise up against thee to be smitten before thy face: they shall come out against thee one way, and flee before thee seven ways.
8 The Lord shall command the blessing upon thee in thy storehouses, and in all that thou settest thine hand unto; and he shall bless thee in the land which the Lord thy God giveth thee.
9 The Lord shall establish thee an holy people unto himself, as he hath sworn unto thee, if thou shalt keep the commandments of the Lord thy God, and walk in his ways.
10 And all people of the earth shall see that thou art called by the name of the Lord; and they shall be afraid of thee.
11 And the Lord shall make thee plenteous in goods, in the fruit of thy body, and in the fruit of thy cattle and in the fruit of thy ground, in the land which the Lord sware unto thy fathers to give thee.
12 The Lord shall open unto thee his good treasure, the heaven to give the rain unto thy land in his season, and to bless all the work of thine hand: and thou shalt lend unto many nations, and thou shalt not borrow.
13 And the Lord shall make thee the head, and not the tail; and thou shalt be above only, and thou shalt not be beneath; if that thou hearken unto the commandments of the Lord thy God, which I command thee this day, to observe and to do them:
14 And thou shalt not go aside from any of the words which I command thee this day, to the right hand, or to the left, to go after other gods to serve them.
^WC Now, who said Christianity was not under attack? http://ow.ly/gw9aQ
http://ow.ly/d/YzJ ^WC This is the one of my newsletters that published last year. You will receive this and so much more as we grow into a magazine. And, there is no cost to you. Just send an email to preachercarter@gmail.com stating your desire to receive this informative, introspective and challenging production. I am looking to hear from you.
^WC To any and all that desire to receive free copies of my newsletter “The Christian Perspective” simply send me an email stating such. The address is preachercarter@gmail.com so come on let’s get reading, studying, discussing and growing.
Have you ever noticed that at camp fires the best place to be is close to the fire? This is because the closer you are to the fire the warmer you become. In fact if you are so close to the fire that you are able to stoke it not only do you become warm but you will actually become hot by reason of the fire. And if you are not careful you can be burned by the flames. With this good reason dictates that the further you are from the fire the cooler you become. In fact you can be so far from the fire that you become cold. Yet you can be close enough to the fire to see the flames yet far enough away that it has no immediate impact on you. This is living on the fringes. You can see and appreciate the fire but the desire to be close to it is evasive.
Such is the case with many in and around the church. Some are the first to get to church because they have been taught to come to church from their youth. Yet there is no commitment to the things of God and no desire to serve Him. These are on the fringes because they see the hand of God working in the lives of others with great appreciation but there is no time for them to dedicate their lives to the things of God. You see there are some things that are more important such as the Sunday football games. So, these that are the first to get to church are also the first to leave because the dinner might burn and the kickoff cannot be missed. The fact is that these are the people that have been around the church so much that they have all the moves down and know all the right words. The problem is that they are lukewarm having a form of godliness while denying the power thereof (II Timothy 3:5).
And then there are others on the fringe. Consider for a moment some that work in the church. Some drive the church van. Others are deacons or ushers while even more sing on the choir or run the sound booth. While they perform many great works that is all that some of these do. Yes, they dress well and have the mannerisms of Christendom down perfectly. But the problem is that there is no love for God. Some of the workers not only lack salvation but the pretense is some evident that it literally reeks from their beings. That is they drink, smoke and even indulge in illicit drugs. Even more they live lifestyles that are far from godly expecting that their works will be sufficient to get them into the Kingdom. These fringe livers have fooled themselves because they are aware of the consequences of hypocrisy but that they rely on their works for salvific purposes (Ephesians 2:8-9).
Even while these are obvious people living on the fringes there are many others. For instance there are those that think it OK to interpret the Word of God based upon their own ideologies. Then those that think OK to lie without consequences. Others live contrary lives under the guises that God knows their hearts. Well, they are right because God does know their hearts. He knows that with their mouths they worship Him but their worship is for show only (Ezekiel 33:31; Matthew 15:8). These fringe loving people do not realize their destinies if they do not turn from their contrary ways.
So then, the danger of living on the fringes is that this life is not pleasing to God. He would rather that you be hot or cold. Those that are lukewarm will be regurgitated from His mouth (Revelation 3:16). You see living on the fringes is an affront to Christianity. Even more it is smacking God in the face. It is to say the sacrificial death Jesus is not good enough and that it is not necessary for redemption. Living on the fringes is a nullification of the Word of God not out of ignorance but out of choice and free will. To know the love of God and ignore it is to say that God’s love is not worth having. Living on the fringes is saying the fire is good for those that can feel it but not good enough for the rest.
When God says that He will spew the lukewarm out of His mouth He means that He wants nothing to do with them. It is much like a person sick to the stomach and that thing which has irritated the organ is forced out through his mouth. The waste that is rejected by the body is not to return because it has proven vile and no good for the body. Such are those that walk on the fringes of holiness. They will be rejected by Jesus (Matthew 7:22-23) thereby being rejected by the entire Godhead.
It is my prayer that those on the fringes get close to the fire. Don’t let hypocrisy ruin your chances of eternal life with God. The only other choice is eternal damnation. This is a choice that is unacceptable so in this New Year please get close to the fire. No, get so close that the fire burns you because eternal life was made for you.
^WCI am hoping to get some responses from this post. Here is the thing; I have no consistent sponsors for my monthly Newsletter. As such I am considering delivering it electronically as well as digitally. As such if you are interested in receiving “The Christian Perspective” please send your email address to preachercarter@gmail.com so that I can complete a database of recipients. If you are uncertain as to the types of articles found in the monthly production visit my blog https://atomic-temporary-41693309.wpcomstaging.com/. Also, I don’t mind you sharing this information if you choose to.
^WC And thou shalt teach them diligently unto thy children, and shalt talk of them when thou sittest in thine house, and when thou walkest by the way, and when thou liest down, and when thou risest up. Deuteronomy 6:7
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