Florida Revolution

In my first blog of 2009, I want to share with you some helpful thoughts on handling the criticisms that will come your way this year. A primary consideration for handling criticism is to consider its source. Some critics can be your “best friends” in whatever you are attempting to accomplish. God puts such people in our paths for our benefit. Others can be detrimental to us if we take them too seriously. They may well be obstacles to our Christian health if we accept their criticism out of a false sense of “piety and obligation.”  We may find ourselves being tossed about “by every wind” of criticism.

Jesus did not accept every criticism leveled at Him! It seems like He was always being criticized, mostly by “religious” people. His reaction was to discern their spirits, and then respond to them accordingly.

A very wise man once said, “I will accept criticism only from someone who has something to gain from my success. Some think you ought to keep an open mind, but if you keep it too open, people throw garbage in it.”

Here are some questions that may help discern our critic’s spirit:

            A. “What action on your part brought on the criticism?”

            B. “What motivated the person to criticize?”

            C. “Do they have a critical spirit?’

            D. “Is their intent to help or hurt us.., constructive or destructive?”

Asking questions of this kind will help us identify genuine, honest, interested critics who have our best at heart. These critics feel a responsibility for our welfare, or that of the organization, and are the easiest to turn into coaches! They usually have thought of a solution to the problem they are criticizing! These people are like buoys in the river: they help to keep you in the channel.  Value them!

The ideal would be for us to always be able to turn critics into coaches. Realistically, this just will not happen. One way of having a greater success ratio, however, would be to model what we want. In other words, if we want people to have a right spirit and a right purpose when they criticize, we must also be sure of our motives when and if we criticize! Is our criticism motivated by a desire to see them succeed in their gifts and callings.? Can we offer a legitimate solution to the problem? If not, then we need to restrain our tongue. “It is better to light a candle than curse the darkness!” Invalid criticism is like “cursing the darkness.” I have found that it doesn’t really change things.

DaveinFlorida

At a meeting a while back a number of us were discussing various issues that we felt were pertinent to the times in which we live. I won’t try to recall all that was shared, but essentially we were discussing things that we felt God was revealing to us. The topic moved to discipleship. I mentioned that I had felt impressed by the Lord that we should encourage people to focus on obedience regarding the commands of Christ they already knew rather than just feeding them more intellectual knowledge about God. A young man 35 years my junior became somewhat agitated and said something to the effect of, “It is alright for people your age to talk about obedience (I turned 71 this year)…, but that is not where my generation comes from. We are not into obedience. I don’t even obey God!” He then proceeded to attack the very principle of obedience and summed it up by saying, “I am into ‘responding’ to the commands of Christ, not obeying. I reject the thought of obedience.”

Another elder brother spoke up, “You know, Jesus said, ‘If you love me you will obey my commandments.’ What do you do with that?” There was only awkward silence from the young man.

I have thought about that exchange a lot since that meeting and have asked myself the question, “Is this what the Church’s efforts regarding the command to, ‘Go and make disciples’ have produced? Why was that young man so angry and why did he speak so arrogantly about willful disobedience of God?” Perhaps his anger is anchored in our proud traditions of independence, political correctness, no absolutes and the myriad of other deceptive “norms” that have been embraced by the Church in America. Rather than discipleship, most churches concentrate on their ABC’s: Attendance, Buildings, and Collections. This focus may produce good “church members” but it doesn’t produce disciples of Jesus! As a matter of fact, compromising Kingdom principles to grow a larger congregation may well be the seedbed that produced this devastating harvest of rebellion and rejection of the absolutes of the Kingdom of God in our younger generations. Lord, help us to come to a place of repentance! Help us to learn and walk in obedience! Mold us into true disciples of Jesus!

DaveinFlorida

As a result of all of the current political and financial turmoil in the world,  people in some religious circles are trying to put together a failsafe system that will provide for them in times of famine, riots, wars, etc. Others are trying to set themselves up as God’s authorities on a variety of scenarios they claim to be the current move of God, in an attempt to gather a following and lead a movement. The following article by Charles Newbold, Jr, puts some perspective to all of the conjecture in his REAL LAST MOVE OF GOD.

The real last move of God doesn’t need a man to lead it, doesn’t need a band to hype it, doesn’t need a building to corral it, doesn’t need a billboard to promote it, doesn’t need intercessors to pray it in, doesn’t need a TV show or even a microphone to barker it, doesn’t need a PR program to defend it. Can’t take up an offering for it or seed into it, can’t hype or manipulate it, can’t own it.

It has already begun in the secret places of men’s hearts, men who rarely even know one another. It is already taking place in the hidden corners of David’s cave of Adullam where a few misfits and malcontents have hidden out in Jesus and are being quietly shaped into a mighty army of glorified sons. A few here and there are being knitted together in love whose light, when they cross paths, becomes greater than the sum of the two, or three, or four, or whatever number they are.

It is the light of life, the very life of God they radiate, exposing the darkness and causing turmoil everywhere they go – unspoken, but spoken against; loving, but hated by the world; merciful, but treated unmercifully; strong through brokenness; powerful in weakness; mighty men of valor without guile or malice; strong and powerful in the Lord without gender.

Released one by one, becoming two by two, becoming four by four, then eight by eight – on an exponential curve. Yes, a movement to end all revivals.

Can’t start it, can’s stop it, can’t own it, can’t harness it, can’t telecast it, can’t alter it, can’t do anything about it. It is already in motion and is bigger than any man or collection of men. It is the coming forth of Zion, the ushering in of Tabernacles – the feast of the Ingathering; that is, Jesus gathering unto Himself His true assembly of called-out-ones.

These are those who are called, chosen, and will be found faithful. Nevertheless, whosoever will may come. Either way, all were known before the foundation of the world.

AMEN!

DaveinFlorida

The events of these past few weeks have truly pointed out how self-centered we are as a nation. Because of the greed of some our financial markets have collapsed, the housing industry has taken a dive and almost dried up, and our government’s answer was to print more money for a bailout. Then the automobile Big Three, after years of mismanagement and caving in to the demands of  the UAW for more benefits and bigger paychecks for it members, have found themselves on the verge of bankruptcy. Their response to the situation they found themselves in was an attempt to frighten the nation into meeting their demands with their own financial bailout. The governor of Illinois’s greed and self-centeredness gets exposed when he tries to sell a US Senate seat to the highest bidder, which, by the way doesn’t really shock the political world though shock was feigned by many. When man is self-centered rather than God centered, he has no moral compass!

DeVerne Fromke, in his book, THE ULTIMATE INTENTION, discusses how three different segments of Christendom make man the center of everything.

“The Liberal sees the desperate needs of mankind and would emphasize the social work that needs to be done by man.

The Fundamentalist, while recognizing social needs, knows the emphasis must first be placed on understanding that which God has done for man.

A third segment, often called the holiness groups, insists that all this is too shallow and they would place the emphasis rather on the work which God must do in man.

While each segment carries forward in terms of its emphasis, and the battle may sometimes rage between them, the real issue is altogether missed. It is man they are primarily occupied with. There is another side of the coin which has too long been ignored. It is the side we must consider first if all things are to be properly related to God as the Center. When the work of the church is man-centered – starting with man, centered in his needs, conscious of his welfare, and seeking his blessing – we have the wrong center of gravity. However much God has done for man and in him, man is still out of proper orbit until his deepest and most basic need has been met. This greatest of all man’s needs is an ultimate rectification from himself as the center unto God as the center.”

If there is truly going to be a spiritual Revolution in Florida, or any place else for that matter, it is imperative for those of us who aspire to be Revolutionaries to reset our center. We must move from being man-centered/self-centered to being God centered! From Anthropocentric to Theocentric! That is God’s design and nothing else will work.

“For from Him and through Him and to Him are all things. [For all things originate with Him and come from Him; all things center in and tend to consummate and to end in Him] To Him be glory forever! Amen!  (Romans 11:36 AMP)

DaveinFL

My wife Jennie and I just finished a couple of weeks traveling by auto up to Missouri to visit with my brother-in-law, Finley, then on up to Nebraska to spend a couple of days with a fellow ministry couple, Jack and Jan, then to Kansas to spend some time with our son David, his wife Melanie, and our four year old grandson, Phillip, for Thanksgiving, then to South Carolina to spend time with our daughter, Cheri, Jim her husband, and our grand children, Sarah, Aaron, Lydia and Naomi, and finally to attend a Board Meeting for the Vine Institute. We were received graciously in each place and I could not help but to think that Father was at the very center of every encounter with Family and Friends! What a delightful time of abiding! We even sensed His presence in the hours of driving through the beautiful countryside and marveling at the small towns inhabited by His creation. We were in no great hurry so we took the old roads when possible, avoiding the hustle and bustle of the Interstates. Everywhere we went it seemed His favor and love was being poured out on us and shed abroad in our hearts. What a sense of belonging!

Enough about our trip. In January of 1987, I read a book by DeVerne Fromke, entitled, THE ULTIMATE INTENTION. In it he weaves the theme of God’s plan for man which centers ultimately on God’s desire for a FAMILY. I will share with you some from Fromke’s book in the future, however, today I just wanted you to know that I am at peace and at rest in the Father as a part of His family, a part of God’s Plan for Man.

Peace in Christ!

DaveinFL

I mentioned briefly in my Blog of November 22, that I had repented of having been a “professional clergyman.” Some readers cheered and some challenged that statement. Perhaps I was too brief and general in dealing with a very delicate subject in the religious practices of the “Churches” in America. To those who felt threatened by what I wrote please allow me to respond to some questions raised.

First, regarding the questions on financial support, I did not say that “pastors and staff” should not be paid. There is scriptural evidence for the practice of faithful elders and servants of the ekklesia receiving financial support for their service to the flock of God.

Secondly, I would hasten to add that there is a vast difference between a faithful elder and a clergyman. The faithful elder appears in the scriptures to be one who is spiritually mature and able to serve as an undershepherd of his Master’s flock. He is not into shepherding for personal gain. He is not in competition with other shepherds. He comes from among the flock, not from an educational system designed to produce professionals that promulgate the system. He understands that he is accountable for his actions regarding God’s flock and does not see his service as a stepping stone to a larger flock with more income, greater benefits, a reputation as a great preacher, builder of churches or as an opportunity to become a Church/ Denominational Executive. His center is God, not self or man.

Thirdly, the clergy/laity class system seems to be a direct contradiction of the Kingdom message of Jesus in the gospels and the New Covenant. For those who may be interested I can give you the titles of some very well done books and treatises on the subject of the clergy by very scholarly men.

A brief request.

I invite you to go to www.flrev.com , click on the link to the BLOG, and post your comments. I will listen to your phone calls and read your emails when they are sent to me and attempt to respond as best as I can. However, I can’t record your conversations and cut and paste them on the site for the benefit of others. Please help.

DaveinFL

I guess I like many of my generation, am prone to be a product of our times. Growing up many of us were required to pinch pennies all the time. Repairing something was always seen as being better than replacing something. That rubbed off into the way I conducted myself as a pastor during 32 plus years of “professional ministry.” I found myself trying to repair the religious system, church members, my family and even casual acquaintances. God wasn’t pleased with Dave the Repairman’s efforts to accomplish in the flesh what could only be accomplished by a God ordered death. When the old dies it can be replaced with the new. (May I add that I have repented of the concept and practice of being a professional clergyman in as much as it doesn’t appear to be a biblical approach in stewarding one’s leadership gift freely given by God. It has not been without some costs.)

I have often prayed for the blood of Jesus to cleanse and make my heart pure, to heal my deceitful heart. This is one of the things that I tried to have fixed or repaired. However, I discovered in the book of Ezekiel that God had a different plan. One that most Christians I know overlook. “A new heart also will I give you, and a new spirit will I put within you” (Ezekiel 36:26). Isn’t that profound? God’s plan is not to repair our old “deceitful heart” (Jer. 17:9) but to replace it with a brand new heart.

May I ask you, “Why do you attempt to fix or repair what God wants to, and is replacing?”

You may want to ask God to give you the new heart that He has promised and replace the one that was broken. With the new heart comes a deeper understanding of His ways. That is so much better!

DaveinFL

Today I begin a new adventure…, blogging! As a child I grew up in an America that was much different from America today. Children were to be seen, not heard. They were to speak when spoken to. They were to do what they were told…, and eat everything on their plate! Those kinds of constraints had their effect on me. I have found myself reluctant to express what I think, feel and know…, very focused on tasks, and yes, a little overweight. So this attempt at blogging may turn out to be a real chore for me and were it not that I believe the Lord instructed me to do so, I would not attempt it.

For several months I have heard the Lord telling me that God’s children should refrain from “pushing against doors.” He said that we “should speak to the doors and as the proceeding word of the Lord came through us, the doors would be opened and He would be glorified.” I believe that we will discover that as the doors are opened we will find God on the other side. Had we tried to push open the doors we would have set ourselves against God.

He also said that I should stop trying to repair what He is replacing. He did not tell me to replace anything! He simply does not want me trying to prop up what He is replacing. And He is doing so without my help or yours, by the way!

There are some who believe they are called to tear down, destroy and replace the institutional church with a  different wineskin. NOT SO! There are some who believe they are called to expose, tear down and replace the house church movement. NOT SO! There are myriads of religious traditions and belief systems that Father is replacing, and this may come as a surprise to you, but He is quite capable of  shaking “everything that can be shaken.” In fact, He will do so until it falls in a heap of rubble  at His only begotten Son’s  feet and begins to cry out, “Jesus is Lord.” AMEN!

I will attempt to share in future blogs what the Lord is using to replace systems with.

Peace in Christ

DaveinFL