Ghost Whisperers

“Ghost” “Whisperers”

Are you a ghost whisperer?

Are you a ghost whisperer?

“Ghost Whisperer.” Name of a T.V. show. One I’ve only seen in the television listings but must admit that I’ve never actually watched. Never felt the desire to. I – as I’m sure almost any other church leader will readily “amen” as they read on – am sadly already far too familiar with, and have had all too much experience with all too many “ghost-whisperers” in the church as it is. You know who they are; those nameless, faceless, ever mysterious and unable to be identified and/or held accountable “others,” who apparently continually float around and “whisper” to everyone else in the church about you, when they have a problem with you, instead of coming directly to talk to you, like they’re commanded to by their all-seeing Lord and Savior (Matthew 18:15; Hebrews 4:13).

The typical scenario usually unfolds something like this… A brother or sister comes to see you, and in the course of the conversation, says or starts a sentence something to the effect of, “Well, a few folks have told me…,” or, “Several people have come to me and said that…” But of course when that brother or sister who brought them and their complaint up to you is asked to reveal the names of his or her infamous informants, these mysterious and transparent “whisperers” are fanatically well-protected by aggressive anonymity, and seemingly disappear back into thin air, leaving behind a trail of damage for which they will never be identified or held responsible…

But, such ghost “whisperers” and their transparent tactics are anything but approved by the Lord of glory (Ro. 1:29-32). And so, this practice must stop once and for all amongst the called out people of God. There’s only room for one “ghost” in His plan, and that’s His Holy Ghost!

So, how do God’s faithful people exorcise these elusive “ghost” “whisperers” from amongst their number? Enter God’s spiritual “ghost-busters;” undeniable truths from God’s word meant to blast such “ghost” “whisperers” out of existence by making them more accountable and responsible for their carnage, comments, and complaints. And just how exactly does one utilize these powerful “ghost busting” weapons (2 Cor. 10:3-5) when confronted by the protective front person for them unleashing a poisonous plethora of these ghost whisperers’ comments? Here are three, powerful, practical ghost-busting truths to present and practice for the prevention of such ghost whispering tactics.

  1. Jesus could not have been clearer in the “Sermon on the Mount” as to what one must do when they know their brother has a problem with them. “Therefore if you bring your gift to the altar, and there remember that your brother has something against you, leave your gift there before the altar, and go your way. First be reconciled to your brother, and then come and offer your gift” (Matt. 5:23-24). If you know your brother has a problem with you, getting it reconciled must even precede worshipping God. And this is the very thing which the ghost whisperers’ front man is preventing you from doing when he comes to you and informs you that “some brethren” have a problem with you or what you’re doing, but then refuses to identify those brethren by name so that you can go and be obedient to God by getting the matter or misunderstanding resolved. This protection of their anonymity is a practice which allows these “ghost” “whisperers” to remain “ghosts,” and wholly unaccountable for their personal points, positions, and perspectives whether right or wrong. It also prevents you outright from doing what is righteous and just before almighty God. Thus, any “front man” must be firmly reminded that by withholding their identities while willfully spreading their “whispers,” means that he himself is subsequently causing you to sin (Cf. Matt. 18:6-9; Rom. 14:10-13)!
  2. And not only is he causing you to sin by personally preventing your obedience to God’s word, but he is also promoting their sin as well. The biblical fact of the matter is that if any brother feels they have been sinned against by another brother, they are commanded to go see that brother themselves, in person, in private, FIRST! Once again we would note the commandment of the Lord from the gospel of Matthew. “Moreover if your brother sins against you, go and tell him his fault between you and him alone. If he hears you, you have gained your brother” (Matt. 18:15). In other words, these always unidentifiable and therefore always unaccountable “ghost” “whisperers” who are constantly floating about and finding fault with all their brethren but never directly to their faces, need to be told every time they try this transparent little trick, that their story stops here and will not be repeated, because they have no right to talk to anyone about their problem with a particular brother, until they’ve talked to that particular brother personally, about the problem they perceive to be between them. But of course that might require taking some substantive personal responsibility as to their part in the problem which would bring them back down to earth – the one thing such ghosts seem to want to escape experiencing at all cost.
  3. And lastly, not only do such “ghost” “whisperers’” front men: provide only enough pieces of information to cause the brother they go to see to sin; not only do they also become a party to, and willing promoter of their “ghost” “whispering” and backbiting brethrens’ sin; but as such, in addition to both of these things they also escalate their own sin count as well at the same time! Remember, it’s not only the “whisperer” that God holds accountable, but also any and all of those who approve of – through supporting – their whispering too (Rom. 1:29-32)! And such approval is certainly given when one joins and participates in, and thus promotes by becoming a party to, such slanderous and mud-slinging sin! The getaway driver in a bank robbery, who helped the culprits to escape, is just as liable to judgment as the actual thieves themselves! And in the same way, one who aids and abets by helping those escape scot-free and without a trace who rob their brethren of the chance to respond to their complaints in person and face to face, by whispering only to others behind their brethrens’ backs, are just as liable to God for judgment as their fiendish and ghostly friends.

These are but three of God’s “ghost-busting” truths that should blast such “ghost” “whisperers” into non-existence in our congregations. Their frightening follies must not be found amongst God’s flock. Let each and every one of us from this day forward – former “ghost-whisperer” or not – determine not to allow the “ghost” “whisperers” reign of hit and run terror and anonymity to continue to terrorize and tear apart the flock of God. Call them to account. When they complain to you about a brother, make it absolutely clear to them that they need to go talk to that brother about their problem, complaint, or criticism of him FIRST, or not ever bring it up again – to anyone, anywhere, at any time or for any reason: and that includes you; and that you refuse to listen to them any further. If all will do that, it won’t take long for such ghastly practices to take flight once and for all. As it is written:

“An ungodly man digs up evil, and it is on his lips like a burning fire. A perverse man sows strife, and a whisperer separates the best of friends. A violent man entices his neighbor, and leads him in a way that is not good. He winks his eye to devise perverse things; He purses his lips and brings about evil” (Prov. 16:27-30).

 

 

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Untrained Children

Fighting Atheism’s Influence in the Home

God does exist. All of the best-sellers in the world that espouse otherwise will not change that fact. But if we really expect our children to believe and follow the One True Living God, we must start thinking outside the box! Sadly, the atheists of this country are doing their job better than we Christian parents are. It’s time someone states the obvious: What we’ve done in the past hasn’t worked.

Are you Children Studying?

Are your Children Studying?

If you do not believe this, just walk into a church building and inquire if anyone there has children who have abandoned the Faith. But be prepared—the line that forms before you may be much longer than you ever expected. Far too many young people are leaving the Church only to turn around and embrace secular humanism, or even worse, atheism.

Now think: How many of those children who have left the Church could list most of the state capitals? How many of those children know the value for pi, or how to solve for x in an algebra problem? How many of those children can name bones of the body or could describe the water cycle? How many of those children know every word to their favorite songs or could tell you, verbatim, lines from their favorite movie? How many of those children have studied for hours to take tests over meaningless material?

As you sit there considering how much time these young people have spent cramming for standardized tests, ask yourself this one simple question: How much time have they spent actually studying Christian evidences or logical arguments to prove God’s existence? If we are going to reverse this trend, we must start thinking outside the box as to what is “normal”. It’s time we expect more from ourselves and more from our children.

“Are you actually suggesting that we test or quiz our children over Christian evidences or make them study biblical material outside of Bible class?”

I guess my response would be: “Yes, whatever it takes.” After all, which “test” is ultimately more important? I’m not downplaying the importance of a good education—I’m just trying to remind parents that their children spend an enormous amount of time learning “things,” but too often they only spend a small fraction learning about God and His Word. It is no secret that during their educational years students spend a great deal of time studying evolution, humanism, other religious beliefs, and even the tenets of atheism. Why not counter this with a solid Christian foundation?

As I mentioned before, what we’ve done in the past hasn’t worked. It’s time we get serious and combat the atheists’ propaganda with knowledge! Ask yourself this question: Can my children and grandchildren truly prove that God exists? Our children are told that if you can not measure something using the scientific method (using your five senses), then it is an illusion. Where does that place God— a Spirit (John 4:24)? Anyone who has spent any time at all studying philosophy or logic understands that while a Supreme Being may not be proven in a laboratory using the scientific method, the laboratory’s very existence is proof for His existence.

Consider this simple logic: It is a self-evident truth that something cannot come from nothing. (If someone wants to argue this fact, I would love to sell them some “nothing.”) Since something now exists, this indicates that something has existed forever. That means something is eternal—meaning it has always been here. This is simple logic—something exists today, thus something has always existed. The question is what or who has eternal properties?

Atheists and evolutionists would have students believe that the Universe is eternal; however that does not fit the scientific data. We know today that the Universe is expanding, which is a clear indication it had a beginning. As evolutionist Robert Jastrow admitted: “The lingering decline predicted by astronomers for the end of the world differs from the explosive conditions they have calculated for its birth, but the impact is the same: modern science denies an eternal existence to the Universe, either in the past or the future” (1977, p. 30).

The only logical conclusion is that God is eternal and He was responsible for the creation of the Universe. With a little time and a little study we can teach these Truths to our children and grandchildren. I’ve heard it said many times that it takes more “blind” faith to be an atheist. Given the amount of evidence we have for God I would agree.

Brad Stine once mused: “Who is more irrational? A man who believes in a God he doesn’t see, or a man who’s offended by a God he doesn’t believe in?” I would take that even one step further: “Who is more irrational? A Christian who believes in a God but doesn’t teach his child about Him, or an atheist who doesn’t believe in Him but takes the time to teach the child his beliefs?

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Saved and Lost?

Can the Saved be Lost?

Many believe and teach that once an individual is saved he cannot be lost.  However, the Scriptures clearly teach that a child of God can forfeit his salvation and be eternally lost.  Many passages speak of the conditional nature of our future salvation.  The apostle Paul reminded the Christians in Corinth of the gospel by which they were saved “if ” they held fast to the word which was preached to them (1Cor. 15:2).  The word “if” places a condition on salvation for the child of God.  To the children of God in Galatia Paul wrote, “And let us not be weary in well doing: for in due season we shall reap, if we faint not.” (Gal. 6:9).  The word “if” here implies if we as children of God do lose heart we will not reap the reward.  The writer of Hebrews declared we are of Christ’s household “if we hold fast our confidence and the rejoicing of the hope firm unto the end” (Heb. 3:6).  Why do the Scriptures make these conditional statements about salvation if once we are saved we cannot be lost?

The Scriptures point out the conditional nature of our future salvation by giving solemn warnings against apostasy (falling away as to be lost).  The apostle Paul in warning the Corinthians against apostasy realized he too could fall away and be lost.  He said “But I keep under my body, and bring it into subjection: lest that by any means, when I have preached to others, I myself should be a castaway.” (1Cor. 9:27).  Certainly, if there was a possibility for the apostle Paul to be rejected, then we too could be.  Right after that statement he used the example of the Israelites who fell from God’s favor by their disobedience and were not permitted to enter the promised land.  Paul’s conclusion was, “Wherefore let him that thinketh he standeth take heed lest he fall” (1Cor. 10:12).  The Hebrew writer declared, “Let us therefore fear, lest, a promise being left us of entering into His rest, any of you should seem to come short of if” (Heb. 4:1).  These are solemn warnings against falling away and being lost.  Therefore, why give the warnings if once one is saved he is always saved?

The Scriptures also speak of examples of those who did fall away.  Among some who became Christians at the preaching of Philip was a man by the name of Simon.  When he later became covetous of the apostles’ power, Peter told him, “Thy money perish with thee…for thy heart is not right in the sight of God…I perceive that thou art in the gall of bitterness, and in the bond of iniquity” (Acts 8:12-24).   Paul wrote to some who had at one time been faithful, but now had turned back to Judaism.   He said “Christ is become of no effect unto you . . . ye are fallen from grace.” (Gal. 5:4)

These are but a few of the many passages where the Scriptures plainly teach that salvation is conditional based upon our faithful obedience.  Only if we are faithful unto death will we receive a crown of life (Rev. 2:10).

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Remembering a Dream!

Remembering a Dream

I had a dream.  Most nights I have dreams.  The dreams do not always stick in my morning recollection, they seem to vanish with the dawn.  However, this dream or set of dreams I do remember.  They were memories and desires of my youth.

When you dream, do you remember your dreams?

When you dream, do you remember your dreams?

In one portion of the dream, I was playing catch with my father.  We had a nice long stretch of grass to play catch on.  The dream was more or less a memory.  It was late in the day, we were throwing the ball.  My age was probably about 10/11, his about my current age now, mid-thirties.  Funny just saying that is a revealing statement, but that is for another write up.  I remember my father wearing a dark Green T-shirt.  Even the mustache he used to wear sticks out in my mind.  The stretch of grass we played on did have a drawback.  About 15 feet behind each of us was a downhill slope.  If it turned out that one of us made a bad throw or missed the ball, chances were we would have a bit of a run to regain the ball.  Heh… there were some frustrating times I am certain for my father as my young arm would toss the ball wildly at times.

In another portion of the dream, I was playing in a little league baseball game.  The dream was very clear, but this time it was more a memory of feelings and desires rather than actual occurrences.  The satisfaction of getting to go up to bat.  The joy of not swinging at a pitch that was called a ball.  I could smell the dust of the field and see it splattered on home plate in front of me.  Admittedly, the memory of the cockiness that I knew I was going to get a hit was in my mind.  Then came the pitch.  I hit it, it went back, back, and Wow! a homerun!  Back in those days, I hit lots of “run homes”.  This was a term we used when you hit the ball and due to the errors of the other team you were able to run all the bases and score.  However, history serves me well in noting I never did hit a home run.  The only thing close would be backyard whiffle ball with a fence 15 feet away.  Still, the joy and accomplishment even upon waking up and remembering the dream of the home run rests with me at this moment.  Something I was always reaching to obtain, but never quite grasped.

Sometimes, it is hard to differentiate between memories and fantastical dreams.  An instance may have seemed so real, but yet, it never occured except in that sleep world.  How our fears, excitement, stresses, achievements, and longings mingle in our head.  Even in the daytime, when we think back upon our childhood, we only grasp slight glimpses here and there and ponder, “was that they way that situation happened?”.

How our head can rush with memories of our lifetime, both in the day and night, awake and asleep.  Memories for some that may have occurred 80-90 years ago.  Still, try as we may, despite millions of memories, we do not recall each one.  We don’t even recall the majority of the happenings of the days of our lives.

Jesus states the following in Matt. 12:36:

And I say unto you, that every idle word that men shall speak, they shall give account thereof in the day of judgment.

Paul gives us these words in Romans 14:11:

For it is written, As I live, saith the Lord, to me every knee shall bow, And every tongue shall confess to God.  So then each one of us shall give account of himself to God.

The apostle John in Revelation writes in Rev 20:12:

And I saw the dead, the great and the small, standing before the throne; and books were opened: and another book was opened, which is the book of life: and the dead were judged out of the things which were written in the books, according to their works.

Our minds may not remember all the behaviors, emotions, and activities which we were involved in 80 years ago, 20 years ago, last week, or yesterday; however, God does.

Psa 139:1-4 … O Jehovah, thou hast searched me, and known me. Thou knowest my downsitting and mine uprising; Thou understandest my thought afar off. Thou searchest out my path and my lying down, And art acquainted with all my ways. For there is not a word in my tongue, But, lo, O Jehovah, thou knowest it altogether.

God knows what was  a dream and what was a reality.  There will come a day in which he clears our mind so that we can see the sum total and individual parts of our being.  Are we ready for that day?  What will we remember when we stand before His throne?  No doubt, we will be humbled.  All will be humbled to be before such purity and holiness.   Therefore, these thoughts come to mind, while the mind still functions here:

Pro 27:1 Boast not thyself of tomorrow; For thou knowest not what a day may bring forth.

Mat 6:33-34 But seek ye first his kingdom, and his righteousness; and all these things shall be added unto you.   Be not therefore anxious for the morrow: for the morrow will be anxious for itself.  Sufficient unto the day is the evil thereof.

Psa 26:2 Examine me, O Jehovah, and prove me; Try my heart and my mind.

2Co 13:5 Examine yourselves, whether ye be in the faith; prove your own selves. Know ye not your own selves, how that Jesus Christ is in you, except ye be reprobates?

I note all those to say this: According to the great power of the Word of God we shall be judged according to His knowledge of all that we have done.  We ought not worry about tomorrow or be concerned about yesterday.  Rather, each day, while we have consciousness of our actions, we should take a clear look at ourselves and do what is right in the sight of the Lord.  If we falter, we have an advocate in heaven (I Jn. 2:1), but this is based upon the His authority and our obedience to His commands.

Act 3:19-21 Repent ye therefore, and be converted, that your sins may be blotted out, when the times of refreshing shall come from the presence of the Lord; And he shall send Jesus Christ, which before was preached unto you: Whom the heaven must receive until the times of restitution of all things, which God hath spoken by the mouth of all his holy prophets since the world began.

May God bless you in your dreams and in your waking hours.

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Understanding the Kingdom

Understanding the Kingdom

Our world is so blinded by the teaching of many about the kingdom of God. It has always been this way. When Jesus was on this earth, many expected Him to establish a kingdom like those kingdoms they had known in the past and like those physical kingdoms in the first century world.

What is Jesus' Kingdom? Where is it?

What is Jesus’ Kingdom? Where is it?

Herod the Great did not understand the kingdom. His slaughter of the infants was because he was fearful that someone outside his household would be the next earthly king of the Jews. Another Roman official, Pilate, was equally ignorant and perplexed about Jesus and asked about His kingdom. Jesus simply told this Roman governor that His kingdom was not an earthly kingdom where its citizens were armed to force men to surrender to the king (John 18:36).

Just after Jesus had fed a multitude of 5,000 men (not counting women and children), they did not understand His kingdom. They tried to take Jesus and force Him to become their earthly king (John 6:10, 15).

Even the apostles, on the day of His ascension, showed their ignorance of the kingdom. Their earthly view of the establishment of a physical kingdom was shown in the question they asked Him that day. “Lord, will You at this time restore the kingdom to Israel?” (Acts 1:6).

Now, the first century world did understand that the message was being proclaimed as a kingdom which would soon be established. Deep Bible students could have figured out Daniel foretold the kingdom was to be established in the fourth world kingdom in Nebuchadnezzar’s dream. They would have known that this fourth kingdom was Rome. However, even the most simple-minded person would have understood the preaching which began in the days of John the Baptist.

John the Baptist called on the Jews to repent because “the kingdom of heaven is at hand” (Matt. 3:2). They could understand this and also the word of Jesus who said, “Repent for the kingdom of heaven is at hand” (Matt. 4:17). He preached this in “every city and village” (Luke 8:1). The twelve apostles and the seventy disciples were sent by Jesus to tell others the kingdom was about to be established (Matt. 10:7; Luke 10:9).

How could anyone misunderstand the clarity of the message that the kingdom was about to be established? In fact, Jesus said it would definitely come in the lifetime of many who heard Him preach (Mark 9:1). The Jews knew the kingdom was about to come, they just did not understand the nature of the kingdom. Tragically, many today do not understand its nature, and some even deny that it has come.

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