Isaiah 41:1
Quiet down, far-flung ocean islands. Listen! Sit down and rest, everyone. Recover your strength. Gather around me. Say what's on your heart. Together let's decide what's right.
A lot of people just don't know how to truly win a soul. I'm not talking about witnessing that's a whole other enchilada. But we definitely have an issue here. People are walking in and out of your church. Why?
John 5:41
"I'm not interested in crowd approval. And do you know why? Because I know you and your crowds. I know that love, especially God's love, is not on your working agenda. I came with the authority of my Father, and you either dismiss me or avoid me. If another came, acting self-important, you would welcome him with open arms. How do you expect to get anywhere with God when you spend all your time jockeying for position with each other, ranking your rivals and ignoring God?
Wow! That's powerful! Jesus dealt with this problem 2000 years ago and is still dealing with it now. Those that come for a short period of time or walk in out of the churches see it too. We loose millions that we win for this very reason. Hypocrisy within the church. It may not be something wrong with them, at times it is but at others times it's us. It's so easy to fall into because the cares of this life can catch up with us or we don't really feel for others or our church experience is about how much love we receive and how important being a believer/being in the crowd makes us feel.
Proverbs 27:19
Just as water mirrors your face, so your face mirrors your heart.
Sometimes we perform for other people's eyesight rather than the person who is in deep need of our assistance.
Matthew 6:2
"When you do something for someone else, don't call attention to yourself. You've seen them in action, I'm sure—'play actors' I call them— treating prayer meeting and street corner alike as a stage, acting compassionate as long as someone is watching, playing to the crowds. They get applause, true, but that's all they get. When you help someone out, don't think about how it looks. Just do it—quietly and unobtrusively. That is the way your God, who conceived you in love, working behind the scenes, helps you out.
Matthew 23:1
[ Religious Fashion Shows ] Now Jesus turned to address his disciples, along with the crowd that had gathered with them. "The religion scholars and Pharisees are competent teachers in God's Law. You won't go wrong in following their teachings on Moses. But be careful about following them. They talk a good line, but they don't live it. They don't take it into their hearts and live it out in their behavior. It's all spit-and-polish veneer.
People they are seeing us this way and the sad part is we don't realize it! In America we are honoring men rather than God! Not only that we are not applying the word of God to our lives. We need to let God get to the hidden person of our hearts and deal with it's every intent so others can be healed.
Jeremiah 17:9
The heart is hopelessly dark and deceitful, a puzzle that no one can figure out. But I, God, search the heart and examine the mind. I get to the heart of the human. I get to the root of things. I treat them as they really are, not as they pretend to be.
We can all agree being a disciple of Christ is a lifelong commitment and sometimes the road can get very rough. But most people think discipleship is only for the new converts. I say that is not true. We must continuously disciple one another, not in a disrespectful way whether novice or 50 years of faith. Weariness comes to the souls of man at all times. It's up to us to encourage ourself or each other.
Proverbs 13:19 Souls who follow their hearts thrive; fools bent on evil despise matters of soul.
Proverbs 15:11
Even hell holds no secrets from God— do you think he can't read human hearts?
That does not happen enough we get a mentality people should know better or don't they have that by now? But that should never be the mentality of a Christian to a sibling in Christ. We must have compassion that endures for a lifetime. People stumble and fall. It's part of being saved.
John 14:23
"Because a loveless world," said Jesus, "is a sightless world. If anyone loves me, he will carefully keep my word and my Father will love him—we'll move right into the neighborhood! Not loving me means not keeping my words. The message you are hearing isn't mine. It's the message of the Father who sent me.
Receiving Christ is the salvation- but the conversion of the soul is discipleship. Discipleship is something to be cherished. What a precious thing to be able to do for one another. Now I'm not dismissing people's levels or growth or appointments- however encouraging words can change a life. We are so quick to point out faults of others.
2 Timothy 2:22
Run away from infantile indulgence. Run after mature righteousness—faith, love, peace—joining those who are in honest and serious prayer before God. Refuse to get involved in inane discussions; they always end up in fights. God's servant must not be argumentative, but a gentle listener and a teacher who keeps cool, working firmly but patiently with those who refuse to obey. You never know how or when God might sober them up with a change of heart and a turning to the truth, enabling them to escape the Devil's trap, where they are caught and held captive, forced to run his errands.
Another thing we have an issue with as a body as a whole is putting those with money in a position as if they are right with God when that's not always the case, and the poor are treated like dirt. We treat them like they are not worth our time and God forbid they ask for help the church has a heart attack if they do that. You can't send folks off with a prayer and a smile if they have no food, clothing or shelter and you know what? We can't judge that they are not right with God! God says he comes to the defense of the poor!
We need to understand them as a body, we need to reach out to them no matter how long we have been coming or if we think they did it to themselves. God's word says that's his business not yours.
Proverbs 29:7
The good-hearted understand what it's like to be poor; the hardhearted haven't the faintest idea.
Psalm 12:5
Into the hovels of the poor, Into the dark streets where the homeless groan, God speaks: "I've had enough; I'm on my way To heal the ache in the heart of the wretched.
Sometimes we are so quick to be someones "friend" in the body because they need it. I have heard this atrocity to God, "Well if they have not gotten it by now, I'm going to have to move on to new souls. I can't sit around helping this one who refuses to get out of their situation. I gotta move on man."
Whoa! The world is doing a better job than the Christian. At this I will say something very pertinent to doing the work of an evangelist and a disciple in Christ and I make no apologies for it, Whoa be unto to you! If they are mocking God, God says that's his problem, if something is wrong in their lives God says that's his problem.
You have been purchased with a great price and the entirety of winning of a soul is a life long process. Did Jesus give up on you? Where is the long-suffering patience of the Lord revealed in us?
I want to be a reflection of Christ and have really thought long and hard about this one. If you want to be a true champion in the Lord we need to win the soul. Look around you people are selling pieces of their soul daily and it's in the church as well as without. Why? Because what they are receiving is critical judgement and unrighteous words! We think we are so right we are wrong.
Psalm 51:16
Going through the motions doesn't please you, a flawless performance is nothing to you. I learned God-worship when my pride was shattered. Heart-shattered lives ready for love don't for a moment escape God's notice.
Going through the motions doesn't please you, a flawless performance is nothing to you. I learned God-worship when my pride was shattered. Heart-shattered lives ready for love don't for a moment escape God's notice.
I see something here, the church is entering into the sin of pride on many occasions, and satan entered that same trap and look where he stands. Take heed you stand lest you fall.
God wants us to really befriend them, or really be a friend. He does not wish for us to be skeptical in our thinking or take our negative mindsets that as Christians we many times have into discipling others or ourself. Sometimes we are just too hard on them.
Proverbs 22:11 God loves the pure-hearted and well-spoken; good leaders also delight in their friendship.
If you find this letter angers you or you question who is she to speak such words to me, she does not have a place, she does not have a title- you should question something else. Stephen was being persecuted by the Pharisees and Sadducees and the heavens opened up. He had God's word but as the bible says they believed him not. Don't start me as I bring up Jeremiah, Ezekiel, Jesus himself they did not believe and many more. But God brought to pass what they had said. No one placed them in "ministry" but God himself. So please heed this warning as it will do well for the prosperity of the churches worldwide.
This letter is in no way condemnation, it's more encouragement to be yourself with people and do what God directs but don't be so quick to dismiss those that need you. It may be one day you have the need they do.
