The Church of God Today

One cannot help but notice the different directions which the Church is taking today. On one hand, the smaller churches are gearing up for world missions & evangelism. The training & the care ministered to their members is heart warming. On the other hand, the larger churches are stuck in the comfort zone. With a larger congregation & deeper pockets, missions means nothing more than sending a check off to the nearest para-church group or mission organization.

While the smaller churches focus on character building & mutual care & support among its members, the larger churches are caught up with the physical appearance of its buildings & facilities. Limited resources are forcing smaller churches to dig deeper within, to strengthen its foundations. For the larger churches, its about appearance & what looks good on paper.

In times of personal tragedy, members of a smaller church would gather around, to comfort & support a family in distress. In a larger church, one would be expected to sign up for some sort of grief management sessions. Troubled, married Christian couples have been turned away often enough because the pastor has more important things to attend to. The human touch is gone. The pastor is no longer a shepherd but a program manager.

There's a saying in the business world - “take care of your staff & they'll take care of your business.” The fastest growing churches today are those which are doing exactly that. They've a New Testament - Pentecostal attitude towards their members. They're not those with massive buildings & other properties. After all, Jesus did say the world will know that we're his disciples if we've love for one for another.

A Modern Pastor’s Prayer

Dear Lord, thanks for the wonderful service this Sunday. The pews were full & the offering was good. I’m equally delighted that our $2 million, new sound systems worked out so well. I’m sure even the big MTV bosses in Hollywood will feel right at home here in our little, humble church.

Thank you for the new costumes for our choir members. How can I forget? Now our choir is the only choir in town to wear a designer’s label. We’ll be so proud to show them off this Christmas on national television. Oh yes Lord, thank you for the grand piano too. Our choir is now complete.

Dear Lord, thank you for the wonderful testimony by Mr. Moneybin about how you’ve provided a new sports car for his dear wife & a summer vacation in the Bahamas for them. I hope & pray that his wonderful testimony will inspire our fellow members in church to expect great things from you.

But Lord we do have problems. Ever since that Pastor Revival spoke at our church last month about reaching out to the neighborhood for you, some of our members have started bringing single mothers, gang bangers, ex-cons, hookers & crackheads of all sorts, to the church. This is a real headache for me.

I know, dear Lord, our members have very good intentions but these new “visitors” are upsetting the ambience of your holy sanctuary. Who knows, some of them may even be HIV positive? Last Friday, our Elder, Mr. Compromise, who is normally very tolerant of things, took up the issue with me.

Only just yesterday, the Bigbusiness family hinted to me that they will have to look for another church if these filthy people don’t stop showing up. Gracious Lord, this family is the biggest contributor to our new building fund. We cannot afford to lose them. Dear Lord, please do something.

Dear Lord, we know that you are a wonderful & gracious God, abounding in mercy & grace. I pray that in your grace & mercy that you’ll find another church for these people, somewhere else. I’m sure there’s a church out there with lots of time for people like these. Oh, the horrid smell, just to think of it.

Before I forget dear Lord, we have some outrageous complaints from some of our members that felt-needs are not met in this church. This is simply not true. How can this be? We have spent a lot of time, money & effort organizing conferences & seminars for our church members. How ungrateful!!!

If they only take the time & trouble to attend some of these conferences or seminars, all their problems will disappear. It’s so disappointing Lord that they don’t realize that I’m doing all this for their own good. Even the directors at the national church board are thrilled with our programs!!! Why can’t they?

Finally Lord, we need another $500,000 for the new stained-glass windows. The present ones just don’t look right with our newly imported carpets from Europe. I heard that some important senators are dropping by in about 4 months time. The timing is just perfect.

This visit will go “LIVE” on national TV. Dear Lord, think of the prestige this will do to your glorious name & this church. I feel so good dear Lord, I can't be wrong.

In Jesus name,

Amen & amen!

Farewell, Ruth Graham

When the news broke that Ruth Graham, the wonderful wife of good old Billy Graham for the last six decades had gone to be with the Lord, I was reminded of these verses from the Bible:

• Precious in the sight of the Lord is the death of his saints

• Welcome, you good & faithful servant

Ruth will always be a saint in modern Christian history. In her own quiet & simple ways, she had served God faithfully with Billy for more than half a century.

Goodbye Ruth for now. See you in heaven !!!

God is NOT a Republican

God is not a man, that he should lie, nor a son of man, that he should change his mind. Does he speak and then not act? Does he promise and not fulfill? - Numbers 23:19 (NIV)

This verse speaks loud & clear about the character of God. No one can hope to dictate anything to the sovereign God. He is the King of kings & Lord of lords. He does not compromise his position nor does he accepts any form of compromises. A politician acts on behalf of the will of his political party. Therein lies his loyalty. He survives by making compromises & making deals.

Therefore, it's interesting that a majority of American Christian leaders attempts to paint God as a member of the Republican party & that the current president is a man of God. The direction taken down this path by American Christian leaders is alarming. It's of paramount importance that we should expose this deception. This is what the Bible has to say:

Then the LORD said to me, "The prophets are prophesying lies in my name. I have not sent them or appointed them or spoken to them. They are prophesying to you false visions, divinations, idolatries and the delusions of their own minds.” - Jeremiah 14:14 (NIV)

Frankly, God does not belong to any political party - to be sure. God is not a Republican, nor a Democrat. God does not live in the White House. In fact, the position taken by American Christian leaders is very similar to that of politicians in Islamic countries.

In Islamic countries, the majority faith survives through the rule by law, not the rule of law. Islam survives through the means of force or worst, through threats & violence. Politicians in Islamic countries thrive & survive on this. They're least interested in cooperation & mutual respect but they do crave to be appeased by non-Muslims.

Today, American Christian leaders seem to espouse the same path taken by the present administration. This is what Jesus & Paul have to say for Christians to filter out & see through the deceptions:

No good tree bears bad fruit, nor does a bad tree bear good fruit. Each tree is recognized by its own fruit. People do not pick figs from thorn bushes, or grapes from briers. The good man brings good things out of the good stored up in his heart, and the evil man brings evil things out of the evil stored up in his heart. For out of the overflow of his heart his mouth speaks. - Luke 6:43 – 45 (NIV)

But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control. Against such things there is no law. Those who belong to Christ Jesus have crucified the sinful nature with its passions and desires. Since we live by the Spirit, let us keep in step with the Spirit. Let us not become conceited, provoking and envying each other. - Galatians 5:22 - 26 (NIV)

Good friends & good pastors

Everyone of us needs true friends, good friends. But how do we know that these people are our true & good friends? I think most of us know the answer deep inside us.

For me, all good friends, all good pastors, in times of prosperity will not call on us nor visit us unless invited. They'll not rush to call on us to serve in committees or try to squeeze an invitation from us. Yet in times of adversity, they'll not hesitate to call on us or visit us, very often without an invitation.

It's not surprising therefore that many pastors today can no longer be regarded as shepherds of the flock. The job of caring for the flock has been delegated down the line to church staffers or lay-leaders. These pastors are mere administrators of the church. They are more interested in been interviewed by the media for taking a conference call from the White House, pushing a mega-church building fund program, or, endorsing the views of their favorite politicians. When I looked at these pastors, I see money written all over their faces. The prophet Ezekiel has something to say about these pastors:

Ezekiel 34:1-10 (NIV)

1 The word of the LORD came to me: 2 "Son of man, prophesy against the shepherds of Israel; prophesy and say to them: 'This is what the Sovereign LORD says: Woe to the shepherds of Israel who only take care of themselves! Should not shepherds take care of the flock? 3 You eat the curds, clothe yourselves with the wool and slaughter the choice animals, but you do not take care of the flock. 4 You have not strengthened the weak or healed the sick or bound up the injured. You have not brought back the strays or searched for the lost. You have ruled them harshly and brutally. 5 So they were scattered because there was no shepherd, and when they were scattered they became food for all the wild animals. 6 My sheep wandered over all the mountains and on every high hill. They were scattered over the whole earth, and no one searched or looked for them. 7 'Therefore, you shepherds, hear the word of the LORD : 8 As surely as I live, declares the Sovereign LORD, because my flock lacks a shepherd and so has been plundered and has become food for all the wild animals, and because my shepherds did not search for my flock but cared for themselves rather than for my flock, 9 therefore, O shepherds, hear the word of the LORD : 10 This is what the Sovereign LORD says: I am against the shepherds and will hold them accountable for my flock. I will remove them from tending the flock so that the shepherds can no longer feed themselves. I will rescue my flock from their mouths, and it will no longer be food for them.

False Prophets In Our Midst

Not too long ago, a well-known evangelist met up with Billy Graham. During the "friendly" conversation, this evangelist went on to brag that he had prophetic capabilities which Billy Graham lacked. Looking back, is this how a prophet of the living God would behave, according to the Bible? No doubt, we're witnessing an emerging & disturbing wave of false prophets in our times. Listen to what the late Leonard Ravenhill has to say about true prophets of the living God:

Picture of a Prophet by Leonard Ravenhill

The prophet in his day is fully accepted of God and totally rejected by men.

Years back, Dr. Gregory Mantle was right when he said, "No man can be fully accepted until he is totally rejected." The prophet of the Lord is aware of both these experiences. They are his "brand name."

The group, challenged by the prophet because they are smug and comfortably insulated from a perishing world in their warm but untested theology, is not likely to vote him "Man of the Year" when he refers to them as habituates of the synagogue of Satan!

The prophet comes to set up that which is upset. His work is to call into line those who are out of line! He is unpopular because he opposes the popular in morality and spirituality. In a day of faceless politicians and voiceless preachers, there is not a more urgent national need than that we cry to God for a prophet! The function of the prophet, as Austin-Sparks once said, "has almost always been that of recovery."

The prophet is God's detective seeking for a lost treasure. The degree of his effectiveness is determined by his measure of unpopularity. Compromises are not known to him.

He has no price tags.
He is totally "otherworldly."
He is unquestionably controversial and unpardonably hostile.
He marches to another drummer!
He breathes the rarefied air of inspiration.
He is a "seer" who comes to lead the blind.
He lives in the heights of God and comes into the valley with a "thus saith the Lord."
He shares some of the foreknowledge of God and so is aware of impending judgment.
He lives in "splendid isolation."
He is forthright and outright, but he claims no birthright.
His message is "repent, be reconciled to God or else...!"
His prophecies are parried.
His truth brings torment, but his voice is never void.
He is the villain of today and the hero of tomorrow.
He is excommunicated while alive and exalted when dead!
He is dishonored with epithets when breathing and honored with epitaphs when dead.
He is a schoolmaster to bring us to Christ, but few "make the grade" in his class.
He is friendless while living and famous when dead.
He is against the establishment in ministry; then he is established as a saint by posterity.
He eats daily the bread of affliction while he ministers, but he feeds the Bread of Life to those who listen.
He walks before men for days but has walked before God for years.
He is a scourge to the nation before he is scourged by the nation.
He announces, pronounces, and denounces!
He has a heart like a volcano and his words are as fire.
He talks to men about God.
He carries the lamp of truth amongst heretics while he is lampooned by men.
He faces God before he faces men, but he is self-effacing.
He hides with God in the secret place, but he has nothing to hide in the marketplace.
He is naturally sensitive but supernaturally spiritual.
He has passion, purpose and pugnacity.
He is ordained of God but disdained by men.

Our national need at this hour is not that the dollar recover its strength, or that we save face over the Watergate affair, or that we find the answer to the ecology problem. We need a God-sent prophet!

I am bombarded with talk or letters about the coming shortages in our national life: bread, fuel, energy. I read between the lines from people not practiced in scaring folk. They feel that the "seven years of plenty" are over for us. The "seven years of famine" are ahead. But the greatest famine of all in this nation at this given moment is a FAMINE OF THE HEARING OF THE WORDS OF GOD (Amos 8:11).

Millions have been spent on evangelism in the last twenty-five years. Hundreds of gospel messages streak through the air over the nation every day. Crusades have been held; healing meetings have made a vital contribution. "Come-outers" have "come out" and settled, too, without a nation-shaking revival. Organizers we have. Skilled preachers abound. Multi-million dollar Christian organizations straddle the nation. BUT where, oh where, is the prophet? Where are the incandescent men fresh from the holy place? Where is the Moses to plead in fasting before the holiness of the Lord for our moldy morality, our political perfidy, and sour and sick spirituality?

GOD'S MEN ARE IN HIDING UNTIL THE DAY OF THEIR SHOWING FORTH.

They will come. The prophet is violated during his ministry, but he is vindicated by history.

There is a terrible vacuum in evangelical Christianity today. The missing person in our ranks is the prophet. The man with a terrible earnestness. The man totally otherworldly. The man rejected by other men, even other good men, because they consider him too austere, too severely committed, too negative and unsociable.

Let him be as plain as John the Baptist.
Let him for a season be a voice crying in the wilderness of modern theology and stagnant "churchianity."
Let him be as selfless as Paul the apostle.
Let him, too, say and live, "This ONE thing I do."
Let him reject ecclesiastical favors.
Let him be self-abasing, nonself-seeking, nonself-projecting, nonself- righteous, nonself-glorying, nonself-promoting.
Let him say nothing that will draw men to himself but only that which will move men to God.
Let him come daily from the throne room of a holy God, the place where he has received the order of the day.
Let him, under God, unstop the ears of the millions who are deaf through the clatter of shekels milked from this hour of material mesmerism.
Let him cry with a voice this century has not heard because he has seen a vision no man in this century has seen. God send us this Moses to lead us from the wilderness of crass materialism, where the rattlesnakes of lust bite us and where enlightened men, totally blind spiritually, lead us to an ever-nearing Armageddon.

God have mercy! Send us PROPHETS!

Gingrich, Dobson, Falwell - Brothers in Hypocrisy

"Becoming involved in strictly political issues or partisan politics inevitably dilutes the evangelist's impact and compromises his message. It is a lesson I wish I had learned sooner." - Billy Graham.

“Do not conform any longer to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what God's will is—his good, pleasing and perfect will.” - Rom. 12:1-3 (NIV)

I grew up watching many of Billy Graham's crusades on TV. Later on, Billy Graham was in a way, instrumental, in my later conversion from Buddhism to Christianity. Billy Graham got across to me not only as someone who is sincere but also as a man of peace. He was like King David, a man after God's own heart.

So as I listened to Newt Gingrich's confession to James Dobson (Focus of the Family), & the subsequent invite from Jerry Falwell to give the commencement address at Liberty University, all sorts of alarms went off in my head. As a Bible-believing, evangelical Christian, I've learned to develop discernment over the years. I know a liar, or a bunch of them, when I see/hear one.

Here, before me were three so-called “Christians” engaging in political & religious masturbation. They didn't seemed to know God or his character. They seemed to think that God would suck up to their political agenda. Each, trivializing the word of God & slapping God in the face in the process. Here, before me is an example of deception outlined in the Bible:

“Rather, we have renounced secret and shameful ways; we do not use deception, nor do we distort the word of God. On the contrary, by setting forth the truth plainly we commend ourselves to every man's conscience in the sight of God.” - 2 Cor. 4:2 (NIV)

The supremacy of God's character determines a Christian's view of the world. Before God, adultery is adultery. Philandering is philandering. Perjury is perjury. One cannot draw a line in his mind, to think that God will draw a similar line in his mind & turn a blind eye. God is neither blind nor dumb. God will not do anything to contradict his own character.

"For my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways, declares the LORD. As the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways and my thoughts than your thoughts.” - Isa. 55:8-9 (NIV)

“For certain men whose condemnation was written about long ago have secretly slipped in among you. They are godless men, who change the grace of our God into a license for immorality and deny Jesus Christ our only Sovereign and Lord.” - Jude 1:4 (NIV)

Neither Gingrich, Dobson nor Falwell understand the fear or wrath of God. Give me Billy Graham anytime. I rest my case.

Spiritual Abuse

Spiritual abuse, like physical abuse or sexual abuse is real. While many don't get to hear about it. It's alive & kicking in many churches. Here are a few examples I've encountered:

1. A middle-age lady fell off her seat in the middle of a church service. She had just blacked-out & lost consciousness. A medical diagnosis later revealed that she had suffered a mild stroke which triggered the black-out. Although it was a mild stroke, it left her incapacitated. She was unable to drive or go anywhere on her own. She went through a course of medical treatment for almost a year. During that time, no one in the church gave her a call or visited her. This lady had served her church faithfully for several years in many areas of ministry. Finally, in a moment of sheer loneliness, she called her pastor to pray for her. After rendering her story, all the pastor had to say was this - “if you're a good & spiritual Christian, you wouldn't have fallen sick. The reason why you're sick must be due to some hidden & unconfessed sins.” - She was stunt by the cold-blooded assessment. Since then, this lady had left her church & had moved on to a more humane church environment.

2. A young couple had grown fond of each other. With marriage in mind, the young man decided to speak to a church leader about his affections & feelings. He's known this church leader for some years now & felt confident that he would be able to offer some much needed good advice. It was not to be. In their first meeting, the church leader told him abruptly that he should consider someone else as a more worthy life partner than his current girlfriend. The young man was never told why. No long after that, his girlfriend was removed as a member of the church. The young man left shortly after on his own accord. The couple broke up & the girl went on to embrace another religion. Many years later, the young man learned from a close friend that his ex-girlfriend was once married when she was very young. The marriage didn't last long & was broken up. The church leader at that point of time knew about it but was of the opinion that for the young man to marry this girl would be committing an act of adultery. But the church leader felt that this information need not be disclosed. The young man in question need not know.
   

3. A married couple went to seek counsel when their marriage was going through some rough weather. The pastor in attendance criticized the couple roundly throughout their meeting, while extolling the virtues of his own happy marriage. By comparison, there's no reason why the couple should fail to experience the same. To make matters worst, the husband of this couple had earlier lost his job due to a corporate restructuring. Throughout the duration of the meeting, the pastor didn't even request for a copy of the husband's CV to be circulated to the other 2,000 members of various professions in the church. Instead, the pastor was ranting about how unsavory the husband's choice of certain words were to the pastor's ears.
   

From these experiences, clearly something stinks. How the local church chooses to address the problem of spiritual abuse will determine whether the love & wisdom of God lives in that church.

Evangelicals & Climate Change

It seems that James Cameron, Simcha Jacobovich & “The Lost Tomb of Jesus,” aren't the only ones having credibility problems with both scientists & evangelicals alike these days. There's now a group of high-ranking evangelicals with an emerging credibility crisis with both scientists & other evangelicals before the watching world.

I'm talking about a bunch of evangelicals who are fomenting threats & slander to silent the discussion on climate change & global warming. Since I'm not an American & don't belong to any side of the American political divide, here's my 2 cents worth as an Asian evangelical. No doubt, some reading this, with a particular political slant will be infuriated. The demand for honesty has always inflamed the less than honest.

Climate change, for that matter, global warming is a proven, scientific fact. It's not anything remotely near the theory of evolution where scientists from both sides have debated vigorously & will continue to debate. Climate change is upon us, like it or not. Just ask the countless millions of victims of droughts, floodings, hurricanes & other related natural disasters, not to mention emerging tropical diseases.

The problem with this bunch of evangelicals is that they think that the discussion on climate change & global warming is a distraction from their pet preoccupation with abortion & homosexuality. We, Asian evangelicals are no less aware of our Christian values & the biblical teachings surrounding them. What bother us is the hypocritical nature of this group of so-called “evangelicals.”

It seems strange that these evangelicals who preached so much about Christian moral & family values are generally silent when the political party of their choice sucks up monetary contributions from the tobacco, liquor, gambling, defense & even the pornography industry. I remember how one renowned specialist on Christian family values remained silent when his favorite political party invited porn stars to its fund-raising dinner party.

We, Asian Christians will stick to our moral & family values. We'll continue to discuss issues & challenges critical to our survival. We'll not ignore our divine calling to be good stewards of God's creation. We value the importance of climate change & global warming. Unlike these evangelicals, we don't have a political agenda or political party to suck up to.

Church Leaders & Accountability

How many times have you sat in the pews to hear a church leader or pastor preached about accountability? How often the message was for people, the likes of you & me in the pews? How often the preacher seems to brush off his own accountability as something privy between him & God?

I've often found the disparity in such messages more than just disturbing. The messages often sounded as though the ordinary people like you & I in the church are accountable to God, the church, the pastors & the church board. The pastor, well, he's only accountable to his good buddies in the board & to God. And even when a preacher mentioned the God part, it sounds like a private hearing & a slap on the wrist kind of thing as if God will go easy on church leaders & pastors. Is it any wonder why preachers often speak of such matters with an air of confidence?

The truth is that the Bible speaks of every person – layman & clergy alike - standing before God to give an account of themselves. Doesn't this sound frightening? Church leaders often think that it's easier to give an account of themselves before God than to their own church. This cannot be further from the truth. We're all fellow human beings, we know that we're not perfect. We can accept each other's failings & we can forgive, forget & move on.

However, I think a lot of church leaders are just too sure of themselves that they think that it'd be beneath them to be accountable to members of their own church. I wonder if they know what they are talking about when they say glibly that they accountable to God. There couldn't be a more careless statement. Here on earth, as church members, we can forgive a pastor when he makes a mistake & can offer advice for corrective actions. But I assume some are even too proud to listen to good advice, unless it comes from their buddies in the church board.

What does accountability to God entails? It basically means that one's at the end of the road. There's no turning back. One is standing before God with the rest of the world staring at him behind his head. Here, God is not going to give anyone any advice but just expecting an account. One cannot even give any excuses as to why he failed. It's a horrifying moment. Anyone in their right mind would rather stand before a church than before a perfect & holy God, sometimes an angry God.

It's no wonder that the corporate world outside has a higher standard in good corporate governance & accountability than most churches, especially mega-churches. A corporate executive who is making a request for a million dollars from the board of his company will have to do a lot of homework in outlining the justifications, cash-flow, forecasts & projections. Whereas, a church leader only has to appeal to the emotions. No homework or paperwork is necessary. Millions are raised & spent without a single writeup.

It'll not be surprising that many church leaders & pastors today will get to heaven with smoke on their backs – just barely made it!

Doing Nothing?

"The only thing necessary for the triumph of evil is for good men to do nothing."
- Edmund Burke (1729 - 1797)

Doing nothing. A very loaded word. I was reading the news about the recent floods in Jakarta. One thing everybody seems to agree on is that the government did nothing, if anything at all, to prevent the situation. Some experts commented that after several earthquakes & the tsunami, the government did little or nothing at all to prevent or mitigate natural disasters in the future. Sad but true.

But what about the rest of us? We don't have to talk about heavy stuff like global warming or mass poverty. There are needs everywhere. I've often hear people who say that they've good intentions. The problem is that these intentions never took off in any form. The road to hell is paved with good intentions. We're mostly nice people, even good people.

We've lots of people with great compassion, lots of people with great passion & great vision.What we often lack are people with great imagination. That's why so little is accomplished, if anything at all. And this is no wonder why we create so much fuss & pomp over our little accomplishments. Mark Twain once said - “Noise produces nothing. Often a hen which has merely laid an egg cackles as though she has laid an asteroid.”