Building and Planting

Jer 1:4 Then the word of the LORD came unto me, saying,
Jer 1:5 Before I formed thee in the belly I knew thee; and before thou camest forth out of the womb I sanctified thee, and I ordained thee a prophet unto the nations.
Jer 1:6 Then said I, Ah, Lord GOD! behold, I cannot speak: for I am a child.
Jer 1:7 But the LORD said unto me, Say not, I am a child: for thou shalt go to all that I shall send thee, and whatsoever I command thee thou shalt speak.
Jer 1:8 Be not afraid of their faces: for I am with thee to deliver thee, saith the LORD.
Jer 1:9 Then the LORD put forth his hand, and touched my mouth. And the LORD said unto me, Behold, I have put my words in thy mouth.
Jer 1:10 See, I have this day set thee over the nations and over the kingdoms, to root out, and to pull down, and to destroy, and to throw down, to build, and to plant.

The calling of Jeremiah was a profound and powerful event in his life.

God let him know that before he was ever formed in his mother's womb, he was a chosen vessel in the mind and plan of God.

In meditating and studying this morning, I became intrigued by the distinction God made when He said to Jeremiah that he was called "to build, and to plant."

Building and planting are two very different processes.

When you build, your progress is only limited by your own personal limitations. If you have the resources, the project goes up faster the more effort you put into it.

Planting, however, is an act of faith that depends partly on conditions beyond your control. You are responsible for diligent preparation, but once you commit the seed to the soil, the results depend on things other than your personal sweat and toil.

We go to seminars and read books about how to "build" a church.
But honestly, an Apostolic church is an organic spiritual entity. It has to be panted and watered, and God alone can give the increase.

Maybe someone today needs encouragement because when you look out at your harvest field, what you see makes you feel like less than a success.
Remember this, faithful laborer...not everything worthwhile can be built; some things have to be planted.

This Gospel Is Confrontational

1Co 4:15 For though ye have ten thousand instructors in Christ, yet have ye not many fathers: for in Christ Jesus I have begotten you through the gospel.
1Co 4:16 Wherefore I beseech you, be ye followers of me.

I sometimes wonder if Paul and the other Apostles would recognize us.

We have come to a place in time where the conventional wisdom instructs us to go to great lengths to be "seeker friendly" and do nothing whatsoever to ruffle anyone's feathers.

The modus operandi of many seems to be something like this...Make friends with people, tie them into the social structure of your church, sell them on your programs and how sweet you are, and when the time is right, sort of slip up alongside them and gradually edge them toward baptism in Jesus Name.

This approach can be seen in the websites of many churches, where there are lots of pictures of photogenic people and no doctrine to be found. This seems to be the complete opposite of Paul's methodology.

Paul disputed in synagogues, cast devils out of people on the streets, trumpeted the Oneness of God without apology, and generally raised cain with the religious status quo.

I'll be honest...in the past I have tried the soft, gradual approach with some people. It doesn't seem to yield much in the way of long lasting results. You wind up pouring a lot of time and energy into people only to see them mostly feel the "spirit" lead them elsewhere when they are finally confronted with some undiluted truth that crosses their flesh or theology.

People who, on the other hand, are brought to a crisis of belief by strong preaching, either make a decision to fall on the stone and be broken, or else they harden themselves and move on. But the ones who yield are much easier to disciple and teach. It seems that I have an easier time working with folks who are begotten by the gospel than folks who are won mostly through people skills.

I am not advocating rude, obnoxious behavior. That is a no-brainer. But I do think the Apostolic, Biblical model of preaching is strongly confrontational. Loving, and steeped in burden, but strong as lye soap and straight to the point.

I want people to like me. I want them to think I am nice.But most of all, I want them to come face to face with the Truth of God's Word.

Ladies and gentlemen, this Gospel is confrontational.

The Folly of Falling in Love With Goats

When I was a kid, there was a local character known by everyone as the "Goat Man." He lived in an old shed in a holler behind my granny's place. The lady who owned the property was kind enough to let him live there with his flock of goats.

His story was unusual. At one time he was a prosperous businessman who owned a tractor dealership. But then his son wound up cheating him out of the business and booting the old man out with nothing. This threw him into some sort of breakdown, and he decided that goats were better company than people.

He was harmless, but not too pleasant to be around. He stunk just like the goats he lived with.

In the church, I have seen people fall in love with goats. They form an emotional attachment to some rebellious type, and decide that if only the the church and pastor were more compassionate, this poor goat would find healing and restoration.

These folks often become quite judgmental in the throes of this misplaced compassion, and become so fixated on the object of their obsession that there is no spiritual or emotional energy left for the sheep that are all around them, some of them lost and struggling.

And ultimately, these goat lovers usually end up taking on the smell and nature of the goats they love.

I believe in reaching for lost and struggling sheep with everything within me...but hard experience has taught me the folly of falling in love with goats.