(For those who serve and love him, but feel that have no place or served and forgot him and think there is not place to come back to.)
STEPPING UP TO THE PLATE OR FALLING THROUGH THE CRACKS? (Galatians 3:1-6)
I am writing this from a position that this could likely be the last thing I write of this nature.
I have always said and believe that there are too many critics in the church and not enough people
to bring solutions. This is why the weight of the church is carried by its leadership and not by the people.
This I believe is why we have many leaders of get burnt out, quit ministry and many who fall in ministry to sin. It is difficult to lead with the people you are leading with their feet in the ground. It's even harder to see your destiny through it. I believe this is also why we have a lack of people stepping up the plate of leadership.
This is not a criticism this is simply a vision and a solution for those who are hurt in light that much of this is a method of the enemy to keep you away from your calling.
I however have seen there are many people who if given the chance can make this job easier for the leadership and provide assistance and love to those who are in need. There is a almost destructive thing through the church that has disqualified people that has made them feel less than worthy and hurt many of the people in the church today.
I write from this perspective as a person who has seen by looking from the outside in that many people are falling through the cracks.
Let me first personify the church as one of the most beautiful thing there is. Serving in God's kingdom is a great joy however in this great place even a little less joy makes for a great concern. In otherwords the pain that comes from this is nowhere close the pain felt in the world but these things are important to watch and to take care of in the church to see the church grow. I preface this because this is not a pity party for the church or for any particular church or for any particular person. This is a cry I believe from God himself. To let his people go.
THE DREAM - (Joel 2:28)
It came one evening when I had a vision. The vision was simple but alarming. I do not think it was meant to be negative but a image to see and to handle. It is like knowing you have something important to do leaving it alone and then seeing it in 3d played right before your very eyes.
The image was of a group of people who are gathered. Each had their own candles. The ones in the front had their candles brightly lit while others approaching the front was growing to the size of those who stood in front. The ones of came to the front line were rejected. Slowly they paced backwards away from the front and their candles getting more and more dimly lit. Until many of them were completely extinguished.
This was a sad picture but it was strange because it was not a one-time occurrence it seemed in this dream I had that many people went through this same cycle. That many simply went out the door never to be seen from or heard from again. Many hurt, many pretty much blinded to the fact of why they were no longer serving an Almighty God.
This dream was alarming but was sobering because it showed me something I never thought possible.
God's people are there but many people just can't or don't want to see it. I believe there are many a limping church simply because those who are to be called are simply passed up. I know that God promotes I also know that humility is where the beginning of service begins. However lets face it when you are obedient to a leadership or a group of people and they tell you where you are at. You can simply believe them and stay there or believe what God has said about you an pursue what God has called you to.
THE CALLING (DON'T LET YOUR LIGHT DIM) (Galatians 6:9)
Please hear what I am saying. I am saying pursue what God has called you to. I am not in any way saying go against the wishes of your leadership. This is not biblical. What I am saying is do not let the light dim.
I have witnessed many people who have had this happen to them. I have witnessed people who had calling in the church and feel or perhaps their upbringing did not meet the requirements of the majority leader. Leadership do make mistakes but their most important concern is to protect you. If you are not at a certain place for a certain reason respect it but by no means do not disqualify yourself. Don't look at your walk in faith like another failed project in the world. There are no projects in his kingdom and if Ministry has become one repent. There are no place for the promotion in church as much of the world see's it. We are not looking for a higher position we are looking firstly to be a son or daughter to the King.
As people following we must trust our leadership, trust what God has said to us in tension with this we must pursue what God has spoken to us. It's not always about lights, names or titles. It is about obedience, about loving and about honor and reverence. Philippians Scripture..
DON'T GIVE UP (2nd Cron 15:7)
I believe for many reason the scriptures urge is NOT TO GIVE up. At that time I believe it was because of the massive persecution of the church but even through Peter and Paul's illustration we can see the the conflict was also between each other. As leaders we must remember not to hold back those God is calling in light of "What we will look like"" This is a vain position. IT does not glorify God. But as people in the church following leadership we cannot push ourselves to the front. We must continually serve, continually love.
If we are not shining bright within our own church. i am reminded of the passage of Jesus who returns to his "own" town and there he is without miracles. They could not believe in the carpenter. Many people out there are not carpenters but perhaps they are ex-drug users, abusers, cheaters, liers, perhaps they fit the entire list and for this you feel you are dis-qualified. I know how it feels to be dis-qualified. I can understand those who have been. However for this reason you are qualified not dis-qualified and though many go before you who also were disqualified and sit disqualifying others. It's a ploy of the enemy.
See we do not need the pedestal of the church to Love people. If we do then we are doing it for the wrong reasons. we do not need the pulpit of the church to preach from. We do no need a bible study to evangelize. Everyday we can continue to pursue what God has called us to. If we never step foot in the ministry of the Church as people see it there is no loss. Perhaps your gifts are not for the Building. Perhaps they are for your city.
ENCOURAGEMENT (1 Thessalonians 5:11)
My message is a message of encouragement. Of understanding where you are coming from and of freedom of what you can do. The enemy tries to nullify the voice of his less than worthy children by telling them they will amount to nothing. That they cannot achieve. They will never be like someone else. I am telling you to tell the Devil to take a high road. If your a divorcee remember your the best to talk to someone who is going through the pain of divorcee. If you an ex drug addict. Your the best to talk to someone who is struggling with drugs. If you are a abuser your the best to understand the abuser and if you are the abused you are the best to understand the abused.
I believe that God is not looking for more cleverly dressed, designers jeans, wire framed glasses Christians. I believe he is really looking for the broken to lead his church. Wither you have a not of the world or Jesus is my co pilot bumper sticker what is stuck to your heart shows.
This writing is to encourage Leaders to see the dying called. And for the called to remain loving and continually serving. I believe a season is coming in the church where the Children shall lead them. Where the broken and the hurt will be valuable to the church. Where those who are called will step out and be counted but care less and less for the a title and more for the people.
I believe that programs though they have been appealing will die without the Love of the church there.
I think we are really bringing ourselves to our ends when we ignore the lost in hope for another glory for ourselves. God will bring us from Glory to Glory and it does not come at the cost of the hurt, the broken and the humbled. I will stand down any day to let another go ahead of me. Because really if we think about it this is what Christ did for us. He stood in the place of Sin for us. he made himself man to take on the pain and anguish of man. God loves us this way.
I do not believe we can say we are doing what God has called us to if we do not risk our own vanity in the desire to see others Grow in christ..
I'll leave you with this short illustration.
A fews years back someone asked me if they could learn to drive stick with my car. I was afraid actually because I knew this person did not drive well. I knew that it was possible if I did not pay close attention that we would or could possible crash. Then I remembered when a man taught me how to drive stick. I was afraid but he believed in me. I soon after time putting the car into second then third believed in myself and to this day I drive stick. I thought to myself for this same reason I need to believe in this person otherwise they may never learn to drive stick. So I ignored the fact my car could get wrecked I could get hurt and thought about the destiny of this friend and the Joy he would have to learn to drive stick. Sure enough he drove and he loved it.. At first he was squeamishness. He was afraid and it took me to encourage him that everything was going to be alright even though I was not so sure myself"nearly missed that older woman on the curb" .."watch out for the trash can!" it got worse but I had to take down the negative and tell him. Hey your getting the hang of it. Alright.. Then with confidence he slipped in the 2nd then 3rd and 4th. The rest is history. He now drives stick. But I had to see past my vanity of my car and my comfort and see that I cared enough for this person to endure a bit of fear to see him be able to do something that I could do. This is what it takes in ministry. To see in others whats in you and cultivate it. Not tell them what is not there but to tell them what is. Then to take a risk. Because we need to.
GOD IS IN CONTROL - THE HONOR OF LEADERSHIP IN THE CHURCH -
(2nd Corinthians 8:11)
You see in ministry we can hold back others in hope to make ourselves look better. Ultimately though we need to remember the encouragement we got to get where we are at. We need to remember that if we discourage people that sure enough many will not step into leadership and yes there will be a lack of leadership in the church and there will be burn outs. But if we encourage and not discourage, if we love with tenderness, give good direction and take risks that believe it or not God will finish what he has started. Many times we have to realize that we are the men at the gates telling who can enter and who can not but ultimately God is in control and we have to be obedient to the calling of people if we want to honor the role of leadership we are in.
As people in the church. We must realize that leadership is there for our good. That the love of the Shepard is to protect and to teach and correct and that order is in the church for the same reason. We must realize that not everyone all the time is always doing the will of god and that many times leaders serve in imperfection. That we are all learning and that we are all human. The honor and reverence comes from the fact that these men and women put themselves in the line of fire for us. They take the burden of our pain, our loss. We must respect this amazing Church that God has placed before us. We must respect the order that God has set it in. We must love others and even leaders who make mistakes and we must love everyone with understanding. You see in the end the Grace and love of God conquers all. Grace for you and Grace for me.
All of the jockeying for position. All the inherited leadership. All the pain and anger and hurt within the church will simply distract us from our calling. We cannot be so immersed in where we need to be when others are in such pain. We have received revelation but refuse like a child because we have no arena. This is the immaturity of the people not the leadership. We need no forum to love, no forum to give the gospel and no forum to live it out. When we do this we are doing it for his Kingdom and for his people. We are ministering out of what God has called us to. We are honoring the calling of God in our lives.
If we are so honored to do it in the church. To be a leader and to lead we should do it in humility and remember not to forget from where we came from. (1 Corinthians 1)
His Church, his people and his children are an honor to serve.
They are a Jewel and a treasure. We must not dishonor God by not
seeing ourselves the same.
Philippians 1:6
Serving In Christ,
James Bobik
STEPPING UP TO THE PLATE OR FALLING THROUGH THE CRACKS? (Galatians 3:1-6)
I am writing this from a position that this could likely be the last thing I write of this nature.
I have always said and believe that there are too many critics in the church and not enough people
to bring solutions. This is why the weight of the church is carried by its leadership and not by the people.
This I believe is why we have many leaders of get burnt out, quit ministry and many who fall in ministry to sin. It is difficult to lead with the people you are leading with their feet in the ground. It's even harder to see your destiny through it. I believe this is also why we have a lack of people stepping up the plate of leadership.
This is not a criticism this is simply a vision and a solution for those who are hurt in light that much of this is a method of the enemy to keep you away from your calling.
I however have seen there are many people who if given the chance can make this job easier for the leadership and provide assistance and love to those who are in need. There is a almost destructive thing through the church that has disqualified people that has made them feel less than worthy and hurt many of the people in the church today.
I write from this perspective as a person who has seen by looking from the outside in that many people are falling through the cracks.
Let me first personify the church as one of the most beautiful thing there is. Serving in God's kingdom is a great joy however in this great place even a little less joy makes for a great concern. In otherwords the pain that comes from this is nowhere close the pain felt in the world but these things are important to watch and to take care of in the church to see the church grow. I preface this because this is not a pity party for the church or for any particular church or for any particular person. This is a cry I believe from God himself. To let his people go.
THE DREAM - (Joel 2:28)
It came one evening when I had a vision. The vision was simple but alarming. I do not think it was meant to be negative but a image to see and to handle. It is like knowing you have something important to do leaving it alone and then seeing it in 3d played right before your very eyes.
The image was of a group of people who are gathered. Each had their own candles. The ones in the front had their candles brightly lit while others approaching the front was growing to the size of those who stood in front. The ones of came to the front line were rejected. Slowly they paced backwards away from the front and their candles getting more and more dimly lit. Until many of them were completely extinguished.
This was a sad picture but it was strange because it was not a one-time occurrence it seemed in this dream I had that many people went through this same cycle. That many simply went out the door never to be seen from or heard from again. Many hurt, many pretty much blinded to the fact of why they were no longer serving an Almighty God.
This dream was alarming but was sobering because it showed me something I never thought possible.
God's people are there but many people just can't or don't want to see it. I believe there are many a limping church simply because those who are to be called are simply passed up. I know that God promotes I also know that humility is where the beginning of service begins. However lets face it when you are obedient to a leadership or a group of people and they tell you where you are at. You can simply believe them and stay there or believe what God has said about you an pursue what God has called you to.
THE CALLING (DON'T LET YOUR LIGHT DIM) (Galatians 6:9)
Please hear what I am saying. I am saying pursue what God has called you to. I am not in any way saying go against the wishes of your leadership. This is not biblical. What I am saying is do not let the light dim.
I have witnessed many people who have had this happen to them. I have witnessed people who had calling in the church and feel or perhaps their upbringing did not meet the requirements of the majority leader. Leadership do make mistakes but their most important concern is to protect you. If you are not at a certain place for a certain reason respect it but by no means do not disqualify yourself. Don't look at your walk in faith like another failed project in the world. There are no projects in his kingdom and if Ministry has become one repent. There are no place for the promotion in church as much of the world see's it. We are not looking for a higher position we are looking firstly to be a son or daughter to the King.
As people following we must trust our leadership, trust what God has said to us in tension with this we must pursue what God has spoken to us. It's not always about lights, names or titles. It is about obedience, about loving and about honor and reverence. Philippians Scripture..
DON'T GIVE UP (2nd Cron 15:7)
I believe for many reason the scriptures urge is NOT TO GIVE up. At that time I believe it was because of the massive persecution of the church but even through Peter and Paul's illustration we can see the the conflict was also between each other. As leaders we must remember not to hold back those God is calling in light of "What we will look like"" This is a vain position. IT does not glorify God. But as people in the church following leadership we cannot push ourselves to the front. We must continually serve, continually love.
If we are not shining bright within our own church. i am reminded of the passage of Jesus who returns to his "own" town and there he is without miracles. They could not believe in the carpenter. Many people out there are not carpenters but perhaps they are ex-drug users, abusers, cheaters, liers, perhaps they fit the entire list and for this you feel you are dis-qualified. I know how it feels to be dis-qualified. I can understand those who have been. However for this reason you are qualified not dis-qualified and though many go before you who also were disqualified and sit disqualifying others. It's a ploy of the enemy.
See we do not need the pedestal of the church to Love people. If we do then we are doing it for the wrong reasons. we do not need the pulpit of the church to preach from. We do no need a bible study to evangelize. Everyday we can continue to pursue what God has called us to. If we never step foot in the ministry of the Church as people see it there is no loss. Perhaps your gifts are not for the Building. Perhaps they are for your city.
ENCOURAGEMENT (1 Thessalonians 5:11)
My message is a message of encouragement. Of understanding where you are coming from and of freedom of what you can do. The enemy tries to nullify the voice of his less than worthy children by telling them they will amount to nothing. That they cannot achieve. They will never be like someone else. I am telling you to tell the Devil to take a high road. If your a divorcee remember your the best to talk to someone who is going through the pain of divorcee. If you an ex drug addict. Your the best to talk to someone who is struggling with drugs. If you are a abuser your the best to understand the abuser and if you are the abused you are the best to understand the abused.
I believe that God is not looking for more cleverly dressed, designers jeans, wire framed glasses Christians. I believe he is really looking for the broken to lead his church. Wither you have a not of the world or Jesus is my co pilot bumper sticker what is stuck to your heart shows.
This writing is to encourage Leaders to see the dying called. And for the called to remain loving and continually serving. I believe a season is coming in the church where the Children shall lead them. Where the broken and the hurt will be valuable to the church. Where those who are called will step out and be counted but care less and less for the a title and more for the people.
I believe that programs though they have been appealing will die without the Love of the church there.
I think we are really bringing ourselves to our ends when we ignore the lost in hope for another glory for ourselves. God will bring us from Glory to Glory and it does not come at the cost of the hurt, the broken and the humbled. I will stand down any day to let another go ahead of me. Because really if we think about it this is what Christ did for us. He stood in the place of Sin for us. he made himself man to take on the pain and anguish of man. God loves us this way.
I do not believe we can say we are doing what God has called us to if we do not risk our own vanity in the desire to see others Grow in christ..
I'll leave you with this short illustration.
A fews years back someone asked me if they could learn to drive stick with my car. I was afraid actually because I knew this person did not drive well. I knew that it was possible if I did not pay close attention that we would or could possible crash. Then I remembered when a man taught me how to drive stick. I was afraid but he believed in me. I soon after time putting the car into second then third believed in myself and to this day I drive stick. I thought to myself for this same reason I need to believe in this person otherwise they may never learn to drive stick. So I ignored the fact my car could get wrecked I could get hurt and thought about the destiny of this friend and the Joy he would have to learn to drive stick. Sure enough he drove and he loved it.. At first he was squeamishness. He was afraid and it took me to encourage him that everything was going to be alright even though I was not so sure myself"nearly missed that older woman on the curb" .."watch out for the trash can!" it got worse but I had to take down the negative and tell him. Hey your getting the hang of it. Alright.. Then with confidence he slipped in the 2nd then 3rd and 4th. The rest is history. He now drives stick. But I had to see past my vanity of my car and my comfort and see that I cared enough for this person to endure a bit of fear to see him be able to do something that I could do. This is what it takes in ministry. To see in others whats in you and cultivate it. Not tell them what is not there but to tell them what is. Then to take a risk. Because we need to.
GOD IS IN CONTROL - THE HONOR OF LEADERSHIP IN THE CHURCH -
(2nd Corinthians 8:11)
You see in ministry we can hold back others in hope to make ourselves look better. Ultimately though we need to remember the encouragement we got to get where we are at. We need to remember that if we discourage people that sure enough many will not step into leadership and yes there will be a lack of leadership in the church and there will be burn outs. But if we encourage and not discourage, if we love with tenderness, give good direction and take risks that believe it or not God will finish what he has started. Many times we have to realize that we are the men at the gates telling who can enter and who can not but ultimately God is in control and we have to be obedient to the calling of people if we want to honor the role of leadership we are in.
As people in the church. We must realize that leadership is there for our good. That the love of the Shepard is to protect and to teach and correct and that order is in the church for the same reason. We must realize that not everyone all the time is always doing the will of god and that many times leaders serve in imperfection. That we are all learning and that we are all human. The honor and reverence comes from the fact that these men and women put themselves in the line of fire for us. They take the burden of our pain, our loss. We must respect this amazing Church that God has placed before us. We must respect the order that God has set it in. We must love others and even leaders who make mistakes and we must love everyone with understanding. You see in the end the Grace and love of God conquers all. Grace for you and Grace for me.
All of the jockeying for position. All the inherited leadership. All the pain and anger and hurt within the church will simply distract us from our calling. We cannot be so immersed in where we need to be when others are in such pain. We have received revelation but refuse like a child because we have no arena. This is the immaturity of the people not the leadership. We need no forum to love, no forum to give the gospel and no forum to live it out. When we do this we are doing it for his Kingdom and for his people. We are ministering out of what God has called us to. We are honoring the calling of God in our lives.
If we are so honored to do it in the church. To be a leader and to lead we should do it in humility and remember not to forget from where we came from. (1 Corinthians 1)
His Church, his people and his children are an honor to serve.
They are a Jewel and a treasure. We must not dishonor God by not
seeing ourselves the same.
Philippians 1:6
Serving In Christ,
James Bobik
Awesome! God is in control! If you are in Leadership don't forget why you are serving and who you are serving! It is not about you! It is about, Jesus. Loving others and leading others to Him!
ReplyDeleteThank you Sherry for your comments. Can I post your Blog in my blog list?
ReplyDelete