I’ve been involved in pastoral ministry for over 30 years, and I have a desire to help everyone. But, I have learned the hard way that I cannot help every person who attends our church or who comes to me for input.
The following are ten kinds of people I have identified that are so entrenched in certain habit patterns that I cannot help them advance to the next level unless they make the necessary shift in their attitude or behavior.
There is a dearth of fatherlessness in the world and in the church today. The emotional and spiritual effects of this have been nothing less than catastrophic! The following are some of the symptoms of fatherlessness. (This can be applied to both natural and spiritual fathers.)
There has been much written in recent years about the Christian’s role in producing wealth on the earth. The following are common misconceptions in the church regarding prosperity and wealth creation that need adjustment for us to have biblical balance & integrity, and experience transformation in our families, communities, and nations.
God wants His creation to be fascinated with Him and His ways.
Passages like Isaiah 40 are examples of how God wants us to always have hearts that pursue and seek out the mystery of God and His ways.
As a Christian in ministry for over 30 years I have become an astute observer of human nature and behavior. The older and more mature I become, the more I understand the scripture in John 2:23-25:
The way of life we are called to live in order to live a life Jesus can bless
The Sermon on the Mount of Jesus (Matthew 5:1-12) is perhaps the greatest exposition ever written regarding godly character and attitude. In this section of scripture, Jesus is seen as the new Moses, speaking from a mountain after going through the waters of baptism (a type of the Red Sea) and being in the wilderness. He is presenting a new way of kingdom life; with this sermon many scholars believe Jesus is giving the real interpretation of the law of God (Exodus 20). Often the ten attributes mentioned here are overlooked because, in our performance-based culture, inward holiness is not as important as outward fruit. However, being transformed into the image and character of Christ is a prerequisite before we can walk in the ministry and power of Christ.
I heard a great prophetic teacher (Thamo Naidoo from South Africa) mention in his message that there is a difference between apostles of churches and apostles of Christ. He said that while there were many apostles of churches, there were only very few true apostles of Christ on the earth today. That one statement exploded on the inside of me and gave me much illumination. I had never heard anyone make this delineation before, but it makes a lot of sense to me. The following is what I have unpacked in the scriptures since Thamo made this statement.
Scripture teaches us that in the days of Paul the Apostle there were teachers who taught the people what they wanted to hear, turning them away from the truth. In the Book of Revelation, Jesus commended the Ephesian church for testing those who claimed to be apostles but were not and found them to be liars (Rev. 2:2). Jesus even called some congregations synagogues of Satan (Rev. 2:9)!
“For unto us a child is born, unto us a son is given: and the government shall be upon his shoulder: and his name shall be called Wonderful, Counselor, The mighty God, The everlasting Father, The Prince of Peace. Of the increase of his government and peace there shall be no end, upon the throne of David, and upon his kingdom, to order it, and to establish it with judgment and with justice from henceforth even for ever. The zeal of the LORD of hosts will perform this.” (Isaiah 9:6-7).
As a believer with a Pentecostal experience since 1978, I have seen many genuine moves of God as well as many counterfeit works of the flesh. Unfortunately, many believers lack the discernment to tell the difference between what is of God and what originates with man.
