Tag: devil

  • Letter #57 (The Body’s Members–4)

    Dear Small Church Congregation,

         Okay.  You’ve repented of your sins, asked God to forgive you and placed your eternal future into the hands of Jesus as your Lord and Savior.  You’ve decided to become a participating part of the Body of Christ.  You’ve decided to seek the anointing of the Holy Spirit to determine your gifts, talents and calling from God.  You’ve found a local congregation with which to worship.  Now what?  Now I challenge you to make the commitment that you will regularly associate with the other disciples in that local congregation.

         I ran into a rather disheartening statistic recently during a forum designed to instruct and equip pastors of small churches for ministry in their respective communities.  Across all Christian denominations in this country, an attender to worship services is considered a regular member if he/she is present 1.6 times a month.  Let that number sink in—1.6 times a month.  That’s obviously less than half the time if the local congregation meets an average of four times monthly.  (Many meet more often than that.)

         This brings into focus a very serious question—Why do people who claim to be disciples of Jesus not earnestly seek every opportunity available to worship God in a corporate setting?  The answer to this question could be presented as being quite complicated.  However, allow me to present one approach to the answer that might be simpler than expected.

         At the end of the first paragraph of this letter, I challenged you to commit to something.  That something was to regularly associate with other disciples in a local congregation.  I do not mean to say that regular association involves attending worship services 1.6 times a month.  In fact, I mean to challenge you to attend more often than that.  Associate with other disciples of Christ every chance you get.

         Why would I urge you to do this?  Associating with disciples of Jesus does more than place you in an atmosphere of worship.  It brings encouragement into your life from people who are experiencing the same trials and joys you are experiencing.  It gives you a place to ask questions, receive advice and to give advice to others.  It opens to you new opportunities to serve in the local body.  It also puts you in a position to experience new things in life in general as you interact with folks who know things you don’t know or do things you don’t usually do.

         Worship is great and should be experienced every time possible.  Joining in with other disciples to be encouraged in your faith and to receive ministry or to be a blessing to others should never be underestimated.  Worship is essential to your Christian walk.

         Meeting with other disciples of Christ for worship and other activities is important as you all learn to live for Jesus in a world that does everything it can to keep you from doing that.  Be aware that the devil wants to keep you from joining others in worship, Bible study or just living life together as Christians.  He will distract you, put more to do in a day than you can do while awake, place numerous temptations in your path, bring persecutions against you and delay answers to prayers whenever he can.  Satan will do anything he can to keep you away from other disciples of Jesus.

         He wants to isolate you from any source of spiritual strength.  Satan knows isolation yields spiritual weakness.  He knows worship, Bible study, prayer meetings, etc. bring you victory over him.  He knows corporate spiritual strength spreads to the individuals present and becomes personal spiritual strength.  And Satan does not want you to be spiritually strong.

         This is why I challenge you to commit to do the associating that will give you the faith and spiritual power to overcome the enemy of your soul.  This is why you need to do everything you can to be in attendance at the local congregation more than 1.6 times a month.  Be in attendance on a regular basis that surpasses that statistic.

    Sincerely,

    A Small Church Pastor

  • Letter #42 (Quicksand)

    Dear Small Church Pastor,

         Old western shows or safari movies sometimes showed someone getting caught in quicksand.  The hero usually was able to save the victim just in time.  However, these videos have created a misconception about quicksand that needs to be corrected. 

         A victim normally won’t sink completely and drown if caught in quicksand.  The body density usually causes a victim to float around the waist or chest level.  Deaths from quicksand, according to a net search I did, rarely occur, and most often a death is caused by succumbing to rising tide waters, dehydration or extreme heat or cold.  Quicksand is not the “death grip” that movies make it out to be.

         Quicksand is very much like temptations that plague everyone, even pastors.  The devil has done all he can to make pastors think their ministries will be destroyed because of succumbing to some temptation.  Satan hunts any pastor he can and tries to deceive the pastor into thinking that improper thoughts, words or actions will result in the complete death of a pastor’s ability to minister.  Essentially, the devil wants us to believe the temptation is terminal, just like quicksand has been depicted as being deadly in and of itself.

         As with quicksand, the giving in to temptation is not the destroyer of ministry.  The destruction can occur if what occurs around the temptation is not addressed.  High tides, dehydration and extreme temperatures are the real killers with quicksand.  In like manner, lack of repentance, self-righteousness and rationalizations are what can kill a pastor’s effectiveness.

         If a pastor yields to temptation and sins, the immediate remedy is repentance.  The pastor must repent, seek God’s forgiveness and recommit to following the path of holiness to which every pastor has been called.  Falling into quicksand requires calm decision-making so one doesn’t fall prey to rising tides or other dangers.  Submitting to temptation and sinning require the same thing.  Failure to repent and seek forgiveness can kill a ministry.

         As with dehydration for a sinking victim, self-righteousness can also harm a pastor’s ministry.  The idea that “this is the first time I’ve done that in my ministry and I can shake it off” simply will not suffice to save a ministry.  The idea that “I know better than to do that, but I’m sure I can control myself next time” is a deception from the devil.  He’s trying to make you think you’re good enough to deal with this yourself.  YOU ARE NOT!! (Yes, I know I yelled.)  The power to overcome future temptations originates in the power of the Holy Spirit, not in you.  Self-righteousness can kill a ministry.

         Extreme temperatures can kill anyone who Is caught without proper supplies or shelter when stuck in quicksand.  The same holds true for rationalizations in connection to a sin committed.  The devil will convince you, if possible, that this temptation is experienced by all in ministry and that you are no different than others who gave in, too.  Satan tells you things like, “You’re like everyone else, so don’t let this get the best of you.”  “Everyone sins occasionally.  You’re normal.”  “No one will find out.”  “This is minor compared to what some others have done.”  He tries to get you to think you don’t need to do anything other than remain quiet about what happened.  Silence in rationalizations when help is needed and available can be deadly.  You need to talk to God first and then seek spiritual direction from those who are part of your own spiritual umbrella of authority.  Rationalizations can kill a ministry.

         Temptation and quicksand are definitely very much alike.  Neither will kill you in and of itself.  It’s what happens after getting stuck that will determine the outcome of falling into temptation or quicksand.

    Sincerely,

    A Small Church Pastor

  • Letter #13–Not Alone

    Dear Small Church Pastor,

         You are not alone.  The devil will do everything he can to make you think you are.  However, whether you remember it or not, you are not alone.

              The enemy of Christ’s kingdom will use any method he can to try to isolate you physically or mentally and convince you that you don’t have any help in pastoring your small congregation.  He will try to make you think being God’s pastor has put you into the position of having no friends, no trusted confidants and no allies in the war against evil.  He will cause people to betray your trust or even desert you in a crisis.  He will do his best to convince you that nobody is responding to your sermons, nobody likes you anymore, nobody takes you seriously and nobody is willing to stick around during the hard times when nothing seems to be going the way you had hoped it would.

         Any time you begin to feel alone in your calling, get alone with your heavenly Father.  Ask Him to renew your calling.  Ask God to revive your spirit with His power.  Ask for wisdom, fresh anointing and a new vision.  Ask the Holy Spirit to reveal to you just how many are working beside you to accomplish God’s will in your life.  Ask Him to remind you of who “The Boss” is.

         Remember the great cloud of witnesses mentioned in Hebrews 12:1?  There have been millions who have gone before you who have served God.  You’re not the only one in town who is serving him today.  Remember how God had to remind the prophet Elijah in 1 Kings 19:18 that he wasn’t alone?  You’re not the only one who has had betrayals, troubles, threats or persecutions.  Wake up to these realities and pray until you have defeated Satan’s attempt to put you into a pity-party.

         Probably the most important thing you can do when you begin to feel alone is to remind yourself that Jesus has called you into His service.  He knows what you can do for His kingdom, and Jesus is depending on you to do it.  Remind yourself that Romans 8:26-27 states the Holy Spirit intercedes for YOU.  Remind yourself that Jesus Himself is at the right hand of God making intercession for YOU. (Romans 8:34)  Remind yourself that in John 17:20 Jesus prayed for all those who would believe in Him because of the message His disciples would spread, and that includes YOU.  Simply put, remind yourself that Jesus is on your side, and “If God be for us, who can be against us?” (Rom 8:31)

         There are millions of fellow disciples of Jesus around the world and in your own community today fighting the same battles you are.  You are not alone.

         Jesus and the Holy Spirit are on your side and are interceding for you.  You are not alone.

    You are not alone.

    Sincerely,

    A Small Church Pastor