Right now I feel a bit like the final season of Seinfeld. I started this blog a month ago and now its peaked. I should drop the mic and walk away since it’s all downhill from here.
I am blown away by the viral nature of the previous post. When I decided to put it out there I figured at best it might receive a couple hundred views, not 165,000 in a week. It struck a deeper cord than I could ever imagine. From this I have now heard from countless pastors (along with spouses or kids) who feel a sense of silent solidarity. To know you’re not alone is a powerful counter-force to the isolation the Enemy labors to impose on those called to pastoral service.
Reflecting back on the post I was reminded of how articulating a problem is much easier than offering solutions. Perhaps this is why even the dumbest dude in the room can still effectively play “The Devil’s Advocate.” Critique is always easier to produce than clarity since the latter requires reflection while the former is shot from the hip in about the same amount of time it takes a frat guy to slam a Bud Lite and belch.
The other difficulty is that sometimes the solutions offered come across as Sunday school platitudes without a practical map for very real challenges. In comments to the post there were a few individuals who were quick to remind me, in some variant form, that, “It’s Christ’s Church NOT YOURS so you should get out of the way.” Thanks Sherlocks for Jesus! We know that. In fact we can go a step further and say, “It’s Jesus’ Universe and we should all get out of the way.” In reality however we all seem to perennially get in the way with fear, worry, anxiety, pride, fatigue, bitterness, control, idolatry and the like. We live a bipolar existence where the Spirit leads in one direction and the flesh snaps our head around. It’s this spiritual whiplash that is the essence of our fallen plight.
Therefore while I would love to title this follow-up, “The 10 Solutions To The 10 Things Pastors Hate To Admit Publicly.” the reality is that only the Resurrection will accomplish that task. Now does that mean we just throw our hands in the air with an apathetic, “Well that sucks!”? We can, but it’s not a very fruitful way to move forward: for while we may never eradicate every insecurity in life, we can be sanctified through every situation of life.
So with a more personal perspective here are “The 10 Things I Try To Do To Be Sanctified By The 10 Things I Hate To Admit.”
#1. When People Leave I Try To Remind Myself Of What I Know.
Early on in ministry people would leave the church and it would hit me for weeks or even months. This was especially the case when it was people who were particularly close to me or mission critical to the church. But what I have learned over the course of time is that those feelings always evaporate. Therefore now days when someone leaves I just say to myself, “Matt… down the road you know this isn’t going to bother you, so how about you just take that bridge right over there and get over it.” I know that may sound a bit trivial, but it really works for me. Now days when someone leaves for what I perceive to be a lame reason (and honestly some are unequivocally lame reasons) it only bothers me for about a day. When it happens I remind myself, “You won’t be irritated by this tomorrow so just get through today. Look at everyone who is still here and focus on reaching those who are yet to be here.”
#2. When Feeling Pressure To Perform I Try To Resist The Chase.
Now days I can discern when this lure is slipping through the water because I feel a sudden urgency to ramp up for wrong reasons. As soon as I start thinking we need a newer, bigger, louder, cooler, funnier (fill in the blank) because the church down the street just introduced something – I intentionally slow down. I kill the chase on the spot because I know the chase will be a waste of resources fueled by ego. If however I think we need a newer, bigger, louder, cooler, funnier (fill in the blank) so we can advance the Kingdom for Jesus – I proactively ramp up. The difference is an honest look in the mirror to see whether I’m chasing to compete with men or creating to please Jesus. The latter fills me up and makes ministry exciting, the former stresses me out and makes it exhausting.
As a side note: If the church you’re in sits in the shadow of a mega-church, don’t drive yourself crazy trying to match up (unless Jesus has specifically called you to that style of ministry). I say that because Chucky Cheese is cool, until it’s next door to Disneyland and then it’s just cute.
#3. When Struggling To Get My Worth From Ministry I Try To Elevate The People Around Me.
Sin at its core is a deep lustful gaze upon the self. Thus when I am not experiencing a sense of worth from ministry I have two options. The first is to get everything around me to make much of me and perform to my expectations. The second is to look away from me and to make much of those who are around me. It’s much harder to focus on my own disappointments if I’m attempting to celebrate others’ accomplishments.
#4. When I’m Seriously Thinking About Quitting I Try To Quit For A Couple Of Weeks.
I don’t literally submit my resignation, but I step back and take a 2-3 week break. My reasoning is that if after a couple of weeks I’m dreading going back, then I may need to seriously consider an occupational change. The team around me nor the church will be healthy for very long if I don’t really want to be there. In my case what I have found is that my love of pastoral ministry begins to outweigh the hardships or frustrations I may be experiencing. After a week I become antsy without an outlet. I begin to tinker with a sermon idea, ministry issue or some other pastoral curiosity. In other words I find I can’t do anything else because I don’t want to do anything else.
#5. When Tempted To Be Transparent I Try To Remain Opaque.
Yes you read that right. I believe opaque is healthy for pastors and their families. We are called to a higher standard and because of that we automatically face higher scrutiny. This was no secret going in and to resent that fact may invite more burden than we want or need. Now we don’t have to like it. We can think people are critical for it. Some individuals are demonically abusive with it. But we still need to accept it.
Aside from this is the reality that we are – by the nature of our calling – leaders. This anticipates that we show no anxiety even when fearful: display strength even when worn. It’s simply part of the job that shepherds remain composed so sheep feel secure.
Ultimately I seek to be genuinely transparent to the degree that people know my life is very much like theirs, but also opaque enough so that they don’t wonder if the craziest guy in the asylum is running the joint.
What this doesn’t mean is that we should seek to be opaque with everyone. I am very transparent with a core of friends, all of whom are actually in the church I’m a part of. Contrary to the prevailing wisdom, I have opted for the deepest transparency with the people I spend the majority of my ministry time with. I’m not saying that is a great rule for everyone, but I have been blessed to be a part of a church that is remarkably receptive regarding pastoral humanness while maintaining a clear biblical expectation of leaders.
#6. When Driven By The Numbers I Try To Stop Counting.
Since it’s birth our church has taken weekly attendance. I have not looked at the totals once in those 2 1/2 years. At one point numbers became my idol, so I dethroned the idol by ditching the metrics. Others on our team keep track of these things because that is not their idol, but they kindly don’t share that information with me. Now can I tell generally when things seem to be on the incline or decline? Sure. Does that general perception still mess with me from time to time? Absolutely. Right now we are in a growth phase so I’m in a “good mood.” When it seems like we are in decline I can get discouraged (for both godly and ungodly reasons). But not being bound to the numbers is personally liberating.
On the same front I want to stress that to not care about numbers is as potentially sinful as being motivated by them. Dr. Luke was all about celebrating the numbers as was Moses and Nehemiah. If the numbers are Jesus’ numbers, I should rejoice. If the numbers are my numbers, I must repent.
#7. When Feeling Discouraged I Try To Hang With A Pastor Who Has It Tougher Than Me.
In my opinion no pastor has it tougher than a solo or bi-vocational pastor. In that situation one must serve as a spiritual Heptathlete; mastering preaching, visiting, counseling, budgeting, marketing, marrying/burying and inevitably cleaning the church as well. It’s a lonely service, requiring a ton of output, often with minimal return on investment. These are my hero pastors and the kind I try to spend time with when I’m down.
I do this because sometimes when I’m discouraged it’s a grave case of “first world problems: church edition.” I get bummed because I wish…
- we could hire a fourth pastor to strengthen our small groups.
- we could have our own building for better control over environment.
- we could have $400,000 of surplus in the bank since $135,000 is just not enough flexibility for our current “needs.”
Boo-Flipp’n-Hoo right! Then I go and spend time with a hard working faithful Heptathlete for Jesus whose tireless investment probably brings a bigger smile to Jesus than anything I’ve done in a decade. After that I am remarkably grateful for what Jesus has allowed me to be a part of.
Obviously there are other times where discouragement is far more legitimate and deep. In those circumstances I find a seasoned pastor (65+) who is active or retired with at least 40+ years of ministry under his belt. Those dudes have weathered it all. Three hours with a Jedi Master like that offers a perspective unmatched by a conference or leadership book.
A final aspect to this one is that I immerse myself in the Psalms. When I see how jacked-up David’s life was and yet he still managed to praise God it always makes me feel better.
#8. When I Worry About What The Church May Think I Try To Pray For Them More Than Myself.
There has been more than a few times where I have given an announcement I didn’t want to make, preached a passage I would have desired to skip or released a pastor that many would prefer we keep. Every one of those circumstances makes me uneasy. Therefore in those times I pray for strength, not for myself but for the church since they are the ones who suddenly receive something without warning. It would be terribly self-absorbed if my deepest concern is having the courage to say the hard things. My greater concern should always be that the church would have the strength to receive and I would have grace in the sharing.
#9. When I’m Feeling Competitive I Try To Worship With The “Competition.”
I hate to admit that it was only a couple of years ago when I casually viewed every evangelical church within a 10-mile radius as competition. They were brothers and sisters in Christ, but it was a sibling rivalry. Then something unexpected happened, a couple of other pastors approached me about the idea of having a citywide worship night for the evangelical churches. At first I was about as interested as Ted Nugent being asked to join PETA. Then one of the pastors, a man named Randy, said to me, “I feel like God called me to try to start this because, well to be honest, you have been the competition and only the Devil wins with that attitude.” Wow, he said it out loud. He said what most of us don’t have the courage to admit to anyone. With that admission the Spirit confronted me and Randy won me. Within weeks an evangelical worship night called “One Voice” was born and with it a brotherhood of once jockeying churches. In worshiping with the “competition” I fell more in love with what Jesus is doing with His Church and thus I wanted to pray for these churches far more than contend against them.
As a great byproduct I have found that this also helps with #1. When someone from the church I am in goes to one of those churches I’m actually cool with it because I love the people who are there.
#10. When I Feel Like I’m Failing The Church I Try To Preach More And Think Less.
When I was in high school my teachers would say, “Use your brain Boswell.” Well I finally started doing that and I have regretted it ever since. As a natural pessimist thinking often drives me to notice the worst in a circumstance or how something is problematic. My solution for this: think less, preach more. Not longer Sunday sermons, but out loud confrontational preaching directed at myself from the Bible. For example:
- When I’m dealing with an angry person and I start thinking about all the ways I could cut them off at the knees in an argument, I stop thinking and start preaching “Love your enemies and pray for them – Matt” Matthew 5:44
- When I’m beginning to feel irritated by the angry person and I sense a bitter preoccupation with them, I stop thinking and start preaching “Let no root of bitterness spring up and cause trouble because many will be defiled by that – Matt” Hebrews 12:16
- When I’m thinking the church isn’t going right and the wheels are all going to come off the wagon any day, I stop thinking and start preaching “Upon this rock I will build My church and the gates of hell will not prevail against it – Matt.” Matthew 16:18
- When I’m beginning to listen to the Enemy and feel like I’ve failed, I stop thinking and start preaching “Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us in Christ with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places, even as he chose us in him before the foundation of the world, that we should be holy and blameless before him. In love he predestined us for adoption as sons through Jesus Christ, according to the purpose of his will, to the praise of his glorious grace, with which he has blessed us in the Beloved – Matt.” Ephesians 1:3-6
You get the idea. I preach the Word with the deepest conviction possible – directly to myself – because at the end of the day only what God has said has the power to override and heal any justification I have created to maintain how I feel. What I know is that only Jesus, His Gospel and His Word can effectively engage and alleviate “The 10 Things Pastors Hate To Admit Publicly.”
Last Thoughts
What I have not sought to offer up in this list is a formula to fix our problems. We are chock-full of formulas in the church today. In fact it’s sometimes the formulas themselves that have exacerbated the problems. Yet my intent was simply to remind us that sanctification isn’t the implementation of more tactics, but the avoidance of the things that tempt us along with the desperate pursuit to find the real us in Jesus. As C.S. Lewis wrote:
The more we get what we now call ‘ourselves’ out of the way and let Him take us over, the more truly ourselves we become. There is so much of Him that millions and millions of ‘little Christs’, all different, will still be too few to express Him fully. He made them all. He invented— as an author invents characters in a novel—all the different men that you and I were intended to be. In that sense our real selves are all waiting for us in Him. It is no good trying to ‘be myself’ without Him. The more I resist Him and try to live on my own, the more I become dominated by my own heredity and upbringing and surroundings and natural desires. In fact what I so proudly call ‘Myself’ becomes merely the meeting place for trains of events which I never started and which I cannot stop. What I call ‘My wishes’ become merely the desires thrown up by my physical organism or pumped into me by other men’s thoughts or even suggested to me by devils. Eggs and alcohol and a good night’s sleep will be the real origins of what I flatter myself by regarding as my own highly personal and discriminating decision to make love to the girl opposite to me in the railway carriage. Propaganda will be the real origin of what I regard as my own personal political ideas. I am not, in my natural state, nearly so much of a person as I like to believe: most of what I call ‘me’ can be very easily explained. It is when I turn to Christ, when I give myself up to His Personality, that I first begin to have a real personality of my own.
Mere Christianity – C.S. Lewis
Thank you Peter Svensk for reading me this quote yesterday. God has perfect timing.
The Everyday Missionary 
As a soon to be missionary on a foreign field this was very helpful
Wow you should be banned for writing such a boring article! I want to be paid 10 dollars for the hour I spent trying to read this. I was supposed to be working and they docked my pay. I wouldn’t of minded if it was a good article that would of BEEN WORTH THE 10 DOLLARS!
Very encouraging…really!
Good article… hit on the head… Dylan your exactly what he’s talking about…
Thanks, Matt. I’ve served at a Bible college for 16 years, and while the details differ the struggles overlap quite a bit with what you describe. I appreciate your “opacity” about the challenges you face and how you strive to meet them.
Thank you, thank you, thank you. As a fledgling leader of a church plant 2 years old, your wisdom and honesty has been compelling reading.
Maybe you should try preaching for free. I’m a mormon and we don’t earn money from teaching one another. Christ flipped the tables at the temple remember? Let your people pay a tithe and let it go anywhere good but not to your own pocket. Get a job in the normal community and don’t earn from helping people religiously.
I served as a bivocational pastor for the last 12 years in a small nondenominational church, two blocks from BYU in Provo Utah. I was completely blessed by both articles. You nailed it brother. Please dont let the negative comments bother you.. Anyone who would be critical is just playing the “Devil’s Advocate” as you described. People that make negative comments are speaking from pure ignorance. They have no clue, missed the point and really just contribute to the problem. I gave my all for 12 years, working 7 days a week and to some it still wasn’t good enough. And a comment to “moreofamanda”… Do some research on just how much your beloved apostles and quorum elders make… You might want to retract your little admonition.
And another thing to “moreofamanda” … You really need to study the real reason why Christ overturned the tables in the temple.
Well, here I am only leaving a statement of fact dear Christian friends, and not feeling anything of torment at all concerning the truth of this fact, OK:
Well, here I am only leaving a statement of fact dear Christian friends, and not feeling anything of torment at all concerning the truth of this fact, OK: I am far too busy presently, to even try to answer all of the comments that came my way, when I noted that Christian ministers (i.e. wives, husbands and other family members living at home, for in ministry, every Family member is part of that ministry), should not get themselves tied up with having so much to do. I knew if I tried in reply/comment form to explain why I believed that, and my reason is a wonderfully positive understanding concerning the Everlasting Gospel that would bring all such “complaints” to a stop, at the time, I would take too long, and I could not afford that time then (Wednesday, the 16th of April).
Today, I find myself with two needing my replies to youtube file comments, and these shall be done later now that I have finished my emails at a really early hour, and so I want to explain to all, the Beauty of the Everlasting Gospel, that has become hidden in a flurry of self-interest over about 1500 years. The reasons for this beauty being hidden, are: 1/ Satan attacked the Gospel and the HOW of it, after those who knew direct friends of the Saviour, had passed away having finished a lifework of ministry; 2/ The creation of the Papal See which we all know had come together when the Bishop of Rome chose to take the title Pontifax Maximus which was that of Constantine, but which he left behind, having left Rome for Byzantium, which later was called Constantinople. And so after a number of decades, the Bishop of Rome, called himself the Pontiff or Pope (Chief Bishop of bishops) of Rome, and although this spiritual understanding was built rather upon a great deal of the arcane, and because much personal desire for power within a System that initially was to have no hierarchical power whatever, for there was only one Boss within True Christianity, and that Boss was Christ, Satan began to bring his form of self-centered christianity based in Papal Rome to the world, and we realize that after 538 A D, Papal Rome was the chief Kingdom, and expositor of the Christian religion, although there was so much traditional sorcery involved in the Papal System then, as well as far more to this day, Papal christianity was not Christianity at all, but rather a mixture of Mithraism and Baal or Sun worship, being touted as the only true christianity, which sadly even unto this day [April 19, 2014], many of the world’s other religions have been fooled by the Satanic power behind the Papal Throne, that Papal christianity is the prime mover of the Christian Religion, which has been and remains absolutely false!
It saddens many of us to know that Bible Christianity, that which is True Christianity – Protestant Christianity – has become so pressured mostly by Jesuitism, through men mostly interested in making great deals of money through the preaching of A FALSE GOSPEL that emanates again from Papal Rome, as many of the well-known preachers in our world today, call themselves Protestant through the many sub-headings within Protestantism: Fundamentalists; Evangelicals, etc. and MOSTLY, an all around failure of so many Protestants to recognize what the truth of the Everlasting Gospel is, when the world and its teeming millions seek after truth of the Gospel that they might live that truth, very few in our world today, have a knowledge of that truth, that they are well able to identify falsehood immediately, simply by seeing telltale signs of Satan’s work of mixing lies with truth and handing these two together to the masses all of us are most interesting in saving.
The most substantive question that must be asked by all Christians who seek to bring as many born-again believers as possible together with them into the eternal life that is promised the True Children of Yahuwah Eloah, has to be: “What is the Truth, that I might practice and preach it, unto the glory of the Father and the Son?” That which I do pray you will find to be truly life-changing as it should be, are the words coming forth from these fingers on keyboard, as although I have been a born-again Christian for 40 years, I have only known and begun practicing the True Gospel Message, for the last 7 years. From the time I found and began to practice this truth, all things have changed in my life – the life of a man in ministry for 33 years, before I found the real Pearl of Great Price!
This may sound strange to you, but I have found the Pearl of Great Price, is not the Master Yahusha Messiah, whom most of the Christian world calls Jesus Christ, because for so many centuries this has been taught as the Name of the Saviour by Catholicism! Rather, the Pearl of Great Price is “an understanding of the true method whereby the Father and the Son came together to frame the Gospel Plan, so that ALL WHO EVENTUALLY FIND IT in these days, discern they have found the way that has not one iota of human devising within it, yet, saves all to the uttermost who come unto the Father through the Son, only through this particular Plan! Yes, Yahusha is indeed the Christ! But the all-important Pearl, has to do with our comprehension of how the Salvation of all is possible, that is understanding the Way, we place our faith not so much in Christ as Saviour, something that is explained as the how of salvation, but is really the Who of it! Why most Christians are upset over the christian religion, is because they see no real change in themselves nor in others they see all about them, each one claiming they are Christians, but constantly not manifesting the character of their Master, AND TOO seeing far too little manifestation of the Master in those who have been placed before them, to lead them in the Way; this creating in most, a trend which is carnal in nature, and antipodal to the message of the Saviour, Who said with conviction to him who chose to crucify Him: “My kingdom is not of this world” (John 18: 36, KJV)! What do these words bring forth from the minds and hearts of caring Christians? “If the Master’s Kingdom is not of this world, then why does it seem to be exactly like it from where I sit?” The True Everlasting Gospel, answers this question, and shows us all, how we are to walk constantly as overcomers, AND overcomers of all things; thus we understand from the beginning, why Satan ensured it would be a too difficult job for most, to come to the truth on this One Most Important Point!
I need to make TWO POINTS very clear to all, before we actually start a study of the Everlasting Gospel, as these were the words of Messiah to His disciples, when they were away from the brood that followed them beginning as soon as Christ was seen to be among His disciples. And so these are seen as private glimmerings to those who would represent the Master, after He left the world He loved so very much, He gave up everything for all living here! Here is that first point, which will allow us to understand that the disciples were just as most of us are, but Christ told them, they could not remain so! Here is that scene:
“Behold, we go up to Jerusalem; and the Son of man shall be betrayed unto the chief priests and unto the scribes, and they shall condemn him to death, 19: And shall deliver him to the Gentiles to mock, and to scourge, and to crucify him: and the third day he shall rise again [Now, I want you to see although these words are absolutely heart-rending in nature, there is not one word registered here, as to any of the disciples making any heart-felt remark to them! Why would the disciples Whom Yahusha loved, not have a single word to say to this confession of what was to come, and this within a day or so? The disciples had other things on their minds. And so as we allow the Spirit of Messiah to bring the entire scene into spiritual perspective, we see that same Spirit moving upon the pen of John, so that the scene can be taken apart in a spiritual fashion, that it can be understood in a deep manner as to how and why these things are happening, and too, so late in the life of the Messiah, and thus we see how important the words Christ speaks to all (as the narrative continues), becomes not only instructions FOR THEM, but also instructions for us, especially when WE are so close to the Second Coming, and truly time for the deaths of many martyrs, of whom possibly are some reading these words at this very moment; so, let us listen carefully to them].
“20: Then [Is the word starting this sentence there, to show us why it is, few even hear Christ’s words? Is this then what is on everyone’s mind, hindering his hearing of the most important Chapter in Christ’s life for us all?] came to him the mother of Zebedee’s children with her sons, worshipping him, and desiring a certain thing of him [Is this my imagination, or is the Spirit directing the words of John’s hand, moving us to be of particular perception just now?]. 21: And he said unto her, What wilt thou? She saith unto him, Grant that these my two sons may sit, the one on thy right hand, and the other on the left, in thy kingdom [‘Master, we both know that James and John, my boys, are gifted men, and in that I would have your Kingdom to be always and from the very first, be at its best in all things! The best way to do this I should think is for them to be in the most important positions at Your left hand, and too at Your right!’ Could it be due to the teaching starting in verse 1 of the Chapter 20, a teaching which spoke of money being paid, that all were thinking of their own temporal needs, and thus because carnally interrupted for the moment, they heard nothing that Messiah spoke of, about His own death?].
“22: But Jesus answered and said, Ye know not what ye ask [If we are to place these words in the modern vernacular, would we not say: ‘You don’t know what you’re talking about, dear woman!’]. Are ye able to drink of the cup that I shall drink of, and to be baptized with the baptism that I am baptized with [What is the Master making reference to with these words do you think? Makes everything very clear so far as I can see, if we all go back to the words that none had anything to say about, where Yahusha told them of the mocking, the scourging and the crucifixion – does this sound possible? And if this is indeed the truth of the matter, then is it not only too true they didn’t know what they were talking about, when they answered with little thought, this difficult question to ask of a man (James), a boy (John), and their Mom?]? They say unto him, WE ARE ABLE.
“23: And he saith unto them, Ye shall drink indeed of my cup, and be baptized with the baptism that I am baptized with: but to sit on my right hand, and on my left, is not mine to give, but it shall be given to them for whom it is prepared of my Father [Father has full control in matters of such as these (Remember these words, as later they shall be helpful to us later, and always!)]. 24: And when the ten heard it, they were moved with indignation against the two brethren [Why? Well, obviously, they were all in thought about their own wages when the Kingdom is set up, no? All were very unhappy with the Mom who had the gall to speak up, and say to the Master, ‘It would be best for You to use my boys!’ There’s nothing worse to be walking all around well – everywhere nearly! – and especially hardly ever having time now for the business of most – fishing – and wondering about the future: ‘Who shall be making the most money eventually? And, who does SHE think she is?’] 25: But Jesus called them unto him, and said, Ye know that the princes of the Gentiles exercise dominion over them, and they that are great exercise authority upon them [What is being said in this fashion? Yahusha is simply saying, ‘The Gentiles have a way of seeking after the highest places of power, and when they get there, they force all below them to remain where they are, as money and power are always sought by them!’]. 26: BUT IT SHALL NOT BE SO AMONG YOU: but whosoever will be GREAT AMONG YOU [Whomever will be a great man in the Kingdom I shall bring forth, will not require others to minister to his every need, but he must minister to the needs of all about him, as greatness among us, is wrought out in love towards others as a necessary step to always attain unto!] great among you, let him be your minister; 27: And whosoever will be chief among you, let him be your servant: 28: Even as the Son of man came not to be ministered unto, but to minister, and to give his life a ransom for many” (Matthew 20: 19 – 28, KJV, emphasis, Name changes, and insertions mine). And so first off, I ask you a question: Those who are upset concerning the ministry, possibly due to being so busy, and too, always needing to act as if we must seem robotic in dealing with people; all we need is love kinda thing! Where do we learn these truths and from Whom? All of us have been called to nothing less than we have to do, and must do perfectly. Did we not know this? AND I WILL AGREE WITH YOU: it is a difficult life to live, and neither James or John could have gone through that which Yahusha went through, regardless what they THOUGHT! Read and meditate upon Hebrews 2: 10, for through all of these things, Yahusha understood there was truly an expectation the Father had for the Son, and the Son has for us all! And so anyone unable to live life to the fullest as ministers of the Gospel, because the Gospel Truth is really quite simple (Don’t get upset with me, for I have here to show you the truth of these things!), it’s just that we are unaware of what the Pearl of Great Price teaches unto us. Now, I told you this would be long, dear Pastors, but tell the truth now: Aren’t you and your wives interested? OK! HERE IS NUMBER TWO, and this time, we are reading something from the Theology of John, that few with whom I have spoken face to face, have seen, and so I show you:
“23: And Jesus answered them, saying, The hour is come, that the Son of man should be glorified [Now, what do we have here? Well, first we surely have a question, as the Saviour was noted at the beginning of this Chapter to have been at Supper in Bethany, at the home of Lazarus, Martha and Mary, which was really outside the Mount of Olives in Jerusalem, the only other Home He knew, for often He would stay in Bethany to night there. And so six days before the Passover which is on Abib 14, is a Weekly Sabbath Day, the 8th of the Lunisolar Calendar used by the Jews, and by Yahusha, so we will say, this was a Sabbath Meal. But what initially appeared to be a word used strangely in verse 23, was that Yahusha was going to be GLORIFIED, i.e. until I remembered the words of Christ in Chapter 20 of Matthew above, AND THEN, remembering what was said there, it becomes clear! What is the greatest aspect concerning the personalities of those who are Christians? It is that these being Christians, always are ready to minister unto people. The Christian life is a selfless life, and this has been forgotten by most Christians today, because we have become far too carnal, far too earthy in nature.
“STORY NOT LONG: I know a denominational worker with a church in my city. There was a smaller – shall we call it a Town – which needed a minister for their Church building and ekklesia there, but because it was so small, a very good minister by way of experience and ability, because of the size of the Town, said he would come to pastor there, if there were a job for the wife, a church school and part time jobs for both boys, and the local church had a home they could immediately move into, with the possibility of purchasing straight out, if they liked it there, to sell at profit when they left. I know MBAs have such qualifications in their new contracts, but for a minister, does anyone find this a rather tall order? This is what I mean about our becoming too earthy, carnal! Let’s get back to John 12: 23:
“And so with an understanding that a minister so far as our Boss, the Master is concerned, should seek to minister to all as a great portion of his work, those who often get concerned over the amount of help people need, must understand that NEVER does the Master nor the Father ask us for anything, that He cannot give us the strength to fulfill! All is of faith in the life of any Christian, and not only ministers should be happy for this, but all Christians are ministers unto the world where they live, for this is the means whereby the Gospel is spread throughout the world! But I have found if I ask the Christian what the gospel is, most have no idea! This parable spoken at this time by Yahusha Messiah, is an elaboration upon the beauty of the Gospel Message, and so let us dig into it, to find out what it speaks of:]
“24: Verily, verily, I say unto you, Except a corn of wheat fall into the ground and die [I’m not looking for a lexical definition, but what is a parable? It’s a story which teaches something important, and so I will show you the meaning of this story, by adding through insertions as I am doing, the key meanings we must take from this one. Who is the ‘corn of wheat?’ The corn of wheat is Christ, and the Christian. Falling into the ground, speaks to death, and because of the death that Messiah died beginning in Gethsemane, ending at Luke 23: 46 at Calvary, the story is teaching us there is a commonality between all of humanity and Christ], it abideth alone [The corn of wheat will abide alone, unless there is a recognition of its need to die, to become fruitful]: but if it die, it bringeth forth much fruit [If it die, it may bring forth? No, nothing of the sort, but if it doe, IT DOES BRING FORTH MUCH FRUIT!]. 25: He that loveth his [Adamic] life shall lose it [lose it and life itself!]; and he that hateth his life in this world [His Adamic life] shall keep it unto life eternal. 26: If any man serve me, let him follow me; and where I am, there shall also my servant be: if any man serve me, him will my Father honour. 27: Now is my soul troubled; and what shall I say? Father, save me from this hour: but for this cause came I unto this hour. 28: Father, glorify thy name. Then came there a voice from heaven, saying, I have both glorified it, and will glorify it again” (John 12: 23 – 28, KJV, emphasis, & insertions mine).
This is how The Spirit first caught my attention, i.e. with these texts from John 12. I will elaborate: Christ’s contention here, is that a corn of wheat, and I contend this speaks of both Christ and as Creator, His sentient creation upon planet Earth, who fell into sin. Although Adam seemingly didn’t think this was a terrifically great mistake to make, that just goes to show how quickly even the sinless nature can become paralyzed by the incessant demand of a wife whom you knew had eaten the fruit of the tree of the Knowledge of Good and Evil, they both had been told not to eat!
“And so it is written, The first man Adam was made a living soul; the last Adam was made a quickening spirit” (1Corinthians 15: 45, KJV). Adam our first male parent, was not taken in deceit, Paul tells us in 1Timothy 2: 13, 14and therefore, Paul had another reason to sin a sin although in sinless flesh, whereas Eve was deceived, and committed sin, thinking she was doing right! I see Adam, choosing to die with Eve, as he knew she was going to die, as the words of the Creator, Eve told the serpent, , told them this would be the result. And so Adam’s choice to sin was based upon the death of his wife he saw as upcoming. I believe he choice to join her in death, as his love for her was great, and sadly, greater than his love for the Creator. But it is clear that in joining the first and last Adam together in these words, Paul is seeking that we explore a greater reality. The other Scriptural passage that brought me to an understanding that is most interesting, is found in Isaiah: “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, Counsellor, The mighty God, THE EVERLASTING FATHER, The Prince of Peace” (Isaiah 9: 6, KJV, emphasis mine).
Scripture teaches us nothing of the Catholic teaching there is only One GOD. Although I do believe that there is NOW, but one Eloah, it is clearly taught that from the beginning there were Two, perfectly equal and as to personality, the very same, divine Beings, called the Father and the Son, and so why is Messiah called the Everlasting Father in Isaiah 9: 6? That child born unto us all, was the Father of a completely new humanity, and thus He fathered a new humanity, by choosing to come into the world AS US! You see, in Ezekiel 14: 14, 20, we are taught there is none in life who has the ability to save any other but himself, by his righteousness! This sets a Scriptural Rule, that cannot be broken. However, because the Creator of planet Earth and all of those who live upon this planet, the CREATOR, could come into this world AS ALL OF SENTIENT CREATION in One Man, and this is what Christ indeed did do! Because He was not able to die FOR US, the Creator died AS US, thus we have opened up a very important truth that enables us who have been discussing the manner of ministerial burn-out coming upon mankind, to realize something that has come forth from the Sacred Scriptures, particularly for this latter day population of Christian people living on Earth!
Christ came to this Earth as the Last Adam, that He might give unto the whole sentient world, a second chance at finding eternal life! What a marvelous presentation of selfless agapé! And so entering into His own Creation, we must see something many of us have not ever seen clearly or at all, until now: We see Yahusha Messiah coming to Earth as One Man in Whom lived all of humanity who would ever live here on this planet. This HAD TO BE THE CASE, for as because the only genetic sharing that could be done through Adam and Eve, was they would birth progeny who all would have a tendency to seeing in sin, more interest than in seeing righteousness, they would be a tired and a deeply troubled set of parents, and then grandparents, and then all the way unto a repetition of great-great grandparents which might last for as long as nearly 930 years, as that was the age whereby Adam died the sleep of death (see John 11: 11 – 14). This is another meeting of Both Adams, I am vigorously awaiting to see!
And so when Paul speaks of first Adam and the Last Adam, he is clearly calling us to that place where we must look for the comparison that works spiritually, and we have that, so long as we keep our minds open, instead of keeping our minds closely shut, for there are more areas of truth to come to those looking for Christian truth from the Sacred Scriptures, than we can know, unless we remain alert to these things.
Now, if I believe that Yahusha died Second Death, total separation from the eternal Father AS ALL OF HUMANITY, and I surely do, then I recognize I have been taught a very spiritually inept falsehood all my Christian life, which is that I cannot live without sin, until I am old and while and can barely think! But this doctrine changes all that, because if He died as us all, then I have the ability to place my faith upon the fact that Yahusha died as Jim Tilley.
Now we know that Second Death is a death because of the consequences, the one receiving it, must be lucid in order to do so, and so was Christ lucid in Gethsemane, for remember when He began to feel so sick, the blood of the covenant came forth from His pores, and He went to see if Peter, James and John, would come and watch with Him for awhile, because of the terror He was suffering? THIS my dear friends, is the blood of the Covenant, AND NOT that blood which was the effect of Satan and all of the fallen angels working upon the lives and hearts of sinful Roman Soldiery, who twice lashed Him with lashes, 40 lashes less one lash for mercy sake, given when 39 lashing had already been received. If ANY CHRISTIAN chooses to elect the blood Yahusha lost through the actions of evil men in the physical realm, as the blood of the covenant, he is saying that Satan and the fallen angels took a part in the salvation of mankind, which CANNOT BE TRUE! Unless we know the difference between the blood that came through the pores of Yahusha’s skin in Gethsemane, from the blood that was the affect of being lashed 80 times less 2 for mercy, together with the holes in the feet and the hands, and the holes of the crown of thorns and the sword in His side, we are unaware of the most horrible suffering Yahusha went through, before He ever received a single lash.
Now, once we Christians are able to understand what we have failed to understand, is where we are to place our faith, in order to become the perfect Christians we have read about throughout the Sacred Scriptures, and read about as the martyrs of the Inquisition although afire, were able to sing Gospel Songs, even as the fire had begun its horrible work upon body and bones, yet the singing did not cease, until there was little left but ashes on that pile of wood where the bodies and songs both burned and sang, Hallelu Yah! unto the glory of the Father Eloah, and all honor and glory unto Him eternally! We have failed to understand this great faith exhibited by the Saints of old, was due to the fact these did know where to place their faith, and having done so, there was absolutely nothing that gave them fear!
The Father called the Master from out First and Second Deaths on the Second day of Unleavened Bread, just after Dawn had appeared, and Christ went immediately to the Home of His Father in the Third Heaven, and Father told Him His perfect life, and Second Death had been received of a Holy Eloah, and shortly thereafter, the Messiah headed back to that planet He had spent 33 1/2 years upon, to tell His closest followers He had received all power in Heaven and Earth, and had perfected the Salvation of the Race, completely! All Who would come unto Yahusha could be saved, and a true Scriptural notation to the fact is found in Mark: “He that believeth AND IS BAPTIZED shall be saved; but he that believeth not shall be damned” (Mark 16: 16)! Why is baptism such an important part of the Plan of Salvation?
All who choose Messiah Yahusha as their personal Saviour, have had for a long time, the Spirit from outside the sinful flesh of the new believer, has been working day and night to bring to the Sacred Scriptures and then, to baptism. And Baptism is a most holy institution, because when an understanding being truly understand what is occurring at Baptism, suddenly they need not worry concerning the future, as when an Elder in the faith, speaks about the institution of Baptism, the candidate becomes clear on what baptism actually is:
BAPTISM is a joining together of a new believer together with the Messiah in his own death, for Yahusha died truly as him. Between Gethsemane and Calvary, all died in Messiah, and baptism begins another and the Second Part of the Christian walk, for Scripture tells us: “For all have sinned, and come short of the glory of God; 24: Being justified freely by his grace through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus [Justification is clearly the faith place upon the Saviour for one moment, which justifies the new believer. But what exactly happens?]: 25: Whom God hath set forth to be a propitiation through faith in his blood, to declare his righteousness for the remission of SINS THAT ARE PAST, through the forbearance of God; 26: To declare, I say, at this time his righteousness: that he might be just, and the Justifier of him which believeth in Jesus” (Romans 3: 23 – 26, KJV, emphasis & insertion mine)! And so we understand from this text, all sin from the time of accountability to that time when one accepts Yahusha as their personal Saviour, through justification occurs in a second – but there is more to Salvation than justification, and this is what many are misunderstanding in their ministry, and they must have their teaching correct!
The Elder much not coerce the new Christian to go forward unto Baptism, but so long as the New Believer is following after the lead to the Sacred Scriptures, and remains where all should, in the Gospels at first, the Spirit leading him or her, will lead the new believer to Baptism. When an Elder is approached for baptism, THIS is wonderful news, but two things must be done correctly: 1/ It must be told the believer that there is no trinity of three different beings, for this is a bold faced lie, and not taught in Scripture, but simply gotten from the Time of the Tower of Babel, and the Unholy trinity, in Egypt, they are known as Isis, Horus, and Seb. This is where the I, H, S is gotten from the Catholic host which is the large host taken by the priest as Mass, and placed in the Monstrance during the lenten season. Baptism is done as the followers of the Saviour did so, for they baptized, in the Name of the Master, Yahusha Messiah! Why? Because the Gospel is begun and completed by the Master! One is not to be baptized into the name of a group or denomination Church name, but in Yahusha Messiah.
2/ At Baptism, an Elder must instruct the baptismal candidates that when placed under the waters in baptism by immersion, this is done as a complete understanding that when Messiah died 2000 years ago, as your Creator, Yahusha died AS YOU! This must be taught, for in this teaching, that proper place to position your faith, is in the fact that Christ died as you between Gethsemane and Calvary, so that when the body is underwater, this is a sign, you understand this beauteous concept! But, when the body is eventually brought up from under the water, one must place his or her faith in the FACT the old self is left behind, under the water, dead forever! Thus when this person comes up from under the water totally, the old self remains underwater and truly dead, and it is then faith is to be placed upon the Spirit of Christ Who is indwelling the sinful flesh of the person, and this is that answer to the: “mystery among the Gentiles; which is Christ in you, the hope of glory: 28: Whom we preach, warning every man, and teaching every man in all wisdom; that we may present every man perfect in Christ Jesus: 29: Whereunto I also labour, striving according to his working, which worketh in me mightily” (Colossians 1: 27b – 29, KJV).
After baptism, the candidate/s must be taught that at the beginning of every new day, just after each awakens from sleep, he/she is to immediately go to their knees before the Father in the Name of the Master Yahusha, and straightaway ask the Father in Heaven, to accept you as His adopted son/daughter, not because you are worthy, as none is worthy but Christ, but simply because you choose this day, to accept the Master Yahusha Messiah as your personal Saviour from all your sins. Then, you tell the Father you understand that Christ came into the world as all of the world in One Man, so that when He died between Gethsemane and Calvary, He surely died AS YOU, and so, knowing your sinful self is now dead, you place your faith in that truth, and then you ask the Father to immediately send the Spirit of Messiah, that He might come and indwell your sinful flesh, unto the glory of the Father and the Son! This is the first thing that must be done at the beginning of every new day, for this ensures immediately, the self has no chance to come alive in the sinful flesh, for this is the beginning of allowing the self to take over, and bring sin back into the life being perfected by the indwelling Spirit of Messiah Yahusha!
This is the Story of the Everlasting Gospel, and the manner whereby you must always start each new day in this Way. This gives the sinful self no time to try to push its way into your sinful flesh, and is the reason why all who do live in this Way, have none of the grievous struggles as do others, who have been taught they shall be becoming righteous and holy, throughout your entire life! This latter story has been taught for most of the history of the Christian church; however, those who practice applying the death of the sinful self in Messiah, will find that sin which formerly gave you trouble, will not any longer have the carnal strength to do this any longer. It is also a great idea, to read and reread Romans chapter 6 every day in the morning, seeing all you read, not as imagery, but as fact! When you finally realize the sinful self is DEAD, your walking in the beauty of holiness by the indwelling Spirit of Messiah, will bring a new life to you, which will not be difficult to live for you!
Do not feed the self, by wanting to show yourself above the joneses, as this will awaken the self, to new and possibly higher sinful acts, that shall only cause you spiritual pain, and too, possibly psychological and physical pain as well. When the sinful flesh has a rudder which constantly leads you into works of righteousness, the journey is always the same, without sin, living righteousness and holiness, and making enemies, because you daily choose to remain in this journey of light, until the Second Coming, or you death, fearing neither of these!
Hallelu Yah!
you are correct somtimes peoples was not easy ,but for all God has have answer,if i konw these there is no problem.if you come our country you know about me.so pray to know about me.let we do exactly true for God . God bless you
Reblogged this on UMMen.
Thank you, pastor matt, for your insights! Take care of yourself, your family, and your flock– I hope they sense how blessed they are!
There are a lot of things said about the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints that has been handed down from preacher to preacher to anti-mormon literature.. most of it based on stuff that isn’t even documented anywhere. That is what happens when people get involved with anything. We tend to ruin things as the human race. But God knows all. And he knows who takes money and who doesn’t. So ultimately.. it is up to us to pay an honest tithe and to honestly put it where it belongs. In regards to Christ turning the tables over
“The multitudinous and mixed attendance at the Passover celebration has already received passing mention;g some of the unseemly customs that prevailed are to be held in mind. The law of Moses had been supplemented by a cumulative array of rules, and the rigidly enforced requirements as to sacrifices and tribute had given rise to a system of sale and barter within the sacred precincts of the House of the Lord. In the outer courts were stalls of oxen, pens of sheep, cages of doves and pigeons; and the ceremonial fitness of these sacrificial victims was cried aloud by the sellers, and charged for in full measure. It was the custom also to pay the yearly poll tribute of the sanctuary at this season—the ransom offering required of every male in Israel, and amounting to half a shekelh for each, irrespective of his relative poverty or wealth. This was to be paid “after the shekel of the sanctuary,” which limitation, as rabbis had ruled, meant payment in temple coin. Ordinary money, varieties of which bore effigies and inscriptions of heathen import, was not acceptable, and as a result, money-changers plied a thriving trade on the temple grounds.
Righteously indignant at what He beheld, zealous for the sanctity of His Father’s House, Jesus essayed to clear the place;i and, pausing not for argument in words, He promptly applied physical force almost approaching violence—the one form of figurative language that those corrupt barterers for pelf could best understand. Hastily improvising a whip of small cords, He laid about Him on every side, liberating and driving out sheep, oxen, and human traffickers, upsetting the tables of the exchangers and pouring out their heterogeneous accumulations of coin. With tender regard for the imprisoned and helpless birds He refrained from assaulting their cages; but to their owners He said: “Take these things hence”; and to all the greedy traders He thundered forth a command that made them quail: “Make not my Father’s house an house of merchandise.” His disciples saw in the incident a realization of the psalmist’s line: “The zeal of thine house hath eaten me up.””
And if you want a direct quote from Christ from the most original form of his words, the King James Bible goes as follows :
” 13 ¶And the Jews’ passover was at hand, and Jesus went up to Jerusalem,
14 And found in the temple those that sold oxen and sheep and doves, and the changers of money sitting:
15 And when he had made a scourge of small cords, he drove them all out of the temple, and the sheep, and the oxen; and poured out the changers’ money, and overthrew the tables;
16 And said unto them that sold doves, Take these things hence; make not my Father’s house an house of merchandise.
17 And his disciples remembered that it was written, The zeal of thine house hath eaten me up.”
I think our differences are many, but I know we worship the same God. He loves you, and me, and all the members of any religion. There is one faith and one baptism with the correct authority.
lds.org is where you should look for further reference. By looking at other places for answers about my church you make yourself look stupid and you make mormons seem illusive… and we aren’t.