"The Dichotomy of Church Planting and Discipleship!"

"Church Planting" (CP) is purely based on "economic empowerment" and has fallen away drastically in the area of discipleship!

The Institutional Church (IC) can posture all its wants to about how planting churches translates into "winning souls" for Christ; but at the end of the day, all it translates to is more "butts in the seats" and more money for church leaders.

Theoretically, you would think that creating more churches would attract the "lost" to Christ, however, since Christ is NOT in the equation, who is the IC trying to attract? It certainly isn't the poor (their is no room or need for poor people in today's IC), the homeless, prostitutes, drug addicts, homosexuals and other disenfranchised segments of our populations. Many CP initiatives have devised elaborate MS Excel Business Plan metrics and formulas to determine how many "giving units" are required to make a profit! After all, this IS a BUSINESS!

In my mind, I see a strange paradox.  If I was looking through the lens of an "unbeliever" I would be able to create a compelling argument AGAINST church planting or expansion. These are the "enemies" of CP for the following reasons:

1. INCREASED "DEBT" through acquisition of new properties/leased or purchased. The IC continues to assumed more debt.  The pastor is not going to pay the debt. The congregation is going to pay the debt.  ALL DEBT has a 30 year shelf life! The banks know this and exploits it!
2. OUT OF CONTROL SPENDING: Banks love preachers because they are their best customers! Why? Because preachers LOVE to spend money! A bank will fund a preacher over a rich person because they know the preacher will fight to keep the building, car or home, whereas the rich person will just turn their "stuff" in and get something else.
3. LACK OF RESOURCES: The more stuff the IC acquires without managing debt and spending, its resources, both financial and human, will be depleted leading to overall ineffectiveness. Christians are always taught to GIVE; very seldom are they taught to SAVE!
4. UNMONITORED GROWTH: The IC has to be aware of where its strengths and weaknesses lay. "Bigger is NOT always better!'  Everybody wants to be MEGA! The sad truth, is that the IC is not even biblical; it is man-made!  Our Lord Jesus was totally immersed in "marketplace ministry", He never paid or collected one tithe or voted on the selection of a deacon or elder; yet He embraced the afflicted, was a skilled craftsman (had a job) and "retired" from ministry. God told Gideon, "Your army is TOO BIG", if I deliver the Midians into your hands, Israel would boast against Me [the people will say that it was because of your strength that you won the battle]." (Judges 7:2) In other words, "TRIM THE FAT!"
5. STAGNANT MINISTRY: Adding more people to a train that is not moving leads to over crowding and chaos. If your ministry is stagnant, planting another church is absolutely the wrong thing to do! Seek the face of God, hear Christ and actively pursue the vision He has for you in the territory you have been assigned. You don't need 2,000 people to make a change in the earth; God has demonstrated to us on countless occasions that He only needs ONE man to BELIEVE! Are you that person?

What this all boils down to is this, "do Christians want more buildings or more souls?" A building has never won a soul to Christ! Discipleship (one who learns from the Father) leads to Apostleship (one who has the authority and the desire to teach) which leads to Discipleship and so on and so forth.  This is God's plan for the organic growth and expansion of His beloved Kingdom!

"JOB, Satan and SIN!"

I have often listened to the debate about who created sin. I don't believe that God "created" SIN; I believe sin is the byproduct of our selfishness as humans in violation of the laws and tenants that God has set before us through His affording us the "gift of free-will." Sinfulness is the opposite of holiness. It is lawlessness (1 John 3:4). God is the author of the Law which is a reflection of His holy character (Exodus 20).

So in short, "sin" is, "the improper application or use of things that God has perfectly made." It boils down to our "unholy choices."

Sin is the antithesis of "free will." Everything that God made was perfect and holy; so it stands to reason that God creating sin would be in direct violation of His character and supreme holiness! There are severe consequences to the unholy choices we make independent of God (Ephes. 6:10-18 AMP).

Why did God allow the devil to have free reign with Job? The prototypical answer has almost always been, "to test his faith", but the Holy Spirit showed me something different. He told me that God wanted to show the devil how powerful the bond can be between Himself and a man of FAITH who is sold out to Him; "A MAN who truly loves God and CANNOT BE MOVED!"

It was God demonstrating to Satan just how powerless he is against a true son of God!

To gain a better understanding of how compelling this revelation is, you must first understand the mindset of Satan during his encounter with Job:

1. He was offended at "being caste out of heaven";
2. Having God change his name from Lucifer ("bearer of Light") to Satan ("the Opposer"), Beelzebub, the serpent, Baal, Apollyon, Old Scratch, the Evil One, the Tempter and the Prince of Darkness gives the observer a clear perspective of the depths of his loathsome character and vile nature; and more importantly, God's attitude toward Satan;
3. His obsession with killing the "creation" that was most dear to God's heart;
4. His inability to be like God; and,
5. His passion to regain his former status in the eyes, heart and mind of God.

In my mind, this situation was NEVER about the devil.  It was ALL about the sovereignty of God! It was God's unique way of teaching us the importance of relationship with Him. He is the ultimate "Quantum Mechanic." In other words, nothing that happens surprises Him or catches Him off guard since He "has already orchestrated" every aspect of your life!

Many of the devils' attributes are present in the hearts and minds of many of today's Christians.  You have to ask yourself the hard questions and "consider your ways"; do you belong to Satan or are you a child of the Most High God? Selah...

"The CALAMITY of FREE WILL!"

The right to choose can be both good and bad!  We have seen the calamity of "free will" manifest itself in epic proportions in both individuals and groups. Out of all the species on the planet, God has given mankind a very unique gift; and that is the right to choose.

Do you think we would be much better off if we were like all the other animals on earth that followed the metrics of "intelligent design" to the letter without fail. What if we did everything we were supposed to do as God originally intended? Imagine the audacity of a flower not blooming in the spring just because it "didn't feel like it?" What if the leaves and grass decided not to process chlorophyll in plants?  I bet you and I would like that at all (particularly since it develops and sustains all plant life!)

So what was it about mankind, that God decided to give us "free will?" He had to know we would "muck it up!" He had to know that we were incapable of making healthy choices on a consistent basis.  He had to know that the human heart is desperately wicked (He even said so in His Word).

If God is "sovereign", why does He allow bad things to happen in the earth?  If God is "omniscient", why does He knowingly allow us to do things that will harm or kill others or ourselves? If God is "omnipotent", why doesn't He stop all the craziness that is going on in the world? The answer to all of these questions and dozens more like them are the same! God has given each of us a clear directive on how we should live.  There is nothing in His Word that is difficult to understand; we may not like it or agree with it, but His directions are crystal clear!

The main problem is that SIN is enjoyable! We ENJOY our SIN! In many instances, not all of course, we are satisfied with our sinful choices UNTIL we get caught or get in some type of insurmountable calamity that forces us into a tailspin. We then experience "regret" but not "remorse."  Remorse usually "kicks" in when it is too late; the HIV/AIDS test is positive or you have been sentenced to 40 years for capital murder or the divorce settlement bankrupts you because of your repeated infidelity.

At the end of the day, the paradox of "free will" is a very simple choice to follow God, try to live a righteous life with a reverence and respect for the Creator that supercedes your selfish nature.  In this, we have the revelation of what "free will" looks like to the jackass eating grass behind the fence without a care in the world!

"The Dynamics of Persecution"

Why are most men offended when something bad happens to them? It is as if they are "shocked" that they should have to endure hardship. It is a particular problem in the Christian community because many believers have been deluded into believing that once they have been "saved", the rest of their existence will be a smooth road! Let's talk about the reality of "persecution" and its expectations on us, how we "stand" during it and how we defeat it to live a life of power and authority!

I often say, "The think we have most in common with Jesus Christ is our "adversity" and "suffering."  However, it is the single most daunting obstacle that causes many believers to "shrink" and run with their proverbial tail between their legs. Persecution is not comfortable but it is necessary. It is the paradigm that propels the believer into the realm of integrity, high character and humility.

There is almost no one around to help prop you up when you are "going through" as the element of "fear" is ever present.  Not just for you, but for those individuals in your immediate circle who might be in a position to help. Sure, they see your pain and anguish, but there is little they can do other than pray because this is the Lord's doing and it is pleasing in His sight!

The mature believer understands that it is God, and NOT the devil, who is taking you through the pruning process, purging you of yourself and burning away the "dross" so that you can become as pure gold. You see my friend, if you SERIOUS about the things of God, YOU WILL SUFFER for HIS namesake.  It is a guarantee. What are the benefits and why can't someone come to your rescue? It is His will that this journey be like that of the risen Christ; you must go solo!

The true test is almost never financial.  It is not about the loss of some material thing.  It may not even involve the death of a loved one or some devastating injury.  But it almost always involves the intimacy of your relationship with Christ Jesus,  the critical analysis of your heart towards God, the thing He has called you to do in the earth and your ability to withstand the pressure, pain and persecution associated with being His son!

"Weakness, Fear and a Lack of Faith vs. Building a Financial Legacy!"

Weakness, fear and a profound lack of faith drive us back to the grave for the familiar things that require little or no real commitment or accountability or cost to us. We remain like grasshoppers in the sight of the giants (weakness, fear and a lack of faith) in the land.

It is not really how the giants see us but rather, how we see ourselves as grasshoppers. Men are ineffective in Church because we are most likely ineffective many other places. We can’t blame all of our ills on the pastor although many pastors do have a hand in the emasculation of the men in their congregations.

God has clearly delineated who we are to Him, how He views us, what our assignments are in the earth and how to get it done! The only possible way to miss what God is saying to you is to IGNORE it!

So when the mandate comes down from the Father to go into the marketplace and make disciples, you ignore the declaration and instead you go get your shovel, pick axe and flashlight and head back to the graveyard.

Under the cloak of darkness you plop down in your easy chair of complacency and open a cold one while letting out a sigh of relief thinking you have escaped once again.

You have redefined the term slothfulness. It doesn’t mean lazy and lethargic or slow moving. In the spiritual sense, it means, being busy doing everything other than what God has called you to do! Let me make it plain so a third grader can’t miss this. Stop going to the grave yard! If you are not trying to change your lifestyle you are wasting your time.

The spirit of distraction wants you to focus on your problems rather than your destiny. Herein lays the power of your testimony that others hear and will know through the manifestation of your life that God has truly shown you great mercy.

A man is always going to be faced with the prospect of being the spiritual, physical and financial covering for his family and this responsibility will not defer to the pastor of the church he attends. The pastor may try to sway his wife through emotionalism and fear of reprisal for not tithing, but if a man is worth his salt, he is going to take care of his family first! Now I know that ain’t popular preaching, but I know for a fact that there are many men who are reading this article who have been confronted with this situation and struggled with the agonizing decision of paying his tithes versus having his lights turned off.

This inept feeling for a man runs even deeper because, in addition to having the responsibility of caring for the immediate needs of his family, he has to also prepare for the future financial stability of his wife and children some might refer to as a "legacy."

Coupled with double digit national unemployment and the worst economic climate in almost 30 years, men are inching closer and closer to financial disaster. The reality of the matter is a that a man who has been unable to find a job and is running out of unemployment benefits or has run out of extensions to his benefits and supplements his benefits with some sort of hustle including a cash-only gig like cutting grass, painting, trash removal, etc. is going to feed his family and, in many instances, his financial obligation to the church takes a back seat.

It may not sit well with many religious folks, but my vote is always going to be that a man should take care of his family. End of story.
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