Callings, Strongholdsv6

Wayne O’Conner ([email protected])

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Callings, Strongholds, Mistakes and Heart-issues Proverbs 3:5-6 5 Trust in the LORD with all your heart, And lean not on your own understanding; 6 In all your ways acknowledge Him, And He shall direct your paths. NKJV Hebrews 12:7-11 7 If you endure chastening, God deals with you as with sons; for what son is there whom a father does not chasten? 8 But if you are without chastening, of which all have become partakers, then you are illegitimate and not sons. 9 Furthermore, we have had human fathers who corrected us, and we paid them respect. Shall we not much more readily be in subjection to the Father of spirits and live? 10 For they indeed for a few days chastened us as seemed best to them, but He for our profit, that we may be partakers of His holiness. 11 Now no chastening seems to be joyful for the present, but painful; nevertheless, afterward it yields the peaceable fruit of righteousness to those who have been trained by it. NKJV I’m sure you have heard it said that God looks at the heart. Many clichés are born when we see and speak about something that we know is true. Because it is true and many others find it is true, it becomes a commonly spoken truth. And while I may get only a glimpse of your heart, you cannot hide your heart from God. He knows all of your secrets. Even the ones you have forgotten. God sees all of the other factors, but He really looks at your heart. Where is your heart? That is a short, but very poignant question that I must frequently ask myself. You, too, should ask yourself this very question.

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Do we have a heart that overflows with gratitude? Do we have a heart that compels us to praise the Lord? Do we love God, so much that we weep, in His presence? Do we have a heart that causes us to intercede for or help others? That is what God wants to see. Love and humble service to each other - that is where you’ll find the Father’s heart. Do you know what grieves the Father’s heart? Hearts of ice and stone. Do we care little, for the things of Jesus, or His people? Are we so interested in our own needs, or our own personal kingdoms, that the needs of God’s Kingdom are at the bottom of our priority list? What really saddens the Lord is when He looks into the heart of one who is called by His name, but his or her heart, is not right. What if the Lord looks into our heart and sees someone like Saul, who is not truly concerned with what God desires, but with saving face before people and maintaining control? It is written that God looks at the heart. It is written that love covers a multitude of sins. Because I see this, many other things become externals. They are not unimportant, but the real key to our walk with God is our heart. Matt 6:21 says, “For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.” NIV Show me a Christian who dots every I and crosses every t, but his or her heart is not right; Things may look good, but it is all an illusion. Show me a Christian who has a heart right with God, who is humble and faithful, and I don’t care how many mistakes they may make or how many times they may misinterpret what the Lord is saying to them; the Lord brings them through. Their life may appear to be in shambles, but that too, is an illusion. That person is in the palm of God’s hand and very much loved by the Lord. Like the apple of God’s eye as David says. They may be traveling 180 degrees in the wrong direction and it is not a matter of if, but when God brings them to the place where they are mighty on His behalf. So in that sense, I am very gracious and understanding with Christians who have challenges. I have to be. I have been there, done that and bought the souvenir t-shirt. Twenty years from now, if the Lord tarries, I will be able to

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say the same thing and I will have a closet filled with of souvenir t-shirts. Like the stones of memorial from Joshua 4:7, these are personal stones of memorial for me. I can look back and see how many times the Lord has lovingly picked me up when I have fallen. I also have stones of memorial for the many times He has blessed or protected me. I encourage you to collect your own stones of memorial and humbly bring them before Jesus, from time, and ask him to evaluate them. Do this for Jesus and Jesus will guard your heart.

Le ad ers hip in the Pr ie st ho od of ALL Be li evers A) Two kinds of authority in the world. (AUTHORITY, D. Dyer,

agrainofwheat.com) 1) World: Divine Delegated (permanent), Kings, CEO’s, Policemen, Presidents, Governors 2) Body: Divine Transmitted (temporary). Jesus distributes his authority through his servants. Problem: Christians try to operate in the body with Delegated Worldly Authority. B) Three channels of leadership in the priesthood of ALL believers 1) Leaders- at - large, usually recognizable, 5 fold, song leaders, youth leaders, influencers and movers and shakers 2) Leaders- of- the-moment, not seen as leaders; the Lord may use them very infrequently 3) Leaders- in - training, may be leaders who are being prepared for specialized function or may not be recognized as leaders. C) Three types of leadership ( 1 and 3 are directly scriptural) 1) Five – fold, Apostles, Prophets, Evangelists, Teachers, and Pastors 2) Specialized, two subsets, Commandoes, Mighty Men (inferred from scripture)

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3) Unique, e.g., craftsmen, Exodus 36:2. or administrators, miracles workers

(but w/o evidence of 5-fold) helpers, etc., 1Cor12 While I am very wary of titles and seek to promote the equality of brothers and sisters, I understand that within the body of Christ there are many functions and positions. Another way to say this is that we are all in the same army, and as far as titles go, there are no privates and there are no generals. Let me repeat that: we are all in the same army, and as far as titles go, there are no privates and there are no generals. We are all just servant soldiers. We are merely brothers and sisters. But that is not true when it comes to gifting, callings, and functions. The Lord definitely raises up servant leaders who have special responsibility for other Christians. Thinking in terms of an army, this would divide the soldiers from the officers. Officers have many ranks, up to general and then there are Special Forces commandoes who are a unique class all of their own. Of course, in the body of Christ, all must be servant leaders, with the highest-ranking officers being the most humble and dutiful servants. The officers are elders, pastors, bishops, deacons, teachers, prophets, evangelists and apostles. Keep in mind that these descriptive terms for officers are not to be considered titles, but as functional labels. Remember as well, that some terms, such as pastor, elder and deacon, in the original language were interchangeable, with the specific word usage reflecting functionality rather than a title or position. Among the officers, God calls out certain ones to be mighty men and commandoes. Keep in mind that in God’s army, there are no privates and there are no generals, but Jesus is our Commander-in-Chief. Mighty men provide guidance to large sections of the body of Christ. Reverend Billy Graham is a contemporary example one of God’s mighty men. Mighty men, like King David’s mighty men, do great exploits by the power of God. Smith Wigglesworth, although he has been with the Lord for some time, is an example of a mighty man, as well. Commandoes are sent, often alone, or in small groups, to do especially difficult tasks. In army terms, these specialized leaders would be the top brass, or high command. For our purposes, this “top brass” is composed of brothers and sisters with additional responsibility, wisdom and experience. That is: we are all in the same army, and as far as

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titles go, there are no privates and there are no generals. We are all just servant soldiers. We are merely brothers and sisters. The danger here, is that within Christendom, many men and women, have set themselves up or let other people place them in hierarchical positions. This results in authority being usurped from Jesus by people who say they are serving Him. In other cases, people who the Lord wishes to use in leadership positions, mistakenly assume that they have been granted a blanket mandate from Jesus, to become benefactors or even controlling figureheads over their brothers and sisters. While it may be easy to understand an example of a mighty man, the commando is a unique sort of specialized leader within the body. These are the Rambo types, often sent off alone to do a task. I believe that many of them have been wounded severely by other Christians or may be irascible people that find it hard to get along with others in the body, but the Lord uses them because there is a need and He wishes to do so. To find a mature commando is like finding a diamond or gold nugget in your backyard, possible but very unlikely. I have a friend from another state- whom I believe the Lord has used as a commando. He’s a very unique old man. For years this brother traveled the country with a sleeping bag, toiletries kit and a Bible. He would go into a town where there was a Satanic Festival and contact the local churches. He would ask for prayer support so that he could go in and minister at these festivals. Many times the local pastors would not agree to set up prayer groups or work with this brother. They would give many reasons from “I don’t know you,” to “What you want to do is just too dangerous,” to “Cut off your pony tail and maybe I’ll think about it.” This brother, prayer support or not, would go into these pagan and satanic gatherings and talk to the people about Jesus. Some were so sold out to the enemy that they had eyes like x-files aliens or were so crazed that they would walk around wearing nothing but tattoos, body rings, and one of those skimpy leather harnesses with barbwire whip attachments, that is designed so the wearer can quickly twist a shoulder and switch people. When the occult leaders would be praying for demonic miracles, this man would openly pray against their witches, wizards and warlocks and see them became enraged as their occult powers vanished. As far as I know, this brother was verbally abused or threatened many times, especially when he prayed against the demonic miracles, or preached, but he

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was never physically harmed. This is an example of a commando. Brother Andrew, the famous Bible smuggler, is another example of a contemporary commando. My guess is that Brother Andrew was probably a commando of rare maturity. I call these officers that God pulls out from the ranks of leaders in the body specialized leaders. One reason I do so is to avoid placing them in a hierarchy. We cannot demand that others obey us because God said so or because I “out rank you.” If we are leaders we must remember that other Christians are not our children. We can’t spank them. There are Biblically mandated forms of correction, but ultimately we have to trust the Lord bring discipline to His children. In the book of Philemon we see an example of this principle. Paul said that, in Christ I could boldly order you to free your slave, but instead I will ask you in love. I believe there are many other instances where Paul could have demanded obedience, but instead he reasoned with them and asked them in love, to do, as they ought. We are to respect and honor those who have watch care over us, but we cannot make them kings. What I am saying is that you need to respect leaders in the Body of Christ, but do not put them on a pedestal. Do not ooohhh and ahhhh them so much that you begin following them instead of Jesus. Yes, look to them as good examples, if they are good examples, but do not follow them. If you are a leader, do not demand subservience from those the Lord has entrusted into your watch care. Luke 22:25-26 states, And He said to them, "The kings of the Gentiles exercise lordship over them, and those who exercise authority over them are called 'benefactors.' But not so among you; on the contrary, he who is greatest among you, let him be as the younger, and he who governs as he who serves. NKJV And if this doesn’t work, you need to fast and pray and find out why. To say that this simply doesn’t work in today’s modern church is a rationalization that side steps a reality that we do not wish to face. Have we changed the church to fit today’s culture? Have we changed the church, and nullified the word of God, by following instead, the traditions of men?

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One problem I see in many sections of the modern church, is that the traditions of men have stripped true leadership from the local body of Christ and substituted a changeling leadership system that becomes a parasitic entity that weakens, rather than strengthens Christendom. The tradition has become one pastor and maybe a board, rather than a plurality of elders. Add to this, that most of God’s leaders - in -training have been forced to become spectators. The Body of Christ has atrophied and very few servants mature to the point that they can function in the leadership positions that they have been called into within the Priesthood of Believers. Worse, most people like it this way. Even though the Apostle Paul had a rough start, I believe he allowed the Lord to mature him to the point that he fulfilled his calling with high marks. Just because one has a calling doesn’t mean they finish the race with high marks. The closer you get to God the more accountable you are. The more He gives you, as far as gifting, callings, and functions, the more that is expected of you. I believe that Balaam is an example of a prophet that had certain attitudes and strongholds in his life that kept him from being used to his fullest potential in God’s service. And saying it that way is the epitome of diplomacy. God used him anyway, but without those strongholds, he would have had a much better testimony and a much bigger impact on the kingdom. Samson, I think, is an example of a mighty man or commando, whom was used by God even though he lacked maturity. God used him, but if his strongholds would have been submitted to God and dealt with, he would have been a much better instrument for God’s use. I like to think of strongholds in the servants of God as bull thistles. Among many of God’s servants, there are strongholds, like bull thistles, that cause problems in their lives and keep them from being efficient vessels. God uses them, but if they allow the Lord to train them and remove the bull thistles, they are freer to serve God and each other. The officers in God’s army, to be at their best for Him, must have these thistles removed. I believe that the situation is even more crucial for the mighty men and commandoes. I believe that even the sprouts of bull thistles in the lives of the mighty men and commandoes are enough to cause problems and interfere with God’s work.

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I believe that is true whether they are just beginning to take their first steps in that level of calling or if they are definitely walking in that calling to an advanced degree. Many foxes spoil the vine. The fancier the toilet, the easier it is to stop up the plumbing. The higher your calling with God, the easier it is for even the little foxes to cause problems in your walk and ministry. And if you become prideful because of your seemingly elevated position in the body, it will become a stumbling block to yourself and others very quickly. What makes it worse is that many Christian leaders, who have this stronghold, enjoy it, and want to keep it. They often have a following that “wants a king like the other nations,” so both leaders and followers find ways to rationalize and justify the stronghold. I believe God uses servants of this stripe, but it is rather akin to His use of Balaam or Samson. Moses was one of God’s mighty men. In Numbers 20 we are told that the Lord asked Moses to speak to a rock and that water would come forth from the rock. What did Moses do? He struck the rock twice with a staff. What was God’s judgment on this seemingly minor infraction? The Lord, in speaking to Moses about this incident said that he had not trusted the Lord or honored the Lord as he should have. The Lord told Moses that he could look at the Promised Land before he died, but that he would not be allowed to enter it! Today we are under grace, but there is a principle here. T HE HIGH ER YOU R CALLING WITH G OD , THE MORE ACCOUNT ABLE YO U AR E BEFORE H IM , AND TH E EASIER IT IS TO FALL SH ORT , OF THE FULL POTENTIAL , OF YO UR SERVICE TO HIM AND EACH OT HER ! I heard a story once about a very bright and gifted high school student. That student had always tried hard to please his other teachers. He had always succeeded. He became very discouraged about his new teacher. He told his parents that the teacher was unfair to him. He said that other students would answer a question with a very basic answer and receive praise, but unless his answer was perfect, the teacher would correct him. He told his parents that he was always given the hardest projects and the hardest questions. When the parents confronted the teacher, the teacher said that his methods seemed unfair, but his reasons for treating their son this way was because he was a gifted student and his potential far too valuable to waste. What the student perceived as dislike and harshness was actually the teacher motivating him to

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excel. The teacher saw the level of the boy’s giftedness and great potential and because of it, expected and demanded more from the young man than others. Here’s where I get down to the nitty - gritty. Many of you, whether you are called to be in a leadership position, or specialized leadership position, are like that gifted student. While the Lord is busy refining you and allowing circumstances to smooth you and get your attention about the strongholds in your life, what are you doing? Are you’re shouting at the Devil, who is laughing hysterically, tears of twisted joy, running down his cheeks, one hand clutching his ribs and the other pointing between you and Jesus? Are you grumbling and murmuring, about what an unfair and unloving bunch of critical hypocrites, God has placed in your fellowship? Or are you asking Jesus why brother or sister so and so gets all of the blessings and you get to scrub toilets or eat humble pie? Or are you like Job whom said, “Even though you slay me, I will trust you?” Or are you like Stephen, when he said, “Forgive them, for they know not what they do?” Or are you like Paul and Silas who were beaten with rods, then shackled in prison, and afterwards sang hymns to God? And by the way, when I’m talking about God’s training, I’m not talking seminary here, although the Lord may make use of such training. I am talking about the training the Lord brings you through by bringing certain people and circumstances into your life. This process often takes years! And the more one kicks at the goads and fights this training, the longer it will take. I believe that if you fight long enough and hard enough, you may have to be broken, like Jacob was broken. I believe it is also possible to resist the Lord so much or so long, that you get placed on a shelf, where you are working in the body, but not anywhere near your fullest potential. The gifts and callings of God are without repentance, but that does not keep the Lord from putting disobedient and obstinate servants on detours or flicking off their light switch. Many are called but few are chosen! If you have been called to a leadership position, there is a great deal of training that the Lord must bring to your character and your mind if you are to serve Him. Yes, study to show yourself approved, but don’t forget that knowledge puffs up!

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We tend to get things mixed up. God is not looking for CEO’s. God doesn’t need another seminar on church growth or a class called Business 101 for Christians. He may allow CEO’s to work in his body. He may allow a seminar to be used for good in the body. But this is not what the Lord is looking for. What the Lord wants is a genuine and living relationship with His people. He wants leaders who allow Him to clean them up from the inside out. Most leaders want to look clean outside, but really do not care about inner uncleanness if they can keep it secret. God wants leaders who are willing to let Him prepare them to be dependant on Him. Many of God’s leaders want a fastfood style of Christian higher learning, slick promotional kits, cutting edge business and audio-visual technology and a position where they are independent of God and in control of the show. God wants leaders who are willing to be trained by Him! Allowing God to mold your character is far more important that gaining a mind filled with scriptural knowledge! Knowing the scripture is extremely important, but being a Bible scholar, while resisting the influence of the Holy Spirit to cleanse your character, often produces modern day Pharisees! And if you have a calling like that of one of the mighty men or commandoes in the body of Christ, the training will be even more difficult and last even longer. That calling is much harder and much more demanding than even that of the ordinary apostles, elders, teachers, evangelist and pastors. Jesus is your teacher. The Holy Spirit is your teacher. Jesus and the Holy Spirit use others in the body, from the smallest children to honored elderly mentors to complete that training. The Lord uses other leaders and circumstances to guide, teach and discipline you. The higher your calling, the more He expects of you. Sometimes it may seem that other brothers and sisters get away with murder and you end up getting called on the carpet for minor infractions. Yes, it may be a case of you being treated unfairly, but it may also be a case of the Lord refining you and testing your grace, patience and unconditional love. Or maybe the Lord is working on a small stronghold, that wouldn’t be as much of a hindrance to another brother or sister, but would be a stumbling block for one of His leaders or leaders-in-training.

Wayne O’Conner ([email protected])

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I very much believe that even the beginnings of a stronghold – a bull thistle sprout – can hinder you from fulfilling your calling at your fullest potential and hinder the Lord’s training program for you for that calling. There are many strongholds. I will list some: pride, willfulness, hatred, envy, slothfulness, jealousy, arrogance, criticism, lust, doubt, anger, control, hypocrisy, religiosity and manipulation. Perhaps some readers will be shocked at my inclusion of the term religiosity. One, whom has a religious spirit or has heeded the whispers of a religious spirit, often has vast knowledge of scripture, but also a proud, cold, and loveless heart. They may say all of the right buzzwords or make great sacrifices, but their heart is not right or their motives impure. By using flesh and intellect, rather than allowing the work of the Holy Spirit, a person with a religious stronghold is able to make changes in their attitudes and behavior, but such a conformation is only skin deep, allowing the heart to remain cold to Jesus, while outwardly presenting the illusion of saintliness. People who call themselves Christian, but who blindly or stubbornly follow a Christian code of ethics, and do not have a true relationship with Jesus, may have strongholds of religiosity. It is possible to memorize the Bible and train yourself, or others, to appear to the undiscerning as proverbial paragons of virtue, but to the extent that the Holy Spirit has not wrought the changes, or you do not truly walk in love, you are a clanging symbol and a whitewashed heart of stone. Hard words, but we all need to be mindful of them. We also need to keep in mind that if we know someone who may have a religious stronghold, that pride, arrogance and hypocrisy may be blinding and binding them as well. Such a brother or sister needs your mercy and your prayers, praying especially the blood of Jesus over them and the strongholds. Dialogue, no matter your level of eloquence, will do little to break through a religious stronghold, but time and the power of Jesus can bring victory. You can’t change or end a stronghold, by the flesh, no matter how hard you try. If you do, the victory is a hollow one. What the Lord really wants is for you to submit that stronghold to Him. He wants to tag team with you and wrestle that stronghold to the mat. If you do it by the flesh it’ll fight you until you’re too

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weak to fight anymore or it will go into remission and trip you up through another stronghold. What you must do is keep giving that stronghold to Jesus for as long as it takes. And when you do that, don’t let the devil make you feel like a loser. When you work with the Lord on a stronghold, you already have the victory, no matter how long it takes for that stronghold to disappear. It is only when you rationalize away that you have a stronghold, or refuse to surrender your stronghold to Jesus, that you don’t have a victory. The devil will tell you that you don’t have the victory until the stronghold is gone. The truth is that every time you surrender a stronghold to Jesus it is a victory for you and it is a victory for the Kingdom. If it comes back, you haven’t lost; you just have another opportunity to surrender that stronghold to Jesus. Keep in mind that you need to enter into every battle with a sincere heart. If you knowingly sin, while planning to fully enjoy your sin, knowing that you can then seek forgiveness, the Lord will factor that into the equation. The Lord is merciful, but He is also just. And He is not a fool. When I look at brothers and sisters in the body, I often see them according to callings, gifting and functions. This doesn’t mean that I can see everything about everyone. God is omniscient. I am just a servant. In reality, the Lord often withholds information from me. He tends to show me info on a need to know basis. If I do get such information, I only intercede for that person, and seek the Lord as to if and when I should talk to that person about the stronghold in their life. If you know someone has a calling for leadership, you should be all the more concerned about the strongholds – the bull thistles – in their life. Those strongholds will strangle their relationship with Jesus and each other. Those strongholds will hurt them and keep them from maturing in Christ and progressing in their calling. If you are a leader or a specialized leader, you need to be mindful of the strongholds in your life and the lives of Christian in your areas of influence. Also, if your calling will not only make you responsible for others as part of the plurality of elders, but also one of God’s commandoes or mighty men, I feel that makes the situation even more crucial. Where I would be apt to point out a bull thistle to a servant, or a small thistle to one of the plurality of elders in the body, with some one who is obviously in training to be

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a mighty man or commando, if I see a sprout that will one day grow into a baby thistle and then a bull thistle I will feel compelled to intercede or speak. As a part of this gift I have noticed that if I am with a brother or sister or group of brothers or sisters, a very strange thing begins to happen. The Lord allowed me to become friends with a writer and missionary a few years ago. He told me about a certain gift that he had which seemed like a curse and was surprised to find that I knew exactly what he was talking about. What happens is that the people around me, without being told, begin feeling the promptings of the spirit to exercise their gifts or their strongholds began to manifest in obvious ways. Another way of looking at this is that the Lord often brings me into the midst of local parts of his body, and then begins orchestrating events in the lives of those people so that they must make choices to do what the Lord desires or do what is right in their own eyes. Often I do not even have to speak a word. That person or group then has to follow what scriptures would say to do in such a case or ignore what the scriptures portray. Sometimes they know what they are doing and do what they want anyway. Sometimes they aren’t sure, but end up protecting one of their strongholds, for example greed, jealousy, or selfishness, and think of ways to justify their decision to themselves and others. Knowing that, if I am going to be around you for very long, the best thing to do around me, is the last thing you may want to do. Just be yourself. I have had to come to the point, where I just have to trust, that if make a mistake, the Lord definitely knows what He’s doing. What I have to focus on is where my heart is. I have to ask myself, “Am I truly seeking the Lord and His Kingdom first?” It’s like insurance. If I mess up, He takes care of it. If I’m putting my personal kingdom first and just giving him lip service, I’ll not only have the mess to deal with, but a spanking as well. In other words, if you make some mistakes or mishear, in the long run, it just doesn’t matter. What matters is being faithful to submit to His will, to the best of your ability and allowing the Lord to continue working on your strongholds and your relationship. When you do this, you will find that many things important to your walk and service, -like souls, the work of the Kingdom, your relationship with brothers and sisters -

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are just a byproduct of your relationship to God. After you have submitted to His stronghold busting and personal training programs for a while, there is a certain rest that comes. Submitting to his yoke is the hard part. Once you’ve become broken in “the yoke is easy and the burden is light.” God sets up your work for the day, empowers you and gives you insight; you eagerly allow Him to work through you, and His work gets done. Continuing with the topic of mistakes, you may have two Christians who feel that the other is in error. Sometimes when there is a difference of opinion there is a right and a wrong. Sometimes it may be a matter of training. For example, we’ll say that two soldiers go through basic training. For the most part what they have learned will be very similar. But if they graduate from basic and one gets sent to a mountain combat course and the other is sent to a desert combat course, both will have some basic things they have been taught alike. However, what may be the correct tactic in desert warfare might not work in mountainous terrain. If the Lord shows one brother that he needs to find a body and plant himself there, then tells the other brother that he is supposed to find a circuit of small church bodies and minister at each of them, it may be that both brothers are right – according to their function in the body. Even if one or both brothers are wrong and misheard from the Lord, if their heart is right and they are really trying to serve the Lord with everything they’ve got, God’s going to make the crooked paths straight. In other words, God’s going to take care of it. The other point about mistakes, that we need to keep in mind, is that we may be right, but we will only make the situation worse, if we react to that mistake inappropriately. Just be yourself. Where you are strong, the Lord will keep on working on you to make you stronger. Where you are weak, the Lord is your strength and will continue, steadfastly, to be your strength, as He works on you to make you more like Jesus! Jesus uses the foolish to confound the wise. Jesus uses the weak to confound the strong. God has used a speaking donkey to warn a disobedient prophet. (Numbers 22) God has used a woman to destroy a mighty and wicked general (Judges 9).

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The Lord has been working with weak and foolish humans, like you and I, for thousands of years. He doesn’t expect perfection. He loves us even when we make mistakes. What He does desire is sincere devotion. He wants our love. He wants us to be dedicated to Him. If we make a mistake, He wants us to ask His forgiveness. It doesn’t matter how many times we may fail Him on any given day. If we are truly sorry, He embraces us just like the father of the prodigal son. Not just once in a lifetime. Every day, and many times per day, if necessary. Matt 18:21-22 21 Then Peter came to Jesus and asked, "Lord, how many times shall I forgive my brother when he sins against me? Up to seven times?" 22 Jesus answered, "I tell you, not seven times, but seventy-seven times. NIV Jesus is not going to ask us to do something He can’t. Even if I really blow it, I know that if I ask Jesus to forgive me, He will. When it comes to mistakes, the real blessing or curse is a matter of the heart. If you are one of those Christians who really loves the Lord, and your brothers and sisters, and you are serious about serving Him, that’s the best place to be if you make a mistake. So don’t let the devil steal your peace and joy. I am not perfect; Jesus is, has and will continue to work on me. I make mistakes. Sometimes I am weak and let the flesh control me. I am not superhuman. I am just a servant of the Lord. You aren’t going to be able to be superhuman either. There’s no way you can be. That’s according to God’s plan. We need him and we need each other. God has designed the local cells of the body to protect, help, and believe it or not, to rub against each other as “iron sharpens iron. ” You won’t be able to stay in that environment for long if you aren’t walking in love and grace. If you make a mistake, don’t kick yourself. Just take it to God and let Him keep working with you. If you keep falling down, cry out to Jesus, and try again. Just keep plugging away. If someone else makes a mistake, double check to see that it’s not your mistake too, and whether it is or isn’t your mistake, walk in love and grace.

Wayne O’Conner ([email protected])

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Two things I have seen in the body of Christ which grieve me are associated with what I call the Rock Tumbler Principle. I believe that God has many rock tumblers, which are hard at work polishing the living stones in the Body of Christ. 1) Some groups are so worried about friction that they try to shut down God’s rock tumblers, by artificially removing any “negative” interaction in their fellowship. Some people are placed in rock tumblers, by God, and try to escape. 2) Some groups are so focused on correcting and controlling, that they begin giving into critical, religious spirits and slice and dice each other. They become proficient at correcting others in the flesh and forget that it is only the power of Jesus, that can produce genuine change in our spiritual man. Many groups exist like this, thinking they have become more Christ-like, when in reality they have only eliminated a few superficial behaviors, while actually strengthening their real spiritual strongholds God does use corrupted groups like this, from time to time, for a season, to provide a deeper polish to some of his servants and leaders – in – training. God must often break up such corrupted fellowships several times or “quarantine” the controlling leaders, before they get the message that He is not blessing, what they are doing, in His Name. I believe that a few groups, such as the infamous Jim Jones and David Koresh cults are allowed to come to full bloom and explode, as a corrective example to the rest of the Body of Christ. There is an old saying, “When you eat fish, you have to spit out the bones.” Because the Lord uses imperfect vessels to deal with us on certain issues in our lives, we may have to spit out the bones. It is also true that we have a tendency to rationalize away our need for adjustment and correction. God is just and patient and merciful to those who love Him and have their hearts right with Him. What I am saying is that sometimes when the Lord gives us a fish (brings good food to us that will change an attitude or behavior) we not only spit out the bones, but throw away most of the fish.

Wayne O’Conner ([email protected])

17

I implore you to ask the Lord to search your heart. Be thankful and grateful for the comfort and blessing He puts into your life. But do not forget, that the Lord is not pleased, when Christians desire comfort and blessing, but resist having a relationship with him. Keep in mind, that the Lord is not pleased, when Christians resist His guidance and discipline. Have you ever wondered how the Lord feels when we call ourselves by His name, but have little interest in serving Him or accepting His Lordship in our lives? If you have, I have two questions. Pick one, if you are able, and think about it. If you are a husband, what would you think of a grumpy, lazy, contentious wife, whom demanded all of your income and loyalty, but refused to fulfill the many obligations, that a wife has to a husband? Unfortunately, there are Christian husbands in the Body of Christ, who have wives like this. Such a man may truly be able to understand, in his heart and in his mind, just how deeply the Lord aches when we do not love and serve Him as He deserves. If you are a wife, what would you think, if your husband demanded all of the things, whom you as wife, are supposed to provide, but only visited with you, when he felt like it, and then, in addition to being unfaithful, was also unappreciative, demanding, and self-centered. Unfortunately, there are Christian wives, in the Body of Christ, who have husbands like this. Such a woman may truly be able to understand, in her heart and in her mind, just how deeply the Lord aches when we do not love and serve Him as He deserves. If you are neither a wife nor husband, but old enough to comprehend what I have just shared, about marriage roles and expectations, then you should be able to see that Jesus desires and deserves to be treated with adoration, devotion and obedience. If there is anyone here, who has not covenanted with the Lord, I pray that your heart and understanding be opened and I plead the blood of Jesus Christ over you, so that you will have the opportunity to consider, what it means, to accept the salvation of Jesus, repent and believe. Jesus paid the price when He died on the cross, so there’s nothing you can do to be worthy. All you can do is seriously consider His offer and then accept or reject His gift. But please keep in mind, that if you accept Jesus as savior, you must also accept Him as your Lord.

Wayne O’Conner ([email protected])

18

For those of you who have made that step and call yourself a Christian, I encourage you to do the following. I encourage you to seek the Lord with humility and sincerity and ask Him to work on the strongholds in your life. I encourage you to ask the Lord for greater maturity. I encourage you to ask the Lord to guide you into a better relationship with Him and your brothers and sisters. I also encourage you to live a clean and pure life, and go the extra mile, in walking, in love and grace, with each other. This paper was shared numerous times with individuals and groups during the summer and fall of 2004. Reactions varied, but as you may guess it ruffled more feathers than not.

Wayne