Month: October 2022

MATERIALISTIC MINITRIES!

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FRANKLY SPEAKING,

But Gehazi, the servant of Elisha, THE MAN OF GOD, said to himself, “My master should not have let this Aramean get away without accepting any of his gifts. As surely as THE LORD lives, I will chase after him and get something from him.”

II Kings 5:20 NLT

MATERIALISTIC MINISTRIES ~ As we conclude “Pastor Appreciation Month,” I hope we realize that THE BIBLE teaches us to appreciate those who minister to us. Thank you for thanking your ministers this month! Clearly, we ought to encourage our ministers and follow the SCRIPTURE:

And I will give you shepherds after my own heart, who will guide you with knowledge and understanding. ~ Jeremiah 3:15

Obey your spiritual leaders, and do what they say. Their work is to watch over your souls, and they are accountable to GOD. Give them reason to do this with joy and not with sorrow. That would certainly not be for your benefit. ~ Hebrews 13:17

Elders who do their work well should be respected and paid well, especially those who work hard at both preaching and teaching. ~ I Timothy 5:17

12 Dear brothers and sisters, honor those who are your leaders in THE LORD’S work. They work hard among you and give you spiritual guidance. 13 Show them great respect and wholehearted love because of their work. And live peacefully with each other. ~ I Thessalonians 5:12-13

At the same time, I wonder “How much is too much?” Can we go too far in showing how much we care for our leaders? And, can our leaders ask too much for their service? In the opening passage above, Gehazi, the servant of the MAN of GOD, feels slighted and boldly states that he should be richly rewarded for his service. In his blinded stupor, he makes a vow to the LORD to get more! Then, he hides it and lies!

Are you ready for a tough word from the SCRIPTURE? Can this happen today? There are far too many cases of ministers who feel slighted suing churches and church members to avenge their perceived slights. Here is what the BIBLE says about that:

1 When one of you has a dispute with another believer, how dare you file a lawsuit and ask a secular court to decide the matter instead of taking it to other believers! … 7 Even to have such lawsuits with one another is a defeat for you. Why not just accept the injustice and leave it at that? Why not let yourselves be cheated? ~ I Cor 6:1 & 7

Living in THE SHADOW of the CROSS

Blessings in CHRIST

Pastor Wes

I Peter 3:15

PS~ Did you hear GOD’S Mic drop? 😊

How much should we do to honor our ministers? And, can we do too much? 🙂

APOSTASY!

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FRANKLY SPEAKING,

11 But Naaman became angry and stalked away. “I thought he would certainly come out to meet me!” he said. “I expected him to wave his hand over the leprosy and call on THE NAME OF THE LORD HIS GOD and heal me! 12 Aren’t the rivers of Damascus, the Abana and the Pharpar, better than any of the rivers of Israel? Why shouldn’t I wash in them and be healed?” So Naaman turned and went away in a rage.                        II Kings 5:11-12 NLT

APOSTASY ~ I love the story of Naaman’s healing. That’s what it’s labeled in most BIBLES with a subtopic above the passage. However, I think it should be called the healing Naaman almost missed because of his pride and Unrealistic Expectations. Do you see it? Naaman says, “I expected him to…” He absolutely had his own version of what his healing would look like, and when he did not get things his way… he left mad. He was ready to walk away from GOD because GOD did not do things the way he expected THE LORD and CREATOR of the UNIVERSE to do it his way!

Have your Unrealistic Expectations made you mad enough to quit your FAITH? All too often, we get offended by someone and quit. GOD has not failed us! JESUS CHRIST’S Blood still washes away all of our sin. His mercies are new every morning.

28 Then JESUS said, “Come to ME, all of you who are weary and carry heavy burdens, and I will give you rest. 29 Take MY yoke upon you. Let ME teach you, because I am humble and gentle at heart, and you will find rest for your souls. 30 For MY yoke is easy to bear, and the burden I give you is light.” Matthew 11:28-30

How often have we said or thought, “I Expected GOD to do something different!” I have spoken to so many people who have shared their “the church failed me” story. Others, tell me how one or a few people did something to hurt them, so they left the faith. Have you ever been there, or are you there right now?

Brother and Sisters, THIS IS ME! We left home to “serve THE LORD!” I expected to see GOD do great things everywhere we went.  However, along the way some people got mad at me and told me to leave their church because they didn’t like my hair, my personality, my jokes, or my illustrations. What happened? I got mad at GOD because they didn’t like me. What have I missed because I let my Unrealistic Expectations get in the way? How many have we failed by not surrendering to GOD? LORD JESUS, please forgive us for our pride and arrogance. Thank you for YOUR grace and mercy through the pain, hurt, and self-pity. I love THEE, LORD JESUS! 😊 PLEASE ~ COME HOME!

Living in THE SHADOW of the CROSS

Blessings in CHRIST

Pastor Wes

I Peter 3:15

Keith Green sang it so well… “I don’t want to fall away from YOU!”

LIFE IN CRISIS!

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FRANKLY SPEAKING,

44 And when they gave it to the people, there was plenty for all and some left over, JUST AS THE LORD HAD PROMISED.                                     II Kings 4:44 NLT

You Matter to GOD! {Life in Crisis!} ~ I find myself reflecting on two differing philosophies of life this week. One says, “life is a dream.” In other words, everything is wonderful, and there are never any real worries or concerns. The other is this, “life is just one crisis after the other.” Of course, this means that everything is bad, and the sky is falling. You may see it as the glass half-full or half-empty. Although, some might say, “the glass is broken!” If that’s you, then you have my heart and my prayers. I feel this way because some people seem like they just can’t catch a break. I know people, through no fault of their own, who just seem to have one life shattering event after another. In your case, I agree: “Life is hard!”

If you’re in a pit, and you can’t see the top, look up! The passage above is written during a famine. There was little or no food to eat. The first group tries to fix what might be their last meal only to find that the food is poisoned. The second group does not have nearly enough food for one hundred people with no way to get more food. So, what happens? Does someone decide, “Well, life is short, and we’re just going to die anyway!” NO! They are wise enough to seek the ONE who made the earth and all the food contained therein. HE PROVIDES! ~ HE always has a plan, and it’s a great one (especially given that we can’t see all of it, yet). 😊

Often the OLD TESTAMENT clearly points to JESUS in the NEW TESTAMENT in such a way that none of us should miss it. This is one of those times. Elisha the prophet prays for GOD to provide/multiply loaves of bread so that all the people can be fed. Sound familiar? It should! JESUS does the same thing several times in the NEW TESTAMENT. In fact, on one occasion, HE even states the reason for the allusion to the bread and the miracles so often in HIS ministry. (Matthew 16:11-12)

11 Why can’t you understand that I’m not talking about bread? So again I say, ‘Beware of the yeast of the Pharisees and Sadducees.’”

12 Then at last they understood that HE wasn’t speaking about the yeast in bread, but about the deceptive teaching of the Pharisees and Sadducees.

Please remember, THE REAL BATTLE is not the crisis you’re in. THE REAL BATTLE is about your attention, your passion, your heart, your faith, and your very soul! “Cry Out to JESUS” if you “Need a Miracle.” Tell your heart to believe again! 😊

Living in THE SHADOW of the CROSS

Blessings in CHRIST

Pastor Wes

I Peter 3:15

Please remember, THE REAL BATTLE is not the crisis you’re in. THE REAL BATTLE is about your attention, your passion, your heart, your faith, and your very soul!

HELPING HURRICANE IAN VICTIMS

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FRANKLY SPEAKING,

1 One day the widow of a member of the group of prophets came to Elisha and cried out, “My husband who served you is dead, and you know how he feared THE LORD. But now a creditor has come, threatening to take my two sons as slaves.”                                                                                                          II Kings 4:1

You Matter to GOD! {A Poor Woman!} ~ This week, we watched with heavy hearts as our friends endured loss and pain during Hurricane Ian. The aftermath has proven to be devastating. God reminds us to help those in need both purposefully and as an ongoing part of our lives.

12 Then HE turned to HIS host. “When you put on a luncheon or a banquet,” HE said, “don’t invite your friends, brothers, relatives, and rich neighbors. For they will invite you back, and that will be your only reward. 13 Instead, invite the poor, the crippled, the lame, and the blind. 14 Then at the resurrection of the righteous, GOD will reward you for inviting those who could not repay you.” ~ Luke 14:12-14 NLT

However, we live in a time of untrustworthiness and potential charlatans seeking to take money without providing any help to those who are hurting. So, what can we do? Of course, a great need is prayer ~ always! However, Samaritan’s Purse provides an honest and dependable way to help:

HELP VICTIMS OF HURRICANE IAN ~ https://samaritanspurse.org/our-ministry/hurricane-ian/?utm_source=Ggl&utm_medium=cpc&utm_campaign=m_YGHI-B22V&utm_content=USDR&gclid=CjwKCAjw7eSZBhB8EiwA60kCW5ZHQN0p3-0oEEG-XefM1jACQXR2p24BsFnfFT6n5KhBxuf9NSNbgRoCV10QAvD_BwE

1 In Caesarea there lived a Roman army officer named Cornelius, who was a captain of the Italian Regiment. 2 He was a devout, GOD-FEARING man, as was everyone in his household. He gave generously to the poor and prayed regularly to GOD.                                        ~ Acts 10:1-2

Living in THE SHADOW of the CROSS

Blessings in CHRIST

Pastor Wes

I Peter 3:15

Please go to http://www.samaritan’spurse.org to give and help victims of Hurricane IAN. 🙂

PASTOR APPRECIATION!

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FRANKLY SPEAKING,

1 One day the widow of a member of the group of prophets came to Elisha and cried out, “My husband who served you is dead, and you know how he feared THE LORD. But now a creditor has come, threatening to take my two sons as slaves.” II Kings 4:1

You Matter to GOD! {A Poor Widow!} ~ OCTOBER IS PASTOR APPRECIATION MONTH! First, let me say that I have never promoted this before! Second, I am at a very small church where people shower me and my family with appreciation and grace twelve months of the year! In fact, the very computer I am using to write this article was a gift from a member of our church! 🙂 Third, I am sorry that I have not spoken out previously! Why? I am not out to glorify nor gain brownie points for being a pastor. I simply feel I have a voice which reaches out to people who attend other churches. This means that there are those who may not know what a wonderful opportunity awaits to encourage your ministers & their families. Here’s a link to an article a young woman writes to help you bless your ministers. Here it is: https://reconnectwithcarmen.com/october-pastor-appreciation-month-10-ideas-to-make-it-a-month-to-remember/

I read in another article, that many ministers struggle to make ends meet, save for retirement, provide for college for their children, ever go on vacation, and most certainly have no savings whatsoever. (https://billhigh.com/culture/poor-pastors-literally/) This is the case for those who have answered GOD’S call far too often. You can help! If you attend another church, please do something wonderful for your pastor and staff this month! They will appreciate it, and you will be glad you did! 😊

I can hear someone saying, “this is so strange for you to pick a topic and not discuss the value and purpose of the Scripture above.”  I am so glad you asked. Notice that the widow was a wife of one of the prophets who served Elisha. Basically, he was on staff at “The church where Elisha speaks for GOD and does cool, amazing stuff!” Well, maybe not the exact name. 😊 Nevertheless, notice that this widow has no retirement plan, no savings, and no way to keep her children safe. I just think it’s time for me to remind you that your pastors, ministers, and staff should never find themselves in this position.  Of course, GOD will take care of them… with your help!

17 Elders who do their work well should be respected and paid well, especially those who work hard at both preaching and teaching. 18 For the Scripture says, “You must not muzzle an ox to keep it from eating as it treads out the grain.” (Deuteronomy 25:4) And in another place, “Those who work deserve their pay!” (Deuteronomy 24:15) [and]

19 Do not listen to an accusation against an elder unless it is confirmed by two or three witnesses.                                                                            ~ I Timothy 5:17-19 NLT

Living in THE SHADOW of the CROSS

Blessings in CHRIST

Pastor Wes

I Peter 3:15

Please encourage your your pastor, ministers, and staff as the LORD leads this month! 🙂