Recently, I found a website for Oasis Church in Florida http://www.visitoasis.org/ . In reading the pastor’s blog, some of his posts (articles) that he had written really caught my attention. What he has written is certainly interesting and thought-provoking.
I have combined his posts about “I Don’t Need Oasis Church” below. I have also done some editing to clarify what Rev. Melton has written. I think you will appreciate what he says as you read what he has written.
“I DON'T NEED OASIS CHURCH”
These must be the words of a disgruntled member or attender! Must be someone who is upset at Oasis! Someone who has left our church over a petty disagreement with style or music! No, it isn't.
These are the words I spoke this morning about 12:30 A.M. as I was returning Friday, on my day off, from Melbourne (Florida). You might be saying, "But Guy, you're the founding Pastor. You've been here since the beginning. You were the one God gave the vision for Oasis."
It can, and might, be confusing to some of you to hear me to say this. But if Oasis Church never met again, I would be OK. I would thrive and I would be a happy man. If a hurricane demolished our buildings, or a fire burned them down, and we could never meet again as a church family--I would be fine with that!!!
I mean what I say, "I DON'T NEED OASIS CHURCH!!!!!!!"
(Part 2)
"I don't need Oasis Church!" I mean that. If you did not read my first post on this, then STOP NOW!!!! Go back and read it. I made the statement if we never met again I would be fine with that. If a fire burns down our buildings, a hurricane blows away all we have, I am fine.
Well, first let me say, that doesn't mean I would not grieve, be hurt, or shed tears. I would...maybe buckets of them. I would miss those of you who are Oasis members and friends of mine, who I have grown to love and admire more than I do or could ever tell you.
But please, hear me out.
Driving home Friday night (mentioned above) on my day off, I was listening to a C.D. which I often do while driving. There was a prominent pastor (Bill Hybels) of one of the largest churches in America (Willow Creek) discussing their church and a three-year intensive study they had just done in their church (and other churches).
The Pastor and staff discovered many of the folks who were very involved in their church weren't growing as disciples. They were stale and stalled in their faith. Others who were not that involved in all the programs and activities might have actually been growing as Christians even more (than those were very involved). (See footnote at the end of this email for more info on Willow Creek's study).
What would cause this when this is a great church and one where thousands of lives had been changed through their ministry? In a discussion with other staff members (and from the research), they proceeded to some of these findings.
Among the things they found is that longevity as a believer in Christ did not necessarily make a true follower of Christ. They also found that the more activity in the church a person was involved in did not necessarily make a better disciple of Christ.
So, what does this mean to me? Without dissecting all their study and thoughts, I want to share what God reminded me about. It's not about my church. It's not about Oasis Church and how much I show up. It's not even about how much I am involved...even in leadership.
They found that a percentage of the most dissatisfied members of their church were the ones who had been in the church the longest, and some of them were leaders. But they said they didn't feel their church was satisfying their needs and meeting their expectations. Some said they likely would leave the church (and many had over the years) to the surprise and disappointment of the Pastor and leadership.
Now these were not casual attenders. They were, in some cases, the heart and soul of the church and the reason over the years the church had grown like it did. Yet, they felt like they weren't growing and getting what they once did out of their church where they had invested themselves so heavily.
I have to ask myself, could that be true about the church I pastor? I say, "Absolutely it can!!" We are no different. I haven't done an intensive study. Quite frankly I don't need to. I see, I hear, I observe.
How could this be? Why? What as a Church are we failing at? Why are those who should be the most intense disciples, actually disappointed and disillusioned?
(Part 3)
“Why I Don't Need Oasis Church” is not a cute saying I thought up to catch your attention. No, I mean it. Why?
First let me say, I love Oasis Church. Some days, I would literally give my physical life for her. I say some days, that is, because it's not all the time. Hey, I am being honest here! Based on my previous blog post, I want to begin to explain my thinking on this. I know some will not understand. That is fine. Read it and just mull over it. Let it sink in. It might be a long time before you understand. That is OK.
The church belongs to God. He established it. Jesus gave His life for the Church. Other than the family, I don't know of another organization on earth that God Himself established and loves as much as He does the church.
Yet, too many of us mistake how we relate to His church with how we relate to Him. We rely on the church to give us our relationship with Him. We rely on the church to feed us, clothe us, and do essentially everything for us. Now, before you get mad, I know the ones reading this are not the ones who probably would go to the extreme of wanting us to clothe and feed you physically. But I am trying to get to something.
Most long-time believers, I believe, are stalled in their walk because they are expecting the church to give them the growth they desire. We might have grown as a young believer very fast because of our church or another church. The sermons, classes, small groups, even serving but then we find ourselves stalled!
It is not uncommon for a church to add more programs, build more buildings, facilities, gyms, classrooms, you name it-"we will build it if you'll come!" We do bigger programs, add more ministries and at the end of the day, we spend thousands and thousands of dollars, yes, even millions, to still find we have more disgruntled, disappointed, stalled Christians.
You say this isn't true about Oasis Church. To some extent it is. We have resisted many of the buildings, and programs many churches launch into. But we are forever tempted to build bigger, better and add more bells and whistles to keep you happy. That's human nature.
(Part 4)
I have painted what some might say is a bleak and negative picture of the church, our church. Well in some ways it could be. Why is that?
If a person is coming to Oasis Church for what they can get from it to keep them going, at some point their spiritual life will stall and become stale. At that point, they are disappointed in themselves, their church and ultimately God. So what's the answer?
I am not suggesting we throw out the church. Absolutely not. I'm not suggesting, as some in our society, that the church is so broken so just bury it and start over. No, that is not the answer.
What I am suggesting is that it's really not about the Church. It's about the individual, and our walk with the Lord. My life must be Christ-centered. He must be at the center of my life and all that I am.
What happens is that if we become church-centered and not Christ-centered we become stalled. The church does not change our life. Christ changes lives.
When a person has the expectation that their church attendance and participation will change their life, they are setting themselves, and the church, up for failure. As a church, even if we don't mean to, many times we make attenders think if they will become more involved, join more groups and attend more functions, they will be happy and satisfied and God will bless them.
What I am saying is that the church has a role in my Christian life. A big one!! But it is not my Christian life. Attending church does not make me a disciple or more in tuned with my Creator and my Savior.
I must be in a daily walk with God Himself. Now, brace yourself for this statement!!! It begins with time with God. Yes, it's as simple as that!! Prayer and Bible Reading. First, there must be a daily communion with God. He must be part of our daily lives. It takes time with Him. I can tell you when I go a few days without Bible reading and prayer, it shows. You are talking stale, stress, confusion, wrong decisions, and personality changes to name a few. He must be speaking into my life.
He must be at the very center of my life. He must be at work in my heart and life. The Bible says that the Spirit of God lives inside every believer. When we have no dialog with the person we live with...we don't listen, we don't discuss...what happens? We grow distant. We are ships passing in the night.
Final Post
So, why should I stay in the Church? For those of you still reading, you're saying, "If you don't need the church, why do I need the church?"
Good question! I'll try to give a few reasons we all need the Church, and why we should stay in the Church whether it be Oasis or, for our friends and family out of town, the one you attend. I can only personally speak here to Oasis Church since it is the only one I am a part of.
Last week Oasis had another class for newcomers. Discover Oasis gives a look at who we are, where we came from, what we believe, where we are going and how you can get involved if you choose to join. Kevin McCord, our Admin. Pastor has done a great job leading this class for the last several years. Any class I address, I share how important it is to get involved, and the more you get involved, the more you get out of your church. That is true.
I also share how excited each newcomer is to be there. They really are. We have incredible stories in each Discover Oasis Class of how folks come to Oasis and how much they love it. But I tell them: that will not keep you here, just as the music, the worship, the friendly atmosphere, the children’s ministry, etc. will not keep you here.
Oasis Church cannot sustain you spiritually nor should it. If you think the church will or should, you will soon be off to another place looking for what you need.
It is the Lord Who grows and matures us. Our church is but a tool that He uses. Most people get disillusioned when they expect us, as a church, to keep them spiritually full and contented. No church will do that. It is God who does that and each of us must have a personal walk and relationship with Him.
Do you know that the church can actually draw us away from Him? We can get so busy working for Him in the church that we forget to develop our relationship with Him. We don't have time for Him. It is especially dangerous when you are working in a church as an employee, pastor etc. We must fight this challenge all the time as pastors. My walk with Him is more important than my role as pastor.
That is why I can say, "I don't need Oasis Church". I want Oasis Church in my life. I love Oasis Church. But, when all is said and done, if Oasis Church was gone tomorrow, I have a living, breathing, relationship with my Lord, Jesus Christ. He is all I need. The fastest growing church of all time, in the Book of Acts, didn't have buildings, or programs or a campus. They had Jesus.
China, where public worship is prohibited in many places, has millions coming to Christ underground. They are studying, praying, growing, and going, on their own in many places. The church is exploding there and other places in the world without all the things we have come to expect in the United States in a church.
Now some will use the excuse when they get disgruntled with a church to drop out and say, "I can serve God and have a relationship with God without the Church, and being a part of it". Yes, I suppose that is true.
But truthfully, I have not seen one person who said that who was actually a growing, contented, mature, serving disciple of Christ. Why would you want to say you want Him but you don't want His Bride? His Bride is the Church, even with all our warts and problems.
So why is the Church important? Let me list a few things:
Christ gave Himself for the church. It is His way of sharing His Gospel here on Earth.
*The church edifies us.
*The church leads us to worship God.
*The church provides a vehicle for Community. Small groups are a big part of our church. A small group might lend to making friends, and establishing some awesome relationships, but your small group won't provide you a living, personal, growing relationship with Jesus Christ in itself.
*The church teaches doctrine.
*The church evangelizes the lost. We do that as individuals and as the Church.
*The church equips the saints for ministry. Ephesians clearly states that the Pastors/Leaders are to equip each of us for ministry. Training and providing opportunities for ministry through the church is part of that.
*The church disciples/Mentors new believers into mature believers.
*In the church we pray for one another.
*The church provides ministries that utilize each person's spiritual gifts.
At different stages in our walk with God, the church plays a different role in each of these stages. This is important for us to realize.
I think we have failed as a church in general in that we do so much for people and promise so much that many expect us to meet their every need and to provide their personal relationship with God. This is not the case.
Early in a Christian's experience, the Church is huge...to help them grow, and find their gifts, to teach, disciple, baptize (Simply -- the Great Commission). But, them
you begin to move from being served and being taught to serving and doing mission. You move from the Milk, to the Meat. The church teaches you to find the meat, and it is up to the individual to eat. The Shepherd doesn't force the sheep to eat or drink at the stream. He only leads them beside still waters and into green pastures. There comes a time, when we, as sheep, need to eat and drink. Shame on us as a church if we only feed the sheep milk and never teach them to eat and where to find food.
I don't need Oasis Church. But I sure do love it. I don't need to attend church to have a personal relationship with God but God does expect me to be a part of His church, His body, His Bride.
I attend 4-7 live services each and every week and I love it. I get pumped. I get convicted. I get encouraged. But many times, it's in different ways. Sometimes just hanging out during one of the 7NOW nightly services, I will get blessed by a story of a changed life. I will sometimes be blessed by the young musicians who lead us in worship. I will be blessed to pray with someone struggling with a problem. I will be blessed by fellowship with some friends, prayer, scripture, message, and so much more.
NOW, I DON'T NEED OASIS CHURCH, BUT I WANT TO BE A PART OF OASIS CHURCH. AND TO HONOR GOD IN MY WORSHIP, COMMUNITY, AND MISSION!!! HOW ABOUT YOU?????????????????
*Footnote:
Willow Creek Church in Chicago has just finished a three year process of scientific research to study their church and other churches regarding their effectiveness in helping church members in their spiritual growth. The research has been published in the book, “Reveal: Where Are You?”
Bill Hybels, the pastor of Willow Creek, writes in the book:
“The local church is the hope of the world.....It’s a message I believe with all my heart. So you can imagine my reaction when three people whose counsel I value told me that the local church I’ve been the pastor of for more than three decades was not doing as well as we thought when it came to spiritual growth.
If that wasn’t bad enough, they said this wasn’t just their opinion. It was based on scientific research. Ouch.”
Second Chronicles 7:14
“If my people, which are called by my name, shall humble themselves, and pray, and seek my face, and turn from their wicked ways; then will I hear from heaven, and will forgive their sin, and will heal their land.”
I don’t think there is anyone who is a Christian who would not agree that the United States of America is in deep, spiritual trouble. And nothing that has happened recently seems to have made a difference in our nation.
Events surrounding 911 certainly didn’t change things. The cost of oil certainly is not having any effect on the conscience of the United States. And, even the Mel Gibson movie, “The Passion of the Christ”, as wonderful as it was, hasn’t changed the spiritual condition of our nation.
The last great nationwide revival in the United States occurred in the late 1850’s and has been termed “The Third Great Awakening”. Of that movement of God in our country, revival historian J. Edwin Orr has written:
“...the influence of the awakening was felt everywhere in the nation. It first captured great cities, but it also spread through every town and village and country hamlet. It swamped schools and colleges. It affected all classes (of people) without respect to condition . . . It seemed to many that the fruits of Pentecost had been repeated a thousand-fold . . . the number of conversions reported soon reached the total of fifty thousand weekly”.
In our nation, we have seen glimpses of revival since the closing of the “Third Great Awakening”, most notably, the Asbury Revival in 1970 and revival that began in Brownwood, Texas in 1995 (not Brownsville, Florida).
Before our nation was formed, a call to prayer was proclaimed in 1775, when the Continental Congress asked the colonies to pray for wisdom in forming our country and that call to prayer has continued through our history.
President Abraham Lincoln issued a proclamation for a day of "humiliation, fasting, and prayer" in 1863 during the Civil War. It is interesting to note that the Civil War began only three years after the waning days of this great revival.
The National Day of Prayer was established in 1952 by President of the United States, Harry Truman and “The National Day of Prayer Task Force”, spearheaded by James and Shirley Dobson, has been in existence since the early 1990’s.
We have had the prayer and fasting movement since at least 1994 when Bill Bright, founder of Campus Crusade for Christ, began a yearly 40 day fast and encouraged other Christians to join him in fasting for national revival.
But, why, hasn’t revival happened? So many believers have prayed and fasted and cried out to God for Him to send revival to our nation. But why have we not seen a great movement of the Spirit of God in our nation in one hundred and fifty years?
Some may ask, “What is wrong with God? Doesn’t He hear our prayers? Doesn’t He care that our nation is traveling downward through a spiral of degradation and evil wickedness?”
There is nothing wrong with God but there is something terribly wrong with us. God help us. We need revival.
Second Chronicles 7:14 is a verse that many of us could quote from memory. The verse has been used over and over again when someone speaks about praying for our nation and praying for God to send us a revival. But, even though many of us can quote it from memory, it is possible we have become so familiar with the verse that the significance and meaning has been lost to us.
“If my people which are called by My Name…”
A literal translation of this phrase reads: “If my people over whom My Name is called”. The Hebrew word for “called” carries with it the idea of:
God’s people possessing the mark of His ownership
God’s people possessing the mark of His reputation
God’s people possessing the mark of His signature
God is the Owner/Ruler of His people.
The Owner is in charge. The Owner is King and the Owner is sovereign. The Sovereign King is Ruler over all of creation. The King is all-powerful (omnipotent), all-knowing (omniscient), and He is everywhere (omnipresent). We are the King’s servants and we belong to Him. The servants work in the King’s kingdom. The servants don’t have a kingdom. The servants aren’t in charge, the King is in charge. The servants submit to the King and the servants represent the King in matters of the kingdom. No servant is allowed to usurp the authority of the King. There is only one King and the servants do not have the option to be King. Though the servants sometimes attempt to rule their own lives, they usually come to understand who is King when they experience times of trouble, hardship, and crisis. The servants belong to the King and they carry the King’s reputation and the mark of His signature to a lost and dying world. The servants of the King must yield their lives to Him, acknowledge His ownership of them, must never attempt to be the “king” of their own little kingdom.
The Hebrew for “over whom My Name is called” suggests that God is proud to call us His name over His people. Therefore, the question must be asked: “Are the people of God living in such a way that God is proud to call His Name over them?”
”If My people over whom My Name is called will humble themselves”
The Hebrew word for humble means to submit, to fall on one’s knees, to be lowly, to be subdued and captured, and to be depressed, not in spirit, but in position, as in a depression of land.
Why is humility important in the kingdom of God? Because....
Humility is acknowledging our own spiritual bankruptcy (“blessed are the poor in spirit”) and it is acknowledging our spiritual need for God (“blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness”).
Humility is acknowledging God’s sovereignty, authority, and power over all of His creation.
Humility is unequivocal dependence upon God.
Humility is a willingness to wait for God to act in His own time and in His own way.
Humility does not rush in and take matters into its own hands.
Humility is doing something only when there is clear word from God.
Humility is being patient.
Humility is not being offended by being treated like a servant.
Humility does not brag and boast about one’s own achievements and one’s capabilities.
Humility understands that you can’t get away with hidden sins before God.
Humility does not exalt self or the flesh.
Humility is being obedient to God and obedient to other people whom God has placed in your life to have authority over you.
The person who is humble is the person who pursues the face and heart of God and becomes more detached from the things of this world.
But, humility is uncommon in the kingdom of God. Why is that? Because......
We are full of pride and we are so full of ourselves.
We like to talk about ourselves and exalt ourselves.
We want to be recognized for what we do.
We want to name web sites after ourselves.
We love to promote ourselves because we think we are so great.
We want to be the first in line not last in line.
We expect other people to serve us and God forbid that we should serve somebody else.
We expect other people to clean up our messes, instead of doing it ourselves.
We think the rules apply to everybody else but us.
We don’t want to go down, we want to rise high up on our pedastel.
We don’t want to be crucified and we don’t want to die to the flesh.
We like to brag on ourselves and let people know how truly important we really think we are.
We definitely don’t want to be treated like servants; we just want to be called servants.
And, we certainly don’t want to be treated like slaves. Even though the word of God says in Romans 6 that we are “slaves” to righteousness and therefore to God, we don’t want to be treated like a slave because a slave is treated like a “nobody”, who has no privileges and has no rights. (One of the Apostle Paul’s favorites words he used to refer to himself was “doulos”, which means slave).
How do we know that humility is uncommon in the church today? For example....
Some pastors sit around wondering why Pastor "So and So" always gets invited to preach at all of the conferences and all of the conventions. Then, these same preachers wonder why they never get invited to preach......never imagining that just maybe they can’t preach as well they thought could or maybe their lack of humility results in not being invited to preach.
And, this principle also applies to those who sing. “Why does she always have to get the solos when the choir sings? Why don’t they ever ask me to sing?” Have we ever thought about the fact that just maybe we can’t sing as well as what we thought we could or maybe it is our lack of humility that results in us not being asked to sing?
“If my people over whom My Name is called shall humble themselves and pray”The Hebrew word for “pray” carries with it the idea of rolling around in something and becoming stained.
In order for God to send revival and heal our land, the people of God will have to understand that we must become people of prayer and that our lives must become “stained” by “rolling around”, (i.e., entering into), in His presence.
Prayer is a relationship with God. We speak to Him by praying and He speaks to us, primarily through His word. But, He also speaks to us through His Spirit, through our circumstances, and through other servants in the kingdom.
We know we should pray but we don’t. We know we should pray more but we don’t. Why is that? Because we cannot submit to God and acknowledge our spiritual bankruptcy and acknowledge our need of Him.
Do you think we would pray more if our lives were in a constant state of crisis? Of course, we would. But, God is merciful and He gives us times when there is no crisis in our personal lives. So what do we do when there is no crisis? We don’t pray as much and we don’t cry out to Him as much. It is almost like we are saying to God, “I don’t need You unless I am going through some trial in my life”.
God desires for us to be in such an intimate relationship with Him that nothing changes in the amount of time we spend with Him, whether we are in crisis mode or not. The amount of time we would spend in communion with Him during periods of calm in our lives should be the same amount we would spend with Him during those difficult days of hardship that we go through.
In our relationship with God through prayer, we should not be seeking to get things from Him. Parents know the joy of giving gifts to their children. But, the greatest joy of parents is when the children spend time with them, just wanting to be together. And, so it is in our relationship with God. He loves to give us gifts. But, the greater joy for Him is when His children just want to spend time with Him and enjoy being in His presence. Our relationship with God through prayer should be seeking to know Him more deeply and more intimately so that we can become more like Him.
“If my people over whom My Name is called shall humble themselves and pray and seek My face”
The next requirement is that we must seek the face of God. The Hebrew word for “seek” carries with it the idea of touching, striving after, seeking after, and getting a hold of. The Hebrew word for face is “peniel”. It is the same word that is used in Gen. 32:30 when Jacob called the name of the place where he struggled with God “Peniel” and says, “for I have seen God face to face’.
When we seek the face of God, we must realize that there will be times when it will be like Jacob’s experience. There will be a struggle: between our flesh and the very nature, character, and will of God. Yet, when we seek the face of God, just like Jacob, the character of God will be reflected in and through our lives. And, just like Jacob, the one who seeks the face of God will never ever be the same.
“If my people over whom My Name is called shall humble themselves and pray and seek My face and turn from their wicked ways”
In our pursuit of God, there must be a turning from our wicked ways. The Hebrew word for “ways” is a word that can mean: a path, a journey, a course, a habit, or a manner. “Wicked” can be defined as evil and anything that is unpleasing to God. Wicked ways can apply to anyone who is doing anything or going in any direction that is unpleasing to God.
It is interesting to notice the order of these requirements for revival:
To become a people whom God is proud to call His Name over
To become a people of prayer
To become a people of humility
To become a people who seek God’s face
To become a people turn from our wicked ways
As a result:
*God will hear from heaven.
*God will forgive our sins.
*God will heal our “land”.
(For the Israelites, the “land” represented the physical relationship with God, which He had promised to them, but the land also represented their spiritual relationship with God.
Keys for personal revival:
The key to turning from evil is to seek God’s face.
The key to seeking God’s face to is to pray.
The key to prayer is humility.
The key to humility is an understanding that we belong to God and should be the kind of people that He is proud to call His Name over.
I don’t think there is anyone who is a Christian who would not agree that the United States of America is in deep, spiritual trouble. And nothing that has happened recently seems to have made a difference in our nation.
Events surrounding 911 certainly didn’t change things. The cost of oil certainly is not having any effect on the conscience of the United States. And, even the Mel Gibson movie, “The Passion of the Christ”, as wonderful as it was, hasn’t changed the spiritual condition of our nation.
The last great nationwide revival in the United States occurred in the late 1850’s and has been termed “The Third Great Awakening”. Of that movement of God in our country, revival historian J. Edwin Orr has written:
“...the influence of the awakening was felt everywhere in the nation. It first captured great cities, but it also spread through every town and village and country hamlet. It swamped schools and colleges. It affected all classes (of people) without respect to condition . . . It seemed to many that the fruits of Pentecost had been repeated a thousand-fold . . . the number of conversions reported soon reached the total of fifty thousand weekly”.
In our nation, we have seen glimpses of revival since the closing of the “Third Great Awakening”, most notably, the Asbury Revival in 1970 and revival that began in Brownwood, Texas in 1995 (not Brownsville, Florida).
Before our nation was formed, a call to prayer was proclaimed in 1775, when the Continental Congress asked the colonies to pray for wisdom in forming our country and that call to prayer has continued through our history.
President Abraham Lincoln issued a proclamation for a day of "humiliation, fasting, and prayer" in 1863 during the Civil War. It is interesting to note that the Civil War began only three years after the waning days of this great revival.
The National Day of Prayer was established in 1952 by President of the United States, Harry Truman and “The National Day of Prayer Task Force”, spearheaded by James and Shirley Dobson, has been in existence since the early 1990’s.
We have had the prayer and fasting movement since at least 1994 when Bill Bright, founder of Campus Crusade for Christ, began a yearly 40 day fast and encouraged other Christians to join him in fasting for national revival.
But, why, hasn’t revival happened? So many believers have prayed and fasted and cried out to God for Him to send revival to our nation. But why have we not seen a great movement of the Spirit of God in our nation in one hundred and fifty years?
Some may ask, “What is wrong with God? Doesn’t He hear our prayers? Doesn’t He care that our nation is traveling downward through a spiral of degradation and evil wickedness?”
There is nothing wrong with God but there is something terribly wrong with us. God help us. We need revival.
Second Chronicles 7:14 is a verse that many of us could quote from memory. The verse has been used over and over again when someone speaks about praying for our nation and praying for God to send us a revival. But, even though many of us can quote it from memory, it is possible we have become so familiar with the verse that the significance and meaning has been lost to us.
“If my people which are called by My Name…”
A literal translation of this phrase reads: “If my people over whom My Name is called”. The Hebrew word for “called” carries with it the idea of:
God’s people possessing the mark of His ownership
God’s people possessing the mark of His reputation
God’s people possessing the mark of His signature
God is the Owner/Ruler of His people.
The Owner is in charge. The Owner is King and the Owner is sovereign. The Sovereign King is Ruler over all of creation. The King is all-powerful (omnipotent), all-knowing (omniscient), and He is everywhere (omnipresent). We are the King’s servants and we belong to Him. The servants work in the King’s kingdom. The servants don’t have a kingdom. The servants aren’t in charge, the King is in charge. The servants submit to the King and the servants represent the King in matters of the kingdom. No servant is allowed to usurp the authority of the King. There is only one King and the servants do not have the option to be King. Though the servants sometimes attempt to rule their own lives, they usually come to understand who is King when they experience times of trouble, hardship, and crisis. The servants belong to the King and they carry the King’s reputation and the mark of His signature to a lost and dying world. The servants of the King must yield their lives to Him, acknowledge His ownership of them, must never attempt to be the “king” of their own little kingdom.
The Hebrew for “over whom My Name is called” suggests that God is proud to call us His name over His people. Therefore, the question must be asked: “Are the people of God living in such a way that God is proud to call His Name over them?”
”If My people over whom My Name is called will humble themselves”
The Hebrew word for humble means to submit, to fall on one’s knees, to be lowly, to be subdued and captured, and to be depressed, not in spirit, but in position, as in a depression of land.
Why is humility important in the kingdom of God? Because....
Humility is acknowledging our own spiritual bankruptcy (“blessed are the poor in spirit”) and it is acknowledging our spiritual need for God (“blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness”).
Humility is acknowledging God’s sovereignty, authority, and power over all of His creation.
Humility is unequivocal dependence upon God.
Humility is a willingness to wait for God to act in His own time and in His own way.
Humility does not rush in and take matters into its own hands.
Humility is doing something only when there is clear word from God.
Humility is being patient.
Humility is not being offended by being treated like a servant.
Humility does not brag and boast about one’s own achievements and one’s capabilities.
Humility understands that you can’t get away with hidden sins before God.
Humility does not exalt self or the flesh.
Humility is being obedient to God and obedient to other people whom God has placed in your life to have authority over you.
The person who is humble is the person who pursues the face and heart of God and becomes more detached from the things of this world.
But, humility is uncommon in the kingdom of God. Why is that? Because......
We are full of pride and we are so full of ourselves.
We like to talk about ourselves and exalt ourselves.
We want to be recognized for what we do.
We want to name web sites after ourselves.
We love to promote ourselves because we think we are so great.
We want to be the first in line not last in line.
We expect other people to serve us and God forbid that we should serve somebody else.
We expect other people to clean up our messes, instead of doing it ourselves.
We think the rules apply to everybody else but us.
We don’t want to go down, we want to rise high up on our pedastel.
We don’t want to be crucified and we don’t want to die to the flesh.
We like to brag on ourselves and let people know how truly important we really think we are.
We definitely don’t want to be treated like servants; we just want to be called servants.
And, we certainly don’t want to be treated like slaves. Even though the word of God says in Romans 6 that we are “slaves” to righteousness and therefore to God, we don’t want to be treated like a slave because a slave is treated like a “nobody”, who has no privileges and has no rights. (One of the Apostle Paul’s favorites words he used to refer to himself was “doulos”, which means slave).
How do we know that humility is uncommon in the church today? For example....
Some pastors sit around wondering why Pastor "So and So" always gets invited to preach at all of the conferences and all of the conventions. Then, these same preachers wonder why they never get invited to preach......never imagining that just maybe they can’t preach as well they thought could or maybe their lack of humility results in not being invited to preach.
And, this principle also applies to those who sing. “Why does she always have to get the solos when the choir sings? Why don’t they ever ask me to sing?” Have we ever thought about the fact that just maybe we can’t sing as well as what we thought we could or maybe it is our lack of humility that results in us not being asked to sing?
“If my people over whom My Name is called shall humble themselves and pray”The Hebrew word for “pray” carries with it the idea of rolling around in something and becoming stained.
In order for God to send revival and heal our land, the people of God will have to understand that we must become people of prayer and that our lives must become “stained” by “rolling around”, (i.e., entering into), in His presence.
Prayer is a relationship with God. We speak to Him by praying and He speaks to us, primarily through His word. But, He also speaks to us through His Spirit, through our circumstances, and through other servants in the kingdom.
We know we should pray but we don’t. We know we should pray more but we don’t. Why is that? Because we cannot submit to God and acknowledge our spiritual bankruptcy and acknowledge our need of Him.
Do you think we would pray more if our lives were in a constant state of crisis? Of course, we would. But, God is merciful and He gives us times when there is no crisis in our personal lives. So what do we do when there is no crisis? We don’t pray as much and we don’t cry out to Him as much. It is almost like we are saying to God, “I don’t need You unless I am going through some trial in my life”.
God desires for us to be in such an intimate relationship with Him that nothing changes in the amount of time we spend with Him, whether we are in crisis mode or not. The amount of time we would spend in communion with Him during periods of calm in our lives should be the same amount we would spend with Him during those difficult days of hardship that we go through.
In our relationship with God through prayer, we should not be seeking to get things from Him. Parents know the joy of giving gifts to their children. But, the greatest joy of parents is when the children spend time with them, just wanting to be together. And, so it is in our relationship with God. He loves to give us gifts. But, the greater joy for Him is when His children just want to spend time with Him and enjoy being in His presence. Our relationship with God through prayer should be seeking to know Him more deeply and more intimately so that we can become more like Him.
“If my people over whom My Name is called shall humble themselves and pray and seek My face”
The next requirement is that we must seek the face of God. The Hebrew word for “seek” carries with it the idea of touching, striving after, seeking after, and getting a hold of. The Hebrew word for face is “peniel”. It is the same word that is used in Gen. 32:30 when Jacob called the name of the place where he struggled with God “Peniel” and says, “for I have seen God face to face’.
When we seek the face of God, we must realize that there will be times when it will be like Jacob’s experience. There will be a struggle: between our flesh and the very nature, character, and will of God. Yet, when we seek the face of God, just like Jacob, the character of God will be reflected in and through our lives. And, just like Jacob, the one who seeks the face of God will never ever be the same.
“If my people over whom My Name is called shall humble themselves and pray and seek My face and turn from their wicked ways”
In our pursuit of God, there must be a turning from our wicked ways. The Hebrew word for “ways” is a word that can mean: a path, a journey, a course, a habit, or a manner. “Wicked” can be defined as evil and anything that is unpleasing to God. Wicked ways can apply to anyone who is doing anything or going in any direction that is unpleasing to God.
It is interesting to notice the order of these requirements for revival:
To become a people whom God is proud to call His Name over
To become a people of prayer
To become a people of humility
To become a people who seek God’s face
To become a people turn from our wicked ways
As a result:
*God will hear from heaven.
*God will forgive our sins.
*God will heal our “land”.
(For the Israelites, the “land” represented the physical relationship with God, which He had promised to them, but the land also represented their spiritual relationship with God.
Keys for personal revival:
The key to turning from evil is to seek God’s face.
The key to seeking God’s face to is to pray.
The key to prayer is humility.
The key to humility is an understanding that we belong to God and should be the kind of people that He is proud to call His Name over.
A Letter To The Pastor
A legendary story is told of a rich man who came to visit a cathedral while it was being built and he saw a workman carving a tiny bird on the inside of a beam. He was puzzled and asked the man, 'Why are you spending so much time carving that bird into a beam that will be covered by the roof, No one will ever see it. And the workman replied, 'Because God sees.'
There are some times when as a pastor you wonder whether anything you are doing in ministry is making a difference in people's lives. There are those long, and sometimes lonely, hours that are necessary to your sermons every week. Added to that, is the pressure of everyone expecting you to "hit a home run" every time you get up to preach.
There are those days and nights that you spend at the hospital ministering to both the physical and spiritual needs of those who are hurting. There are the countless numbers of hours spent counseling, trying to come up with answers to help those who are hurting emotionally and spiritually.
Then, there are all of the meetings, the weekly visitation of visitors to your church, and on top of all that, you are expected to minister to those in your community who don't go to your church but go to another church or they don't even go to church at all.
As you much as you have tried, you haven't seen your church grow in years. Oh, you have people who will visit who are looking for a church home but they never return for a second visit. And, it has been so long since anyone has walked down the aisle after one of your sermons, whether to be saved, to rededicate their life, or just to ask for prayer.
And, there are those occasions when you have had to neglect your family for those critical needs in your congregation when you just couldn't say "no" to a family who needed your counsel and support.
You wonder at times if it is worth it all. You wonder whether anyone would even notice if you stopped pastoring your church. Sometimes, it even feels like you are invisible, especially to God.
You cry out, "God, what is wrong with my church? What is wrong with me? God, what is wrong with You? Can't you see that my heart is breaking over the spiritual condition of my church family? I keep investing my life in their physical, emotional, and spiritual needs. Nothing ever changes! No one even says, "Thank you, Pastor, for your hard work and dedication." No one says, "Thank you for you many hours of sacrifice to help us in our walk with God."
You may have even said, "God, if something doesn't change in my church, I'm just gonna quit! I can't take it anymore. Nothing I do seems to make a difference. Does anybody really care about what I am doing? Does anybody really care about the things of God? It seems at times as though the only thing that matters to my people are their physical needs. Why aren’t they concerned about the spiritual needs in their lives?"
_________________________________
To: The Pastor
From: God
I just wanted to write you a letter to let you know that I understand everything you are going through. I know the way is hard sometimes and I know that it can be frustrating dealing with your precious flock. I heard your crying the other night. And, the other day when you got mad at Me? I can handle that. It is alright to get mad at Me. I don't ever hold things like that against you.
You are my special child and I love you so much. You are always on My mind and you are always at the center of My attention. Nothing that ever happens to you goes unnoticed by Me. And, nothing you ever do for Me goes unnoticed, either.
I planned out your life before you were ever formed in your sweet mother's womb and I was so excited on the day that you were born. Because of My plan for your life, I was counting the days when you would one day be willing to join Me in assisting in My work.
I decided that I needed you to be a shepherd to some of My sheep. Sheep can be frustrating to work with sometimes. They are so helpless. They don't know where to go and they don't know what to do. That is why they need a shepherd and that is why they need you and why I need you.
I wanted you to know that you are part of a great and glorious work in My kingdom. You are kind of like that workman who takes part in building a cathedral: diligently and invisibly working on all of the details. The workman will go unnoticed but when that cathedral is completed, many stand in awe of the beauty of the structure.
And, so it is with My kingdom. You must be diligent in your work though at times you will feel like you are invisible to the world. I need you to do your part in the work that I have called you to do. It is not necessary for you to see and understand everything that pertains to the structure of My kingdom. You must only do your part and do it to the best of your ability. I have other workmen that are also fulfilling their roles in My kingdom work that I have not called you to do. Just do what I have asked you to do.
I am the Architect of My kingdom. I know what it will look like after it is completed. And, after all is said and done, you will not be recognized by having your name placed on the “cathedral”. No, that is reserved for My Son. His name will be placed on high and He will take His place on His throne.
But, you can be assured that I know the contributions you are making in My kingdom. Your work does not go unnoticed. One day very soon, you will be rewarded for all of your work and you will receive some very special crowns.
But, on that day when you receive those jeweled crowns, you will be in such awe of the beauty of the kingdom you helped to construct that you will be so humbled by all that you will see. Because you will take your place in the presence of My Son, you will lay down your crowns at His feet and rejoice. On that day, it will not matter to you how much work you have done over the years. And, it will not matter to you whether any one noticed what your work on the earth. No, the only thing that will matter on that day is that you will enter through gates of splendor and bow down before your glorious King.
My precious child: do not quit and do not give up. Those thoughts do not come from Me but come from My adversary and My enemy. He knows what I am doing through you and He knows the work that I am accomplishing through your life. That antagonist, know as Satan, knows he was defeated when My Son died on the cross and He knows that one day he will ultimately go down to eternal defeat.
So, dear Pastor, carry on. Go quietly amidst the troubles, the trials, the hardships, and the heartaches. These afflictions are only temporary. The journey is just beginning for you but one day you will make your appearance in My glorious kingdom in Heaven.
Until then, you just keep on following Me and serving Me. I have prepared a special place for you upon your arrival.
I love you, dearly.
Your friend,
God
P.S. There are many, many people awaiting your arrival and your entrance here in heaven. They need to speak with you because they want you to know how much you meant to them on earth and they want to say “thanks”.
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