Give 'em Something to Talk About

God Speaks

Several years ago during an altar service, the Lord told me to open both doors of the church. The doors leading into the sanctuary, and the doors leading outside. His voice was clear. I knew exactly what he wanted me to do. Still, I hesitated. 

Why? 

Why did he want the doors open? Why did he choose me to open them?

Then another voice whispered in my ear, “Don’t do it. They are going to talk about you.” As clear as if it were audible, the devil continued. “Brother A will be angry because the air conditioning is on and you will let the cool air out. Sister B will be upset at you because you will let the bugs in. And Sister C will be furious at you because you endangered the children by providing them a way of escape.” Though he called specific names, I have omitted them here.

So I asked Jesus, “Will they say those things?”

My Lord replied, “Yes. But I didn’t ask you what they would say. I told you to open the doors. Now, go open them.”

Obey God

I did. Immediately a powerful wave of the Holy Ghost blew in and changed lives.

I will never forget that night, because God proved that His blessings far outweigh the opinions of others. 

Even after the service, when the devil made sure I heard the very ones make the exact comments he said they would make. I just smiled because obeying God was worth it.

People talk about me.

 I’ve been serving the Lord for about 15 years now. I’ve attended countless campmeetings, youth camps, revivals, mission trips and outreach services with some of the greatest men and women of God on Earth. However, one thing I've learned is that people (both sinners and saints) love to talk. 

They’ve talked about my failures, and I admit that when I stumble I usually land face first. 

They’ve complained about my methods of teaching: transforming the fellowship hall into the wilderness/promise land complete with trees, sand, manna, river, and grapevines; playing ball in the church; taking a field trip all the way to Ohio; dressing the children up as beggars and reenacting the lame man at the Gate Beautiful scene as a fundraiser delaying the service because I told the children the had to beg until they were healed. 

They’ve complained about my method of ministry; picking up hitchhikers, witnessing to prostitutes and preaching to drug addicts.  

They’ve talked about my trails. 

They’ve talked about my problems. 

They’ve talked about my mistakes. 

They’ve talked about my past. 

They’ve talked about my pastor. 

They’ve talked about my church. 

I’ve given people a lot to talk about. I come from a long line of unchurched sinners. When I got saved, I didn’t know church protocols. I didn’t know traditions. I didn’t know the do and don’ts. And because I didn’t know, I’ve made some huge mistakes that I regret tremendously, but I will never regret obeying God.

People talk about you. It is what they do.

People are flawed. All of us. Though we try our best, sometimes we fail. But that should make us try harder. It shouldn't make us want to quit. Yes, people will talk about you.

They will talk about your successes.

They will talk about your failures. 

They will talk about your methods.

They will talk about your past.

They will talk about your present.

They will talk about your future. 

Give 'em something to talk about.

Even though people will talk about you, open the doors anyway. Why? Because Jesus needs them opened. He needs to an avenue to send Holy Ghost power to help people, and He’s entrusted you with that job.

Yes, people will talk. Give them something good to say. 

Can they talk about how many people have been healed due to your obedience to God? 

Can they talk about how you helped the hurting? 

Fed the hungry?

Prayed for the prostitute? 

Loved the drug addict?

If the answer is no, what are you waiting for? You don't need permission to obey God. If you hesitate to do what God has told you because of what people might say, let me reassure you. Yes, they will talk. But Jesus knows that, and He called you anyway. So obey God. 

And Give 'em something to talk about! 

No Excuses

I was a born a sinner.

But then, praise God, I was reborn.

I loved the atmosphere of church. I loved the people. The adults. The teens. The kids. Their potential for impacting the world was limitless. God had given them something that I longed for and I was proud to join their ranks.

A good rally or campmeeting would revive my soul with an atmosphere of worship and a message straight from the throne of heaven.

Over the years, I heard some pretty amazing sermons. They all had one of two messages.

1. Repent.
2. Go to work.

God would miraculous poor out his spirit and empower his people. He forgave us of our transgressions and called us to “go unto all the world and preach the gospel.” We would hear, get excited and promise to do something for the Lord.

Afterward when we realized that He called us to the Samaritans and the sinners our enthusiasm waned. We don’t mind helping saints, but we can’t associate with "those half-breeds" or those “uncircumcised gentiles”. 

Shame on us!

We don’t mind singing in church, teaching a Sunday school class or preaching a sermon to good people. But we turn our nose up to the prostitute that is looking for a love that only our Savior can give. What about the addict that’s a slave to their addiction? Or the homeless man lost in a bottle?

Who are we to choose who hears the gospel?

At one of the churches mentioned above, I caught a child breaking the rules, when I confronted them I was shocked at their answer.

“I’m a preacher’s kid. I can do whatever I want.”

Most church goers have a similar mentality. “My grandfather started our church.” “My mom is the song leader.” My grandmother was a great prayer warrior.”

But can we really do whatever we want? At the end of this life and we will stand before God, alone. Our grandparents will not stand with us. Our parents, our children, our spouse, the preacher? None of them will answer for us. We will be judged by our own obedience to God.

What will he say when our excuses are null and void?

I recently had a vision from God. I was standing alone, in front of God’s throne waiting for him to say “well done.” 

Instead an awkward silence fell and conviction gripped my soul. 

Then God asked, “Why didn’t you do what I told you to do?” 

I replied, “Someone told me that I couldn’t.” 

Silence reigned and God opened my eyes. 

I had no excuse. God is the ultimate authority in my life and when he says “Go unto all the world and preach the gospel.” He means it. 

At the end of this life, I will have no excuse.

All through history, when someone stood for God and began calling in sinners, the church didn’t like it. Why? Because they didn’t want their holy ranks polluted? Because seeing someone work for God convicted their own lack of obedience? Or because it made them look bad in comparison?

Opposition will come. Satan will remind us of all the souls we failed to harvest. Some good-intended person will point out our mistakes. Church leaders may believe the great commission is only for them. But when we stand before God, these excuses aren’t going to fly. God has called us and there is a dying world out there waiting for someone to bring them Jesus.

So we have two choices.      

1. Recline on a pew while the harvest rots off the vine. Or,
2. Save those that we can.

We need church. We need the forgiveness in the blood of Jesus. We need an atmosphere of worship where we can bask in God’s presence and be filled with His power. But then, we need to take that power into the rotting fields and save those souls that would be saved. We need to give them Jesus.

No excuses.

A Sign from GOD

   

During his time of ministry, Jesus went from coast to coast performing many miracles.

Until he came unto the parts of Dalmanutha. 

The book of Mark tells us that the Pharisees there asked for a sign from heaven.

Jesus said He wouldn't give a sign and departed to the other side. No miracles were done there.

Think about this for a minute.

 Here Jesus is traveling from coast to coast, performing many signs and wonders. 

Healings, casting out devils, multiplying bread and fish to feed the masses.

And the religious crowd wants a sign?

Open your eyes people. Signs are all around you.

Why didn't Jesus say. Duh! How many signs do you want? 

Instead he got in his boat and went to the other side. 

And performed miracles there.

Let’s recap.

Jesus sailing along pouring out blessings from heaven.

Bam! 

            People want a sign. 

                                                No more miracles.

The Pharisees couldn't believe in what God was doing. They didn't want to have faith. They wanted to see.

Now, I don’t know about you, but I've seen people healed. 

I've seen devils cast out. 

I've seen paint multiplied at an orphanage in Guatemala 

and I've seen pecans multiplied in Alabama. 

Those are signs that God is working in the lives of people today.

Isn't ironic that the children of Israel wanted cucumbers and leaks while eating manna from heaven?

Or later generations covet manna while living in the land of milk and honey. 

The Pharisees revered the prophets while the Son of God walked among them. 

Today, we say how great it must have been if we’d lived in the time of Jesus, but the power of the Holy Ghost is available to us. Why?

Why aren't we ever satisfied?

Learn a lesson from the Pharisees.

Stop searching for something you can see, and believe in the miracles around you. 

If God has opened doors for you, stop asking for confirmation and walk the path where he leads.

How many lepers in Dalmanutha weren't healed?

How many demoniacs lived in torment? 

How many harlots weren't saved? 

All because a group of people refused to believe in Jesus?

If God is calling you to a specific work and you’re praying for a sign, here it is.

We all have a choice to make. 

Sit in Dalmanutha and wait for a sign that not’s coming? 

Or go where God has called us and see miraculous works that bring Him glory.

How to measure Godly success!

How many souls did Jeremiah win? 

Was he in the will of God? 

If so, why didn’t anyone heed his message?

Sometimes we measure our success by the success of others. 

Sometimes we measure our success by the number of souls that we see won. 

God has been dealing with me lately on obeying by faith.

In other words, I have been guilty of measuring success by the results that I see. 

But what about the results that I can't see? 

What about the seeds that I planted, but someone else reaped the harvest? 

Or the souls given the opportunity for salvation?

What about you?

How do you measure your ministerial success? 

Do you mentally add up the souls that have prayed in your altar 

and feel like a failure?

Think about Jeremiah. 

With the exception of maybe Baruch, he didn’t see positive results from his weeping. 

However, we can’t count the number of lives impacted 

by the books of Jeremiah and Lamentations today.

Was Jeremiah successful? 

The third chapter of Lamentations shows that 

the prophet believed he had failed. Did he?

No. Because of his obedience to God’s calling, Jeremiah fulfilled his mission.

And he said unto them, Go ye into all the world,

 and preach the gospel to every creature. ~ Mark 16:15

Have you gone where God has lead you? Are you preaching the gospel?

Then congratulations! Your ministry is a success.

It doesn’t matter if you pastor a church running 5 or 5000, if you preach on the street corner, in a Sunday school class, or on the aisles of the grocery store. If you are doing what God has called you to do, then you are a success in His eyes.

Yes, we should pray. We should love. We should hunger. We should have burdens.

 But those are all things done in obedience. 

Don’t slack up if you aren’t seeing results.

Obey God’s calling and let Him tally up the harvest.

Never apologize for obeying God

The bible says, “Obedience is better than sacrifice.”

Oftentimes God uses strange vessels. A burning bush. A talking donkey. But what about us? How does He use His people?

Obedience sometimes comes with a higher price than sacrifice. Take for instance, the heartache suffered by Hosea when he married the harlot Gomer, the persecution of the first Christians when they preached the gospel, Peter criticized by the church for obeying the vision and going to Cornelius’s house, Jeremiah put in a pit for prophesying the truth, or the prophets of old punished and killed.

What about Phillip? Have you ever wondered why the early church didn’t reprimand him for preaching to the Samaritans? Was it because the Samaritans were half Jews? I don’t know. But I do know that when we obey God, we sometimes face persecution from the world and from the church.

One night, in a service years ago, the Spirit was moving and God told me to open the double doors to the entrance of the church. Immediately, Satan whispered in my ears, “Don’t.” He named three people and told me what they would think if I obeyed God. One would complain about the cool air escaping into the night. Another would be angry because of the insects entering the sanctuary, and yet another would worry about the young children wandering outside.

When I told God that I couldn’t open the doors because people would be mad, he didn’t contradict me. He didn’t tell me that everyone would be happy and applaud my efforts. No. He said some people won’t like it, but do it anyway.

I did. And he poured out an awesome blessing that night. A few nights later, I learned that the three people did complain about the wasted electricity, the bugs, and the danger to the children. (Though none escaped into the night.)

With this blog post, I’m reminding myself of God’s words. With everything that he’s done for me, how could I choose to do what men say over what God says? And though some people will complain, I will obey God and I won’t apologize.