SHOULDER TO SHOULDER #192 ---- 9/10/01
Posted by: lifeunlimited <lifeunlimited@...>
Fight the Good Fight of Faith
A personal letter of encouragement to you, written solely to "lift up hands that hang down".
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SHOULDER TO SHOULDER #192 ---- 9/10/01
TITLE: "Wanted! Extraordinary People of God"
My Dear Ministry Friend and Partner:
The hint if Fall is in the air here in the Ozarks of Missouri. This week-end Jo Ann and I traveled to a nearby conference center on Friday and Saturday for a speaking engagement and then Sunday to preach in a church about 25 miles away. As we drove through the rolling hills the colors of Autumn were already beginning to show. The Sumac trees were starting to show their bright reds, while Oaks and Maples began to reveal little hints of blazing shades to come. This is my favorite time of the year, although Springtime and early Summer run a close second. Of course, having lived over 20 years in the upper Midwest I know those readers are already enjoying the Fall spectacular.
Recently I have received several timely bits of information regarding the Church around the world. Adding that to several recent conversations with fellow believers, and I find myself wanting to share the following thoughts with you.
STATE OF THE U.S. CHURCH:
We tend to develop tunnel vision proportionate to our ministry site and scope. As a pastor, I found myself often unaware of what the real picture of a situation might be, simply because I was focusing, by nature, on my immediate ministry and field of service. As an itinerant evangelist/missionary, I have the privilege of enjoying a little larger panorama of things. And, thanks to the research and writings of others, I can be kept abreast of situations on a little broader scale.
For example, recently I received a current report developed by the Barna Research Group which revealed a highly troubling trend among all who call themselves born-again believers. If these figures are accurate, then we are seeing the spiritual condition of the Church continue its downward spiral. Frankly, this is almost a carbon copy of what happened during Roman days which ultimately led to the Dark Ages. Keep in mind that this is a survey of only those who call themselves born again Christians identified with a variety of denominations and church groups.
Here are some of the Barna group's conclusions:
--------------------------------
BARNA'S REPORT ON THE STATE OF THE CHURCH IN U.S. based on International Census Data, Barna Research, and other research data:
Born again Christians - defined in the surveys as people who say they have made a personal commitment to Jesus Christ and that He is still important in their life today
and who also say they know they will go to Heaven after they die because they have confessed their sins and accepted Jesus Christ as their Savior.
1) Nearly half of born again Christians (47%) agree that Satan is "not a living being but is a symbol of evil."
2) 31% of born agains also believe that if a person is good enough they can earn a place in Heaven.
3) 24% of born agains agree that "while he lived on earth, Jesus committed sins, like other people."
4) 15% of born again Christians claim that "after He was crucified and died, Jesus Christ did not return to life physically."
5) About one out of four (26%) born again Christians believe that it doesn't matter what faith you follow because they all teach the same lessons. (e.g. Hindu, Buddhism, Islam, etc.)
6) Roughly 95% of all Christians never lead ONE person to Christ.
7) Although most believers say that serving the needy is important, just 34% gave any time and/or money to serve the poor in the last year.
8) Born agains are more likely than are non-Christians to have experienced divorce (27% versus 24%).
9) One out of every six born again Christians (16%) gave no money to his/her church during 1999. The proportion who tithed to their church was just 8%.
10) Christians spend 7 times as much time on entertainment as they do on spiritual activities.
11) In a nationwide survey among born-again adults, none of the individuals interviewed said that the single, most important goal in their life was to be a committed follower
of Jesus Christ.
12) 30% of born agains have watched a "R" rated movie in the last 7 days compared to 40% of non born again people.
Source: Barna Research Group and others
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I'm sure you'd agree that these are highly disturbing but probably not surprising statistics. The Church in general is continuing its polarization between the institutional and the relational, between systems and servanthood, between materialism and spirituality. This, of course, will continue as the Lord maintains His plan of purifying His bride and equipping her to storm the gates of hell and saturate the world with the Gospel.
In light of that, I must say, as I did last letter, that these trends neither surprise me nor agitate me. However, they do indeed grieve me, especially in light of the definition used for "born again". I don't see how such a person can embrace some of the opinions mentioned.
It seems God is already testing His sickle and readying the winnowing fork that will separate the chaff from the wheat. And, He is still looking for that man to stand in the gap . . . . that prophet who is willing to expose the sin and hypocrisy among the religious and declare the truth of God's Word with power and without fear.
Unfortunately, there are not many among us who are so willing. It's too risky . . . . too costly . . . . too time consuming. It's a lot easier to scurry around all our religious machinery and keep it polished and fine tuned rather than to go back out in the market place and say and do things that will make people laugh at us and ridicule us. Besides . . . . our big contributors might abandon us.
I've been thinking about some of my Old Testament heroes recently. Caleb is one of my top ten.
It came as some surprise, then, when my friend Jeff Floyd recently wrote about him. Since he says what I am feeling so well, I'd like you to read his remarks about this ordinary man through whom God accomplished extraordinary things, . . . . simply because he was willing to be an obedient risk taker.
Today
Beyond Ordinary
"But my servant Caleb, because he had another spirit with him, and hath followed me fully, him will I bring into the land whereunto he went; and his seed shall possess it" (Numbers 14:24).
There are times, needs and situations that require the raising up of people who are beyond ordinary . . . . ordinary people who do super-ordinary things. Caleb was one of those people.
One would tend to think that people are born great, but birth is a great leveler. Although people are born with different backgrounds, settings, and into different stations of life, they come into this world with no achievements or personally earned credentials. It is when they begin to grow and to flex their muscles ---- both inwardly and outwardly ---- that they begin the processes that affect their destiny ---- and, quite possibly, ours!
Before God can move in a generation or a society, He often is forced to permit or to cause a great social, political, moral, or economic vacuum. When things are going well, people become complacent in their spiritual lives. It is in a time of crisis that they rise up out of the ordinary to do extraordinary things.
God has the power to turn a young shepherd boy into a giant killer and later a king. He can take the baby of a slave and raise him up to confound a pharaoh by delivering a nation of slaves from his bondage. He has the power to change simple fishermen into fiery evangelists, impacting a generation with the gospel.
Every generation must reach itself with the gospel. Even though great spiritual heritages can be left by a previous generation, the current one can quickly become passive or degenerate with spiritual stagnation. The tides of revival that may flood a continent can quickly recede into isolated pools disconnected from each other and the lost world.
Faith and faithfulness thrive in critical times. Ordinary people are raised up to do super-ordinary things when the faith of others lags, Satan's hoards threaten, and the social/moral standards of an age ferment.
We live in such an age. Although great churches abound and the gospel is advanced, there is an encroaching spiritual vacuum that threatens every step we take. The ranks of truly faithful people are depleted by the seducer whose greatest desire is to decimate and to render impotent the body of Christ.
Spirits of violence, moral decay, and satanic deception are infiltrating our society and threatening our youth. Among churches, the big get bigger but will not get better unless there is breaking up of the fallow ground. Until the preachers, "the ministers of the Lord, weep between the porch and the altar, and let them say, Spare thy people, O Lord, and give not thine heritage to reproach, that the heathen should rule over them: wherefore should they say among the people, Where is their God?" (Joel 2:17).
Ordinary people are changed into giants of faith when they have hearts that are given wholly to God, raising them up to greatly impact a society, to give leadership in turbulent times, and to be channels of living water in times of spiritual drought. When there are those who have a heart for God that supercedes any other priority in life, the ordinary will rise up with super-ordinary power and authority-taking our land for Christ.
Jeff
For other messages by Jefferson H. Floyd, visit <http://www.jfloydministries.org>
and <http://www.lifelinenet.com>.
Jefferson H. and Norma R. Floyd, CO-directors
Jubilee International, Inc.
P. O. Box 3202
Carmel, IN 46082
Copyright September 2001 by Jefferson H. Floyd. All rights reserved.
IN CONCLUSION:
I hope your heart pulsated as mine did when I read Jeff's article. It spoke several things to me that I believe are important.
1. Too many of us remain ordinary . . . . just "also ran" church leaders. We become average. Average defined is simply the "worst of the best, and the best of the worst" ---- that's average. We become so content with the conditions as they are, that we lose sight of what could be . . . . . if we'd just simply yield ourselves fully to God and let Him accomplish extraordinary things through ordinary people.
I vividly remember Watchman Nee's wonderful statement when he wrote his little devotional book on Romans, "The Normal Christian Life". He said, "the normal Christian life appears abnormal because we are so subnormal."
There are too many ordinary pastors, evangelists, and other church leaders. Even those who demonstrate great oratorical skills, marketing abilities, and have charismatic personalities are just ordinary. There are so many of them that it's commonplace; you can see them on most television networks . . . . . looking good, but . . . . . . just being ordinary.
Where are the ordinary people with whom God does extraordinary things? He's going to raise them up; it's just a matter of whether or not it will include you and me.
2. It is obvious that God is allowing catastrophic social, economic, moral, and political shakings to take place in order to get our attention. I wonder why so many are still sleeping through the earthquake?
Years ago a mutual friend of Jeff's and mine was in California during a major earthquake. He had accompanied another brother and friend who was preaching a conference there. They were in bed asleep in a motel late at night when the earthquake hit. Our preacher friend jumped out of bed, put on his clothes, and ran over to wake up our other friend. He couldn't be roused; he simply slept through the entire episode. So, since he couldn't waken his friend, our preacher friend took off his clothes and climbed back into bed.
When we heard this story, knowing both of these guys so well, we had a good long laugh.
However, there is a tragic spiritual truth to be found. Some of us are sleeping through the entire earthquake. Others of us who are roused from our sleep are simply going back to bed when we find we can't get others awake out of their lethargy and stupor. Which is worse ---- to sleep through it, or give up and go back to sleep after our efforts to revive fail?
3. Every generation must reach itself with the gospel. What a great statement! And yet, far too many of us in the ministry are trying to reap a harvest today on yesterday's efforts, blessings, and techniques. We seem to constantly live in the stories, sermons, and tactics of the past, not recognizing that each generation must pay its own dues, do its own work, and do its own preaching of the gospel. Whitfield, Finney, Spurgeon, and all the others aren't going to do it for today.
4. The reality of satanic deception is indeed rampant, as Jeff noted. The statistics I quoted above attest to that fact. Otherwise, people could not come to such conclusions as they do with some of them. Right now we are wrestling with the future of some of our ministry in eastern Europe because of Satan's destruction deception that is about to tear apart a group of believers. The heartbreak is that they either don't see it or they won't admit what is happening. And, I can tell you that if this particular ministry collapses, it will affect the possible redemption of a major city of several hundred thousand inhabitants. How tragic that this particular part of the body of Christ is being so ravaged by the destroyer.
5. Ordinary people become extraordinary giants when their hearts are given over fully to God. Why do we find that so hard to believe?
Moreso, why do we feel we can't be one of those people? Why do most of us feel God can never use us like He used Whitfield, or Moses, or Billy Graham, or Martin Luther, or some other greats? Have we deified all these guys to the point that we no longer realize they were just common ordinary people like you and I are? And, have we so compared ourselves to them that we are convinced we can never match up?
Well, the truth is . . . . we can't!
But, that's wonderful news! Because it's ordinary people like you and me, my friend, for whom God is looking. He's looking for another fisherman, another carpenter, another preacher with a speech impediment. He's looking for a shoe cobbler like Carey. He's looking for a ball player like Billy Sunday. He's looking for an ordinary layman like Bill Bright.
Do you see yourself, as I do myself, to be an ordinary person with no special skills or talents?
If you do, that's fantastic! We're just who God is looking for! . . . . because "we have this treasure in earthen vessels that the excellency of the power may be of God and not of man" (II Cor 4:7).
All we need to do is . . . . just give ourselves fully and wholly to God, no turning back.
Will extraordinary conquests take place today because of our surrender to Him?
I don't know.
But it would be exciting to watch and see.
Thanks, Jeff, for a great article!
And, thank you, friend, for letting me share my heart again today. Have a wonderful week. Drop me a note when you have time.
In Christ's Bond,
Bob Tolliver -- Rom 1:11-12
Copyright September, 2001
Life Unlimited Ministries
[email protected]
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