Pastor To Pastor

Recently the Lord has been telling me about the pitfalls of notoriety and “success” in ministry. He has a plan to protect and enable increase to happen in ministry without compromising the heart. It has to do with continuing humility, and the need for greater humility before there can be greater promotion (which itself can be an unfortunate consequence of genuine ministry).

by James Meikle (1730-1799)

By Kevin Porter
“Therefore, whether you eat or drink, or whatsoever you do, do all to the glory of God.”

1 Corinthians 10:31
‘I only do it for entertainment.’ That argument is specious because if it were true, they would return every dollar they won to the casino, because they are gambling ‘only for entertainment.’

A Message by C. H. Spurgeon That Speaks To Us Today

An evil resides in the professed camp of the Lord so gross in its imprudence that the most shortsighted can hardly fail to notice it. During the past few years it has developed at an abnormal rate evil for evil. It has worked like leaven until the whole lump ferments. The devil has seldom done a cleverer thing than hinting to the Church that part of their mission is to provide entertainment for the people, with a view to winning them.

This morning the Lord was showing me something from a new perspective.  You know how we tend to value ourselves according to our accomplishments?  Like if we have gotten something done in the day, we feel it was a successful day?

Would that all of God’s people learn to walk by the Spirit and were prophets!  Much of our understanding of modern day prophets is colored heavily by our understanding of their function in the Old Testament.  But since most of the Body of Christ does not walk by the Spirit, the Old Testament prophet is arguably just as needed today as in the Old Testament.  Nevertheless, we cannot ignore what God has really given on the day of Pentecost.  Every believer should so walk in the Spirit today as fully equipped believers.

The following article arose from answering an e-mail to a brother who entertained thoughts of coming to the United States to minister in order to raise money for the work in his own ministry.  The Lord led me to share this with him in order to deal with the money motivation issue.  It comes up in every minister’s mind from time to time, and it must be handled honestly from the Word of God.

I just finished reading yet another Pollyanna prophecy over the internet from a famous name on the prophets-for-hire conference circuit that travel about our country (you won’t find them traveling about too many other countries, probably because it doesn’t generate enough income. I even know the stock broker of one of the most famous of them). I had to ask myself why the particular prophecy in question failed to bear witness with my inner witness of the Spirit of God.

Dear Paul,

I have a question I believe I know the answer to but would like to have a confirmation of it.

If someone goes through the process of being saved and giving their life to the Lord and were baptized with water but then doesn’t follow the Lord if they pass away will they or will they not go to Heaven? How do you get them to follow the Lord so that they go to
Heaven? Or is it once saved always saved?

Thanks for your help.

God bless you and yours in Jesus’ precious name,

XXX

Date: Tue, 7 Feb 2006 12:44:04 -0500

The other day I was sharing with a person on the telephone from Vermont. We were talking about knowing Jesus, and developing intimacy with Him and how He was concerned with the quality of the heart, not with quantity. I thought about the two on the road to Emmaus and how their hearts burned within them as they learned about Jesus (from Jesus!). Then the Lord showed me a scene at dinner that evening when their eyes were opened, and when that happened, Jesus vanished.