THERE MUST BE MORE

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INTRODUCTION

THERE MUST BE MORE

Within the Christian world, the vast majority of the masses are doing little more than observing a weekend cultural duty called “going to church.”  Their lives are, for the most part, totally unaffected by the sermons heard week-in and week-out.  By Sunday dinner time, they don’t even remember the content of the sermon they just heard; and most don’t even care or know to care.  The objective was church attendance, not any meaningful addressing of their lives by the Master. 

However, in most assemblies there are a small handful of people who, just prior to the beginning of every Sunday “worship service,” look at their surroundings, the orderly rows of pews, the eye-pleasing decorations, the focus on comfort and crowd control, the bulletin in their hand setting in concrete the order of the service, the masses milling around and chatting demonstrating absolutely no evidence that Monday through Saturday they have lived lives that worship the Master, or that they are remotely prepared to worship him, now.  They experience the repeated thought pounding away in their brain: “Is this really what the Master died to produce?  Is this the sum total of the reality of what it is to belong to Messiah?”

This handful of people represents my target audience.  They experience an upward call that transcends the bondage of the Christian culture.  They want Truth.  They want Life, not just doctrine. To them, true faith is not an academic collection of beliefs; it is alive, a 24-7 vibrant reality.  Most remain within the trappings of the “church life” because they do not see an alternative; and it chokes the joy right out of them, leaving them with an internal frustration and dissatisfaction.  The heart never stops yearning, however. 

You may remember the story of Elijah running from Jezebel after the most amazing demonstration of the power of Elohim on Mount Carmel sending fire from heaven to consume his water-soaked sacrifice.  Elijah complained that he was all alone; but he was told that there were 7,000 faithful who had not bowed the knee to Baal.  In a nation of an estimated 2 million Hebrews, that was only 1 in 285.  That ratio is probably not far from the current reality in modern Christendom.  In other words, yes, there are not many of you; but what did our Master say?

Matthew 7:13 Enter ye in at the strait gate: for wide is the gate, and broad is the way, that leadeth to destruction, and many there be which go in thereat:
14  Because strait is the gate, and narrow is the way, which leadeth unto life, and few there be that find it.

The masses have chosen to enter through the wide gate.  It is a choice made because they have been lead to believe it is the correct path.  Only the few find the true path.  The masses are on the broad way, not because they believe it leads to destruction; but because there is no voice within them pounding away warning them that this is NOT what the Master died to produce.  They readily fit into the religious culture because it costs them absolutely nothing.  They are oblivious to the call to genuine discipleship.

Proverb 23:23  Buy the truth, and sell it not; also wisdom, and instruction, and understanding.

Truth comes at a price.  If what one believes costs him nothing, what he believes isn’t the whole Truth.  Paul said:

2 Corinthians 3:6  Who also hath made us able ministers of the new testament; not of the letter, but of the spirit: for the letter killeth, but the spirit giveth life.

There is much in the Christian world that is in possession of accurate doctrine; but they are not in possession of the “spirit” of that doctrine.  There are many teachers and preachers in the Christian world who present Bible doctrine with great eloquence to large assemblies of “believers.”  The fruit of their ministry is an increase in learning facts, or modification of behavior within the religious culture of Christianity; but they produce virtually nothing in terms of genuine discipleship. They provide the letter that kills; not the spirit that gives life; and that is because they can only impart what they possess. 

So, why should you listen to what I have to say?  If you are of that “handful” that yearns for more than the contemporary Christian culture, you are probably already intrigued enough to read a post or two just to test the waters; and that is an intelligent and cautious position for you to take.  Without having clear instruction from the Master to follow this blog, it is reasonable to want to know something about the one writing it. 

I am 60 years old.  I was raised in the Southern Baptist heritage as a child.  I had the traditional “aisle-walking” experience at age 10 and was baptized shortly afterward.  As with most church-raised children, this was not a moment of true faith in Messiah for me; but the Sunday I was allowed by my parents to respond to the pastor’s invitation to confess my belief in the doctrines I had been taught to believe.  It was seven years later that faith combined with Truth and I bowed my knee to the Master.  It was at that moment that I was “born of the Spirit” and my life in Messiah began, over 43 years ago. The new life within me motivated me to want to “grow up” in Him; and I began studying the Scriptures for the first time in my life (despite having been as active as possible in the Baptist church, even being youth pastor two years in a row on “youth Sunday”). 

For two years, I read the bible for awhile each day, but I cannot say that I really learned anything more than the words on the page.  I was hungry.  I was thirsty for the reality of the life that had been borne into me; but when I looked around at my church, all I could see were deacons that could barely make it through a sermon before racing outside to light up the cigarettes they were craving.  The pastor was little more than a hireling doing his job.  There were no adults whose lives demonstrated one iota of the kind of life that was driving me to know the Father. 

In my bible reading, there was one verse that the Holy Spirit etched within me like a splinter in my finger…something that demanded my constant attention.

John 14:12  Verily, verily, I say unto you, He that believeth on me, the works that I do shall he do also; and greater works than these shall he do; because I go unto my Father.

I believed then, as I do now, that the Master was not joking when he said this.  I looked at my church and other churches and did not see anyone doing the works of Messiah, much less greater works.  I could not understand how the Christian world could live the kind of lives they do without some manifestation of the reality of this verse in their lives.  Finally, I saw someone who was different from the masses.  The church secretary, a woman old enough to be my mother, had a different spirit within her.  I felt like my entire life was exposed to her when I was in her presence.  I felt fear and awe in her presence.  One day I finally asked her what made her different, and she introduced me to the Holy Spirit in a way that was not allowed to be discussed in the Baptist church.

Days later, I had a confrontation with the Holy Spirit that changed my life in as dramatic a way as having been born of the Spirit two years earlier had changed me.  This was the first of several paradigm shifts in my spiritual life.  Immediately, I was overwhelmed with grace to study the Scriptures.  For the next two years, I spent from 10 to 17 hours per day in the Scripture, being taught by the Holy Spirit.  Much of what I had formerly believed was either modified or replaced as the Spirit revealed Truth to me.  In that same time, John 14:12 was demonstrated to be Truth in my life as well as I found myself manifesting all nine of the gifts of the Spirit in 1 Corinthians 12.  My life went into a phase I now refer to as “the years of Snap Crackle and Pop.”  Miracles and healings abounded.  People were delivered of demonic spirits. Prophetic words were delivered that changed peoples’ lives.  In addition to daily supernatural ministry, I began to teach bible studies everywhere I went.  I also pastored two churches and ran a parachurch teaching ministry for decades.

After a few years of this, I developed a broad reputation as one might expect would result from supernatural ministry and a gift of teaching.  Unfortunately, this reputation worked its way into my ego.  My pride became an obstacle to sincere and humble ministry.  The Father addressed this issue in a powerful and debilitating way; and my rocketing rise to fame within Christian circles was halted by the hand of my Creator.  In my humiliation, I was finally in a place where the Spirit could bring to me the next paradigm shift in my faith, and I could finally see the bigger picture of what Messiah was building.  I refer to this as the “outside the box” revelation of the church.  (I am sure that future blogs will deal with this perspective.) 

This new perspective and revelation helped to clarify the distinction between what it means to be a “believer” versus being a “disciple.”  Being at this place in my spiritual growth and development qualified me for the paradigm shift that followed; and that revelation is what will be the topic of the next post.

This blog is dedicated to my investing a lifetime of study and experience with anyone who would be serious about their discipleship to Messiah.  I do not intend to bog you down with references to scholarly literary works, ancient church history, and other seminary-training favorites to make my words sound erudite.  I intend to connect you with the Holy Spirit as the author of the Scriptures and to learn how to hear His voice and learn from Him.  I look forward to responding to your questions.  If you find that the Holy Spirit unites you with this blog, and you know others in the “handful” that yearn for more than their church experience, please tell them about this site.