PLEASE NOTE:
If you're a Minister of the Gospel and you send a reasoned, calm, scripturally-founded dispute or rebuke or disagreement, we're all ears and it's between us (unless you give us permission to post it).

If you're a Minister of the Gospel and you send us a hateful or threatening note -- there's every possibility we're going to post it on the site.  You're not fit to lead if you can't model Christ and speak with at least a hint of Love -- and we're going to tell the world.  (There was a time when I saw my Dad get death threats from another pastor because people were leaving that church to come to ours!  So it's not like it couldn't happen! In fact, I'm betting on it.)

Brothers, I love you.  I grew up a missionary kid, my Dad is a pastor.  I understand you. Many of you are trying very hard, you're doing as you were trained. But God isn't in it if you're relying on Man or on your own strength or pride. Jesus never hired a consultant to spin His message or plan a fund-raiser.

Please, PLEASE understand.  I'm NOT against the Church or against the Pastor.  I'm not condemning big churches OR little churches automatically.  It's not automatically a sin to have a building - even a big one.  My whole effort is to point out that we need to be VERY careful that we don't LOVE the Creation instead of the Creator. I think 99.9% of all Christian churches start with the right motivation. But it's undeniable that MANY lose their first love. The question is HOW DID IT HAPPEN and WHAT DO WE DO NOW?

I think it's perfectly reasonable (and scriptural, as it turns out) to point out that we WILL be called to account. We WILL have to explain why we decided this way or that with what was entrusted to us.  Our ONLY responsibility is to take earthly treasure and convert it into Heavenly treasure. We should look to maximize the exchange. (Read this)

Does EVERY expense line in your budget have to be there?  Is it generating MAXIMUM treasure in Heaven?  Is it producing more than would the same money to support a native missionary or feed an orphan or care for a widow?

Could you collect one roll of toilet paper per member once a year and cut hundreds of dollars out of your budget?  Could you rent out unused space in your building for offices or storage?  Could you do without a building?  What if persecution came? What if a hurricane wiped out your building? How would you adjust? Could you do with less and still grow?

They're just questions.  Not accusations.  Well, not exactly.  It's going to be you and God one day and it's going to be a LOT harder to explain to Him than to little, old me.

Is the tail wagging the dog?  Is your cleaning and lawn budget more than your missions budget?  Do you REALLY need that new ______ more than 1,000 people in Nepal need to hear about Jesus for the first time?  Just be prayerful about every decision and be transparent.  As soon as it's about ego and personal gain, you've made an enemy of us -- and God.

When God seperates the Sheep from the Goats based on who cared for the poor, hungry, lonely, sick or in prison - how many of your congregation are going to be Goats?  Like it or not, it's on your head.

We have several real doosies in the file now,
but  are praying about how best to post them without doing more damage to the Body.

I've been warned by international ministries. I've been kicked out of churches for praying silently in the back. There are some that have banned for life "you and anybody that agrees with you".  I've been physically assaulted by a pastor.  I've been defamed, libelled, slandered, lied about, gossiped about. I've had a pastor send an email to everyone he knew saying I was mentally ill and/or possessed by demons - probably both. I've been run off the road. I've been pushed down stairs. I've had the police called on me for praying on the sidewalk.  I had a pastor come and tell me to "get off my knees and start acting like a human being" because I was praying in public.  One spirit-filled, sanctified, holiness pastor that won't even refer to me as a person anymore - I'm "that thing" now.

I've had pastors and "men of God" and leaders of ministries be patronizing, insulting, demeaning, controlling, degrading, and worse. I've had ministry leaders praying against me and wishing me harm. I've pretty much seen it all.

But God loves them and so do I. Jesus said it would be like this. He said if you were like Him, those of your own family would kill you and think they were doing God a favor.  He said He came to be a sword, that would cut even between the deepest of relationships.  He wasn't kidding.  You got turning over tables and upsetting the status quo and they're going to try to crucify you.  Praise God, I've had a chance to share in His sufferings - just a teeny tiny bit.

1 Timothy 5:17-21 (ASV) says:
17 Let the elders that rule well be counted worthy of double honor, especially those who labor in the word and in teaching. 18 For the scripture saith, Thou shalt not muzzle the ox when he treadeth out the corn. And, The laborer is worthy of his hire. 19 Against an elder receive not an accusation, except at the mouth of two or three witnesses. 20 Them that sin reprove in the sight of all, that the rest also may be in fear. 21 I charge thee in the sight of God, and Christ Jesus, and the elect angels, that thou observe these things without prejudice, doing nothing by partiality.

It's important that you make note that the word "RULE" in that verse is a self-serving mistranslation designed to maintain a heirarchical popish system. A more accurate literal translation is "stand before."  Besides that, this verse is used by pastors to say that they are worthy of double honor because they preach the word and teach. That's not what it says. It says that those who do it "WELL" deserve double honor. Those who are full of self and pride and lust and desire to self-glorify and build a denominational empire need to sit down and shut up. They are daily blooding the Body of Christ and they are NOT worthy of their hire.  Please stop feeding them!

Verse 20 makes it clear how we are to procedurally deal with elders. It's not like Matthew 18:15-17 where you do it privately, then you take another, then you do it before the church.  No.  1 Timothy makes it clear that elders, by the testimony of two or three witnesses, are to be exposed and rebuked publicly so that others might take note and be in FEAR. And we're to observe that without prejudice or partiality. That means you do it to ANY that need it and you do it without trying to self-justify or get vengeance or maliciously crush someone. You do it in love and you do it medicinally with the bare minimum of force necessary to have the desired effect. That's the way the Lord disciplines us.

2 Timothy 2:24-26 (ASV) says,
"24 And the Lord's servant must not strive, but be gentle towards all, apt to teach, forbearing, 25 in meekness correcting them that oppose themselves; if peradventure God may give them repentance unto the knowledge of the truth, 26 and they may recover themselves out of the snare of the devil, having been taken captive by him unto his will.

So we need to rebuke them, but we need to do it VERY carefully and gently and in meekness. Understanding that ultimately, they're opposing THEMSELVES because they are caught in a snare of the devil.  And the only way out is repentance and that's a GIFT from God that He may not give you if you're going your own way. He's not going to release you until you're sufficiently broken.  So be gentle with them, but obey 1 Timothy 5:20 at the same time.

Pray hard about how to do that and if you're meek and broken enough yourself.

As for me, I'm holding lots of things back that would wreck lots of ministries and individual lives.  If I printed publicly some of the emails I've received from leaders of the 'church,' everyone would see how NOT like Jesus they really are. I'm holding all of that back because I have to. The Lord has made it clear to take it like a sheep led to the slaughter.

But that's not going to last forever. There is a time when all things will be exposed.

But medicinally, so that maybe God will let them repent and they can get free from the snare of the devil.

2 Tim 3:1-9 (ASV)
1 But know this, that in the last days grievous times shall come. 2 For men shall be lovers of self, lovers of money, boastful, haughty, railers, disobedient to parents, unthankful, unholy, 3 without natural affection, implacable, slanderers, without self-control, fierce, no lovers of good, 4 traitors, headstrong, puffed up, lovers of pleasure rather than lovers of God; 5 holding a form of godliness, but having denied the power therefore. From these also turn away. 6 For of these are they that creep into houses, and take captive silly women laden with sins, led away by divers lusts, 7 ever learning, and never able to come to the knowledge of the truth. 8 And even as Jannes and Jambres withstood Moses, so do these also withstand the truth. Men corrupted in mind, reprobate concerning the faith. 9 But they shall proceed no further. For their folly shall be evident unto all men, as theirs also came to be.

The Light is coming.