In 1st Thessalonians 3:1-8 Paul writes to a group new believers who suddenly find themselves in some great difficulties because they ere being persecuted for their faith in Jesus Christ and our text shows how Paul reassured them and from this passage I want to share with you some truth about hard times.

A student learns from hard times:

A victim looks at everyone else and cries out, "Life isn't fair" but a student looks at life and says, "what happened to me could have happened to anyone."

A victim believes their hard times have come because God is trying to punish them and a student understands that God allows hard times in order to help them grow.

A victim would rather complain than find a solution and a student has no time to complain because they are busy making the best of the situation.

A victim feels so sorry for themselves and have no time for others and a student focuses on helping others so that they have no time to feel sorry for himself.

A victim feels sorry for themselves

A victim begs God to remove the problems of life so that they might be happy and a student has learned through the problems of life that God alone is the source of all true happiness.

That’s a real blood bought believers position because we believe so much in the sovereignty of God that when hard times come, we know that God is at work for our good and His glory.

And in In 1st Thessalonians 3:1-8, Paul writes to some new believers they being persecuted for their faith in Jesus Christ and our text shows us how the Apostle reassured them and from this passage I want to share with you some truth about hard times with this visual @ 

This documentary compares the black church's origins to its modern day cultural relevance. The film focuses on modern mega-churches and asks hard-hitting questions about service vs. the extravagant lifestyles of its multi-million dollar ministers and ministries. As the nation attempts to bounce back from a recession, mega-churches continue to raise hundreds of millions of dollars to fund their pastors' exorbitant lifestyles. Through interviews with clergy members, politicians, community leaders and journalists, we explore whether the preachers, parishioners or communities are the benefactors of the millions of tax free revenue generated by religious organizations.

 

Black Church, Inc. attempts to justify the dichotomy of the profits of prophets. It compares pastors who are seen as activists such as Rev. Taharka Robinson, Rev. Al Sharpton and Pastor Raphael Warnock with pastors who are criticized for being celebrity brands such as Bishop. Eddie Long, Pastor. Creflo Dollar and Bishop. T.D. Jakes. If your church starts becoming more like the world, then I would run away as fast as I could.

There is a dangerous false "Spirit" in the church today and it is full of misunderstandings, falsehoods and lies about who God is and how we are to respond to Him. One demonstration of this counterfeit spirit is the Kundalini Spirit and this spirit is all about love and tolerance in place of Truth and Righteousness and people impacted by this spirit are also susceptible to attacks in areas of Eastern Mysticism (Yoga, etc) as well as Universalism (all roads lead to heaven). 

Being an Elder in a deliverance ministry has provided me the opportunity to experience and see many differant things in a lot of different circumstances and i've seen a lot of things but most recently i've come to notice that another type of spirit has entered the church and my first encounter with this spirit was in a particular church service where the minister was preaching, praying and prophesying and it looked like the Holy Spirit was moving, but something was wrong and I just couldn't get into the service because my spirit was not in agreement with what was going on and I even felt like the spirit of God was warring me against something unseen but it didn't make sense because everything looked right but as the service progressed I saw it and even though it was difficult to decern at first because it camouflaged itself but became more transparent as time went on and later after the service I asked some of the people with me if they had a witnessed or heard anything that seemed off to them and like me, they confirmed that the preaching was good, but that something was wrong but they just didn't know what it was and I informed them that the speaker was not flowing in the Holy Ghost but another spirit all together and I believe that the name of this counterfeit Holy Ghost was a New Age spirit called Kundalini. https/youtu.be/eBpw2oQrvMM?listL-ofi4letEUnXDsjtSWzFlmu8KcDGocxl

Back in 1967 the musical "Hair," opened with the song "Aquarius" with the memorable line, "This is the dawning of the Age of Aquarius." This song swept the country and ushered in an awareness of the Aquarian age concept. The song also defined the dawning of a "New Age" with the lyrics, "When the Moon is in the seventh house, and Jupiter aligns with Mars; then peace will guide the planets, and love will steer the stars."

The Kundalini spirit gained access into the church through New Age teaching but it is most known as Yoga but don't for a minute think that Yoga is harmless because yoga at it's very core is an inherent part of Hindu philosophy which teaches that man and nature are one with divinity and although Yoga is popular, every true blood bought believer in Christ needs to understand that Yoga is a forbidden practice in scripture and Exodus 20:3 declares, "Thou shalt have no other gods before me"

My prayer is that all real blood bought Holy Ghost filled prayer warriors in the church pray and bind this and cast out this spirit and for every Bible preacher and teacher to discern this spirit and close the church doors to the operation of this occult practice in the church.

 

WE NEED MEN OF GOD! Our nation and churches have been without strong male leadership for decades and this is contrary to God’s design because in the beginning when God first created the man and from that man He created woman. At the Fall there was an inversion of God’s order when Eve took the lead in disobedience while Adam coalesced and after the Fall there came a diversion from God’s plan as His design and function were reversed. Now we have digressed to the perversion stage. Do not doubt that the scarcity of godly men has contributed to the moral freefall in our culture.

 

It’s about time we placed the emphasis in the right place. Jesus said, “Follow me and I will make you fishers of men.” Notice He did not say “Fishers of decisions.” He said, “Fishers of men.” I recognize “men” may be used in a generic sense, but the point is you get what you go after. Fishing for men is not “catch and release;” you keep what you catch! It takes a crucified man to preach the crucified life, and it takes a man of God to produce men of God! A godly man will do more to inspire, instruct, and ignite others than anything else. Personal godliness will replicate itself in others. We can be a Man of God because our destiny is predetermined and all the provisions are available to any who would dare to reach out and lay hold on them by faith.

A MAN OF GOD FLEES

This word flee means; to run away from or escape and there are many things from which a Man of God must flee. The preceding verses in1st Tim. 6, list several things from which a man of God must flee. The man of God must flee doctrinal Compromise — this is referring to those who “consent not to wholesome words... and the doctrine” (v. 3). That man of steel, John the Baptist, dared to apply God’s moral code to Herod when he said, “It is not lawful for you to have your brother’s wife.” Think about it, he applied the moral law to a governmental leader, while today scores of pastors will not apply the Word to church members! Far better to be Savior-Sensitive than compromise God’s Truth!

A man of God also flees Conceit — the text says “he is proud” (v.4). Pride is a plague which is more deadly than any disease. Pride of race, pride of face, and pride of grace all stem from an exaggerated opinion of one’s self. Fearing his life, Jacob fled from his brother Esau, even so the man of God sprints from the very first hint of pride. A man of God bolts from Confusion — an apt description of the confused is given, “Knowing nothing... doting about questions” (v. 4). God’s men do not spend their time debating over needless controversies. Endless speculation and strife gendering issues for the sake of argument are flatly rejected by the man of God. He is determined to know nothing except Christ and Him crucified. If you are to be a man of God you must steer clear of Contention — Paul here speaks about “Perverse disputings” (v. 5). These disputings represent a misemployment of time and energy in meddlesome quarreling. Time is too precious to waste in profitless contentions.

Anyone who would aspire to be a man of God must run from Corruption — here it speaks of those with “corrupt minds” (v. 5). Corrupt means rotten, decayed, or ruined. Joseph fled when his Master’s wife tried to seduce him. He did not try to reason with her, convert her, or help her — HE RAN! Had he remained, he would have been ruined.

The war on the Saints takes place largely between the ears because corrupt thinking precedes corrupt living. Having a propensity for fleshly sin by nature, the Man of God must erect and maintain mental safeguards. The moral road kill strewn from one end to the other on the Information Highway bears crucial witness to the necessity for avoiding corruption. Our constitution as men makes us vulnerable to sin. Better to avoid the crash than attempt to clean up the mess! Another foe from which the man of God must escape is Covetousness — Paul speaks about the “love of money ... which... some coveted after” (v.10). Whatever controls a man is his god. This is why the Bible says, “Covetousness is idolatry.” Wicked discontentment and longing for more usher in the idol of covetousness. No one can serve two masters. No wonder John concludes his letter by saying, “Little children, keep yourselves from idols” (1st John 5:21).

THE MAN OF GOD FOLLOWS

Jesus called His disciples by saying, “Come follow me.” A disciple is one who follows [pursues] His Master. Later Christ said, “Follow me and I will make you fishers of men.” Heb 12:14 says “Follow peace... and holiness, without which no man shall see the Lord.”

Note carefully the qualities the Man of God is to pursue: righteousness, godliness, faith, love, patience, meekness. Righteousness is a call to right living. The outer life must be consistent with our standing in Christ. Godliness means we must move toward the right likeness (God-likeness). Next he calls the man of God to follow Faith , which is right believing. Faith is the only way man can properly relate to God. Saving faith is the initial act which launches the Christian into a lifelong quest. Following faith is the only antidote against unbelief. The man who seeks love is pursuing right relations. God is love and the man who dwells in Him loves his neighbor. Patience is that character quality that describes a right spirit. Cheerful endurance in times of testing is a goal worthy of pursuit. Another mandatory quality for the man of God is Meekness which refers to the right attitude. Humility is the foundation of all virtue. Who alone is the embodiment of righteousness, godliness, faith, love, patience, and meekness ? The call to follow these is really a call to go after the one Who personifies these qualities — the Lamb of God! A Man of God diligently pursues Christ and grows in likeness to His Master!

THE MAN OF GOD FIGHTS

Near the end of his life Paul said, “I have fought a good fight... I have kept the faith.” He then admonishes, “Fight the good fight of faith.” Here fight means to strive as when competing for a prize. The summons to fight assumes there is opposition and obstacles to overcome. The Christian soldier is ordered into combat — not a gentle calm. Our calling is not to lie around basking in peaceful conditions — our duty demands we enter the battle. For the Christian, this world is an arena, not an armchair. The man of God is immersed in a continual conflict because the world is a hostile environment to all who live godly in Christ Jesus.

The fight of faith boils down to a battle against unbelief! It is not enough to believe in the weapons — we must believe the God who has supplied the weapons. 1st John 5:4 states, “This is the victory that overcometh the world, even our faith” and Charles Spurgeon said, “Mind how you pray and make real business of it, let it never be a dead formality. Plead the promise in a truthful, business-like way. Ask for what you want, because the Lord has promised it. Believe that you have the blessing, and go forth to your work in full assurance of it. Go from your knees singing, because the promise is fulfilled: thus will your prayer be answered. The strength [not length] of your prayer...wins...God; and the strength of prayer lies in your faith in the promise which you pleaded before the Lord.”

Our past is under the Blood and our future is in God’s hands and what we do NOW is up to us. Do you want to use your brief stay on planet Earth to the maximum? Do you aspire to be a man of God? Do you long to influence men for Christ? Then use the roadmap God has given us: FLEE, FOLLOW, and FIGHT the good fight of faith. I am believing God for a better day. What about you? “All things are possible to him that believeth.”

The Church, has become more and more filled with faulty models of biblical interpretation! And at the same time, more and more believers are not delving into the Bible for their spiritual nourishment, but rather are swapping it for “feel good” books that do not properly instruct or turning on the TV for the false teaching crowd—or else doing nothing at all for their spiritual growth.

Bible studies and Bible based small groups where God’s Word is sought, delved into, discussed and used as a challenge and talking points for a life that transforms are shrinking and missing from most lives of believers and absent from most church happenings. Endeavors that remain are being attended less and are lacking value and promotion. Additionally, we have the problem of busyness; church leaders—even pastors—are too busy to bother with studying, thus leading to pride and presumption. The people in the pews are so overwhelmed in life, work, family life and even church, that the Bible, which could solve their problems by showing them their call and God’s precepts, are the last place examined. In many churches, we have lost our instruction book to the detriment of the believer’s spiritual formation, as well as the ability to know and model Christ to the community of believers at large, leaving the people in the pew spiritually bankrupt with bad models of Christ and thus unreached.

When we do not garner our spiritual nourishment from God’s Word, the Bible but instead trade it in for our whims and mind-sets, we cheat ourselves and weaken our churches, holding back Christ’s work in us and our church’s life; we neuter God’s potential work to those around us too.

Thus, we swap what is good, legal tender for that which is counterfeit and thus leave nothing in our spiritual wallets but confederate notes that are worthless and thus of no spiritual or fruitful value to spend for life and ministry. To counteract these evils and stop Bible illiteracy, we must feed from God’s glorious and wondrous buffet of precepts for our faith and knowledge.

This is actually easy; just take the time to read it through. It just takes minutes a day, less than half of a half-hour TV, to know Christ and grow in Him for an effectual, transforming life and to dig out what He plainly and abundantly has for us so we have His spiritual spending power. Our reading of the Bible is not meant to merely learn its trivia; but rather, we are to be rehabbed in Christ, be changed, renewed and transformed.

We need and must take this remarkable currency of His remarkable and astounding precepts and spend it for spiritual improvement and then for kingdom building. But, what gets in the way of our good buffet and spiritual currency? Simply put, ignoring God by ignoring or misusing His Word.

Let’s look at this upfront, close and personal. Let us be challenged with the Word of God and be humble to see what we may be doing wrong.

First off, do you know what a harlot is? Also called whore, it is not a fun, happy word. You might even be offended by the use of this word. It is from the Greek word, “porne,” from whence comes the English word “pornography.” It means promoting and/or partaking in the grievous sin of fornication that hurts, steals, and destroys relationships and families. But, it means so much more (Lev. 17:7; Is. 1:21; 26:16-18; 57:3; Jer. 3:1-14; Ezek. Chaps 16 & 23; Hos. 4:15).

This is an image used in the Old Testament to mean the abandonment of one’s covenant to God or the unfaithfulness and faithlessness of Israel. Also, this means the seductions of the world and that we have to be on guard as Christians, so they do not corrupt us or the church we are called to steward. This is also about people being lured into sin, yet knowing it is sin and being able to resist even as people seek to disobey God and or to serve evil–like deliberately teaching what is false when we have God’s Word right in front of us for correction. And, this word applies to how we lead and manage His church. Remember, Revelation is a book to churches first, how to lead, be loyal, handle persecutions and so forth. Read Revelation 17-18 

In the very early church, when John was penning these words from God, there was trouble, struggle and conflict–just like we have in today’s churches, in your church, in my church, the struggle of loyalty to self and trends or loyalty to Christ as LORD.

This is all about betraying God by committing not only acts of immorality, but disrespecting His Word and ignoring or failing to teach and pass on His precepts-the prime responsibility of a church leader and pastor.

The majority of people in John’s day had no reservations or protests to following an evil empire and being used by them. Their belief was that one has a license to sin; thus, one does not need to be obedient to God, His precepts, civil law, or any moral standards, and many Christians felt as they do today, they do not have a need to bear fruit. God says this is evil as it portrays evil as being good. This can also be practicing and promoting trends that dilute God’s truth, using it as an excuse for extreme immorality and wickedness (Judges 17:6; Jer. 2:31-37; Rom. 6:1-2; 14-15; 13:8, 10; Gal. 5:14; 6:2; Gal. 5:22-25; James 2: 14-26; Jude 4; Rev. 2:20).

The point? This means to choose sin is a deliberate choice, one that God hates passionately. Or use the pulpit for personal gain, false teaching, amusing the goats and not feeding the sheep. Harlot was also a term used by the early church for Rome (Lev. 17:7; Is. 1:21; 26:16-18; 57:3; Jer. 3:1-14; Ezek. Chaps 16& 23; Hos. 4:15).

These people thought they did not need Christ and that they would escape the judgment of God! (Does the deceptive thinking sound familiar?) Such people and thinking is contemptible and self destructive, because nothing can challenge God.

I’ve relayed my frustrations with your insider, religious rhetoric and you responded by cut-and-pasting random Scripture soundbytes about the Bride of Christ” and the “blood of the Lamb”, insisting that the real issue is simply my “Biblical ignorance” and suggesting that I just need to repent and get a good Concordance (whatever that is).

I've let you know how judged and ridiculed we feel when we are with you, how much like a hopeless, failing outsider I feel on the periphery of your often inward, judgmental communities and you proceeded to tell me how “lost” I am, how hopelessly “in love with my sin” I must be to leave you, reminding me that I never really belonged with you anyway.

In the face of every complaint and every grievance, you’ve made it clear that the real issue, is that I’m either sinful, heretical, immoral, foolish, unenlightened, selfish, consumerist, or ignorant. Hell, many days I’m not even sure I disagree with you.

Maybe you’re right, Church. Maybe I am the problem. Maybe it is me, but me is all I’m capable of being right now, and that’s where I was really hoping you would meet me.

It’s here, in my flawed, screwed-up, wounded, shell-shocked, doubting, disillusioned me-ness, that I’ve been waiting for you to step-in with this whole supposedly relentless, audacious “love of Jesus” thing I hear so much about, and make it real.

Church, I know how much you despise the word Tolerance, but right now, I really need you to tolerate me; to tolerate those of us, who for all sorts of reasons you may feel aren’t justified, are struggling to stay.

We’re so weary of feeling like nothing more than a religious agenda; an argument to win, a point to make, a cause to defend, a soul to save.

We want to be more than a notch on your Salvation belt; another number to pad your Twitter posts and end-of-year stat sheets. We need to be more than altar call props, who are applauded and high-fived down the aisle and then forgotten once the song ends.

We’ve been praying for you to stop evangelizing us,and preaching at us and fighting us and judging us and sin-diagnosing us, long enough to simply hear us…… even if we are the problem.

Even if we are the woman in adultery, or the doubting follower, or the rebellious prodigal, or the demon-riddled young man or woman, we can’t be anything else right now in this moment; and in this moment, we need a Church big enough and tough enough and loving enough; not just for us as we might one day be then, but for us as we are, now.

We still believe that God is big enough and tough enough and loving enough, even if you won’t be and that’s why even if we do walk away, it doesn’t mean we’re walking away from faith; it’s just that faith right now seems more reachable elsewhere. I know some of  you will argue that you’re doing all these things and saying all these things because you love and care for us, but from the shoes we’re standing in, you need to know that it feels less like love and care and more like space and silence:

If someone is frustrated, telling them that they’re wrong to be frustrated is, well, pretty freakin’ frustrating. It only breeds distance. If someone shares that their heart is hurting, they don’t want to hear that they’re not right to be hurt. It’s a conversation-stopper. If someone tells you they are starving for compassion and relationship and authenticity, the last thing they need is to be corrected for that hunger.

It’s a kick in the but on the way out the door. So yes, Church, even if you’re right, even if we’re totally wrong; even if we’re all petty and self-centered and hypocritical and critical and (I’ll say it), “sinful”, we’re still the ones searching for a place where we can be known and belong; a place where it feels like God lives and you’re the ones who can show it to us.

Even if the problem is me, it’s me who you’re supposed to be reaching, Church. So, for the love of God; reach already.

                                                 Obedience will override our feelings so that we will remain steadfast and secure.

We are all called to put our faith into practice. We can now take the relationships, mentoring, and learning, and carry them out in daily life. This is often expressed in service projects and missions, but that is only a small, although necessary aspect of service. Service is how we daily live our lives, modeling His character to those around us. When we are in ministry, we need to realize, it is not what we do, but whom we can equip. As we practice by reciprocating what we have learned to others, we will also be built up. We are called to build a network of relationships so we can build one another up in the faith through friendship and mentoring.

                                                  The Word must touch who we are and transform the very core of our being.

We cannot lead others to Him when we do not know the way and in order to know the way, we must have knowledge. Knowledge comes from our experiences and experience comes from discipleship. The will of God is that we study His Word which will change our behavior.

A real impacted beleiver, especially a leader in the church, must have the knowledge and experience to put into practice the work that needs to be done. The beleiver will be studious so that the Word nourishes them. They must study and apply the Scriptures, not just read them occasionally, like a novel. The Word must touch who we are and transform the very core of our being. This is the knowledge that leads and transforms.

                                                  From the character of Christ comes the conduct of Christ-if we choose to follow Him.

Then, the values of our daily walk, those which drive our behaviors, will, in turn, influence others. We cannot lead where we have not been, or when we do not know the direction to go. This is why discipleship is so essential to the aspect of being a beleiver, especially a witness.

We are called, not to just visualize faith and discipleship, but to do it, not to just read about it, but to do it, and not to just talk about it, but to do it. One cannot just think about dinner and satisfy hunger; the meal has to be gathered, prepared, and then eaten. The effective church will take Scripture and the call of our Lord seriously, gather, prepare, and then put it all into practice so we partake of His feast.

                                                                What do we consider to be the key to finding and developing faith?

A worship-centered heart will help create a church that grows because it is also poured out to Christ and effective in the community, a lighthouse of God’s love and care through prayer and action to the world.

                                                    Some passages for us to consider: Psalm 119:89-90; John 3:30; 2nd Corinthians 5:17-21

Like the apostle Paul, we can practice the secret of being content. 2nd Cor. 5:7 says that, When we respond to life with this kind of thinking, we move beyond our feelings to living by faith.

Contentment means accepting things the way they are — in other words, not wanting anything more or different. This requires developing an "I can through Christ" attitude. It means learning to bring God's power into our weakness so we can accept and adapt to changing our circumstances

Submission and trust are needed for such a lifestyle. First, we must surrender our will to God's: in every situation, we are to yield what we want and accept whatever He allows. Our desire to control events are replaced by reliance on Him. This option becomes more appealing when we realize that the alternative—fighting against our circumstances—brings anxiety and distress. The second step is to trust God to oversee our specific situation. If we believe He is working out His perfect plan for us, then we will experience the joy that comes from trusting Him. Contentment will be ours.

Paul submitted his life to God and trusted Him. He faced insults, rejection, and many difficult trials but was still content. When we surrender control to the Lord and believe He has our best interest at heart, we will experience contentment too. Who is in charge of your life?

Hopefully this post helped spur you to think about the larger meaning of life and your place in it. Today, I will look around & enjoy all the things that are around me rather than yearn for things that are beyond my control & be miserable. So what is the advice here? Let God’s plan work itself out. Amen.

Jeremiah’s Complaint “What sorrow is mine, my mother. Oh, that I had died at birth! — The Lord's reply in verse 11, “I will take care of you, Jeremiah. Your enemies will ask you to plead on their behalf in times of trouble and distress. Please give me time; don’t let me die young. This is how the Lord responded: “If you return to me, I will restore you so you can continue to serve me. If you speak good words rather than worthless ones, you will be my spokesman. You must influence them; but do not let them influence you! Like the prophet Jeremiah, we have to decide how to interact with the world around us while remaining true to our faith. During a heart-to-heart talk with God, Jeremiah voiced his frustration over not fitting in with his peers. He said in Jeremiah 15:10, “I am hated everywhere I go” and “I never joined the people in their merry feasts.

Jeremiah had to speak God’s messages to the Israelites—confronting their sin and informing them of the consequences and although the people plugged their ears and ostracized the prophet, God reminds him in Jeremiah 15:19, “You must influence them; but do not let them influence you!” When God calls us to Himself, He’s recruiting us to be lanterns in dark places (Matthew 5:14-16).

Even so, living for God can be challenging when our flesh feels the tug of earthly enticement. We can find the right balance between God’s holiness and the world around us only when He’s our greatest influence.

Puts it this way: Deviate from the world, run to Christ’s likeness. Run, I says run to the One who is righteous. Get accountability—go and read your Bible too. Get into the Word of God, and get the Word of God in you!

Read 1st Corinthians 15:33 for important insight into forming friendships. Look up John 3, 1:9-12 for examples of good and bad influences within the church.