Packaging

I want us to continue looking at our last message (Advertisement versus Life) to get a better picture of the state of our churches.

Remember commodity shortages? Have you ever seen any advertisement of the things with a shortage? Have you ever encountered any shortage of the nonessentials and luxuries? Things you must not have and do not need always seem to be available. In fact they appear more plenteous when the essentials are unavailable.

Another thing you will realize is that the one with the essentials sets the rules and prices for anyone to access them. There are times a shop or supermarket will set the limit to what you can buy irrespective of the quantity you need or money you have. They may limit to a packet per customer and you may need to hire people to shop with you if you must have more. Some customers bribe to buy extra.

Was that not the way Jesus behaved? Do you ever see Him pleading with people not to leave Him? Did He not sometimes seem to be chasing them away?

From that time many of his disciples went back, and walked no more with him. Then said Jesus unto the twelve, Will ye also go away? Then Simon Peter answered him, Lord, to whom shall we go? Thou hast the words of eternal life. (John 6: 66 – 68)

The fact that the ‘stock’ of disciples has drastically reduced does not make Him lower His standards to ensure the remaining ones do not desert. It appears like He was telling them that they were free to also go if they so chose.

Ye serpents, ye generation of vipers, how can ye escape the damnation of hell? (Matthew 23:33)

How does one use such terms and expect followers? And there are uncountable other offensive statements and messages Christ issued that seems to indicate that He didn’t care for anybody to follow Him. On others He placed a great premium on anyone showing interest, like

If any man come to me, and hate not his father, and mother, and wife, and children, and brethren, and sisters, yea, and his own life also, he cannot be my disciple. (Luke 14:26)

And

And he said to them all, If any man will come after me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross daily, and follow me. (Luke 9:23)

Following Me is akin to choosing shame and death. Some statements were downright insulting.

Jesus answered them and said, Verily, verily, I say unto you, Ye seek me, not because ye saw the miracles, but because ye did eat of the loaves, and were filled. (John 6:26)

Yet why did they still follow Him? He had what they needed from their inmost beings. Like animals in the desert no danger or obstruction can block it from accessing the watering holes. The presence of a lion is not a strong enough deterrent to a thirsty deer in accessing water. That is what we see with Jesus.

Does this say anything about us who are scared to death of preaching about holiness or hell because it may scare people from coming to church? Does it say anything about all these uplifting and motivating sermons and books that make sinners feel ‘blessed’? What about these obnoxious and bad mannered politicians who are respectable members and faithful givers in our churches?

Another thing you realize with someone offering life is that there are expectations of growth and change. And we see the same with Christ and other life givers. This is probably the most glaring difference between it and the advertisers (of inessentials of course). The peddlers seek to benefit from what they sell as opposed to changing those who consume, though they will argue differently.

Lack of growth was judged very harshly. Remember these statements?

Get behind me Satan…, have I been with you all this time…? you do not know the spirit you are of…, whitewashed tombs etc.

But it is not only Christ who expected change and growth. Remember Gehazi being judged with leprosy and Saul losing his kingdom?

Come as you are is the Biblical invitation. Go and sin no more applied to anyone who came under Christ. Remain as you are can only be found with the peddlers of a false Gospel.

Again it explains all these sermons that will keep the sinner coming to hear year after year without needing to change from their sinful lifestyle. A prostitute will enjoy uplifting sermons that will never confront her sin. She may even be able to acquire a few customers from the congregation as it is possible to even join the worship team due to her ‘hot’ looks. She even comes dressed as a prostitute and the pastor doesn’t mind since she is faithfully tithes. The very corrupt may be pariahs to a nation but find great comfort in preaching from the pulpits, some even getting leadership positions because ill gotten wealth is not stingily held to, meaning that they may give the pastor a car or house among other gifts to the leadership.

A pastor preached a sermon that lightly scratched the surface of sin in a congregation (he mentioned the flimsy dressing of ladies) and was taken to the Sanhedrin (leaders) for scaring people from church. He was eventually run off that church and had to move elsewhere. There are people who have all the spiritual qualifications for any leadership position in church warming the pews even as spiritual tramps get those positions without a sweat.

But I also want us to look at packaging with this topic in mind.

Life does not package neatly as it is not looking for a buyer. Like minerals it is many times hidden underground or something like that. You must therefore invest to be able to access it.

Marketing is therefore not a requirement for life. Life is pursued to be got. I am sure you can remember the parable of the pearl of great price. And that is what we see with life in the Bible. And that is what we see with life through all the church ages.

What has happened that all of a sudden we must package life in such an appealing way that seems to break all the rules that applied through all the ages? Why are we so desperate to bring people to church or raise support that we will trash clear directions of the Bible to get givers?

We are selling a fake, an unnecessary, probably useless commodity. What we have done is to package it in such a way that it resembles the real in some way. We use the Bible the sharers of life used. We use similar buildings. We behave in a way similar to how they behaved.

But the requirements we have for life paint us clearly as fakes because life is such that one will just need to see or taste it to sell everything they have to access it. No ‘insult’ is strong enough a deterrent to chase one from its pursuit. That is the reason we see people running away from the offense Christ caused in the process of ministry eventually flowing back to Him after a short time because they realized that He was the only one with what they needed and craved from the depth of their being. We plead with people as if we are a temptation as opposed to the wellspring of life that we should be but suspect we are not.

He that believeth on me, as the scripture hath said, out of his belly shall flow rivers of living water. (John 7:38)

Water offers life as it flows. It does not announce its presence or advertise its qualities. In fact, unless you drink tasteless water (mildly salty), you will think that water is tasteless as most believe.

It therefore goes that those who possess and dispense life are for the most part unnoticeable since they live the life and are not looking for any profit as life is enough profit, if it could be called thus. The only visibility is the source of the life that operates in them, in our case the Gospel and Christ who is the source of the same.

We see the same when the apostles were being harassed by the spiritual leaders. We do not see them being harassed with the common ‘who are you?’ or ‘who do you think you are?’ It was the Christ who was the reason of their persecution and even death.

Never once do we see them quoting what we foolishly quote to defend our selfish grandeur with ‘touch not mine anointed’. We see the exact opposite. They hold a thanksgiving service for being given the privilege of suffering for the life they were offering

And to him they agreed: and when they had called the apostles, and beaten them, they commanded that they should not speak in the name of Jesus, and let them go. And they departed from the presence of the council, rejoicing that they were counted worthy to suffer shame for his name. And daily in the temple, and in every house, they ceased not to teach and preach Jesus Christ. (Acts 5: 40 – 42)

Look at the advertisers and peddlers and their motivation.

For they that are such serve not our Lord Jesus Christ, but their own belly; and by good words and fair speeches deceive the hearts of the simple. (Romans 16:18)

I also need to mention giving as it could be the driver of all this worldliness.

Life has no price tag. Those who share in it are thus driven by the potential life has on those it will touch. And this explains why most died violent and shameful deaths as their comfort was not a consideration in the business of life.

Only the peddler considers what they should get before getting involved in the business of sharing out life. One having life will naturally release that life. As Christ said the life within him will become rivers of living water. And rivers do not fight or require motivation to flow. It is in their nature to flow from their source to places needing it (lower ground).

Why must we always mention giving whenever we preach? Why must we sell our books even to people we know will have to sacrifice necessities to be able to buy that book we must convince them to buy, many times very expensively?

Let me surprise you. When God asked me to be giving out my books, the greatest argument everybody brought (still bring) was that people do not value free things. In fact one pastor friend of mine told me so definitely that God could not have given me that order. My experience of close to ten years in the writing ministry gives that argument an indisputable knock out. Why, you may ask.

I initially would sell a few books and give others as God would direct me. One interesting fact I will tell you is that I do not remember any book that I sold giving out a definite feedback. In fact there are some fans of mine who confess that they have not read those books they bought. A few told me that they have a special shelf for my books but have not read them.

Interesting enough is that there are uncountable testimonies from those who read the books I gave; testimonies of transformation, direction and many other positive things. Ministries have sprouted from some of those books I gave. Many doors have been opened by those books I gave, not only for me but also by people who have read the books. And some I have almost forgotten since I wrote many years ago still continue bringing in those testimonies.

Could we be arguing with our stomachs instead of Christ’s revelation?

And our argument of course runs counter to Christianity because if free is valueless then salvation is also valueless and therefore unappealing. And where is the place for this verse

Heal the sick, cleanse the lepers, raise the dead, cast out devils: freely ye have received, freely give. (Matthew 10:8)

I will repeat something I have argued more completely in an earlier post. I believe that the tithe is an Old Testament doctrine and practice that is promoted by the peddlers of a false Gospel. This is because they really are not interested in leading people to hear God for themselves as they will be told to stop giving us any offering since we are not leading them God ward. Look at the New Testament giving to get what I mean.

Of course the tithe makes a lot of sense when we do not expect anybody else apart from the ‘prophet’ to hear from God. It saves on so much clarification especially when someone hears about ministering to people and ministries other than the storehouse if they asked for God’s guidance. It saves on the need to get accurate direction on the money that remains after the tithe especially as we know Christ owns 100% not only of our money but our time and selves as well. And it is a tough call to give Christ all that He requires.

Yet another red light with all our focus on teaching giving is that we are not examples. That it is more blessed to give than to receive applies to others. The reverse seems to apply to the proponents of that doctrine. The only time you may have to see them giving is when it is for show to attract more giving. That is the reason ministries not subject to their leadership fail to get support because apart from forbidding the congregation from supporting them will never take a coin from their pocket to fund them even when they are convinced and confess that they are doing God’s work.

Giving is therefore packaging we need to fleece people in God’s name.

Jesus ran people off the temple who were in a Bible sanctioned activity because Mammon had been allowed to take charge. What would He do if He comes to our churches where we are doing business that has no connection at all with Him and His ministry? We sometimes suspend our services or dedicate inordinate amounts of time to selling this or other item to benefit a superstar. Would He not be justified to bomb us out of His house?

Unless of course it is not His as I many times I am led to suspect. ‘He’ is just part of the packaging we use to peddle our merchandise (false Gospel) or earn our living.

Otherwise explain to me why He killed Ananias for giving probably 90% of the sale of his land yet does not mind someone stealing church money through fraudulent procurement and inflated pricing of goods and services they offer to the church? How does He allow a sex maniac lead ‘worship’ year after year not only without being judged but even taking pride in those sexual conquests? Why does He not seem to mind when a pastor breaks marriages by sleeping with women in his congregation? Why is He silent when pastors use witchcraft to increase their congregations? How does a prostitute come to look for customers in a church without being touched by conviction from the preaching? And how does a homosexual or pedophile become a bishop? What about that presence we so boast ourselves on? Is it the same one we read about in the Bible or has it adjusted to the twenty first century realities?

Why do we change what God established since the creation? Why do we behave as if God has changed?

My argument is that we are selling our things with a package resembling the Gospel and the life of Christ. Why do I reason thus?

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: Because strait is the gate, and narrow is the way, which leadeth unto life, and few there be that find it. Beware of false prophets, which come to you in sheep's clothing, but inwardly they are ravening wolves. Ye shall know them by their fruits. Do men gather grapes of thorns, or figs of thistles? Even so every good tree bringeth forth good fruit; but a corrupt tree bringeth forth evil fruit. A good tree cannot bring forth evil fruit, neither can a corrupt tree bring forth good fruit. (Matthew 7: 13 – 18)

And I will add another passage for good measure

For such are false apostles, deceitful workers, transforming themselves into the apostles of Christ. And no marvel; for Satan himself is transformed into an angel of light. Therefore it is no great thing if his ministers also be transformed as the ministers of righteousness; whose end shall be according to their works. (2Corinthians 11: 13 – 15)

If Christ is not central and preeminent in the life of your church, it will be wise if you concluded that it is really your church and not Christ’s. If your church is known more for the pastor, building or programs is suspect the same. If at the back of your mind you go to church because of the pastor or ‘worship’ team instead of Christ I suspect that you have purchased a fake.

God bless you

Advertisement versus Life

I have been thinking about the Gospel as has been preached since the Bible times and the way it is done today. I have also been comparing ministry over the different church ages with the way it is done today. Look also at Christian literature over the ages and compare it with the way it is done today.

I came to that as I continue being amazed, albeit negatively, with the way I see ministry being done.

It is easy to think that a church is a corporate entity that relies on the pressured goodwill of its supporters and the pastor is the marketing or resource raising hireling who must look for funds to run that mammoth entity, many times being driven by the fact that he is the primary consumer of the same. The sad reality is that there is no expectation for accountability for all that money one gives, especially because no one should know what the other gave. They could be therefore be holidaying all over when you gave your precious food or investment money because the sales pitch was too compelling to ignore, especially when God and His inability to deliver without your giving was brought into the picture.

Look also at marketing. Do you know that advertising exists to drive people into buying things they do not need? And have you realized that if competition is removed advertisement for necessities will be completely absent from the media? Or have you ever seen advertisements from a monopoly unless as a reminder for people to pay bills (with the threat of disconnection of course)?

Let us take the supermarket as an example. It requires effort to get the things you must buy like food items. They are kept out of sight and you will need directions in a new supermarket. Yet what will you find in areas with premium sight as you walk along the aisles? Unnecessary things like cosmetics and beverages, even as milk is hidden with the other essential items.

You must be convinced to buy what you do not need on your way to buy what you must have. We complain about junk food without realizing the same truth; that it is packaged to make us crave it. You walk past a fast food place and your eyes are drawn to the somersaulting chicken and the tantalizing smell of the other fast food that creates hunger even if one is from having a heavy breakfast. And we do not win the war by getting information about dangers or waste.

Look not thou upon the wine when it is red, when it giveth his colour in the cup, when it moveth itself aright. At the last it biteth like a serpent, and stingeth like an adder. Thine eyes shall behold strange women, and thine heart shall utter perverse things. (Proverbs 23: 31 – 33)

Alcoholism is advertised the same way, since Bible times. Even the alcoholic knows he is on the downward slope yet is unable to resist that advertising in the package and company.

I was in a drug and alcohol rehab recently and heard the same statement repeated by several people; some completely free and helping others and some who have just joined. They had been looking for somewhere they could be free from seeing alcohol or friends as they had completely failed to resist the pull back to the hell they were experiencing. Call that the power of advertisement.

Life operates on a different level. Its existence is the drive that calls everything to it. Look at the wild to get my point. When it gets dry all the animals will congregate around the water holes or swamps. From the eater to the eaten none will go very far from water because they won’t be able to last long without it.

You may be wondering what I am driving at. The church is mastering the art of advertisement. And of course this tells me one thing; that such a church does not possess any life because then people would be flocking to get it. The fact that we must convince people using all ploys to come and give should be a loud scream that we are peddling nothing of value in the spiritual sense.

Jesus was always running from people to be able to get uninterrupted time with His disciples. Yet they would always look for Him wherever He went. Remember this?

Then Jesus called his disciples unto him, and said, I have compassion on the multitude, because they continue with me now three days, and have nothing to eat: and I will not send them away fasting, lest they faint in the way. (Matthew 15:32)

Three days in the wilderness without food and nobody was in a hurry to leave? And we are talking about twenty thousand people (five thousand men). What did He have that could draw such a crowd to such a remote place that they even forgot they needed food?

His teaching possessed and dispensed life. That is the reason people looked far and wide for Him. He dealt with their issues in ways that released life to them.

Jesus saith unto him, I am the way, the truth, and the life: no man cometh unto the Father, but by me. (John 14:6)

That was the reason people flocked to Him irrespective of the cost or discomfort involved.

And it was not only Christ whose ministry drew in the crowds. David drew in the crowds even when he was an outlaw. Jonah drew in the whole city though he was smelling all fishy and probably with his skin peeling from his encounter in the belly of the fish. And John the Baptist drew in the crowds to the desert. And many other servants of God shared that experience.

What is lacking in our ministries that we must advertise them? It goes without say that we lack the divine spark. We must therefore create enough diversion so that people do not see our emptiness. We must also convince people to fund that emptiness. Our lack of life must therefore be made to appear so full of life so as to convince people to fund it.

And I am also talking about my writing. If my posts do not possess life that I must be more entertaining and comical to convince people to read whatever I have to write, I am hopelessly desperate to get relevance instead of seeking God’s face to hear what exactly He wants me to share with His people.

My cry is that whatever God gives me to post will draw whoever needs the message to be drawn to my blog by God Himself as opposed to advertising to get agreeable hits and followers. I am not in the business of writing but in the ministry of writing and will therefore be content if the message I post will bring life to only one person.

Why are some churches more concerned in selling real estate than in sharing the message of life? Why are pastors marketers of all kinds of schemes instead of preaching the Gospel of life? Why do almost all sermons lean toward entertaining and sanitizing sinners instead of bringing life by dealing with the sin that is a sure recipe for death? Why do most pyramid and get rich scams start with the church leadership? Why do gambling companies have church leaders in their leadership?

Why do pastors with books make their books the subject in their sermons to entice people to buy them especially as they will leave so many gaps in the sermon to ensure that you buy that book?

Why do we have to use loud sound systems to project our sermons to people who accuse us of sound pollution? Why do we advertise our services all over for a church that has been in operation for decades? Why are we always preaching about giving money instead of preaching about complete surrender of all, including that money, to the Lordship of Christ? And why has sin stopped featuring in our sermons as if getting the whole world can be compared to accessing eternal life?

Why are our ‘worship’ leaders always singing about others’ revelations as if God stopped being real to His people? Why is selling music and getting invites to ‘bashes’ more important than actual ministry? Why do famous musicians snub invites from small ‘unimportant’ churches and functions yet have no problem doing collabos with secular musicians for functions that offer more public exposure and fame? Why do we treat talent as more important to character when looking for ‘worship’ leaders?

Chances are that we are peddling a counterfeit Gospel, a Gospel devoid of life. No wonder we must advertise it as supermarkets do the inessentials in the most prominent places. That is the reason that for years we are compiling list after list of the unreached people groups yet we are never any closer to reaching them as we are more fixated on building mega churches for people we are stealing from other churches. That is the reason we have crusades in places that have been trodden grassless for ages instead of taking them where the Gospel is direly needed, all with so much money being used to organize and run those meetings, money that a small portion would be required to support one missionary to an unreached people group. And it is no wonder that we take offerings in those crusades because we know that there are no non believers there or we are too desperate for that offering to care whether those giving those offerings know Christ or not.

And I, if I be lifted up from the earth, will draw all men unto me. (John 12:32)

Are we lifting Christ up in our ministry? This is because it is as Christ is lifted up that He releases life to the world. We may try anything and everything else but we will be marketing hot air if He is not central to our efforts. No wonder too much effort and resources are expended in pursuing that nothing.

How does a Christian singer bribe radio and TV presenters to have their music on air? How can a Christian girl sleep with a producer to have their music produced? How can a Christian publisher fleece upcoming writers in the name of business? How can a senior pastor consolidate all the gifts to his person at the expense of all the other ministers in ‘his’ church?

Why is sycophancy and gifts the shortest route to accessing church leadership and resources? How does a person with a shady past who has no known salvation experience attain a pivotal leadership position just because he uses sense and nonsense to vigorously fight for the pastor? How does a known thief get into leadership just because he gave a huge gift to the pastor? How does a prostitute join a ‘worship’ team by buying a suit for the pastor? Is there any difference from Jeroboam (2 Chronicles 13:9)?

You see, Christ is either everything or nothing. There is no middle ground. We either lift Him high or we are lifting the devil high however loud we shout to the contrary. He either calls all the shots or He is nowhere near our structures. We might have all appearances of the presence or psyche ourselves vigorously to replicate it but we retain ichabod like backslidden Israel bringing the ark of God to the battle ground, only that ours may be worse.

Being involved in the writing ministry, I am in constant touch with printers. I can say with certainty that the title pastor is probably the most high risk name one can take to a printer. Most have been fleeced by those silver tongued orators to pour their money into books that were never paid for. Many times because the pastor did not realize that the cloud had moved when they ventured into the book project (ichabod), or they mistook psyche and presumption for faith when they committed themselves and their nonexistent money into printing a book. He will therefore start hiding from the printer when he realizes that nobody will buy his idea of revelation especially because he will require them to pay a premium for it through buying that book. But it is even worse for ones with a huge name because then they will have a ready market for whatever nonsense they may publish, making it harder for them to see when God leaves them.

There are Christian singers who find pride in running ‘worship’ sessions among drunkards in bars, many times sliding down to imbibing those liquids secretly. I heard an unsaved friend trashing some senior Christian musicians because they frequent the same drinking dens. There are church elders who own bars.

But as usual we must look for a solution instead of complaining. That is God’s way of doing things. He shows us what is wrong to enable us to agree with Him when He shows us the right.

He must increase, but I must decrease. (John 3:30)

John’s confession must define us from the depths of our hearts. When He becomes the only reality we use to guide us, it becomes easy to make the right choices and especially deal with the pressure that comes from the enemy through our closest friends, even our cravings

Love not the world, neither the things that are in the world. If any man love the world, the love of the Father is not in him. For all that is in the world, the lust of the flesh, and the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life, is not of the Father, but is of the world. And the world passeth away, and the lust thereof: but he that doeth the will of God abideth for ever. (1 John 2: 15 – 17)

It is the desire to please self that drives us to advertise when we realize that God stopped moving with us when we started ignoring His revelation. Sometimes we do that after being mightily used of Him and He gives us an order that seems to indicate that we start from scratch. And I have seen many ministers becoming irrelevant to the Kingdom who were once powerhouses and excellent weapons in God’s hands in their past. They have become spiritual shells of their past, reliving their former victorious lives and ministries to remain spiritually relevant. Of course their lives are powerful testimonies when looked at from the world. But like Christ asked what does it profit for one to gain the world and lose the heavenly approval?

King Saul is the one clearly identified with such when his army became more important than God’s opinion.

Then he said, I have sinned: yet honour me now, I pray thee, before the elders of my people, and before Israel, and turn again with me, that I may worship the LORD thy God. (1Samuel 15:30)

To him, like with so many of us, it really does not matter that God has rejected us provided the crowds continue holding us in awe, and of course pouring their money on us. But sadly God goes with the life that He alone possesses when we turn our back on Him.

When we become the focus of the ministry we do, when our image becomes more important than the impact of that ministry, when our needs and future determine the direction the ministry will take, then God will become an accessory, an object to further our agenda. It then follows that only the mention of His name will be left on our packaging to convince people that we are still focused and that they should continue supporting us. But God and His life will have left us.

No wonder we will need to aggressively advertise our emptiness.

Will we cry like Moses that we will not take another step if God does not move with us?

Abortion

Wherefore the LORD God of Israel saith, I said indeed that thy house, and the house of thy father, should walk before me for ever: but now the LORD saith, Be it far from me; for them that honour me I will honour, and they that despise me shall be lightly esteemed. (1Samuel 2:30)

I want us to look at a doctrine I believe has been abused so badly, especially in these last days. It is the doctrine that grace requires nothing from me. That God has released everything and that nothing I do can affect it.

Have you noticed that there are some versions that remove the human responsibility from some promises?

I was shocked when Romans 8:1 was read in church to notice that the second part was nowhere.

There is therefore now no condemnation to them which are in Christ Jesus, who walk not after the flesh, but after the Spirit. (Romans 8:1)

How does one walk without condemnation when they are walking in the flesh? Is it not superfluous to imagine that I can do anything I want and still stay free from condemnation just because I made a decision long ago?

But I want us to look at an incident in the life of Israel to get this message clearly.

Remember Barak and Balaam? Why did their partnership initially flop? They wanted to curse the uncursable.

And God said unto Balaam, Thou shalt not go with them; thou shalt not curse the people: for they are blessed. (Numbers 22:12)

A few days, probably weeks later we see a reverse of fortunes for the same blessed. And why so?

And Israel abode in Shittim, and the people began to commit whoredom with the daughters of Moab. And they called the people unto the sacrifices of their gods: and the people did eat, and bowed down to their gods. And Israel joined himself unto Baalpeor: and the anger of the LORD was kindled against Israel. (Numbers 25: 1 – 3)

They had aborted that blessed status by breaking God’s law. That was the same thing Eli did to the promise God gave to Phinehas after he averted the wrath of God during that incident.

You see Balaam knew something we choose to ignore to remain relevant to a world that is hostile against God. That is the power of choice. God will never take the power of choice from us. But it is also important to note that He will also never take the consequences of our choice.

That is why he advised Moab to use sex appeal and availability to cause Israel to abort that blessing. You see as long as they were undefiled with sin their blessing was intact. It would be foolish to think like we are wont to think, that they were blessed however they behaved before God. The fact that God had declared them blessed was not enough to block the consequences of their choices.

Even beyond Balaam, we know that all who left Egypt were destined to the Promised Land. And we know they came to the edge of that land, even having conquered some of it.

Then they requested for a survey report so that they get to know where and what exactly they were getting into. The report was mixed depending on the perspective of the surveyors. It was dependent on the focus those spies had, with some focusing on the Promise as the others focused on the residents of that land and Israel’s capacity to handle them. The majority opinion was that the residents were unconquerable. Of course all who held that opinion perished in the wilderness. The crossing was delayed for thirty eight years to ensure that all of them died.

Who was at fault? Was it that God’s promise became invalid? Was it that God changed His plans for His people? Had He become unable to keep His word?

Of course not. It is the unbelief of the majority opinion that aborted God’s promise to them.

Has God changed that now we can walk in sin as we swim in God’s blessings as most preachers want to infer? Is that even remotely possible?

Just like in the physical realm an abortion is the willful determination of the one carrying the pregnancy. A still birth and miscarriage may be related to some lifestyle choices like diet and exercise but is not a direct choice of the mother. In fact the mother will many times become depressed due to that. An abortionist will be depressed from the guilt associated with the termination of a pregnancy thought she may use any other excuse for the guilt.

That is the same way with the spiritual realm. Only I have the capacity to abort anything God has planned and purposed for me. No one else and nothing else has the capacity to do it.

For I am persuaded, that neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor principalities, nor powers, nor things present, nor things to come, Nor height, nor depth, nor any other creature, shall be able to separate us from the love of God, which is in Christ Jesus our Lord. (Romans 8: 38, 39)

Supposed I am not interested in walking in that status? What will happen when I decide to refuse to take responsibility for my part in the promise? Does God force me to receive a blessing or status I am not interested in accessing?

Wherefore, my beloved, as ye have always obeyed, not as in my presence only, but now much more in my absence, work out your own salvation with fear and trembling. (Philippians 2:12)

Does effort cease when we accept Christ and get born again? Does the fact that He paid it all at the cross mean that I have no responsibility at all for my Christian life? What does this verse mean?

Follow peace with all men, and holiness, without which no man shall see the Lord: (Hebrews 12:14)

Can I enjoy God’s blessing without pursuing holiness? In other words, can I really expect any favor from God if I am unconcerned about the sin in my life? Can I really be identified with God if my life is at cross purposes with the plain teaching of His word?

As an example many young people have given up on their pursuit of sexual purity. They seem to demonstrate that God has no capacity of keeping young people sexually pure, especially in the area of abstaining from sex until one is officially married. The church leadership, including pastors and other preachers also treat that sin as normal. And I say that as someone who has been involved in sexual purity seminars and seen the shock even some Christian leaders show when told that sexual purity is not only an ideal but a requirement for a normal Christian. Older people, even married ones do not fare much better.

Marriage is honourable in all, and the bed undefiled: but whoremongers and adulterers God will judge. (Hebrews 13:4)

And that is one among very many other verses spread all over the Bible, from Joseph son of Israel to Joseph husband of Mary who stood for God’s standard in a spiritually hostile environment.

For this is the will of God, even your sanctification, that ye should abstain from fornication: That every one of you should know how to possess his vessel in sanctification and honour; Not in the lust of concupiscence, even as the Gentiles which know not God: (1Thesalonians 4: 3 – 5)

Or take the reality of lying with the advent of the cell phone and internet. Convincing someone using whatever means at your disposal takes precedence over God’s commandments. I use public transport and can say that most Christians (and they can be identified by the testimony they give to the conversations they carry) behave as if that gadget has been placed outside the Ten Commandments. The social media is even worse. This reminds me of a friend who wanted to attend an event that could not qualify for an off from the office. He feigned sickness and went to the event. As he was going his boss happened to see him. He called him asking how he was then feeling and he said he was improving though he was still bedridden. The boss asked him to look behind and you can understand the embarrassment it caused him. What about God who sees beyond the word to the thought to the intention (Hebrews 4:12, 13)

Yet we are witnessing the same all over. Pastors will give such a shameless lie that the people around them wonder the kind of God they represent.

Again we seem to imply that God’s standards are the whims of the few who are foolish enough to take God serious without realizing that we do not have any options concerning what God has stated.

But as he which hath called you is holy, so be ye holy in all manner of conversation; Because it is written, Be ye holy; for I am holy. And if ye call on the Father, who without respect of persons judgeth according to every man's work, pass the time of your sojourning here in fear: (1Peter 1: 15 – 17)

It is tragic that we can talk of God and His presence in our lives when our lifestyles demonstrate the contrary. Again let us look at the scriptures.

For I say unto you, That except your righteousness shall exceed the righteousness of the scribes and Pharisees, ye shall in no case enter into the kingdom of heaven. (Matthew 5:20)

How inclusive is that for a start?

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: Because strait is the gate, and narrow is the way, which leadeth unto life, and few there be that find it. Beware of false prophets, which come to you in sheep's clothing, but inwardly they are ravening wolves. Ye shall know them by their fruits. Do men gather grapes of thorns, or figs of thistles? (Matthew 7: 13 – 16)

Can we really be Christ’s when we are living outside His standards?

Could we be aborting our journey into eternal life even as we seek political and levitical correctness? And why do I ask this?

But the fearful, and unbelieving, and the abominable, and murderers, and whoremongers, and sorcerers, and idolaters, and all liars, shall have their part in the lake which burneth with fire and brimstone: which is the second death. (Revelation 21:8)

Add to that the political correct as that is the fuel for most of those abominations. You see accommodating the homosexual and abortionist and the single mother by choice so that they can bring their offerings in the church is not much different from practicing those things yourself in God’s eyes. That is why the coward is the first in this list.

Could your lifestyle be aborting God’s dealings and promise in your life?

I close by saying what Christ Himself said, you shall know them by the kind of fruit they bear. Someone going to heaven will by their life demonstrate where they are going. One who is of the world will demonstrate familiarity with the world.