The failure of a famous minister – 01/01/2025

Matthew 26:14-16  New International Version

14 Then one of the Twelve—the one called Judas Iscariot—went to the chief priests 15 and asked, “What are you willing to give me if I deliver him over to you?” So they counted out for him thirty pieces of silver. 16 From then on Judas watched for an opportunity to hand him over.

How many ministers have I seen recently that fell into the same trap?  The servant of the Lord walked away from the grace he once passionately pursued.  Judas had answered the call, chose to follow, and was used of God to preach, deliver and heal.  Now he finds himself consumed with the idea of financially profiting from the work of the kingdom. 

His calling was now compromised. Was it his love of money?  Maybe.  Could it have been materialism because there was something he wanted to buy, such as a house or an engagement ring?  Was he jealous of Peter, James and John, Jesus’ inner circle, since they had larger ministries and more influence?  Did he arrive at a place in his life where the cost of carrying the cross was more than he was willing to pay?  Or was he disillusioned into thinking that he could live in any manner and remain anointed, one of the chosen twelve?  Whatever the case, his ministry as a disciple wasn’t meeting some self-imposed expectation that he had.  He lost sight of his purpose under heaven, decided to manipulate the system, and in the process gave satan a foothold in his life.

As a minister of the gospel, we must focus on fulfilling our obligation to the king, not pursuing personal opportunities.  If we are genuinely called to minister the gospel of Christ, we are obligated.  Peter told us to “Be shepherds of God’s flock that is under your care…not pursuing dishonest gain, but eager to serve.”  Satan often dangles the things of this world in front of us to get our eyes off of the prize.  “All this I will give you, if you will bow down and worship me.”  But always remember, we are not of this world and our reward is not in this world.

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When God leads you where you don’t want to go – 01/10/2025

Ezekiel 37:1-3 (NIV) The hand of the Lord was on me, and he brought me out by the Spirit of the Lord and set me in the middle of a valley; it was full of bones. 2 He led me back and forth among them, and I saw a great many bones on the floor of the valley, bones that were very dry. 3 He asked me, “Son of man, can these bones live?”  I said, “Sovereign Lord, you alone know.”

At times, the Lord leads you where you have no desire to go. In the case of Ezekiel, that was the middle of a valley, full of dry, bleached out, bones. Not only does he lead you where you don’t want to go, he then forces you to become familiar with situations that you are not equipped to handle. Ezekiel was led and called to walk back and forth among the bones. As a result, he became very acquainted with their plight and was completely immersed in an environment of death and hopelessness.

Ezekiel handled it much differently than today’s contemporary minister. If that had happened in the 21^st century, we would have built a building and organized the bones into a church. We would have celebrated our attendance numbers and began an outreach to other needy bones in the area. Most likely, we would have started a teaching ministry to teach the bones what life looks like, formed a healing line, and started an outreach of food to feed the hungry bones. Today’s church has become a master at ignoring the obvious and ministering to symptoms.  However, you cannot escape the need of a genuine conversion from death into life. Life begins at conversion.

As Ezekiel walked the valley, kicking bones out of his pathway with the stench of death in his nostrils, what questions were going through the mind of this minister? “Why would God lead me here?” “What is He expecting me to do here?” “What have I done to deserve this punishment?” “Am I a prophet to the living or dead?” “What are the other prophets in my denomination going to say and think of me?” “How can I support my family and my ministry on their offerings?” Of course, at that moment, in spite of the questions he may have had, Ezekiel was in the perfect will of God for his life standing in the midst of that valley.

Sometime after being placed in the valley and becoming familiar with his surroundings, God confronted Ezekiel with a question that reaches beyond his situation, beyond what he was seeing or sensing. “Can these bones live?” Ezekiel had learned enough to know that his situation in the valley was beyond his ability to change. He simply removed himself from the equation and acknowledged the sovereignty of God. Change would require the willingness and power from the Almighty. “Sovereign Lord, you alone know.” You alone know why I am here. You alone know the full potential of these dry bones. You alone know what the next step is. I only know that wherever you send me and whatever happens upon my arrival, is by your power, your will, for your glory.

We as ministers need only to know what would you like us to do next. How can we participate in what you are doing in the earth today?  Let us pay the price to hear your voice, know your instruction, and represent you in whatever capacity you wish of us. Let me get to the level of partnership that Jesus had when he said “Very truly I tell you, the Son can do nothing by himself; he can do only what he sees his Father doing…”

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