Monday, March 27, 2017

The Obsession Of A Meddler

Being A Busybody Displeases The Lord

“It is an honour for a man to cease from strife: but every fool will be meddling” (Proverbs 20:3 KJV). Also, “If you suffer, it should not be as a murderer or thief or any other kind of criminal, or even as a meddler (1 Peter 4:15 NIV).

Update: After months of prayer and reflection on the TWO Raptures visions Charis and I had, and with some people doubting there would be two raptures. Well, with the Lord's grace I have updated and clarified the two raptures with some compelling evidence and scriptural proof.

Moreover, traditionally, some folk in the Church have been doubtful of revelation which goes contrary to what they were taught. This is often the case when people comfortably follow the popular believe and this makes them fearful of hidden truths in the Bible. Thus, my soul and spirit is in agreement that there will be TWO Raptures and by the conviction of the Holy Spirit we shared those visions as confirmation. Additionally, the visions we received from the Lord are true and although we were urged to review it the Lord confirmed that we leave it as is. Also, there might be repeated visions and references to the Lord's Coming which might be construed as if it might happen now, the Lord confirmed to us that we are in the last hour (God's timing) and such confirmations should not be undermined and souls should not lose focus but look to Him (Matthew 25:13). The bible's message has some urgency, the NOW (2 Corinthians 6:2). The messages and visions we shared on the website and our books were from a conviction and our faith. Therefore, what we shared here was by faith and that is what we believe (2 Corinthians 4:13) and let God be the Judge of that!

Biblically, the noun ‘meddler’ means, one who meddles; one who interferes or busies himself with things in which he has no concern; an officious person; a busybody. Undoubtedly, such a character is troublesome, and strife is his or her forename. Meddling is a sin which is often overlooked and taken lightly, but scripturally this is a very serious sin which could land people in Hell. Also, meddlers are a stumbling block to others and this spirit of meddling issues from strife, gossip and the controlling of others (Matthew 18:6-7). Some Christian folk thinks that they have authority to just say anything they want to everyone. We admire the boldness of some Christian brethren, but we need to be respectful to reach others with the Word of God and not to offend them when we want to win them over for Christ (1 Corinthians 4:21; Matthew 5:16).

Furthermore, the Lord rebuked a brother for being loud. This brother was in the habit of talking loud when he was talking to people or addressing them, and we must not think that the louder we sound, the bolder we are, Daniel was a gentleman with a gentle spirit and he was loud, diligent and exemplary in his deeds and not so much in his speech to draw attention (Daniel 6:3) as is the habit of some Christians today. As a ministry, we have had people meddling in our ministry by telling us how we should conduct our ministry activities and the messages and vision we share here. My challenge to those meddlers and busybodies, support ministry workers and activities through prayers and otherwise to help win souls for the Lord and stop being judge. It is true, we might not please some brethren by the way we do things, however, we respond by a conviction to please the Lord.

Uninvited Interference

From our collective experience as a family, we have witnessed how countless Christian relationships have been ruined and irreparably damaged as a result of meddling, and like I allude earlier, it can cause others to stumble. In other words, a meddler is forward or rash, having no regard for the feelings of others and the consequences of his or her uninvited interference. It is like, when a busybody involves him or herself in the affairs of others, the acting issues from the motivation that ‘I know your problem, and I have the answer(s) to your problem, and I know it all.' Often and unfortunately, a meddler offers a solution that increases internal strife, other than offering a solution because a meddler is motivated by some biases (Proverbs 26:17).

A few months ago, a problem occurred amongst some of our ministry members as much as I tried to ignore it, I could not overlook a matter that had the potential of dividing our ministry and destroying people’s faith. Before I continue, please allow me to emphasize, Satan is in this world, and his work is to destroy and sow discord (John 10:10; 16:33), therefore no ministry or Christian is trouble free. Anyway, after carefully and prayerfully investigating the matter at the heart of the confusion, the strife was caused by someone who interfered without the necessary authority or invitation, and this matter was so serious that the Lord had to intervene. Equally, we have had a few brethren in our ministry who also tried to interfere and changed the way we do things in this ministry, but their impetuosity was met with some stunning rebukes from the Lord.

No matter how good we think we are especially in our own eyes which are foolishness, let God be the Judge of that. But if we meddle even after God has warned us, we will face the consequences. As successful and zealous as he was for the God, King Josiah interfered in the work of God, and he paid the price for meddling (2 Chronicles 35:21-24).

Additionally, when Korah, Dathan, and Abiram rebelled against God and interfered in God’s calling of Moses and Aaron, for their boldness in this foolish act, they were met with devastated and irreversible consequences (Numbers 16:31-33). Sadly, though, but there are people who have made it their gossiping business to interfere in the lives of others, such people are in the habit of asking for information about how others conduct their lives, and even advising others should conduct their affairs (2 Thessalonians 3:11-13). The Bible urges us never to tire in doing good! Judge therefore for yourselves if it is right to be intrusive and purposely to try to control the convictions of others. Let us be careful and refrain from being meddlers, for quarrels, strife and enmity among brethren are caused because of some people who interferes in the affairs of others which might lead to gossiping and divisions.

As always, we would like to extend an invitation to anyone who does not know the Lord Jesus Christ yet, or of you are not born again, to pray our suggested prayer on this link Prayer of Sincere Repentance by faith and follow the Lord (Matthew 4:19). You may also contact us for any questions or comments about this article or our ministry.

Blessed Regards

Brother Glenn

Monday, March 13, 2017

Developing Self-Discipline

A man without self-control is like a city broken into and left without walls (Proverbs 25:28 ESV).

 

Do you not know that in a race all the runners run, but only one receives the prize? So run that you may obtain it. Every athlete exercises self-control in all things. They do it to receive a perishable wreath, but we an imperishable. So I do not run aimlessly; I do not box as one beating the air. But I discipline my body and keep it under control, lest after preaching to others I myself should be disqualified (1 Cor 9:24-27 ESV).


We are sharing this message again as a reminder to encourage some brethren who became weak and lost their confidence in the Lord. Some just don't know where to begin to get their lives right with God. In desperation to conquer the spirit of anxiety and confusion, some Christians turned from the Lord to worldly pleasures and the Lord recently told us that such Christians are being driven further away from Him and His protection. Now, while there are countless articles on this subject by both Christians and non-Christians, our message is equally important for body of Christ we are called to minister to. Many well-meaning Christians are struggling to walk faithfully before the Lord due to their lack of self-discipline. In this brief work, we will look at critical areas in our lives which will disqualify us from our Heavenly prize. Being ill-disciplined encourages unfaithfulness and it is like playing right into Satan's hands. He is a skilful deceiver, making countless Christians think they always have enough time to make and live right with God until time runs out on them. By faith we know that beyond this tent eternity is waiting (2 Corinthians 5:1) and if we lived obediently and devoted to God, the rewards would be endless (Proverbs 12:28) but living without regard for God the consequences would be dire and irreversible (Romans 2:9). Consequently,our well-deserved punishment would be as a result of ignoring the Holy Spirit when He pleaded with us to reform our ways but we instead listened to the devil who whispered 'you can do that later!' We must Beware, and straighten up and take good note of our salvation.  The Lord told us, “No sloppy Christians will enter Heaven”. The 'sloppy' Christian is rather living carelessly and particularly non-committal when it comes to the things of God. Sad, but true, some of these unsuspecting brethren think they are pleasing to God when they go to church every Sunday and give tithes. Frankly, if we continue like that we are self-deceived! Like I said in a  previous article God desires fruit,yes FRUIT!

Saved by Grace to Do Works Proving Our Obedience to Christ

From the onset, those who proclaim a “feel good” gospel often use the need satisfaction gospel as a selling point while failing to encouraging Christians to work out their salvation in fear and trembling (Philippians 2:12). Such ministers tell people, “you are saved by grace,” interpreting it to mean that you don’t have to do anything else but just go to church on a Sunday, give your tithes, pursue your career, send your children to Sunday school, take life easy, befriend the world, live irresponsibly, be worldly and enjoy life.  I also heard some saying that Christ did everything for you, good! so it’s OK to be a sinner since you are saved by grace and your works will not save you (Ephesians 2:8-9). What Paul meant in the preceding verse  is very true; we will not be saved by our works.  However, Paul here is referring to works apart from Christ’s sacrifice. He means that if we reject Christ, our works will not save us; our obedience to Christ Jesus should become our works (Titus 1:16). Kindly allow me to boldly state this: Christians who magnify the grace doctrine have a healthy appetite for sin. They feel they don’t have to work on their salvation, some whom the Lord commanded to pray and read Bible daily considered it as works. How absurd! The same Paul stresses the importance of building onto the foundation which is Christ (Ephesians 2:20-21). We are being built up through prayer, Bible reading and good works that testify about our connection or union with Christ Jesus (Jude 1:20; Acts 17:11; Ephesians 5:1-21). We show our obedience to the Lord Jesus Christ by keeping His word, meaning doing the word (John 14:15; John 14:23).

Let us therefore stop being lazy and read the Bible for ourselves; this way we will not be deceived by every wind of doctrine, but will be on guard against error like the wise Bereans (Acts 17:11). One brother emailed me, after the Lord told him to pray and read his Bible daily, saying that someone told him that daily prayers and bible reading are works. How would he grow as a Christian if he is not going about his Father's business (Luke 2:49). Consequently, this brother would rather not obey the Lord because someone he trusts more than the Lord told him not to obey the LORD by reading his bible and praying. He, like many other people, listens to the opinions of other people more than what the Bible commands. You may ask: what does this have to do with self-discipline? Well, you will find out shortly!

How to Exercise Self-discipline as a Christian

Briefly, self-discipline is the ability to control one’s feelings and desires to overcome self-deception and self-contentment. Our feelings run rampant within us, and as humans we respond to any situation through our emotions, whether it be negative or positive. Therefore, our emotions, which will determine our actions, should be carefully balanced against the word of God. If we, for instance, obey our feelings every time to respond to a given situation, this would result in us being selfish and biased. Scripturally, self-discipline involves being under the direction of the Holy Spirit and we know self-control tempers the severity of excessive behaviour (Galatians 5:22-23). Amongst our Christian duties, we must live to please God (Romans 7:4-6; Romans 12:2; Ephesians 5:10; Colossians 1:10).

As Christians, we are encouraged to apply self-discipline to every area of our lives, including our thoughts (2 Corinthians 10:5), our feelings (Leviticus 19:17-18; 1 Peter 2:11), our speech (Psalm 39:1; James 3:7-8), eating and drinking habits (Proverbs 23:2, 20; Amos 6:4-6; Ephesians 5:18), and our sexual behaviour (1 Corinthians 7:9; 1 Thessalonians 4:4-5). When we consider the fruit of the Holy Spirit, we ought to apply and exercise self-control in addition to our obedience to the Lord.

Furthermore, it takes disciple to submit to correction (Psalm 141:5). We can't call ourselves a Christian when we are head-strong and not submissive to a word of disciple for ill behaviour. If a well-meaning brother or sister uses the word of God us to corrects then it is God correcting us (Hebrews 3:13; 1 Thessalonians 5:11). Instead, we should humbly accept rebuke and discipline our life's according to such correction!

Also, we should not call ourselves a Christian when we run to some excuse every time when it is time to pray, do Bible reading or witnessing (Luke 14:18-20; Exodus 4:10-14; Luke 9:59-62). Not only is this ill-discipline; our interest is clearly not to please God but your own selfish ways.

 

Again, we should not call ourselves a Christian when we complain to do the will of God; our attitude should just be obeying Him with a humble attitude and by faith (Philippians 2:14; Ephesians 5:1-20; 6:5-8). “For it is God's will that by doing right you should put to silence the ignorance of foolish men” (1 Peter 2:15).


Additionally, how can we say we are Christian when we disobey the Holy Spirit every time He convicts us to avoid a certain decisions which may result in some questionable behaviour; He is correcting us to discipline our lives according to Christ’s example.  When the Holy Spirit convicts us of sin in our hearts and convicts us, we need to respond without delay and bring  such matter to God in prayer for deliverance. The Bible says "He who covers his sins will not prosper, but whoever confesses and forsakes them will have mercy." (Proverbs 28:13) Thus, if we discern the Spirit is convicting us, we don't resist Him, but we should submit to emerge as truly transformed God-fearing Christians. The Bible declares, "Today if you hear His voice, do not harden your heart" (Hebrews 3:7-8, 15; 4:7) From experience, we learned that resisting and ignoring the Holy Spirit could be consequential and this 'grieves' Him (Ephesians 4:30).

Exercise Self-discipline Consistently

It is a fact, some of us are not good at self-coaching. We are prone to ignore our short-comings, and justifying our actions even when we are aware that our progress is not steady. Like we iterated in our previous articles many Christians are being overcame by a spirit of laziness which results in procrastination they never accomplish the things they set out to do for God. I have seen many men who claimed to have heard from God to do some ministry work, but when such work fails, they ramp up excuses. Caution, if your ministry fails because you were not on your guard (self-disciplined) (1 Peter 5:8), you need not look further than your own attitude. Such failure occurs because we were disobedient and we failed to employ Godly discipline and faithfulness (1 Corinthians 1:9). Biblically, a faithful person is someone who can be trusted; and we are said to be faithful when we are seen doing what we promised and are expected to do. If we continuously makes empty promises, relaxing through the false hope of excuses, are we not ill-disciplined? If we don’t do against our own will what is Biblically expected of us, are we not being ill-disciplined? Being self-disciplined is strictly going against the wishes of our own appetites and cravings in obedience to realising our mission (1 Corinthians 9:26-27).

Let's be honest, people often exercise self-discipline only when they need something, like the attending to  strict training regimen to compete in some competition, and once they succeeded and received what they needed, they return to their former ways. Under normal circumstances, we consider such people as being successful because they were self-disciplined; they faithfully applied and obeyed all the rules to accomplish their goals. In the Christian walk, we are encouraged to 'press on' in discipline to reach our goal of salvation (Philippians 3:14). Since we are weak and gives up easily, we often rely on others to encourage and motivate us to achieve some goal, like dieting, achieving some qualification or any personal ambition. In Christ, however, because of the promised glory, and the encouragement coming from the Scriptures and the Holy Spirit we should exercise self-discipline (1Corinthians 9:24-27).

Within the Christian race, we have holy rules to comply with, those rules forms part of our “training” regimen. These rules are laid out for us in the entire Bible, and in order for us to achieve the crown of life we must allow virtues of self-discipline, faithfulness, holiness, obedience, love, purity, fellowship with God, Godly manners and faith (2 Peter 1:5-11).

Personally, before I received my breakthrough in the Lord some years ago, I also followed the Lord very inconsistently. Back then, I committed myself to the Lord as the mood dictates, there might be many who follows a similar pattern they pray when they feel like, they read the bible when we feel like, they fellowship with the brethren when it suits them and they witness when we like to. Additionally, some even do right only selectively, not faithfully as God commanded. We may quote the Scriptures at length to try and impress others and showing off our Bible knowledge, but the most important thing however, is how much of it are you applying?

Let us pose some direct question just for introspection, are you doing right selectively or perhaps when you are with Christians, but when you are alone or in the company of unbelievers you smother the truth and act just like the mockers?  Also, do you act with integrity and self-discipline when others watch you, but when they not around, you show your true being?  If so, we encourage you to STOP your deceitful ways and live by the truth for your own good. Remember, a deceitful Christian bears a bad testimony and no self-discipline is evident, but only a spirit of unfaithfulness and an unstable relationship with God.

In conclusion, self-disciplined Christians keep their word and promises even if it means you have to sacrifice a less important commitment (Psalm 15:4). We may also say that a well disciplined Christian has unquestionable good mannerism, friendly and never neglecting to follow and obey the Word of the Lord.

As always, we would like to extend an invitation to anyone who does not know the Lord Jesus Christ yet, or of you are not born again, to pray our suggested prayer on this link Prayer of Sincere Repentance by faith and follow the Lord (Matthew 4:19). You may also contact us for any questions or comments about this article or our ministry.

Blessed grace and peace,

Brother Glenn.