I’m sitting in a house in the countryside of Finland, reflecting on my trip to the UK, Italy, and here in Finland the past 3 weeks.
* A topic that came up repeatedly, often from pastors, is that some in their church are causing problems, whether it’s complaining because the sermons carry too much truth and are disturbing their comfort bubbles, or, they’re causing strife and division other ways. The enemy has his trojan horses filled with those who know how to speak Christian and are causing damage in the church. The apostle Paul encountered this and gave us clear instructions on what to do.
”I appeal to you, brothers, to watch out for those who cause divisions and create obstacles contrary to the doctrine that you have been taught; avoid them. For such persons do not serve our Lord Christ, but their own appetites, and by smooth talk and flattery they deceive the hearts of the naive.”
Romans 6:17-18
“But avoid foolish controversies, genealogies, dissensions, and quarrels about the law, for they are unprofitable and worthless. As for a person who stirs up division, after warning him once and then twice, have nothing more to do with him, knowing that such a person is warped and sinful; he is self-condemned.”
Titus 3:9-10
A church at war can’t tolerate those who would split their ranks. We can’t allow the fear of what will happen if we’re not nice keep us from defending the territory God has given us, which can mean asking someone who is causing problems to leave. This doesn’t mean we go on witch hunts, and there is a Biblical process that includes multiple warnings, as Paul showed above.
* Many of God’s people are struggling with fear. I spoke on fear at a church in Italy last week. After my message I usually break people up for sharing and prayer afterward as this opens the door for healing (James 5:16). I heard stories of people who shared that they were having a hard time with fear. Fear is one of the enemy’s weapons against God’s people in the last days (Luke 21:25-26). We do well to equip those who are hurting on how to overcome in this area.
By the way, I got hit with a fear attack the morning of the night I was going to speak on fear, which shows that the enemy doesn’t want us going there.
* The tragedy of many of our youth falling away. I heard stories of youth who had wandered away from God. A few came back. Some haven’t. This is a dangerous arena with serious eternal ramifications. When Jesus told the story of the prodigal son He didn’t tell us what would happen if the prodigal never returned home. There are no guarantees. Christians living together before marriage has been widespread for years. One pastor told me that 90% of those who came to him for premarital counseling were living together. Add an unbeliever to the mix and it can be a setup for drifting from God. This reveals a massive fail on our part to speak clearly and often to sexual issues. It boggles my mind why we’re not hearing pull-out-all-the-stops messages on Sunday mornings about the dangers of losing our youth. Sure, we’ll hear about the pockets of conversions here and there, but if many are hitting the exits what does that mean about the way we’re doing church?
* Some are burnt out, exhausted, inches away from a collapse, even a nervous breakdown. If that’s you, stop, pray, rest, reset your priorities, ask God to give you clarity on any changes that are needed, pray more, and go with what He gives you. If you’re consistently run down your heart is telling you it needs attention and something needs to change. There are situations when we’re called to pour everything out for awhile and will become weary (I go through that often), but we can’t live in that space. Rest is a critical part of the Christian life in these last days.
“He shall speak words against the Most High,
and shall wear out the saints of the Most High”
Daniel 7:25 (emphasis mine)
In every situation, prayer is critical, whether for wisdom, strength, guidance, or the power to overcome in spiritual warfare.
Last night, here in Finland I had a dark dream that had a witch in it. When I woke up out of it I said out loud something like “In the name of Jesus I command any evil spirits coming against me to leave my presence and go where Jesus sends you to go.” My friends, the battles aren’t going to let up; they’re intensifying. The daily reports of Christians men and women who are caught up in sexual sin or some kind of abuse appear to be increasing. Be careful with your heart – especially the thoughts you allow in – and stay strong in prayer. We’ve got just one shot at this life. Make it count.
And if you need help, reply to this email.