Monday 29 February 2016

#1 leadership warning signs

Jesus warned us to not be deceived many times.  Today there is much deception in the church from leaders. I'm sure they exist, but I'm not sure any leader would intend on deceiving, it is more the case that they get deceived to become a deceiver.   In this observation I want to draw us to Peters encouragement to 'wholesome thinking' in 2 Pet 3:1.  He wants us to pay attention to the Prophets and the Apostles, through whom the Lord worked and spoke ie. the Old and New Testament writings.


1.  Read Jeremiah 6.  It is a warning of God's Judgement on Jerusalem.  From 6:13

13 13 “From the least to the greatest,
    all are greedy for gain;
prophets and priests alike,
    all practice deceit.
14 They dress the wound of my people
    as though it were not serious.
‘Peace, peace,’ they say,
    when there is no peace.
15 Are they ashamed of their detestable conduct?
    No, they have no shame at all;
    they do not even know how to blush.
So they will fall among the fallen;
    they will be brought down when I punish them,”
says the Lord.

Much of today's leadership speak messages that do not contain the warnings and admonishments of God's word.  It is a feel good gospel that has no sword that divides (Heb 4:12).  The reason is because they know a message that 'ruffles the feathers' may risk someone not attending.  Non attendance places a risk over the money that comes in from the tithe.  To make sure people stay the message gets watered down.  

The 'dressing of the wounds' is the message that puts plasters on deep cuts in the believers.  These cuts need cleaning, stitching up and bandaging.  What has caused the wounds?  It is the word of God, the Holy Spirit has exposed the flesh and called for holiness.  But the message doesn't call the believers out on it.  The seriousness of wrong practise and unrighteousness is not addressed and therefore the believer doesn't have to address and assess self.  

The elephant in the room of course is the way this is occurring in the New Covenant.  In the Old Covenant you had priests and prophets to speak the word of God and the hearers acted accordingly.  We shouldn't even have the 'priest-figure' at all.  So the error of today is the 'priests' are acting like Old Covenant priests by the way they posture as 'God's man or woman.'  They also masquerade as prophets by saying they speak the 'word of God.'  Then they don't correct the believers who gather to treat them like priests and in fact, many revel in the way this raises their status as a believer.  

There is an art in making believers feel pacified about their lives.  It is the skill to know all the right things that make westerners feel comfortable.  Don't tell them they need to die to self, but if you do tell them, don't market God's process (which is agony).  Don't tell them they have a responsibility to walk in the light of their status as a child of God (which is a moment by moment challenge).  Make their Christian life and success about an external Key Performance Indicators wrapped up in serving... ahem... the church.  Make them enter a 'we can become...' mindset where they will never suspect that if they are born again... they already have become!

I take this as a warning to me, that I will speak out God's word fearlessly and not compromise the message for the sake of gain.  That gain doesn't have to be financial, It can be the gains of the ego when we see many following us.  The Gospel is all about us dying to self in order to make God have all the gains, or 'glory' as it is.  May we all take God at His word and allow the scripture to break our hearts open.

Gary Ward

Wednesday 24 February 2016

Oh How He loves me!

Many of my writings are dealing with the often difficult walk we have as Christians.  I can sometimes neglect the elephant in the room ... that my Father in heaven loves me and you totally.  I have a fair knowledge of the workings of the cross and can readily explain some of the achievements of Calvary.   It is often good to come out from the Greek text and theology to gaze at the plain truth of the cross:  This is the length my Father in Heaven would go to rescue me from my self.  His love for me is THAT much... that he would crush His own Son in order for me to be off the hook.  Let's have a 'Selah' moment, a moment to really have that sink in.

God, the creator of the universe, has such a regard toward me that He would allow his innocent Son to receive the penalty for my sin - something that is an act of pure rebellion towards Him.  So it is more important that I will forever be with Him than it is that I wilfully do the opposite of His will. God knew that once He shows me Jesus, He would be the darling of my existence.  And the wildest thing about that is my Father in Heaven gives me the ability to see Jesus this way.  

About 10 years ago I wrote a song called 'Who you are' and the idea was to get away from the practise of assessing our lives to see God's love based on 'stuff.'  From the idea that 'stuff' underlines our blessing gives rise to the prosperity gospel - a false teaching that our status, wealth, possessions or level of notoriety in Christian circles is an indication of God's blessing.  All of these CAN be blessing from God but not necessarily a system of blessing.  Much of the church today are trying to appear blessed by accumulating things.  The problem we have is starting points.  Has your life accumulated things from the hand of God or are you demonstrating the hand of God by accumulating things?  The latter is an error.  Its not error to have things... its just wrong to point at them and use the things as an indication of blessing-levels.

My Father demonstrated His love for me at Calvary and by including me in the New Covenant before Creation (read Ephesians and Romans).  He gave me the most beautiful 'Eve', my wife, Helen.  He also blessed me with my Children who aren't so much children any more.  He blessed me with a life that has challenges, so I can grow.  He has blessed me by facilitating a life in a warm climate, something good for our health as a family.  He has also blessed me with work to be able to engage the western systems and structures we have to live in.  He has more recently allowed us to buy a house 600 meters from the Indian Ocean.  I can hear the waves from my bedroom.  The Lord has also blessed me by dragging me by the scruff of the soul out from the church systems that history formed.  He allowed me to see ekklesia as per the scriptures.  He is delivering me from a great enemy and threat to me... me!  He has given the grace to relay His truth through various means.  I give thanks for this and many more things daily.   He is lavishing his love on me and my family all the time.  

So do I have 'stuff?'  Yes!  But it's all from the hand of God.  And that means that whether we are well catered for or in poor circumstances (that has happened also) it is all from the hand of God. And that has to be enough!  Oh how He loves me to lavish this upon me, a sinner saved by Grace.  It will always be the cross that says "you are loved" by the Almighty Lord and Creator of all things. 

Gary Ward 

Monday 22 February 2016

Understanding the Trinity?

You can argue if you want to but God is three separate persons in Scripture.  This has always been a struggle for believers to get to grips with but for us it may be just a little easier.  In the opening centuries the word 'Trinity' was used to describe this 'three is ...er... one' thing.  The word doesn't appear in the Bible but the word 'Soup' doesn't appear in the ingredients of mushed together food products. Like 'Trinity,' 'Soup' is just a word to label the contents.  So... It's just a word.  What gets quite interesting is to fathom how the very distinct three are actually one.  And just in case you stop reading here... they are... actually one!  It's all true.

In modern times we have to come to terms that there is provably more to this universe than meets the eye.  We live in four dimensions, time being a physical dimension (thanks Einstein).  It is not conjecture that there are more dimensions we are not able to access.  Do some research on this but beware of the ideas that claim there are other universes and other ridiculous claims.  Science has shown that there are dimensions in which our four dimensional reality exist.  Some feel this is the place where the Bible says spectral beings exist and the Lord is enthroned.  It points to our reality being a kind of digital simulation occurring within a greater reality and you can read Ephesians, Colossians to hint at this being accurate.

The multi-dimensional reality beyond our own helps me with some difficult concepts.  I struggle with the idea of the Trinity because three cannot be one.  However that idea that 'three cannot be one' is based on my four dimensional existence.  My entire being has existed in this 4D world and I cannot think beyond it.  In the Multidimensional (MD) place however it is possible for three to be one.  Or more accurately, when being presented in our 4D world, the Trinity is how God helps us understand Him.

When I think of a being I think of one persona.  I cannot imagine a place where one being can be more than one being.  This is because I cannot understand the MD reality.  I imagine that in the MD reality all the rules change.  what we know about reality is based on a 4D reality.  Beyond here this will change things.  The world beyond here which the Bible talks about seems to be able to house your soul without your body.  It also allows beings to travel between MD and 4D.  Many feel the UFO sightings are not aliens but spectral beings from MD manifesting in our 4D.  I don't want to go into 'space cadet' territory with this but many things start to make sense when we consider the MD and our 4D as a subsection of it.

A while ago a friend of mine said that 0.9999 recurring actually equals 1.  For me this was intriguing because I have been satisfied that 1+1= 2.  I have been trained to think in these terms.  My friend told me that one third is 0.3333 recurring.  Then two thirds is 0.6666 recurring. So three thirds is 0.99999 recur.... hold one a second!  How is this so?  Three thirds is 1 and 0.99999 recurring.... BRAIN MALFUNCTION!  I suppose this is a poor example of how we can sign off on what reality is yet even here all is not what it seems.  I often do this thing where I say my mother was 30 when she gave birth to me.  I was a thirtieth of her age.  In 15 years she was 45 and I was then a third of her age!  In another 15 years I was HALF her age!!  This is a trick with starting points et al but causes a few raised eyebrows in company.  Back to some biblical (specul)observations:

Did we lose some dimensionality when the fall occurred?  How did Jesus do what he did when resurrected before He ascended?  As believers we are 'seated in heavenly places with Christ' while alive... can it be that a part of us is already present in the MD?  Can it be that miracles are the manifestation of MD reality imposing itself in 4D existence?  Paul speaks of our sudden transformation at Jesus' coming and we meet Him in the air... all possible because of the properties of a MD reality?

Let's just recalibrate for a second.  The Bible is consistent with these observations but what are we given to focus on?  I think it is a good thing to think over such things (Pr 25:2) but not be dragged away into false teachings.  Good people are getting carried away with these matters and now we have 'portals' where the Lord can bless you or angels / demons can come through.  Nothing biblical about that for sure!  What we are given as a focal point is a Man. His name is Jesus as He is the Lord God of all creation.  In our seeking and searching let's remain Christ centred, trusting Him to lead us in paths of righteousness.   If He does dwell in a multi-dimensional reality, He is sure capable of fixing us and delivering us into our futures.  Put your trust in God, although we don't fully grasp the 'three is one' teaching of the Bible, at least we can start to understand why it is hard to understand.

Gary Ward


Friday 19 February 2016

Is it 'Him' or 'it' you want?

In the first chapters of John's gospel Jesus finds a couple of men following Him.  To me that would be enough but Jesus did this: 

"But when Jesus turned around and saw them following, he asked them, “What are you looking for?”

Jesus says this to us constantly.  The answer to this question really only has two categories.  It is either 'Him' we are looking for or something else... the 'it.'  It is impossible to detect in a home or hall full of believers what their core motivation is.  Also, if we start casting aspersions without data, we a perilously close to judging.  Also it is crucial to recognise people can, and do, change.  Over a long time though we will see what the person has been pursuing within the parenthesis of 'christianity.'   This observation is referring to people who are true believers, it is happenning to God's children.

For some time I ran with the idea that big is beautiful regarding church.  I wanted to push back from the staid, boring church meeting that seemed to smell like mould.  I opted to be one of the pioneers that made church relevant, contemporary and cutting edge.  In doing so we lost the meaning of 'family' and crushed the authentic in the rush to help God fix the problem.  when I began recognising the plastic revival I felt led out from this.  Others still pursue the high octane meetings because it attracts people who are looking for 'it.'  I have no comment on the degree 'Him' comes into it but as 'it' becomes louder, media savvy and seemingly successful, the crowd flocks.  People call 'it' success and pledge allegence to the leader who made 'it' happen.  "They must have 'something' genuine from God" is the conclusion.  Their profile gets raised in the hearts of the people and 'it' towers over the 'Him' that saved their souls.  

Now there is a problem with moving from 'It' to 'Him.'   It will cost you everything.  We don't really like that much at all.  Pain is to be AVOIDED.  I mean who wants to go thru a process where 'It' bleeds from our lives as God tries to have us free?  Yet this is the call.  Every 'it,' including your church, your leaders, your vision statement, your national profile, your cd sales, your gifted evangelist are all idols before God.  " But Gary, God has blessed our church!"  Really?  Isn't regular giving into a church account actually people giving money?  Isn't the presentation of cutting edge technology and media simply marketing?  Is God blessing your church or is it just another way to attract people to your project?  You don't say God is transporting you to a destination when you drive a car do you?  The car is taking you there.  In the same way, when we design and practice church our way, it is in and of itself a system.  Church 'engines' differ, but they are, in the final summation... engines!

When Jesus asked the disciples 'what are you looking for?' they answered 'where are you staying?'  Jesus said 'come and you will see.'    The disciples answer was crucial.  They wanted to know about Messiah.  This would be tested along their own journey and Mark 10 shows a couple of disciples pursuing 'it.'  It sounds very legitimate... a question about their placing in the coming kingdom, but it could become an 'it' ... a pursuit of placing over 'Him.'  

If we don't become free of pursuing 'it' we will see 'it' come to fruition.  If we pursue 'Him' we will see His will come to fruition.  Its that simple.  I see much fruit from the pursuit of 'it' everywhere.  There's little fruit from 'Him' sadly.  So if you can identify that you have made the things of Him central to your life instead of Him, you can do something about it.  Many will throw away this observation because 'It' fells better to the senses than 'Him.'

Can you choose to give all for Him?  Can you willingly forsake the rewards of this life to willfully do God's purposes?  Essentially it is a decision to place God over our own aims and objectives in Christianity. This is precisely what Jesus did in his death on the cross.  He places our welfare over his own with staggerring consequences.  Did he do that so we could morph ekklesia into a well managed organisation?  I think not.  

Gary Ward
Brother