14 Man’s Vain Counsel

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Yesterday, Palm Sunday, April 5th, Susan and I made our first short podcast to communicate with the people of our church who are online. I dug out the equipment we had to make our radio show years ago and set it up for podcasting. The podcast was very awkward and stiff, but we finally worked out the bugs and came up to the task. I am very resistant to doing church this way, but everyone tells me it’s necessary during times like this. I pray it was an encouragement to those in our church who have access to our Facebook and YouTube pages.

However, being that most of our church grew up in a different generation, there are not many of them who use the internet. Several have cell phones now, but not the kind you would use for browsing the internet. We will be sending out a church-wide letter to all our people this week in celebration of Easter. I hope we will reach more through it and let them know how much we miss doing church with them.

All that has transpired has happened during a critical time in my life. I felt that I too was slipping into that previous generation mode. I’ve voiced several times that all the changes and new ways of doing church have added nothing to my life or ministry. At the beginning of the year I made a commitment to God to follow his Spirit no matter what everyone around me said I needed to be doing. Year after year I have tried to incorporate all the new teachings and piles and piles of new books into the way I do church. It just leaves me and our people wore out with the latest fad.

I am reminded of the things Paul said about the religious leaders who were before him, and also about the Apostles in Jerusalem. 

As for those who were held in high esteem—whatever they were makes no difference to me;
God does not show favoritism—they added nothing to my message.

Galatians 2:4 NIV

Even though those around him were calling Paul to account for his ministry and to try and fit in with what others were doing, he found that it only hindered the move of God through his life. We have refined this into a saying at Calvary: Hear what he says, do what he says. It’s hard when so many know better what you ought to do than you do. Well, at least in their opinion. We have a serious problem with judging others as a church, but I too have a serious problem with fearing what others think of me. As a result, I become reactionary in my behavior. Which leads me to do things based upon expectation rather than the direction of the Holy Spirit.

The good thing that this present crisis has revealed to me is that none of those who were telling me what they thought I ought to be doing know what they are now doing either. It shows that apart from attending the church house and providing the finances to keep it afloat, the people of God do little else in the way of ministry. So what do we do? We try to replicate a church service over the internet. We simply don’t know how to change.

I have worked so hard to change and ended up finding myself fighting against who God has made me to be. I now am not a person who is taken by every new thing that comes down the pike. I weary with all the “new stuff” when we haven’t even applied the previous stuff. We need to end this in two ways: 1) quit falling back into the old ruts of the past and 2) quit chasing after the new things that promise to fix all our problems as a church.

This reminds me of the believers in the book of Acts that remained in Jerusalem after the Day of Pentecost. They were having a good time, but not following the Lord’s direction. You might not see it in these verses, but you will later in the book of Acts:

46 Every day they continued to meet together in the temple courts.
They broke bread in their homes and ate together
with glad and sincere hearts, 
47 praising God and enjoying
the favor of all the people. And the Lord added to their
number daily those who were being saved.”

Acts 2:46, 47 NIV

This was not a bad thing, but it overlooks the command to “go into all the world and preach the gospel.” (Mark 16:15 NIV).

It wasn’t until the persecution arose over the stoning of Stephen that the church began to disperse and fulfill its mission. However, instead of moving forth in faith they clung in fear to what remained. This brought a man named Paul on the scene who was the epitome of all they feared. We know from Acts that God changed his heart and made Paul an Apostle to the Gentiles. Because the early believers would only preach the gospel to other Jews.

Now those who had been scattered by the persecution
that broke out when Stephen was killed traveled as far as Phoenicia,
Cyprus and Antioch, spreading the word only among Jews.

Acts 11:19 NIV

Paul acted differently. Why? Because he thought differently. Why? Because he listened differently. When most of us keep our ear to the ground listening for the next thing that’s coming (so we can react instead of act), Paul kept is inner ear close to the heart of God. Rather than doing what everyone thought he ought to be doing, he chose to be Spirit led and directed in his ministry.

11 I want you to know, brothers and sisters, that the gospel I preached
is not of human origin. 
12 I did not receive it from any man,
nor was I taught it; rather, I received it by revelation from Jesus Christ.”

Galatians 1:11, 12 NIV

Oh, that I could have my life back and do more of what God was showing me, rather than what man was telling me! This is my encouragement today, quit seeking so much worldly advice and seek the direction of the Holy Spirit. May we fully yield our lives to him so that he can direct us daily. Piles of books and lengthy counseling sessions will not do near as much as time spent in the presence of God learning to hear his voice and follow his leading.

“The steps of a good man are ordered by the LORD:
and he delighteth in his way.”

Psalm 37:23 KJV

May God delight to see your progress as you learn to listen for his leading. Keep yourselves safe because “vain is the help of man.” 

“Give us help from trouble: for vain is the help of man.”

Psalm 60:11 KJV

Pastor Brian Jenkins

Calvary Assemblies of God

Calvary Assemblies of God | 720 N Plum St Union City IN 47390 | Pastor Brian P. Jenkins |  (765) 229-4013 | www.calvaryassembliesofgod.org