Don't saddle it if you can't ride it

[Frank Lee]

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Be careful what you put a saddle on. You might not be able to ride it. I watched a wonderful church go down the tube once. It was an UGLY, SAD experience. It was a spirit filled Holy Spirit church and where my wife and I went right after getting saved then baptized in the Holy Spirit. There were deliverances, salvations, helps, encouragements, gifts of the spirit operating, street ministries. A cornucopia of the love of God flowing onto the needy like me and many many others.

But the church leaders took their eyes off Jesus and put them on the so called prosperity message. The "God wants us all to be millionaires" fairy tale. The spirit of the Lord ever so slowly drained from that assembly like a pond with a leak in the dam. The music got louder and louder and the anointing of the Holy Spirit got less and less. Finally we left the church where so many wonderful things happened. The spring where thirsty souls came to drink had dried up.

It happens to individuals too. Promotions, wealth, sudden fame. I've seen Christians that were elected as a deacon or elder get puffed up with pride so that they become little egotistical tyrants instead of being humble servants. Watch your step. If you think it can't happen to you then you're a blue ribbon candidate.

Let God choose your mounts for you. He'll never put you up on anything that he doesn't help you to subdue.

James 4:6 (NKJV)

But He gives more grace. Therefore He says:
“God resists the proud,
But gives grace to the humble.”

 

[ScottA]

Good one Frank!

My wife and I have attended 4 different churches that fell apart. We started to get a complex - like maybe it was us...not really. We tried to help to no avail. It seems there is a bit of "I am" even in the bad stuff - people are what they are and do what they will do, even if it's wrong...all too much.

Good thing God is in control.

 

[DPMartin]

well said frank, that's true in all aspect of life in the case of those who walk with God, if you are the judge of what is good for you, then you've failed already.

many seem to think that God's is to grant what ever a Christian wants, you know a whishing well god. not how it work man, we are to agree, submit to God's Judgements of what is good for us. now those who don't walk with Him don't have that issue because they are not bound to the agreement the contract the covenant our Lord Jesus Christ, note the word Lord, a title of the covenant. I mean the agreement is that He is your Lord correct? therefore He sees to it what is good for you, just as any head of household is responsible for deciding what is good for the household.

 

[Garrison]

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Be careful what you put a saddle on. You might not be able to ride it. I watched a wonderful church go down the tube once. It was an UGLY, SAD experience. It was a spirit filled Holy Spirit church and where my wife and I went right after getting saved then baptized in the Holy Spirit. There were deliverances, salvations, helps, encouragements, gifts of the spirit operating, street ministries. A cornucopia of the love of God flowing onto the needy like me and many many others.

But the church leaders took their eyes off Jesus and put them on the so called prosperity message. The "God wants us all to be millionaires" fairy tale. The spirit of the Lord ever so slowly drained from that assembly like a pond with a leak in the dam. The music got louder and louder and the anointing of the Holy Spirit got less and less. Finally we left the church where so many wonderful things happened. The spring where thirsty souls came to drink had dried up.

It happens to individuals too. Promotions, wealth, sudden fame. I've seen Christians that were elected as a deacon or elder get puffed up with pride so that they become little egotistical tyrants instead of being humble servants. Watch your step. If you think it can't happen to you then you're a blue ribbon candidate.

Let God choose your mounts for you. He'll never put you up on anything that he doesn't help you to subdue.

James 4:6 (NKJV)

But He gives more grace. Therefore He says:
“God resists the proud,
But gives grace to the humble.”

 

[Garrison]

God chooses mounts for nobody.

Prob. 16:9, "A man's heart chooses his path, but God directs his steps."

Go ahead and see what The Holy Spirit says about this before having another slip up.

 

[aspen]

Unfortunately, nothing brings out ego like church. Of course, all the big fish in the little pond should be taught how to overthrow their Old Man, but instead, many churches end up doing the opposite and actually cultivating ego.....

 

[Garrison]

Unfortunately, nothing brings out ego like church. Of course, all the big fish in the little pond should be taught how to overthrow their Old Man, but instead, many churches end up doing the opposite and actually cultivating ego.....

Tell me how churches cultivate ego.

 

[pia]

1499723099663-360x640

Be careful what you put a saddle on. You might not be able to ride it. I watched a wonderful church go down the tube once. It was an UGLY, SAD experience. It was a spirit filled Holy Spirit church and where my wife and I went right after getting saved then baptized in the Holy Spirit. There were deliverances, salvations, helps, encouragements, gifts of the spirit operating, street ministries. A cornucopia of the love of God flowing onto the needy like me and many many others.

But the church leaders took their eyes off Jesus and put them on the so called prosperity message. The "God wants us all to be millionaires" fairy tale. The spirit of the Lord ever so slowly drained from that assembly like a pond with a leak in the dam. The music got louder and louder and the anointing of the Holy Spirit got less and less. Finally we left the church where so many wonderful things happened. The spring where thirsty souls came to drink had dried up.

It happens to individuals too. Promotions, wealth, sudden fame. I've seen Christians that were elected as a deacon or elder get puffed up with pride so that they become little egotistical tyrants instead of being humble servants. Watch your step. If you think it can't happen to you then you're a blue ribbon candidate.

Let God choose your mounts for you. He'll never put you up on anything that he doesn't help you to subdue.

James 4:6 (NKJV)

But He gives more grace. Therefore He says:
“God resists the proud,
But gives grace to the humble.”

Hello Frank....Amazing post, makes one want to weep. I too have seen a similar thing, where our Pastor went off the deep end, because he thought he had been chosen by God to bring all the churches together, which we didn't know when we first joined. He went as far as saying that he believed he was the Michael spoken of, in the book of Revelation, which the rest of us had thought to be speaking of the Archangel Michael. He too had gotten hold of the Americanized version of the Gospel, about God wanting us all to have everything........I have noticed that our enemy has two basic tricks up his sleeve. He either does all he can to make a person believe there is NO God, and if he can't do that, he just gets people to completely pervert the Truth, either way they become unfruitful in the earth.
Thank our Holy Father that He always has a remnant hidden in Him........

 

[aspen]

Tell me how churches cultivate ego.

Anyone who has been employed or volunteered for a leadership position in a church has run into situations like; committee leaders jockeying for power; driven members of the congregation volunteering for every ministry and controlling everyone involved; ministers preaching arrogance from the pulpit......

Working in ministry is not easy because it is often disorganized, territorial and ego driven.

Church has a reputation for attracting unqualified volunteers seeking power and ministers who enjoy the spotlight and adoration of a captive audience.

There is a grain of truth in the stereotype; genius psychopaths go to Wall Street, average psychopaths go into the pulpit.

 

[Angelina]

Well said Frank Lee. A good read!

 

[pia]

Human beings are very prone to get caught up in the competition of any hierarchy. Jesus was very clear with His disciples, that it should not be so among them, but men came in very quickly and spread lies among the people, and it didn't take long for the true Gospel to be utterly diluted.
Take the example of what happened in Cornelius' household, how this gentile was first told by the Lord to expect Peter, and Peter was asked of the Lord to go to Cornelius, and then The Holy Spirit fell on that entire household, as it had on the day of Pentecost. This is the way things were supposed to happen, but where did all that go? Seems only a few people here and there even believe that
God can still do miracles...........The men who put themselves in charge of the new church, took a pure thing and muddied it, and it has gotten muddier and muddier over the centuries, spread over many many different doctrines and traditions of men, just as Jesus foretold them ( the wolves in sheep's clothing).
Praise His Holy Name that He will bring together His bride, and send those out to invite the guests. Good thing it's not left up to us, that would be a true disaster..

 

[Garrison]

Anyone who has been employed or volunteered for a leadership position in a church has run into situations like; committee leaders jockeying for power; driven members of the congregation volunteering for every ministry and controlling everyone involved; ministers preaching arrogance from the pulpit......

Working in ministry is not easy because it is often disorganized, territorial and ego driven.

Church has a reputation for attracting unqualified volunteers seeking power and ministers who enjoy the spotlight and adoration of a captive audience.

There is a grain of truth in the stereotype; genius psychopaths go to Wall Street, average psychopaths go into the pulpit.

There was nothing in your reply which identified how churches actually cultivate egos. It simply illustrated how they attract egos, which is quite easy to observe.

If you wish, I do know many of the ways churches in fact do cultivate egos. They are often quite good at doing so.

 

[aspen]

There was nothing in your reply which identified how churches actually cultivate egos. It simply illustrated how they attract egos, which is quite easy to observe.

If you wish, I do know many of the ways churches in fact do cultivate egos. They are often quite good at doing so.

I am interested in what you have to say. I tend to think theology and dualism play significant roles in cultivating ego

 

[Garrison]

I am interested in what you have to say. I tend to think theology and dualism play significant roles in cultivating ego

1.) Insecure preachers use their ego from the pulpit to enact their job as they think it is to be done, and the church members imitate them.

2.) Loud mouthed preachers tout the superiority of Christianity, eliciting and justifying pride and arrogance in their listeners.

3.) Christians are told by preachers they can "claim" whatever Scripture they want to, creating a false sense of power.

4.) Loud and boisterous congregational worship creates active adrenalin and energized imaginations, which are then manipulated by the preacher to entice people to believe things they normally would not accept.

5.) Preachers of so called "pentecostal" churches tell their people they are "royal kings," better than the unsaved outside in the World.

6.) Preachers conduct their sermons to suggest if the listeners just agree with the preacher they will then have a greater spirituality in place next week.

7.) Christians are taught because they have had their sins forgiven and washed by Jesus' Blood, they then are better than the unforgiven rabble outside of the church.

8.) Christians are taught to think if they understand a few things in The Bible, they are then more righteous before God.

9.) Christians are informed either directly or indirectly if they belong to Jesus then He loves them more than lost people.

10.) Christians are constantly hearing the message that Jesus has selected them personally for Salvation.

 

[aspen]

1.) Insecure preachers use their ego from the pulpit to enact their job as they think it is to be done, and the church members imitate them.

2.) Loud mouthed preachers tout the superiority of Christianity, eliciting and justifying pride and arrogance in their listeners.

3.) Christians are told by preachers they can "claim" whatever Scripture they want to, creating a false sense of power.

4.) Loud and boisterous congregational worship creates active adrenalin and energized imaginations, which are then manipulated by the preacher to entice people to believe things they normally would not accept.

5.) Preachers of so called "pentecostal" churches tell their people they are "royal kings," better than the unsaved outside in the World.

6.) Preachers conduct their sermons to suggest if the listeners just agree with the preacher they will then have a greater spirituality in place next week.

7.) Christians are taught because they have had their sins forgiven and washed by Jesus' Blood, they then are better than the unforgiven rabble outside of the church.

8.) Christians are taught to think if they understand a few things in The Bible, they are then more righteous before God.

9.) Christians are informed either directly or indirectly if they belong to Jesus then He loves them more than lost people.

10.) Christians are constantly hearing the message that Jesus has selected them personally for Salvation.

Indeed. I think the pastors are following and teaching Old Testament morality; which is the ends justifying the mean; meant to be cautionary, not followed literally as a good example.

 

[bbyrd009]

God chooses mounts for nobody.

Prob. 16:9, "A man's heart chooses his path, but God directs his steps."

Go ahead and see what The Holy Spirit says about this before having another slip up.

ha well, looks like you'll end up just having a semantics argument there. Is the "mount" the "path" or the "steps" iow?

 

[bbyrd009]

God chooses mounts for nobody.

Prob. 16:9, "A man's heart chooses his path, but God directs his steps."

Go ahead and see what The Holy Spirit says about this before having another slip up.

ha well, looks like you'll end up just having a semantics argument there. Is the "mount" the "path" or the "steps" iow?

 

[bbyrd009]

Unfortunately, nothing brings out ego like church.

ha amen--let's gather all of those afraid of a hell that they cannot even prove from the Book together in one building lol, can't think of a worse place to find Christ myself.

 

[bbyrd009]

genius psychopaths go to Wall Street, average psychopaths go into the pulpit.

could even be the other way around; after all, in Wall Street one will always be around perceived equals, whereas "pastor" is rarely contested?

 

[Garrison]

Indeed. I think the pastors are following and teaching Old Testament morality; which is the ends justifying the mean; meant to be cautionary, not followed literally as a good example.