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Cousins of God
January 17, 2006
(amended March 29, 2006)
Greetings in the Name of Our Lord Jesus Christ,
Have you ever noticed that the Bible only refers to “children of God” or some form of that relationship? Why does it not once mention the grandchildren of God or the cousins of God?
These questions tie back to earlier articles on this web site just as the whole of God’s Word, though inspired and collected together over a period of 1500 years, relates every part to the whole. The purpose for God creating us, and all that we know, in six literal days was to have a creature which could have a relationship with Him. Many folks these days do not fully understand what a godly, true relationship entails, even in the Body of Christ. There exists a true relationship ONLY where there is choice. It has been said that “true love is a decision, not a feeling.” To see that this is true, all we have to do is walk with Jesus through his crucifixion ordeal. He did not feel like going to the Cross. We know that from reading His prayer in the Garden of Gethsemane. He went anyway. Because He decided to love: “Yet not my will, but Thine.”
The epistle of First John spells out the qualifications for “children of God” when it says in Chapter 3, verse 10: “In this the children of God are manifest, and the children of the devil: whosoever doeth not righteousness is not of God, neither he that loveth not his brother.” And then again in Chapter 4, verse 20, John says: “If a man say, I love God, and hateth his brother, he is a liar. For he that loveth not his brother whom he hath seen, how can he love God whom he hath not seen?” Thus we see that to be children of God, we must do his righteousness which is to love our brother without which we cannot actually love God. Or, to be children of God we must love God. Love is a choice.
This is one logical proof of the purpose of God’s Creation: He has no grandchildren. God chose to perpetuate His creation through the union of husband and wife. Man and woman entered into marriage. Each succeeding generation must choose to love Him or they will not see Heaven. I cannot enter Heaven through my parents’ righteousness or their acceptance of Jesus Christ as Savior and Lord. I must decide for myself. Although God may judge my parents regarding their priorities in raising me (was their ambition to teach me to love God or something else like Mammon?), God will not ask them, “Why did Mike not choose to love and serve me?” God will ask me that.
God is the Same Yesterday, Today and Forever (Hebrews 13:8). So, why would He not have any grandchildren in His kingdom nor cousins, yet allow this amongst His shepherds? Why am I seeing shepherds in our movement being “carried about with divers and strange doctrines?” (Hebrews 13:9) In many churches that I’ve visited I see the same disco tech settings for children’s church with the same weird program names. Did they all independently come up with the same idea all across the country? I think not! I suspect they went to a conference for “vision.” Did they get the vision by fasting and praying at the conference? I suspect they heard it from a highly paid speaker who was very persuasive and very motivational. And I also suspect that instead of fasting and praying, a lot of dining at fine restaurants took place (at the expense of the little flock back home). And perhaps there was even some viewing of pornography at the local hotel (if the wife couldn’t come along). Sorry, but since it is widely broadcast that the largest, single use of a hotel chain’s pornographic movie service ever was by a national youth pastors’ convention, this sad state of affairs regarding conferences must be placed fully in the light. Although national or regional church conferences aren’t against some eleventh commandment, I am not impressed with the product of late.
Author’s Note: the article that I refer to above made no mention of any denomination. Consequently, the Assemblies of God was NOT implicated (nor exonerated) in this article. My apologies for any confusion the original statement may have caused. It was never my intent, indeed never crossed my mind, to even hint that the Assemblies of God was the guilty party. The point was that God can supply us with all the vision we can stand right from our own place of prayer at home. Conferences are not necessary and even come with their own set of perils.
Here’s an acid test for us: how many of us would ask our flocks to fund a trip to a national conference whose sole purpose was a time of fasting and prayer? No restaurants, no TV, no book sales or motivational speakers or outstanding gospel musicians. You attend, you fast, you pray, you hear from God for yourself (not through another), you go home. “But, my flock wouldn’t want to fast and pray either,” you say. Ah, but sheep follow the shepherd dear ones. And who will receive the greater judgment, you or your sheep? I say none of this to condemn. I never condemn since I am liable for condemnation myself. I say this to exhort. Our fellowship is in deep trouble. We have lost our way because we have taken our eyes off the Great Shepherd. We do not know His word anymore. Only the great promises are familiar. We do not hear about the judgments or God’s demand to “Be holy even as I am Holy.” (I Peter 1:16)Our pulpits seem to be after more sheep versus feeding the ones we have and letting them bear and nurse new sheep. I can’t remember the last time I heard a quick, but thorough sermon series on the two epistles to Timothy. They provide such a marvelous outline for proper Christian conduct inside the church.
I also see pastors of churches making long trips to the mecca of this or that. Some pastors have found a mecca where they paid thousands of dollars to another so-called shepherd, who is selling his relationship with God, his so-called vision for money! Hirelings both! Imagine having a “franchise” of God’s vision for your very own. You did not have to fast and pray to hear from God for your flock. All you had to do to feed Jesus’ sheep was go to the shepherd over the nearby mountain and pay him! Brethren, it ought not to be so! God has no cousins. He wants you to communicate directly with Him and choose to love and worship Him. Communicating with, loving and worshiping the shepherd of some enormously successful church over the mountain is idolatry!
Please do not commit the sin of trying to buy your relationship with God. Do you not remember the stories of Ananias and Sapphira and of Simon (Acts 5 and 8 respectively) that sought God’s gifts through their money? Paying for love is called whoredom on the streets. God’s harshest judgments were reserved for Israel’s “whoring” after other gods. Are we worshiping the god of someone else’s vision (and big numbers)?
It is time to repent oh shepherds. Time to ask God to forgive us that we did not take the time nor have the faith to wait for God to show us how we should find the green pastures and still waters for our little flocks.
Your Humble Servant for the Gospel’s Sake,
Brother Mike
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