That Old Mud Fight & the Garden Hose!

Colossians 3:13 “Make allowance for each other’s faults, & forgive anyone who offends you. Remember, the Lord forgave you, so you must forgive others.” NLT

Many years back, when I was a new believer & hit the ground running with Gospel missionary work.  My wife & I were a package deal so she was by my side throughout.  The hardest part, for myself was leaving behind my precious brothers & sisters at church.  After a long deployment in God’s army I came back to church, just myself due to my wife was feeling ill that morning. I was greeted warmly & everyone asked, “So where is your wife today?” I replied with the simple ‘oh, not feeling 100% today so she’s home & healing.’ Bible study & worship with familiar faces was so refreshing.

Uneventful right? Just wait..  The following week I returned for services solo (my wife was helping her mother who was having health issues) however, this time I was met by angry faces. Even the elderly ladies were mad dogging me.  No one would speak to me. Every once in a while someone would pass by & whisper ‘I feel so bad for you.’ Or, ‘I’m praying for your situation.’ Or ‘You should be ashamed.’ I was perplexed. What’s going on?

I pulled a good friend outside & quizzed him on ‘what I was going through..’ because I had not a flippin’ clue.  Everyone has my number. No calls from church folk all week..so what was up to cause such a negative response?

He angrily exclaimed, “You lied to everybody about your divorce when you were here last week. I can’t believe you would cheat on, mistreat her & then throw her out of your house like that.”

I was taken back. Scratched my head.
“Come ..come again?” Was my reply.

Yes, the old gossips were at it.  They had run a week long campaign on why my wife was ‘really not there.’ In addition to that they added some juicy details as special effects to make this epic sci-fi tale drama a sure hit. Worthy of a Soap Opera award.  Funny thing was, my wife & I were happy together & had a, rare great & peaceful week.

You see friends, because of tolerance for gossip the church can never experience the joy of a surprise party.. Joking aside, it is hurtful to engage in this activity. Not only for the hearer but it causes division within the body of Christ.  The bible warns us to turn off the flow (see Proverbs 10:19).  Don’t fall into the trap of listening. When the slimy story starts, change the subject or point them in the direction of the person they’re speaking about. 

*What if you’re the victim? Jesus is our best example. Oh, them gossip folk spoke on Him too. Our Lord was accused of being illegitimate, a drunk, a glutton & even an agent of satan.  He usually ignored the ridiculous accusations, lived life & pressed on in kingdom work in such a way that no one would listen to that mess.  If anyone throws mud at you, it will look a lot worse if you try to wipe it off. Just keep on living in the light of God’s glory & it will dry & fall off without stain. 

Back in the old testament, Nehemiah was a victim of a smear campaign as well.  Sanballat & his homies tried to use a gossip letter to discourage Nehemiah from doing God’s work.  Nehemiah gave them the vapors. He didn’t even give them the time of day.  He just pressed forward in doing what the Lord wanted him to do.

He said this to the gossip folk’s tabloid spin, “I am doing a great work, so I cannot come down. Why should the work cease, while I leave it & go down to you?” Neh. 6:3

Participating in gossip makes you come down to the gossip folk’s low level when you think about it.  Tabloid theology only serves to aid the enemy & divide God’s forces. Bringing a virus of mean spiritedness, division & confusion only seeks to derail what God has commissioned each & everyone of us to do. It’s forgiveness, coming from all parties effected that is the key to healing once the damage is done. None of us are perfect, God’s got that alone.

*Don’t feel you need to be the one to apologize?  It’s contrary to our sinful nature & our flesh crawls at the thought of giving up an apology. But Jesus says to love on our enemy.. we tend to forget that. Also, if we want His forgiveness we must forgive others.  Yes, all need to make nice & reconcile both to each other and ultimately God for the offense.  There is a world out there that needs Jesus. They need to hope and heal. No angel was given this duty. No, not even one. It’s on us!  If we are distracted with fights & licking our own wounds just how are we suppose to do that kingdom work exactly? Don’t fall in the pit of backbitting, rumors & slander my brothers & sisters. Get your great commission on instead. In John 17, Jesus prayed that this not be so. He basically said if the believers are fighting the world won’t believe the Father sent Jesus. Perhaps that is why unbelief is on a roll in this generation. Just maybe overcoming this error will be the aid or solution to that ill. If you are a third party to an issue between two brothers and/or sisters.. please steer them into one another so it does not escalate & have it’s destruction. 3 or more is a crowd. If you are offended or hurt, don’t assume, call that person or better yet go out for coffee & have it out until the issue is squashed.  God don’t like ugly. Therefore be about unity. There is a special blessing that comes from brothers & sisters that unify. See Psalm 133. If I offend anyone at anytime, I’m sorry. I have an opinion, yes & I try to tread lite but my mouth gets the better of me on occasion. Lord help us all to be what You made us to be & be more like Christ. Amen! »Pastor Pete

When does Public Sin Get da Boot?!?

1Timothy 5:20-21 “Those who sin should be reprimanded in front of the whole church; this will serve as a strong warning to others. I solemnly command you in the presence of God & Christ Jesus & the highest angels to obey these instructions without taking sides or showing favoritism to anyone.“ (NLT)

  Did the bible really say that? Yes. We should correct in love & Jesus gave guidelines for that in Mat. 18:15-17 when a fellow believer falls into sin with no shame or sense of responsibility. When this is the case & the sin is done publicly then & only then is it time to rebuke publicly. To humiliate? To separate? To harm the person in error? A thousand times no.

  The action of public rebuke is to prevent the error to spread like a virus within the community. Infecting it & taking other fellow Christians down as well. Think of the alternative .. Everyone ignores the elephant in the room & the destruction runs it’s course. As Christ followers we know 2 things at the very least. We all sin & Christ, who was without sin paid dearly for our sins. Sin demanded a sacrifice. A life for a life. So who are we to do this rebuke? We are someone..in relationship with Jesus. We are the church or we are protecting groundwork that God laid down. We should never act out of emotion ..not according to the bible. Someone or we are to protect God’s & we are not alone in doing this. Did God not leave us His Holy Spirit and His book for these last days? Our emotion reactor kicks in when we sense this may indeed be a problem. Then we are to put it through the filter of God’s word. Not just the rules.. that would be a mistake. The total script. At the end we have to call evil evil & good.. good. There is a time for everything under heaven so if, when the enemy tries to make a grab of our own.. & we can’t man up & call sin out.. & fight back then what the heck are we doing exactly?

  Just like anti-virus or meds when you have the flu.. we have to rebuke as quick as possible, in front of the audience that witnessed what was done publicly in order to do a body (of Christ) good. But what of the offended brother? Review: The sin was public. The rebuke was public. Therefore the come back can be epic! Inspiring many to come correct. Nothing better than to see a brother or sister (in the Lord)slay his/her demons, fully restored & right with God. Humility is key to recovery.

  Unfortunately, many fail here. Instead of the humble comeback some/most bail & get bitter and/or depressed. Pointing fingers & whining, crying. Sad is that ol’ easy road. God Himself don’t want you to be that guy. He esteems us better than that. He loves us & ONLY allows us to be tore down so He…God can build us back up. Stronger. As the scripture says show no favoritism to no man. We are about God & His will. It is impossible to please both God & man. No one likes confrontation. We learned today that.. when you don’t confront sin, head on & right away.. the cost & damage can be too high. Pray, engage, encourage a Godly lifestyle.. then sit back & watch God restore, redeem, reconcile, re-create & do His new thing. This is why it is important to guard our heart’s, minds, actions & take up our cross daily. Too much blood spilled for the Christian church & too much ground work laid to let Satan have an inch. Tell that fool, the devil & His terror method called sin… “You ain’t welcome up in here!!!”  Jesus did this.. see Mat. 16:23 …Check it. Amen  ~Pastor Pete

Rolling Stone ‘Boston Bomber’ cover #boycott

As some of you may have heard, the Music Magazine “Rolling Stone” gave rockstar status to the Boston Bombing suspect by putting his face on their cover. Many store chains such as CVS, Rite Aid & Walgreen’s (many more to follow) are refusing to sell it.  We applaud them for taking action. Also, they had Rolling Stone subscribers unsubscribing by the hundred thousands today alone.  When we contacted them to ‘recall’ their huge error the editors told us “Bostonians need to just grow up & learn from the tragedy that rocked their city.”

They also issued us a statement that they will stand by their magazine & not recall it.  We ask that you join HeadzUp in the boycott & fight this injustice & disgusting journalism.  Shouldn’t 1st Responders or perhaps the victims or the Boston P.D. get the cover rather then an evil terrorist?  Why inspire their impressionable readers to commit similar acts of terror so they too can be celebrated?
How can you participate in fighting the good fight & the boycott of Rolling Stone?   Here is how: To cancel your subscription to Rolling Stone dial (212) 484-1616 & make sure to tell them why by emailing the editors at: rseditors@rollingstone.com … Never buy them again. Artists & groups refuse the dishonor of being featured in this rag. When on social network use this tag: #boycottRollingStone … We continue to pray for Boston & we ask you to join us in doing the same.  What’s next?! Jesus give us strength! »Pastor Pete
   HeadzUpFellowship@gmail.com

Clean Soul in a Dirty World

“..become blameless & harmless, children of God without fault in the midst of a crooked and perverse generation, among whom you shine as lights in the world, holding fast the word of life..” Phil. 2:15,16

This world is corrupt. Don’t need me to fill you in on that, right? You need only take a walk down the street to find out. We have a water store on our block that is run by a wonderful Christian family. Our conversations when we go there are so deep in fellowship and they have Gospel literature for all who go there available for free.. however, just outside their door (no fault of theirs) is smut magazines advertising pornography. Sometimes we pass folks making drug sales or see gangs giving mad dogging looks as we pass by. A strip club on every corner.. internet makes all kinds of sin easily accessible. In a world like ours it’s no wonder that some would suggest sanctification by isolation. In simple terms, withdrawing from the world we live on to keep it from rubbing off on you. Seems logical.. Is this what Jesus wants us to do?

“I have given them Your word; and the world has hated them because they are not of the world, just as I am not of the world. I do not pray that You should take them out of the world, but that You should keep them from the evil one.” John 17:14,15

Notice that Jesus did not ask His Father to take us out..did not say isolate them. In contrast He says insulate them when he remarked, “but that You should keep them from the evil one.” (John 17:15) This messages goal is to give you some heavenly skills to help you stay clean in this debased environment we live in.

When we say ‘world’ we are referring to the mindset and lack of morality of this sin sick world around us. Just wanted to be clear. The three foes of Christianity are the world, the flesh and the devil. We tend to look at the flesh and the devil.. but this here is about the worldly philosophies that Christ was speaking about in John 17.

The world system is handled by the cunning gloves of Satan. The apostle John understood that the devil was the puppet master of the world when he wrote these lines:

“Do not love the world or the things in the world. If anyone loves the world, the love of the Father is not in him. For all that is in the world–the lust of the flesh, the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life–is not of the Father but is of the world. And the world is passing away, and the lust of it; but he who does the will of God abides forever.” 1John 2:15-17

The true battle we have is to switch from temporary world way of thinking to a forever heavenly Christ mind set. While we contemplate the carnal or earthly pulls and attractions of the earth few understand that our spiritual power is rotting into decay. It is universally understood that whenever we refuse to use our God given powers these powers decrease and perish. Something that the devil does not want you to know. If we live not the truth.. basically taking what we read in God’s Word and apply it to our life, that truth loses its life changing power and its healing virtue. Learn it from God and apply it to your issue. Peter, did not think there was time to kick back and no time to be passive. Check the verbs as they jump out at you:

“Therefore gird up the loins of your mind, be sober, and rest your hope fully upon the grace that is to be brought to you at the revelation of Jesus Christ; as obedient children, not conforming yourselves to the former lusts, as in your ignorance;but as He who called you is holy, you also be holy in all your conduct,because it is written, “Be holy, for I am holy.” 1Peter 1:13-16

It’s so easy to be sucked into the worlds intoxicating attractions that fuzz up our minds. Peter implores us to shake ourselves out of that dizzy spell and resist the power it uses on us. Bookmark this part of 1Peter chapter 1. We are coming back to it soon for the conclusion.

Paul underscores this change of lifestyle and mindset when he exclaimed:

“I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that you present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable to God, which is your reasonable service. And do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, that you may prove what is that good and acceptable and perfect will of God.” Romans 12:1,2

Time to upgrade our skill set. A change that will get us living clean despite this messed up world:

1. Walk in Fear of your Father in Heaven“And if you call on the Father, who without partiality judges according to each one’s work, conduct yourselves throughout the time of your stay here in fear” 1Peter 1:17 .. If we are to truly recognize our Father in Heaven, as Christ did then we should conduct ourselves here in a way that honors Him. If the destination is Heaven then we ought to filter each of our actions like we will sit in our Father’s lap and give a good account of what we did here on earth (see Romans 14:12). Any loving father has rules and boundaries for the child’s betterment. How much more does our heavenly Father want the best for us. We can’t lose our salvation that we have by faith in Him, we can lose our reward (see 1Cor. 9:24-27). That’s something we should all fear. Think on the athlete competing in the Olympics losing out on the gold medal they worked so hard for because he tested positive for steroids. We need to be careful to not test dirty with sin and disobedience to God daily. After all, this fear of God is the beginning of wisdom (see Proverbs 9:10).
2. Focus our Minds on Christ ““knowing that you were not redeemed with corruptible things, like silver or gold, from your aimless conduct received by tradition from your fathers, but with the precious blood of Christ, as of a lamb without blemish and without spot. He indeed was foreordained before the foundation of the world, but was manifest in these last times for you who through Him believe in God, who raised Him from the dead and gave Him glory, so that your faith and hope are in God.” 1Peter 1:18-21 … Notice that the first thing our Lord and savior did was deliver us from our aimless conduct (vs. 18). Whether we knew it or not, we were trapped in a dead end lifestyle handcuffed to sin & without hope. Christ paid the ransom to free us from that life, not with silver & gold but with His precious blood (vs. 19). The second thing Jesus did for us was to be manifest in these last times (vs.20) for you. This is very personal. He saw our emptiness and wanted to offer you His life as an example so that your faith and hope are in God (vs. 21).. Not in a world that is going to pass away. But with Him who alone can raise us from the dead. He who understands our inability to free ourselves stepped out of the safety of heaven to die for our dirty deeds. “”Let this mind be in you which was also in Christ Jesus” Phil. 2:5
3. Be Vigilant by giving Satan no room to breathe … First, pay attention to what you put in front of your eyes(Col. 3:1,2). Second, give greater thought to the consequences of sin rather that its pleasure (Proverbs 7). Third, Start each day by renewing your reverence for God (1Peter 1:17, 2Cor. 7:1). Fourth, take time (make time) each day to focus fully on Christ (Heb. 12:2). Fifth, stay connected in prayer to Jesus without ceasing (1Thes. 5:17).

Putting these techniques into immediate life application, you will experience what it is like to be in the world but not of it. You can walk through that jagged situation, whatever it may be, no matter how immoral it is and stay clean. Believe that!  Go be that light your were created to be..  ~by Pastor Pete Walker