How To Prevent Oil Leaks

-How can a man know that he is ignorant of his sin? Most often he isn’t aware of his sin because of the nature of self-justification but there are signs that he is falling to the ignorance of his own sin.

-How can he know that he is in the process of leaving?

-Evangelist Martyn Ballestero recently wrote on his blog a list of steps that are prominent when ignorance of sin is taking control of a man’s heart and his oil is leaking out. These are certain signs that he is in process of leaving the church:

• You start finding fault

• You undermine the all of the church leadership.

• You continually find ways to express your dissatisfaction.

• You express excitement over another church’s progress.

• You resign your position.

• You detach yourself from all of your commitments.

• You are no longer faithful to church.

• You don’t answer or return the pastor’s call.

• You avoid the pastor.

• Others notice how critical you are.

• Your prayer life has changed.

• Your worship is empty, it’s not the same.

• You’re not faithful with your tithes and offerings.

• You moved to the back of the congregation.

• You are more excited about worldly things than godly things.

• You no longer dress the same.

• You no longer look the same.

• You stop caring what the Bible says.

• You stop saying amen.

• You always hang around with backslidden or worldly people.

• You justify your carnal activities

• You become offended.

• You can’t stop talking about what offended you.

• You rationalize your disobedience.

• You always have an excuse not to obey standards.

• You become a lover of pleasure more than a lover of God.

• You have more friends out of church than in church.

• All you see are hypocrites in the church.

• You stop giving of your time.

• You stop serving.

• You disconnect with your church friends.

• You make decisions opposed to God’s plan.

• You made the choice to go against your pastor’s wishes.

• You resent being accountable.

• You disconnect with everything about the church.

-How well are you doing? We have to do whatever we can to prevent our lamps from leaking oil!

B. A Spirit of Self

-Another common enemy that will cause the oil to leak out very quickly is when the kingdom of Self becomes more important than the Kingdom of God. If every member becomes consumed with self and work toward preserving his own tent, that church will soon be easily conquered.

-The church is the Lord’s and we have to do everything within our power to make sure that our own preferences do not destroy it.

-When a man becomes so internal that everything about him becomes turned toward him, he will fail. Maturity means that we will soon discover that the world does not revolve solely around me.

There are others that I have a responsibility for.

The Wycliffe Bible translators send people all over the globe to work with tribes and various people groups. Sometimes a family with small children will go and Wycliffe will send a teacher along to take care of the translators children during the course of the time they are there. Sadie Sieker, who served for many years as a house-parent had a fascination and love of books.