#4 ARE YOU LEAVING TOO...? WANDERING STARS
By Wade Martin Hughes, Sr.
Kyfingers@aol.com
TEXT:
Isaiah 66:8 When Zion travails sons and daughters will be born...
John 6:2 And the great multitude followed Him,
because THEY SAW MIRACLES which Jesus had done on those with diseases.
John 6:66 From that time many of his disciples WENT BACK, AND WALKED NO MORE WITH HIM.
Ephesians 3:17 That Christ may dwell in your hearts by faith; that you being ROOTED AND GROUNDED IN LOVE.
Jude 1: 11-14 warns us of those leading in error, speaking evil, feeding themselves without fear,
clouds they are without water, carried about...(no roots), trees without fruit...
TWICE DEAD, plucked up by their roots, WANDERING STARS.
My heart is very heavy as I ponder, ARE YOU GOING TOO...?
We live in a day that leaving is acceptable.
The Mom says, I don’t love you any more
--- then leaves?
The Dad says: I love someone else
--- then leaves?
I am mad at the Preacher
--- let us leave the church?
How sad and broken hearted the Son of God must have been when the crowd started to walk away?
After all the miracles? After all the free food? After all the LOVE and time Jesus invested, and NOW the crowd is going to walk away?
After all, this is the Son of God and the crowds are leaving Him?
When things are hard, do we quit?
We have allow a RUNNING SPIRIT to grow and we avoid facing the giant?
Sometimes we face the giant, but we hear his negative claims, and this negativeness dictates to the Spirit man.
When things go different from what we expected are we going to quit?
Are you going to leave your field of duty?
Are you going to leave Jesus?
We are pondering, Are you going too... From John 6:66
When the journey got hard, many turned and quit following the Son of God. How could this be?
The crowd had just been fed and seen many miracles, but this is not faith, this is eye and mouth service.
In pain, as Jesus saw the crowd leaving, he turns to the elite and says---
ARE YOU LEAVING TOO... ???
1. Are you leaving too... SELF DOUBT
2. Are you leaving too... COMPARISON AND REVENGE
3. Are you leaving too... WHEN THE BROOK DRIES UP
4. Are you leaving too... WANDERING STARS.
8. WE NEED A FIXED STAR,
WANDERING STARS ARE WORTHLESS IN NAVIGATION.
Man has often used the North Star as a directional guidance tool.
The North star is true and fixed.
Many want to leave too... because they have no root structure to the local church.
One can place their faith in the star, only if it is a fixed star.
We live in a sad time, when authority is viewed as "Boss Hogg" in the Duke Boys.
Some preachers have broken their vows and trust of people, and many use this as an excuse.
They want to blame God for what a few men have sponsored.
I will acknowledge there have been some abusive mothers that have hurt and even killed their children,
but I do not think we should take every child from every mother, because of these few?
If you find a hair in your food, will you never eat again? Of course not.
This spirit of error creeps into the heart of the church and it breeds self doubt, and what is the use... ?
There is a standard, we must lift this standard high.
We cannot allow temporary problems to cause us to lose our vision.
Heaven is real.
Hell is real.
We can’t afford to leave as the crowd walks away...
Jude 1: 11-14 warns us of those leading in error, speaking evil, feeding themselves without fear,
clouds they are without water, carried about...(no roots), trees without fruit... TWICE DEAD,
plucked up by their roots, WANDERING STARS.
You can’t use wandering stars for direction.
We see a phenomenon within the church today, I CALL IT... "GRASSHOPPER PROPHETS."
These prophets use the five senses to please, not the word, the Holy Bible.
They are not faithful to the church or the Lord, they shake them selves, but the POWER is GONE! Their power is not of God.
We live with lustful, coveting and receive this spirit willingly, this has become acceptable.
Where is the black and white? Has all become "GRAY?"
No wonder, many want to leave?
If you don’t stand for something, you will fall for anything.
Church leaders no longer seek faithfulness, and we allow these professional, showmanship leaders to perform.
These ministers that are unfaithful set a tone that many will follow.
Do we need unfaithful ministers with a knack for drama to perform for the faithful?
We need a standard to be raised high, we can’t afford to leave.
I once had an evangelist, that did not attend Sunday school class ...
he stayed in his motel room "to pray."
This is honorable, but I think he should have got up earlier, prayed, and then attended the class.
After the revival, I talked to the evangelist and I asked him, what did you teach the church?
He honestly repented and acknowledged he was wrong.
He amazed me in repenting.
YEARS LATER THIS PREACHER CAME TO ME AND SAID I REMEMBER PLAYING
HOOKY AND YOUR ADVICE, AND I HAVEN’T MISSED SUNDAY SCHOOL BUT A FEW TIMES SINCE!
Doubt grows because youth leaders are not faithful to attend church?
Young people with unfaithful models will grow a leaving spirit.
Many parents cannot seem to see they have bred an unfaithful and rebellious spirit
in the children by a wrong example.
I have seen the musicians go out side and smoke while the preacher preached,
then return to play music for the altar call.
They should have repented.
You ever see DEACONS, Board members, Sunday School teachers, Children Church leaders,
Missionette/Royal Ranger leaders only attend their services?
Many Pastor’s tell me their leaders serve in TITULAR OFFICES.
People want titles with no duties and do no work.
Of course this will breed a LEAVING SPIRIT.
To do your work in a SLIP SHOD method will grow a RUN AWAY SPIRIT.
If we put little effort into God’s work should we expect GREAT REWARDS?
Even dead fish swim down stream.
We need to get serious, church is not a game that we play.
Isaiah 66:8 When Zion travails sons and daughters will be born...
These bad attitudes birth doubt in programs.
Leaders are examples, little eyes watch. GOD IS WATCHING.
Are you leaving too? Are you modeling growth and continuation?
Paul writes to the church, he calls some of them,
ADULTERERS and ADULTERESSES, James 1:4.
I ponder, why are sexual impure people leading in the church?
Then the Spirit opens a truth, these are committing spiritual adultery,
Voluntarily unfaithful to the church and the Lord.
Extramarital, not faithful to our post of duty.
This unfaithfulness breeds self doubt and doubt in others, and it causes others to doubt you and you to doubt yourself.
Then you want to leave also...
We should earnestly strive for faithfulness.
1 Corinthians 4:2 warns us, Moreover it is required in stewards, that a man be found faithful.
Faithfulness is not optional, it is a requirement.
We must NIP this leaving spirit in the bud.
Every level of leadership and every church program should seek faithfulness.
We are not talking about work schedules, and having to miss for work.
We are talking about hooky, truant, shirking duty.
Are we taking our idle time and avoiding the word of God and worship and praise?
We need old time COMMITMENT.
The lack of commitment at church is very costly, and doubt grows.
We see this LEAVING TOO SPIRIT thriving within the heart of leadership.
No man would be caught unfaithful without an excuse.
Luke 14:18... they all with one consent began to make excuses, land, oxen, marriage.
This LEAVING SPIRIT IS HURTING THIS NATION.
The thing that breeds doubt comes out of the heart...
WRONG PRIORITIES.
Teach your child how important church is and then go to the Lake AND SKIP WORSHIP?
We should not measure by looks or talents or numbers alone, but by faithfulness.
Some pastor is counting on you.
What kind of church would my church be, if every member were just like me?
What if the pastor’s attendance record was patterned after yours?
Is the pastor expected by God to be more faithful than you?
I heear this dumb line, someone hurt my feelings, and I will not be faithful?
I AM GOING TO LEAVE --- YOU HURT MY FEELINGS?
I AM GOING TO LEAVE YOU SAID SOMETHING I DON’T LIKE?
I AM GOING TO LEAVE YOU TALKED ABOUT MY FAMILY?
Show that one to me in the Bible?
What about Romans 2:1... Thou art inexcusable...
To NIP this leaving spirit and running attitude in the bud,
we need a new birth of rightful priorities.
Don’t teach your child to run! Don’t teach them to leave!
Teach them to pray and work things out. GOD CAN! TRUST GOD! Wait on Him!
Matthew 6:33... Seek ye first the kingdom of God and His righteousness and ALL THESE THINGS SHALL BE ADDED...
One is gambling when he builds on sand.
Self doubt becomes a reoccurring giant haunting and building spiritual dwarfs because we fail if we are unfaithful.
Is Romans 8:28 conditional? All things work for the good?
Yes, it is: for those that love and the called according to His purpose?
Can we afford to leave? Is it possible to BE THERE in the body, and not be there in heart?
Is it possible to sing songs about God, and not sing TO GOD?
God help us to grow COMMITMENT and get established --- ROOTED AND GROUNDED ...
GOD HELP US TO OBEY:
Ephesians 3:17 That Christ may dwell in your hearts by faith; that you being ROOTED AND GROUNDED IN LOVE.
Are you leaving too...?
His servant,
Wade Martin Hughes, Sr.
Kyfingers@aol.com
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