#2 BASKETCASES HOLDERS, CANNIBALISTIC CHRISTIANITY
By Wade Martin Hughes, Sr.
Kyfingers@aol.com
Dear friends: Part#2 Basketcases holders 4 part series.
TEXT:
2 Corinthians 11:33 And through a window in a basket was I let down by the wall, and escaped his hands.
Matthew 10:42And whosoever shall give to drink unto one of these little ones a cup of COLD wateronly in the name of a disciple, very I say unto you, he shall in no wise lose his reward.
Gal. 5:15 ...But if ye bite and devour one another, take heed that ye be not consumed one of another...
1Chron.16:22 ... Touch not mine anointed, and do my prophets no harm.
My mind again ponders, basket case supporters,
the text is found in:
2 Corinthians 11:33... AND THROUGH A WINDOW IN A BASKET WAS LET DOWN BY THE WALL, AND ESCAPED HIS HANDS.
Again there was a negative crowd that misunderstood and was jealous of the message and the messenger, and was determined to stop the message by stopping the messenger.
Paul was not a perfect man, yet he was the man of God.
I was hugging a young man, Mike, at church Wednesday, while I was hugging him, I felt the thought, ... this is a man of God.
We often think of men of God like Elijah, Moses, Smithswigglesworth. We would hold the basket for these great men of God, but how about the little man of God?
But we miss there are men of God among us, because we see their human side.
Sure, God could have called angels to be pastors and workers and replace fallible man, but that was not God’s plan.
I shall never understand, why God chose man, but I am over joyed that you and I were chosen.
For the message and the messenger to be really effective, we must build a support structure, that will first recognize God’s man as God’s man, and see beyond the man to see the God of the man.
Second, we must convince a nucleus of warriors to rise up in support.... Prayer, encouragement, love, and extra love finance (occasionally), to both keep the messenger going and the message going forth to the lost and the dying.
If the little people that hid Paul, and helped him escape, had failed to do what they could, the negative crowd would have limited GOD’S MESSAGE by limiting the messenger.
Small works matter!
I think Paul always remember the faces of those that held the ropes and sustained his basket.
But if Paul forgot, I KNOW GOD REMEMBERS.
If Paul needed basket holders, how much more do our pastors , superintendents, Sunday School teachers need love and support?
I need you to hold my rope.
Where there is sweat there is life.
We need spectic tanks where there is life?
Can you remember ESOP’s fables?
"There was a goose that laid golden eggs (one a day every day.)
The owner desired to get everything at once, ALL THE GOLD, the master had the goose killed and opening its dead body, all the owner found was goose guts."
You can pick the man of God, but don’t pick him to pieces.
There is a problem in church today that I call CANNIBALISTIC CHRISTIANITY, where God’s kids acquire a taste of blood, ... teamed with the love of professionalism and polish, and we learn to EAT THE FLESH OF PREACHERS?
Basketcase holders must see beyond the human man to understand the man of God.
Gal. 5:15 ...But if ye bite and devour one another, take heed that ye be not consumed one of another...
Warning Cannibalism is eating your own flesh?
We get angry at the preacher?
We expect him to be perfect, yet he need not expect the same for us?
Paul was not perfect?
Elijah had dark days?
Yet God used them.
Allow the man of God to be human?
Writer unknown:
Of the seven deadly sins anger (especially toward the man of God) is possibly the most FUN.
We set back and lick our wounds, (that are often self-inflicted, and then to blame the man of God),
we smack our lips over grievances long past,
(we recall the preacher didn’t sing Happy Birthday to us 6 years ago).
We develop the ability to roll our tongues of the prospect of bitter confrontations yet to come.
We savor in our hearts every last toothsome morsel of the pain that we have been given, with the plan to re-inflict more pain in others, ...
as a pay back, revenge, get even?
In many ways, this delicious meal becomes a holiday feast.
There is one BIG DRAW BACK? ...
YOU KNOW THE DRAW BACK? -----
YOU ARE WOLFING DOWN YOURSELF --- THE SKELETON IS YOU!
How sad?
Have we lost our fear and respect for the MAN of GOD?
1Chron.16:22 ... Touch not mine anointed, and do my prophets no harm.
You know repetition is a literary tool to stress important points,
Psa. 105:15 declares the same words.
You are commanded a respect for the man of God, and a lack of attacking a man of God? Many of you brag on some TV preacher, and your local pastor is so--- so?
Try calling that TV preacher and see how accessible he is?
f you knew the TV preacher like ---?
I saw one of the TV evangelist in anger push and shove ---
he is a man just like the grass roots.
You just see the polished, edited man.
They will clip out the human, your local workers have no one to edit for them, just recall?
We must see the teachers and preachers are extensions of our own hands.
How long has it been since you fasted for workers?
Pastor’s since you fasted for your helpers?
We must see the church as a body, rightly fit together.
We are a team?
We lack vision, God told Moses when people were talking about him, Moses, that they were talking about God.
Ask Miriam how serious it is to talk about the preacher’s wife?
Miriam spend 7 days sick and in regret for she handled the anointed?
Do you think you will be exempt from the cost of listening to, or saying something about God’s man?
Gossip need not be false to be evil --- there is a lot of truth that need not be passed around.
David refused to discuss or listen to bad about Saul, he had a fear and reverence of the anointing. David commanded his men not to even mention this in Gath? Why? God keeps records, trust God.
Sure the men of God are men, that is OK.
God’s men need God’s people to encourage and support His men.
I feel like the man of God is the main target of our enemy.
If I can’t win the race, may I press the winner to set a new record.
Maybe the preacher is so tired?
Maybe his hands hang low?
Maybe the enemy is beating him over the head with how little he is, and he does matter?
There is a musician that has spent big money on instruments and lessons, and time, --- he feels so worthless, tell them you love them?
Cook an extra pie and invest it in the minister?
He is GOD’S MAN LOVE HIM, honor him, be committed to the support team.
Ministers teach the church how we are a team, teach them fear and respect of the offices of God.
Call for a nucleus of Basketcase holders for Jesus. God build a team of basketcase holders.
His servant,
Wade Martin Hughes, Sr
Kyfingers@aol.com
Please enlarge my hands and pass this to others.
There is a pastor/worker that needs encouragement to continue.
Will you invest in a little man of God?
Part 2 of 4 part series
