Oh Heavenly and Gracious Father. We come to you today with thanksgiving Lord. We thank you Father for another day that you have made. We thank you for your forgiveness Lord. We thank you Lord for the little things that we take for granted. Father we pray that you continue to strengthen us in our faith Lord. We pray that when we are faced with obstacle Father, that we continue to praise you Lord and thank you, because we know that you are right there with us Father. You and only you are able to get us through it Father. Thank you Lord. We pray that your light will continue to shine. Let it shine Father so those that are lost and in darkness will see the light Lord. Help us Lord to lead your lost children to you Lord. We pray that this message will help those that are reading it to draw closer to you Lord. Help them to change their ways Lord, and come to you. Father we thank you, we lift you up, we glorify you Lord, in Jesus name. Amen!
Prayer by: Judith Notice
A while back a friend of mine and I had a disagreement, and because of this disagreement, even though it is not what I prefer, it keeps us at odds now. We were discussing one of my messages in which she disagreed on the delivery. I respectfully told her that I speak “what thus saith the Lord” so in essence you are disagreeing with the word. Apparently that did not sit well with her. I am not sure if she fully understood what I was saying, but it eventually put us at a place where it is just better that communication ceases between us. When someone says they speak “what thus saith the Lord”, it is normally from someone who is in the ministry. They’ve received and accepted the calling on their life to the Lord’s ministry and have submitted themselves to the Holy Spirit’s campaign, which is to spread the Gospel to those who are lost. So when I say, “I speak what thus saith the Lord”, I am speaking a message, pertaining to a topic rooted in God’s word. Amen! One of the challenges that she and I had, was she said I believe I am speaking what thus saith the Lord, and do not know, where I countered and said I know I am. When someone says they believe, they are exercising their faith. The bible states “Now faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen.” (Heb 11:1) Faith does not need evidence for it to be present, so therefore although I speak messages based on faith, I am confident of the source based on the evidence, the proof, which now translates to “I know.” I know this because it is not all the time I receive a direction from the Lord when it comes to my messages. At times I have to rely on older messages, because I just did not receive it. However, when I do receive it, the profound affect it has on the hearers’ ears is my evidence. Again, I know I am speaking what thus saith the Lord. I was called arrogant. Amen, and my question to her, based on her statement, what standard did she use to contradict what I was saying? What tests was performed to prove me one way or the other? I am still waiting for the answer.
There are plenty of people who will not step foot in the church because they believe the pastor is faux. This is understandable, because you do have false prophets out there. However, you have those who hide behind that answer, and will tell others the same thing, but the real issue is they do not want their mess to be confronted, because eventually, that is exactly what the word of God will do. It will put a virtual mirror before you so you can see how ugly you have become and give you a charge to fix yourself up. But if many feel that pastors are fake, all you have to do is prove it. Before one buys a car, what do they do? They test drive it first. Why? Because you want to make sure you are not buying a lemon? If you are purchasing a cd off of the street, you will ask the person who is selling it to you, to come to your car so you can put it in your radio and navigate the tracks. Why? Because you want to make sure you are not buying a blank cd. So if one’s stance is they are not stepping foot in this church or that church because the pastor is fake, it can easily be proven. When Jesus’ spiritual authority was in question he stated “If anyone wants to do His will, he shall know concerning the doctrine, whether it is from God or whether I speak on My own authority. "He who speaks from himself seeks his own glory; but He who seeks the glory of the One who sent Him is true, and no unrighteousness is in Him.” (Joh 7:17-18) Amen!
Theologian Adam Clarke could not be any clearer when he interpreted this verse. Observe:
“I will give you a sure rule by which ye may judge of my doctrine: If you really wish to do the will of God, begin the practice of it; and take my doctrine, and apply it to all that you know God requires of man; and if you find one of my precepts contrary to the nature, perfections, and glory of God, or to the present or eternal welfare of men, then ye shall be at liberty to assert that my doctrine is human and erroneous, and God has not sent me. But if, on the contrary, ye find that the sum and substance of my preaching is, That men shall love God with all their heart, soul, mind, and strength, and their neighbor as themselves; and that this doctrine must bring glory to God in the highest, while it produces peace and good will among men; then acknowledge that God has visited you, and receive me as the Messiah promised to your fathers.” It is that simple family. That pastor will only be instructed to speak the things that line up with scripture and it will be beneficial to the hearer receiving salvation. Plain and simple! The problem is the “if”. The scripture says “If anyone wants to do His will….” Part of God’s will, according to scripture is that all His children is saved, but the choice lie on us. If you want to do His will, you will listen to that pastor and see if what he is saying is lining up with the word of God. John 3:16 states “For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life.” There is that choice. If you believe, you will be saved. If you believe the pastor is a fake, then prove it. Otherwise, it is an unrighteous attempt to not hear the word of God, because you do not want the word to intrude on your mess.
Is it arrogant of me or any other minister to say we “know” we speak what thus saith the Lord? It all depends on the heart of the viewer. Some say to us they wish they had that type of faith that would elevate them to that level. I receive the latter. Some may call it arrogance, I call it confidence. We are instructed to test all things pertaining to us wanting to believe, and hold onto what is good. (1 Thes 5:21) If you are not sure if I or other pastors are speaking what thus saith the Lord, hence the word, you have access to prove us wrong if so. That access is the word of God, accessible for free in churches and online. What are you waiting for? Amen!
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