Humility Before Promotion

James 2:1-9 (KJV)
¹  My brethren, have not the faith of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Lord of glory, with respect of persons.
²  For if there come unto your assembly a man with a gold ring, in goodly apparel, and there come in also a poor man in vile raiment;
³  And ye have respect to him that weareth the gay clothing, and say unto him, Sit thou here in a good place; and say to the poor, Stand thou there, or sit here under my footstool:
⁴  Are ye not then partial in yourselves, and are become judges of evil thoughts?
⁵  Hearken, my beloved brethren, Hath not God chosen the poor of this world rich in faith, and heirs of the kingdom which he hath promised to them that love him?
⁶  But ye have despised the poor. Do not rich men oppress you, and draw you before the judgment seats?
⁷  Do not they blaspheme that worthy name by the which ye are called?
⁸  If ye fulfil the royal law according to the scripture, Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself, ye do well:
⁹  But if ye have respect to persons, ye commit sin, and are convinced of the law as transgressors.

The maturation process should not be underestimated. It is a requirement for all Christians (if they are going to have longevity) to become developed, established, and to exhibit a healthy demeanor in all areas of life. One of the problems I see that tarnishes the image of Christ is placing high-profile people who profess their acceptance of Jesus Christ immediately into a place of leadership. Major League and NFL players, country singers, pop icons, etc., are given the bests seats in the mega churches as if their fame and fortunes have somehow accelerated their maturation process in Christ. One of the greatest lessons, a celebrated person in the world who comes to Christ can learn, is the valuable lesson of humility. They must now experience this all-important revelation “it’s not about me – it’s all about Jesus Christ!” 

These people of high profile must subject themselves to teaching and permit the word to penetrate deep within their heart. It takes time as it molds and shapes them into people that can stand in the face of adversity and be able to resist the great temptation of money and pride. Putting these people on a pedestal only sets them up for a fall. Not only do they embarrass Christ, but they drag many down with them. Ministers often promote them to the front because of their financial prowess. However, they do it at the expense of the famous person’s soul by dangling them over Hell and practically inviting temptation to come and devour them. Shame on any of us who would consider the pocketbook over the soul!

I think of the country singer who was recently in the news and a whole host of others such as wide receivers and Major League stars who now have reverted back into drinking, drugs, and marital woes. My heart breaks for them when many times I believe that these implosions could have been avoided if the proper protocol was established with the individual. We must pray for them to retrieve the testimony that only Christ can provide. Their pastors also need our prayers that their eyes be averted off of the personal gains that are achieved of having such a high-profile person in their midst, and remain focused on the well-being of the person’s soul.

We all gain great benefit by being patient and allowing it to complete its work in us. We may have been called to do great exploits in ministry, but we must develop the spiritual muscle and character to sustain us in that calling. Remember Joseph? He was called at a young age, but before he entered into that calling he went through a pit, slavery, and prison, and then he became what God destined him to be. 

- Dr. Reuben Egolf 

 

Real Talk about Abortion

Since the legalization of abortion in 1973 (Roe vs Wade), over 56 million unborn children have been killed, more than the entire population of Spain.  Think about it – an entire nation no longer exists! That's 155 babies per hour.  About 1 every 24 seconds. When you finish reading this blog, five more innocent lives will be terminated. Their potential, gifts, and contribution to the world will be aborted with them. The next cure for cancer, technological advance, and inventions are all plummeted into the abyss as being misdiagnosed as waste.  

Charles Swindoll in The Tale of the Tardy Oxcart told the following story. 

A professor in a college ethics class presented his students with a problem. He said, "A man has syphilis and his wife has tuberculosis. They have had four children: one has died, the other three have what is considered to be a terminal illness. The mother is pregnant. What do you recommend?" After a spirited discussion, the majority of the class voted that she should abort the child. "Fine," said the professor. "You've just killed Beethoven."

Those who cry out in support of abortion will say that it is the woman’s moral right to choose.  However, when we hear of a house that burns down and three out of four of the family dies, those same people will say, “What kind of a moral God could take three lives like that?” Making the inference that God is immoral in his decision who lives and dies. Yet, when a woman who supports "choice" gets to play God with another person’s life in her womb, she has no problem on choosing who lives and who don’t. We must understand that when a woman aborts a child, she does not become un-pregnant, but rather the mother of a dead child. American society is too willing to sacrifice morals to preserve convenience. An unborn child should not be considered as an option or an obstacle on the road of convenience. I’m afraid that our selfishness has perverted our vision, destroyed our morals, and has moved us beyond the banks of rational reasoning. Pro-choice is nothing more than a smokescreen for the real underlying problem. It is the attempt to escape the consequences of our decisions. 

To prove my point, we need to look no further than the following scenario. Scientists look diligently on Mars for any sign of life. If they found a single-cell organism there, they would exclaim they have found life. However, these same people can’t acknowledge that a child in the womb fits the same criteria.

Psalm 139:13-16 (KJV)
¹³  For thou hast possessed my reins: thou hast covered me in my mother's womb.
¹⁴  I will praise thee; for I am fearfully and wonderfully made: marvellous are thy works; and that my soul knoweth right well.
¹⁵  My substance was not hid from thee, when I was made in secret, and curiously wrought in the lowest parts of the earth.
¹⁶  Thine eyes did see my substance, yet being unperfect; and in thy book all my members were written, which in continuance were fashioned, when as yet there was none of them.

In these verses God speaks of his relationship with David while he was developing in the womb before birth. Notice, the Bible doesn't speak of fetal life as nothingness, a blob, or a lifeless mass. The description here is not of a piece of protoplasm that explodes into being David the moment he enters the outside world: this is David already being cared for by God while in the womb.

David reflects and explains how God made and crafted him and how wonderfully made we are.

There is one thread I see throughout scripture. When facing a decision always choose life. When faced with the temptation to gossip which is murder by the tongue, choose life and speak well of. When faced with a decision to lie or tell the truth – choose life and speak the truth. When faced with a decision to abort a child or let live – choose life! 

Pray for America!   

- Dr. Reuben Egolf  

Fabrications, Stories, and Self-Appointed Experts. It's called life.

I am always amazed at the fabrications and stories about me that I hear others have spread. I’m sure all of you have heard things about your life you had no idea existed until your personal self-appointed experts revealed it to the world. For example, I have found out through these experts that I

• was forced to marry because of Laci being pregnant
• was moving to a foreign country and leaving the church
• was a pastor from D.C. and commuted the 90 minutes every week
• had cancer and was dying
• demand money from grieving families to be paid to the church if I do their loved one's funeral

… and a 100 other stories that were as or more preposterous as the ones I mentioned above. Of course, none of them are true and would have been purely laughable if gullible people wouldn’t have believed them. However, before I feed self-pity and think I’m the only one to experience such a strange phenomenon, let’s see if it happened to Jesus.

Jesus was accused of being:

• A deceiver (John 7:12).
• An illegitimate child (John 8:41).
• Demon possessed (Matt. 9:34; John 7:20).
• Beelzebub, using the power of Satan to cast out demons (Matt. 10:25).
• Mentally ill (John 10:20).
• A blasphemer – witnesses were produced to reinforce this charge (Matt. 9:3; 26:65; Mark 2:7)
• A destroyer of the Temple in Jerusalem (Mark 14:58).
• An enemy to the Law of Moses.

Matthew 10:25 (KJV)

²⁵ It is enough for the disciple that he be as his master, and the servant as his lord. If they have called the master of the house Beelzebub, how much more shall they call them of his household?

Jesus made it clear that as they falsely accused him and fabricated stories that were grossly untrue, so will they do the same to us as his followers.

Paul was not immune to these false theories concerning his life and purposes. He was accused of:

• Extorting God’s people (2 Cor. 2:17; 11:7-21).
• Being a false apostle (Gal. 1:11-2:10; 2 Cor. 11:16-12:12).
• Being a flatterer (1 Thess. 2:5).
• Blasphemy (Acts 24:6).
• Being a man pleaser and a coward (Gal. 1:10; 1 Thess. 2:4).
• Being greedy (1 Thess. 2:5,9).
• Being a deceiver and a crafty manipulator (2 Cor. 6:8; 12:16).
• Seeking glory from men (1 Thess. 2:6).
• Being a “cult” leader (Acts 24:5).
• Being a criminal (Acts 16:20-21; 24:5; 2 Tim. 2:9).

These men dealt with these self-appointed judges almost on a daily basis. They realized that when you are in a position of authority and leadership, it will attract the ire of those in opposition. One thing the enemy knows – the power of words. Words can change a person’s reputation overnight and castrate the influence of that person from anymore opportunity to persuade others. If Satan didn’t understand this, he wouldn’t waste the time in influencing opposition to destroy reputations with the sabers of words.

What do we do to rise above the attacks? Live your life above reproach and with integrity so that when someone accuses you - no one will believe it.

Remember, you don’t have to answer every critic. A lion doesn’t turn around every time a dog barks. If you do attempt to answer every critic, your life will bog down in the unnecessary leaving your purpose unattended. Remain focused on why you are here and pray for those who have chosen dead-end lives with no production.

Learn to laugh, smile, and keep your faith alive in Christ. In the end, He is the only one that will matter. 

- Dr. Reuben Egolf