Many Religions and One Faith
October 29, 2009 by Mike Wells
Filed under Articles by Mike Wells
“One Lord, one faith, one baptism.” (Eph. 4:5)
While traveling in a remote area of India, we were passing by an estimated 500,000 pilgrims walking barefooted (up to 500 miles) toward the temple of Shiva that rested on top of a mountain. Many had bloodied and blistered feet. Once they reached the temple, their heads would be shaved and they would receive a bit of sandalwood paste that had fallen off of an idol. Drinking the paste in a mixture would secure the favor of Shiva, and they would get the desire of their heart. Not long afterward I found myself in Tibet, where the pilgrims were falling forward to reach the great temples of Buddha. Some had come as far as 300 miles in this manner; they would stand, make a praying motion with their hands, and fall forward. While lying prostrate, they stretched out as far as they could and placed a piece of paper at the end of their fingertips; this was the marker for where they were to stand next and fall forward. Men, old women, and children alike, were working their way to Lhasa by the length of their bodies. Some even had callused foreheads. These types of activities are played out around the world.
We often look at the passage in Ephesians where Paul mentions that there is one Lord, one faith, and one baptism and apply it to the Christian Church. However, it must be viewed in a broader sense. Taken as a whole, the world brandishes very many religions, but there is only one faith. Religion, as it is most easily defined, is success resting at the feet of man. All religions have this in common, even the Christian religion, for it becomes a religion when the enemy and the flesh of man move focus away from the work of God to the work of man. I visited an Orthodox Religion “church” building in India after visiting several Hindu temples. I turned to my friend and said, “Do you think a Hindu would feel the least bit uncomfortable in this Orthodox religion?” He replied, “No, the Hindu would have everything he needs here: candles, icons, idols, a secret place for priests, gold altars, and more.” The common thread of religions–that success rests in man’s effort–is often accompanied by the tantalizing hope for success through somehow twisting the arm of the false god to get a favor. In contrast, there is only one faith, so never let it be said that people belong to different faiths; they only belong to different religions. The one faith is faith in the only God, His only Son, Jesus Christ, and the Holy Spirit.
The success of the one faith ends at the feet of God, who loved us and gave us His son. God works in us, Christ moved into us and is our life, and the Holy Spirit makes the things of God and Jesus not only reasonable but also doable in His power. It is all about the accomplished and ongoing work of the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit. Move from the one faith that believes in what God does, period, and move into an obsession with self and what men must do, and find one of the most miserable religions in the world, which is Christianity without Christ.
What Brings the People Must Keep the People
October 29, 2009 by admin
Filed under Articles by Mike Wells
“Do you not yet understand or remember the five loaves of the five thousand?” Matthew 16:9
A man was telling me about a slow leak that he had in a truck tire. He wanted to get as far down the road as possible, because he did not have a spare tire. He explained that his grandfather had told him a secret, “When you have a slow leak, drive as fast as you can. This will cause more wheel rotations, and when the part of the tire with the hole hits the pavement, the pressure will not let the air escape. Just drive flat out, and you can go longer before the flat completely stops you.” I thought that was interesting, but wondered what it had to do with our seminar. Then, with a crestfallen countenance, the man looked at me and said, “I am flat as a pastor and a believer. I have seen that there was a leak in the church, and my approach was to speed up, introduce as many new programs as possible, keep the people busy and distracted, and thus ignore the leak. It did not work, and I am flat and exhausted. Today, I see that the leak’s essence was that I had forgotten to proclaim Jesus, forgotten to determine to make Him known.” That I did understand. We must be careful as we work in the church, for what attracts the people will be what is needed to keep the people. I have seen so many burnt-out believers. Jesus fed the multitude, and when He was not feeding them, they crucified Him. He was feeding their flesh, and their flesh grew. Imagine two pastors, both with the same message. One attracts the people with video, music, games, a magnificent facility, miracles, healings, comfort, cappuccino machines, the spectacular, strong personalities, and bribes of a variety of forms. The other attracts with the simple message that a believer is the temple of God; the Holy Spirit will bring about the life of Christ naturally in him; and Jesus can be the source of his heart, bringing life to his spirit, soul, body and the world around him, though in the world there will be trouble, but Jesus has overcome the world. The first pastor now needs a football field to accommodate the audience and enough room for motorcycles to jump over him while he speaks or a flagpole from the top of which he has promised to eat pie if everyone in the youth group brings a friend. The other pastor just keeps talking about Jesus and has fifty people attending; they take back to their daily lives and jobs a great secret: Jesus in them. One must ask what has really attracted the people, because what attracts the people must keep them. I find it interesting that overall attendance in church is decreasing but increasing in the mega-church. What does one have that the other does not? It is a slippery slope and a great temptation when we see the mega-club degrade Christianity to the folly of the flesh that attracts people. Once that has occurred, the only way to keep the people from shifting to another mega-club with more appeal to the flesh is to up the fleshly appeal in the existing club. It is throat cutting, because flesh begets flesh, and appealing to the flesh of man will ultimately create more flesh. Take a walk in the woods. Life is something that comes naturally, without effort. If people are attracted by Jesus, then lifting up Jesus will keep the people. The goal is not keeping them coming for any reason but for Him and His glory. It is easy and relaxing. I spoke to a large group in a remote area of Nepal. The pastors came at the break, saying, “We did not know that if God gets the glory, He does the work. Everything we have heard from the U.S. involved a program that we needed to do. Preaching Christ has taken a second place.” Yes, and there is one more thing. When did the men of God begin to look to the world for the secret of success? There was a time when the Church led the world. It is as though there is a worldly parade, and the Christian club stands on the curb analyzing what has attracted people to join in. Next, the Christians jump to the back of the parade, dressing, imitating, and offering what those with a darkened mind at the front have dreamed up for the masses. They put something of a Christian twist to it, believing that those at the front of the parade will look back and want to be led by the new followers. A club in the Midwest used its budget to buy shot glasses and hand them out to every bar in town for free. The bar owners were asked to serve the whiskey in the glasses, so that when the patron drank the last swig, he would see the message painted on the bottom, “Give our church a shot,” along with the address. This kind of thing is hailed as cutting edge. There is a group of prostitutes for Jesus going on the streets, sleeping with men, and giving them a Bible and inviting them to church. When questioned, they said what so many say, “How else are you going to reach these men? They will not come to church.” I want to encourage all of you reading that Jesus is enough, and if you want to shake the world, you do not have to become like it to be heard. The world knows a contrast when it sees it. We are not joining the world’s parade. People attracted to Jesus need only hear talk about Him. That type of fellowship will not ever go flat.
Spiritual Frankenstein!
October 29, 2009 by admin
Filed under Articles by Mike Wells
Revelation 21:9 “Then one of the seven angels who had the seven bowls full of the seven last plagues came and spoke with me, saying, ‘Come here, I will show you the bride, the wife of the Lamb.’”
Shelley’s novel, Frankenstein: or, the Modern Prometheus (1818), is a combination of Gothic horror story and science fiction. The book tells the story of Victor Frankenstein, a Swiss student of natural science who created an artificial man from pieces of corpses and brought his creature to life. Though it initially seeks affection, the monster inspires loathing in everyone who meets it. Lonely and miserable, the monster turns upon its creator, who eventually loses his life. I think that Shelley was on to something as a low, worldly contrast to the picture of a spiritual reality. God at this very moment is putting together the Bride of Christ. It will be a beautiful combination of all the believers from around the world. It will not resemble the hodgepodge Frankenstein but a beautiful Bride that needed every believer to make it the most beautiful bride ever. You are needed! Period! One day I was talking to the Lord and made a request (remember, all of His sheep hear His voice, and one day we discover that our thoughts of Light and Life actually came from Him). “I want to know all there is to know about Jesus in this life. I want to know all that a man can know.” He spoke, and at first I was not happy with His remarks. “In My house there are many treasure chests; none of them are exclusive to one man. There is a chest with your name on it, which you will open, but you will not open all the others. I am too big for one man, and each man will have his own chest. My treasure is too much for one man to describe, so it will take millions to do that. My bride is not made up of one but of many, and it will take all of those that love me to describe Me.” Well, I was discouraged; I wanted everything for myself. Yet, I could see that He is bigger than what I could describe, and we needed every member of the body of Christ to begin to express Him. There are not great men of God, but only weak men and women with a great God. There is something about Jesus that can only be expressed through you. Beautiful! Press on, for the rest of us desperately need to know what you know of Jesus in heaven.
What is the ALMI Organizational Structure?
October 9, 2009 by admin
Filed under About ALMI
Often we at ALMI are asked, “How can I become a part of this ministry?” Here is a secret: You already are a part of this ministry. ALMI does not strive to become that which is typically associated with being an international organization: methods, programs, buildings, and staff members. ALMI does not seek to create a kingdom. Instead, it recognizes the organism that already exists called the Vine and the branches. Imagine two separate branches in vases on a table, each trying to graft other branches onto themselves and both competing, but neither completing. The branches in the vases are recruiting to themselves. In contrast, now imagine two branches connected by the same Vine; though unique, both have the same Life flowing in them, creating a perfect completion. Christ is the Vine, and we are all connected to His organization and Kingdom, which is a living organism. We at ALMI are not recruiting but recognizing. Once a branch is recognized as having a like call and passion, we encourage that personal ministry by offering training and the free use of the materials. It is not our goal to add staff in the conventional sense, but to recognize staff throughout the world and support them as co-laborers. Because it is our conviction that with the call comes the physical provision, we recognize that a branch’s provision comes from the Vine, not ALMI. This has been a very effective approach over the years, since there are now hundreds of Vine-connected branches who have started their own self-supported ministries or stayed in their place of ministry to share the abiding life. We call this a WITH approach to ministry. One branch is neither above nor under another, but they minister WITH one another on the Vine. ALMI’s resources are not funneled into the physical realm of financially supporting staff and buildings, but rather are used specifically for training, the translation of materials, the publication and distribution of materials, and the hosting of conferences in developing countries.
Will Your Preaching Disqualify You?
October 8, 2009 by Mike Wells
Filed under Articles by Mike Wells
The fear is simple, that we will preach one thing and then do another, and thus discredit our message.
I Cor 9: 27 “But I keep charge of my body, and bring it into subjection: lest that by any means, when I have preached to others, I myself should be a castaway.”
This is a beautiful, love-filled, strong warning by Paul, whose concern is legitimate. The fear is simple, that we will preach one thing and then do another, and thus discredit our message. As you know, we stand and fall on our definitions. The common definition given to that passage would lead one to believe that Paul was preaching law and judging his lack of hypocrisy by his ability to keep the law. I would be willing to assert that most who preach on this passage use it to set a standard that they don’t even keep, then draw the contrast between what the listeners do and what Paul did, and leave everyone bleeding on the ground as hopeless hypocrites. But what was Paul preaching that he didn’t want to go against? Are you preaching the same thing that Paul was preaching? Is your standard different from his? For Paul was preaching grace, love, mercy, hope, and, more than anything, a devotion to Jesus. I believe it is these things, being preached regularly, that he was afraid not to do and disqualify himself. Many preach grace, but then when they fail, they move farther away from Jesus. They have just disqualified themselves from the message they preach. When a Christian fails he must get up and move forward in the love of God. If he cannot, there is a big problem. In short, Christianity is different, much different.
Don’t Despise the Carnal
October 8, 2009 by Mike Wells
Filed under Articles by Mike Wells
“And as for you, you meant evil against me, {but} God meant it for good in order to bring about this present result, to preserve many people alive.”
Gen 50:20
I really dread bringing up my bible college days, those days when we sat around and discussed how ignorant congregations were, how they didn’t do what they knew was right, and how they could be so stupid. I can’t stand those memories primarily because all my judgments befell me.
It is so easy to stand on the work of others, carnal or spiritual, and make judgments. For years I actually believed that my thinking was my thinking, that I owed no one. I would read the anti-nicean fathers and think, “How could they believe that?” It was easy to look back through history and assess what was right or wrong with those believers.
Well, I am getting older and see that I stand on their shoulders, that what many did, in the light of what they had, has brought me into a greater light. I am not independent of them. I am not smarter. I was born in this age, with this education, all for a time to come. It is easy to look at some doctrine that a Luther or Calvin believed and judge them. However, I stand in my reality and judge them in theirs.
My point is twofold. First, all that the believers did before me, good and bad, has helped to make me what I am. I am indebted to them and not as independent as I would like to think. Second, I should never despise the work of God, which can be accomplished through the good or the bad in a saint.
Many are angry over the bondage that they lived under in legalism. They despise those that taught it to them, manipulated and controlled them through it. Don’t! Their teaching didn’t bring you into bondage. Their teaching revealed that you had a righteousness of your own. Only a self-righteous person would attempt such a journey with such a teacher. It’s your fault you were in bondage. You went along with it. God permitted it because He knew that you needed it! It was being in bondage that made you long for freedom. It was bondage that makes your freedom today so precious.
Therefore, bless those that used you, abused you, and brought you under bondage. God used them to make you long for a contrast.
Contrast
October 8, 2009 by Mike Wells
Filed under Articles by Mike Wells
“They heard the sound of the LORD God walking in the garden in the cool of the day, and the man and his wife hid themselves from the presence of the LORD God among the trees of the garden. Then the LORD God called to the man and said to him, ‘Where are you?’ And he said, ‘I heard the sound of Thee in the garden, and I was afraid because I was naked; so I hid myself.” Genesis 3:8-10.
Here is a secret: God does not fight our failures. He uses them! One aspect of the Glory of God is He is never undone, wringing His hands hoping that we will come through with a plan, for He always has one. He does what He wants, and He uses all things! “For My own sake, I will act . . . And My glory I will not give to another.” (Isaiah 48:11)
The Glory of God is a wonderful thing; who can comprehend it? Especially if it is hidden! God will not give His Glory to another; you are another, and therefore, a threat to the Glory of God. But how are you a threat? There is only one thing that will mask the Glory of God: a man’s own counterfeit glory–pride. This is exactly why God does not work in the midst of the self-righteous, those who are up and out. Their own glory blinds them from seeing the true Glory of God.
Adam walked with God and had his own glory. Adam was not perfect; if he had been, he would not have fallen. His imitation glory hid the true Glory. Adam’s glory allowed him to take lightly the Glory of God, so lightly that he would sell it for a piece of fruit. However, after the fall a contrast was created, and Adam could see the Glory of God, appreciate it, long for it, and seek it as something valuable. God used Adam’s failure to allow him to lose his own glory and discover the Glory of God. “For this reason I say to you, her sins, which are many, have been forgiven, for she loved much; but he who is forgiven little, loves little.” (Luke 7:47)
The Prodigal Son is another example of deceitful glory. He had lived so long in the father’s house that somehow he had come to believe that he had made some significant contribution toward all he’d experienced. In the pigpen he fell out of pride into reality.
Many leaders have lived so long on the borrowed gifting of God that they start to think, in deceitful glory, that they are the source. Failure is their awakening! Oh, for the Glory of God.
Fathers Who Lead
October 8, 2009 by Mike Wells
Filed under Articles by Mike Wells
Leadership is an interesting thing. In the Bible we see that some are born to be leaders while others are chosen to lead. However, in the family every man is commanded to lead. The world in contrast has taught that the family is ruled via majority. The media has imposed upon men the idea that children should be consulted before making decisions, that the wife need only submit to the husband who is in mutual submission.
As an Irish brother once exclaimed, “What passage in the Bible are these teachers using?” Good question. Accepting this definition of leadership has produced a generation of Christian fathers who are what might commonly be called passive dads.
The father is not to rule through consensus; he does not take the counsel of children. Rather, he seeks God for guidance, and he will find it in every situation. A leader has followers; followers will always have high expectations of the leader, and rightfully so. When we submit to a leader we desire that he be better than us, for our identity becomes intertwined in his. If I submit to a righteous man, then my self-esteem goes up. I feel good about being his servant. In fact, I see the glory of being subjected to him. I respect, admire, and appreciate him. I also want his direction. My hope is that he might lead me to the place where he is.
Obviously, he knows the way and is respected for it. When he asks of me things I do not understand, I obey, for I know that somehow it will benefit me. Therefore, the two most frustrating things to a follower is a leader that cannot be respected and one who will not lead.
Bullies
October 8, 2009 by Mike Wells
Filed under Articles by Mike Wells
“and they rose up and cast Him out of the city, and led Him to the brow of the hill on which their city had been built, in order to throw Him down the cliff.”
I suppose that all of us at one time or another have had to deal with a bully. What makes people bullies is their ability to set themselves above us and intimidate. There are a variety of bullies. Physical bullies use brute strength to create the fear of being hurt and therefore control us. Intellectual bullies point out our stupidity and inferiority. Materialistic bullies make successful acquisition of possessions the focus. Religious bullies draw attention to their righteousness, making it quite clear they are grateful for not being miserable sinners and failures like the rest of us. Verbal bullies delight in their ability to speak quickly and leave us speechless in our inadequacy. The political bully understands all the intricacies of the whole world and wonders at the absurdity of our opinions. Finally, outward-appearance bullies exalt themselves because of beauty or dress, insinuating we are ugly and therefore must take our place in the proper caste system.
When discussing bullies, we must understand two points. First, we yield to the bully the power that he has over us. We, like him, falsely believe that the greatness of a person rests in strength, beauty, intellect, material possessions, self-righteousness, or a quick mind. We allow the bully to stand over us authoritatively, for we throw flowers in the parade that the bully gives himself. The proof is in statements like this: “I feel like a wimp because I got scared and didn‰t stand up to the bully.” Who said we were wimps for not standing up to those walking in the flesh? I know who says so! The bully and those of us being intimidated, and I believe both are wrong. We must not let the bullies define what is weak, strong, intellectual, or religious. If we do, we will find ourselves with false definitions. Second, the spiritual man sets the standard! The spiritual person is judged by no one but judges all things. (1Cor. 2:15, “But he who is spiritual appraises all things, yet he himself is appraised by no man.”) The spiritual man refuses to measure up to the standard set by the carnal or to play the bullies‰ games that set themselves above to lord it over others. Rather, the spiritual man sets himself below all others, creating a contrast between himself and all bullies that puts incredible judgment on them. The spiritual operate from a definition of man that does not necessitate standing up to a bully, but rather loving and serving. To the intellectual we can say, “We are not wise in our own eyes.” To the materialistic bully, “We live as the sparrow and lilies”; to the verbal bully, “We bless”; to the quick in speech, “We boast in our weakness.” And to the religious bully, we can assert, “We trust not in our works, but in His.” By putting ourselves below the bully, rather than scraping and clamoring to reach his level, we conquer and overcome. Don‰t be intimidated by a bully, for in so doing you have fallen into his false concepts of life.
