Churches often Shoot their own Wounded
by: Jarvis Windom 1/03
Churches are a place often where people and the ministry shoot their own wounded. When a person with sins goes to the minister to confess their cares and sins, confidentiality is breached. Word gets out. People who are laboring and heavily laden; people that have problems; people that have sins and are hurt, take their problems to God and a minister. They take their sins to church to be healed. These people have a life with a "history". People remember them or judge them based on their prior knowledge or current knowledge of that person. Other members react. Those of higher status, or those perceived of higher status look down on those that are not of their current religious belief or morals. They self-righteous often over-react. These weak sinner-type people are the little ones. The sinner with a problem go to church to be healed, forgiven, and loved. (Hopefully) These people are usually people are trying to repent. The least...the lambs. JESUS CHRIST refers them to the flock.
The middle and perceived upper classes are often catered to in churches. Ministers relate to them; leaders extol them as much better than the weak ones. They are able to do things much easier than those that are "little children". They often have the resources. Money! The Churches and their ministers should be there helping those people with physical and spiritual healing. They should be there to teach and support them.
Instead, lead ministers are spending their time promoting themselves as "Doing the Work", and the little ones, that they should be taking care of go needing. These ministers preach that these little ones should be "supporting them". The often said "coin phrase" is "Please pray and study to show yourself approved, help support the work, of which I am doing.
SPS: Unless we turn and become more like children we won’t be able to enter the Kingdom of God. Whoever receives one such child in my name receives JESUS CHRIST.
Society today in America elevates children. America is one of the few society that elevates the right of children. Most societies do not regard or put in high regard children at all. Children in America are put on pedestals but not in most of the world. The nations of the world often put the children in a place where they are not heard or seen. Laws in US are written protecting children.
The rest of the world is not that way. In the middle eastern society, children were looked on in a very low status. Societies like Babylon... if too many girls were born people just threw them away. Children in those societies did not have status. They were not looked on with a very high value. A baby is all work and does not return very much to you. A baby is a drain on people.
When JESUS CHRIST said that we have to become like a child. We have to accept ourselves to being of little account. The child is the symbol of those that have the lowest places or positions in this society. The lowest place in our society is those of low morality, criminals, abusers of others, haters of others, sick, elderly, divorced and trashed.
It is a state of your mind, where you have to become unimportant, a symbol of the week and lowest. Not becoming childish, but not important. See that you do not despise one of these little ones.
People despise people that do not think they are important. Churches cater to rich or upper middle class people, ones that can support them better. Ministers cater to people that can pay for their meals, take them golfing, buy them gifts, send them money, etc.
If there are the weak, the sinners, the hurting, or the abuses in churches, other members despise these "little ones". These are the ones with weaknesses...the ones with faults. Normal church-going people will use it against you if you have any sins or past sins. If you have ever cheated anyone...if you have ever harmed anyone...if you have ever broken a law, people and churches that proclaim they are of God, use it against you.
Matt 11: 25
21 "Woe to you, Chorazin! Woe to you, Bethsaida! For if the miracles had occurred in Tyre and Sidon which occurred in you, they would have repented long ago in sackcloth and ashes.
22 "Nevertheless I say to you, it will be more tolerable for Tyre and Sidon in the day of judgment than for you.
23 "And you, Capernaum, will not be exalted to heaven, will you? You will descend to Hades; for if the miracles had occurred in Sodom which occurred in you, it would have remained to this day.
We all know what sodomy is, and how it is looked on. This act is terrible sexual impurity. And this is a sexual sin. And that doesn’t mean Jesus was condoning it.
25 At that time Jesus said, "I praise You, Father, Lord of heaven and earth, that You have hidden these things from the wise and intelligent and have revealed them to infants.
It was pleasing to these to keep them from the wise and intelligent. This was revealed to people that had no status. This was revealed to infants. He reveals things to infants or the little children. When new things are revealed.
God reveals his purpose and truths to the children in Christ before he reveals them to the intelligent.
Often the wise and intelligent are the worldly educated, self promoted, board member or preacher. Often they are the self directed ministers of today who feel they are of the "cloth".
27 "All things have been handed over to Me by My Father; and no one knows the Son except the Father; nor does anyone know the Father except the Son, and anyone to whom the Son wills to reveal Him.
28 "Come to Me, all who are weary and heavy-laden, and I will give you rest.
29 "Take My yoke upon you and learn from Me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and YOU WILL FIND REST FOR YOUR SOULS.
Matt 9:9
9 As Jesus went on from there, He saw a man called Matthew, sitting in the tax collector's booth; (evidently extortioners) and He said to him, "Follow Me!" And he got up and followed Him.
10 Then it happened that as Jesus was reclining at the table in the house, behold, many tax collectors and sinners came and were dining with Jesus and His disciples.
11. When the Pharisees saw this, they said to His disciples, "Why is your Teacher eating with the tax collectors and sinners?" (Those extortioners and prostitutes?)
These people were the people that were disenfranchised with the local community. They came and were dining with JESUS CHRIST and His discliples.
12 But when Jesus heard this, He said, "It is not those who are healthy who need a physician, but those who are sick.
Mark 2:14
14 As He passed by, He saw Levi the son of Alphaeus sitting in the tax booth, and He said to him, "Follow Me!" And he got up and followed Him.
15 And it happened that He was reclining at the table in his house, and many tax collectors and sinners were dining with Jesus and His disciples; for there were many of them, and they were following Him.
16 When the scribes of the Pharisees saw that He was eating with the sinners and tax collectors, they said to His disciples, "Why is He eating and drinking with tax collectors and sinners?"
That is His statement. Ever notice that there is a sort of a class system. People are in a sort of a strata system. Even in US we have a class system.. It involves money not race. In the church, it surrounds itself around ordination. Those in the highest seats, those Apostles, those Evangelists all the way down to the Deacons, are self placed in this seat. This is a sort of class system. Corporations flourish in the class system. Church organizations flourish in the class system. JESUS CHRIST does not. JESUS CHRIST’s church does not. Often those with sins are not permitted to mingle with the in-crowd. Prostitutes, whoremongers and other sinners, are not allowed to fellowship with those of proclaimed righteousness. What if someone was invited into your home to eat with you that was a sinner.
How would you deal with these strangers? Maybe you would meet them at a coffee shop instead of your house. You might feel uncomfortable sharing your precious home with a stranger. You might even give them some money to go buy their own meal so that they won’t interrupt your time. Our wealthy country throws money at people instead of sharing a meal with a sinner or a person that is down-and-out morally or financially. But, to share a meal with someone is to share part of your life with them. It can be looked upon as a symbol of a "table of forgiveness". When you go out and invite a stranger, a prostitute, a criminal, an abuser into your place to eat, it looks to other people like you are condoning their activities.
Can’t you imagine when JESUS CHRIST ate at table with sinners, He shared part of his life. He talked to them. They talked to Him. They drank wine together and ate food.
Luke 19:1
19:1 He entered Jericho and was passing through.
2 And there was a man called by the name of Zaccheus; he was a chief tax collector and he was rich.
3 Zaccheus was trying to see who Jesus was, and was unable because of the crowd, for he was small in stature.
In order to see JESUS CHRIST.
What do you think the church minister thought about JESUS CHRIST fellowshipping with a sinner and sharing things with Him. Sitting, touching, talking and eating together. Maybe they put their head on JESUS CHRIST and sharing a glass of wine. Etc.
What does that mean? JESUS CHRIST was a religious man. He was a very perceived religious man. He sat down with poor people.
What did the Pharisees say? Are our Ministers or Churches of God perceived as proper religious organizations? Do they sit with the poor?
To share life with a man who is a sinner.
8 Zaccheus stopped and said to the Lord, "Behold, Lord, half of my possessions I will give to the poor, and if I have defrauded anyone of anything, I will give back four times as much."
9 And Jesus said to him, "Today salvation has come to this house, because he, too, is a son of Abraham.
Can you imagine what it was like to eat with a prostitute and sinner with JESUS CHRIST. JESUS had taken away their shame and humiliation. He often had physical contact with him. Here is proof.
Did you know that Jesus had physical contact with a prostitute? And while he was reclining. (Don’t laugh) And while he was at a sinners house.... She dried him with her long hair. It was given that this woman was a sinner type of woman because of the statement....this woman was a sinner. Common knowledge.
Luke 7:38
37 And there was a woman in the city who was a sinner; (Probably a prostitute) and when she learned that He was reclining at the table in the Pharisee's house, she brought an alabaster vial of perfume,
This prostitute was kissing Jesus’ feet. She was touching Him. She was crying at His feet. She was not too proud to get down and kiss his body.
Christ knew this was a good-looking hooker with long hair. She was standing behind Him letting her tears drip on him.
Luke 7:40
40 And Jesus answered him, "Simon, I have something to say to you." And he replied, "Say it, Teacher."
41 "A moneylender had two debtors: one owed five hundred denarii, and the other fifty.
42 "When they were unable to repay, he graciously forgave them both. So which of them will love him more?"
43 Simon answered and said, "I suppose the one whom he forgave more." And He said to him, "You have judged correctly."
44 Turning toward the woman, He said to Simon, "Do you see this woman? I entered your house; you gave Me no water for My feet, but she has wet My feet with her tears and wiped them with her hair.
45 "You gave Me no kiss; but she, since the time I came in, has not ceased to kiss My feet.
46 "You did not anoint My head with oil, but she anointed My feet with perfume.
47 "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."
48 Then He said to her, "Your sins have been forgiven."
JESUS CHRIST came to associate with sinners. The churches of today often do not want to associate with sinners.If you are smart enough to understand this fact. Churches of today often shoot their wounded.