"AND THE DIRT CAME OUT"

By Steve Van Nattan

Recently, a certain family tried to move along to another location. Every door opened to them in the Lord. As they were getting into motion, The Lord allowed them to be nearly ruined financially by the very people who they thought were their best friends in the Body of Christ. The pastor of that church informed the victims to simply kneel and pray about it as extortionists IN THE CHURCH HOUSE tried to defraud them of a large sum of cash. The saints stood by and did nothing. They suffered extreme terror, and physical and mental collapse nearly overcame one of them. Ironically, the wimpy pastor has orchestrated a "Job's friends" effort to convince the victims that they caused all the problems by defending themselves. He has also threatened to black ball them amongst all the church pastors in his area.

An older couple owned a whole town in the California Desert. They wanted to sell it and retire, and a Charismatic denomination bought it. The papers were signed, and the denomination promptly began to play tricks, which eventually resulted in the older couple nearly dying of heart trouble, and they lost everything but enough to buy a modest home on the US-Mexican border. The denominational leaders said it was not their problem-- That the couple should go see the men who cut the deal. He evaded the law by other tricks. The denomination now owns the town, and the older couple hate God and everything about religion.

I have learned something from the Lord and recent events in a number of local churches. That is, most Fundamental Bible believing KJV Only pastors in the USA, and the world, are learning to be wimps and tolerate sin in the synagogue. Virtually ALL Charismatic churches are thus afflicted. As I think of it, and the fact that we are coming down to the wire on the Age of Grace, I am enraged. The narrow way is becoming part of God's vomit:

Revelation 3:16
So then because thou art lukewarm,
and neither cold nor hot,
I will spue thee out of my mouth.

For this reason, I am giving you what I gather are the foundational texts for salvaging a Bible believing local church. I will first show you the passages which wimpy pastors, milque toast fathers, and mealie mouthed church leaders use to justify themselves. These are the texts used to excuse their lack of zeal in dealing with sin, Satan, and the flesh run amuck in the church house. Then I will show you the Bible texts which will cure you of your wimpy sloppy agape.

If such a picture exists in your assembly, WHY ARE YOU STILL THERE? Get out at once- You will NOT save it. You owe an hireling NOTHING. If you think that God wants you to save such a local church, you will have to run the wimpy leaders off, starting with the pastor. You better be real sure that is what you are supposed to do, for God only allows this where the shepherd is a true hireling and not born again. Just get out of the wolf infested sheep fold, and start a house church. Don't do what you do to prove a point-- Just do it, and leave the wimps for God to punish.

ABUSED BIBLE TEXTS:
Hirelings and wimps love these texts (taken out of context of course).

I Corinthians 6

1 Corinthians 6:1 Dare any of you, having a matter against another, go to law before the unjust, and not before the saints?
2 Do ye not know that the saints shall judge the world? and if the world shall be judged by you, are ye unworthy to judge the smallest matters?
3 Know ye not that we shall judge angels? how much more things that pertain to this life?
4 If then ye have judgments of things pertaining to this life, set them to judge who are least esteemed in the church.
5 I speak to your shame. Is it so, that there is not a wise man among you? no, not one that shall be able to judge between his brethren?
6 But brother goeth to law with brother, and that before the unbelievers.
7 Now therefore there is utterly a fault among you, because ye go to law one with another. Why do ye not rather take wrong? why do ye not rather suffer yourselves to be defrauded?
8 Nay, ye do wrong, and defraud, and that your brethren.

Wimpy preachers will claim that when the saints are rent by wolves in the assembly that the sheep must just bleed and thank God for it. They discourage the saints from defending themselves with Caesar's law or the police. This is wicked, for there are many wolves in the local church these days, and they find this kind of false teaching very useful for a cover and to even rip the sheep in the local assemble, especially in business dealings.

I Corinthians 13

1 Corinthians 13:4 Charity suffereth long, and is kind; charity envieth not; charity vaunteth not itself, is not puffed up,
5 Doth not behave itself unseemly, seeketh not her own, is not easily provoked, thinketh no evil;
6 Rejoiceth not in iniquity, but rejoiceth in the truth;
7 Beareth all things, believeth all things, hopeth all things, endureth all things.

The hireling preacher and church leader who is terrified of his own shadow will use this text to avoid dealing with wolves who rip up the sheep. All of the texts in the lower area of this lesson will show that there IS a time to defend the sheep, and there ARE wolves who get in amongst the sheep. The problem is, dealing with wolves is messy and ugly every time, so the wimpy church leader will hide in texts on love. Cheap shot friend.

Proverbs soft answer

Proverbs 15:1 A soft answer turneth away wrath: but grievous words stir up anger.

An heretic is to be rebuked, not given a soft answer, AND the more out in the open, and the rougher the thing, the better, Why? The sheep need to see the zeal of their defender. Solomon was not talking about wimping out as a defender. His army was clear proof that he was ready to defend Israel, and soft words don't work with the wicked from the outside. Soft words work only with the household of God.

Feed the flock of God

1 Peter 5:2 Feed the flock of God which is among you, taking the oversight thereof, not by constraint, but willingly; not for filthy lucre, but of a ready mind;

Does this exclude defending the flock also? Of course not. But, some wimps who fill the office of under-shepherd want to feed and not defend. They end up with fat sheep who are wide open for the attack of wolves, and I know from experience that there are wolves about who specialize in ripping fat sheep who are not defended. It is the nature of wolves, and Jesus used the imagery ON PURPOSE.

Easy to be entreated

James 3:17 But the wisdom that is from above is first pure, then peaceable, gentle, and easy to be intreated, full of mercy and good fruits, without partiality, and without hypocrisy.

This is often used to cover a wimpy personality by hirelings. It makes a coward look good, UNLESS it is properly interpreted and set in context of all Scripture. The intreating here is that of a saint by a saint. We are not talking about being patient and pleasant to wolves. What abject absurdity! Texts dealt with later show that God is PLEASED with those who are very short with the wicked when they try to attack or offend the sheep.

Restore such an one

Galatians 6:1 Brethren, if a man be overtaken in a fault, ye which are spiritual, restore such an one in the spirit of meekness; considering thyself, lest thou also be tempted.

First, wolves do NOT fit here. They are not born again and brothers. A lot of wimps in the church, and their pastors, hide here rather than deal with offenses. Wolves, even when they make a pretense at repentance, ARE STILL WOLVES. It is time to test these wolves and see if they are demon possessed, and it is time to confront them to be saved or ship out the door. Restoration is for a KNOWN sheep with many years of record as a real sheep. This restoration is the love of sloppy agape.

Prayer and defending the sheep

Matthew 5:44 But I say unto you, Love your enemies, bless them that curse you, do good to them that hate you, and pray for them which despitefully use you, and persecute you;

This is powerful stuff, and it is to be obeyed. We also read that David killed Goliath-- He did not go up to the giant and give him a big hug. Spiritual warfare, and the rending of the sheep by wolves, is NOT what Jesus was talking about here. We will see this later. Also, it is highly suspect to use Kingdom passages to deal with Satanic forces in this age of the Church.

CURE FOR WIMPY CHURCHES, PASTORS, AND MEN OF GOD:

Those who throw in their lot-- Proverbs 1

Proverbs 1:10 My son, if sinners entice thee, consent thou not.
11 If they say, Come with us, let us lay wait for blood, let us lurk privily for the innocent without cause:
12 Let us swallow them up alive as the grave; and whole, as those that go down into the pit:
13 We shall find all precious substance, we shall fill our houses with spoil:
14 Cast in thy lot among us; let us all have one purse:
15 My son, walk not thou in the way with them; refrain thy foot from their path:
16 For their feet run to evil, and make haste to shed blood.
17 Surely in vain the net is spread in the sight of any bird.
18 And they lay wait for their own blood; they lurk privily for their own lives.
19 So are the ways of every one that is greedy of gain; which taketh away the life of the owners thereof.

The first warning to wimpy pastors and men in the Lord's Church is to stay away from deals with the wolves. These evil people use stealth to invade the sheep fold. The two things that pull preachers down the most are women and money. Women will come to a pastor and tell him they are having a personal problem and need to talk to the man of God and find biblical solutions. These women will then talk about explicit marriage chamber things, and if the preacher is dumb enough to let them, these women will then go on to seduce the preacher.

The other seduction is that wolves will drop large gifts in the offering plate. They will give the preacher personal gifts, and they will draw him into their criminal financial dealings. They may help him with a mortgage, or they may make some sort of payments for him. He will talk himself into believing that these favors are "sacrificial giving" and "heave offerings" to the Levite. In the end, the clever wolf may even draw the preacher into deals which are headed for Federal Court one day, and the preacher's testimony will be destroyed. During all of this, the sheep will be used by the wolves, and the preacher will tell everyone he believes the wolves are sincere and honest.

I Corinthians 5

Hirelings and wimps in the Lord's Church like to flee to 1 Corinthians 6 and tell the sheep that ALL wolfish attacks are to be received as of the Lord. They will tell them to pray much before defending their homes and the local church, and anyone who DOES defend his home will be cast as unloving. I have seen this in a KJV Only Fundamental Baptist Church. It is not just a Liberal response. Let us look at the chapter just before this abused passage.

1 Corinthians 5:7 Purge out therefore the old leaven, that ye may be a new lump, as ye are unleavened. For even Christ our Passover is sacrificed for us:
8 Therefore let us keep the feast, not with old leaven, neither with the leaven of malice and wickedness; but with the unleavened bread of sincerity and truth.
9 I wrote unto you in an epistle not to company with fornicators:
10 Yet not altogether with the fornicators of this world, or with the covetous, or extortioners, or with idolaters; for then must ye needs go out of the world.
11 But now I have written unto you not to keep company, if any man that is called a brother be a fornicator, or covetous, or an idolater, or a railer, or a drunkard, or an extortioner; with such an one no not to eat.
12 For what have I to do to judge them also that are without? do not ye judge them that are within?
13 But them that are without God judgeth. Therefore put away from among yourselves that wicked person.

It is horrifying to see a preacher leave wolves in the pew Sunday after Sunday, knowing full well that they are rending the Flock of God. They may be extortionists, they may be teaching filthy doctrine, they may be turning loose their fornicating children on the youth group-- Many tricks are used by Satan's wolves. The hireling who will not defend the Flock against these wolves is probably not born again, for a true man of God will be enraged at such things.

Mark them and avoid them-- Romans 16:17

Romans 16:17 Now I beseech you, brethren, mark them which cause divisions and offences contrary to the doctrine which ye have learned; and avoid them.
18 For they that are such serve not our Lord Jesus Christ, but their own belly; and by good words and fair speeches deceive the hearts of the simple.

Marking is a process of pointing the finger or publicly identifying someone. John did this with Diotrophes, and it needs to be done today a lot more. This divides the sheep from the goats and the wolves. I have seen this done, and the result is instant decision on the part of all present. Some stupid sheep love wolves, and they will take up with them. Fine, let them go along with them, and don't run down the street calling them back.

I will get him when I come-- III John

I want you to see how John dealt with a wolf and a contrasting faithful men. John almost seems to be pitting the two against each other. I have a feeling John WANTED the lines drawn and to see a show down in that local church so that the wicked would move along. Some back door revivals are very cleansing and a real blessing.

3 John 1:9 I wrote unto the church: but Diotrephes, who loveth to have the preeminence among them, receiveth us not.
10 Wherefore, if I come, I will remember his deeds which he doeth, prating against us with malicious words: and not content therewith, neither doth he himself receive the brethren, and forbiddeth them that would, and casteth them out of the church.
11 Beloved, follow not that which is evil, but that which is good. He that doeth good is of God: but he that doeth evil hath not seen God.
12 Demetrius hath good report of all men, and of the truth itself: yea, and we also bear record; and ye know that our record is true.

Israelite shish kabab-- Phinneas

I love this story. This is a graphic proof that God loves to see men get some zeal up and rough up the enemy. AND, it is about time to figure out that the enemy is sometimes the saints who have taken up with wolves. This old boy made shish kabab of a Jew! Oh my, how unholy. How violent and careless. They should have called a meeting and, after much prayer and deliberation, put the two people under church discipline, right? Not so friend. Read about it:

Numbers 25:1 And Israel abode in Shittim, and the people began to commit whoredom with the daughters of Moab.
2 And they called the people unto the sacrifices of their gods: and the people did eat, and bowed down to their gods.
3 And Israel joined himself unto Baalpeor: and the anger of the LORD was kindled against Israel.
4 And the LORD said unto Moses, Take all the heads of the people, and hang them up before the LORD against the sun, that the fierce anger of the LORD may be turned away from Israel.
5 And Moses said unto the judges of Israel, Slay ye every one his men that were joined unto Baalpeor.
6 And, behold, one of the children of Israel came and brought unto his brethren a Midianitish woman in the sight of Moses, and in the sight of all the congregation of the children of Israel, who were weeping before the door of the tabernacle of the congregation.
7 And when Phinehas, the son of Eleazar, the son of Aaron the priest, saw it, he rose up from among the congregation, and took a javelin in his hand;
8 And he went after the man of Israel into the tent, and thrust both of them through, the man of Israel, and the woman through her belly. So the plague was stayed from the children of Israel.
9 And those that died in the plague were twenty and four thousand.
10 And the LORD spake unto Moses, saying,
11 Phinehas, the son of Eleazar, the son of Aaron the priest, hath turned my wrath away from the children of Israel, while he was zealous for my sake among them, that I consumed not the children of Israel in my jealousy.
12 Wherefore say, Behold, I give unto him my covenant of peace:
13 And he shall have it, and his seed after him, even the covenant of an everlasting priesthood; because he was zealous for his God, and made an atonement for the children of Israel.
14 Now the name of the Israelite that was slain, even that was slain with the Midianitish woman, was Zimri, the son of Salu, a prince of a chief house among the Simeonites.
15 And the name of the Midianitish woman that was slain was Cozbi, the daughter of Zur; he was head over a people, and of a chief house in Midian.
16 And the LORD spake unto Moses, saying,
17 Vex the Midianites, and smite them:
18 For they vex you with their wiles, wherewith they have beguiled you in the matter of Peor, and in the matter of Cozbi, the daughter of a prince of Midian, their sister, which was slain in the day of the plague for Peor's sake.

I don't know if Phinehas was High Priest already, but if he wasn't, he sure was soon after this event. Someone standing by missed a real blessing by NOT getting violent like this good brother. David mentioned Phinehas later in the Psalms, and he noted his violent zeal. It is about time some preachers get up some zeal about wolves in the local church. Some of the plagues of sorry wimpy zeal might be stayed.

I must note here that some preachers boast loudly of their experience in dealing with wolves and "cons." They are all squeal and no bacon. When it is time to actually attack a wolf, they disappear, literally, and they may even take their phone off the hook. They will often leave their wife to answer for them, and then scream foul later when someone has to speak of evil events with their wife in order to pass on some report of wolfish behavior. There is no lower critter in the Lord's Church.

Until the dirt came out-- Ehud

You will not like this one folks, that is, if you are an ecclesiastical wimp and hireling. You will say that this is a dispensational matter, and God would not work this way in the Age of Grace. Which, being interpreted means, YOU ARE A WIMP. The point for us today is to see the warfare principle and apply it in defending the Flock of God in the same way, but with other weapons and other means.

Judges 3:12 And the children of Israel did evil again in the sight of the LORD: and the LORD strengthened Eglon the king of Moab against Israel, because they had done evil in the sight of the LORD.
13 And he gathered unto him the children of Ammon and Amalek, and went and smote Israel, and possessed the city of palm trees.
14 So the children of Israel served Eglon the king of Moab eighteen years.
15 But when the children of Israel cried unto the LORD, the LORD raised them up a deliverer, Ehud the son of Gera, a Benjamite, a man lefthanded: and by him the children of Israel sent a present unto Eglon the king of Moab.
16 But Ehud made him a dagger which had two edges, of a cubit length; and he did gird it under his raiment upon his right thigh. 17 And he brought the present unto Eglon king of Moab: and Eglon was a very fat man.
18 And when he had made an end to offer the present, he sent away the people that bare the present.
19 But he himself turned again from the quarries that were by Gilgal, and said, I have a secret errand unto thee, O king: who said, Keep silence. And all that stood by him went out from him.
20 And Ehud came unto him; and he was sitting in a summer parlour, which he had for himself alone. And Ehud said, I have a message from God unto thee. And he arose out of his seat.
21 And Ehud put forth his left hand, and took the dagger from his right thigh, and thrust it into his belly:
22 And the haft also went in after the blade; and the fat closed upon the blade, so that he could not draw the dagger out of his belly; and the dirt came out.
23 Then Ehud went forth through the porch, and shut the doors of the parlour upon him, and locked them.
24 When he was gone out, his servants came; and when they saw that, behold, the doors of the parlour were locked, they said, Surely he covereth his feet in his summer chamber.
25 And they tarried till they were ashamed: and, behold, he opened not the doors of the parlour; therefore they took a key, and opened them: and, behold, their lord was fallen down dead on the earth.
26 And Ehud escaped while they tarried, and passed beyond the quarries, and escaped unto Seirath.
27 And it came to pass, when he was come, that he blew a trumpet in the mountain of Ephraim, and the children of Israel went down with him from the mount, and he before them.
28 And he said unto them, Follow after me: for the LORD hath delivered your enemies the Moabites into your hand. And they went down after him, and took the fords of Jordan toward Moab, and suffered not a man to pass over.
29 And they slew of Moab at that time about ten thousand men, all lusty, and all men of valour; and there escaped not a man.
30 So Moab was subdued that day under the hand of Israel. And the land had rest fourscore years.
31 And after him was Shamgar the son of Anath, which slew of the Philistines six hundred men with an ox goad: and he also delivered Israel.

And the dirt came out.

Do you realize that if Ehud had not buried the dagger until the fat boy's manure had came pouring out, Ehud would not have had a cover. You see, Ehud shut the door and slipped away. The smell of Eglon's manure gave the impression to the servants and court officials outside that Eglon was going to the bathroom and making a big stink of it. They waited a good long time before they finally figured Eglon was taking too long for the duty at hand. That is the way with big fat people-- they spend a lot of time sitting on the pot and stinking up the area. There is something of a spiritual application there, but I will let you figure it out. In any case, you may never get the church right with the Lord until you "Get the dirt out" preacher. Use the Sword you have there, your black backed KJV, and bury it to the hilt.

Say now, how about that Shamgar? Wasn't he something with an ox goad? Maybe you know someone in your assembly who needs a jab in the rear to either get them down to the altar or out the door. Why leave them to sit there in the pew and just cause trouble with their stubborn attitude?

Do you recall Samson's weapon? He didn't need a chrome plated revolver to get the work done. Don't you know some jackass with a flopping jawbone who is destroying the peace of Jerusalem? How about getting that jawbone in hand and clean house?

Preacher, I dare you to preach a sermon next Sunday titled, "And the Dirt Came Out." Go on now, don't be a wimp!

"If you don't get them, I will get you"-- Jehu--

If the last one seemed undiplomatic, this one will terrify you Kissinger fans. This boy threatened to kill his own buddies if they didn't do their best to kill the enemy. Think about this as you read, and ask yourself if there are some men in your assembly who need to be threatened to defend the holiness of the Lord and the sheep, or you will thrash them.

2 Kings 10:1 And Ahab had seventy sons in Samaria. And Jehu wrote letters, and sent to Samaria, unto the rulers of Jezreel, to the elders, and to them that brought up Ahab's children, saying,
2 Now as soon as this letter cometh to you, seeing your master's sons are with you, and there are with you chariots and horses, a fenced city also, and armour;
3 Look even out the best and meetest of your master's sons, and set him on his father's throne, and fight for your master's house.
4 But they were exceedingly afraid, and said, Behold, two kings stood not before him: how then shall we stand?
5 And he that was over the house, and he that was over the city, the elders also, and the bringers up of the children, sent to Jehu, saying, We are thy servants, and will do all that thou shalt bid us; we will not make any king: do thou that which is good in thine eyes.
6 Then he wrote a letter the second time to them, saying, If ye be mine, and if ye will hearken unto my voice, take ye the heads of the men your master's sons, and come to me to Jezreel by to morrow this time. Now the king's sons, being seventy persons, were with the great men of the city, which brought them up.
7 And it came to pass, when the letter came to them, that they took the king's sons, and slew seventy persons, and put their heads in baskets, and sent him them to Jezreel.
8 And there came a messenger, and told him, saying, They have brought the heads of the king's sons. And he said, Lay ye them in two heaps at the entering in of the gate until the morning.
9 And it came to pass in the morning, that he went out, and stood, and said to all the people, Ye be righteous: behold, I conspired against my master, and slew him: but who slew all these?
10 Know now that there shall fall unto the earth nothing of the word of the LORD, which the LORD spake concerning the house of Ahab: for the LORD hath done that which he spake by his servant Elijah.
11 So Jehu slew all that remained of the house of Ahab in Jezreel, and all his great men, and his kinsfolks, and his priests, until he left him none remaining.
12 And he arose and departed, and came to Samaria. And as he was at the shearing house in the way,
13 Jehu met with the brethren of Ahaziah king of Judah, and said, Who are ye? And they answered, We are the brethren of Ahaziah; and we go down to salute the children of the king and the children of the queen.
14 And he said, Take them alive. And they took them alive, and slew them at the pit of the shearing house, even two and forty men; neither left he any of them.
15 And when he was departed thence, he lighted on Jehonadab the son of Rechab coming to meet him: and he saluted him, and said to him, Is thine heart right, as my heart is with thy heart? And Jehonadab answered, It is. If it be, give me thine hand. And he gave him his hand; and he took him up to him into the chariot.
16 And he said, Come with me, and see my zeal for the LORD. So they made him ride in his chariot.
17 And when he came to Samaria, he slew all that remained unto Ahab in Samaria, till he had destroyed him, according to the saying of the LORD, which he spake to Elijah.
18 And Jehu gathered all the people together, and said unto them, Ahab served Baal a little; but Jehu shall serve him much.
19 Now therefore call unto me all the prophets of Baal, all his servants, and all his priests; let none be wanting: for I have a great sacrifice to do to Baal; whosoever shall be wanting, he shall not live. But Jehu did it in subtilty, to the intent that he might destroy the worshippers of Baal.
20 And Jehu said, Proclaim a solemn assembly for Baal. And they proclaimed it.
21 And Jehu sent through all Israel: and all the worshippers of Baal came, so that there was not a man left that came not. And they came into the house of Baal; and the house of Baal was full from one end to another.
22 And he said unto him that was over the vestry, Bring forth vestments for all the worshippers of Baal. And he brought them forth vestments.
23 And Jehu went, and Jehonadab the son of Rechab, into the house of Baal, and said unto the worshippers of Baal, Search, and look that there be here with you none of the servants of the LORD, but the worshippers of Baal only.
24 And when they went in to offer sacrifices and burnt offerings, Jehu appointed fourscore men without, and said, If any of the men whom I have brought into your hands escape, he that letteth him go, his life shall be for the life of him.
25 And it came to pass, as soon as he had made an end of offering the burnt offering, that Jehu said to the guard and to the captains, Go in, and slay them; let none come forth. And they smote them with the edge of the sword; and the guard and the captains cast them out, and went to the city of the house of Baal.
26 And they brought forth the images out of the house of Baal, and burned them.
27 And they brake down the image of Baal, and brake down the house of Baal, and made it a draught house unto this day.
28 Thus Jehu destroyed Baal out of Israel.

Now, here is an ecumenical gathering we can all believe in, right? :-) This man was not perfect in all he did, and he was impetuous. He drove too fast, and he did not destroy every last vestige of Baal in Israel. But, look what God said about him:

2 Kings 10:29 Howbeit from the sins of Jeroboam the son of Nebat, who made Israel to sin, Jehu departed not from after them, to wit, the golden calves that were in Bethel, and that were in Dan.
30 And the LORD said unto Jehu, Because thou hast done well in executing that which is right in mine eyes, and hast done unto the house of Ahab according to all that was in mine heart, thy children of the fourth generation shall sit on the throne of Israel.

David and Joab and Solomon

There is a time to take revenge on those who live a wild life in the Lord's Church. We are told to leave all revenge to God, and that is more often wise. But there ARE times when the sheep need to see revenge on the wolves and wicked so that they know that there IS a standard this side of God's throne. Note the following:

1 Kings 2:5 Moreover thou knowest also what Joab the son of Zeruiah did to me, and what he did to the two captains of the hosts of Israel, unto Abner the son of Ner, and unto Amasa the son of Jether, whom he slew, and shed the blood of war in peace, and put the blood of war upon his girdle that was about his loins, and in his shoes that were on his feet.
6 Do therefore according to thy wisdom, and let not his hoar head go down to the grave in peace.
7 But shew kindness unto the sons of Barzillai the Gileadite, and let them be of those that eat at thy table: for so they came to me when I fled because of Absalom thy brother.
8 And, behold, thou hast with thee Shimei the son of Gera, a Benjamite of Bahurim, which cursed me with a grievous curse in the day when I went to Mahanaim: but he came down to meet me at Jordan, and I sware to him by the LORD, saying, I will not put thee to death with the sword.
9 Now therefore hold him not guiltless: for thou art a wise man, and knowest what thou oughtest to do unto him; but his hoar head bring thou down to the grave with blood.

A wise pastor, when he leaves a church to go on to another work, will not leave wolves to destroy the next man.

Even Grandma may have to be dealt with--

2 Kings 11:1 And when Athaliah the mother of Ahaziah saw that her son was dead, she arose and destroyed all the seed royal.
2 But Jehosheba, the daughter of king Joram, sister of Ahaziah, took Joash the son of Ahaziah, and stole him from among the king's sons which were slain; and they hid him, even him and his nurse, in the bedchamber from Athaliah, so that he was not slain.
3 And he was with her hid in the house of the LORD six years. And Athaliah did reign over the land.
4 And the seventh year Jehoiada sent and fetched the rulers over hundreds, with the captains and the guard, and brought them to him into the house of the LORD, and made a covenant with them, and took an oath of them in the house of the LORD, and shewed them the king's son.
5 And he commanded them, saying, This is the thing that ye shall do; A third part of you that enter in on the sabbath shall even be keepers of the watch of the king's house;
6 And a third part shall be at the gate of Sur; and a third part at the gate behind the guard: so shall ye keep the watch of the house, that it be not broken down.
7 And two parts of all you that go forth on the sabbath, even they shall keep the watch of the house of the LORD about the king.
8 And ye shall compass the king round about, every man with his weapons in his hand: and he that cometh within the ranges, let him be slain: and be ye with the king as he goeth out and as he cometh in.
9 And the captains over the hundreds did according to all things that Jehoiada the priest commanded: and they took every man his men that were to come in on the sabbath, with them that should go out on the sabbath, and came to Jehoiada the priest.
10 And to the captains over hundreds did the priest give king David's spears and shields, that were in the temple of the LORD.
11 And the guard stood, every man with his weapons in his hand, round about the king, from the right corner of the temple to the left corner of the temple, along by the altar and the temple.
12 And he brought forth the king's son, and put the crown upon him, and gave him the testimony; and they made him king, and anointed him; and they clapped their hands, and said, God save the king.
13 And when Athaliah heard the noise of the guard and of the people, she came to the people into the temple of the LORD.
14 And when she looked, behold, the king stood by a pillar, as the manner was, and the princes and the trumpeters by the king, and all the people of the land rejoiced, and blew with trumpets: and Athaliah rent her clothes, and cried, Treason, Treason.
15 But Jehoiada the priest commanded the captains of the hundreds, the officers of the host, and said unto them, Have her forth without the ranges: and him that followeth her kill with the sword. For the priest had said, Let her not be slain in the house of the LORD.
16 And they laid hands on her; and she went by the way by the which the horses came into the king's house: and there was she slain.

The old nag! She even ended her life running out the horse gate, and how appropriate. The Lord's Church has a few nags in it too, and it is a wimpy and mongrel preacher who will not stand up to them. These sway backed nags spend hours on the phone gossiping and stirring up trouble, and they run their wimpy little husbands. These are she-wolves, and they are very useful to Satan in destroying the peace of the local church.

Rebuke before all-- I Timothy?

There is no fear in society today. It is a by word- "No Fear." Also, there is no fear in the Lord's Church. Why? Answer: Wimps lead the churches, so the wolves and wandering sheep are bold in their arrogance. They need to be rebuked openly. It is a disgrace to quietly send away a bold leader who has openly sinned. Note Paul's command:

1 Timothy 5:19 Against an elder receive not an accusation, but before two or three witnesses.
20 Them that sin rebuke before all, that others also may fear.

Slow bellies-- Rebuke sharply-- Titus

Sharp language is discouraged in this late Laodicean era. Many preachers are condescending to the notion of being politically correct, and that is not biblical. There IS a time for strong words. Note how Paul teaches Titus to talk:

Titus 1:10 For there are many unruly and vain talkers and deceivers, specially they of the circumcision:
11 Whose mouths must be stopped, who subvert whole houses, teaching things which they ought not, for filthy lucre's sake.
12 One of themselves, even a prophet of their own, said, The Cretians are alway liars, evil beasts, slow bellies.
13 This witness is true. Wherefore rebuke them sharply, that they may be sound in the faith;

I gather you didn't want to mess with brother Titus. You could find yourself openly labeled and rebuked. Such is not the case in about 98% of Fundamental churches today. Tact is the key word, and you know something-- I have yet to find a Greek or Hebrew word for "tact". So, as you may have noticed, I don't worry too much about it :-)

Those on the outside

There is an attitude in many Fundamental churches that if we do something dumb or offensive, we can pass it off as a thing of Christian conduct and zeal, and the unsaved can be ignored. After all; these are rebels and hell bound sinners, so they don't count. One pastor is so involved in extortion, or at least the benefits of extortionists in his assembly, that the whole community thinks he is "on the take" with the wolves in his assembly. These wolves are headed for many many years of prison sentences, and the community is now saying the preacher should go with them. This is wicked, for that preacher thinks he must defend these alleged "sheep" until they have finally been hauled away by the FBI and the Federal Courts. What gross wickedness. Note please:

Romans 12:17 Recompense to no man evil for evil. Provide things honest in the sight of all men.

This is not only in MY actions. It includes what I tolerate in the fellowship. It is dishonest to raise the Word of God up in the pulpit as the standard, and then I let some viper crawl about in the fellowship and hide from the light of the Word of God. WICKED! Paul also spoke of the standards for deacons and elders:

1 Timothy 3:7 Moreover he must have a good report of them which are without; lest he fall into reproach and the snare of the devil.

Only a wimp would think this applies only to leaders. This is the high calling of God for all men, and so when a wolf is living like a dog in the assembly, and in the neighborhood, he should be severely rebuked or sent away.

Jesus and The Scourge of Thongs

Well, you knew I would come around to this one. I don't want to carelessly use our Lord and His actions to prove a thing not intended by Him. You read this, and you figure it out. This is the Lord who also said, "Blessed are the peace makers..."

John 2:13 And the Jews' passover was at hand, and Jesus went up to Jerusalem, 14 And found in the temple those that sold oxen and sheep and doves, and the changers of money sitting: 15 And when he had made a scourge of small cords, he drove them all out of the temple, and the sheep, and the oxen; and poured out the changers' money, and overthrew the tables; 16 And said unto them that sold doves, Take these things hence; make not my Father's house an house of merchandise. 17 And his disciples remembered that it was written, The zeal of thine house hath eaten me up.

Any sniveling wimpy little greeeezy preacher who claims to love the house of the Lord, the fellowship of the saints, yet he has no zeal to keep it clean, is worthless and a hazard to the Lord's Church. Run him off, and find a MAN to stand in your midst.

Get a sword

There are those in the church who call for a pacifist attitude. We see that our Lord, just before He returned to the Glory, encouraged his disciples to be ready to defend themselves. This was not for persecution, as we see when Peter used the sword on the ear of the guard who came to arrest Jesus just hours after the following text. The sword is for common crime and disorder which is NOT persecution. Note please:

Luke 22:36 Then said he unto them, But now, he that hath a purse, let him take it, and likewise his scrip: and he that hath no sword, let him sell his garment, and buy one.
37 For I say unto you, that this that is written must yet be accomplished in me, And he was reckoned among the transgressors: for the things concerning me have an end.
38 And they said, Lord, behold, here are two swords. And he said unto them, It is enough.
39 And he came out, and went, as he was wont, to the mount of Olives; and his disciples also followed him.
40 And when he was at the place, he said unto them, Pray that ye enter not into temptation.

When a dirty old men is in the assembly and is hustling and flirting with the ladies, and when the men and pastor of the church do nothing about it, these men are wimps. I knew of a church in Michigan where a sodomite lurked in the restroom waiting to peek at the boys when they entered. Other men would follow all the boys into the restroom to make sure there was no offense. But, this church would not run the sodomite off. What shame on that church, and the whole community mocked them for their lack of zeal to defend the boys in that assembly. A church in Washington let a cross dresser sit in the pew for six months until they finally got up the nerve to deal with the thing. Amazing.

One pastor had extortionists sitting in his church for 14 years, and he still has not dealt with it, even though people in the church have been victimized by the wolves. Can you imagine this, and do you have any idea what the community, those on the outside, say about this?

It is time to defend the saints. It is a physical thing sometimes, and it may be messy, but a pastor who defends his people against evil and criminals will stand tall by and by.

For those who refuse to act:

Zechariah 11:4 Thus saith the LORD my God; Feed the flock of the slaughter;
5 Whose possessors slay them, and hold themselves not guilty: and they that sell them say, Blessed be the LORD; for I am rich: and their own shepherds pity them not.
6 For I will no more pity the inhabitants of the land, saith the LORD: but, lo, I will deliver the men every one into his neighbour's hand, and into the hand of his king: and they shall smite the land, and out of their hand I will not deliver them.

Jeremiah 10:21 For the pastors are become brutish, and have not sought the LORD: therefore they shall not prosper, and all their flocks shall be scattered.

This is why churches sometimes seem to explode and disintegrate in a matter of weeks. It is God destroying them to His own Glory.

Jeremiah 12:10 Many pastors have destroyed my vineyard, they have trodden my portion under foot, they have made my pleasant portion a desolate wilderness.

Jeremiah 22:22 The wind shall eat up all thy pastors, and thy lovers shall go into captivity: surely then shalt thou be ashamed and confounded for all thy wickedness.
I know a pastor who has defended criminals so long that the community is convinced that the Feds should bring charges against him and send him up to the big house for a few years. I has happened!

Jeremiah 23:2 Therefore thus saith the LORD God of Israel against the pastors that feed my people; Ye have scattered my flock, and driven them away, and have not visited them: behold, I will visit upon you the evil of your doings, saith the LORD.

These are the wimps who tell a wounded bleeding sheep that the wolf is really another sheep and we must just get down on our knees and pray more. What vile scum of the earth!

Jeremiah 17:16 As for me, I have not hastened from being a pastor to follow thee: neither have I desired the woeful day; thou knowest: that which came out of my lips was right before thee.

This is the claim of many preachers today, but the wimps have NOT followed Jeremiah's zeal. They simply know how to proof text their way our of trouble. WIMPS!

THE SCOURGE OF THONGS

Pastors who devour the sheep

Zechariah 11:16 For, lo, I will raise up a shepherd in the land, which shall not visit those that be cut off, neither shall seek the young one, nor heal that that is broken, nor feed that that standeth still: but he shall eat the flesh of the fat, and tear their claws in pieces.
17 Woe to the idol shepherd that leaveth the flock! the sword shall be upon his arm, and upon his right eye: his arm shall be clean dried up, and his right eye shall be utterly darkened.

Doctrine of Balaam

What is the doctrine of Balaam? We know the story of this heretic prophet who tried to prophecy against Israel, and God had to talk to him through a jackass. Balaam even talked back and argued with the jackass. There is not fear in some jerkwater prophets. We have an incite into the thing Balaam did next. He managed to neutralize Israel's zeal for the law by bringing Moabite women to them. It worked, and the story of Phinnehas resulted. Here is how a wolf adapts to a church where he cannot curse the people outright- He brings them fornication:

Revelation 2:12 And to the angel of the church in Pergamos write; These things saith he which hath the sharp sword with two edges;
13 I know thy works, and where thou dwellest, even where Satan's seat is: and thou holdest fast my name, and hast not denied my faith, even in those days wherein Antipas was my faithful martyr, who was slain among you, where Satan dwelleth.
14 But I have a few things against thee, because thou hast there them that hold the doctrine of Balaam, who taught Balac to cast a stumblingblock before the children of Israel, to eat things sacrificed unto idols, and to commit fornication.
15 So hast thou also them that hold the doctrine of the Nicolaitans, which thing I hate.
16 Repent; or else I will come unto thee quickly, and will fight against them with the sword of my mouth.
17 He that hath an ear, let him hear what the Spirit saith unto the churches; To him that overcometh will I give to eat of the hidden manna, and will give him a white stone, and in the stone a new name written, which no man knoweth saving he that receiveth it.

Do you see what is happening here. In Asia Minor, during the life of John the Apostle, the early church already had doctrines which approved of fornication and idolatry! Today, about 90% of all Fundamental preachers approve of remarriage after divorce. They have a whole doctrine of approval of this sexual sin. Does that make it right? NO! Balaam strikes again.

How do they get away with this? Easy-- They combine another heresy, Nicolaitanism, with their sexual sin program. You see, Nicolaitanism is the preacher taking power over the people and ruling with an iron fist-- Pastoral rule. Nico-laity-- Above the People. Once his kingdom is in place, he can approve of anything, even sexual sin. He may even take his church secretary and shack up with her and call it bad karma, for which he will claim he pays God off by winning 300 people a week to Christ.

Blasphemy!

Caution and tact-- Not highly thought of by God

Moses was still used after killing the Egyptian. Moses struck the rock at the second event against God's orders, and God still used him, though Moses lost the blessing of entering the Promised Land over it. There are a good number of other accounts of God's men, in great zeal, going too far, or getting mad. But, God showed a lot of patience with these men.

BUT, compare them with Saul who did not show enough zeal. Saul killed all the Amalakites except the king of the pagans. Saul also saved the best of the animals and claimed he was going to make a sacrifice of them and do God a big favor. Saul ended his life sitting in front of a witch and fell on his sword. Too much zeal is tolerated by God many times, but not enough zeal God hates.

James 4:17 Therefore to him that knoweth to do good, and doeth it not, to him it is sin.

See if you can find me a verse telling us not to have too much zeal... Go on, I dare you.

Galatians 4:18 But it is good to be zealously affected always in a good thing, and not only when I am present with you.

So, what affects you? A good offering? You Balaam!

Of your own selves-- Acts

Acts 20:28 Take heed therefore unto yourselves, and to all the flock, over the which the Holy Ghost hath made you overseers, to feed the church of God, which he hath purchased with his own blood.
29 For I know this, that after my departing shall grievous wolves enter in among you, not sparing the flock.
30 Also of your own selves shall men arise, speaking perverse things, to draw away disciples after them.
31 Therefore watch, and remember, that by the space of three years I ceased not to warn every one night and day with tears.

Any preacher who does not believe that wolves can materialize from within his assembly is a gullible fool. And, any preacher who does not WATCH for this to happen WILL be thrashed by the devil soon. It is the modus operendi of all church splitters and wolves. These people enter the church and make a great show of zeal. They give, and they support the pastor and give generously. They go forward and "get right" regularly at the altar call.

If a pastor is not very much alert, he will be taken in. Paul talked of tears as he warned the leaders at that church. Why was Paul so emotional? Answer: A church which has been infiltrated by wolves from within is more vulnerable than from any other type of attack. The sheep and their wimpy pastor are simply going to be slaughtered soon. This causes a godly men to weep.

Hireling text

John 10:11 I am the good shepherd: the good shepherd giveth his life for the sheep.
12 But he that is an hireling, and not the shepherd, whose own the sheep are not, seeth the wolf coming, and leaveth the sheep, and fleeth: and the wolf catcheth them, and scattereth the sheep.
13 The hireling fleeth, because he is an hireling, and careth not for the sheep.
14 I am the good shepherd, and know my sheep, and am known of mine.
15 As the Father knoweth me, even so know I the Father: and I lay down my life for the sheep.

A pastor who will not do everything he has to do to defend the sheep is not an under-shepherd of Christ. He is a hireling and a wimp. He should be run off. It is beyond my imagination that I should see a whole church of men stand by and let wolves thrash the sheep in their assembly. It is even more enraging to see their pastor TEACHING them to stand by and allow the slaughter to proceed. A whole polity and doctrine of suffering is in place, and the flock is bleeding-- No one defends them. I have indeed seen this, and it is all to common. Such men and pastors, it seems to me, should be flogged, and I mean that literally. Cotton Mather would have done so.

Be ye angry and sin not, NOT, "get down on your knees brother."

Is there a time to be enraged and mad over a thing like wolves attacking the saints? Answer: YES!

Ephesians 4:26 Be ye angry, and sin not: let not the sun go down upon your wrath:
27 Neither give place to the devil.
28 Let him that stole steal no more: but rather let him labour, working with his hands the thing which is good, that he may have to give to him that needeth.
29 Let no corrupt communication proceed out of your mouth, but that which is good to the use of edifying, that it may minister grace unto the hearers.

When a pastor sees open flaunting of such teachings, with extortion, lazy freeloading on the saints and on Caesar, and lying and corrupt boasting, that preacher better get angry. It is not a sin, and it is essential so that he can show the same spirit of Christ which He had as He cleansed the temple. Get good and mad, cleanse the thing, and then let it go from you mind before the sun sets.

2 Cor 7:11-- I call this the 7 - 11 process

A very filthy sin had come into the church at Corinth, and in 1 Corinthians, Paul told them they ought to be ashamed for tolerating it. In this passage, he commends them because they got very worked up over the thing and took care of it. Some of you preachers don't have a clue what this means, and you ought to memorize it and see what level you are operating at in this regard. Most of you are only at the "careful" level, and you think "revenge" is nasty and unholy. Get a life!

2 Corinthians 7:11 For behold this selfsame thing, that ye sorrowed after a godly sort, what carefulness it wrought in you, yea, what clearing of yourselves, yea, what indignation, yea, what fear, yea, what vehement desire, yea, what zeal, yea, what revenge! In all things ye have approved yourselves to be clear in this matter.

Rebuke them sharply

Revelation 3:19 As many as I love, I rebuke and chasten: be zealous therefore, and repent.

Titus 2:15 These things speak, and exhort, and rebuke with all authority. Let no man despise thee.
The point here is that they WILL despise you if you do NOT rebuke the wicked.

Titus 1:13 This witness is true. Wherefore rebuke them sharply, that they may be sound in the faith;

I Timothy 5:20 Them that sin rebuke before all, that others also may fear.

Philippians 2:15 That ye may be blameless and harmless, the sons of God, without rebuke, in the midst of a crooked and perverse nation, among whom ye shine as lights in the world;

Proverbs 21:15 It is joy to the just to do judgment: but destruction shall be to the workers of iniquity.

Proverbs 21:3 To do justice and judgment is more acceptable to the LORD than sacrifice.

Persecution complex

If you are a wimp and refuse to defend the sheep, you are NOT being persecuted when you suffer. Persecution comes AFTER you get right, cleanse the temple, and are a mighty defender of the Flock of God. Note the order of Jeremiah's zeal here. He got right with God FIRST, he preached the Word of God, he rested all his cause in God, and then he asked for deliverance from persecution. Today we see preachers wimping out on the Word, cuddling up to wolves, collecting the abundant offering, and then when they get a harvest of terror, they claim it is persecution. Blasphemy!!!!

Jeremiah 17:14 Heal me, O LORD, and I shall be healed; save me, and I shall be saved: for thou art my praise.
15 Behold, they say unto me, Where is the word of the LORD? let it come now.
16 As for me, I have not hastened from being a pastor to follow thee: neither have I desired the woeful day; thou knowest: that which came out of my lips was right before thee.
17 Be not a terror unto me: thou art my hope in the day of evil.
18 Let them be confounded that persecute me, but let not me be confounded: let them be dismayed, but let not me be dismayed: bring upon them the day of evil, and destroy them with double destruction.

"Them"-- NOT Philistines, but rebel Jews of the House of Israel. Thump them! Get the Scourge out.
Double destruction!

AFTER THE WAR IS OVER

What will happen AFTER the battle is over and the hireling and his wimpy leaders are trying to arrange for what the Feds call "damage control"? The Hireling will soon realize that you, and all those who did battle with the wolves, now are a vivid contrast against the hireling's wimpy religion.

If this has happened to you, you will recall how viciously you were attacked for defending yourself. You were deeply troubled that you should become the enemy so soon. Why? Answer: You, though you didn't have any intention of doing so, became a parable against the hireling and his wimpy leaders. You did what Jesus would do. You did what John did with Diotrophese. You did what Phinehas did. You did what David did with the Giant of Gath.

It then becomes very urgent for the hireling and his wimpy crew to demonize you and your friends of Godly zeal. The following is a discussion of how this is done, I dare say, every time. I also suggest how you can deal with it.

Little Green Man Principle

Proverbs 6:12 A naughty person, a wicked man, walketh with a froward mouth.
13 He winketh with his eyes, he speaketh with his feet, he teacheth with his fingers;
14 Frowardness is in his heart, he deviseth mischief continually; he soweth discord.
15 Therefore shall his calamity come suddenly; suddenly shall he be broken without remedy.
16 These six things doth the LORD hate: yea, seven are an abomination unto him:
17 A proud look, a lying tongue, and hands that shed innocent blood,
18 An heart that deviseth wicked imaginations, feet that be swift in running to mischief,
19 A false witness that speaketh lies, and he that soweth discord among brethren.

The hireling pastor or church leader will avoid defending the flock by causing envy, paranoia, and defensiveness in the saints. Whenever a church member is ripped by the sheep, the wimpy pastor will say sweet and charming things which are interjected with quotes or citations from the wolves or other saints. He will assure you that the wolves "are coming along, and are making real progress in spiritual growth." He will tell you the wolves have sweet little children who need to be salvaged. This really intimidates the guruized sheep. Everyone want little children to be saved, right? At that very moment the wolves may well be ripping another sheep nearby, and the hireling will have a house payment or "love gift" turn up the next Sunday in an offering envelope.

Side Note: As to the dear children, please recall that God demanded that King Saul kill ALL the little Amalakite babies. Evil is dealt with on God's terms, not on your tender mercies. To allow some Satanic wolves to abuse the Lord's Church because of the wolves kids is wicked beyond belief. This is NOT biblical evangelism at work.

This clever rhetoric by the hireling will cause the wounded sheep to trust only the hireling pastor and doubt the rest of the saints. The pastor will confide in the wounded sheep, telling them evil reports which were told him by various sources, and then he will suggest these reports not be believed. Yet, the result will be to plant seeds of doubt and distrust among all believers. I call this "the little green man" principle.

If the wounded sheep defends himself, the pastor will cast that person as unloving and troublesome, even calling their defense of themselves and their family a case of wicked behavior-- uncharitable. "Me thinks he protesteth too much..."

Later, the pastor will seem to have a change of heart and apologize for not helping defend them better. The wounded sheep will feel biblically obligated to forgive him, yet this pastor will leave the charges of misconduct standing against the wounded sheep. This leaves the wounded sheep solely responsible for his own suffering, and the wounded sheep will learn to feel he is basically evil at heart for defending himself.

One preacher even caste wounded sheep out of the church because they defended themselves. You see, he cannot have those heroes of the Lord hanging around to make him look like the wimp he is.

Side Note: A word here on flattery. The wimpy hireling will often tell those he wishes to subdue that they are such a blessing in most areas of their life, or that they teach the Bible well. Then he will attack their zeal as a warrior of Christ. I have experienced this so many times that I cannot count them.

I gave a seminar on the New Age one Sunday evening, and I promised to identify Satanic intrusion in our area of Michigan. A Methodist preacher, who was a rank Satanist, called me on the phone and raged on me, and he said he was coming to the meeting and straighten me out publicly. He came, and our men prayed, and he got up to do his number during the discussion time at the end. What did he do? He flattered me and talked about how "we pastors must do more to warn our people about these things." That blew me away, but I realized what Satan was doing-- He was trying to get this guy into the loop of our zeal and warfare. What a ploy.

Flattery is NOT ONCE found in the Bible coming from a real man of God. Check it out. Flattery is a ministry of devils, and Daniel tells us that it is the "policy" of Antichrist. When a wimp flatteries you, get your guard up quick friend, and do NOT inhale.

This sweet and sour rhetorical ploy is the wimpy pastor's way of feeling like he has done something deeply spiritual while still covering his posterior and keeping the wounded sheep in bondage to guilt. There is not one iota of difference between this ploy and the paranoia that the Roman Catholic priests keep their people under. The wimpy pastor is in terror of really having to defend the sheep, so he MUST keep them feeling guilty and obligated to forgive him. Indeed, if you are seeing this happen in your assembly, you may have a Jesuit priest in disguise for a pastor.

Finally, the wimpy hireling may solicit help from leading men in the assembly to launch an attack on a wounded sheep who will not submit to the ploy above. These men will play the role of Job's friends and try to show the wounded sheep that all the troubles in their life are due to the fact that they defended themselves against Satanic attack, and they will be judged by God for it. This is then followed by the application of this attack by identifying every trouble in the wounded sheep's life as punishment by God. This interpretation will be made to the guruized sheep so they are terrified of defending themselves, lest they too fall into Job's troubles.

All of this can become very obsessive, and it will finally become obvious to any rational outside observer that the whole pack of wimps are guilty as sin and need to justify their timid behavior. Eventually, no one is fooled except the ones involved, for, from the outside, this whole mess becomes virtually laughable. There is a Bible text which applies well here:

Proverbs 28:1 The wicked flee when no man pursueth: but the righteous are bold as a lion.

You see, if the hireling were really a true Kissinger type, or high church diplomat, he would at once commend the victim of the wolves and praise him for defending himself. This would give the victim the illusion that the wimpy pastor and his men were also defenders of the saints. It would be the best ploy to cover the hireling's timidity. But, hirelings are such wimps that they have no common sense at all. They flee, or else they attack the victim who fought back and prevailed by God's help. Guilty people don't have good sense. Ask any cop.

The result of these Satanic devices is that the saints become very frightened of one another and only trust their pastor. I call this, "the little green man" syndrome. The pastor becomes a broker of envy, distrust, and fear. He finds that in this way he owns the sheep, yet he need not risk his worthless hide defending them. This picture is not only seen in local Fundamental churches-- It is endemic in Bible colleges and large Mission boards, especially on the foreign missionfield.

Let us suppose this has happened to YOU. What is the solution to this?

Answer: Time.

God has a way of revealing things in His time and to His glory. If you want to see God's revenge on your enemies and those who are tormenting you, say nothing. This is what David did, and God DID send revenge on David's enemies in David's lifetime.

There is a classic case of a man who did not react and rage against the wicked, yet he became a veritable parable in his steady obedience and preparation for the future:

Hebrews 11:7 By faith Noah, being warned of God of things not seen as yet, moved with fear, prepared an ark to the saving of his house; by the which he condemned the world, and became heir of the righteousness which is by faith.

Noah "condemned" world. You may not like it, and it may not be your first intention, but there are times when God chooses a faithful saint, one willing to stand for righteousness, to condemn churches, wimps, and hirelings in this Laodicean Age. This is as much a blessing to God and the Lord's Church as any other work you could do. It becomes very important then, that you NOT be drawn into verbal condemnation of these people so that God can do His work without you getting the glory.

Noah did NOT set out to kill all of humanity, but the day after the door closed on the ark, Noah's 120 years of obedience and preaching the mercy and justice of God became a crown of glory to Noah. As the wicked screamed, Noah knew he was right with his God. Also, as a side note, you need to understand that there is a "too late sinner" principle at work sometimes. There may be no way to save a local church and its leaders after a point in time. God may write Ichabod on them, and you better stand back and let them crash to the glory of God.

So, the call you, they write E-Mail, they send their wimpy posse to call on you, right?

Simply do not respond.

Your response is what these scoundrels need, that is, your defense of yourself, or your attack on them. They can then claim that they are being persecuted by you. When you receive one of these tricky apologies which seeks your forgiveness, yet it casts you as guilty and wicked, drop it in the round file, and walk on. When an alleged apology turns you and your friends against each other by stealth, simply do NOT respond. Those who did warfare with you, or for you, are your friends, and you must resist the urge to distrust them because of the slander of the hireling. This sort of communication is NOT an apology. It is a device of devils. Say nothing and let God give the verdict.

There may well come a time when the hireling will ask to talk to you face to face. You must NOT respond. This sort of grievous attack on the Flock of God must be dealt with publicly. The examples we showed above from the Word of God show us that there is no mercy for an hireling. You need to understand that there are some men in the Lord's Church who are NOT born again, and they are planted in the local church by Satan to do every clever thing in the book. Their alleged sincere desire to do the right thing is just another ploy.

If you feel you must see them face to face, insist that it be in the assembly gathered, and rebuke them fiercely with the Word of God, and walk out. Do NOT give the hireling "equal time." He will trash you by stealth in order to justify himself, and his wimpy sheep will follow their guru. In other words, and as I said before, say nothing. This is the right way to deal with wimps. You need to understand that, in defending yourself or other sheep of Christ, you took the high ground in this spiritual warfare. Do NOT give that ground to the hireling. That is dumb, and it is not spiritual.

Why do hirelings need to divide you from your friends?

Answer: They are terrified that you, and any of your friends who helped you in your battle with the wolves, will gang up and either black ball the hireling in the community, or the wimp fears you will start a church in the area in revenge. This is not because you would do this-- It is the hireling's fear because he knows what he is, and he is terrified he will be exposed as an hireling. Again:

Proverbs 28:1 The wicked flee when no man pursueth: but the righteous are bold as a lion.

So, the hireling and his wimpy leaders set about to divide friends who do battle with wolves. Put another way, you have war stories to tell, in which God's honor and chivalry prevail, and the hireling has NO stories to tell. He can only wave his little butter knife in the air and talk about what he would do IF... IF... IF... But, he never gets up the gall to do any more than attack the warriors of God.

Side Note: War heroes-- We had a captain in boot camp at Fort Knox who really played the tough guy thing. Real GI Joe type. He strutted around in bleached pegged down fatigues, and he talked boldly of the real 'Nam. But he had never been there. We also had a couple of sergeants who had been to Vietnam for a tour. They were VERY quiet types. They had no need to play the tough. Why? They WERE tough and were survivors. When they did speak, everyone was riveted on every word, for they had been to the battle and were the ultimate source. That is why I told you that you have the high ground, and you should not give it up. You got there the hard way-- By doing battle with wolves and devils.

I have heard a bunch of preachers talk boldly about dealing with devils, and how they had such great victories. I find, from my own experience, and and from the experience of truly godly men, that war stories are not appreciated by many saints. I usually keep my stories to myself, and to share with other warriors. When I hear a preacher boldly blabbing on and on about dealing with wolves and devils, I figure the jerk has never been in a war zone in his life-- He is telling other warrior's stories. I stay away from these GI Joes-- they've never seen the real 'Nam :-) Also, it is pointless to confront them-- They will attack you 100% of the time.

I hope you can begin to see how utterly hopeless it is to rebuke these wimps or even respond to them. They NEED you to do this, for they NEED you to become the enemy. The saints are watching to see what will happen next. Your silence will do more than anything else to expose the hireling for what he is.

Do you know what is happening here? YOU are an accusation against these wimps. You have done, by godly instinct-- not knowing there was even a problem of timidity afoot-- You have done what they were too wimpy to do.

They have NO recourse, in the flesh, but to attack you as the naughty person. Read that again please.

They won't touch the wolves, and they won't defend the sheep, so YOU are the surrogate wolf. They KNOW you will not attack them, so they feel very free to attack YOU. It makes them feel like they have indeed defended someone. Big tough wimps! The pitiful thing is that they know how to defend no one but themselves. Even the drunks at the local bar will one day see right through this.

You have nothing to be ashamed of, and you need answer to no one but God. Just be patient.

James 1:4 But let patience have her perfect work, that ye may be perfect and entire, wanting nothing.

CONCLUSION:

1 John 3:8 He that committeth sin is of the devil; for the devil sinneth from the beginning. For this purpose the Son of God was manifested, that he might destroy the works of the devil.

2 Timothy 3:8 Now as Jannes and Jambres withstood Moses, so do these also resist the truth: men of corrupt minds, reprobate concerning the faith.

1 Corinthians 16:13 Watch ye, stand fast in the faith, quit you like men, be strong.

Luke 21:15 For I will give you a mouth and wisdom, which all your adversaries shall not be able to gainsay nor resist.

James 5:6 Ye have condemned and killed the just; and he doth not resist you.
7 Be patient therefore, brethren, unto the coming of the Lord. Behold, the husbandman waiteth for the precious fruit of the earth, and hath long patience for it, until he receive the early and latter rain.
8 Be ye also patient; stablish your hearts: for the coming of the Lord draweth nigh.

1 Peter 5:8 Be sober, be vigilant; because your adversary the devil, as a roaring lion, walketh about, seeking whom he may devour: 9 Whom resist stedfast in the faith, knowing that the same afflictions are accomplished in your brethren that are in the world.

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