The Eli Generation

In mfc we were taught that the anointing to be in ministry ran in the family. In other words if a man was a pastor, his children were automatically anointed to be in the ministry. In mfc this seemed to be the case whether you had had any formal bible training or not. It also seemed to be the case regardless of how much sin was in your life. Of course you didn't have to be born into the family to qualify for this anointing, you could marry into it.


In this day and time I have seen too many similarities in the priesthood era of the Old Testament and the pastor and brother era of the New Testament. (Matthew 23:8)


I have realized that there is no place in the New Testament that supports this view. A person in ministry must have a true, God given desire in their heart to be a servant and to be a servant at all times. That is the example set forth in the New Testament for people in ministry. I also read that the Paul wanted the people who helped in ministry to be "of honest report, full of the Holy Ghost and wisdom" (Acts 6:3)


If someone is full of the Holy Ghost, then the characteristics of the nature and person of God the Father, God the Son and God the Holy Ghost are evident in their constant, daily lives and actions. Someone full of the Holy Ghost doesn't have to tell people that he is ..... it is evident. If someone is honest, they don't lie and cover up sin, if someone is full of wisdom they don't twist the Bible to fit their agenda. NOT the case with the leadership in mfc.


In the Old Testament, if you were a priest, it was because you were born into the tribe of the Levites. All the Levites were priests. This was s substandard system compared to the New Testament system where we are all equal as brothers and can all have a one on one relationship with God the father, made possible by the cross, as the system of the law was to grace.


In reading the story of Eli and his sons, Hophni and Phinehas this is evident. Eli's sons didn't feel a god given desire to be priests.... they were just born into it. (1 Samuel 2) The Bible says that they were evil men.

It seems today that there are many men in positions of ministry that were just born into it, or married into it who have no real desire to be a servant of the Lord or truly minister to His people. There are also those who are just in ministry because of what they can have or get by being in ministry.

In looking for a place to be an asset to the kingdom of God, we should look for a church where the pastor and his family have the attributes of Paul and Stephen of the New Testament and not the attributes is Eli and his sons of the Old Testament. Lets leave the Eli generation and move on to the generation of the servant.

Is Your Church Promoting Jesus or the Pastor

I have noticed in the last few years how in many charismatic churches the pastors, guest speakers and "prophets" spend more time promoting themselves than they do promoting the gospel of Jesus Christ and the work of His ministry.

I heard so many sermons in my former church by the pastor tooting his own horn that it was almost an inconsistency for part of the sermon or the majority of the sermon to be about anything other than him. These messages entailed his achievements, his great anointing, his great wisdom, how he was always right, how he was to be respected, how he was to be honored, how the world needed to hear what HE had to say and nothing or no one else compared to HIS interpretation and delivery of the Bible, how we needed HIM to speak into our lives, and much more.

When guest speakers came in, whether they were billed as pastors, evangelists or "prophets", they preached on pretty much the same things. The only difference was they had to toot their own horn too. They also had to make it clear, along with the respect, honor, and devotion that was due to the home pastor, what was due to them.

Now of course, all these men managed to find scriptures to interpret for us to somehow substantiate all of this propaganda they were spewing forth. They also managed to spend enormous amounts of time convincing the congregation to GIVE, GIVE, GIVE.

In retrospect, I began to realize how the sermons I had heard for several years actually had nothing to do with the message Jesus taught or the messages Paul taught.

I also began to realize how warped the tone of the congregation was when congregants that never displayed stickers proclaiming Jesus on their vehicles began sporting stickers promoting the pastor on their cars.

Of all the sermons I have heard since leaving my former church, no matter what church I heard them at, NONE was about the pastor of that church. Not one man promoted himself or even mentioned his accomplishments or attributes. Of all the sermons I have heard they have been about Jesus, His love, His grace, the work of His ministry. No one has tried to manipulate $$$ out of congregants pockets.

Once, as I was helping clean up after a service and I heard a congregant say, "Wow! Now that's something I haven't seen in a long time, a pastor who will take out the garbage!!" As I heard this I thought, you know, neither have I.

I so deeply regret all the years that I spent buying into this false "doctrine of the pastor" and convincing myself that I was doing something for God when I could see that there was no work of the ministry of Jesus in the church.

I encourage you, find a church where the pastor is more interested in Jesus than he is in himself. Find a church where the pastor would be appalled of someone put a sticker promoting him on their car. Find a church where the pastor is interested in being a servant and not a diva. Riding to visit those in the hospital and not riding in a limo. Flying to the side of those in need and not flying in his own plane. More interested in the size of the peoples' need than the size of their wallet. Believes you are worthy of his time because you are a person Jesus died for not because you are a regular tither. A pastor who, in times of trouble, asks you,"What can I do to help?" and not "Are you a tither?"

It is time for all of us to examine what we associate ourselves with and what and who we support. It is not acceptable to stick our heads in the sand and say, "Well, God called me here and there is nothing I can do about how things are handled." That is nothing but an excuse not to spend the time and effort or have the backbone to be a good steward.

We have been called to be good stewards of what God has given us. That includes our time, our money, our endorsement and our service. Let's make sure that we are involved in things that will stand the test of fire as gold and not burn up as wood, hay and stubble.

Welcome to the New World

In the past several months I have felt as if I have been on a journey. A journey searching for a new church home. After leaving a very controlling church, I wondered if I would ever find a church that I felt that was mine and a pastor that I could trust. I wondered if I would ever find a place where I felt the pastor was actually a shepherd. A pastor that did not view himself above his flock. A church whose main purpose was to be there to serve the community and help those in need of help. I truly believe that I have found my new church home.


Although I know that no church is or can be perfect, I am so looking forward to serving in this church and having a chance to affect lives for the kingdom of God. I have already seen many wonderful and drastic differences in my new church and my former controlling church and I feel I will continue to see more.

Here are some of the differences that I have seen so far and some I trust I will be seeing as time goes on and the church grows.


A pastor who is the leader of a democratic church and not a dictator.


A pastor who views himself as a servant and not someone to be served.


A pastor who expects me to work with him and not for him.


A church who sees the lost, the poor and the needy as good ground not as undesirables.


A church who measures the worth of the people by the fact that Jesus died of them and not by the size of their wallet.

A pastor who desires to preach and live the Word of God not to twist it to benefit his own personal agenda.

I feel as if I have been on a long journey across a vast ocean. An ocean of searching for a real church, searching for a man with character as a pastor, and searching for a church with a vision to be the hands and feet of Jesus. An ocean of wondering if I will ever feel at home in a church again, wondering if I could find a place where I can fully enter into praise and worship again, wondering if there will ever be a pastor that lives what he preaches, and a pastor that I can trust.

I feel as if I have set foot on the land of the new world. A world where I am excited about serving God alongside others. A world that will make a difference in peoples' lives for the kingdom of God. A world that views souls for the kingdom of God as profit and not dollars racked up and raked in for the pastor and his family as profit. A world where the pastor's vision is to help people in need pay their bills and not to pay for his own personal plane.

I humbly fall to my knees and thank God for bringing me to this new world, for rekindling the flame of love for Him in my heart and for allowing me the chance to serve in a place that will certainly make a difference in this community for the Lord Jesus Christ.

The Matter of Love

I heard a message today on love. The gospel is about love. It is about actually loving others. All others. In my former church I heard a lot of messages on "walking in love" but not on actually loving them. After hearing this message today and realizing how different it was from the messages on "walking in love" that I have heard I began to realize some things.

In my former church I did hear many messages on "walking in love" but I never saw love in action. "Walking in love" was the way you made yourself treat another person no matter how you felt about them. It was like it really didn't matter how you really felt about them, as long as you were able to make yourself "walk in love" towards them no matter how you really wanted to act then you were obeying God. NOT!!! Jesus told us to LOVE others, our enemies, those who persecuted us, basically EVERYONE.

As I read the gospels, I can see that Jesus didn't have to "walk in love" toward people because HE actually LOVED them. It spilled out all over them. There was no denying it. He considered them more important than Himself. His love for them constantly showed in everything that He did. That is what we are supposed to do, not just act like we love them.

Did Jesus ignore those who would not be considered "good ground"? No... He loved them. Did He call those that did not understand idiots or stupid? No... He was patient and loving to them. When people came to Him in need of help or counsel did He ask them if they were "tithers" and refuse them if they weren't? No... He ministered to them. Did He put those in their place if they didn't recognize His "anointing" or his proper title? NO... He ate dinner with them. Did He pray destruction over those who were beating Him and nailing Him to the cross? No.... He asked God to forgive them for they didn't know what they were doing.

If we really love someone we act like it. It does not have to constantly be a conscious choice to act like it. It shows in everything we do. The challenge to us is not to make ourselves walk in love toward others, the challenge is to love them.

Does love mean we ignore sin? No. Does love mean we refuse to expose and deal with it? No. Does love mean that our actions and choices don't have consequences? No. Does love mean that we blindly follow a leader because they say they are anointed and they hear from God? No.

Yet love, true love, the God kind of love shows through. It shows through in the good times and the bad. It shows in the pleasant situations and the unpleasant ones. I am tired of those who say they love but it never shows. You can say you love others all day but if it is not evident by actions it is not true.

Let's be the kind of people that there is no question of whether we love others or not. All others. Let's be the kind of people that it is evident that we love others because it can be seen in all we do.

The Ministry of Love

In the last year that I was at the controlling church where I had dedicated over a decade of my life serving because I truly believed that I was doing a work for God, I began to come to some harsh realizations. It was truly a sad time in my life when I realized that I had spent the majority of all that time furthering a man instead of the gospel and the kingdom of God.


What glory does it bring to God for you to...... think you go to the best church and talk about it like it is the only place that is offering "the true Word of God"; bring someone to church who needs help and ministry and all they hear about is how to get rich and if you are not rich then you are not living God's best; the pastor stands in the pulpit and promotes himself and his wonderful spiritual insight; the pastor continually criticizes people and other churches from the pulpit; the gospel is presented in the light of what God can do for you materially and situationaly and never what you should be doing in service to God; serving the pastor and his family is taught as serving God; people come to the church for financial help and are turned away empty handed because spending money on excellence and image is much more important than helping the poor and needy; the poor and needy are not good ground to sow into the rich and successful are; prayer groups pray destruction and not blessings on their enemies..... the list could go on and on.


The gross absence of the ministry of love in my old church suddenly hit me like a ton of bricks. The pastor loved to talk about "walking in love", especially when he wanted the congregants to walk in love toward him and his family regardless of how haughty and arrogant they were. No matter what went on at the church or how wrong it was no one was ever to voice it, ask about it, or question it.

How is it walking in love when a pastor refuses to council anyone who is not a regular tither? How is it walking in love to belittle and criticize from the pulpit, ignore the poor and needy, never have any outreach to the community, and preach 90% of your sermons on money and getting what you can get from God. How can a pastor of love encourage you to shun and excommunicate those in your life that have left HIS church?

Love is so simple, you just do it. You love everyone no matter what they are, what they have done, where they do or don't go to church, no matter how they have treated you, no matter what they have said about you, or if they have tried to destroy you. Love may be simple, yet love has a requirement. We have to crucify our flesh. We have to put others before ourselves. We have to want to show them love more than we want to have our way.

If you are attending a church whose pastor wants the spotlight and wants to be walked in love toward instead of spotlighting everyone other than himself and showing sacrificial love on a regular basis..... find another church. Don't overlook it like I did and years down the road wish you had been a part of a ministry that actually touched peoples lives in a real way instead of one that promotes a particular man and his "wonderful" delivery of the word of God.

It is the love of God in VISIBLE OPERATION that draws men to Him. Not money, things and sermons that tickle the ears.

Faith in God or "MY FAITH"

In these last days the "faith message" has become a big movement all over the United States. There are many churches known as Word of Faith churches. A man named Kenneth Hagin started a bible college because he said that Jesus appeared to him and told him to go and teach His people faith. In the last year I have noticed some things that don't seem to be right about the "faith message" that I have heard. The message of faith has become such a doctrine of itself to certain groups it is like an idol or like a god. In Word of Faith circles, faith teaching grossly outweighs other foundational teachings of the New Testament such as salvation, baptism, obedience, holiness, humility, and love. Faith has become a "how to get what you want" doctrine and a "how not to have to put up with anything you don't want" doctrine.

The majority of faith teaching is centered around material things.

Have faith in God. In Matthew 11 Jesus spoke to a fig tree and told it to wither and die. A couple of days later when they passed the tree it was dead and the disciples were amazed. This would have been a perfect opportunity for Jesus to launch out into a great and profound teaching on the ABC's of faith, but yet He didn't. All He said was "Have faith in God" How could it be that He neglected to take this opportunity to tell us that we could have anything we ever wanted and live like King Solomon if we would develop, exercise and use out faith.?

In our former church we were constantly challenged to develop and exercise out faith. We were told to never be satisfied with where we were or what we had. If we were, then we were stagnant. We were to constantly be using our faith to believe for more and better things and then when they came to us we were told not to stop there, but to believe for bigger, and better and more things. We were also taught to use our faith to change our circumstances to get what we wanted. I can't find anywhere in the Bible where these things were taught.

We were also taught that we were to rely on our faith. If we didn't receive what we wanted or needed it was because of our faith. Our pastor was also always giving us examples of what all he could get with HIS faith. He had money because of HIS faith, expensive cars because of HIS faith, went on great vacations because of HIS faith, didn't have to go by the rules because of HIS faith, received VIP treatment because of HIS faith, he would never have a child die or be terminally ill because of HIS faith, he could speed without getting tickets because of HIS faith, he could shop at the most expensive stores because of HIS faith while some were told that they had not bothered to develop their faith or that they only had Ford faith. This led into faith comparisons and obvious pride.

Why didn't Jesus teach this? Maybe because this is not what faith is all about. Maybe we are supposed to be using our faith for the harvest, for the lost, to help the poor, to feed the hungry, to be able to love the unlovable, to turn the other cheek, to esteem others above ourselves, to crucify our flesh and to know Him more.

In all the time I have been a christian, I have never seen faith in action like I read about in the New Testament church. So why didn't they use their faith to get rich? Why didn't they use their faith for houses and lands? Why didn't they use it to avoid getting eaten by lions, dismembered, burned alive and crucified? They did use their faith to spread the true gospel that Jesus died for their sins and that people needed to REPENT and turn to Jesus to be their Lord and Savior. In all my years at my former church I don't recall hearing much on repentance. I NEVER heard a message on crucifying the flesh.

In 2Timothy 4 the Bible talks about people with itching ears who will follow teaching that appeals to their fancy. The Message translation calls it "spiritual junk food" and the amplified translation refers to it as "what is pleasing and gratifying" and "teachers chosen to fulfill their own liking". The faith message certainly fits these two descriptions.

Galatians tells us not to follow "any other gospel". I don't want to follow a gospel that encourages me to be focused on me, MY faith and what material things I can get with it. I believe I will stick with the gospel in the Bible.

The Walking Dead

I know of a church not unlike the church that I formerly attended. Many of the same guests visited both the churches. It seems like WOF preachers all have about the same circuit. One particular minister fancies himself a self proclaimed prophet and seer of great esteem in his own eyes. While in a service at this other church he boldly prophesied that members who had left that church due to heinous acts committed and mishandling of those situations would drop dead before the end of the year if they did not repent. Yet there is no repentance necessary for standing for righteousness and holiness. I personally have a friend who is one of this group. I will call them the walking dead. Many have chosen to stand up for what is right and discontinue blindly following the blind. Here on January 1 not one person who left has dropped dead. Could it be possible that this self proclaimed prophet was WRONG??????? I thought if a prophecy didn't come true that meant FALSE PROPHET....... What do you think?????

Lucky for them that false prophets aren't stoned these days.......kind of like sin doesn't matter.