Israel Trip Part 3 Day 2 of our Tour in Israel “Up To Jerusalem”

This was the day that I did not go with Rodger. I stayed back in the Kabbutz because of my intense intestinal problem. I slept all day; occasionally coming out of the apartment to sit on the patio to watch the Sea of Galilee, across the water I could see Tiberius. In ancient times Tiberius was the largest Jewish City in Galilee and the hub of political and commercial activity of the Jews of Palestine.

This region has been known for many earthquakes dating back to before the time of Christ. It has been devastated by earthquakes in the 1800’s and a major flood in the early 1900’s. The area has been restored and rebuilt over the years and stands as a picturesque city on the shores of Galilee today.

Rodger left early in the morning to travel to Gomah, where he saw endangered vultures being raised by the Israelis to bring them back. In Gomah he saw an ancient oil press from the Byzantine period that was used to crush olives. These presses seemed to be many places in Israel. Gomah is also where “Masada of the North” was lactated. Masada of the North refers to the area around Gomah that the Romans destroyed in 67 AD and where tradition records that the Jews who were resisting the Romans jumped off the hill in Gomah and killed themselves, although this has not been proven in history. Masada of the North is not to be confused with Masada near the Dead Sea which we will see later.

Miriam, our guide introduced our group to a man who would tell his story at the site of the border between Israel and Lebanon. On this historic site Rodger could see from Israel into Lebanon. On the Israeli side of the border there were spy cameras and sophisticated listening devices pointing at Lebanon to monitor any invasive activity on the part of the Lebanese.

Ari Ben Yaakov is a Jewish man who was raised in Ohio in the United States. He went to Israel as a young man in his twenties and remained there until now, in his seventies. He felt drawn back to Israel because he was influenced by the Zionist movement. In the picture he is wearing a t-shirt that lists all the ancient civilizations that have come against Israel over the centuries and are now gone, while Israel is the only one still standing.

On the border of Israel and Lebanon Rodger saw rocket launchers that were used when the Palestinians had the land before Israel secured it.

After leaving the border, the group traveled to the Mount of Beatitudes where Christ delivered the Sermon on the Mount.

The next stop was the Golan Heights where Rodger saw the border between Israel and Syria. He also viewed the land that was captured by Israel during the 1967 six day war. The strip is now under the control of the UN peace keeping forces.

It is amazing the struggles that Israel has been through over the centuries. God has brought her out of many situations that should have ended her permanently, but she keeps returning as prophecy said she would.

Catholic Church at the Mount of Beatitudes



Border between Israel and Lebanon


Fence between Israel and Syria


Listening Divice in Israel Pointed at Lebanon

Cameras pointed at Lebanon located in Israel


Rocket Launchers left by the Palastinians on Israel Land

Israel Trip: Part 2, Day 1 on our Tour in Israel “Up To Jerusalem”

Rodger and I joined the “Friends of Israel” tour in New Jersey and went through all the rigorous screening required when leaving our country to go to Israel. There were many long waits and we were required to show our passports several times before boarding the plane. I guess the United States just didn’t want us to leave. The flight was a little over eleven hours. Rodger and I were not allowed to sit together in the same row, but we were across the aisle from one another the entire flight. Rodger was sitting with two Israeli men, a father and his son. The son was preparing to enter the Israeli military upon his return. Every person, man and woman, is required to serve in the military at age 18, women for 2 years and men for 3 years.

During this flight I had contracted some kind of intestinal problem and was in the bathroom every 20 minutes. Thankfully the Lord placed me in an isle seat only three rows back from the bathroom. I am now intimately acquainted with the inside of the Continental Airlines lavatory. By the time we reached Tel Aviv in Israel we were completely exhausted ready to take a nap, but that did not happen. I guess Israel didn’t want us to come in.

Upon arrival at Tel Aviv, we were summoned to several checkout points, our carry on luggage was searched, and we were asked questions about the reason for our visit. We had to show our passport several times and it took a long time to get out of the airport. Thankfully there were no pat downs or embarrassing personal searches.

As soon as we gathered our luggage we boarded our tour bus with all the other people who were on the tour with us, 43 total. We arrived in Israel in the morning hours. Our guide Murium Feinberg-Vamosh was there too, ready to begin traveling to our first destination, which was a visit to the ancient port of Joppa, sometimes, referred to as Jaffa. Miriam is Jewish but not a believer, who was born in the United States and moved to Israel to go back to her roots; she speaks Hebrew fluently and works as a reporter for a prominent news paper in Israel and is a guide in her spare time. She is married to a Jew who was born and raised in Israel. Our bus driver is a Jewish man named Ruvin, we did not know if he was a believer, but he was a very friendly man and a great bus driver. He managed to maneuver the bus in places that were not easy for cars to go. The FOI leader, Bill Sutter said that we saw miracles every day with his driving. He would drop us off at one place, leaving us there while we walked to another place some distance away and picked us up there. We never back tracked anywhere, it was a well organized tour.

Joppa was the town from which Jonah sailed before he was swallowed by the big fish and where Peter visited Simon the Tanner. In the pictures you will see Simon the Tanner’s house that overlooks the Mediterranean Sea. Acts 10:5-6, Jonah 1:3

After leaving Joppa we traveled to the Roman city of Caesarea Maritime on the Mediterranean Sea, located about 30 miles north of Joppa. In the Scriptures we read what happened at Caesarea Maritime. We saw here Herod’s palace, his chariot race arena, and an amphitheater where stage productions were performed. We also saw an ancient Minaret in an Islamic Mosque, which is the tall pointed round structure shaped like a rocket. Herrod’s palace was immense. As you will see from the pictures, Herod had everything he needed there and all the entertainment he wanted.

· Philip the evangelist preached and lived in Caesarea (Acts 8:40).
· Peter was sent to baptize Cornelius, a centurion of the Roman garrison in Caesarea (Acts 10).
· Peter came to Caesarea after he was delivered from prison (Acts 12:19).
· King Herod Agrippa of Judaea died at Caesarea, being "eaten of worms" (Acts 12:19-23).
· Paul visited the city when he arrived or departed by ship from the harbor at Caesarea (Acts 9:30; 18:22; 21:8-16).
· Paul was imprisoned at Caesarea for two years before sailing to Rome to appear before Caesar (Acts 23:22-26:32).

Next we went to Independence Hall in Tel Aviv where we saw the room where the decision was made to make Israel a Nation. This was prophecy fulfilled the day that the Jews got their nation back after centuries of being without a homeland. We saw the room where Israel declared they were a nation and that they now had a homeland. The Scripture that comes to mind here is Isaiah 68:8. God brought forth a nation in a day according to prophecy. Other Scriptures that possibly pertain to the miracles of the Lord with Israel are: Isaiah 11:12 and 43:5-7. There is a picture of a chart that shows which nations were for Israel and which were against. Those highlighted in green were the nations that voted yes to give Israel the land. The world felt appalled at the treatment of the Jews in World War 2, which motivated them to give the Jews their own land and their own nation.

In the picture the man speaking in 1948, was David Ben Gurion the first Prime Minister of Israel. The picture on the wall behind Ben Gurion is a man named Hertzl, who had a dream and worked for the eventual formation of a nation of Israel, but never lived to see it happen. 

After all this we ended the days tour at Maagan Holiday Village a Kibbutz located on the shore of the Sea of Galilee, where we spent three nights. The word Kibbutz in Hebrew means “the Gathering”, a collective community based on agriculture. They were Jews who no longer wanted to work for Arabs but wanted to work their own land earning their own living, in a communal formation. The only way they could make it farming was to share the land and work closely together, more like a family, getting away from the culture of the Arabs. Joseph Baratz was the man who came up with the idea of the Kibbutz, he said:

“We were happy enough working on the land, but we knew more and more certainly that the ways of the old settlements were not for us. This was not the way we hoped to settle the country—this old way with Jews on top and Arabs working for them; anyway, we thought that there shouldn't be employers and employees at all. There must be a better way.” 

Everywhere we looked there was dry ground and huge rocks. Occasionally we would see some green, a small grove of trees or some crops, but nothing like our area of the world where green is everywhere around us all year around. Even though it was a desolate looking place, it was intriguing because of the history and connection to the Bible. We felt a sense of awe that we were really in the place where Bible events happened. I asked Rodger to pinch me on a number of occasions, he just turned to me and said, “yah me too.” 

A chill ran through me as I looked around the room where prophecy was fulfilled in the forming of the nation of Israel. God is always faithful in keeping His promises. Israel is proof of this fact. God said, Isaiah 45:17 “But Israel shall be saved by the Lord with an everlasting salvation; You shall not be ashamed or disgraced forever and ever.” Jeremiah 31:3 also says; “The Lord has appeared to me of old saying: ‘Yes, I have loved you with an everlasting love; Therefore with loving kindness I have drawn you.’” It was a faith building experience to know that God had promised once that He would bring His people back to Him in the end and return their nation to them. He returned their nation in 1948 and there is more to come for Israel as God works in their hearts and makes them the final carriers of the gospel of Jesus Christ at the end. The Jews around the world who were never born there and have never lived there have been returning to their heritage, the land of Israel, since that prophetic occurrence of the rebirth of the nation in 1948. That is wondrous miracle.

Our Kibbutz room on the Sea of Galalee, was a small one bedroom apartment, complete with bathroom, kitchen and living room, facing the Sea of Galilee with a patio, picnic table and chairs. People from all over the world come there for vacations. I didn’t like the beds much. They were comfortable but they were split in the middle because in the Jewish tradition, the man is not suppose to touch the woman during her “unclean” time of the month, so the beds were two beds each wider than a normal twin bed, pushed together to make one large one. One night I scooted closer to Rodger to cuddle and the beds separated and I went down to the floor in a heap landing on my elbow. Rodger said it was like the parting of the Red Sea, he and I laughed, but we had to be aware not to sleep near the center of the beds. When we went to the Dan Panorama in Jerusalem there were the same kind of beds, but these were on carpet and didn’t roll.

All the breakfast food was Kosher, they could not serve milk with meat, so there was no meat at the morning meal but there was milk. At the evening meals there were meats but no milk. This practice comes from the Levitical laws that disallow boiling a lamb in its mother’s milk. A little of a stretch for me, but that is their culture and it was that way everywhere we went. I don’t recall seeing any fat people, not one obese person to be found in all our travels there.

An Ancient Minneret on a Muslim Mosque at Caearea Maritime.





Independence Hall in Tel Aviv
The world map indicating which countries supported Israel.
Herrods chariot race track at Caesaria Maritime on the Mediteranian Sea
Our Kibbutz on the Sea of Galilee

Our Trip To Israel  Part 1: New York City

When we left Portland we flew to Newark New Jersey, arriving in New Jersey six hours later.  We were told that our flight went more quickly than expected because the tail winds were with us.  On the way back from New Jersey to Portland our flight was almost two hours longer because we were headed into the winds which slowed the plane significantly.  The return flight was a little rougher and bouncier than the flight into Newark.

Our first stop on the tour of New York was at Liberty Park in New Jersey where we took  a  ferry called the Miss New Jersey to Ellis Island and then onto the Statue of Liberty on Liberty Island. 

On Ellis Island we found the walls that contained the names of many thousands of immigrants who came into the Intake Center from 1892-1954.  Eight Million immigrants were processed through this island, which was the gateway to their potential prosperity and religious freedom.  It seemed strange almost that immigrants were still coming through Ellis Ilsnad during our lifetime.  Ellis Island was closed to Immigrants in 1954.  One of those immigrants was my uncle Nils Nilson, of which there were several in the registry but not on the walls.   This was the promised land to these very tired and ragged people who had traveled by boat for months to get to the land of the free.

Immigrants were inspected for disease and those that showed signs of ill health were marked with chalk on their clothing so that they could be identified as unhealthy and later determined to be those that would be deported.  Some immigrants learned of this practice and determined to be able to stay in the country, wiped off the chalk marks or turned their clothing inside out to be able to enter undetected.  Some immigrants who did not do these things, were sent back to their native countries.

Rodger and I had lunch in the Ellis Island Café that was furnished with reproduction furniture of that period.  On the walls were painted beautiful murals depicting the immigrant experience.  We almost felt as though we were stepping back in the time of the immigrants. 

After Ellis Island we returned to the ferry, the Miss New Jersey, and sailed to Liberty Island where the Statue of Liberty stood.  What an incredible sight as we floated closer and closer to that massive statue.  How excited the immigrants must have been as they came into New York harbor after such long voyages and tired hearts, looking up at the Statue that represented the freedom they were about to experience in their new home. 

The Statue of Liberty was given to us by France and inside is an engraved plaque on which is written a sonnet by Emma Lazarus the following:

With conquering limbs astride from land to land;

Here at our sea-washed, sunset gates shall stand

A mighty woman with a torch, whose flame

Is the imprisoned lightning, and her name

Mother of Exiles. From her beacon-hand

Glows world-wide welcome; her mild eyes command

The air-bridged harbor that twin cities frame.

"Keep, ancient lands, your storied pomp!" cries she

With silent lips. "Give me your tired, your poor,

Your huddled masses yearning to breathe free,

The wretched refuse of your teeming shore.

Send these, the homeless, tempest-tost to me,

I lift my lamp beside the golden door!"

Wow to think that America was once the promised land to the world, and still is to many.

As you look at the pictures of the statue you will find the walkway at the pedestal just above her feet, that is the walkway Rodger and I were standing on when we climbed the many stairs to get as high up as we were allowed. No one was allowed in the torch because of disrepair, and the crown was allowed but not on the day we were there.

From the Miss New Jersey ferry we could look across to Manhattan in New York City.

After leaving Liberty Island we sailed back to Liberty park where we started and proceeded to carry on to New York City. There we saw many sites including Rockefeller Center, Time Square, The subway, Grand Central Station, the Holland Tunnel… the one Lucy Ricardo drove her lawn mower through in one of the I Love Lucy episodes. We saw the Lincoln center, Central park, the Crysler building and the Empire State building. We also saw St. Patricks Cathedral, which was amazingly beautiful.

In Time square we saw where they drop the ball on New Years eve every year and we saw a living billboard. It was a computer that registered those who were walking on the street in a particular place on the sidewalk. Rodger and I were in the bill board and took pictures of ourselves along with our guide. Our guide is a lady who held a multicolored stripped umbrella which she carried above the heads of the crowd so that we would not lose her. Time Square was an mass of people. There were street restaurants in the middle of the Square. It was a place I cared only to see once. The multitudes of people left me overwhelmed, I could not imagine a time such as New Years Eve when a million people gather there on the streets and hanging out of windows just to see a silver ball fall to earth, designating a new year. After all the year is going to come whether or not anyone dropped a huge ball.

David Wilkersons church was only about four blocks from where we were, but we did not get to see it. Rodger asked if we were going to get to see Wall street where the stock market was, the guide said no because the street was too narrow for our tour bus to drive through. Wall street was only a couple of blocks away from where we were at that time. Also we saw ground zero where the World Trade Center stood and we saw the partially built new one that is going up. We also saw NBC studios where the Today Show was produced.

The excursion to New York was a side note to the our intended destination of Israel. In my estimation New York is a monster that overwhelms. If ever there were a place of overindulgence and materialism, it is New York city. Ellis Island and the Statue of Liberty were our favorites in New York Harbor, the rest of it was interesting but not worth repeating. I love the small town life, the city has no draw for me.

Rodger Under the Statue of Liberty on Liberty Island

Rodger and I waiting for the Ferry to dock so that we can board.

On the Miss New Jersey in New York Harbor with

 Manhattan in the background.

Husband The Protector and Provider, The Woman the Home Manager and Helper

Leadership Qualities of Christian Husbands


With Jesus as the greatest example, Biblical leadership is equal to servant leadership. Therefore, to understand the leadership qualities of a true Christian husband, men must learn about the heart of a servant.

A Christian husband does not live to be served, but lives to serve his wife and children. His motivation is love -- loving God first, then loving those entrusted to his care before seeking to fulfill his own needs. Since his wife is his chosen life partner, investing sincere attention and love into her means that a husband considers his wife his most treasured "asset."

In addition to the expected responsibilities of working and providing, as well as protecting and defending, a Christian husband pastors, teaches and counsels his wife. Most importantly, he nourishes and cherishes her, and incubates her with love. This is succinctly and beautifully stated in The Message version of Ephesians 5:25-28:

"Husbands, go all out in your love for your wives, exactly as Christ did for the church -- a love marked by giving, not getting. Christ's love makes the church whole. His words evoke her beauty. Everything he does and says is designed to bring the best out of her, dressing her in dazzling white silk, radiant with holiness. And that is how husbands ought to love their wives. They're really doing themselves a favor since they're already 'one' in marriage."

The Biblical servant learned to be attentive and sensitive to needs. He watched for ways to help, doing things without being asked, sharing in household duties and going above and beyond what was necessary, without expecting gratitude in return.

The Christian husband practices these same principles, seeking to love as Jesus loved. The 'thanks' or rewards come back in countless other ways. Quality time and efforts invested are never wasted. Service is not slavery, with a negative connotation; rather it is giving or sowing, with the knowledge that an abundant harvest is forthcoming.

For the Christian husband, leading his wife is not "lording over" but watching over. The husband helps his wife realize her full potential, discussing and thinking through decisions together and making suggestions regarding wise utilization of her time and efforts. It is important that husbands not be too controlling or critical, but instead be appreciative, patient, considerate, gentle, encouraging, and above most other things, a good listener.

As the household manager, the Christian husband exercises diligence and reliability. He is aware of household needs and manages financial decisions. He also takes care of or arranges for repairs as needed in a timely manner. The husband doesn't use all his spare time for personal leisure or recreation, but first handles the business of the home. He doesn't allow things to pile up and alleviates his wife's anxiety whenever possible.

One characteristic of the virtuous woman in Proverbs 31 is that "the heart of her husband safely trusts her." This goes both ways. A wife's heart should be secure in her husband's love. If his desire is to love, honor, cherish and sustain her, together they can realize answered prayers and experience the blessings of being heirs together of the grace of life.





Written by: Peter Miller




I must add to this post that I am not a fan of the Message Bible. It is an abomination, but the article itself, in my estimation reflected the spirit of the Biblical husband. I left the reference in the article to the Message Bible because I placed the article written by someone else in it's entirety in order to properly give credit to the writer. I changed nothing of what Mr. Miller wrote. I do not endorse in any way the Message Bible, if one could even call it a Bible.

The Sinful Man

Excellent Article on the Sinful Man

http://safeguardyoursoul.com/cure-for-the-swollen-self-by-travis-bryan-iii/

When we walk in pride we can not see our own infirmities.  In order to confess our sins to the Lord we must admit them to ourselves first.  God said "examine yourselves."  When we spend most of our time hating others, we can never become convicted about our own sin.

Hearing the Shepherds Voice

On our recent trip to Israel, I met an actor in Nazareth village who portrayed a shepherd who was tending his goats.  As we approached the coral that the shepherd was guarding, we reached in to pet the goats that were clustered as close to their shepherd as they could get.  He was on the outside of the pen while they poked their noses through the slats to reach him.  Some of us ladies walked up to the pen, but by then the goats were walking away from the front of the pen.  One of the ladies called out to the goats to come back.  She spoke several times only to be completely ignored by the goats.  The Shepherd saw what was happening and spoke two words in Hebrew to the goats and they instantly responded and returned to the front of the coral where the shepherd stood.  The goats appeared not to hear the strange voice at all.  The voice of the woman was so unfamiliar that they didn't even lift their heads to turn and look at her in curiosity.  

How often do we turn our attentions away from the voice of Christ to listen to the voices of the unsaved or wrong teachers?  We look to man first and when their teaching fails, we clamor to hear from God, He is our second choice rather than our first.  

This episode with the shepherd reminded me of the Words of our Lord when He said "my sheep know my voice and they obey."   In this real life picture of the goats obeying their master we see not only obedience but immediate obedience and great joy in that obedience.  The goats loved to be with their shepherd.  We watched as the shepherd opened the coral door to let them out and walk away from the pen.  The goats stayed so close to the shepherd that he could barely take a step.  They stepped on his feet and jumped up on him to stay close.  

I loved this real life message that God was showing me.  The Lord Jesus Christ wants us to be as those goats, clamoring for every moment with Him, following Him no matter where He goes, keeping our attentions on Him every moment. The goats did not just follow Him because He commanded, but because they loved Him.  There was no hesitation in their obedience because they loved to please him.  

We should be so in love with our Savior that it is His voice we listen to first and all other voices that are not familiar to His commands and directives are ignored, given no attention at all.  Do we live in the confidence that we can hear His voice to the point of knowing the difference between His commands and the false prophets and teachers?  Do we keep our head straight ahead, heeding not the unfamiliar voice of the world or those who do not understand what God has told us? 

If we love Him, we take our instruction from Him and only listen to those who walk closely with Him.  We listen only to those who know His Word and are obeying it.  When someone comes along to divert our attention from Him by human knowledge, we should pay them no mind whatever and even correct them that they may not influence us.  

The more we remain silent and do not address wrong teaching, the greater chance we have of being sucked into the lies of the evil one.  We must mentally fight the deception and verbally refute it when it comes at us.  The longer we ignore a problem the more likely that problem will grow into worse and worse disobedience.  

If we desire to be close to our Savior, we must stay close to His Word daily and intimately in conversation with Him. As long as the goats stayed very close to the shepherd, they were safe with no chance of being deceived or harmed.  We have a lot to learn from that shepherd and his goats.  We can love our Shepherd as deeply and completely as those goats loved their shepherd, but to do so, we must set aside our own desires and pride, to trust Him completely.

There were other wonderful lessons from the trip to Israel, but the Lord impacted me with this one because, I believe, if we get this principle right, all other matters will fall in line with His will.  If we seek Him with all our hearts and follow the Shepherd closely through His word and prayer we will clearly hear His voice not being deceived by false teachers or riddled with false guilt and manipulations from our culture.  We will be strong, bold and confident in our walk, not wavering in our convictions no matter who comes against us or how many friends we may lose.  

In this present culture good is called bad and bad is called good.  Unrighteousness is celebrated and righteousness spurned.  Those who attempt to bring God's standard to any question are labeled judgmental and unloving.  The popular ways are in opposition to our Lord and His commands, and the unpopular ways are those that honor the commands of Christ.  We are in those end times the Lord speaks of in 2 Timothy 3:1-5 "But know this, that in the last days perilous times will come:  For men will be lovers of themselves, lovers of money, boasters, proud, blasphemers, disobedient to parents, unthankful, unholy, unloving, unforgiving, slanderers without self-control, brutal, despisers of good, traitors, headstrong, haughty, lovers of pleasure rather than lovers of God, having a form of godliness but denying its power. And from such turn away!"  

The Lord tells us to withdraw from such people so that we will not be influenced by them.  We may visit with them long enough to give them the gospel but they can not be our close friends.  God says in 1 Corinthians 15:33 "Do not be deceived: 'Evil company corrupts good habits." 

This is what has happened to the church in these last days.  We have become so accustomed to non-believers frequenting our churches as visitors that we have softened God's message by watering down the truth so as not to offend the non-believer.  If we offend him, he may not come back.  I say, what is the purpose of a non-believer staying in the church if he is not seeing the filthiness of his sin becoming convicted over it.  We should preach a bold truth, love the unbeliever enough to be honest about the sinfulness of sin, and giving him the good news that Christ gave his life that others might live.  Without a bold gospel message, we only make a non-believer comfortable and feeling good about himself, making it more difficult for the next person God sends to give him the true message.  Each time a non-believer hears a false gospel; his heart becomes a little more hardened to the authentic gospel of Christ.  We will be held accountable for our "fear of man rather than God."  

Our purpose is not to get the non-believer to like us, but to present a gospel of truth that he might love Christ.  We must stop focusing on being like and appreciated and keep our hearts set on telling the whole truth that the hearers might become saved and join us in heaven when this life is over.  Do we care more about Christ's commands and the eternal soul of the unbeliever than we do about our own comfort?  That is the question each one of us needs to ask the Lord, and then act upon what He tells us.

Let's follow the Shepherd; He has all the answers to everything perfectly!!!

Manipulation To Control The Congregation: Is It Biblical

Have any of you ever been in a church service where the pastor or speaker stopped a song in the middle of it and instructed the attendees to sing louder or with feeling as though they mean it? 

During that same worship service we may hear the preacher command the people to say amen.  I have also heard preachers say things like “can I hear a word of confirmation.”  The people listening were not doing it before they were instructed to do so, but suddenly because they were entreated to do so, they loudly proclaimed amen.  So the leader got them to do what did not enter their minds or hearts.  Of what value is this?

Every time I hear this, I think of the Catholic church that I was a part of and the little booklets that we used to follow the mass.  We knew which response was required for each of the statements made by the priest and which pages we needed to be looking at. We repeated what was expected after the priest’s comments.  There was no feeling required, just rote recitation, we could even be dozing and responding at the same time. 

Commanding the congregation to do or say anything is how cults have control over their people.  Our Lord wants our hearts and all our responses to be from our heart and not out of obedience for the sake of appearances.  Each person must do and say what the Holy Spirit leads them to do apart from any human bidding. 

The preacher must have the faith to allow the Holy Spirit to work in the hearts of people, rather than trying to manipulate the folks in their emotions.  Anyone can get a response from non-thinking people, who are concerned about their appearance.  It is not hard to control people in a covert manner, when the elder has instilled a sense of awe based on their position in life. 

Many church goers have the preachers on a pedestal as though they have a special in with God that the parishioners do not have.  This is a false perception of the office of elder.  The elder is no more holy than the rest of the church goers, except that he has been called to that service and qualifies based on Biblical standards.  All the people should be looking to the Word of God for their standard and not the preacher.  He should be above reproach, but he is not the standard, he must meet the standards of the word of God as all of us must.  We should all be above reproach, if we love Christ.

Let me say at this point that the preacher must be accountable to the congregation for their conduct.  If they are not preaching the Word correctly, they must be confronted about it, and asked to reconsider their position and correct their errors.

When a preacher believes himself to be unapproachable and above the congregation then it is time for him to be removed.  An arrogant and un-teachable and unreachable elder is a danger to the health of a fellowship.  He will create mind numbed attendees who will not evaluate everything said, in light of the Word.  When a congregation gets to this point, those who love the Lord and His Word become discouraged and leave and those who are left, forget to exercise thinking in their theology.  When this happens we have a cult like attitude that continues in error until the fellowship becomes apostate.

If we have faith, we will not feel a need to control every aspect of a persons actions. We can trust the Holy Spirit to work within each believer, and then we will have a vibrant fellowship.  However if our group is filled with superficial Christianity we will not hear “amen’s’ or “hallelujahs” because it is not in the hearts of the people, so what would be the point in making them respond as we think they should. 

We can get people to do many things so that they will not be embarrassed if they don’t, but we have not changed their hearts, so forcing them did not make them holier, or grow in their spirits. 

When we preach a hard gospel of repentance and obedience, the Lord will be able to use His Word, which does not go out void as He promised.  Let’s stop attempting to manipulate the people and begin to preach the gospel with authority and then the Lord will be able to work in the hearts of the hearers. 

Let’s stop being careful, depending on our flesh and good looks to hopefully win them in the flesh, and begin telling the hard truth leaving the results to the Lord.  He can do it so much better than our impotent human manipulations. 

Do we trust the Lord or do we do our spirituality in the flesh to be praised of men?  That is the question we all need to answer.  God says that the fear of man brings a snare and that we are to obey God rather than man.   If we step out in faith and preach an anointed gospel, then we can see the Lord work.