To our Cyber Visitors: Trent has sent us more E mails since we put up his WRAP in the NOVEMBER-02 '01 WRAP AROUNDS.

To Trent: I am listening to you. I'm addressing two quotes from the latest letters that you sent because I see in them some of the symptoms demonstrated by so many of the powerless churches in the US.
TRENT WROTE:

..."Contrary to popular belief, beauty is more than skin deep. Pretty is skin deep, beauty is to the bone. The question is, which do we spend more time improving?

Most of us spend hours every day to look our best on the outside. We make our hair pretty with expensive shampoos and conditioners. We may then have it styled and colored. We make sure our face looks its best, by cosmetics, acne medicine, cool sunglasses, pearly white teeth, and or contacts. Then we make sure our clothing is in style with designer logos that cost hundreds of dollars and days worth of work to afford.

We also say and do the cool things. We quote the newest movie, listen to the in CDs, and drive our fancy car all in the name of prettiness, or in some cases, masculinity. However, reading the Bible is hardly ever on the top ten list of the day and we only say a few minutes of prayer as we nod off to sleep.

If you stopped looking in the mirror of self-love, which is the devil's looking glass, and looked at yourself in God's mirror of the soul found in His words, that shows no prettiness, would you be beautiful?...

I would never disdain what you have to say nor despise your right to say it. And you have written a perfect picture of what Paul would call a "worldly Christian." No one will dispute with you the fact that we have lost track of the "inner man" and are completely captivated by the "outward man." This became evident in some of the recent/past TV mega-ministries. I can recall one in particular, because we had a newborn daughter that was dying. I was searching for some means of comfort. I turned on the very, popular TV ministry of that day, some twenty-five years ago, hoping to find some solace or wisdom. The tele-evangelist wife was weeping and telling about how some dentist had ground her teeth down to make them more perfect. Big tears rolled as she discussed how she had always felt she had "wolf teeth". Perhaps that was how God let her see her reflection in her mirror of life because she had almost perfect teeth before they were "ground down." She was totally dissatisfied with her face and put on long, black eyelashes with her blond hair. These long, fake eyelashes were always heavily dipped in mascara, which would run down her face as she wept over the lost of the world. It was difficult to equate Jesus with these mascara streaks. My child had body parts missing/non- functioning and had been in intensive care for almost three months. I will let you imagine how I felt about such frivolousness. The good news is that there were many very common, everyday people that prayed for her and she is now twenty-five years of age. She shows the signs of the stroke she suffered when 10 days old, but she has an excellent quality of life and enjoys very good health.

Let me give another extreme of cosmetics in the church world. A few years later we went to do a revival in an independent church. Unknown to us, they did not believe in any cosmetics. No deodorant, no toothpaste, no hairspray, but they did practice foot washing as one of their sacraments. Now, if you want an interesting experience, just get into a room of exuberant church members that need some personal hygiene. So, perhaps we need to use moderation when "anointing our bodies" for close encounters at a church service. I was ministered to, however, in the simplicity of these ultra-conservative-limited bathing-church goers. What can we say!!! Does Jesus bless because we ministers "powder and paint to look like what we ain't," or is it a matter of the heart no matter how our outward appearance might be. I know that God used Moses and his old, ugly stick that one would think was useless. Later on, he used Solomon when he was arrayed in all his glory. Neither one of these men was a greater giant of faith than was the other. (Moses did not get to enter into the Promised Land and Solomon liked women too much.)

The Bible says to love our neighbor as ourselves. So, we must first love ourselves. What does this mean??? Does it include a reasonably, pleasant image from our bathroom mirror as well as from our "Spiritual mirror"? The preacher on TV that has had cerebral palsy is very nice to look at…and how does he see himself??? Hopefully, he see himself as the Epistles do declare he looks; or maybe we can try the Songs of Solomon. Castigating ourselves, or "self-flagellation" in front of a mirror leads to depression, depression leads to hopelessness, hopelessness leads to despair…which is all in itself false vanity. We are supposed to see ourselves as beautiful in Christ's eyes: When did we fall into Satan's snare of thinking or telling ourselves that we are scum. We are royalty!

TRENT WROTE AGAIN:

"...In the present, though, it seems that everything on Thanksgiving Day has some problems; the turkey is just a little dry, the gravy is just a little runny, and the family is bickering…just a little. Those of us with family and good food seem to have so many problems but the man with no food only has one problem, hunger, and the woman with no family has only one problem, loneliness, the hunger of the soul. I ask…Jesus asks, to daily give to those in need. Give your old coats, some food, and some money to those who need it so desperately. Do this every day, even when Thanksgiving Day is over, because a true Thanksgiving lifestyle is never over. As Christians, we have plenty to be thankful for, such as salvation from slavery to sin that results in a punishment of death, the ability to speak with God in prayer, God's abundant grace, love, joy, and happiness. We can't earn any of this; it's God's gift. Considering this, when giving to the one who needs, whether it's your son or a homeless man, give with Christ's love. I would urge each and every one of you to go through your closet and see what you no longer use such as a jacket that does not fit, a pair of shoes, or any article of clothing to give to the poor. However, as Christians, we are to be spreaders of the message as well, so put a small pocket Bible or Jesus Freaks book inside with some money too. A jacket can warm the body, some money can fill the stomach, and the Word of God can heal the soul..."

The last paragraph in this quote bothers me the most because of the list of things that you gave for Christians to do, that is, the giving of old clothes, food drives (dented cans?), second-hand furniture, etc. This is not what the Church is called to do. If someone wanted to give someone they loved a "gift," it would not be castoffs. The giving you mentioned can be done by anyone, anywhere—whether they are Christian, atheist, Buddhist, Muslim, in the U. S., or in a foreign country. Such activities can be done by civic, social, benevolent, Red Cross, Food for Children, tax-exempt organizations/clubs, etc. Many people are grateful to receive second-hand goods and castoffs, and for these charitable organizations in the world, I am very grateful. I AM GLAD THAT SOMEONE CARES, AND WHAT WOULD THE WORLD DO WITHOUT THEM? Sadly, too many churches have turned in on themselves and become "closed clubs." Consequently, because their numbers have dwindled, they now have to struggle just to pay the light bills and the preacher's salary. They have no surplus to share with others and no real funds to use in endeavors to fulfill the Great Commission. In addition, I can find no Scriptures teaching that we are to look down on those who are trying to care for the less fortunate simply because they do not profess to be Christians. Yet, I do find Scriptures that speak of the "greater" things Christians are to do. If believers limit Christ to only working through benevolent groups / clubs / organization, whether it is a church or secular, then, the world sees Christ as being no greater than our funded groups. Oops! Somebody goofed! Either God is a liar with all His Scriptures / Promises or we are completely devoid of understanding. Or perhaps, we want to control what God does on this earth just as the people in the Old Testament wanted to do. What a shame! Let's look at some Scriptures. Maybe we can safely conclude that God is not the problem.

These are just some prominent examples of how God is not the problem, but man. Our human definition of a liar and God's definition are not the same. Now that we can assume that God is not a liar, provided we believe the Bible, let us move on to the "greater" realm in which Christian are supposed to operate.

This is the "greater realm" of operations for the church. My quoting of these Scriptures does not mean that I am promoting any domination that takes one of the commands in this Scripture and builds a denomination around it—such as speaking in tongues, snake handling, etc. (It does refer to having a faith as strong as Paul's: cf. Acts 28:3.) I am addressing the whole package that is available if and when a Christian might need it. We have church after church that has taken only one or two of the gifts given to fulfill the Great Commission" and have tried to establish a great and powerful work. It will not work. Please notice that Jesus listed 12 prerequisites that must be done and then, He said, "... they shall recover."

Our so-called benevolence in Christ name must make Him vomit. We would be much better off if we did our giving out of sympathy and not pretend that Jesus told us to do it. He addresses those that are truly naked and destitute in this Scripture:

If the present work of the evil religious fanatics continues, as we have seen in New York, the world's systems / methods of giving are going to be severely depleted. Because people are born with an innate sense of sympathy, the giving will continue with worldly goods and emotional support; but sometimes people have to draw back in order to survive. This is where the church is supposed to step into the picture with SOMETHING MORE. Already we are told that there isn't enough vaccine for smallpox. If there should be an epidemic, the church is supposed to have the "blood over their door post" at the minimum and then be able to offer healing to a stricken world. The Bible claims that we do have something more, something that is above and beyond empathy (animals have this) and sympathy (natural human caring). The world moves in sympathy, whether Christian or from other religions, and it would be a sorry world without sympathetic souls. However, Christians are supposed to have compassion and to be "moved" by this compassion as was the Lord Jesus. Do I have this in its completeness??? NO! (I have operated in it from time to time during my years as a believer and have been a part of absolutely, documented Divine intervention.) Am I talking about the laying-on-of-hands-and-people-falling-back type of healing? No! The only record we have in the Bible of people falling back was when they were coming to crucify Christ. This was done to a group that was coming to kill Him and in no way were they a part of a healing/blessing demonstration. Christ was merely showing that He could take up or lay down His own life; that even in taking Him, they could be rendered forceless.

There are Christians in all the wonderful benevolent clubs/organization in the U.S. and this should be so…but we need to claim our inheritance in Christ. We need to step up and be what we should be. Why is it not happening? We cannot get away from the "whip" that Christ used in the market place. He will not allow his precious gifts to be used for monetary gain. It is not to be done "in the market place to be seen of men" which in turn generates funding / offerings. We have gifts!!! GIFTS!!! They are given to us by Christ Jesus and in turn are supposed to be given away. GIVEN AWAY!!! We should not / cannot charge for gifts. This is not to contradict the teaching that the Church is not to muzzle the oxen that treads out the corn—but it is saying that the oxen does not "charge" for his services. He serves mankind in the way that he was intended, and gets fed in the course of things. We need to let Christ be our reward. Let Him decide what "offering / blessing " we should receive after we have ministered / given our all for that particular moment. I know of many compassionate people who quietly prayed for others, watched their lives dramatically change, and went on their way, never stopping in the passion of the moment to take an offering. Study the healing of Jarius' daughter and note that it was established in the mouth of three witnesses.

The first thing Jesus did was to quiet all the noise / demonstrations / ceremony / ritual that the people thought had to be done for a healing service. (The church now calls it stirring up the Holy Ghost). He did this by saying, "give place." The people laughed and scorned Him because He would not embrace their methods and ideas. The steps that led to her healing were

Yes, there is definitely a "pattern" for miracles. It is not to be a sideshow to drum up offerings.

We are commanded to be more than conquerors. What does this mean??? We see people who never go to church that seem to be more blessed than we are. Does that mean they are more than conquerors? No, it simply means that they have focused upon and attained a physical, monetary goal in their life. Are Christians supposed to "focus upon/attain a life-long goal for Christ? No! They are supposed to have a "call" from Christ, which is energized by the power and direction of the Holy Spirit. Anything else is "good works" and will not withstand the "fire" at the judgment. Do you grasp what I am saying?

Is this next Scripture another of the "hard-sayings"? No! Here the writer is just trying to get men to realize that they are supposed to have the "something more" which makes the Church more than conquerors. Are we more than conquerors? or do we just struggle to survive? It really would benefit the churches of today, if they would at least acknowledge that there is something more than their legislated agendas that are voted upon at a board meeting. Do you think Christ is "driven / energized / controlled" by board meetings. I certainly hope not!!! I know of pastors that have had family members with life threatening affliction who were not given a church for the next year because the liability / costs of maintaining the preachers' families would be too large. The insurance for the association would be increased. They wanted unmarried, or unencumbered ministers for their pulpits. I can see how they felt from a businessman point of view, but certainly not from a Christian/s point of view.

Does a Christian have to be mealy-mouthed poor? Absolutely not. But as in all things, we need to be in moderation. We need to ask God to help us provide for our families without becoming greedy. It is all right to have a storehouse but not all right to build "bigger and better barns" in which to store things. No one would respect a person that did not try to meet his or her worldly responsibility to his or her family. But in this writing, I am addressing a Spiritual responsibility! The Bible teaches about it. We sing songs about it. We long for and hope for it. What is It? It is to know the full measure of what we should be in Christ.

Now, I will do a fast review. We are to give as unto the Lord. No where in the Bible did He tell us that we could give old, second hand things to Him. He said give the first fruits. But you might say that the "first fruits" were to be given only unto Him. Well, shall we consider this New Testament Scripture that He so painstakingly taught on the Mount.

What about the Scripture that says:

Would this put physicians out of business? No, because most ministers do not even consider this a viable part of the Christian inheritance. We need to stop thinking that the church is a club / organization / clan / sect and realize it is a "living extension of Christ." If we can ever stop putting our human limitations upon Christ, and step past the vale of doubtful disputations, we can radically change our world. THANK GOD FOR BENEVOLENT CLUBS THAT ARE MADE UP OF PEOPLE FROM ALL WALKS OF LIFE. But the church is supposed to be the icing on their cake, not the dung that they have to walk through. (I don't have the numbers, but my guess would be that the world system gave far more than the churches in the recent terrorist attacks in New York.)

We need to take the limitations off of Jesus. If the Scriptures are true, then we should be doing much more in our churches. He lets us "prove" the promises recorded in these following verses. He formed the worlds without end without our assistance. Perhaps, the worst thing He ever did was to allow we puny people a say in things. Many act as though He has just enough "power and time" to drag out of bed and meet them on Sunday morning for an hour or two. We need to stop "groveling" and "apologizing" to the world because we believe the "foolishness of Jesus," and stand up and claim our inheritance in Christ Jesus.

The world needs to "profit" because Christians have been a vital part of their lives. I'm not addressing monetary profit, although this can be a by-product of a Christian walk (note I said by-product not goal), but the Fruits of the Spirits should manifest. The following we do need to fear as a Christian.

It is the aforesaid "Fruits of the Spirit" that lets us enter into the "Rest" of God.

Evidently, some things about the Christian life are a "mystery," but we are commanded to study to show ourselves approved unto God. All of us that get on the internet and write things could do well to constantly remind ourselves and others of this little adage: doweknow. This is why we put our web site up. To challenge the church world to consider that maybe we donotknow. Most Christians do not understand the simple story of Baby Jesus. For a truth, most of us donotknow what these following Scriptures mean! We read and we sing about power, power, power, yet this power seems to be the greatest mystery of all to the church. But it is not to be this way, for the Church is to be "in the know."

I know this has been a long discussion but I have a great sense of urgency. We must want all that Christ has for us if we are to be effective to a burdened world.

Thanks for sharing, B'Ann

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