A CONFESSION and a MESSAGE from brother al

[al Hartman]

     I DON'T WANT TO TELL ANYONE HOW TO LIVE...  
I'M NOT SMART ENOUGH TO KNOW WHAT YOU SHOULD DO...
++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

     Right after the forbidden fruit incident, God said to Adam, "What have you done?"
     Adam immediately whipped around, pointed his finger at Eve, and said, "It was her fault!"
     Like a falling domino, Eve looked toward the tree and, with pointed finger declared, "It was the Snake..."
     The Serpent didn't Have any fingers to point...  But i digress...

     There will come a day when each of us will stand before the throne of grace and God himself will confront us and ask, "What have you done with my Son?"  It is a simple question, but its implications are massive.  The question is NOT "Did you get saved?"  Those who answered "No" to that one won't even get to show up at our hearing.
     The question will be, After all that Jesus Christ did for you, what place did you give him in your life?  Did you crown him Lord of all, or did you relegate him to a rear seat from which to watch you live a life of folly?
     In that day, when all shall be revealed, we shall stand in silent awe.  We won't say, "Well, I started out with good intentions, but then George and Betty ruined my life."  You know why?  Because when God says, "I gave you my SON.  I gave you my WORD.  I gave you my HOLY SPIRIT.  ...and you let some tiny despot, some mini-martinet, despoil you of all my gifts and lock you away in anger and self-pity?" we will be speechless.

     i have a confession to make:  When i first came to the GA website, i mistook the posts i read on the BB for the voice of the leadership of the exodus from the assemblies, and because of that misjudgment i was horrified by the anger and outright hatred that i read.  i failed to realize how many of the posters were NOT leaders, but simply saints who had been treated badly, some for a long time, and were in a lot of pain.
     i posted from my heart an admonition to be kinder, more loving.  But i spoke unwisely, assuming that my readers should know better than to be vengeful and to speak in a hurtful manner.  To those who have been offended by my postings, i sincerely apologize.  i am truly sorry to have caused you pain, anxiety or any other distress.  Please forgive me.  My message was misdirected-- it was not for everyone.  It was only for those who DO know better.

     There IS a message i want to share with all who have accepted salvation through Jesus Christ:  FOLLOW HIM.  He did not live the life he lived and die the death he died ONLY to save us from damnation and hellfire.  He came to give us ABUNDANT life.    
     What IS abundant life?  My Webster's tells me that "abundant" means "marked by great plenty;  amply supplied;  abounding."  If these adjectives do not fully describe your life RIGHT NOW, then you still have room for improvement.
     How does one recognize the abundant life in Christ?  Let me approach this from the back door:  If you do not have PERFECT peace, if you are not COMPLETELY joyful, if you are not BUBBLING OVER with love, and are not KINDLY DISPOSED toward others, you have room for MORE abundance than you are currently enjoying.
     Am i comparing you with the spiritual "Joneses?"  Certainly not!  You don't know anyone, have never met anyone, who enjoys PERFECT abundance.  There is ALWAYS room for improvement in all of us.  Even if it were possible for you to attain perfection, you would fall behind the moment you stopped to bask in it.  
See?-- i TOLD you this message is for everyone!

     The abundant life that Jesus Christ purchased for you and me is the subject of that question, "What have you done with the Son of God?"  If a brother or sister has told you of an available life, better than the one you are now leading;  if you have read about it in God's Word;  if the Holy Spirit has convicted your heart through the example of another, don't turn away in stubbornness.  There is a pseudo-comfort in staying with the familiar, and a natural fear of stepping out into the unknown.  But God knows this, and will never call us to anything for which he will not enable us.
     When we stand in his presence, he will not be swayed by "I was having a bad day," or "The brother who exhorted me had sour breath and dirt under his nails."  The truth will be so evident that we will not even attempt to defend our choices.  So, what is my point?
     The Christian life is a life of forward motion.  If you are not advancing, are still where you were yesterday, you are in peril of stagnating.  ASK God to show you the next step, and if that scares you, ASK him to give you courage, and if you doubt your ability to hear his voice, ASK him to convince your heart.  Because all this praying is something you can be doing with God's Son!
     Do you enjoy being angry and feeling sorry for yourself?  OK, but TALK TO HIM about it!  Whatever is in your life that doesn't seem 100% perfect, PRAY about it!  And whatever DOES seem perfect-- pray about that, too!  Nobody is ever going to be accused by God that "You spent too much time seeking me!"

     I'm going to close with a quotation from the late Mother Teresa of India:

People are often unreasonable and self-centered.
Forgive them anyway.

If you are kind, people may accuse you of ulterior motives.
Be kind anyway.

If you are honest, people may cheat you.
Be honest anyway.

If you find happiness, people may be jealous.
Be happy anyway.

The good you do today may be forgotten tomorrow.
Do good anyway.

Give the world the best you have, and it may never be enough.
Give your best anyway.

For you see, in the end, it is between you and God.
It never was between you and them anyway.

[Sebastian Andrew]

Greetings Al:

Thanks for shooting from the heart.

I was in India the last time about ten years ago. I asked a leader in the indigenous evangelical movement that was hosting me about Mother Teresa and he said:

The people here (the Muslims and Hindus) say "there is a

Christian that  loves."

Sebastian Andrew

[vbeers]

and  isn't that what we want all people to see in us- love???  this has been my foremost issue with the assembly.  all too often they stand against sin of other Christians and in so doing they neglect God's command to us that we love one another.  now, as Christians, we may understand why someone would take a stand against our sin, but how do non-believers see it?  

if at all times we love one another and stand for one another in prayer, are we not painting a much healthier picture of what christianity is all about for those who do not know the Lord???

[Arthur]

Thanks for writing Al.  I was wondering what you were talking about when you first wrote those posts.  It almost seemed like you were sticking up for George or something.  Thanks for clearing it up.  

[Mark C.]

Hi Al and Others!
  Thank you for your explanation and understanding re. those who express their anger.
   Possibly, I should start up the Wounded Pilgrims thread again and continue this discussion there.
    There is of course undeniable truth in what you said re. the fact that we need to focus on our relationship with Christ, and not focus on our hurt.  However, this is something that takes time to work through for many and may not follow the path that we think.  We are so used to following a "self help" form of Christianity that we are apt to head back into an Assembly form of life, with a new twist of course.  
    I believe it is a mistake to heap such individuals up with a load of guilt re. how they need to better respond to their pain; this again only makes the needy one feel like they are the problem.  To make the victim responsible for their victimization is cruel (an example, "if these women didn't dress like they do they wouldn't get raped.").  I think it is equally cruel to suggest that a victim of a performance system, like the Assembly, "get over it" and focus on Christ, as it again makes them the one responsible for their recovery. (not that you suggest this)
   Christ is the Good Shepherd who has taken all the responsibility of our healing and recovery(cast all of your care on Him).  The Good Samaritan had zero expectations of the one left for dead on the side of the road, for the wounded pilgrim could not perform.  If any good comes out of my life it is because He has met me, lifted me, healed me, and continues to care for me.  When I stand before His throne I will sing with the multitude, "glory to the Lamb, for he alone is worthy!"  Any crown I may get will be quickly thrown at His feet.
  Christianity is not learning the "keys" to walking, rather it is the power of Christ to lift and carry me(as Jesus told Peter).
   Dear Wounded Pilgrim, He loves and cares for you so much!             Blessed just thinking about it,  Mark