Don't you get tired of junk?

I've had a couple of conversations this week that have led me to this blog. Both were respectful and considerate, but both have led me to this conclusion-I'm tired of junk. They both centered around things someone said about me that were untrue. If you are a pastor, you get used to it after awhile (you don't LIKE IT, but you get used to it). The sad part about it is I don't even KNOW this individual that made this false statement about me, but he came off to these folks like he knew everything about me. I would not know this person if he came up to me on the street or even if my life depended on it, but from what was said, he doesn't think to highly of me.

At first it really did make me mad when I found out about it, because it's nothing but junk. Junk that a supposed Christian should not be saying in particular since he doesn't even know me personally, nor do I know him. It's at those moments the flesh wants to retaliate and get vengeance, but then the Spirit of God steps in and calms you down. But let me tell you I have sacrificed too much and come too far to let this kind of junk weigh me down or let the devil get the best of me.

We often wonder why we can't reach the world like we used to in the church. It's not because the anointing isn't there, but I believe it's because the Bible is being fulfilled and as Jesus said, " The love of many will wax cold". The first thing some of you reading this will think is that Jesus spoke that about the worldly and ungodly, but folks it's happening within the church.

Preachers are guilty, members are guilty, and the world is dying and going to hell because we run down people we don't even know because in our minds we are more spiritual or anointed than they are. We get on a tangent because it's our Christian duty to tell everybody how they ought to do if it fits into our genre and ours alone. Yet, often times we just say stuff about people whether we know them or not because it makes us look more spiritual.

Here's what the Word of God says:

Romans 8:6 "For to be carnally minded is death; but to be spiritually minded is life and peace."

James 4:11 "Speak not evil one of another, brethren. He that speaketh evil of his brother, and judgeth his brother, speaketh evil of the law, and judgeth the law: but if thou judge the law, thou art not a doer of the law, but a judge."

Matthew 7:1-5 "Judge not, that ye be not judged. For with what judgment ye judge, ye shall be judged: and with what measure ye mete, it shall be measured to you again. And why beholdest thou the mote that is in thy brother's eye, but considerest not the beam that is in thine own eye? Or how wilt thou say to thy brother, Let me pull out the mote out of thine eye; and, behold, a beam is in thine own eye? Thou hypocrite, first cast out the beam out of thine own eye; and then shalt thou see clearly to cast out the mote out of thy brother's eye."

If you are spiritually minded, you don't mess with junk. Junk has a tendency to smell and it has a distinguishable odor. So what that means is it will be figured out by people who have good sense before you know it. Sadly in the church world we are dealing with more junk than we are dealing with drunks getting saved and being set free.

I don't always agree with Pastor Perry Noble of NewSpring, but I've got to give the guy credit when credit is due. I was reading one of his blogs recently and he made a statement similar to this.

"The internet is full of cowards who can hide behind words without a face. But if you allow yourself to be controlled by what people think you'll never accomplish anything for God."

How true it is. The world is laughing at us because instead of seeking those that are lost, we're more interesting in tearing down people we don't know on hearsay and gossip. In other words instead of looking for treasure we're looking for junk. Now anything can be made junk, especially if we want it to be, but we have a choice.  That choice is to be one thing or another:
Carnally minded or Spiritually minded.

If you're carnally minded you are always looking for junk. You want an edge, leverage, or something that you think can give you control. If you're spiritually minded you're looking for treasure. You see past the fakery, the Pharisaical spirit, and you don't repeat gossip as fact. You seek the truth and not trash because the trash was taken out of your life by the blood of Jesus.

So for this person who has spoken lies about me, that doesn't even know me or I him, I do forgive you. I have to admit it's hard to do even for a pastor, but as a Christian I do forgive you. Your opinion of me, although you don't know me, is skewed and I am sorry you pretended to know me to cloud others vision of me before we even know each other. I will pray that somehow God will reveal the truth to you before you have to stand before God and give an account for every idle word you have spoken in error to try and hurt a persons character that you don't even know.

And to those who don't know Jesus as their Lord and Savior today, the church is not the only place where hypocrites live. Jesus fought the religious order of His day to preach the truth, and that truth is that church is important, because it is His bride-but a true relationship with Jesus is more important than anything in this life. Don't let people or organization failures keep you from finding Jesus. He will help you change, and who knows, you might just get as tired of junk as I am and become a real follower of Jesus.