"Death in the Pot", A letter to my Grandson, a young Preacher
Writer Author Jerry Lee Kay Sr.
Christian Article
:
Christian Living
- Fiction No
Forget what you learned in elementary school--the earth is flat as a pancake. All that stuff about the earth being round and the sun being the center of the universe is a big joke, insists C.K. Johnson, president of the International Flat Earth Research Society, a group that takes great pleasure in poking fun at "globites." The organization, backed by 1400 members from around the world...or rather, from across the plane, gets scads of mail from dedicated teachers and students who blast it as a group of kooks and charlatans. Maybe it is, but Johnson claims the society's largest single group of members is doctors. Then come lawyers and other professional people, like engineers and architects. The Flat Earthers dismiss modern science as a club for sun worshippers and write off the American and Russian space programs as multi-billion dollar hoaxes. "The moon walk was done in a Hollywood set. All faked," says Johnson, a former airplane mechanic. Furthermore, he and his followers insist the sun is not stationary and does not set. They figure it to be a gigantic spotlight, 32 miles across, that moves in an ellipse just 3000 miles above the center of the earth. The other stars are just a lot of tiny holes poked in a huge canopy covering this planet. Do Flat Earthers believe in anything? "We believe the Earth is flat. Everything else is pure conjecture," Johnson replies! How stinking ignorant can you get? That proves you can teach anything you want, and somewhere there is a moron that will follow.
A very good friend accepted the pastorate of a non-denominational charismatic church with a sizable membership of wonderful Christian folks. I was so very happy for him because he really is a Shepherd at heart and dearly loves God's people. He had been there less than ninety days when he called me in a total panic, He said, "Poppa if your not to busy will you ask Sister Mary Frances to let you come spend some time with me, I got a tiger by the tail and I need help getting him in a cage". I laughed out loud because I thought he was joking! I talked with my wife and she agreed for me to go for a while.
I arrived on Sunday morning a little late and the church service was already underway. When I stepped into the sanctuary I was knocked off my feet by a fellow running as fast as he could run, as I stood up all I could hear or see was people shouting, some jumping up and down, and some laying on the floor. My friend was sitting in a chair holding his head in his hands and I thought MAN O MAN! Holy Spirit has passed through here like a Rushing Mighty Wind!... I fought my way to the platform, touched the pastor on his shoulder, and I thought he was going to squeeze me to death, he said, "Poppa you’re late but am I ever glad to see you". I said, "Looks like these folks are having a Holy Ghost runaway" He grabbed my hand and said "follow me", He led me through a hallway out the back door of the building over to the parsonage. He already had coffee made so he poured me a cup, sat down and I said, "This is one of those special times when the power of God took over The service, Right"? Before I proceed with this letter I have two things to say, First this brother is one of the most gifted teacher/preachers I have ever known, He can be compared with the likes of several of the well known ministers of our day, very well balanced and sweet in spirit. Secondly, no one likes to shout, sing, and praise the Lord more than Poppa!
The pastor poured his heart out to me for nearly four hours, he said, "Even though he had been there for nearly three months he had only been able to preach two times, because the services were taken away from him by all the shouting and chaos before he could get his message preached". I thought about it for a few minutes and told him he needed to call a meeting with the elders/deacons of the church and talk about this stuff. He said he had already done that and said he would like to have me sit in on such a meeting. I agreed, he made the arrangements and we had the meeting, the following is my recollection of that meeting... A candidate for Elder was asked, "What part of the Bible do you like best?" He said: "I like the New Testament best. Then he was asked, "What Book in the New Testament is your favorite?" He answered, the Book of the Parables, Sir." They then asked him to relate one of the parables to the board. So a bit uncertain, he began...
"Once upon a time a man went down from Jerusalem to Jericho, and fell among thieves; and the thorns grew up and choked the man. And he went on and met the Queen of Sheba, and she gave that man, Sir, a thousand talents of silver, and a hundred changes of raiment. And he got in his chariot and drove furiously, and as he was driving along under a big tree, his hair got caught in a limb and left him hanging here! And he hung there many days and many nights. The ravens brought him food to eat and water to drink. And one night while he was hanging there asleep, his wife Delilah came along and cut off his hair, and he fell on stoney ground. And it began to rain, and rained forty days and forty nights. And he hid himself in a cave. Later he went on and met a man who said, "Come in and take supper with me." But he said, "I can't come in, for I have married a wife." And the man went out into the highways and hedges and compelled him to come in! He then came to Jerusalem, and saw Queen Jezebel sitting high and lifted up in a window of the wall. When she saw him she laughed, and he said, "Throw her down out of there," and they threw her down. And he said, "Throw her down again," and they threw her down seventy-times-seven. And the fragments, which they picked up filled twelve baskets full! NOW, whose wife will she be in the day of the Judgment?" The membership committee agreed that this was indeed a knowledgeable candidate! Let me remind you they wanted to make him an elder of the church. I thought they were playing a joke on me, and started an almost uncontrollable laughing fit!... Beloved it was no joke!
My pastor friend told me later, when he first went there he was asked to teach a boys' class in the absence of the regular teacher. He decided to see what they knew, so he asked them, "who knocked down the walls of Jericho"...All the boys denied doing it and said they didn't know who did it...my friend said he was appalled by their ignorance.....So at the next deacons' meeting he told about the experience. "Not one of them knows who knocked down the walls of Jericho," he told the board members. The group was silent until finally one seasoned veteran of disputes spoke up. "Preacher, this appears to be bothering you a lot. But I've known all those boys since they were born and they're good boys. If they said they didn't know, I believe them. Let's just take some money out of the repair and maintenance fund, fix the walls, and let it go at that."
I asked the pastor what he wanted of me, because he didn't have a 'tiger by the tail'... it is more like a 'Lion'...As in 1 Peter 5:8...
He asked me to stay and help him with the ministry of these people, my answer was, I will stay but you will have to let me take my liberty in the Lord while in the pulpit, what I mean is, "My Holy Spirit Liberty". So, he announced that I had agreed to start revival for an undetermined amount of time. I went home, rearranged meetings already scheduled, did a background check on the history of that church. Started a Fast and asked the Holy Spirit for His direction. The following month I called the pastor and told him I would be there the next Sunday evening to begin the meeting.
A few songs were sang, the offering was received, a prayer, the introduction, I stepped into the pulpit, read my text and theme for the meetings to follow. And the very same man that knocked me off my feet my first visit to the assembly jumped to his feet started shouting and took off in a dead run as fast as he could run, and about four more were right behind him. I reached into my coat pocket pulled out a starters pistol and fired it towards the ceiling, Beloved you could have heard a pin drop!... After all the others, about four hundred people, picked themselves up off the floor, I point blank told them, "You will refrain from such behavior until I have preached my message, and if you can't, either go out on the parking lot or go home".... Glory to God!!!.... The runner shouted as loud as he could, "Who do you think you are preacher?" I shouted back, "I am the preacher that is going to either cast that demon out of you or shoot you down like a dog, whichever you prefer sir"! "I came here to preach and that is what I'm going to do, with or without you, now sit down and shut up". I quoted Matthew 11:12, " The kingdom of Heaven suffereth violence and the violent take it by force" And if that is what it will take, then I am the man that will bring it to you! He and his compadres chose to leave. The next night there was such a crowd we had to put chairs on the outside of the building! I stayed in that meeting two and a half months and the Holy Spirit added two hundred six souls to the kingdom of God. I spoke with that pastor many times after that meeting and went back two more times, the devil runner never came back, and they had church!... Beloved There is a right time and a right place for everything. The Holy Spirit is not an unorganized ding-bat! Amen?... And praise God, Poppa never had to pull the real pistol out of my other pocket.... Amen!
After all the word of God says, "Let your speech be always with grace, seasoned with salt, that ye may know how ye ought to answer every man" (Col. 4:6)..."Preach the word; be instant in season, out of season; reprove, rebuke, exhort with all longsuffering and doctrine. (2 Tmothy 4:2.) The word of God makes it very clear that "All things be done decently and in order". (1 Cor. 16:40)...These folks didn't have a clue, and it opens the door for an evil spirit to gain control over the teaching of the word..."Study to shew thyself approved unto God, a workman that needeth not to be ashamed, rightly dividing the word of truth". (2 Timothy 2:15) ... Who was at fault here?... The previous ministry without a doubt didn't know what it was doing or didn't care! The man had clearly let the sheep run wild and scatter, and just do their own thing. Studies show that sugar pills, or placebos, can alleviate many symptoms if a sick person believes he is getting treatment. Current research reveals that 1 in 3 people find such medication to be helpful--even when they are told they are getting a placebo. This illustrates the power of mind over body... It also shows how what we believe can affect us, even when it isn't true. There was a 'dearth' in the land for the word of God... Amen!
"And Elisha came again to Gilgal: and there was a dearth in the land; and the sons of the prophets were sitting before him: and he said unto his servant, Set on the great pot, and seethe pottage for the sons of the prophets. And one went out into the field to gather herbs, and found a wild vine, and gathered thereof wild gourds his lap full, and came and shred them into the pot of pottage: for they knew them not. So they poured out for the men to eat. And it came to pass, as they were eating of the pottage, that they cried out, and said, O thou man of God, there is death in the pot. And they could not eat thereof. But he said, “Then bring meal. And he cast it into the pot; and he said, Pour out for the people, that they may eat. And there was no harm in the pot". (2 Kings 4:38-41)
1.The dictionary defines... 'Dearth'... as a scarcity or lack of something ... in the case of this church it was a lack of correct teaching.
2. Elisha was teaching young preachers at his seminary ... I know young preachers that started out in the ministry about the same time as I, on fire to preach and had a few scriptures memorized, but didn't know enough about God to fill a thimble, and a lot less about sheep. Some were ordained and even managed to organize churches. This church was one of them!
3. He told them to provide a meal...Feed the sheep, Poppa knows his letters are long and you get tired sometimes reading them my Son, I pray someday you will thank God for it. Jesus told Peter if you love me you will feed my sheep. Feed them the good feed. It will give them strength for the Journey!
4. They gathered herbs to go into the pot ... You know, to spice things up a bit!...They just had to add something to it ...something different ... Many preachers these days are doing junk like that to draw a crowd. Whether we be Preacher or laymen, for God's sake don't add anything, just preach/teach the word of God, step back and watch what the Holy Spirit can and will do... Hosea 4:6 . . ."My people are destroyed for lack of knowledge"
5.They put something in the pot that could cause great harm...or even death . . . not on purpose. They just didn't know what they were doing! Jeremiah 12 verse 10 is clear when he said..."Many pastors have destroyed my vineyard, they have trodden my portion under foot, they have made my pleasant portion a desolate wilderness."...You can have a shouting church...just be sure the sheep are shouting because they are full... full of the word of God!
6. Caution must be taken in things said and encouraged to people. Saint or no Saint...While I was recuperating from an illness I stayed with my Son and his family for a few months, one morning I opened the door to get the newspaper and was surprised to see a strange little dog with our paper in his mouth. Delighted with this unexpected "delivery service," I fed him some treats. The following morning I was horrified to see the same dog sitting in front of our door, wagging his tail, surrounded by eight newspapers. I spent the rest of that morning returning the papers to their owners. The previous pastor of this church had spent several years encouraging bad habits in those people.
7. Elisha put the meal in the pot....be instant in season and out of season.....you must know what to do...And when to do it....Elisha was able to fix the problem because of the grace of God. You will develop a Holy Ghost instinct when you are walking in the Spirit!
In order to understand the Scriptures properly, we need to consider the actual words of Scripture. We have to know what the words mean in order to preach them. We also need to know the context. It has often been said, "Every text without a context is a pretext," and that is true. We have to know the total context. It is also helpful to understand the historical and cultural setting, which will give us the broader picture. Finally we need to understand why the writer wrote what he wrote—his purpose. Only when we have gathered all of this can we gain a full understanding of what a given passage of Scripture has to say.
But there is something else we need that is not so scientific but is just as important. We need to catch the flavor of the passage we are studying. To a great extent, how well we do that depends on us—how well we enter into the passage, whether we allow it to permeate our being, whether we permit our imagination to carefully interact with the passage, whether we as Christians allow the Holy Spirit to speak to us.
(Jn 7:16) Jesus answered them, and said, My doctrine is not mine, but his that sent me... If any man will do his will, he shall know of the doctrine, whether it be of God, or whether I speak of myself......He that speaketh of himself seeketh his own glory: but he that seeketh his glory that sent him, the same is true, and no unrighteousness is in him.....(Jn 7:37) In the last day, that great day of the feast, Jesus stood and cried, saying, If any man thirst, let him come unto me, and drink....He that believeth on me, as the scripture hath said, out of his belly shall flow rivers of living water.....But this spake he of the Spirit, which they that believe on him should receive:
A story is told of the explorer who some years ago had just returned to his country from the Amazon. The people at home were eager to learn all about the vast and mighty river and the country surrounding it. He wondered, how could he ever describe it to them - how could he ever put into words the feelings that flooded into his heart when he saw the exotic flowers and heard the night sounds of the jungle. How could he communicate to them the smells the filled the air and the sense of danger and excitement that would come whenever he and his fellows explorers encountered strange animals or paddled through treacherous rapids?
So the explorer did what all good explorers do - he said to the people, "go and find out for yourselves what it is like", and to help them he drew a map of the river pointing out the various features of its course and describing some of the dangers and some of the routes that could be used to avoid those dangers. The people took the map and they framed and hung it on the wall of the local science museum so that everyone could look at it. Some made copies of it. After a period of time many of those who made copies for themselves considered themselves experts on the river - and indeed they knew its every turn and bend, they knew how broad it was and how deep, where the rapids were and where the falls were. They knew the river and they instructed others in what it was like whenever those people indicated an interest in it. I think that many people today are in the same situation. We know the scriptures but we do not understand them. And we do not understand them because we have not been there. We must not simply look at the scriptures and their meaning, we must go there. We must experience what it means to take the map down from the wall and go to the river with me. See what is there. Allow Christ to open your mind, to breathe his Holy Spirit upon you, and make you a disciple from the heart. Amen
God Bless you my Son, My prayer is that the blessings of God shall be upon you, walk in the Spirit, be cautious how you handle His children. Never mistreat them, Love them, Feed them, teach them to walk in the Spirit as I have taught you... and above all, protect them with your Life.
Love Poppa
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