Post by morningstar on Mar 21, 2014 15:13:59 GMT
Good read....
Charisma Magazine
Prophets, Shake the Dust Off Your Feet
Shake the dust off your feet.” I wasn’t really surprised when I heard the Holy Spirit say those six words—but when I read the Scripture in context, it sent me into intercession for the ones who rejected the word of the Lord.
The sad story begins in a local church where I was serving on the pastoral staff. The church’s works were good, reaching out to the poor with food, clothing and shelter. The pastor’s sermons were not theologically deep, but they were biblically sound.
Indeed, from the outside looking in, it looked like an up-and-coming church that was really being the church. It was a breath of fresh air. Soon enough, I discerned spirit of compromise invading the hearts of leadership. Decision after decision was made to please man rather than please God. I knew these man-pleasing decisions would eventually erode the truth of the gospel in that local body. I just didn’t realize it would be so soon.
The Sin of Compromise
Over the course of a year, I gently but directly pointed out areas of compromise. The senior pastor tolerated a woman with a spirit of Jezebel wreaking havoc in the church. He frequently attended “rock star” megachurch conferences and brought the seeker-friendly principles he learned back to the congregation. He refused to confront sin of all sorts, from adultery to homosexuality and beyond. Over the course of a year, my prophetic words of warning were pooh-poohed time and time again. I was told, in subtle terms, that I was missing God’s heart in these matters.
The day finally came when the compromise was so blatant that it sent me into weeping and travails for the church. After consulting with ministers more experienced and wiser than me, I boldly confronted the growing cancer in love with scriptural backing that could not be denied. But the prophetic correction was once again rejected—and not only rejected, but I was actually held in contempt for speaking the gospel truth in a Spirit-filled Christian church! And that’s when the Holy Spirit told me to shake the dust from my feet.
Let’s look at the Scripture: “Whoever will not receive you nor hear your words, when you depart from that house or city, shake off the dust from your feet” (Matt. 10:14). So what does it mean to shake the dust off your feet? I’ve heard that Scripture many, many times, but I had never studied it out until the Holy Spirit gave me the personal instruction.
Full Article link
Fair use for Discussion Purposes.
Charisma Magazine
Prophets, Shake the Dust Off Your Feet
Shake the dust off your feet.” I wasn’t really surprised when I heard the Holy Spirit say those six words—but when I read the Scripture in context, it sent me into intercession for the ones who rejected the word of the Lord.
The sad story begins in a local church where I was serving on the pastoral staff. The church’s works were good, reaching out to the poor with food, clothing and shelter. The pastor’s sermons were not theologically deep, but they were biblically sound.
Indeed, from the outside looking in, it looked like an up-and-coming church that was really being the church. It was a breath of fresh air. Soon enough, I discerned spirit of compromise invading the hearts of leadership. Decision after decision was made to please man rather than please God. I knew these man-pleasing decisions would eventually erode the truth of the gospel in that local body. I just didn’t realize it would be so soon.
The Sin of Compromise
Over the course of a year, I gently but directly pointed out areas of compromise. The senior pastor tolerated a woman with a spirit of Jezebel wreaking havoc in the church. He frequently attended “rock star” megachurch conferences and brought the seeker-friendly principles he learned back to the congregation. He refused to confront sin of all sorts, from adultery to homosexuality and beyond. Over the course of a year, my prophetic words of warning were pooh-poohed time and time again. I was told, in subtle terms, that I was missing God’s heart in these matters.
The day finally came when the compromise was so blatant that it sent me into weeping and travails for the church. After consulting with ministers more experienced and wiser than me, I boldly confronted the growing cancer in love with scriptural backing that could not be denied. But the prophetic correction was once again rejected—and not only rejected, but I was actually held in contempt for speaking the gospel truth in a Spirit-filled Christian church! And that’s when the Holy Spirit told me to shake the dust from my feet.
Let’s look at the Scripture: “Whoever will not receive you nor hear your words, when you depart from that house or city, shake off the dust from your feet” (Matt. 10:14). So what does it mean to shake the dust off your feet? I’ve heard that Scripture many, many times, but I had never studied it out until the Holy Spirit gave me the personal instruction.
Full Article link
Fair use for Discussion Purposes.
