PREACHING TO THE PREACHERS
by Pam Clark
A seasoned preacher will know it's a good sign when the little ones start preaching to them. It means they have matured to a place of assertiveness and strength and it's great when you hear your sermons preached back to you - and sometimes it is even convicting.
But Jesus said that a student is never above his teacher, nor a disciple above his Master. This is a very important principle in maturing in God. If you have been around youngsters or teenagers, you have seen this at work in everyday life. Suddenly Junior knows how to run the family and manage the checkbook. And there may be no doubt that Junior is gifted, but he is not seasoned yet and sometimes a pain.
But loving parents don't attack their kids, they love them. Good parents hold the line when pleasing the kid would be nicer and easier in some ways, but not to their best interest. And some parents just feel inadequate, so they think the child may be smarter! But it was never meant to be for the child to rule. A little child may lead, but the order is still in place.
This is a hard thing when it comes to the things of the Spirit. God can speak great wisdom through a child but he does not forsake structure to accommodate him. God does not tear up His own camp unless there is sin in the camp. "A house divided against itself cannot stand!" Jesus said.
We must understand what tradition is to understand its nature as our enemy. There are many traditions that carry the Spirit of God forward, and some that hold Him back. Galatians 3:24 says that "the Law is our Schoolmaster until faith comes." Just because we got born again, does that mean that we no longer need to study to show ourselves approved? No!
We still need to study and apply ourselves to understanding. Most wisdom and common sense is gained through experience. That means we are going to make mistakes every now and then. This is where tradition and structure is a helper to us. But when things are stale and we are just going through the motions or we need to expand and grow, then sometimes the traditions need to be broken for the fresh revelation and impartations of God to come in.
Discerning this is not always so easy! But God has set leadership in the camp to help us. To discern and guage your own wisdom in this, let me set a standard for this of having read the Bible all the way through at least once and have a working knowledge of how it applies to many difficult situations.
By coming into that, you will find that there are certain areas where you excel, and once you sense that, good sense is that you develop that area while staying well rounded in other areas. But just because you got a zap from the Holy Spirit, don't make that your sign that you are now qualified to judge others in the areas of their callings, especially if they are proven.
What is a proven calling? A proven calling is one where you can see the fruit. There is a public confirmation and the fruit remains in the many lives that were touched. And the fruit should have the reflection of the nature of God in that fruit. A proven ministry call will see them equipping others for the work of the ministry - in the same nature that the Holy Spirit, our paraclete, does it - coming along side of them, not ruling them and harshly judging them.
Some of us, many of us, were not parented well and so we must find our parenting in the Church. This can be a challenge to all of us! Some people don't want to be your parent. Some are not sure they want you for a friend if it pulls them away from their strength for their struggles. Now before getting paranoid or offended over that statement, think of how many people you are presently parenting and how good of a job you are doing with that. Sometimes people have to say No.
One of the most awesome gifts in the Body is the office of pastor. ONLY the grace of God could make one so longsuffering and forgiving. Which is why there are also prophets who will come along with the rod, but self appointed prophets (and sometime baby ones) damage the flock more than they help it.
But even pastors have limitations because they were just as human and flawed as you when they were called, and they also every day work on their own issues as well as yours. Nice people understand that! We all seek approvals; human nature is hungry for it. But God intervenes here and has said in chapter after chapter of His Word, "Seek ME first, not man." This is what makes church different than many of society's good will organizations - we worship something beyond ourselves that infuses divine strength into our spirits and changes us for the better. The Word of God can discipline us!
God knows that it also takes maturity and His gifting to discern spirits, as there is another spirit in the world that seeks to turn you away from the God who would restore you and build you. And God allows all to be tested to see whether we are truly in the faith or not. But it is never God's will to see us destroyed. Sometimes we have to guard ourselves and are held accountable for what we should have studied!
Before you go and get angry at your Spiritual leaders, find out if God is not speaking something to you. Often He is and it is a hard thing! Oh how we love ice cream and cake parties that we did not have to prepare! But it's time to grow up and realize God's higher calling is for us to help carry the load, not just give the advice like an armchair quarterback. And once we discover the joy, yes, the joy of servanthood, we will find that even God considers our thoughts and views on many things. But our thoughts will never usurp His nor His divine and sovereign Plan for you and others.
There are so many things in the world that I could never have thought up. I can look at nature and humanity and real quick realize I am not God; how about you? God's thoughts and His ways are not ours, they are higher, and He declares it. Could we ever fathom it all? Not hardly! And there are some realms that are here but that we cannot even see with our natural eyes that still affect us!
God is a God of increase, and "of the increase of His government and peace there shall be no end." (Isaiah 9:7) That should give you a big clue as to how God operates. There is room for you! -- That is, if you don't presuppose it. And if you will submit to God as your Teacher and Mentor, you will come into your place of fruitfulness and reign there in peace. He wants to show you your expansion. But discipline and order must come first.
Most ministers (if they are true ministers) are glad when you come into your strength. But if your strength comes at the expense of theirs, it not appreciated nor wanted; it is selfish and not the nature and character of God. The Holy Spirit doesn't take over a person, He comes alongside to encourage people to Jesus. Just because you have a big vision for the homeless and runaways or ladies or mens meetings does not mean your pastor has get behind you to help you do it.
Many will, if they see that you respect them and can take a "no" without being offended. Whose money are you using? Whose energies and efforts and resources? If you want ministers to fund your inspirations, think again! Most ministers know that if they can see you extending yourself genuinely ~sacrificially~ then God may be in it, and even then, they have to judge their own time and responsibilities and different assignments and callings in God to see if they should get involved. Don't be sad if you are told no. There may be another plan. Seek for it!
I have some people very angry with me, even now, because they gave to this ministry and then tried to control it. They even decided that they wanted me to pay back for something they gave (which was unsolicited). No way! Their investing was obviously not in God but for themselves. Sometimes God will lead you to give things back, but in this particular case it was another form of manipulation. But He also can teach you the wisdom of what to refuse! You will know the enemy by his tactics. And we as children are all full of foolishness. (Proverbs 22:15) Some of us are big kids and look all grown up!!!
Rejection is something that we all fear one way or the other. Rejection is what led us to seek God when we realized we failed Him. The Good News is that God is on our side for restoration and once we realize that He is for us and not against us, we can take our discipline without dying and live the new and fulfilled and abundant life in Him.
Return to Pam Clark Prophetic Ministries - www.prophetic.net
A seasoned preacher will know it's a good sign when the little ones start preaching to them. It means they have matured to a place of assertiveness and strength and it's great when you hear your sermons preached back to you - and sometimes it is even convicting.
But Jesus said that a student is never above his teacher, nor a disciple above his Master. This is a very important principle in maturing in God. If you have been around youngsters or teenagers, you have seen this at work in everyday life. Suddenly Junior knows how to run the family and manage the checkbook. And there may be no doubt that Junior is gifted, but he is not seasoned yet and sometimes a pain.
But loving parents don't attack their kids, they love them. Good parents hold the line when pleasing the kid would be nicer and easier in some ways, but not to their best interest. And some parents just feel inadequate, so they think the child may be smarter! But it was never meant to be for the child to rule. A little child may lead, but the order is still in place.
This is a hard thing when it comes to the things of the Spirit. God can speak great wisdom through a child but he does not forsake structure to accommodate him. God does not tear up His own camp unless there is sin in the camp. "A house divided against itself cannot stand!" Jesus said.
We must understand what tradition is to understand its nature as our enemy. There are many traditions that carry the Spirit of God forward, and some that hold Him back. Galatians 3:24 says that "the Law is our Schoolmaster until faith comes." Just because we got born again, does that mean that we no longer need to study to show ourselves approved? No!
We still need to study and apply ourselves to understanding. Most wisdom and common sense is gained through experience. That means we are going to make mistakes every now and then. This is where tradition and structure is a helper to us. But when things are stale and we are just going through the motions or we need to expand and grow, then sometimes the traditions need to be broken for the fresh revelation and impartations of God to come in.
Discerning this is not always so easy! But God has set leadership in the camp to help us. To discern and guage your own wisdom in this, let me set a standard for this of having read the Bible all the way through at least once and have a working knowledge of how it applies to many difficult situations.
By coming into that, you will find that there are certain areas where you excel, and once you sense that, good sense is that you develop that area while staying well rounded in other areas. But just because you got a zap from the Holy Spirit, don't make that your sign that you are now qualified to judge others in the areas of their callings, especially if they are proven.
What is a proven calling? A proven calling is one where you can see the fruit. There is a public confirmation and the fruit remains in the many lives that were touched. And the fruit should have the reflection of the nature of God in that fruit. A proven ministry call will see them equipping others for the work of the ministry - in the same nature that the Holy Spirit, our paraclete, does it - coming along side of them, not ruling them and harshly judging them.
Some of us, many of us, were not parented well and so we must find our parenting in the Church. This can be a challenge to all of us! Some people don't want to be your parent. Some are not sure they want you for a friend if it pulls them away from their strength for their struggles. Now before getting paranoid or offended over that statement, think of how many people you are presently parenting and how good of a job you are doing with that. Sometimes people have to say No.
One of the most awesome gifts in the Body is the office of pastor. ONLY the grace of God could make one so longsuffering and forgiving. Which is why there are also prophets who will come along with the rod, but self appointed prophets (and sometime baby ones) damage the flock more than they help it.
But even pastors have limitations because they were just as human and flawed as you when they were called, and they also every day work on their own issues as well as yours. Nice people understand that! We all seek approvals; human nature is hungry for it. But God intervenes here and has said in chapter after chapter of His Word, "Seek ME first, not man." This is what makes church different than many of society's good will organizations - we worship something beyond ourselves that infuses divine strength into our spirits and changes us for the better. The Word of God can discipline us!
God knows that it also takes maturity and His gifting to discern spirits, as there is another spirit in the world that seeks to turn you away from the God who would restore you and build you. And God allows all to be tested to see whether we are truly in the faith or not. But it is never God's will to see us destroyed. Sometimes we have to guard ourselves and are held accountable for what we should have studied!
Before you go and get angry at your Spiritual leaders, find out if God is not speaking something to you. Often He is and it is a hard thing! Oh how we love ice cream and cake parties that we did not have to prepare! But it's time to grow up and realize God's higher calling is for us to help carry the load, not just give the advice like an armchair quarterback. And once we discover the joy, yes, the joy of servanthood, we will find that even God considers our thoughts and views on many things. But our thoughts will never usurp His nor His divine and sovereign Plan for you and others.
There are so many things in the world that I could never have thought up. I can look at nature and humanity and real quick realize I am not God; how about you? God's thoughts and His ways are not ours, they are higher, and He declares it. Could we ever fathom it all? Not hardly! And there are some realms that are here but that we cannot even see with our natural eyes that still affect us!
God is a God of increase, and "of the increase of His government and peace there shall be no end." (Isaiah 9:7) That should give you a big clue as to how God operates. There is room for you! -- That is, if you don't presuppose it. And if you will submit to God as your Teacher and Mentor, you will come into your place of fruitfulness and reign there in peace. He wants to show you your expansion. But discipline and order must come first.
Most ministers (if they are true ministers) are glad when you come into your strength. But if your strength comes at the expense of theirs, it not appreciated nor wanted; it is selfish and not the nature and character of God. The Holy Spirit doesn't take over a person, He comes alongside to encourage people to Jesus. Just because you have a big vision for the homeless and runaways or ladies or mens meetings does not mean your pastor has get behind you to help you do it.
Many will, if they see that you respect them and can take a "no" without being offended. Whose money are you using? Whose energies and efforts and resources? If you want ministers to fund your inspirations, think again! Most ministers know that if they can see you extending yourself genuinely ~sacrificially~ then God may be in it, and even then, they have to judge their own time and responsibilities and different assignments and callings in God to see if they should get involved. Don't be sad if you are told no. There may be another plan. Seek for it!
I have some people very angry with me, even now, because they gave to this ministry and then tried to control it. They even decided that they wanted me to pay back for something they gave (which was unsolicited). No way! Their investing was obviously not in God but for themselves. Sometimes God will lead you to give things back, but in this particular case it was another form of manipulation. But He also can teach you the wisdom of what to refuse! You will know the enemy by his tactics. And we as children are all full of foolishness. (Proverbs 22:15) Some of us are big kids and look all grown up!!!
Rejection is something that we all fear one way or the other. Rejection is what led us to seek God when we realized we failed Him. The Good News is that God is on our side for restoration and once we realize that He is for us and not against us, we can take our discipline without dying and live the new and fulfilled and abundant life in Him.