Spreading dung: The lost art of mentor-ship.

Luke 13:6-9

King James Version (KJV)

⁶ He spake also this parable; A certain man had a fig tree planted in his vineyard; and he came and sought fruit thereon, and found none.

⁷ Then said he unto the dresser of his vineyard, Behold, these three years I come seeking fruit on this fig tree, and find none: cut it down; why cumbereth it the ground?

⁸ And he answering said unto him, Lord, let it alone this year also, till I shall dig about it, and dung it:

⁹ And if it bear fruit, well: and if not, then after that thou shalt cut it down.

Matthew 3:8
Bring forth therefore fruits meet for repentance:

John 15:16
Ye have not chosen me, but I have chosen you, and ordained you, that ye should go and bring forth fruit, and that your fruit should remain: that whatsoever ye shall ask of the Father in my name, he may give it you.

Galatians 5:22-23

King James Version (KJV)

²² But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, gentleness, goodness, faith,

²³ Meekness, temperance: against such there is no law.

We live in a very strange time. Saints complain about their pastors and preachers. Pastors and preachers complain about their saints. Everybody complains about everybody. 

We "go to church" to "have church".  But, the world wonders "Will the real church please stand up?" (Please see my blog post from  8-14-11)

Why are there so many shallow Christians in the world? Why are not the fruits of spirit shown openly to the world? Why are we not having revival? Why are so may saints- even some that have been "in the way" for 50 years- still spiritual babes and not spiritual adults? 

They want milk. They want to be patted on the back and spiritually burped. They want to be told how beautiful they are and how loved they are, but have seemingly no desire to dress themselves and clean up their own messes. Why?

I've wondered this and prayed about it for years. The other day, I opened the word and, as it seems to when the Lord wishes to tell me something, a section of scripture leaped off the page at me. Read Luke 13: 6-9 above. anything jump out at you? There's a wealth of wisdom in those few short verses. 

First, for the saint (all preachers/pastors are supposed to be saints first of all), if your life seems full of dung (mess), perhaps the Lord is trying to fertilize your life so that you can bring forth fruit.

I want you to notice, though, that the Lord goes to "the dresser of his vineyard" and tells him to cut down the unfruitful tree. Who is the dresser of the Lord's vineyard? THE MINISTRY! Now, before you go off half cocked and try to really tell those rotten saints a thing or two, please notice the response of the dresser.

"⁸ And he answering said unto him, Lord, let it alone this year also, till I shall dig about it, and dung it:

⁹ And if it bear fruit, well: and if not, then after that thou shalt cut it down."

This is reminiscent, in a way, of a couple of verses in the Old Testament: 

Isaiah 41:28
For I beheld, and there was no man; even among them, and there was no counsellor, that, when I asked of them, could answer a word.

Amos 8:11
Behold, the days come, saith the Lord GOD, that I will send a famine in the land, not a famine of bread, nor a thirst for water, but of hearing the words of the LORD:

We live in a time where there are more church buildings and more congregations of "Christians" than ever before in all of history. Yet, the spiritual state of the majority of the world is about as bad as that of Sodom and Gomorrah! How can this be? 

We, as preachers of the Gospel MUST be honest and repent! If there is a finger to be pointed, it is not at the saints, the government, and certainly not at God. It is to be pointed at us!  

We have fallen into the traps the devil has laid before us. We try to build large congregations and bigger and better buildings. We build large radio/TV ministries and increase our exposure to sell more books. All this is done under the guise of a bigger platform in order to "get out the word." Yet, we water down the word, to attract more people. Is this right? 

The truth is that it is done to build our ego's and line our own pockets! We, if we are successful, have large organizations, homes, nice cars, clothes, and cars. But, what is the spiritual state of our hearers? 

While we are busily telling them about how much the Lord loves them and how he wants to bless them, they are not growing in the grace and knowledge
of our Lord and Savior- as Peter prayed they would!

We tell them to give money to "support the ministry of the Gospel", but we are not really doing the ministry we are called to do. 

Real ministry is NOT standing above them and giving them religious platitudes. Our ministry is to get down and dirty with them in their lives. Notice again what the dresser tells the Lord: 

"⁸ And he answering said unto him, Lord, let it alone this year also, till I shall dig about it, and dung it:"

He offered to dig about the tree and fertilize it. 

This requires getting your hands dirty. This requires getting involved in their lives as people. It requires digging about in their lives, giving them the word, and fertilizing it. In other word (in the worlds vernacular), we are to "give them crap!"

This is not a relationship of a hug, a few well spoken words, and a handshake- now watch me speak next service. This is a relationship of, "let's get together and break bread." 

It is doing something that Jesus did and his disciples (the Apostles) did: MENTORING them! 

It is allowing them into your life and getting involved in theirs. It is eating with them, loving them, hanging out with them, rejoicing with them in their victories and crying and praying with them in their falls. We are to help them stand up again!  

There is a false teaching that most ministers are taught: "Don't get too friendly with the saints." This is a lie from the pit of hell! Jesus got personally involved in the lives of the Apostles. The Apostles got personally involved in the lives of those they ministered to. And the legacy was passed from person to person. This is what the scripture means in Ephesians 4:11-13:

Ephesians 4:11-13

King James Version (KJV)

¹¹ And he gave some, apostles; and some, prophets; and some, evangelists; and some, pastors and teachers;
¹² For the perfecting of the saints, for the work of the ministry, for the edifying of the body of Christ:
¹³ Till we all come in the unity of the faith, and of the knowledge of the Son of God, unto a perfect man, unto the measure of the stature of the fulness of Christ:

WE help to perfect them, by mentoring and teaching them. We get personally involved in their lives. Then, as they grow, they begin to mentor others. THIS is the work of the ministry. THIS edifies (grows) the body of Christ. It will eventually bring us all into the unity of THE faith.

So, preachers, come down off your platforms (and high horses) and get personal with the saints! True ministry requires prayer and study, but it also requires friendship, love, and a willingness to serve them personally. 

Faith is more than belief. It's an action word.

Ministry is more than a position, it is a call to mentor. 

It's time to roll up our sleeves, till the garden, and spread a little dung! 

  

A soft word: communication help for the hapless.

Proverbs 15:1
A soft answer turneth away wrath: but grievous words stir up anger.


Matthew 5:37
But let your communication be, Yea, yea; Nay, nay: for whatsoever is more than these cometh of evil.


We Christians are commanded to be honest in all that we do and say. We fight our human nature, which- if we're honest- desires to protect itself and lift itself up. 


We take great pride in "saying what we mean and meaning what we say." Yet, in relationships with others, this prideful bluntness can be very harmful. It can drive wedges between us and our co-workers, our spouses, our family, our friends, and our fellow Christians. It has destroyed careers and decimated families and churches alike. 


We love to say, "let your yeas be yea, and your nays be nay." When we say that, many times there's a smug self righteousness that sneaks through and is heard by others. What they hear is, "I'm gonna say what I feel. I don't care how you feel about it at all."


Proverbs 15:1, I believe, is the key to better communication. It is the method by which we can BOTH say what we mean AND not alienate most of who listens to what we have said.


While it is true that somethings we say, especially Biblical things, will hurt some people's feelings. This is a given no matter how nicely we try and word things. In these situations we need to remember: Proverbs 27:6
Faithful are the wounds of a friend; but the kisses of an enemy are deceitful.

Some folks just need the unadulterated truth, even if it hurts them. We cannot short cut the word of God in favor of someones feelings- no matter how much we love them. 

By the same token, however, we cannot go around swinging our sword at all who come near. This hack and slay approach may make you feel good about how much you know and are telling the "godless heathens" around you. But, it truly won't win the vast majority to your cause. If you're married, or soon to be, then swinging your sword isn't going to gain you any good will with your spouse.

When we are speaking to others, we need to be prayerful about it and try to be led by the spirit of God in what we say and do. Instead of angry retorts, try rewording what you're saying in a way that both lets them know you care and helps them see what you're saying from a different angle.

We men, as heads of the home, truly struggle with this. There is a tendency for us to parade around as "the master of all we survey" in our homes. God has named us head of the home (understood to our male ego's as "Lord of the Castle") and "by God, they had better do what I say." This attitude belittles your spouse (who is your helpmate, not your doormat) and will drive your children away from you as well. 

Rather than giving orders, try prayerfully explaining your ideas and allowing both their feedback and (if there's time) time to pray and think about it, as well. Instead of telling them what they will and won't do "because I say so", explain your reasons for your conclusions and allow them to ask questions. They may see things in a way that helps YOUR understanding, as well. 

While the husband does have the final say (in Jesus) on what can and cannot happen with his family, it is far better (and easier) to do things in agreement. In this way you truly LEAD your family. You're not trying to force them into your will. Even God allows us freedom of choice.

Granted there are times in which you will have to put your foot down, or make a decision that only you agree with- making your family upset. However, when those times come, they'll be far easier for you than if all you do is force your will down the throats of your loved ones. Remember, scripture says that, Proverbs 11:14

"Where no counsel is, the people fall: but in the multitude of counsellors there is safety."

If you allow your family, especially your spouse, to be a part of your decisions, they are far more likely to follow you when they disagree. 

Major decisions, if possible, need to be done only in family unity. If all do not have peace about it, then take the time to re-examine and re-pray about it. Minor decisions, too, should be made together as much as possible. 

We have a hard enough time battling the influences of the world and our enemy without forcing battles in our homes. So, to my wife and family, I love you and am still learning. Please forgive me the errors of my past. 

The path of most resistance: Honour thy Father and thy Mother.

Exodus 20: ¹²Honour thy father and thy mother: that thy days may be long upon the land which the LORD thy God giveth thee.

Ephesians 6

 ¹Children, obey your parents in the Lord: for this is right.

 ²Honour thy father and mother; which is the first commandment with promise;

 ³That it may be well with thee, and thou mayest live long on the earth.

 ⁴And, ye fathers, provoke not your children to wrath: but bring them up in the nurture and admonition of the Lord.

We live in a day and an hour where rebellion seems to be the new name of the game. Like never before, this modern generation seems to scream, "I'm going to do what I want to do!" Parents, who are on the front lines of this battle, seem to be fighting a losing war.


The scriptures tell us to "train up a child in the way that (they) should go..." (Proverbs22:6), yet we find resistance to that training on every side. Children are indoctrinated by schools with false theologies (evolution, falsified history, global warming, etc). These ungodly philosophies paint parents as being "stuck in the past", uneducated, unable to cope or dwell successfully in the new and evolving world. Movies, television, and music, all to often paint the parent as an idiot and the child as the hero who shows up to save the day. So the kids begin to doubt the word of the very people who love and care for them, and want them to be successful in life: their parents.


The scriptures tell us that, "foolishness is in the heart of a child, the rod of correction shall drive it far from them." (Proverbs 22:15) Yet the schools we send them to, and even (in some cases) the laws of the land, have declared that spanking is child abuse. So, when the child is acting in rebellion, as children do, and we reach for the rod to correct them with, the child begins to reach for the phone and threatens to throw us in jail for attempting to do the very thing the scriptures TELL US to do: drive that foolishness out of their hearts and far from them.


Yet, when our children act up, the law wants to point a finger of blame at us for "not controlling our children properly." When we point out the obvious reasons of the shackles they have placed on us, they tell us to go see a psychologist. These "professionals" (for after all, we parents are the idiots and can't possibly know what's best for our own kids) then put our children on mind altering and harmful psychotropic drugs to help control them. These drugs open our children up to demonic attack! Many of the people who do the worst violence in our society were raised on these very drugs that the professionals tell us will help our children be good people.


Sadly, huge numbers of these children wind up leaving the God of their youth, going wild, and end up in jail for crimes that they probably otherwise wouldn't have committed. 


The 6th commandment boldly tells our children how they are to respond to their parent: Honour thy Father and Mother. What does the word Honour mean: I went to the Hebrew, but it basically said "Honor". So, I turned to Websters and found this: 

1: a : good name or public esteem : reputationb : a showing of usually merited respect : recognition honor to our founder>

2

: privilege honor of joining the captain for dinner>

3

: a person of superior standing —now used especially as a title for a holder of high office Honor please>

4

: one whose worth brings respect or fame : credit honorto the profession>

5

: the center point of the upper half of an armorialescutcheon

6

: an evidence or symbol of distinction: asa : an exalted title or rankb (1) : badge, decoration (2) : a ceremonial rite orobservance honors>c : an award in a contest or field of competitiond archaic : a gesture of deference : bowe plural (1) : an academic distinction conferred on a superior student (2) : a course of study for superior students supplementing or replacing a regular course

7

: chastity, purity honor and her life — Barton Black>

8

a : a keen sense of ethical conduct : integrity honor>b : one's word given as a guarantee of performance honor, I will be there>

9

plural : social courtesies or civilities extended by a hosthonors> 


So, since our children are commanded by God to look at us with respect, love, admiration, as being above them and obeyed by them, God gave them a promise. IF they will honour us, HE promises them "thy days may be long upon the land which the LORD thy God giveth thee." After all, if they will learn to honour us, they will one day learn to honour God.


This honour that they are to show us starts with how we raise them. If we raise them in "the nurture and the admonition of the Lord" by obeying HIS recipe for raising a child they will become children that bring us honour and respect us. 


Real love doesn't defer to "the wisdom inherent in the child". Rather, real love teaches them how to live and corrects them when they are wrong. 


Spanking is necessary because it teaches them that there are painful consequences to doing wrong. Planting the seed in them that they want to live Godly. It also reinforces God's warning of ultimate punishment (hell) for those who choose to live ungodly. After all, if my earthly Father will punish me, how much more will my heavenly Father punish me? 


But, we are also to teach them:


Deuteronomy 6: ⁴Hear, O Israel: The LORD our God is one LORD:

 ⁵And thou shalt love the LORD thy God with all thine heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy might.

 ⁶And these words, which I command thee this day, shall be in thine heart:

 ⁷And thou shalt teach them diligently unto thy children, and shalt talk of them when thou sittest in thine house, and when thou walkest by the way, and when thou liest down, and when thou risest up.

 ⁸And thou shalt bind them for a sign upon thine hand, and they shall be as frontlets between thine eyes.

 ⁹And thou shalt write them upon the posts of thy house, and on thy gates.

We are to carry God's word in our hearts, decorate our homes in Godly ways, and take every opportunity we can find to teach our children about God and his ways. 

Spanking without this will do very little good. This PLUS spanking will reinforce the word of God in their hearts and minds. If we want Godly children, we MUST raise them up in the way they should go. Our lives should be a visible Bible that they can read. We need to LIVE the way we are teaching them to live. 

We don't need to entertain them, we need to teach them. We don't need

to drug them, we need to correct them and give them responsibilities and Godly activities to do. We don't need to get them all that they want, we need to provide them what they need to be successful for God. We can't let them be involved in ungodly activities and hang around ungodly so-called friends, we need to guard them against these things that will ultimately send them to hell. 


When the scriptures tell us not to "provoke our children to wrath", it doesn't mean not to make them mad. It means to raise them in a way that will keep them safe from God's wrath! Sometimes, a little pain to the rear or a little doing without something they think is so important, may be the difference in their lives between heaven and hell, freedom and jail. 


If we truly want our children to receive God's promise of a long and Godly life, then we need to honour them. We do this NOT by treating them as if they are in charge. We do this by praying, being diligent in the things of God, and setting up a Godly structure in our homes that they can later emulate in their own lives and homes. If we do this, then they will begin to honour us. If they begin to honour us, then they will be open to honouring God.


They may think us crazy now, but later, they will thank us for teaching them and showing them the way. They will proudly tell their own children: "Your Grandparents are the reason I am who I am today. I thank God for them and I thank them for teaching me about God."