Table Rock Lake, MO 2006: Barely staying above water is more enjoyable and acceptable in the water than it is in the Spirit. Disciples of Jesus are expected to walk on water in spiritual matters.
From Trent Ling:
Who could have imagined it? AIG, the world’s largest insurance conglomerate; Citibank and Bank of America, the largest of the banking giants; General Motors, the perpetual industrial engine. Each of these companies would be undergoing painful and public dismemberment in bankruptcy court today had the U.S. government not borrowed proliferating tens and/or hundreds of billions of dollars on each of their behalves. Still, the daily deteriorating reality of these entities remains almost unimaginable! When liabilities outrun assets, and nobody provides a bailout loan of more liabilities, bankruptcy becomes the sad reality and exclusive remedy.
In the spiritual world, bankruptcy remains the norm. Unless you feed on Jesus, he said you “have no life in you.” John 6:53. Bankruptcy. In addition, he declared that apart from him “you can do nothing.” John 15:5. Bankruptcy. Since Jesus also said that only a few find the narrow road that leads to life (Matthew 7:14), spiritual bankruptcy remains commonplace because, for those who are not the “few,” assets can never get above zero while liabilities continue to run amok.
Despite the foregoing landfill, the most tragic turn of events involves the cases of actual disciples of Jesus who found the narrow road one day, partook of Jesus one day, could do something one day, and yet, must declare spiritual bankruptcy today. For disciples, there are no spiritual debts to carry or pay. Colossians 2:13-14. Therefore, any spiritual assets at all would keep the disciple above the zero line and would therefore keep spiritual bankruptcy at bay. However, as was the case in Jesus’ day, many disciples in our day cannot and will not muster a life in Christ north of the zero line spiritually. This common scenario renders banks and lost people nearly innocent in comparison, for they must still labor beneath their unforgiven debts.
These devastating truths are revealed when the expectations of these disciples fall to zero. As in Jesus’ day, many in our ministry are saddled with a life of zero expectations, both internally and externally. In addition, many are careening toward a zero expectations life at an alarming rate. Expectation levels of these disciples are tracking the same southbound gyrations as the stock prices of the aforementioned bailed out corporations.
In the midst of his great suffering, Job spoke honestly and accurately about these zeroed out expectations of the spiritually bankrupt: “But my brothers are as undependable as intermittent streams… that cease to flow in the dry season, and in the heat vanish from their channels.” Job 6:15-17. Relevant spiritual undertakings and projects can never be placed in such hands. It would be like sending Citibank another bill it cannot pay; or calling a lost person to provide sound doctrine. It is an empty well demanding that losses be cut and a Chapter filing be made.
Furthermore, even if we were to involve the spiritually insolvent “disciples,” the price of their involvement begins to overwhelm the scarce resources of the entire church. “Like a bad tooth or a lame foot is reliance on the unfaithful in times of trouble.” Proverbs 25:19. In accordance with the Proverb, the spiritually bankrupt and those willfully falling towards it, provide incessantly throbbing pain, immobility, instability and whining.
This is not an indictment against the weak. The weak are made strong in Christ and are indispensable to the church. 2 Corinthians 12:9 and 1 Corinthians 12:22. This is an indictment against those who have so insisted upon mismanaging their lives in Christ and have tried to mock God by sowing sparingly and trying to get away with it, that they need endless spiritual bailouts that continue to disappear into the abyss with absolutely no end in sight. Anyone could humble themselves beneath the fitting charge Jesus lodged against the actual church in Laodicea, when he called them “wretched, pitiful, poor, blind and naked.” Revelation 3:17. The problem is what it always is: disciples of Jesus who said, “Jesus is Lord” one day, and who have sown a life mocking God subsequent to that day, have no room for humility. God himself sees to it personally that this irreverence will not prevail. Galatians 6:7-8.
Sadly, this letter will offend rather than alarm and humble. Just make a public Chapter filing and perhaps God will forgive you. Acts 8:22.
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