Why I Do What I Do

I was asked to explain why I was a minister so, I wrote a letter to explain to a pastor why I do what I do and this is what I wrote:

Why I Do What I Do

What happens to me very, very often is that I see things going on within the Christian culture which brings me to the depth of despair, and I weep and cry out…

But then the LORD receives my prayers and shows me by His Spirit the scriptures where He warns the people of such things and that they are not new things. And His warnings are still being ignored.

I cry even more for the fact that we continue to repeat bad history.

Let’s go to Luke 9: 37, and we’ll go through verse 50.

³⁷And it came to pass, that on the next day, when they were come down from the hill, much people met him. ³⁸And, behold, a man of the company cried out, saying, Master, I beseech thee, look upon my son: for he is mine only child. ³⁹And, lo, a spirit taketh him, and he suddenly crieth out; and it teareth him that he foameth again, and bruising him hardly departeth from him. ⁴⁰And I besought thy disciples to cast him out; and they could not. ⁴¹And Jesus answering said, O faithless and perverse generation, how long shall I be with you, and suffer you? Bring thy son hither. ⁴²And as he was yet a coming, the devil threw him down, and tare him. And Jesus rebuked the unclean spirit, and healed the child, and delivered him again to his father.

⁴³And they were all amazed at the mighty power of God. But while they wondered every one at all things which Jesus did, he said unto his disciples, ⁴⁴Let these sayings sink down into your ears: for the Son of man shall be delivered into the hands of men. ⁴⁵But they understood not this saying, and it was hid from them, that they perceived it not: and they feared to ask him of that saying. ⁴⁶Then there arose a reasoning among them, which of them should be greatest. ⁴⁷And Jesus, perceiving the thought of their heart, took a child, and set him by him, ⁴⁸And said unto them, Whosoever shall receive this child in my name receiveth me: and whosoever shall receive me receiveth him that sent me: for he that is least among you all, the same shall be great. ⁴⁹And John answered and said, Master, we saw one casting out devils in thy name; and we forbad him, because he followeth not with us. ⁵⁰And Jesus said unto him, Forbid him not: for he that is not against us is for us.

Y’shua was basically giving them the lesson of deliverance and the casting out of demons from God’s troubled people. Earlier He had given them authority over ALL: verse 1 in the same chapter says: ¹Then he called his twelve disciples together, and gave them power and authority over all devils, and to cure diseases. ²And he sent them to preach the kingdom of God, and to heal the sick. ³And he said unto them, Take nothing for your journey, neither staves, nor scrip, neither bread, neither money; neither have two coats apiece. ⁴And whatsoever house ye enter into, there abide, and thence depart. ⁵And whosoever will not receive you, when ye go out of that city, shake off the very dust from your feet for a testimony against them.

There’s a lot I could teach about here but to keep this on the subject of why I do what I do, I will only talk about the men who were casting out demons and John forbade them. THAT is the important lesson here for discussion today.

Y’shua told the disciples not to stop the men who were casting out demons in His Name and said that those who were not against us were for us. That’s because all things work together for good to them that love God and are the called according to His purposes. BUT, we also know that if God has no one else to use to save our lives He will allow a donkey to speak a warning…

Mathew 7:21-27: ²¹Not every one that saith unto me, Lord, Lord, shall enter into the kingdom of heaven; but he that doeth the will of my Father which is in heaven. ²²Many will say to me in that day, Lord, Lord, have we not prophesied in thy name? and in thy name have cast out devils? and in thy name done many wonderful works? ²³And then will I profess unto them, I never knew you: depart from me, ye that work iniquity. ²⁴Therefore whosoever heareth these sayings of mine, and doeth them, I will liken him unto a wise man, which built his house upon a rock: ²⁵And the rain descended, and the floods came, and the winds blew, and beat upon that house; and it fell not: for it was founded upon a rock. ²⁶And every one that heareth these sayings of mine, and doeth them not, shall be likened unto a foolish man, which built his house upon the sand: ²⁷And the rain descended, and the floods came, and the winds blew, and beat upon that house; and it fell: and great was the fall of it.

To really understand what God is trying to get through to us we have to take note of several points:

1. John said he forbade the men casting out devils because they were not followers of Y’shua. (Y’shua did not know them because they did not make themselves known.)
2. It says John answered the LORD’s sayings with that statement.
3. He was telling them of His death at the hands of men, and commands them to let these sayings sink down into their ears. (vs. 44)
4. Their response was due to a lack of understanding because they then had a dispute about which of them was the greatest. (vs. 45 they understood not) (vs. 46 says, Then there arose a reasoning among them, which of them should be greatest.)
5. Y’shua brings a child to stand among them and speaks about receiving in His Name.
   1. the prerequisite is that the person coming to them in His name should be like a child of His.
   2. He should be pointing to the One who sent him and not to himself.
   3. He should understand that the Name he is coming in is greater than his own.
   4. The Name is of the Father…
   5. The child is not doing things of his own will but by the will of the One who sent him

In the verses we just looked at in Matthew we see something that gives clarity to much of this.

Y’shua says that MANY in that day will say to Him, “Lord, Lord.”

But He tells them to depart from Him. He says He never knew them.

He is speaking to us about that day… Judgement day at the White Throne. Each man has that day. All things are reckoned. There is an account made for all of a man’s works.

In THAT DAY He tells them to depart from Him. He says their works are iniquity. But He instructed His disciples not to stop them.

Right. He will use all things. BUT— God forbid we are doing things for the wrong motivation. THAT is what causes our works to be iniquity.

1. IF we come in our own name while casting out devils in His. (or preaching, teaching, healing, or any other work).
2. If we make our name of greater report than His.
3. If we are bringing things back to ourselves and not pointing to Him
4. If we are not sent but just got up and went
5. If we are not doing His will but our own
6. If we say we know Him but do not concern ourselves with Him knowing us.
7. If we have built on a foundation that is not Him—or the Rock. (Real quickly I want to bring us to an understanding of a selfish based foundation)