God's Work CANCELLED
For Lack Of Interest!
"We played the flute for you, and
you did not dance. We sang a dirge, and you did not cry"
(Luke 7:32, NIV).
In the 1960s a satirical TV headline
read “Tomorrow has been cancelled for lack of interest.” It was a dig at the
complacent approach of most people towards the spectre of nuclear
annihilation that hung over their heads. Totally wrapped up in their own
little world, they went about their daily business oblivious to the fact
that any day everything could end through nuclear destruction. Their
tomorrow might never come!
The satire highlighted the
short-sightedness of people’s selfishness.
Selfishness is a dreadful trait. It
leads to failure in marriage, communities, and, as the satire obliquely
hinted, contributes to the destruction of civilisation through disinterest.
Sadly, the same trait is common amongst
most believers! So, you have to ask: Could God’s Work upon earth ever fail
for the same reason?
“Oh no! Of course not! God would not
allow that,” you might respond.
If that is what you think, you are
naive. The apostle Paul suffered and went without because of the failure of
the Corinthian Christians to respond as they should. He wrote to them,
tactfully reminding them that he had a right to their physical support (1
Cor 9:4-14) which they had denied him. It had forced him and Barnabas to
give up preaching full time and take a job (1 Cor 9:6).
Can you imagine?! The apostle Paul –
the most pivotal individual in the progress of the gospel to all nations –
being left without support?! Financially bereft! (2 Cor 6:1-12.)
Why did he have to work for his living?
Because of the selfish myopia of those whom God had called to provide for
him! He wrote to them:
We are not withholding our
affection from you, but you are withholding yours from us (2 Cor 6:12, NIV).
They were doing that by failing to give
the physical and financial support he needed for his gospel ministry.
They tolerated schisms (1 Cor 1:10-13)
and entertained false ministers who were dividing the Church (2 Cor 11:3-4),
but they failed to recognise the value of Paul’s ministry! In their selfish
folly, they followed those who impressed them. Paul was simply not
impressive (1 Cor 2:3).
It didn’t take much to lead them
astray, because in their spiritual shallowness they did not seek truth above
all else. Consequently, their selfishness left their door open for the
devil’s incursions. It was taking them down the road of apostasy. Paul
became a casualty of their failings. He was deprived of the means to do the
Work of God.
Time has moved on, but things have not
changed much! The majority do not seek truth. They follow their whims and
fancies. They flock after evangelists who bring teachings that impress,
while the ones who bring more of the Truth of God are shunned and go
without.
The Work of God can suffer all right!
Every prophet of God throughout history has had to bear the brunt of this
human failure.
Today, we endure the same indignity and
lack as Paul did. The means to do this work as it should be done is simply
not there, because of others’ failures. While false prophets get the acclaim
and the wealth, we are left to struggle on virtually alone, like Elijah (1
Kings 19:10).
What It Costs
The night before this article was
written, God gave me this dream:
7th May
2002. The huge costs.
I was sitting in the middle of an audience or congregation. A man came up to
me holding a copy of Volume 1 of Articles of Faith.
He had obviously benefited from reading it and asked me if the next volume
was available. I said regrettably that it wasn’t, because of lack of funds
to print. “It is written, but we need £10,000.” At that, he was visibly
shocked.
What this dream from God portrays is
this. People don’t realise what it takes to do this work. They have no
concept of the massive costs involved, which are totally out of reach of
individuals like us who have so little support that the word is a joke. We
operate this ministry on less than a shoestring. It is a family enterprise,
that is all. We have no church to back us. We have only a handful of
supporters, and they are not rich. Our elder daughter gives most of her
wages to us just to keep us from sinking by servicing our debts.
But do people want to get involved and
pull their weight? No. Only a few – very few! We have had many people
come across our path over the years, but their motives have been entwined
with selfishness. They come to get what they want FROM us, but they
don’t want to give TO us. So, they drift away and leave us to
shoulder the burden alone.
In the dream, the man’s reaction and
body language showed that he wasn’t prepared to assist us pay the high price
of producing these publications, despite the fact that he found them very
helpful. The dream highlights the lack of commitment in people. He is
illustrative of most.
Bittersweet Message
It is not the only dream down these
lines which God has given us. If I would dwell on these particular dreams
alone, I could get discouraged. “Why bother?” “Why continue?” “Why should we
shoulder the burden all the time to help people?” That would be a purely
human reaction, and I have not been exempt from occasional discouragement.
Nor was Elijah (1 Kings 19:4).
As with every prophet, Ezekiel found
the message of God sweet in his mouth, but it turned bitter in his stomach
(Ezek 3:3,14; Rev 11:9,10). I know just what he felt! The prophet’s task is
a bittersweet commission from God in this world – wanting to give people the
purity of the Word of God that they need, while they only reject it.
The problem with people is their lack
of commitment. They are selfish, and so they are uninvolved. If you read
about the commitment in the fledgling Church, it was totally different:
All the believers were one in heart
and mind. No-one claimed that any of his possessions was his own, but they
shared everything they had (Acts 4:32, NIV).
We have done that with those whom God
has brought here. But in each case, they failed to properly respond in like
manner. It hurts.
If there were the same commitment today
to doing God’s Work, we would not be short of funds to do the job. But the
painful reality is this:
Everyone looks out for his own
interests, not those of Jesus Christ (Phil 2:21, NIV).
Jesus has raised up an Elijah-like
work, to bring down the strongholds of Satan that bind Christians in pagan
syncretism or a compromised faith, and how do they respond? Why, just like
the unconverted:
They paid no attention and went off
– one to his field, another to his business (Matt 22:5, NIV).
We have seen this so often that, if we
were to record what takes place, it would sound like a record stuck in a
groove.
Selfishness Prevails
About a year ago God gave me dream
after dream about human selfishness. These dreams kept recurring, so I knew
that what God was trying to say was very important.
He had me write a booklet about it
because Christians must strive to overcome this dreadful trait if
they want to enter the Kingdom of God. If you don’t know how to go about
overcoming, or countering selfish desires, then read the booklet What
Every Christian Should Consider.
Many people don’t realise that
selfishness is the limiting factor in what God does on earth.
You might think that God is
all-powerful. He is. But that does not mean He can do whatever He wants to
do with you. He has ordained that He will not violate the free will He has
given you and me. It is central to what He wants to produce.
Sceptics are glib to blame God for all
the world’s evils and inequalities. But they never consider that this is the
result of errant human behaviour – in one word, sin! And if it hadn’t been
other people’s sins that produced this mess, it would have been their own
sins.
But they don’t want to change,
so they ignore the issue of sin. They gloss over their own sin. They
don’t want to be concerned about it – that is, not until it affects them!
(And even then, they would not admit it as their fault, nor regard it as
sin.)
So, they continue to pursue their
self-willed path, repeating and compounding the mistakes of humanity
throughout history, looking for a scapegoat. The scapegoat, for a sceptic,
is often God!
Things aren’t much different with those
whom God has called. Believers may recognise the sin issue in principle, and
perhaps even to a certain extent in reality. But because of selfishness,
when they change, the transition is shallow. Often, when people repent, to
begin with it is only partial. Much has to transpire before they are willing
to completely commit to God and relinquish self-will.
So, is it any wonder that there is a
lack of concern in the Church for what He is doing to restore totality of
Truth? People would rather have their own way than submit to the demands
which the Truth makes upon their lives.
Things haven’t changed much since
Ezekiel’s time. God told him:
The people to whom I am sending you
are obstinate and stubborn (Ezek 2:4, NIV).
It’s because of this resistance in the
heart of mankind that God’s Work languishes today. God speaks, and prophets
do their tasks, but few listen and even fewer change!
Jesus was blunt about His generation.
People are no different now:
O Jerusalem
[a figure for God's people, or Church]
...you who kill the prophets and stone those sent to you, how often I
have longed to gather your children together... but you were not willing
(Matt 23:37).
We played the flute for you and you
did not dance; we sang a dirge and you did not mourn (Matt 11:17, NIV).
God's Work is cancelled for lack of
interest!
Dreams
Our Car Falters
On 1st May 2002, I had the following
dream.
Our
car faltering.
In this dream, the car we were driving [the car symbolises this
ministry, MM] started to develop engine problems and I went back to the
Person who had given me the car to see what could be done about it.
This
symbolises how I have been seeking God for His deliverance because we have
not been able to move forward for lack of finance.
Also,
the back wheels on this car were not upright, they must have been loose
because they were slanted at a very marked angle. It looked like the car
could collapse at any moment!
Meaning: The ‘impossible’ state of our ministry due to lack of
sufficient money to move on as we should be doing (we have large credit card
debts).
A second witness.
In another dream which Helena was given
some weeks previously, God revealed that our insufficiency is due to the
failure of those whom God has called to support us as they should have been
doing.
Most of those whom God called to
provide our financial support have selfishly run off to do ‘their own thing’
first. They should have given God the FIRSTfruits, after which He would have
blessed their efforts. Instead, they languish under the repercussions of
losing out on the prophet’s reward (Matt 10:41). The reward you receive from
helping a true prophet is firstly understanding his God-given
message, and secondly the deliverance of God in your own life in
various specific ways.
People lose out on this reward when
they don’t believe a prophet of God – because their heart is not right. This
is the over-riding problem in the Church today. God showed Helena in that
dream that our financial precariousness is a result of the fact that the
Church doesn’t want to hear what HE has to say!
How Human Evil Prevents God's Work
If you wonder how human evil prevents
the purposes of God being fulfilled, let me explain.
For years, as we have written the
spiritual material to take God’s Truth to others, we have had totally
insufficient physical support – because people are innately selfish.
We have had spiritual support.
God never fails to provide that! But the physical arm has been weak.
Most of the time, finance has had to
come from within our own family, to make this venture possible. Up until
2001 ‘internal income’ barely provided the funding for publishing costs and
office expenditure. The small amounts in contributions from others were so
meagre that they only went part way towards postage costs. As for paying
wages to those of us who work full time at the task... well, that’s a joke!
If Helena or I expected to be paid, we wouldn’t be doing the job! We have
worked for years without being paid, and now are owing Zenya her wages for
past years, so she effectively works for nothing, too. We are not
complaining, just explaining.
God has called us all to be living
sacrifices (Rom 12:1), following the example of Jesus. As you lay down your
life as a living sacrifice, God will replace it with His. This is the simple
principle underlying the gospel. It’s simple in principle, but very hard to
practice.
It’s much easier to reason, “I really
want that car, or that holiday (or anything else that YOU want with your
human desires). So, I'll get that first, and then I can give to God’s Work.”
That’s no good. God doesn’t approve of
that. He expects you to thank Him by your giving. He doesn’t
want your leftovers, nor even your seconds. He gave His first-born
Son for you. He wants your FIRSTfruits, too. If you don’t give Him your
firstfruits, don’t be surprised that He leaves you to wander in spiritual
limbo and get in a mess. Your understanding and spiritual vision will
depart, and demons will gladly take God’s place in your life.
People don’t see how the devil does his
work. How does he get you to oppose God’s Work? Simply through your physical
desires. When he gets you to take care of them before taking care of what is
on God’s agenda, he’s achieved his aim in damaging what God intended, and in
thwarting His Work.
You’ve got to give up giving in to your
selfish passions or whims. You’ve got to put God and His Work first,
before you do what you want for yourself. Then, God will give to you.
That was the message of the prophet Haggai. It was recorded for all
subsequent generations to learn the same lesson.
It was also what Jesus said early in
His ministry:
Seek FIRST His Kingdom and His
righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well (Matt 6:33,
NIV). Store up for yourselves treasures in heaven... for where your treasure
is, there your heart will be also (Matt 6:20,21, NIV).
When you put this principle into
practice – by giving God's Work your FIRSTfruits, even if you have to FORCE
yourself to do it (that's what sacrifice is, it's something you don't want
to do naturally) – then God comes through in your life and turns things
around.
Before every blessing there is
sacrifice. Without sacrifice there can be no blessing. It's as simple as
that. You've got to sacrifice what YOU want, and first give God what He
wants from you (your generosity, selfless devotion, submissive obedience,
and outgoing love), THEN He will come through for you and grant you whatever
you need. And He will surprise you! He will give you understanding,
emotional comfort, satisfaction, spiritual help – whatever you need. He will
open new doors in your life!
Give! And You Will Be Satisfied
On 26th May 2002, God gave me four
dreams. Here are two of those, because they are relevant in this context:
Lack
of money for ourselves.
I needed 4 or 5 pounds to buy myself a pair of socks and pants, but I
didn’t have it. (How we have emptied ourselves of all we have, so that we
don’t have money for our needs. We have literally been this low!)
I asked
someone who was nearby if he could lend it to me. It was only a small amount
of money, but he was begrudging at first. Then, as time progressed
(presumably as he got used to giving, and realised that I was really in
need, and not merely asking to get something for myself), he gave willingly.
He gave me more than I asked for. He put a number of pound coins in my hand;
about eight or ten of them. Even though I offered to give him back the extra
ones, he didn’t want them back.
The meaning of this part of the dream
is that once people learn to be giving, instead of keeping everything for
themselves, they find out that it doesn’t hurt them and they actually enjoy
it! It does them good!
It is a central principle in the
Christian faith:
Give, and it will be given to you;
good measure, pressed down, shaken together, and running over will be put
into your bosom. For with the same measure that you use, it will be measured
back to you (Luke 6:38).
That's what happens. People get back
according to their own measure! It's a reciprocal principle. Compare the
person exemplified in the above dream with those below, in another dream
given the same day:
No
one wants to join with us.
I was waiting for others to join me and have a game of football. But no
one came. No one wanted to get involved with us. There was a new room or
building. It was small and painted white on the inside. (This represents our
ministry. Spiritually, it is white.) But because it was new, things needed
doing and no one was there to do them. The walls were dripping wet and
needed wiping down. (New buildings 'sweat'.)
Those poor souls are missing out!
Besides harming us, they're hurting God and themselves.
The Churches of God Steal What is ours
On 3rd May 2002 God gave me 2 dreams.
In the first one, a former friend (I
will call him Peter – not his real name) who is now a minister in a ‘Church
of God’ group, bought a caravan worth between £1,000 and £2,000 which should
have been ours. The owner was offering it for sale for only £300. Peter had
the cheek to offer him £250 for it (which illustrates his personal
stinginess). He bought it, but the dream conveyed that it should really have
come to us. It was ours by right.
Meaning: The caravan, worth a
lot to us, represents the financial support we should have had from various
people who have joined the offshoot CoG church to which Peter has given his
loyalties. During the nineties, we paid out a lot of money and sacrificed to
try to deliver those people from the WCG's dominating, restrictive
mentality, but they were ‘stolen’ away from supporting us by the cunning and
selfish manipulation of Church of God ministers who sought ultimate control.
Peter knew us well. He knew we were
faithful to God and to His truths but he ignored us out of expediency. He
never contacted us, despite my attempts in the early nineties to reach him
with further truth from God. We sent wave after wave of publications, tapes
and videos to show what was wrong with the WCG and its theology – not just
to him, but to hundreds of such people. It cost us thousands! For all our
sacrifice, we never had a proper word of thanks or financial remuneration
from anyone bred by the ungrateful selfish WCG system!
During those years that we tried to
alert WCG members to the spiritual dangers they faced, Peter stayed in the
WCG, only leaving them some years later. Now ‘his’ church leadership
financially benefits from those who left WCG at that same time to follow
‘his’ group. God says that their tithes rightfully belong to us.
This is but one example of how the Work of God is
hindered.
Malcolm B
Heap
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