Holidays Last Minute: The Addiction That Is Costing the Church Its Freedom

The Addiction That Is Costing the Church Its Freedom

So does that mean we should exercise control in our meetings where Holy Spirit is “in control” by having people stand in lines and requiring catchers? If Holy Spirit is in control why do we need to micro manage him?

Nope, and it seems you didn’t read the same article I just read. Yer bias is showing; better cover that thing up.

One minister refused to bring Holy Communion into the Psychiatric hospital where I was receiving treatment, so God sent another. Seven people were Blessed as a result, as God joined in the Unity of being His Children no matter what illness we suffer.

Control is Not a fruit of the Spirit. God’s Grace is.

This is sooo good & Plain!!!! It can be applied to just about every situation imaginable!! Definitely on point.

I loved this article. I was a control freak, I got set free (mostly!) then my husband took centre stage with control, he’s been set free (mostly!) The sneaky thing about control is that it looks a lot like concern, protection and direction!! Of course the way to check is this- self control always focuses on your responses, your attitude and your character, control focuses on everyone elses. Great article- shared! Keep your love on- great book!

Great insights Carlos. Thank you for expressing your Voice.

Awesom write up Carlos! You hit the nail on the head. Love to you and your family.

Tricky. Sometimes what we call “freedom” is actually “rebellion.” Sometimes what we call “control” is actually “discipline.” Takes discernment to know all of these. Control is stressful, but so is discipline. Sometimes we feel “stifled” by our leadership b/c of our own pride and the issues God wants to work out in us. God uses imperfect people and situations to do work on us, and as long as we’re on the Earth this will be a problem in one or more facets of life. And I certainly wouldn’t saddle this problem on the church. The world uses an incredibly coercive and manipulative form of societal control NOT based on love but on fear; but many people overlook that for the promise of “freedom,” so we certainly don’t want to fall into that trap. The more you let God control you, the less people can, and the less you will even worry about this.

What an awesome post Christine! How insightful and well thought out. What you point out is that God is actually in control (read sovereign) over all, and the more you submit to His will the more satisfaction you will gain with church and life and everything else because you learn to replace “freedom” with joy and what is termed “control” with the same submissive spirit that led Christ to obey the Father’s will.

Well spoken Christine

I think sometimes control becomes an issue because we may be dealing with emotionally unhealthy people, and don’t know how to set and enforce healthy boundaries. In those cases, the way out of control addiction is learning to set and enforce healthy boundaries.

Then again, with the healthy boundaries in place, the emotionally unhealthy person is likely to accuse you of being controlling.

I agree that there can be and are too many cases of control. I also see there’s another ditch on the other side of the balance. There is a balance and too much liberalism isn’t the answer. We should take another look at Matthew 5, 6 & 7. Jesus did teach control and judgement without pride or prejudice but with great wisdom and balance. May the Lord help us find that wisdom.

Interesting, no scriptures in this article to back it up. Just modern day carnal mens opinion. I wonder how man’s opinion would stand against the bible? I predict not at all.

Matthew 15:8-9 KJV

This people draweth nigh unto me with their mouth, and honoureth me with their lips; but their heart is far from me. [9] But in vain they do worship me, teaching for doctrines the commandments of men.

Titus 1:7-14 KJV

For a bishop must be blameless, as the steward of God; not selfwilled, not soon angry, not given to wine, no striker, not given to filthy lucre; [8] But a lover of hospitality, a lover of good men, sober, just, holy, temperate; [9] Holding fast the faithful word as he hath been taught, that he may be able by sound doctrine both to exhort and to convince the gainsayers. [10] For there are many unruly and vain talkers and deceivers, specially they of the circumcision: [11] Whose mouths must be stopped, who subvert whole houses, teaching things which they ought not, for filthy lucre’s sake. [12] One of themselves, even a prophet of their own, said, The Cretians are alway liars, evil beasts, slow bellies. [13] This witness is true. Wherefore rebuke them sharply, that they may be sound in the faith; [14] Not giving heed to Jewish fables, and commandments of men, that turn from the truth.

Wow the Apostle Paul was a total control freak! Notice how he said we MUST not do any of these things. Who is he to tell us what we MUST not do and MUST do.

There’s you two bible verses on the matter pastor Carlos A. Rodríguez that may help you in the future.

By the way I despise man’s carnal control, but a shepherds (parent/pastor) responsibility is to lead, guide and direct via the Holy Scriptures which is what the Apostle Paul is doing here even when he says a bishop MUST not have strong drink. To call this Pride, False humility, deception and control is blatant commandments of men. And to think of the sheep that is buying in to this, and turning away from biblical precepts is very disheartening. Search the scriptures folks before you buy into this stuff.

It’s funny… It seems that you’re the kind of “pastor” that’s always right. Obviously you like control! Starting by the point that your name says Pastor Douglas, like to let everyone know that what you say is the truth because you’re a “pastor”. When you call an article a “modern day carnal opinion” says more about you than him because you are dishonoring someone who’s playing for the same team and someone that its intention is to guide people to Christ. I encourage you to read about more about Carlos, his story, his testimony, maybe buy his book or maybe spend some time with him so you can witness that he’s not a carnal man but an excellent pastor and a man of God. Hopefully the same amount of time that it took you to write all this stuff it’s the same time you spent praying for him. Remember:

1. You’re not Paul so stop trying to be

2. Don’t try to do the holy spirit job, He knows how to do it perfectly.

3. If you don’t agree with someone not necessarily the person is a “carnal”, but bashing someone in public is.

God Bless You!

I agree with your content there, Pastor Douglas. There’s some equivocation going on in this article, too–it’s a confusion between (as you wrote) the “responsibility…to lead, guide and direct via the Holy Scriptures,” and and authority at all, seen as “control.”

One correction–the Scriptures never forbid strong drink (“wine here in Titus), only being “given to” it. IOW–a drunk.

Well said. Delight yourself (ourselves, myself) in the Lord and He will give you your heart’s desire.

The Church is the Body of Christ, each with a function. Control is wrongly exercised when a self appointed high priest sets himself up through management and business and personality.

I personally long for the simplicity of shared lives, searching the Scriptures, singing praise.

I believe this is occuring in the beleaguered lives of our brothers and sisters suffering persecution all around the world. God is no respecter of persons and we are all part of Him. When one limps, we all limp.

Many followers left Christ when they realised the countercultural cost in the days of Rome. Those who continued in the way Christ’s disciples had begun, are the Church.

Pastor Douglas,

You could read the books “Keep Your Love On” and “A Culture of Honor” by Danny Silk. He uses Scripture in both and it’s a balance. Don’t forget that truth usually has another out of balance ditch on the other side of it. Just stay out of the ditches.

SOME THOUGHTS OFFERED FOR CONSIDERATION: In my opinion Jessus and Paul are two different “carnal” men. One was blessed with Christ consciousness – The Word or Holy Spirit made flesh; the other codified the teachings of Christ into “Christianity “. Jesus was not a “Christian”, He was the embodiment of the Christ. The real “Church” is the human body wherein lies the “Kingdom of Heaven” (“In my father’s house are many mansions”. The fundamental problem is not the church as an institution or failure to reference scripture or the exercise of control. It is the exercise of thought, word and deed without the WISDOM born of Divine Revelations from inside. “Be still and KNOW that I AM GOD.”

Year in and year out we try to control everything . This article puts the will of God and Christ’s example to live in freedom. I believe freedom is one of the greatest God given gifts . Amazing how peace flows into your life when you experience freedom. I am so thankful Jesus came into my life.

I would love to know when Peter, Thomas and Judas were baptised by water. But the bible doesn’t say when or even if they were. My hunch is, they were baptised prior them denying, doubting and deserting. In some of today’s churches they wouldn’t be consisered ready for baptism. It’s my belief that we are all infants at the point of baptism, not fully knowing the depth, breadth and heights of what He has done or what we are really doing.

Thank you so very much for sharing message on control in the Church and individual control issues. Truly enlightening and informative and Heaven sent.Thank you mostly for allowing yourself to be led by the power of the Holy Spirit. May our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ continue to bless you and family.

God is not fully in control. He is fully in charge of things. Thanks for the good read.

This is not a good news: “The good news is that the One who is (actually and fully) in control…” You’re discussing about control and you brand God that is fully in control. We need to know more how God operate in His realms and how He loves to allow the mature sons to intervene His decisions. Have a good day!

Interesting, true, but irresponsibly one sided. A good persausive piece always makes room for the counter argument. Just one paragraph to mention the true definition of structure not bound by man’s control as Jesus desires you could have alleviated all the concerns your article then creates having it missing. As a mature Christian I understand your point and take it to mean your intention, man made control not led by God, but you leave it to open ended for the baby Christan to misunderstand every word is correction or guidance by the church to mean they are being controlling and that those intentions can not be out of pure concern. Yes often times it’s pride, false humility, yada yada. But other times it is to disciple, to help, etc. You leaving out that acknowledgement, just by simply saying phrases like “usually not”, or “more often” if what invalidates what you were trying to say. Truth be known there is no place for control, but most definitely there is a place for teaching, correction, truth, facts, discipline. You make these appear to mean the same thing but they do not. Those things CAN BE subjected and misused UNDER control, but they can also be separate and used appropriately according to God.

I realize now that most of the issues the church has created are based on its addiction to control. We have confused salvation with behaviour management, and we have traded the good news for good advice… our exclusive, only we are right, advice.

We want others to do less _____________ (drinking, cursing, fornication, etc.) and more _____________ (praying, tithing, serving, etc).

But we have to ask ourselves honestly, do we want them to start doing those things for their benefit, or ours?

We don’t do it just to individuals, as a movement, we have tried doing the same with society. We tell people how to follow the law, when to go to church, which TV shows to watch, which president to elect.

We want to control people with the truth, but God called us to love people truthfully (which means, we love them even when they do the opposite of what we ask or expect).

I know… it’s because we know better than them. #Pride

Or, we don’t want them to suffer as we did. #FalseHumility

Also, we want to protect them and teach them and help them. #Deception

And we expect the truth to be received because, it’s the truth! #Control

However, the truth is a gift, not a master.

Yes, the Church of Jesus has the message of truth. But if we use truth to control others, then that truth is not doing what Jesus said it should do, “Set you free!”

Thus, if the truth is not setting people free, then it is making them prisoners. Jailed inside whatever version of the truth we are selling.

“The truth is like a lion; you don’t have to defend it. Let it loose; it will defend itself.” Saint Augustine

And that is why control is a snitch. Because when leaders/pastors/this author/couples/parents seek power, it indicates the need to overcome an inner feeling of powerlessness. Control tells the truth about how we actually feel.

(Learn from my mistakes. Read More: My Top 20 Leadership Failures)

Jesus proved that we can live a happy sonship without having to control others. He knew internally who he was and what he was called to do. He had no need to prove that by being controlling, exactly the opposite, he proved his might by being a servant.

He never controlled Peter’s stubbornness, or Thomas’ doubt, not even Judas’ betrayal. He could’ve. But the ways of love are superior to the ways of power.

“Powerful people do not try to control other people. They know it doesn’t work, and that it’s not their job. Their job is to control themselves.”

Danny Silk, Keep Your Love On.

I’m realizing that most of the issues in my life have been created because of my addiction to control.

I want to control how my wife expresses her emotions. I want to control how my kids respond to my correction. I want to control how my pastor pastors me.

The truth is, I don’t need control. I want control. #Addicted

And if you have ever been abused, neglected, abandoned or experienced any traumatic event that made you feel like your life was out of control (with no protection), then you might have become a control addict yourself.

Controlling people (and controlling churches) create stressful environments for those around them. They control because they fear being harmed again. And while trying to have dominance over a person or a situation they prove how insignificant they feel.

The good news is that the One who is (actually and fully) in control, wants to heal us. His love wants to override the fear.

And we can start with a simple step today: let’s hand over control to the Holy Spirit.

He’s the expert on conviction, counsel and comfort anyway. And He wants to teach both the Church as a whole, and us as individuals, that it is possible to live a life where we are not enforcing our standards on others, while at the same time, being happy with our convictions.

Remember, you just have to stay true to what God has called you to give up, what He asked you to surrender, what He invited you to stay away from.

Because controlling others is not a fruit of the spirit, Self-Control is.

Peace.

+ If you enjoyed this post, I’d be very grateful if you’d help it spread by sharing it on Twitter or Facebook. Thank you!

▸ If you haven’t yet (or you have but need a refresh) please, please, please read: Culture of Honor by Danny Silk. Life changing in so many ways!

Have you ever feel pressure to volunteer at church? Or pressure to attend church? Seen the signs of spiritual abuse in church? Please comment on how you deal with it in the section below.

Holidays Last Minute

воскресенье, 6 ноября 2016 г.

The Addiction That Is Costing the Church Its Freedom

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воскресенье, 6 ноября 2016 г.

The Addiction That Is Costing the Church Its Freedom

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воскресенье, 6 ноября 2016 г.