I have had this message prepared for several days yet unsure when to post it. However, this evening I happened across a powerful message from Pastor Carter Conlon at Times Square Church. It seemed to mirror what I was holding onto. Thus, I felt His timing was now to post this. I am also including the sermon link for you at the bottom of this post.

In this season the Lord has brought to my attention so many things. I have found that from a valley season much fruit grows. But I have also learned that the planting of seed by the Sower Himself is at times a painful process yet life changing.  I have also learned that the fruit He then desires us to share many times to strengthen the brethren.

These lessons will not be for the faint of heart and they will not be easy lessons for us to learn or even hear. They were not easy for me to hear either. Yet I am grateful He is teaching me how to love well. Oh but don’t we want Him to sanctify us with His Truth! I love talking about our royal inheritance! Our destiny through Christ! Our Callings! It’s what we all want to hear! Yet we will never reach the fulfillment of them without a dying to self and a realization that Christ is most concerned with our intimate relationship with Him and transforming us into an image that is more like Him..He also is very concerned with our obedience to His Word. “If you love me you will obey my commands.”Our ministries and birthing of visions are merely products of that intimacy with Christ and what He is doing with us and in us. The true ministry is when we see clearly that the process is as important as the vision itself and the process is what He longs for us to share. Too many times we avoid this and skip it sharing only the outcome..when the pearls of wisdom, fruit of the vineyard, and the details of how we heard His voice is what really shows people more about Him and what a relationship with Him is like.

I have learned that when pain occurs we are much less likely to ever forget the lessons learned from it. He has allowed me to have new eyes on some issues for us as the church..His church.  There are some things we have missed in His word. Maybe not missed entirely but we have failed to implement in the body. As we are in a day where there is great deception we must become a people more like Him. For how will the world trust us and what we bring to them as truth if we do not take seriously some basic principles He intended for us.

We talk of the fruits of the spirit as being peace, patience, kindness, gentleness, love, self control, etc…we can quote the greatest commandments as Love the Lord …and Love Thy Neighbor as Thyself…yet I have found we skip over these two as we are so preoccupied with trivial arguments that would most likely be dealt with by a Holy God if we simply could love well…not that we will always get it right..but are we even trying? For I have seen in myself a rationalization of this that is no less than hypocricy of what Christ teaches. In light of this, I have taken steps to right some past wrongs…even when unintended. For it matters not to Him if brokenness has occurred.  If we fail to LOVE like He has taught us in His Word..how will we accomplish the great commission? We will not..we will turn more away from Christ than we turn to Him. Tell me…has this not already happened? Granted, according to scripture, He adds to the church as He wills as He, Himself, draws us unto salvation..however, “they will know we are His disciples if we have love one for another..” I am afraid we wake up daily “business as usual” without ever binding the wounds of His people. So friends: church, the body of believers, fellowship of the Saints…I believe LOVE is about more than we today are seeing. I am afraid we are the people who continue to learn as He prophesies in His Word…yet we miss the application daily of that which we learn. I also believe we have used prayer alone as a crutch to not do as He has commanded already in His Word. So bear with me as I pour out that which I believe He has shown me. Please know there is no condemnation…for it is I first who must see and act. I also am guilty.

I believe with all my heart Ezekiel 34 is a passage we ought to take a serious look at. He seemed to focus my eyes upon these words:

Ezekiel 34: 4 The diseased have ye not strengthened, neither have ye healed that which was sick, neither have ye bound up that which was broken, neither have ye brought again that which was driven away, neither have ye sought that which was lost…

The Lord in the preceding passages is speaking to the Shepherds of Israel…and He is very angry. But can we assume it does not apply to us as His disciples today? Does He not dwell within us? We can not condemn Shepherds by assuming this only applies to Pastors. For many of us shepherd flocks…Bible Teachers, Elders, Deacons, Sunday School Teachers, Ministry Leaders..etc. So I believe His heart is grieved over this issue in the leadership of the church…which would include many in addition to Pastors. I also tremble at His word…for I know well the accountability of every single face I minister to and one day I will stand before Him as I answer for each one. As this time nears, we should not take this lightly.

In parallel let’s look at what Christ said in Isaiah 61:

61 The Spirit of the Lord God is upon me; because the Lord hath anointed me to preach good tidings unto the meek; he hath sent me to bind up the brokenhearted, to proclaim liberty to the captives, and the opening of the prison to them that are bound;

² To proclaim the acceptable year of the Lord, and the day of vengeance of our God; to comfort all that mourn;

³ To appoint unto them that mourn in Zion, to give unto them beauty for ashes, the oil of joy for mourning, the garment of praise for the spirit of heaviness; that they might be called trees of righteousness, the planting of the Lord, that he might be glorified.

The text  in Ezekiel 34 neither have ye bound up that which was broken seemed to me there was an action that Christ desired of us as His people in order to love His people as He loves them. Here is what I found:

 Have Ye  Bound up(Strong’s #2280)
châbash
khaw-bash’
A primitive root; to wrap firmly (especially a turban, compress, or saddle); figuratively to stop, to rule)

KJV Usage: bind (up), gird about, govern, healer, put, saddle, wrap about.

Definition of “bind up.”: to swathe or bandage (often followed by up ): to bind up one’s wounds.

Oh how unconcerned I saw myself with the pain and suffering of others. How distracted with my own plans and to-dos..while the Good Shepherd longed for me to see the depth of His love for His sheep. How is it Christ lives within me that I may bear witness to His goodness..yet I am not moved or convicted to bind up that which has been broken…. Yes I pray for them….but the Lord has shown me that prayer can be an excuse for us when God has clearly given us a mandate that requires action on our part on His behalf. So they may know we are His disciples and want to know the one we call our Good Shepherd. So pray yes…but we are to do whatever it takes to bind up that which has been broken and restore them. It is simply what family does. We are the family of Christ. Does the world see us as such? For if they did would they not long to be a member of such a family?

I began to think on the Good Samaritan which the Lord has shown me many times through His Word and poetry. I want to present to you that he did not merely help him up and send him on his way. He did whatever it took to bring restoration to this broken man. He was in it for the long hall…not for a quick brushing off.  How many times I have failed at this. Our Father is a passionate pursuer…how is it if He dwells in us…we do not also exhibit this pressing down unction of the Holy Spirit… Yet we wonder why the world is confused about our God and His character. Maybe it’s because His people do not accurately exhibit it. Yet I have found myself giving a thousand really great religious and “churchy” excuses for that which is mere sin. Likened to the pharisees of Christ’s day believing all they fought for was right and true with 100% no doubt…yet “He was among His own and they knew Him not.” Do you imagine Christ had this story in His Word so we would not miss this? Is it not the exact scenario happening today in the church of Christ? We are a fat people feeding on the Word..yet not tending the sheep. I have had such a deep conviction over this and a reminder from the Lord that..well..forgive the slang..but “talk is cheap..”

It must change with us church. It must change with ME..and YOU! The burden is not on anyone else..but us. Love covers a multitude of sin..yes. But Love dives deep, sits long, has patience in affliction. Love sits by the hospital bed so that when the sick awaken..they see us..and then in turn they see Christ. Love goes and gets the lost sheep that are wandering, the ones driven away by the enemy, those sick and lame…and we bring them back to the fold. Silence is not an option not is inaction… Otherwise, why would He be so upset in Ezekiel 34? He loves His people! If His Word says He is close to the brokenhearted…why aren’t we?

May you do as I have and repent of this..as it is a sin. Omitting that which Christ calls us to do in the basic fundamental principles of His word…is a sin of omission. He has brought to mind several in my secret place that I failed to bind up in their brokenness. I merely did not take seriously His command to love and His commission of Isaiah 61. For some Satan used me to drive them from the safety of the flock and left them bewildered to a true image of Christ. Praise God others thankfully forgave me and have been restored to fellowship yet this would never have occurred had I not sought them out. But no longer will I take this lightly. No longer can we taunt to the world  sin as the “big 10” we are used to talking about….for if loving thy neighbor as thyself is the 2nd greatest commandment I have to assume breaking it is a great sin in the eyes of a loving Father who wants to use us to draw people to Himself.

In closing, He gave this to me one morning from an unusual perspective that I might go forward with eyes that see from the heart of the broken, grieved, and suffering..may we all get a new set of heavenly glasses. For it is my deepest desire to know the fullness of love through Christ while authentically pouring it upon the sheep He places in my path. Yes we are to minister to a lost world….but He came to also take care of the Father’s sheep. One last thing God is teaching me as I learn to love better. “Give others that which you needed yet never received. Now you know their sorrow..so love them well.”

From My Closet to Yours:  The Good Samaritan…a parable of perspective

There was a man laying in the streets

Who had been abused .. Who had been beat.

The hope he saw as one walked by

A Religious man turned a blind eye.

 Then another came as he grasped for air

But somehow this man just walked and stared

For it was not his concern to interfere

So he just pretended not to hear.

Then when it seemed all had been lost

The man resigned all hope was gone

Till the hand of a stranger he had never seen

Became to him what a friend should be.

For he took him and bandaged all his wounds

Even gave him a comfy room

With time to heal from all the pain

Even told the clerk that he would pay.

For what he needs I shall give

For I consider it a blessed gift

I come for the one who came for me

And love to be His hands and feet..

Should I have turned and walked away

From that which bruised and left him lame

I would have chosen another’s way

Than that of Jesus and His loving name.

So while my burdens are heavy to bear

I choose ones burdens to also share

Knowing my master is well pleased

As I love one well left in the streets.

 

 

 Father, oh how I thank you for your Word. For the revelation of truth at my own sin. While unintended still hurts your tender heart. I am so grateful for the chance to love well and for the joy I received in binding up wounds of those you brought to mind. What healing oil your love pours out. It so easily restores doesn’t it. It is I Lord who walks by the lame. Isn’t it so true that we get so busy with ministry that we forget to minister? Oh riddle me of this and sanctify your church that we might love well as you do….as you have commanded us to.

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Sermon Message from Pastor Carter Conlon: Paying the Price of Freedom

http://www.tscnyc.org/media_center.php?pg=sermons&mi=24435