Musings by Mom Alvear

[Sister Alvear]

Job 26:2-4, "To whom dost thou attach thyself, or whom art thou going to assist? Is it not He that has strength, and He who has a strong arm? To whom hast thou given counsel? Is it not to Him who has all Wisdom? Whom wilt thou follow? Is it not the One who has the greatest power? To whom hast thou uttered words? And whose breath is it that has come forth from thee?"
I do not have much time today but let me relate to you a happening:
For those of you who know us personally or have visited or work KNOW we do have certain holiness "standards". So by this I am NOT making fun of people who do or do not consider certain things a sin or not a sin...This is only dealing with the whys...the motives...the reasons....

I have a young girl that works in my office. She and her brother have been in our church for many years. Her father is a preacher (?) Her mother sadly has mental problems. They have been in and out of about every Jesus Name church around our city...but their children are precious and live almost a separate life from their mother and father.

They (mother and father) found out one group pays pastors for preaching and they are fixing to "go and learn" since the missionary is paying their way. I personally know this family. Their kids about grew up at my house and they do not believe or live the standards this group believes and teaches where they are going. Money in a poor country has a lot of impact. I personally have heard them (mother and father) make fun of things they have now agreed to preach. Anyone that knows them knows why they are going...for the trip...the excitement...etc...But NOT because they believe like the group they are now associated with.
Yesterday, their daughter came and asked me for some dresses with long sleeves for her mom and shirts with long sleeves for her dad since they are now joining the ranks of paid preachers and that is one of the requirements.
Oh! Yes and could I give them a suitcase for their trip...and clothes for their adventure.
Of course I will and did...but this couple does not believe anything that church teaches...they don´t even believe what our church teaches! But money, power, position, a free trip and upkeep changes people´s beliefs fast.
One of my kids saw me getting some things to send them for their trip and come to me and said, "Mother, you are a real Christian." I said, "Why is that?"
They said, “mother you know those people...."
Maybe, I had better not put my answer here...ha...
Anyway, the point is, do we really believe what we say we do or do we live under peer pressure? Who is the REAL you? Do we sell ourselves for a job offer? Are we like the people above, people that would believe anything for a salary or a position?

Just this week I too had a preacher and his wife come to me and tell me a certain church was offering them a salary and asked for advice...My advice was, “if you change churches for a better salary (we do not pay preachers to preach) you will change again for another bigger salary...
Do we just run here and there for thrills? Where is the God given principles in us? What really matters to us?

My son was in one area of Brazil and a couple preachers told him they too had been offered jobs from the same group that "pays vacations"... What poor man that has never been any where would not like to visit new places...
I weep to see such a cheap gospel...My dear friends if serving Jesus is not in your heart you are missing the very core of the gospel.

I am not against helping people but paying them to live and look a certain way makes me sick at my stomach. I am against brainwashing people and making them think the are God´s only messengers to earth.

Do you know why those early Christians of long ago walked into the arena? It was because of what they had in their hearts. They were bound yet free. They could have chosen different but their heart was fixed on things above.
Church was not Sunday and Wednesday it was a 24/7...It was a way of life.
It was not a hair up/hair down thing. It was not a show of Hollywood or a card flashing organization of some kind. IT was a complete change of heart. We worry about making clean the outside of the cup and platter but where is the Cleansing first that which is within? (Matthew 23:26) is our Lord’s command. This is rarely given any attention these days.

“KEEP THY HEART WITH ALL DILIGENCE, FOR OUT OF IT
ARE THE ISSUES OF LIFE.”—Proverbs 4:23.

The very word witness means martyr....you shall become a martyr...that was what it meant to be a Christian in those days so long ago and that is still what it means in our days. What He is really saying is, "I want you to be martyrs."
We will die for conviction but we will NOT die for preferences. To be a Christian was to be an outlaw in the days of the early church.

I have rambled here as I am pressed for time. Sunday is a busy day for us however I feel a deep burden concerning our hearts and the hearts of those we lead. Do we only lead for numbers, for show or is it a real God given purpose in our life? How is the condition of our hearts as followers and as leaders?

[TalkLady]

Thanks, Sis. Alvear.......As always, I appreciate your posts. I must rush, too.

God bless.

[mizpeh]

The disciples had to deal with the same types of people in their day.


Jud 1:11 Woe unto them! for they have gone in the way of Cain, and ran greedily after the error of Balaam for reward, and perished in the gainsaying of Korah.
Jud 1:12 These are spots in your feasts of charity, when they feast with you, feeding themselves without fear: clouds they are without water, carried about of winds; trees whose fruit withereth, without fruit, twice dead, plucked up by the roots;
Jud 1:13 Raging waves of the sea, foaming out their own shame; wandering stars, to whom is reserved the blackness of darkness forever.
Jud 1:14 And Enoch also, the seventh from Adam, prophesied of these, saying, Behold, the Lord cometh with ten thousands of his saints,
Jud 1:15 To execute judgment upon all, and to convince all that are ungodly among them of all their ungodly deeds which they have ungodly committed, and of all their hard speeches which ungodly sinners have spoken against him.
Jud 1:16 These are murmurers, complainers, walking after their own lusts; and their mouth speaketh great swelling words, having men's persons in admiration because of advantage.
Jud 1:17 But, beloved, remember ye the words which were spoken before of the apostles of our Lord Jesus Christ;
Jud 1:18 How that they told you there should be mockers in the last time, who should walk after their own ungodly lusts.
Jud 1:19 These be they who separate themselves, sensual, having not the Spirit.

[TalkLady]

My observation over many years is: Some people both in organizations and out of organizations will do just about anything to keep in fellowship.

Some people have personally told me (nobody here) that they don't really think certain things are wrong, but to remain in fellowship, they will abide by them. (Or they sneak around and do other things, but the pastor doesn't know and I'd never tell.)

I've often wondered how God looks on all of this. If they are doing this just to please the preacher, does it count for them - or does God count this as they are not keeping the standards?...(Maybe it's kind of like if you look on a woman to lust after her, you've committed adultery with her in your heart.)...But was the thing they were told not to do a sin in the first place?...i.e. as short sleeves, instead of long sleeves, etc. If it's not a heaven or hell issue, then maybe it is a moot point. My thought was always, why keep something a secret from people because God knows? That's just me - too candid, I guess.

[Sister Alvear]

Paul said if he offended his weak brother he would not do something...Some things maybe are not to offend he weak..

I was thinking today how we need to be sensitive to the things of God...All the shouting at his entry into Jerusalem...all the noise...and we find Jesus leaving it all and weeping...I wonder how many times He weeps while we shout?

Originally Posted by Sister Alvear

Paul said if he offended his weak brother he would not do something...Some things maybe are not to offend he weak..

I was thinking today how we need to be sensitive to the things of God...All the shouting at his entry into Jerusalem...all the noise...and we find Jesus leaving it all and weeping...I wonder how many times He weeps while we shout?

Now, that, dear sister, is an amazingly potent thought to ponder. My, my. I think I would almost be afraid to know.

[Sister Alvear]

Jer 31:13 Then shall the virgin rejoice in the dance, both young men and old together: for I will turn their mourning into joy, and will comfort them, and make them rejoice from their sorrow.
Yesterday our young people say this scripture in a song...It was so beautiful. I couldn´t help but tell them that when Jeremiah wrote this he had not idea about heaven as we do today. The weeping prophet lived before heaven was spoken of in the sence that we understand heaven.
So my dear ones, no matter how tired our earthly bodies may become, rejoice and be glad, sing for joy for heaven is a real place.

[Sister Alvear]

When Jesus told us to go into all the world He did not give us an impossible task. There is an Old Russian proverb that says, “Those that have the disease called Jesus will never be healed”!
He who that hath called us to serve bids us to go. In contrast with the early church Christians were often beaten, stoned, sawed asunder, destitute afflicted, tormented put into the Arena, feed to the lions. YET they were a people that went everywhere preaching the word. Christians today have become professional antique buyers, collectors of all sorts of things, wearers of name brand clothes, world vacationers, YET sit dry eyed in the presence of the Lord.
Millions die untouched, unreached and unhealed. That is enough to make angels weep. We need a holy haste to go into all the world.
We are God´s people; we like Abraham have heard the call to a different life. We march to a different drumbeat; our sole trust must be in the Lord and in Him alone. The world´s greatest need is Jesus.

[Sister Alvear]

I do not know who wrote this poem but I love it!


Call Back!

If you have gone a little way ahead of me, call back-
It will cheer my heart and help my feet along the stony track;
And if, perchance, Faith’s light is dim, because the oil is low,
Your call will guide my lagging course as wearily I go.

Call back, and tell me that He went with you into the storm;
Call back, and say He kept you when forest’s roots were torn;
That when the heavens thunder and the earthquake shook the hill.
He bore you up and held where the very air was still.

O friend, call back, and tell me for I cannot see your face;
They say it glows with triumph, and your feet bound in the race;
But there are mists between us and my spirit eyes are dim,
And I cannot see the glory, though I long for word of Him.

But if you’ll say He heard you when your prayer was but a cry,
And if you’ll say He saw you through the night’s sin-darkened sky-
If you have gone a little way ahead, O friend, call back-
It will cheer my heart and help my feet along the stony track.