MURDERED SHEEP

I woke up the morning of July 5'th after having had the following vivid dream which I believe was from God.

I was on a rugged mountainside. I was armed with a rifle, dressed in a black S.W.A.T. style uniform. In front of me on the ground was a dead wild mountain sheep that I had just killed.. I was feeling very excited and happy over my successful hunt.

I became aware of other hunters all around me; hundreds of them. I didn't recognize any of them. They were all dressed in black & armed as I was and each was next to a fresh kill. Some were covered in blood as they knelt to field-dress their prey. Everywhere I looked I saw the same and I became horrified when I realized that I couldn't see any living sheep anywhere.

Alarmed, I dropped my weapon and called out: “We have to stop this or soon there wont be any more sheep left!”. All of the other hunters looked at me as if I were insane and laughed and proceeded to butcher their kills. Then I woke up with the understanding that the hunters were all shepherds of God's flock that were murdering the sheep that they were supposed to care for and that God was really, really angry.

My wife wife Helen & I have been committed Christians for nearly forty years. We recently resigned as elders & members from the church we had attended for the last three years. We didn't resign because of scandal or 'issues' with any of the other leaders or members; but because God spoke to us and told us to. It's been a month and the only answer we had to give anyone was that “God said so”. But now I believe God is providing us with a clearer understanding of why He told us to step down & leave. For the record: we were not salaried staff and I can think of no specific instance where either Helen or I did anything to anyone that we or anyone else at our local body would consider abusive. We left on good terms with love and honor from our former church pastor and fellow members.

So what exactly is God trying to show me? What is His specific gripe with the leaders of His church that has Him so angry? We're still praying through that. But He has shown me that the way we 'do church' here in the United States at least, is largely ineffective at reaching the lost and making disciples for Jesus. It has become bloated and unwieldy, dependent on money and numbers of seats filled to maintain the ever increasing expense of paying salaries & benefits, maintaining buildings & programs, and acquiring the cash to accomplish that and do more of the same. Church was never intended to be a business. The Church is a body. Specifically the Body of Jesus Christ. We are His physical manifestation on the earth to be used by the Holy Spirit to reach the lost and make disciples of Jesus. Sadly, we seem to have abandoned discipleship in favor of success measured by body count and bank balance.

Biblically, elders are responsible to God to shepherd His sheep. His flock. We're supposed to lead the people under our care to good spiritual food and pure spiritual water. We're to protect the sheep from threats and abuse. As elders at our church we did our best to be obedient and faithful stewards of God's household. Along with our fellow elders and leaders we tried to build up the church the way it is 'supposed' to be done according to our understanding. I feel that God has showed me is that in spite of our best intentions and desires, that instead of doing what we're called to do, to serve and protect God's flock, we are actually destroying it. What we are doing is effectively feeding ourselves and consuming the flock instead of protecting & nurturing it. The survival and growth of 'The Ministry' has become the objective. If we manage to do that we pat ourselves on the back, pleased with our measurable success. In the meantime the people of God are largely un-discipled, un-transformed, and lacking in any real fruit.

I believe God is saying He isn't pleased at all with the way we're going about the Kingdom's work. God wants the elders to stop the butchery of his sheep. Now.

Journey

Why is it that just when I'm comfortable, just when I'm 'in the groove', just when I think that I've got it all together, that the Lord always seems to step in and shake things up? I've been pondering this a lot lately because the Lord has once again intervened in the course of my life. It's happened many times and you would think that I'd be used to it by now, but I'm not.

As a youth I found myself driven to leave the comfort of my home & family to join the Army. I traveled the world, became a disciple of Jesus, & met my future wife, Helen. It was exciting and scary at times, (no I never saw combat). Along the way I learned discipline,  respect, & most importantly: that I could rely on the Holy Spirit.

As a young man & newly married, I became We, & we went out as missionaries. Not to some far flung corner of the earth but a remote place just the same. East Tennessee can be as wild as the jungles of Kalimantan, except they have wonderful country ham biscuits and easy interstate highway access. I learned that truly the ways of God our not my ways. I learned that often the plans that I have for me, are not the plans He has for me. I also learned that the people of God there, the real sold out for Jesus types, are amazingly kind & wonderful.

When the Lord determined our time there was done we moved to Northern Virginia & I joined the corporate world of IBM. For the next 18 years I steadily moved up the corporate ladder acquiring houses, lands, & possessions: ' the American Dream'. It was all so hollow. I felt like I was losing my soul at times, and perhaps I was.

One of the brightest spots at that time was in 1986 when we became the proud parents of our daughter Elizabeth. We adopted a beautiful bi-racial baby girl who has grown up to be a wonderful person. A loving wife & mother; who has found her calling in life as an EMT.

EATING GRASS
As we were building our life, acquiring the 'things of this world', spiritually we were treading water. The problem with treading water of course is that you tire eventually and go under. We never forsook the Lord but there were times that we lived more for this life than the next.

God had to get my attention somehow; and so he smacked me right upside the head with a big ol' 2x4 called MS. Multiple Sclerosis. Now don't get all 'preachy' and theological on me. I know God is not the author of evil. And yet if all things happen for the good of those who love Him and are called by Him, and if He Himself by His own purpose and power allowed His only begotten Son Jesus Christ, the very Author of Life, to be tortured and horrifically murdered for us to bring about the miracle of salvation by which we all become adopted into His family, maybe our understanding of what is evil and what is not is imperfect.

For seven years, like Nebuchadnezzar, I 'ate grass'. I lost everything of myself that I had come to rely on, everything in which I took pride, except my wife and daughter. I wont say any more about that time except to say that it was bad. And dark. Very, very, very bad, and very, very, very dark.

Then in a sovereign act, according to His purpose and power, Jesus healed me and I have remained free of MS since 2004! You can read that story here. Why do I describe it as a sovereign act? No I didn't 'stand in faith', I couldn't stand. No I didn't 'pray through until I had my miracle'. No I didn't memorize and recite the 'healing' verses; my memory was shot. No I didn't 'have faith in my faith', I had precious little. No 'super saint' prayed for me. No friend stood in faith for me. No miracle revivals, no TV preachers, and no  '$eed faith offering'.  Two strangers who knew nothing about me heard Jesus command them to pray for me. And without knowing why, or even that I was sick, they obeyed. I was healed.

NEED A MIRACLE?
So if you need a miracle, my advice is to throw away your 'faith' books, tapes, CD's, & DVD's.  It's not at all about what you know, what you can say, or what you can give. You can't manipulate or buy God's favor or obligate Him to do something for you in any way,  It's only about Who you know. If you know Him that's all you need to know.

Then God told us to sell our house in North Carolina and move. All we knew was that we were heading for Virginia. Where and for how long we had no idea. Crazy? Yeah, maybe. But when God heals you of an incurable illness and then tells you to do something, you're inclined to obey.

We spent a year at the ministry where I was healed. It was a year of preparation for our next assignment. It was a year for us to finish healing. You see, we needed healing from our emotional & spiritual wounds. MS & IBM & the world had worked us over pretty completely.

THE VALLEY OF THE SHADOW OF...LIFE?
So again, we packed up what was left of our possessions and came here to The Valley. Once again based on a command from God we abandoned the comfortable and the familiar and launched out into the unknown. Before we moved the Lord told me: "If you move to this land that I will give you, I will bless and prosper you, I will make you shine as lights in Crimora." So we did. I remember asking Him: "OK God, we're here, now what?

We live very humbly, very disconnected from everything the world values, disconnected from everything the modern materialistic church values. We live in a trailer owned by someone else rent free except for the lot rent. We have one functioning ten year old auto. Don't own  a TV (don't want one either). Our furniture has seen far better days. I'm building a shed made from recycled pallets . Our possessions are few. And yet we are living LIFE more abundantly than ever before! If any preacher ever tries to tell you the abundant life consists of the things you can possess, that man is a deceiver and false prophet. Check out Luke 12:15 & then tear up that check you wrote as a '$eed Faith' offering to bribe God with and give the money to the poor.


DESTINY
In 2007 we visited a little church in Stuarts Draft, Destiny Family Center. Helen visited first on a Wednesday night when one of my nephews was baptized. While there she heard the Lord tell her "This is a revolving congregation" and she had a mental image of a revolving door with people leaving as fast as they were coming in. We both have pondered and wondered about this ever since, especially since it has proved to be scarily accurate.

We both started attending it and found the people and pastor to be really wonderful people who seriously loved Jesus and wanted to see the Kingdom advance. We found Pastor Chuck Balsamo's preaching to be  filled with the Spirit, prophetic, and challenging. We prayed and felt that God directed us to become members there, which was surprising because we consider ourselves to be 'out of the box' believers.

Over the years we have formed friendships with many wonderful people, became elders, and saw God move in mighty and often mysterious ways. We have shared in the joys and sorrows of DFC as a whole and of many of the people individually.

WHAT! AGAIN GOD?
Once again we heard God tell us to leave. This time we're leaving a wonderful body of believers, Destiny Family Center. It's heartbreaking. It's scary. Maybe a little crazy. But like I said before, when God heals you of an incurable disease, you're inclined to obey. Over the past week we have cried, prayed, and cried some more. We consulted Godly men and women who have spoken into our lives over the last 33 years, some of whom are apostles, all of whom hear the voice of God clearly.

So we are being faithful and obedient to what God wants us to do even though it breaks our hearts to do so. We know that even though we're not physically leaving the area we will lose touch with many of our friends at DFC. That is the nature of this life, relationships are often like the tides which rise and recede. But we are confident and hopeful that we all will be reunited forever together with Jesus, and  that we can maintain many of our friendships at DFC.

We feel God is calling us into the 'simple church' movement, organic Christianity, a church without walls. If you don't have a clue what I'm talking about get 'The Jesus Manifesto' and the other outstanding books by Frank Viola.

To our friends at DFC: Keep us in your prayers, we love you folks.

To anyone else: Hi! my name is Dave & this is my wife Helen, we want to tell you about this friend of ours who did something really amazing in our life..........

Hillsong - He Is Lord - With Subtitles/Lyrics

Proof Texting

I learned a new phrase yesterday, 'proof texting'. The concept isn't a new one, it's been around forever. 'Proof texting' is when a preacher wanting to prove his point searches scripture and finds one that he can use. Often he selects a verse regardless of the context, topic, or issue the author originally intended. I always called this 'scripture twisting'.

The danger in 'proof texting' of course is that rather than presenting the Word in the manner God intended, it becomes polluted. Rather than 'rightly dividing the word', people take the scripture and mold it to their purposes.

Because the Bible is God's Word, you need to approach the study of it seriously and prayerfully. You need to ask for and rely on the Holy Spirit's help and guidence. When you study the Bible you have to consider several things:

1. When was the passage written?
2. Who was it written to?
3. Where was it written?
4. How has it been historically understood?
5. Why was it written?
   
   

When was the passage written? This is important because you need to understand the historical context to comprehend what God was speaking to his people at that time.

For example; in Jeremiah 25 the captives of Judah in Babylon are told that their captivity will last seventy years.

Who was it written to? Is this a specific word to a specific people at a specific time? Or is it a timeless truth that applies to all of God's people throughout the ages?

For example: in Exodus 25, Moses gets instructions from God about building a tabernacle. Obviously were not being instructed to do that today. This is a specific word for a specific time. In John 3:16, Jesus says (ESV): “For God so loved the world, that he gave his only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life..” This is a timeless truth.

Where was it written? Was the author writing in Hebrew, Aramaic, or Greek? What concept did they intend to convey? How did their native culture & language influence what they wrote?

For example, I once confused an Indonesian friend of mine by telling him; “I'm just pulling your leg”. He looked at me from across the room, bewildered, and said “You not pull my leg.” I then explained to him that it was a euphemism meaning that what I had said was not factual, but meant as a joke. This is why even though you may have a 'Strongest of the Strongs' concordance at your fingertips, you may not necessarily comprehend what was intended by the writer.

How has it been historically understood? Often modern preachers and authors in seeking to discover 'new revelation' have seriously erred by ignoring what the word itself says as well as what the Church has historically believed and taught.

For example: Consider Job, in Job 1:1 he's described as 'blameless and upright, one who feared God and turned away from evil.' James 5:11 referred to him as blessed and steadfast and uses his story as an example of God's mercy. Down through the ages this story has been used to encourage people who were going through tough times to persevere and keep their faith and hope fixed on God for the final victory.

But to some today, Job is a fool. An 'unbelieving' believer who needlessly suffered calamity just because he wouldn't watch his mouth and trust in God. They take Job 3:25, ' For the thing that I fear comes upon me, and what I dread befalls me'. out of context. Ignoring what God Himself had to say to and about Job in the last five chapters of the book. Ignoring that God never once blames Job for his supposed 'negative confession'. Instead these scripture twisters join the chorus of Jobs false-friends who falsely assigned sin and blame to Job. God rebuked them then, as well as the scripture twisters of today. Their god is too small. Seeking to establish control over their lives by manipulating what happens in their lives with their words, they replace the sovereignty of God Almighty for the sovereignty of self.

Why was it written? What divine purpose did God intend? What truth is God seeking to convey? What is the theme of the book?

For example: 3 John 1:2 has been used to teach people that God wants them to be both healthy and wealthy. KJV: 'Beloved, I wish above all things that thou mayest prosper and be in health, even as thy soul prospereth'.

But when you read in a modern translation like the ESV: 'Beloved, I pray that all may go well with you and that you may be in good health, as it goes well with your soul.' It becomes plain that the writer in his greeting to the recipient was simply expressing his best wishes. In context it becomes evident that the letter was written as apostolic instructions concerning the treatment of visiting believers.

In conclusion, as believers we need to hold ourselves and our preachers accountable for how the Word of God is used. Be very wary of anyone claiming 'new revelation', especially if it is a single verse being used out of context. Take the time and trouble to emulate the example of the Bereans in Acts 17 who listened to the teaching of Paul and then checked to make sure that what he was preaching was actually in the Word.

Healed of Multiple Sclerosis by Jesus

I thought I'd share this testimony of my healing miracle. I copied this from the newsletter archives of The Holy Way, the organization that held the meeting where I was healed. It's a condensed version of the full article Helen wrote back in 2004:

A MOVE OF GOD

In the cover article we communicate about the outpouring of The Holy Spirit in Bealeton at The Annual Meeting. Suffice it to say, the following testimony supports an inspiring example of what the Lord Jesus did for a precious couple from North Carolina, who came to visit as The Holy Way family gathered for Saturday night worship. After the event Helen Harman who was present with her husband Dave, submitted a graphic report about him and the unimaginable suffering they and their daughter Elizabeth have experienced since Dave was stricken with Multiple Sclerosis. This debilitating disease had robbed them of everything it seemed, and Dave just wanted to die, but God had something else in mind.

Now from Helen herself: A Miracle . . . . . . .

At the beginning of the New Year, I phoned my sister Peggy, to see if we could come up to her place in Virginia to discuss estate planning. She mentioned that she and Patrick were planning to be at Bealeton for the weekend. [Actually, they had shared with us about The Holy Way the previous summer and we had met Nazar and Isak at their home over Thanksgiving.] Then she asked me if I thought Dave would be up to coming to Bealeton. I responded with, “I think Dave would love that!” We were really starving spiritually. Upon arriving on Friday evening for the first time, Dave began to share his deep despair with Patrick and Peggy; also how difficult church services were for him. An immediate and loving response came from Pat, “Just come to The Holy Way tomorrow night and sit in the “River.”

I spent Saturday discussing business with my parents while Dave rested. At the evening service, I worried about him taking the steps and the warm temperature of the room. Well, no need to worry. We spent about and hour in worship, entering into God’s living presence. At some point, Herry and Mike walked over toward us and asked Dave if they could pray for him. Immediately, I felt almost overcome that God really was aware of our pain.

As there was continuous prayer and worship in the room, Mike shared two portions of scripture: Isaiah 33-6: The fear of the Lord is the key to this treasure, and Isaiah 35:3 Strengthen the feeble hands, steady the knees that give way; say to those with fearful hearts, “Be strong, do not fear, your God will come.” Mike then directed Dave to turn everything over to the Lord and lay it at His feet. As Dave began to pray, you could see his whole countenance change. My entire family saw it too. The anointing was powerful and I knew at that moment, God had reached in and healed my husband’s heart, mind and spirit. As Mike and Herry turned to pray for me, the following word came forth. “You feel as if your prayers have been going up to heaven and bouncing right back down.” “Because you have been faithful, God has heard and answered your prayer.”

As the rest of my family received ministry, everyone was crying except Dave. He was laughing! He expressed to me that when the Lord delivers you from depression, you’ve finished crying, instead you are laughing! My husband who had been sent to Military Intelligence School in our early years; who was a business analyst 19 years for IBM, had become helpless due to memory loss, dizzy spells and overall weakness. He even lost the ability to write. Eventually he could no longer work and the multitude of responsibility fell on me.

In any case, after the service I had the joy of watching him take the steps to the dining/kitchen area, and he was okay!. Later I joined in on a conversation he was having with Mike. This was the longest he had spoken to anyone in seven years. At this point, Dave informed Mike that he had Multiple Sclerosis. Mike was stunned, having no idea that he was ill. Since God reached into the darkness of Dave’s heart and found him, he has suffered very little effects of the MS. What he does experience, he calls “reminders” because he never will forget where he was before the Lord touched him at The Holy Way meeting.

In all of His glory, God has given back the man He gave me 25 years ago. With Elizabeth we now have hope, and we will continue to pray asking God’s direction for the next 25 years!

Yours in Christ,
Helen Harman