Learn a lesson from Abraham Lincoln ... burn it!

[George]

Shalom everyone,

I thought I'd share a story about Abraham Lincoln that is applicable to us as believers.

During the Civil War, when Abraham Lincoln was president a delegation approached him with a series of accusations and written protests about his friend Senator Baker.  The objections were filled with personal attacks on his character and the delegation wanted Lincoln to reprimand Senator Baker. 

So Lincoln asked the delegation ... this letter that you've given me concerning Senator Baker, am I allowed to do with it as I wish? 

The delegation expecting Lincoln to come against Senator Baker told the President, Of course!

So Lincoln took the paper, leaned over to his fireplace and burned it up. 

Lincoln didn't have time for gossip ... he realized he was in the midst of a war!   He understood that gossip was destructive.

The church spends too much time on gossip, and dwelling on impure and harmful things attacking itself ... instead of realizing that we are in the midst of a WAR!

Next time you give ear to gossip ... it might be better to take Lincolns' approach ... just burn it up and focus on the real war that we are waging!

People wonder why threads may get deleted and removed ... if its full of attacking, gossip, and negativity ... and doesn't edify the body ... sometimes it's time to simply BURN IT UP! 

We are in the middle of a war ... recognize that the enemy is the accuser of the brethren ... don't be a voice for him!

Notice what God calls the abomination in Proverbs.

Pro 6:16  There are six things that the LORD hates, seven that are an abomination to him: 

Pro 6:17  haughty eyes, a lying tongue, and hands that shed innocent blood, 

Pro 6:18  a heart that devises wicked plans, feet that make haste to run to evil, 

Pro 6:19  a false witness who breathes out lies, and one who sows discord among brothers.

Be blessed,

George

[Starise]

I agree that many times we can get stuck in a rut that doesn't produce anything worthwhile, especially with gossip.

The church has been attacked through the whole COVID mess. This all hurt attendance in many churches and even caused some to stop attending church. Some churches closed, So I don't think the church needs more attacks that work against us rather than for us.

No matter how crazy the church may seem sometimes, the legitimate church was placed here on this earth by God Almighty to do His work. Not a building or an organization totally independent of other believers, but groups of men and women who are part of this church, no matter where it meets.

I  can sympathize with a person who might be looking for a good body of believers to meet with and may be struggling to find one. I believe such persons could benefit from advice on this forum to help them to know what NOT to look for, and maybe this forum stands in at times as such a place even though it is online.

I don't think most here would agree the church as a body of believers has all gone to the dogs. In some areas it might certainly seem that way. God would not raise something up for His purposes only to have it die a slow death to apostasy. No those are the ones who went out from us but were not of us. These are the true apostates. I'm sorry if that language seems too strong for some. It is a fact.

 

Edited May 10, 2022 by Starise

[George]

4 hours ago, Starise said:

No matter how crazy the church may seem sometimes, the legitimate church was placed here on this earth by God Almighty to do His work. Not a building or an organization totally independent of other believers, but groups of men and women who are part of this church, no matter where it meets.

Amen ... most people are so focused on the tares and the apostasy ... they forget that the wheat is growing up with the tares!  The enemy would like you to believe like Elijah did ... I am alone to fight the ba'al worshippers, and God tells Elijah, no I have a Gideon army standing with you!  

However, one with God is an army the enemy never wants to face!  Let us know who we truly are -- Kings and Priests of the Most High God ... and we are not alone!  We are the true church!

[George]

23 minutes ago, believeinHim said:

Perhaps we should also be burning all of our secular movies and music and etc. Plenty of gossip to go around there. 

If you feel so led! 

There is a pastor friend of mine in Indiana who was in Best Buy to buy a huge giant TV when the Lord stopped him right in his tracks ... and said to his spirit ... do you want a TV or do you want revival?  From that point, he walked out of Best Buy ... and they had a nice season of revival that continues to this day.  Lesson learned!  

When I first came to faith in 1996, I got rid of all my music and turned off my TV.  Just read the Word in and out for months writing every question and taking notes upon notes.  I didn't even open a commentary or read a man's perspective on anything for about 6 months -- I was so concerned about false prophets and false teachers.  

Then the people I started reading first were people who had fruit that remained to this day.  So I started with D.L. Moody, R.A. Torrey, the Moravian Revivalists ... and to this day I'm so thankful that I spent that time in isolation to try and figure out things!  Praise God the internet was not around at that time!  But it's in that quiet season that you can really hear from God.  

[Dennis1209]

Before I comment, I’d first mention that there is no perfect church until our Lord returns.

I started attending my church in 2016, and I quickly learned of the history of hard feelings, splits, and people leaving for another church. It has happened twice since I became a member. Skipping all the details, I left the church for a few months because of the outrageous behavior and accusations that broke out on a Sunday morning during service.

I am convinced the Holy Spirit directed me to that church, as I briefly mentioned in my testimony posted on Worthy. After prayer and a lot of thinking, I do not want to run away from problems.

I have noticed there are a couple of clicks in our church. I do not know for sure, but it is my opinion the root cause of all this trouble is gossip (slander), talking negatively behind someone’s back, and making themselves more righteous.

I was approached once by a friend and brother to take aside. He was giving me the “gossip.” I immediately told him I did not want to hear it or participle in it.

Satan and his minions never miss church either, divide and conquer.

I have also noticed because of the anonymity of a computer; it is easy to say things one may not say face-to-face. I have failed that myself on several occasions, but I keep in the back of my mind I’m talking to a brother or sister in the Lord. Would I say what I typed if I were sitting in church?

Lincoln’s life is fascinating; I have no doubt the Lord set him for that specific time in history, as with Trump. He was indeed personally tested as president and had an accurate premonition of his impending assignation. Or was it a premonition as a secular history record?

[B-B]

18 hours ago, Starise said:

I  can sympathize with a person who might be looking for a good body of believers to meet with and may be struggling to find one. I believe such persons could benefit from advice on this forum to help them to know what NOT to look for, and maybe this forum stands in at times as such a place even though it is online.

Yes, I agree with this.

[B-B]

18 hours ago, Starise said:

I don't think most here would agree the church as a body of believers has all gone to the dogs. In some areas it might certainly seem that way. God would not raise something up for His purposes only to have it die a slow death to apostasy.

Yes I agree, I don't believe that each and every gathering is full of apostates. 

(However, even in the Book of Revelation, the Lord had some pretty strong words to say to the majority of the seven churches).

I'm with J.C. Ryle....

"Nothing perhaps affects man’s character more than the company he keeps.”

— J. C. Ryle

[Starise]

13 hours ago, George said:

Amen ... most people are so focused on the tares and the apostasy ... they forget that the wheat is growing up with the tares!  The enemy would like you to believe like Elijah did ... I am alone to fight the ba'al worshippers, and God tells Elijah, no I have a Gideon army standing with you!  

However, one with God is an army the enemy never wants to face!  Let us know who we truly are -- Kings and Priests of the Most High God ... and we are not alone!  We are the true church!

It is much easier to find the problems than to see the victory. We can make a choice to focus on the victory, the victory Jesus won for us on the cross. I believe you are spot on in seeing the ways the other side attempts to make it look as if we are outnumbered. 

The general attitude of many Christians aligns closely with the attitude of the Israelites in the desert. They complained at one point to Moses saying they had it better in Egypt than out there in the desert. Then they were tired of manna. Then they shook in their shoes when they saw the Egyptian army coming to kill them sure they were all going to die right before the Lord parted the sea for them to safely pass.

And this is Satan's presentation today. He tries to look like a formidable enemy. If we don't stop to regain composure and realize who we are in Christ we will start to think like those Israelites. 

The Lord still delivered them from the hand of Pharaoh in spite of their stubborn unfaithful ways.

Today here we are in May 2022. The things we see in some so called churches are indeed appalling. I'm not just talking about the average stuff we sinful fallen humans do. So many churches have gone straight to the dogs. The great deception/apostacy has begun in earnest. 

So we have a choice. We can either stay in those churches with our heads in the sand like an ostrich, buying into the bible revisionist lies, or we can come out from them if we are in one of those churches. We can choose to focus on those evil  churches or we can push onward toward the mark of the high calling. Energy spent dwelling on the enemy is energy we could spend advancing the kingdom in His power.

One thing I have been doing is to pray for those people stuck in that situation who are either rebelling or don't realize what they are involved with. If I see a gay "pastor" I specifically focus on them to pray the scales will be lifted from their eyes. Can you imagine the impact one truly converted "gay pastor" in that situation would have on the rest of their congregation if they repented and told their congregation they had been in error? Jesus does love them but He will never approve of what they are doing. This means WE should love them disapproving and pointing out the error of their ways.

[Sower]

19 hours ago, George said:

So Lincoln took the paper, leaned over to his fireplace and burned it up. 

Abraham Lincoln, the man  

“His heart was as great as the world, but there was no room in it to hold the memory of a wrong.”

— Ralph Waldo Emerson, 'Greatness'

[bropro]

16 hours ago, George said:

When I first came to faith in 1996, I got rid of all my music and turned off my TV.  Just read the Word in and out for months writing every question and taking notes upon notes.  I didn't even open a commentary or read a man's perspective on anything for about 6 months -- I was so concerned about false prophets and false teachers.  

That is very interesting. I'm sure this was quite an experience. Have you seen a need to repeat this exercise, especially amid all that is going on in our world today?

Gary