The Power of Compassion

In all churches, the people and the pastor not only need ministering to in order to prepare them for spiritual battle, but a church also must minister to broken people. This is the strategy of compassion, and it too repels Satan's influence. Sadly, many of our clients report to us, "Our local church doesn't care about us. The pews of our church are filled with hurting people and the leadership doesn't care about their healing." They will go on to explain that in their church, numbers is the name of the game. The wounded learn quickly that if they don't fit into the flow of church life, they can go elsewhere to worship. This is a tactic of Satan, I believe, to destroy the real ministry of the church. When a church takes warfare seriously and works to meet real needs, spiritual healing results. Ultimately, the question for all of us in the church is: Are we allowing the world in any way to compete with our love for Christ? This is precisely what the enemy wants to accomplish: get us in the church to put or eyes on the things of the world rather than the things of Christ. When he accomplishes that, a church is dead; it is through with ministry. Only by raising up a contingent of spiritual warriors is there ever any hope of turning back the power of the enemy. But when God does that, His victory is assured. I know Baptist church in Minnesota that stood. It stood against evil in the community. It stood against the vile acts of men-the homosexual community. But this church stood with compassion and love-and prayer. Such responses made the surrounding community take note. The pastor had spoken publicly against a "gay rights ordinance," which was actually a special rights measure appearing on the city ballot. The church took as its mandate the Scripture "And have no fellowship with the unfruitful works of darkness, but rather expose them. For it is shameful even to speak of these things which are done by them in secret" (Ephesians 5:11-12). When the community voted down the ordinance, the persecution began. The church was pelted with stones, the windows were broken, the church was vandalized and twice set on fire. Then the attacks became personal. Hate mail was sent to the church. The pastor's car was destroyed by people beating it with chains. People broke into the pastor's house, killed his dog, cut it to pieces, put parts of the dog upon the children's beds, and left notes that vowed that this would happen to the children if the pastor did not change his stand against evil in the community. Someone shot at the pastor's wife a "high-powered pistol," according to police who later recovered spent bullets. Meanwhile, church attenders returned to the church parking lot to find their tires had been slashed during services. Throughout this time, the pastor and family always responded in love. No one could spot bitterness in anyone in the family. At the same time, the large church, with almost two thousand members, actively reached out to the homosexual community with the love of Christ. How could the pastor, his family, and church members show such love? Being human, they did feel fear and anxiety, the pastor later acknowledged. It wold have been easier to quit. But they stood because of the power of God. The church leaders and pastor determined to pray more. They especially prayed for those who would "revile and persecute {them}, and say all kinds of evil against {them} falsely for {Christ's} sake" (Matthew 5:110. At times they would have all-night prayer meetings with believers coming to pray for an hour or several hours. Some prayed all night. (Ironically, the greatest pain came not from the homosexual community, but from evangelicals who condemned the church as being unloving. Those critical Christians forgot that exposing sin in the power of the Holy Spirit is actually an act of love.) Watching the church's loving response, some of those caught in the homosexual lifestyle were being set free; they found Christ as their Savior. Today that church continues to grow. Homosexuals are still repenting and becoming believers in Christ. Many have seen the power of God and want to experience it themselves. Several of the former homosexuals who received the Lord testified that what brought them to Christ was the loving responses by those in the church. They went on to say they were never publicly disdained or called names, but rather treated as people who in spite of their sin are precious to the Lord. I believe our world is looking for Christians who will stand strongly for Him-but always with love and compassion. modelling the same love Jesus has demonstrated for them. That is how we repel Satan's influence and attract others to the kingdom. Dr. Ken Copley is available for counseling, conferences, and local church meetings.

Restoring a Love for Jesus

Beyond prayer is another strategy crucial to a church's success in battling the enemy: love for Christ. "I have this against you," Jesus told the Ephesian church, "that you have left your first love" (Revelation 2:4). Many believers wear their faith like a second layer of skin covering a rebellious or apathetic heart. They excuse their apathy in the name of the Spirit of God, saying, "Look what the Spirit's doing! How can we be anything but in the center of God's will?" Others excuse themselves by saying they present the Scriptures to others, so how can they be out of the will of God? Certainly committed believers who love the Lord Jesus reside in both groups. But we must examine our own hearts and make sure the Lord Jesus remains our first love. The church of Ephesus had forsaken her first love. God called her to "remember" and "repent" or the results could be fatal. Churches disband every week, many dying out because they left their first love; they forgot to love Jesus. When such a love is lacking, church leaders, especially pastors, can be used by God to restore this "first love." Reed Thompson (not his real name) was enthusiastic when a church that he was very fond of-one he had attended as a youth-issued him a call to come as senior pastor after he had completed seminary. Saved at a young age and having grown up in an evangelist's home, Reed had a zeal for preaching God's good news. He graduated from seminary and could not wait to get there. After the excitement of having a new pastor wore off he began to sense a severe coldness in that church. It was a deadness toward the Lord and spiritual things. The attendance had not shrunk notably, but the spiritual life of the church had declined sharply. It had been quite a few years since he had been there as a young man, and he was shocked by this change. He began reading up on what had taken place in the church since he had attended. He learned that the Church's two previous pastors had been dismissed by the congregation. As he looked at the allegations, he could not find any substance to the charges. Calling the two former pastors, Reed talked with them and found that they had been hurt severely by the church. Slowly and carefully he brought this to the attention of several elders, saying perhaps these men had been unjustly dismissed. The board decided to call a full meeting of the elders. Significantly, the church leaders agreed and admitted their error: They had dismissed these two men without cause. After a time of prayer, Pastor Thompson and the congregation asked each of the former pastor to come back for an important visit. The pastors were asked to preach in the Sunday service. After the service, before the whole church, the chairman of the elders asked both former pastor's forgiveness for the unjust dismissals and then they gave each one a year's salary. That act showed their love of Christ for the two Christian brothers, and it caused Christ's love to come afresh upon the church. Pastor Thompson told me, "Ken, you would not believe what has happened in our church. The blessing of God has come upon our people. The bitterness and the spiritual coldness that was once in their hearts is gone. We have a people who are in love with Jesus Christ. It's like the church at Ephesus in the book of Revelation that needed to repent of leaving its first love. We did that, and we as a people are different. It has only been by the grace of God. I am thrilled to be the shepherd of this, God's flock." There are many reasons one can fall out of love with their "first love." This is only one: failing to honor a church's leader or reacting unfairly, without love or mercy. But it's a serious one. Sometimes whole churches need to repent of past mistakes and make restitution in order to show their real love for Jesus. I remember Pastor Garth, who after reading several books and spending some time with me in my office, recognized that his own church and family were confronting spiritual warfare issues. He decided he would take a stand against the real enemy. He began taking warfare seriously and dealing with problems in his church from that perspective. Sometime later, he told me, "Since that time with you I have not had a week go by that someone has not come to freedom in Jesus Christ. The vast difference it has made is the quality of the love people have for Jesus Christ. Where there were resentments and grudges, there is now repentance and love. It is worth the price to stand with Jesus against the enemy in truth." To that I can only say a very hearty "Amen." Dr. Ken Copley is available for counseling, conferences, and local church meetings.

Wrong Reasons to Leave a Church

Many transfers from one local body to another have nothing to do with Scriptural reasons. People conjure up all kinds of reasons why they must leave their church that are not legitimate or God-led. Here is a list of the reasons I often hear when someone leaves their church: 1. "I wasn't getting fed." Proverbs says, "To a hungry soul every bitter thing is sweet" (27:7). As long as the Word of God is being preached-accurately and with insight-spiritual feeding is taking place. 2. "God is telling us to leave." How can you be sure God is telling you this? Is it because of conflict you're running away from? Or problems that you could be part of fixing? God is not the "author of confusion." If God is truly telling you to leave, the message will be confirmed over time; your leaving will not be sudden or in response to anger or done in revenge. 3. "The people at my church do not like, appreciate, use, understand, or care about me." This is a common complaint. Maybe you need to take steps to get involved. The enemy loves it when saints go church hopping. The instability and overreaction of those sheep who leave the flock at the slightest provocation have broken many pastors' hearts. The church of Corinth remains a great example of a church with problems where the people refused to give up. Paul took sixteen chapters to rebuke the church for sixteen major problems, but the Holy Spirit never told anybody to go anywhere except the man living in immorality with his stepmother (mentioned in 1 Corinthians 5). One should always take the matter of changing churches seriously. The Lord adds to the body as He chooses. Each local church is precious to the Lord. Beware when a bitter saint from the church down the road enters your doorway. Unless he is released by his church and led by the Lord, he may bring with him far more than you care to handle. Some who come may not even be Christians. Remember, the local church needs you. As the apostle Paul wrote, it is "the pillar and ground of the truth." Find one you can support, where the doctrine adheres to the Word of God and leaders and pastors are above moral reproach. Serve there with gladness, and you will find spiritual strength, support, and training in the spiritual battle. Dr. Ken Copley is available for counseling, conferences, and local church meetings.

How Should the Church Respond to Satanic Plants

How should the church deal with these people-those from within and without the church who can be used by the enemy? The following principles are of utmost importance while ministering to such people: First, prayer is our ultimate weapon. Thus we must "pray with-out ceasing," Second, we must love the individuals whom the enemy is attempting to work through. We must build a relationship with them (they are often extremely needy). Remember God promises to be there with us (Matthew 18:20). Third, we must gain some insights about the type of occult or satanic involvement any individual may have willingly or often unwillingly participated in. Those who are attacking leaders, spreading heresy, or dividing the church should be confronted with their actions and God's truth, according to the model of Matthew 18:15-17. Some will not respond to God's truth and will need to be removed (Titus 3:10). Others will respond to Christ's love and become new creations in Him. Keep your options open to the leading of the Holy Spirit. How God can break through. During a spiritual warfare conference years ago, I sat at a table with a friend of mine when a young lady, probably in her mid-thirties, walked over and took a seat beside us. As we were waiting to be served the evening meal, I struck up a conversation with her. To my absolute shock she knew far more than I did on the subject of spiritual warfare. As we continued to talk, I found that she was single, a registered nurse, and a member of a church whose pastor I knew quite well. As I listened to her talk about spiritual warfare I realized she had gone places I had never been. Finally she looked at me and said, "You're curious as to who I am, aren't you?" I said, "Ma'am, I cannot understand how you can have the level of knowledge and insight you have, considering your age and occupation." At that point she shared her story. "I was a witch in a coven. I was sent as a plant to such-and-such church to destroy it. I went in and did what I was assigned to do. I began building relationships and cursing various people, such as the pastor, but in time as he preached the gospel of Jesus Christ, his message began to reach my heart. One day God opened my spiritual eyes and I trusted Christ as my Savior." I sat there amazed, my throat tight. She went on. "Now I am born again and a growing Christian. God has brought me freedom in Christ. I have renounced everything in my past. I have an intense hunger for God and His Word. The Lord is using me to win others to Jesus Christ. He is using me in the counseling ministry to help others come to the freedom that only can be found in Him. I rejoice that God saved me, because I know if I had remained a witch I would have ended up in hell." Sometime later I had an opportunity to share with the pastor of her church how exciting it was to meet this young woman. He smiled and said, "You don't know the half of it." He then told me what he had seen with this lovely lady. When she initially arrived at his church, he had a feeling she had come from the local coven. His church is an aggressive body that does tremendous damage to the gates of hell, and that was why the coven was eager to destroy it. He said, "I immediately alerted the leaders of the church to pray for her. They were very careful to hold her before the throne of grace daily, and not to bring accusations against her or even tell her of our suspicions. As we gently reasoned with her and prayed for her, God broke through the thick layer of lies and years of pain, and the Word of God penetrated her heart and God gave her new life." I agreed this had to be a special case, and he said, "Sometimes churches are too quick to remove someone who does not fit in with them. God may in His sovereignty bring that person into that body to come to Jesus Christ." It's a tough call. But Christians walking with Christ and a church united in spirit need fear no one. Dr. Ken Copley is available for counseling, conferences, and local church meetings.

The Need to Stand Firm and Resist

What is the church to do when persecution results? The church is to stand firm against the enemies of our Lord, whether these enemies are human or demonic. In light of this, churches are to be wary, vigilant, and refuse to give in to the tactics of the enemy. That calls for standing on the foundation of the Word. It's like a sumo wrestler taking up his position on a mat; the church and its leaders retain their balance, but if they are strong in the Word and ready for such an assault, they will not easily be moved, let alone knocked down. Unlike the sumo wrestler, we have much more than a skimpy loincloth; we have the complete armor of God at our disposal. A friend of mine I'll call Austin pastors a progressive church in a fairly large city. After he began his ministry there, he learned two factions had kept the church divided for ten years. Both of these factions had different ideas no what the church was to do. He called me one day and asked if I would be willing to help his people come to a new vision for the church. Austin wanted me to give an outside perspective and help unify the two split factions within his church. The leaders and I met in a pleasant country setting, about an hour's drive away from the church. We spent the first hour in prayer and worship. Then, as we rose from our time of worship, I asked each of the church leaders and their wives to share their burden for the church. I jotted notes as they spoke. Amazingly, I kept hearing the same thing, which is unusual when you have factions like this. Of course, it was all phrased in different words and different ways, but it was basically the same thing. They wanted to glorify God and to do His will though the body. With this clarified, we capitalized on how we could glorify God and make ourselves available as vessels to function in His body. We turned to problems that might hinder the body, the Lord brought conviction and repentance to these members. At that point, we moved on to the vision the Lord wanted to give these leaders. Several Scriptures helped the leaders' thinking: "Lift up your eyes and look at the fields, for they are already white for harvest" (John 4:35)., "Whatever you do, do all to the glory of God" (1 Corinthians 10:31), and "Bear one another's burdens" (Galatians 6:2). Before the weekend retreat was finished, it appeared everyone had moved toward the mind of Christ-one mind leading the entire body. The folk understood they might see things differently from others, but that was only because each had different gifts that guided their hopes and desires. Now seeing this for what is was, they realized their factionalism had been a lie of Satan. In reality, they were much more unified than they originally thought. And there was as brand-new commitment to serving together for the glory of God. Recently I was able to talk with Austin about the results of this meeting; he described a new enthusiasm-an enthusiasm the church had never experienced in the previous ten years. Now their Sunday evening gatherings began with prayer, which usually lasts an hour or more before they actually get to the preaching. They're bringing more diversified people into the body. A new love for each other permeates the body. And there is fresh understanding of the work of the enemy. "Understanding the lies of the enemy and understanding the mind of Christ has brought new life into the church, "Austin concludes. Dr. Ken Copley is available for counseling, conferences, and local church meetings.

Spiritual Warfare in the Church

Young Charlie Smith (not his real name) was fresh out of seminary. Charlie couldn't wait to move to the parsonage of the church that had just called him as senior pastor. Armed with a master's degree and full of zeal, Charlie planned to set the world on fire. His face glowed as he thought of preaching in the pulpit of this beautiful auditorium, that still smelled new. The unanimous vote boasted his spirits, and he looked forward to leading a unified church. Within days of unloading the moving van and helping his wife and two young children settle in, Charlie realized the unanimous vote actually came from two factions that had split months before but were unwilling to leave the new building. Each side claimed a right to own it and remain, with the other group leaving. Each group also believed Charlie was their man. Several days after getting started, Charlie learned the chairman of the elder board was involved in an affair with a young married woman who was also a member of the church. The former pastor would not confront the issue; instead he chose to answer a call to greener and calmer pastures. During his early sermons Charlie saw a smirk on the face of the head elder almost as often as he observed the closed eyes of the elder who dozed through every sermon. Charlie began to dream of the "good old seminary days," when he carried a full course load and also worked forty hours a week in the freezer at the meat packing plant to make ends meet. This was difficult, but it didn't compare to the stress of this pastorate. Each group pulled on Charlie as members jockeyed position to take over the facility. Nearly every church event turned into a power play. Even a solemn event like a funeral became a show of force. One faction would tell Charlie. "You better not give him as Christian funeral. If anybody ever went to hell, he did." His sin? Siding with the other faction, of course. The only warfare instruction Charlie had ever received in seminary was some teaching on theological liberalism that had invaded the church. Excellent teaching that this was, Charlie was ill prepared for the all-out internal warfare going on in his pews. Though he also studied about church conflicts and how to "be in charge of the war" in a church situation, nothing in his class notes shed light on the present problem. Without question the enemy was behind this assault on the church, using all his classic tactics to divide and conquer. During this time, Charlie began to wonder if the enemy's purpose was not only to destroy the ministry of the church but to seriously blemish the reputation of the Lord. This hurt even more than the idea that the church itself might go down. So Charlie began to pray. He realized God had ordained the church for His service, and he asked the Lord to oppose whatever forces were at work in the church. He actually pleaded with God for a miracle. As he sought the Lord, the Spirit brought to Charlie's attention a group of committed saints who took neither side. He discovered that they, often with tears, were praying desperately for the church in the way only scared but committed saints can do: with passion, love, and genuine hope that God would answer. The group prayed, and Charlie led them with the hope of "winning one for the Father." One night as verse jumped off the page of the Bible as Charlie read, "The time has come for judgment to being at the house of God" (1 Peter 4:17). Not sure what this meant, Charlie prayed that this would indeed be God's operative plan. However, he didn't really expect what was about to happen. The next day the leader of one of the factions died quite suddenly. It did cross Charlie's mind that God might have "struck him down," even as He had struck Ananias, Sapphira, and Herod Antipas (see Acts 5:1-11; 12:20-23). Pastor Charlie didn't say anything about his thoughts as he preached this leader's funeral; he did not try to rally anyone against the other group or even mention the conflict. But as he preached, the other leader suddenly fell sick, went into the hospital, and was not expected to live. Charlie visited him and prayed for him. By the unique grace of God, this second leader did live, and then accepted Christ while he was in the hospital. God, who had interceded twice already, was ready to act through this new child of His. One morning three weeks later, the converted elder stood before the congregation, gave his testimony, and then pleaded for forgiveness. As if setting in motion the gears of a great machine that had been idle, a genuine revival broke out. People crossed the aisles to seek forgiveness from one another. The chairman of the elders was disciplined for his adultery. Within a few short years, the church, now committed to honoring God, doubled in size. Charlie watched it all unfold, as astonished as the rest. but grateful that God had known what to do about the problem even if he hadn't. Through that experience, Charlie grew in his understanding of spiritual warfare as he searched and taught the Scriptures in order to build up the flock. He also warned the flock over and over that the wolf remained ready to attack again, so they must be vigilant and ready, as Paul said to the Ephesians in Acts 20:28-30. Charlie saw clearly there are two kingdoms operating in God's world, and they are mutually exclusive. He also learned that Jesus is the ultimate Lord of both kingdoms. This example, while a bit unusual, is not unique. God loves His church and protects it. The local church serves as the primary fortress and offense against the enemy. If you are a Christian and are not involved in a church, it's my hope that you will become convinced of the church's position before God and of its power, and of your own need to become allied with other Christians in the struggle. Lone Rangers rarely last long in the church. That's why it's called "the body of Christ." In that sense, Jesus Himself needs us to accomplish His purpose as much as we need Him. The miracle of Christianity is that God has made us His coworkers. Not slaves, nor merely servants. But coworkers and those who will share in the harvest! Dr. Ken Copley is available for counseling, conferences, and local church meetings.

The Church, a Primary Resource

The armor of God. The Holy Spirit. The truth of God's Word. Holy living. We have seen many resources for fighting Satan's lies thrown at us during the spiritual battle. But one of the enemy's greatest lies is directed at one of God's greatest resources-the local church. The lie is: "Abandon the church. It's old-fashioned; you can serve God well enough without it." The trust is: The church is "the pillar and ground of the truth." (1 Timothy 3:15). The apostle Paul was direct: "The church of the living God {is} the pillar...of the truth." That means it is God's appointed institution to execute His program of witness, service, and building up of the saints. Jesus Himself said, "I will build My church, and the gates of Hades shall not prevail against it" (Matthew 16:18). The universal church, as expressed through the local church, serves as the primary bastion of defense and offense against the enemy in the world today. Winning souls, revival, spiritual warfare, discipleship, discipline, corporate prayer, and missionary endeavors are carried out under the leadership of the local assembly. The church brings converts into the body for nurture, growth, and instruction that includes training for the battle against evil forces. In that sense, the local church becomes the base of operations for these converts to invade Satan's kingdom and win souls to Christ. Because of this, Satan does attack the church, both its leaders and its membership. The warfare can be disheartening at times and seemingly brutal. Church splits do happen. But God will protect His chosen institution and often He does intercede in broken churches, particularly when His people pray. Dr. Ken Copley is available for counseling, conferences, and local church meetings.

The Importance of Friendship

"A man of too many friends comes to ruin, But there is a friend who sticks closer than a brother" (Prov. 18:24). One important subject the Proverbs deals with is the subject of friendship. A good way to translate the first half of the above verse is "Some companions are good only for idle talk."The second half of the verse tells us that "The friend who sticks closer than a brother is the kind of friend to seek and to be." Any other kind of friend or friendship is not reliable. To say a "Friend loves at all times" means there is no "Time out" in friendship. Faithfulness in the time of need, is the idea. A statement I have heard many times is "He was a fair weather friend." This describes the fact that friends are easy to find when things are going well. The true measure of friendship is how well they stick when things are not going well. The Greek Old Testament of Proverbs 17:17 reads "A friend will be there for you in every kind of time." The thrust of the verse states the purpose of life is not to achieve personal fulfillment but to be in a meaningful relationship with someone else. This means "Foul weather friends" are the only ones worth having. How do you know they are "Foul weather friends"? They stick around in foul weather. Even more important a "Foul weather friend" is the only kind worth being. One of the tragedies of modern life is the way we move to new cities or new churches or new jobs and abandon the people that made our lives meaningful in the previous place. We lose a vital function of a long time friend, namely a friend finding the best in you and nurturing you in personal growth. A true friend will also point out our blind spots. "Faithful are the wounds of a friend, but the kisses of an enemy are deceitful." An important principle is knowing when it is appropriate and when it is not appropriate to "Dump" on a friend. Sometimes sensitivity to our friend's problems will tell us that it is not time to share our problems with them, but time to help them carry their load. Both parties in a friendship need to seek that kind of sensitivity toward the other. In doing so they will find the own needs for friendship met and they will not damage the friendship they so intensely desire. God instructs us as to what kind of friends to choose but just as important He instructs us as to what kind of friend to be. Dr. Ken Copley is available for counseling, conferences, and local church ministry.

The Church Jesus is Building

Five of you will chase a hundred, and a hundred of you will chase ten thousand, and your enemies will fall by the sword before you" (Lev. 26:8). There is power in numbers, that is a well known fact. However there is Supernatural Power in numbers in the Church of Jesus Christ. Our Lord founded His Church, made up of spiritually transformed believers, on the festival of Pentecost. This took place 50 days after He arose from the dead. Our Lord continued to minister during the time between His resurrection and the birthday of the Church. He appeared to His apostles for 40 days, further teaching them concerning the nature of the coming Church (Acts 1:3). He told them "Not to depart from Jerusalem, but to wait for the Promise of the Father (Acts 1:4). He explained to them "You shall receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you; and you shall be witnesses to Me in Jerusalem, in all Judea and Samaria, and to the end of the earth" (Acts 1:8). God the Father and our Lord Jesus Christ actively participate in believers lives through the indwelling of the Holy Spirit (Philippians 2:12-13). The Church began when Christ's apostles received the Holy Spirit, just as He had promised (Acts 2:1-4). The Spirit of God instantly transformed them. Everyone who heard them realized they had received special inspiration and power from God. The filling of the Holy Spirit on Pentecost resulted in the apostles preaching about Jesus of Nazareth being the Messiah. They urged their listeners to repent and be baptized in the name of the Lord. By the end of that day "About three thousand souls were added" to the Church (Acts 2:41). Pentecost saw the birth of the Church, its members were repentant people who "Gladly received" the truth of God and were baptized, symbolizing their acceptance of the sacrificial death of Christ and forgiveness of their sins and burial of their old, sinful ways. We live in the Church age today. God is still working through the Local Church to do His will on earth. The church isn't perfect, it's made up of human beings. The Church is kind of like Noah's ark, there was life on the inside and judgment on the outside. We find God's protection under the umbrella of the local Church. We are commanded "Not to forsake the assembling of ourselves together" (Heb. 10:25). If you are not an active member in a local New Testament Church find one that preaches the whole counsel of God and join up. You will find strength, support, comfort, healing and protection there. Dr. Ken Copley is available for counseling, conferences, and local church meetings.

What About Suffering

People are fond of posing the dual questions, "Why is there so much suffering in the world?" and "Why doesn't God do something about it?" Strangely, however we seldom think to ask the deeper and more pertinent questions, "Why is there so little love in human hearts?" and "Why don't we do something about it." For the believer suffering takes on new meaning. Calvin Miller wrote "We glory in knowing that at the core of our best pearls there exists a ragged hurt that once stabbed us with ripping pain. Then God came. His grace 'pearlized' our pain with dependency. Our deep moans gave way to glad hosannas. He transformed our hurt into a beautiful usable ministry (Jeremiah 31:13). 'I will turn their mourning to joy.' This pain is the pouring out of self. Once empty, we are then ready to be filled with something more than ourselves. The emptying is continual. Becoming is indeed hard work. It is the work of being poured out. Fragile trust is stronger than swaggering self-reliance." Suffering can be a means of deeper relationship with God. Crucifixion is God's invitation to resurrection, that our "Joy might be full..." John 15. Dr. Ken Copley is available for counseling, conferences, and local church meetings.

The Paradox of Suffering

The Christian life is one of paradoxes. In II Corinthians 1:4 we read "Who comforts us in all our trials, that we may be able to comfort them which are in any distress by the same comfort that we ourselves receive from him." Paul declared here that God comforts His children in times of tribulations. How? We are not told exactly; it could be through the ministry of Christian friends, certainly through the Scriptures. Christ promised He would not leave His followers orphans but that He would send the Holy Spirit to be their Comforter (John 14:16-18). Here Paul emphasizes the constancy of God's comfort. It is not temporary or spasmodic. This verse could well read: "Who always comforts us...." Here is one paradox, affliction and comfort appear to go together, but not without purpose. The very comfort that is received in times of suffering brings with it an understanding of why the comfort is sent in the first place. It is not only for the one who is comforted, it will also, through that one, benefit others. It is a reassuring thought that the constant comfort of God attends the overflowing sufferings that may come the believer's way. In II Corinthians 1:5 we read "The more we share Christ's suffering, the more of his comforts are overflowing towards us, through Christ." When the sufferings of Christ are present in abundance, the comfort is present in superabundance. God always gives more than He takes. Paul is saying here that although the sufferings of Christ seem to be present in abundance, even to overflowing, the comfort and encouragement for enduring the trial is more than abundant. Our union with Christ may be the cause of affliction, but it is also the source of consolation. Apart from Christ, suffering often leads to despair rather than comfort. I write these daily devotional thoughts from my life experiences. I just went through a trial whereby God came through in the nick of time. It is my personal experience that God loves taking me to the wall, (If He doesn't show up I'm dead meat), where there is no way over and no way around and then He make a door, at the last minute, and allows me to pass through. However the Lord reminded me, He has given me a reprieve, but my trails are not over, I still walk in a robe of flesh, I still face daily struggles, and I still have an enemy (Satan). I believe God in His sovereignty gives me exactly what I need to keep me dependent on Him. I identify with King David who said "Before I was afflicted I went astray, but now I keep your precepts." I can attest to the fact that I would be totally wiped out apart from Him, and because of the comfort I have received in my trials, He, at times allows me to comfort others in their time of need. How are you doing with your present trial? Are you clinging to Jesus, receiving the comfort the the Holy Spirit, allowing believers to minister to you? Perhaps you have become bitter and you feel hopeless? Please ask the Lord to comfort you in your present distress. "He is an ever present help in the time of need." Dr. Ken Copley is available for counseling, conferences, and local church meetings.

Are You a Threat to the Devil

"But I will tarry in Ephesus until Pentecost. For a great and effective door has opened to me, and there are many adversaries" (1 Cor. 16:8-10). The Lord opens doors of opportunity to each of us, and with an open door often comes an attack from the evil one. The ministry of the gospel fulfills Jesus promise that the church would attack and overrun the gates of hell. "Upon this rock I will build my church and the gates of hell will not prevail against it." The gates are where decisions are made. The church would attack the enemy's thinking. Why? Because the enemy's thinking leads to eternal damnation. The eternal future of every man, woman and child depends on their hearing and receiving the message of the gospel. Every time a person comes to Jesus in repentance, they are snatched out of the devil's kingdom and brought into the Kingdom of God. God's is preparing us for battle. Paul told Timothy to "Endure hardness as a good solider of Jesus Christ." In the battle we are told "Always to pray and not to faint." The Lord has entrusted His Church with the gospel and we must share it with everyone we can. Today let's thank God for the open door of opportunity we have. We must ask the Lord to make us hyper aware of every opportunity to share Christ. Dr. Ken Copley is available for counseling, conferences, and local church meetings.

Dare We Invade the Devil's Turf

As a good, conservative, evangelical pastor, I used to preach and practice an extreme brand of separation. On one occasion I asked the good folks of my church to invite their friends to an evangelistic crusade. One dear lady said "I don't have any unsaved friends." Sadly she had listened to me and took my brand of separation to heart. Separation is aways to be from sin, not not from sinners. Salt has to be applied, light cannot be kept hidden. For too long, our belief in separatism has given birth to isolationism. We are not “of” this world, but we are “in” this world. We have created the Christian ghetto for our own comfort where we enjoy Christian radio, Christian books, Christian music, Christian TV, Christian retirement centers, Christian Entertainment Venues, Christian social circles, Christian recreation, Christian media, Christian education on our massive self-contained campuses. All of these are good and needful, however why are we afraid to venture out of our “safe zone”. So how do we fulfill the Great Commission if we never interact with unbelievers. Are even our mature believers so vulnerable that they cannot influence unbelievers for Christ without succumbing to the temptations they might introduce? Is the church of Jesus Christ really that weak? Are our answers so frail that we cannot argue for Truth against those who may never have heard it? Do we not believe that the antidote to poverty, crime, addictions, abuse, violence, pornography, materialism and a host of other sins the GOSPEL? Then why do we avoid the poor sections of towns, the AIDS clinics, the treatment centers, the areas where “sinners” congregate? Should we be surprised when non-believers act like non-believers? Can we not show them a better way? If so, then we should invade their areas and SHOW them the difference Christ makes. Dr. Ken Copley is available for counseling, conferences, and local church meetings.