Isaiah 53: “(1) Who has believed our report, and to whom is the Arm of the LORD revealed? (2) For He shall grow up before Him as a tender plant, and as a root out of a dry ground. He has no form nor comeliness; and when we shall see Him, there is no beauty that we should desire Him. (3) He is despised and rejected of men; a Man of Sorrows, and acquainted with grief; and we hid as it were our faces from Him;

He was despised, and we esteemed Him not. (4) Surely He has borne our griefs, and carried our sorrows; yet we did esteem Him stricken, smitten of God, and afflicted. (5) But He was wounded for our transgressions, He was bruised for our iniquities. The chastisement of our peace was upon Him; and with His stripes we are healed.

(6) All we like sheep have gone astray; we have turned every one to his own way; and the LORD has laid on Him the iniquity of us all. (7) He was oppressed, and He was afflicted, yet He opened not His mouth; He is brought as a lamb to the slaughter, and as a sheep before her shearers is dumb, so He opens not His mouth. (8) He was taken from prison and from judgment, and who shall declare His generation? He was cut off out of the land of the living; for the transgression of my people was He stricken.

(9) He made His grave with the wicked, and with the rich in His death; because He had done no violence, neither was any deceit in His mouth. (10) Yet it pleased the LORD to bruise him; He has put Him to grief: when you shall make His soul an offering for sin, He shall see His seed, He shall prolong His days, and the pleasure of the LORD shall prosper in His hand.

(11) He shall see of the travail of His soul, and shall be satisfied; by His knowledge shall my Righteous Servant justify many; for He shall bear their iniquities. (12) Therefore will I divide Him a portion with the great, and He shall divide the spoil with the strong; because He has poured out His soul unto death, and He was numbered with the transgressors; He bare the sin of many, and made intercession for the transgressors.”

MISTRUST
Trust is one of those qualities of life that is more valuable than many of us realize, and once it is damaged or gone, we find we may not be able to do enough to ever “get it back” again. In most passages of scripture, where the word believe is used, it generally means “to have faith in, put trust in, cling to, rely on, adhere to”. Paul states that a man “shall leave his father and mother, and shall be joined unto his wife...(and) the two shall be one flesh” (Ephesians 5:31). It is very, very difficult to truly be one flesh if the ingredient of trust is missing. Mutual respect will protect and guard the element of trust in a marriage, but once trust is bruised or damaged, even the respect will be affected.

In marriage, as well as in our everyday lives, we must carefully guard the trust anyone may place in us. If we have respect to them and for them, the trust they place in us will be safe and secure. Of course, we all must understand that first and foremost our trust must be IN HIM...we must cling to, rely on and adhere to Him with all our hearts and with all our might. I once had a very dear friend who had just gone through a very hard and trying time, regarding someone in his life. I, as well as others, was doing all I could to encourage him and help him and sustain him through this difficult time of his life. Finally, it seemed he was making headway...one day, after a service at out church, he told me, “I’m going to be all right; I’m going to be just fine.” I told him that was great; I hugged him, but knew in my heart that something was still not quite right. As I released him from a hug and stepped back, he added these words...“I’m never going to let anyone hurt me again...ever.”

I knew what he meant, and we can all reach that place in our lives, if we choose to...but it is a very sad place; a very lonely place. What he was effectively doing and saying was that no one would ever get that close to him again -- close enough to hurt him. He would not allow anyone “into” that part of his life again. He went on to tell me that he would not be vulnerable to anyone anymore. I hurt for him, knowing exactly what he was saying, and I tried in vain to tell him that he would be shutting out everyone if he did that. He just sadly looked at me and said, “I really don’t care.”

When we do reach that place in our lives where we can no longer “trust anyone”, we also usher in the possibility of our not being able to trust God -- in effect, we “close” Him out of our lives -- something we really don’t want to do. If we have a problem trusting people in our lives, we will also have great difficulty trusting Him in our lives. The issue of trust is a serious issue; let us not allow any hurt, any disappointment, or any other thing to sway us from our ability to trust those whom we love, those whom we serve, or even Him to whom we belong.

FEAR
Fear may seem an unusual thing to cause any disturbance in the realm of respect in our lives and marriages, but fear can take on many forms, causing much harm between a husband and wife; fear lodged in a home can cause great distress in a family. Enveloped in fear, we often can find doubt, worry and even suspicion. One area of fear is when a husband may not show interest in spiritual things -- or at least at the depth of spirituality that the woman may find herself. In such cases, there may be within the woman a fear of not being “whole” and “complete” in God; there will also be a fear, or a doubt, that there is not a truly safe “covering” for the woman, seeing how the husband is not such a spiritual man himself and, hence, not an adequate covering. One quick note, before we go on...Paul did not say that “a Godly, spiritual, just and righteous man” was the head of the woman...he just simply said that the man is the head.

Let us look at 1st Corinthians 11:3 once more -- “But I would have you know, that the head of every man is Christ; and the head of the woman is the man; and the head of Christ is God.” Again, Paul did not clearly define just what sort of head the man needed to be...he just stated that he (the husband) was the head. It’s only after studying further and putting other passages of scripture into context with what Paul taught, that we can come to any kind of a conclusion as to what “kind of head” the man was supposed to be:

He is to love the woman as Christ loved the church

He is to love his wife as himself

He should be willing to give himself (his life) for his wife

These are just a few items that we have already discussed. The duty of the husband is one of sacrifice, clearly and unmistakenly. What does this mean? Simply put...if our wives are fearful in any way, it just may mean we, as husbands, are not fully in a sacrificial mode. Let’s look at a very simple verse to see what I mean. 1st John 4:18 “There is no fear in love; but perfect love casts out fear, because fear has torment. He that fears is not made perfect in love.”

Fear, spoken of here, is “alarm or fright; to be afraid, or to be exceedingly afraid; fear, terror.” To say fear has torment is to say that the soul is being inflicted, attacked or punished. He that fears is someone who is not “finished, fulfilled, or made perfect and complete; there is a lacking.” So, when John wrote perfect love casts out fear, he was saying that he (or she) who is “complete” -- in mental, moral or spiritual character; who is a mature man or woman, perfect in spiritual growth -- is the person who will exhibit the kind of Godly Love that will dispel darkness and fear and doubt. Perfect, Godly Love will, indeed, cast out or strike down fear, torment or doubt. So, as we can now see, husbands have this great responsiblity...to grow in Grace in Him, so that we may be mature and spiritually healthy, so that our love can dispel all fear and darkness. I don’t know about any of you, but that sounds like a pretty tall order to me. Certainly, without His Grace, His Help and His Wisdom, we men do not have a chance.

There is one last area I would like to address...

CONFUSION
As I mentioned in the first part of this teaching, there was a very detrimental teaching that arose in the seventies, creeping through the eighties, and now we see influence of that teaching even today...it was the teaching called Shepherding. This teaching brought much confusion to the Body of Christ, much pain to marriages and families and much dishonor to the men who taught such things. Most errant teachings do not cause so much damage to the Body of Christ, but this one did, on several counts.

First, those who initiated such a teaching were well-known and respected men. As I had earlier stated, some of these very men had taught (and taught well) at a Bible school I was attending, back in 1970. They were all revered by the Body, welcomed by most all charismatic groups and had easy access to many Bible colleges and institutes. They spread their word rapidly, efficiently and with great subtlety, bringing great disruption to a Body that had just enjoyed the first of what many believed would be many wonderful Heavenly Waves of Glory. Were these men “evil”...? No, I am not saying that, but sometimes “error” and “confusion”, if left unchecked, can eventually lead to ruinous and evil results.

And a second, more obvious thing happened -- denominational walls had begun coming down; many full-gospel churches now had an influx of boundary-jumping Methodists, Baptists, Catholics, Episcopalians, Presbyterians, etc. In my own church (an Assembly of God church) we had so very many people from other denominations, it seldom looked like an Assembly of God church. I did not complain; I did not mind. Others did, though, resenting the fact that some could enter in so easily, not paying the “price” that they had paid years earlier, when being a Pentecostal was neither a glamorous thing, a desired thing, nor an acceptable thing.

Many older saints had been ridiculed, shunned and even persecuted many years earlier, while this “New Breed of Pentecostals” seemed to be just “coasting along”. Many in the print media, including Time Magazine, were running regular articles. CBS’s Sixty Minutes and the local ABC affiliate (Channel 8) even came to our church to do a series of reports. There were many newspapers, news stations and magazines that did articles and stories on this strange new phenomenon. And many “old-timers” got just a little bit perturbed with the whole thing.

Now, I’m going to “pause” here and try to “clarify” some things. Not too long ago, the International Prayer Program Director of one of these “international organizations” contacted me via email and more or less insisted that I “remove their name from this teaching”. At the time, I thought to do so would not only be irresponsible of me, but it would also be “counter” to the point I am attempting to make here. Her objection was that I had “linked her group with the shepherding movement” (but, in fact, I am only suggesting that it is “possible” that some of their groups allowed some of this teaching).

Within her lengthy and pointed email, she went on to say that her group “has never (emphasis is mine) been in agreement with the shepherding movement”. First of all, this is a pretty bold statement to make, but I am going to give her at least some benefit of the doubt here. Even so, you do not have to be “in agreement with something” to allow it to influence you, your church, or any group you may be associated with (as I will mention below, carelessness and/or a lack of discernment can be the cause of many such dilemmas within the Body of Christ today, not to mention the Principle of a Little Leaven Infecting the Whole Lump ~ 1st Corinthians 5:6 & Galatians 5:9). This is a Principle in God’s Kingdom, but -- sad to say -- it is one that many churches, many organizations and many Christians completely “ignore” at times (when it seems to be somewhat “convenient” to do so).

This International Prayer Program Director also told me that the goal of her group was to be a “safe harbor for women who were abused by the shepherding movement”, and that it gave them a place to be “restored in truth, helping them to learn their scriptural roles in submitting to their own husbands, and helping them find their primary place of spiritual growth and development within their own local churches”.

One day, not long ago, we were visiting some minsister friends my wife has known almost all her life, and I have known since we got married in 1972. This man and his wife have been pastors, Bible teachers and missionary/evangelists nearly all of their lives, and they know a good many other ministers from literally all over the world. Not too long after we had been there, the man asked me a question: “Has Sister So-and-So gotten into some kind of error?” I told him I did not know, and asked why, and his response was one that I already knew (because I had thought the same thing). It seems “Sister So-and-So” -- who has always been careful about being “joined” to certain groups and people -- had now begun to “associate with” some very questionable ministers and ministries. Also, I should point out that my wife and I have known this lady minister for many years...for over 30 years.

Now this minister friend was not being “nosy” in asking about this lady minister, nor was he being “critical”; his question was genuine and marked with concern, because he and his wife had known of this lady for many years. I got to thinking after that day, how we all seem to gravitate -- for various reasons -- to certain people at certain times. Sometimes, in a moment of weakness or need, or in times of desperation, we align ourselves with those who may not have the “best interest” of the Body of Christ in their hearts. Sometimes, we do not know this, until well after we have spent time with them, being shoulder-to-shoulder with them as they work and minister.

The concern this minister friend had for a collegue served to underscore a concern I had had for this lady minister. A year or so ago, I had gone online, and I had found several sites that listed her name along with some “cultish” activities and ministries. Knowing this lady minister as well as I did, I knew that she was not -- could not -- be a partaker of some of the things certain watchdog sites had accused her of. But simple “guilt by association” can oftentimes “taint” an otherwise wise and noble minister, thereby making their ministry less than effective. It sort of amounts to what most of our Moms told us when we young -- “I don’t want you hanging around with that bad crowd of kids...they’ll ruin your reputation!” And this, dear saints, is all too true today.

After I had gotten that email from the Prayer Director, I talked all of this over with my wife, and I realized that the lady’s strong denial and insistent attempt to get me to remove their name from this teaching only served to prove my point (it’s called an “itimidation tactic”... one we know only too well). However, in spite of the seeming pressure, I eventually decided to remove both names of these organizations. I should say that I had initially “named them” mostly because large groups like that tend to “allow” many such troublesome teachings into their meetings (whether intentionally or not). And when I say that they “tend to allow many such troublesome teachings”, I am not saying they did so with an “evil” intent, but usually because of the aforementioned carelessness and/or lack of discernment.

The way I generally see it is like this: most churches, groups and organizations “allow” things by either design or by default. I think most of you understand what I am saying here...by design: we either purposely and knowingly and willingly “allow” certain teachings to influence our church or our group, or by default: we simply do not “watch over” or “filter out” the bad stuff that comes along. By this seemingly unimportant neglect, we “allow” leaven to permeate the whole lump, and as Paul says: all it takes is a “little”.

I have shared all that I shared above, not to make someone or some organization or church “look bad”, but because I (and others) have a real, genuine concern for what has been and is being taught among the believers in the Body of Christ. Much of it tends to lead to confusion and division -- neither of which are good for the Body. Also...all that I shared above, in and of itself, is an important enough reason to have gotten specific about certain groups and organizations, but there is another, more tangible reason. I also had personal, first-hand knowledge of things and situations involving this group.

For one thing, my own wife was a member and an officer in the Dallas Chapter I spoke of, and the president of that chapter went to our church. We both knew her very well, but my wife had to finally graciously “withdraw” from the group after a series of troubling events. There was “errant teaching” that had come to this local Dallas chapter, and some strange things were being done (or “allowed”... however you may choose to look at it). To sum this all up, I suppose the point is made that not every “national” or “international” leader is going to be able to know exactly what is going on in every city and in every chapter under their responsibilities. But the fact of the matter is: oftentimes not even every pastor will always know what’s going on in his own church, and he’s there every week!

...I am not blaming “outsiders” from other denominations for what ultimately was the undermining and destruction of many fine Pentecostal and full-gospel churches (many of these churches had other problems long before the shepherding teachings came along). No...that blame falls squarely on the shoulders of the enemy -- satan and his forces. However, I’d like to make two points here... ONE: satan uses men to accomplish much of his work; TWO: that Principle of Leaven again. I know that in the church we had attended for many years, the end result was that “a little leaven” had produced divorce (even touching the sons of our pastor); families fell apart right and left; there was despair, division, hopelessness, with some Christians falling prey to suicide; there were strange, false teachings suddenly arising; many, many things happened that I would not fully understand until years later. Even today, though there is a new pastor, our former church is filled with all kinds of errant teachings and false ways.

I also know that “a little leaven” had produced the results that wives no longer showed respect to their husbands, husbands no longer showed respect to their families and children no longer showed respect for anything (not even their own bodies). Was it the “outsiders” from other denominations coming in that brought this trouble? No, as I said, that was not the case. Was it just a run of bad luck for churches in America? No, and as I do not believe in luck, I must say that this was not the case. Was it simply this errant teaching of “covering” and “shepherding” that brought about this terrible demise of a once strong Body of Believers across America? While it may have had a part, it was not the complete reason.

What I believe happened is this: very simply put, satan knows his time is short -- Revelations 12:12 “Therefore rejoice, you heavens, and you that dwell in them. Woe to the inhabitants of the earth and of the sea! For the devil is come down unto you, having great wrath (exceedingly great, fierce indignation and wrath), because he knows that he has but a short time.” It’s as if he (satan) is pulling out all the stops. It’s a no-holds barred, full all-out attack against the church of Jesus, but more specifically against any and all kinds of authority and institutions. Marriage, being the very first institution created by God (remember Adam and Eve?) would most certainly be the first and strongest hit of all. Not only are secular marriages being attacked, and Christian marriages being attacked, but the very sanctity of marriage itself is coming under the most terrible of attacks.

What I am referring to is this current discussion and the new legislation being considered to pass and approve of “same-sex marriages.” Even in this presidential race of 2004, the party lines and the platforms are going to impact the feelings in America regarding “gay-lesbian marriages.” This, my dear brothers and sisters, is an abhorent abomination to God and to Heaven. It is a stench and an unforgiveable sin that attempts to strike God square in the Face. But He will not be smitten any more in the Face. He was once, after being led away to Caiaphas the high priest, where the scribes and the elders were assembled...but man can no longer “smite” God in the Face.