Love or Hatred!

And then many will fall away and betray one another and hate one another. Matthew 24:10
Remember your leaders, those who spoke to you the word of God…….Obey your leaders and submit to them, for they are keeping watch over your souls, as those who will have to give an account. Let them do this with joy and not with groaning, for that would be of no advantage to you. Hebrews 13:7+17
No creature (no person, no action, NO WORDS!) is hidden from His (God’s) sight, but all are naked and exposed to the eyes of him to whom we must give account.” Hebrews 4:13

My blog this week has been prompted, not by what has happened here in Tenerife, but elsewhere, yet the repercussions can be felt everywhere including here! (and sadly seems to follow the trend of last weeks blog???)
One of Britain’s iconic leaders, Margaret Thatcher, died of a stroke and throughout the week there have been all sorts of programs ranging from tributes to criticisms, from legacies left to legacies lost and reports on the cost of the official funeral to take place next week in St. Paul’s Cathedral, London. Alongside these have been the news reports of protests and of anti-Thatcher rhetoric that is quite simply disgusting. The lady, good or bad, depending on whichever political flag you fly is dead and surely we can at least show some respect? What is even more infuriating is that so many of these so called, aggrieved protestors don’t look as if they had even been born when Mrs Thatcher was in power??
What has this world come to I ask and yet as the verse from Matthew tells us, "then many will fall away and betray one another and hate one another. Matt. 24:10 signs of our time and..I find myself reciting the words of John in
Revelation 22:20 “Even so, Come Lord Jesus”

BUT! Bad as this may be, there was something else that has had similar reactions of which I really want to speak for I am no political pundit but a Pastor who is heartbroken!
This week we also heard news of the tragic death of Rick Warren’s son, Matthew. Rick as many of you will know is the Pastor of Saddleback Church, USA and author of many books, EG ‘The Purpose Driven Church’ and ‘The Purpose Driven Life’. Both the man and his books have been used greatly by the Lord and I am sure will continue to be for many years to come. What I find so sickening is that like Margaret Thatcher, this death has too become a vehicle for some very sad people to castigate a man for his faith, for his way of serving the Lord and as Rick has said himself it is pure ‘hatred’!!
Right now I want to say to all these ‘practitioners of verbal garbage’, leave these grieving  folks alone, go and do or say something positive and worthwhile and as the Bible conveys better than I, “Why do you see the speck that is in your brother's eye, but do not notice the log that is in your own eye? Or how can you say…….. ‘Let me take the speck out of your eye,’ when there is the log in your own eye? You hypocrite, first take the log out of your own eye, and then you will see clearly to take the speck out of your brother's eye. Matthew 7:3-5
I cannot begin to imagine the agony that this family is enduring right now, and then your poisonous words added to that agony…enough is enough!
As anyone with a modicum of decency would do at such a time, I extend my heartfelt sympathy and assurance of our prayerful support to Rick, Kay and all the family and to say to Rick, trying not to sound as if I know what you are enduring..“Blessed are you when others revile you and persecute you and utter all kinds of evil against you falsely on my account. Rejoice and be glad, for your reward is great in heaven, for so they persecuted the prophets who were before you.” Matthew 5:10-12

I suppose it’s unlikely that any of the guys to whom this refers are going to be reading MY BLOG??? BUT hold on YOU ARE!!!
So let me go on to say this……………………………….

The Word of God tells me that we are to listen to, look after, submit to, respect and LOVE those who lead us!!! We may not agree with all their Theology, we may not communicate the Word the same way they do or like the colour of the tie they wear (yes I have had that remark made!!!)  BUT if these men are faithful to the Gospel of Jesus Christ! If they Preach Christ as the man’s only Saviour! If they are called to Pastor God’s People! If THEY are the ones who are watching over YOUR soul and have to give an account for YOU! THEN YOU and I have an obligation to look after these men.

Just as I am sickened by the two particular events above I am equally sickened by the way people treat those God has given to lead them..you might not openly criticise, but seldom do you speak a word of encouragement! Oh! You say, "I don’t want to puff them up with pride"….come on give me a break, no give them a break..Isn’t it a tragedy that in the USA they have to have an ‘Encourage Your Pastor Sunday’!!! Yes that’s right..
Every Sunday, every day should be an ‘Encourage Your Pastor’ Day. If you had any idea at all of what it takes, physically, emotionally, spiritually for your Pastor to pastor his people. He feeds; He nurtures; He visits; He brings comfort and encourages YOU. Would you  think of these things the next time before you say a word of criticism or discouragement..AND while I’m on the subject, what about his family too?

When my three children were growing up ‘in the manse’ they give themselves a nickname,
‘The PPKs’ ‘The Pastors Perfect Kids’ NO not a reflection on how they behaved but an expectation of the congregation on how they MUST behalf. How they must turn out!
An expectation that was totally unrealistic, impossible to achieve and certainly not Biblical in origin and may I suggest puts pressure to conform and has led to many a problem within the Pastors family and for the children themselves, might it be that this sort of attitude can lead to or contribute to something far graver? I am not saying that this had anything to do with Matthew’s death. But when trying to deal with delicate, personal issues at home, that there be added pressures of people outside it who think they know better. How many other Pastors and their wives have had their homes turned upside down by people’s disapprovals glances or words about their children? Is it that such pressures had a bearing only a few weeks ago when another Pastor, a colleague back in Ireland, had too to come to terms with the death of his son, self-inflicted!!!

This weekend consider those who grieve and show some respect. Please uplift and support Rick Warren and his family, my friend in Ireland, and pray too for the Thatcher family and pray that due respect and dignity will be afforded at the funeral next week! That God will comfort those who mourn and make sure that from now on YOU think before you speak. The old cliché is right!! God gave you two ears to think and only one mouth to speak so think twice as long as you speak and when you speak, speak words that build up, that encourage
AND for God’s sake let us at least in the Church have...
LOVE instead of HATRED!