Ephesians 4:11 And he gave some, apostles; and some, prophets; and some, evangelists; and some, pastors and teachers;
12 For the perfecting of the saints, for the work of the ministry, for the edifying of the body of Christ:
13 Till we all come in the unity of the faith, and of the knowledge of the Son of God, unto a perfect man, unto the measure of the stature of the fulness of Christ:
14 That we henceforth be no more children, tossed to and fro, and carried about with every wind of doctrine, by the sleight of men, and cunning craftiness, whereby they lie in wait to deceive;
15 But speaking the truth in love, may grow up into him in all things, which is the head, even Christ:
Eph 4:16 From whom the whole body fitly joined together and compacted by that which every joint supplieth, according to the effectual working in the measure of every part, maketh increase of the body unto the edifying of itself in love.
Welcome to 2025!!. I read of a plane that left Hong Kong shortly after midnight on January 1, 2025, and would land on December 31, 2024 in Los Angeles. That is the amazing reality of our modern world.
It is amazing how many organizations are out there looking for a donation as this past year screamed to the end. Some of them like to remind us that if we give to them, we can get away with paying less taxes. It is interesting to note how many organizations beg for your hard earned cash so that they can blow it on cushy living and maybe speaking to a few people about some legal issue or some political issue. Most of the money donated is given to make sure their staff are well paid. The argument is that if you do not pay people well, they will not do a good job. People that are in it for the money are not worth the money they get. They can be bought.
Everybody needs money to live. The issue is what place does money have in your life. When we look at the godly men of the Bible, very few of them were wealthy men. A few like Solomon were wealthy. His wealth did not do him much good. He asked for wisdom as a young man, but he certainly did not appreciate that wisdom even as much as he did his wealth. He lusted after strange women and could not find satisfaction even though he had 700 wives and 300 concubines. God directed him to write Ecclesiastes where he was directed to express the frustrations of life lived apart from God.
Abraham was a wealthy man who learned how to walk humbly with the Lord. He was a blessing in his day and Jesus spoke highly of him. The apostle Paul referred back to Abraham in a good light, as well. Money is important, but if money dictates your service for the Lord, you have things out of order.
As we enter this new year, there are reports of the parties that were held over night to “ring in the new year”. Unlike the world spin doctors, God wants us to deal in reality. The saved person has a hope that no man can take away. God’s promise of salvation is sure. God cannot lie.
Titus 1:2 In hope of eternal life, which God, that cannot lie, promised before the world began;
2024 has been a busy and interesting year. The world has faced unique situations that have formed interesting choices and decisions. What will 2025 bring? We know that many people, not just in the U.S. are waiting anxiously for January 20th to roll around. Many assume that day will bring such great stability to the U.S. and other parts of the world. Canada is facing a major challenge with probably the worst leadership our country has ever known. Our P.M. is a very stubborn man but he is surrounded by greedy, power hungry individuals who have an agenda that is fed to them by the WEF and other like minded people.
The greatest challenge facing us is not this bad leadership of our government. It is the weak leadership that stands in the pulpits of so many churches. During the past 3+ years we had weak leadership regarding the attempt of wicked governments to lock down society and force us all to bow before their wicked plans. They tried to restrict the proclamation of the truth. They wanted us all to hear and believe only what they had to say.
We are now being threatened with a revival of a thing called “bird flu”. I listened to a doctor who just ‘happened to be’ of Chinese origin, who said the government should force people to get the shots for this flu. The government has discovered it is very easy to herd most people like sheep.
Pastors need to be men of God who have convictions given to them by God. We need to teach people the importance of walking in the fear of God. We need to teach that with our words but also with our actions. Walking in the fear of the Lord will make a difference in our choices.
Jesus stated that He is the One Who opens the door of opportunity and He closes the door of opportunity. It is not up to ungodly governments to control the door. God may choose to use a government as the instrument through which He closes a door. It is essential for God’s people to be in tune with Him to know when He is doing that.
I know for myself, there have been times when God has moved me from one church to another. Some pastors remain in the same work they started with. That is a good thing when that can happen. Strong, steady leadership is important. That is the key. We need strong, steady leadership. That is what God provides. There are many churches that have a change of leadership over the years. Most of those churches are just social clubs that seek to hold on to power through compromise. There are churches that have had godly leaders but they did not want them and God gives them some time to change. Eventually, He moves the godly leader on and allows the church to pursue its ungodly agenda. That is not a good thing for those who want their own way.
Those who walk in the fear of the Lord are not ‘grandstanding’. We are not looking for attention. We want to give honour and glory where it belongs, to God. We want the lost to understand that the fear of man brings a snare. We want people to know that they can be set free. We are not bound by ungodly men. They may put some of us in prison. Peter and John spent time in prison. Paul and Silas spent time in prison. The saints of that time had all night prayer meetings as they found out godly men were being imprisoned and further mistreated while prisoners. I wonder how many saints would spend much time in prayer today if a brother was arrested and imprisoned.
Alberta had several “pastors” imprisoned over the Wuhan virus experiment. None of those imprisoned men were men of God. They were either Calvinists or they were some brand of Charismatics. They talked of a Jesus and they talked of a god, but they demonstrated their Jesus and their god were not the true Jesus and true God. They gained notoriety through their ordeals. Over the past year, they have more or less faded into the woodwork.
As we look at our text we see that it is the Word of God that will keep us from being tricked by the sleight of men. Those who are well taught in the Word of God are not as easily deceived by the liars.
We know our politicians are clued out. We need to pray for them, but we need to understand they are no different than the Herod that Jesus called a fox. What is more concerning is when pastors use the sleight of men to gain a following. That is what God directed the apostle Paul to speak about.
A godly pastor cares for those that God sends his way. He wants to give them the whole counsel of God. He wants them to be able to stand in the midst of the waves of false doctrine that are cast about. He wants them to grow to be adults in the spiritual sense. Godly adults do not become independent thinkers. They grow in their recognition of Godly humility. They grow in their trust in the true God. They are not so easily tossed about by every wind of doctrine. That is what we need today as in any generation.
As God opens up 2025 to us, let us choose to make His will our way. If you are reading this and not saved, why not take this opportunity to bow before the Lord in repentance and trust in the Lord Jesus Christ alone as your Saviour. If you do that, then find a good church that will teach you, not entertain you. Your flesh will want things. Your soul will want truth. Ask God to lead you in your decisions. Contact a godly pastor or some other godly individual who can pray with you and encourage you to grow in the Lord.
For those who are saved, be careful for the frog in the water scenario. It is all too common in churches. The Bible does not use that illustration, but it certainly shows how we can become complacent and careless in our walk with God.
I spoke with a man a while back who talked of serving in a church for 30 years. Then he left and went somewhere else. He did not move to something better than where he had been. He chose more of the same with a little different flavour. Thirty years is a long time to be floundering in your Christian life. It should be long enough to see the need to get into a place that is teaching the truth. The Bible tells us that the way we move into adulthood as saints, is when we submit ourselves to the apostles, prophets, evangelists, pastors and teachers, that God gives us. Let us be sure we are doing that in the days to come.
Pastor Bartel
