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Date Posted:25/01/2008 6:01 AMCopy HTML

Have you ever noticed how you can follow the Lord, and lovingly create an organization to better do the work, then one day the "creature" develops a life of its own, gets off the table and begins to terrorize those who created it? It happens because of fallen human nature and the power of the world systems we used.
Igor put a criminals brain in the creature instead of the one you expected! Here is how to know if you've created a monster!
 
1. A Monster Is Created From Dead Body Parts.

If you are building an organization, and it means wounding
members of the body of Christ, it's a sure sign that a monster is being created. Whatever God does comes forth as a manifestation of His love in His church and results in peaceful fruit in the Body Of Christ.
 
"For wherever jealousy and rivalry exist, there is disorder and every kind of evil. However, the wisdom that comes from above is first of all pure, then peace-loving, gentle, willing to yield, full of compassion and good fruits, and without a trace of partiality or hypocrisy. And a harvest of righteousness is grown from the seed
of peace planted by peacemakers."
- James 3:16-18
 
2. A Monster Is "Stitched" Together.

Man's organizations usually label people, and artificially stitch them together often in roles not suited for them. One classic monster is the force fit of the "pastor led" congregation. Why is the least mentioned ministry in the bible made the standard, and the most mentioned ministry (apostle) ignored? How hard it has been for evangelists, prophets, and apostles to fit into "pastoring".
 
Contrariwise, the Church Jesus is building is perfectly fit together by God. When He leads we see it carried out on earth.
 
"God has appointed in the church first of all apostles, second prophets, third teachers....." - 1 Cor.12:2
 
3. A Monster Develops a Life Of It's Own. All monsters will eventually wake up, break the straps and gets
off the table. This is true of our mild mannered organizations also. Something shocks it to life, and the restraints are gone. It develops a mind of its own. A tide of issues, and events that have nothing to do with the original purpose for the organization descend on the creators. Some welcome it, and thrive in the energy. For others it scary. Your input seems to make no difference, the creature only makes unintelligent noises. Your instinct is to direct it, but the truth is the creature has it's own life now!
 
But in the Body of Christ life always flows from the head, that is, from Christ. It is not created or organized, but received. The true church is born because of His life. It never was ours to create.
 
"...grow up into him in all things, which is the head, even Christ: from whom the whole body, joined and knit together by every ligament with which it is equipped, as each part is working properly, promotes the body's growth in building itself up in love.." Ephesians 4:15, 16
 
4. A Monster Demands That You Feed It.

When a monster wakes up it soon begins to consume your resources. The primary purpose shifts to perpetuate it's own existence. The same is true of our human organizations. The original purpose may have been wonderful, but must eventually take a back seat to maintaining the organization itself. You now feed the monster.
 
Check out the steroidal church organization. We serve "the vision" rather than Christ. Far more is spent on the typical church building and salaries than on the church mission. This monster doesn't care what it was originally made for, only that it be housed and fed. The monster is the mission.
 
In Jesus' Church things are different. He is the source of life. He is the one who died and rose again for her. He will build His church. It is not an institution, but the people.
 
".. I will build my church, and the forces of hell will not overpower it." (Matthew 16:18)
 
5. A Monster Goes Out Of Control.

You know you have a monster when you run around "putting out
the fires" that it starts. In monster-territory, control becomes a big issue. Your beloved laboratory is destroyed. The peace is gone. Joy and hope gives way to painful fights over who is in the driver's seat. It seems that man's organizations can sometimes bring the worst out in anyone. If it's a monster, someone MUST take control.
 
In His church there is only one driver on the bus, Jesus Christ, and we are to love and serve one another. If there are fights to drive the bus there is only one conclusion. The bus must be man's creation, and out of control.
 
"For from him, and through him, and to him, are all things: to whom be glory for ever. Amen." (Romans 11:36)
 
6. A Monster Is Only Loved By Little Children and The Blind.

The strange part about monsters is the most unlikely people will fall in love with them. Generally the poor, misunderstood monster is calmed down. After all, he's just looking for someone to love him.
 
The same is true when our Christian institutions become monsters. They are best served by the innocent or the blind. Just talk sweetly and go along with things and everything seems to run smoothly. Heaven help those who notice the hands, feet and head are stitched onto what looks like a corpse!
 
7. A Monster is Eventually Killed By The Angry Mob.

Ultimately, all institutions outlive their usefulness and come to an ignoble end. If it's a monster, it will be killed. For church organizations that become monsters, the end is often at the hands of an angry mob determined to finish the "reign of terror." When this happens, you know they have killed a monster.
 
The genuine church that Jesus started cannot be stopped. He lives for ever!
 
He is also the head of the body, which is the church. He is the beginning, the firstborn from the dead, so that he himself might have first place in everything. (Colossians 1:18)
 
Epilogue - Repeated Until Christ Returns. Even though the villagers rise up and kill the monster, the
strangest thing will take place. Like some "B" horror movie, the survivors will start building another monster from the parts!
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Re:Creating the Revival Monster

Date Posted:26/01/2008 5:07 AMCopy HTML

Superb posting. I don't suppose you'd like to start a church? I can go out at night and find people and stuff and we could.........

Seriously......who wrote that? If I am going to copy it and pass it on, I should attribute it to the author.

Now how many time have I read "first of all apostles", and the "first of all" hasn't rung alarms? I thank you.
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Re:Creating the Revival Monster

Date Posted:28/01/2008 11:34 PMCopy HTML

Apostle John Kuhlman - ha ha ha ha ha ha
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Re:Creating the Revival Monster

Date Posted:03/02/2008 8:04 PMCopy HTML

I like this. I'm going to repost it on my blog at betterchurches.wordpress.com

Too bad it was posted anonymously as I'd love to give credit to the author. If the author would like me to credit him or would like me to remove it from my site, I would be happy to do so. - rjdempsey
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Re:Creating the Revival Monster

Date Posted:04/03/2008 11:08 PMCopy HTML

Have cut and pasted it into the GRC part of this forum.
Unfortunately it came out a bit wonky, but I see a lot of people have persevered and it has had many "hits".
It is a brilliant piece and like all the others, I would love to know who to give credit to.
As you prefer "anon", I would just like to thank you for the great post and I hope that you have a few more saved up for us.
Don't be shy, post them in the GRC section as well.
Cheers,
Glad
"Faith is not about everything turning out OK; Faith is about being OK no matter how things turn out."
RCI prophesies
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