If you have read my last two blog posts I have two questions for you: What’s wrong with you? Why are you still here? No, but seriously, if you have been following this series then you have been introduced to me, my testimony, and what I believe. This final installment of the “Why ‘Refined4Him’” series is about this blog itself, why it was created, and why I have a right to speak.
If you may recall in Part I of this series, I had mentioned that one day I saw my wife reading some Christian blogs. I had no clue what a blog was. I thought maybe it was a morbidly obese frog (blob + frog = blog). After I was briefed I told her that it would be nice to have one of my own so that I could talk about The Lord and, well, “preach on”. I wasn’t all that serious. Then one day I came home from work and found that Refined4Him was born. It is named after a screen name that I had been using for sometime and it’s meaning is what it sounds like. My original desire, other than “preaching on” with this blog was also to “monetize”. This means that you would be seeing a bunch of ads on the sides of the screen and if enough people clicked on them, then I would get paid. I have come to find through the life of this blog that this would only hinder my purpose, or God’s will, with this blog. Unless God’s will changes.
I know many people who you’d think would take the time to read this blog, but refuse to do so. Mostly for the reason that I am not a pastor and I have never graduated from any seminary school. I have never studied under any Bible gurus, never hiked Mt. Everest in search of higher wisdom, never been under the wing of world famous Bible philosophers, etc. I am simply a Christian who reads and studies his Bible. I take my epiphanies from the Holy Spirit, from fellowship with other Christians, from Christian writers, and from listening to Christian ministries on the radio daily. My radio mentors include John MacArthur, J. Vernon McGee, Woodrow Kroll, Alistair Begg, David Jeremiah, Adrian Rogers, James MacDonald, Billy Graham, and literary hero Charles Spurgeon. So I am constantly learning and gaining new insights on an almost daily basis, and sharing what I learn on this blog. Although many may not agree with me. As a matter of fact, a family member once said that they do not want to read my blog because they don’t want to read anything that I have to say. That’s OK. To each his own!
But the question remains: Do I have a right to say the things that I do and have said, even though I have no professional Bible training or degrees? The answer is “yes”. You see, like I have said, most people shrug off what I say because I am not a pastor or have any “credentials”. These people should be reminded that neither did some of the greatest apostles of the Bible. Was Saul/Paul on his way to Damascus University when Jesus confronted him? Did Peter and John graduate with a doctorate from Jerusalem College? Was Timothy hard at it in his studies at Christ Community College when he assisted Paul? Did the first martyr Stephen graduate with honors from Stoned Tech? I didn’t think so.
These men spoke with the Holy Spirit. Look at Peter for example. When he walked with Jesus, did you ever notice how he seemed like such a dunce sometimes? You may notice from the four Gospels that Jesus’ disciples had trouble understanding the parables, understanding the time of His crucifixion and death, quarreled over who would be first in the Kingdom, lacked faith, and just basically seemed like they didn’t even know what was going on half the time. Peter was the most outspoken and put his foot in his mouth a few times. But then we have the Peter from the book of Acts, post Holy Spirit. He had knowledge, he had understanding, he even had the power to cast out demons. He traveled, taught, and converted three thousand plus people. We can even look at Saul too. So ignorant he was of Christ that he hated Christians and persecuted, assaulted, and even killed them. Then, as Paul, he wrote some of the greatest writings of the New Testament. All because of the Holy Spirit. Not because of a framed piece of paper.
It is man’s idea that a man can only be worthy to teach (or preach) if he has a degree. It is God’s work when a man who has never set foot in a college classroom can bring a room full of sinners to their knees in repentance. Who has the most power? Man or God?
For example, my wife and I once attended a big mountainous mega church here in town years ago. We probably attended for about three months. Well the pastor was a Dr. in his Christian studies and had many degrees. As a matter of fact, they probably built the church around his degrees. But how effective was he and his diplomas? To my left was a crowd of teenagers dressed like Marilyn Manson (black makeup, piercing, tattoos, skull covered clothing, all black, etc.) who were constantly cutting up in church. In front of me was a homosexual couple that played in the church band. To my right was a woman who came to church every Sunday in a tight miniskirt, knee high boots, fishnet stockings, and a barely there shirt. Yet these folks walked in feeling good about themselves and their blatant display of worldliness and sin, and walked out feeling just as good. There was never any preaching on sin or repentance. As a matter of fact, there was never an altar call. The preacher never preached from the Bible, nor did we even have to open ours. There wasn’t any convictions. Just a big building full of hot air. So how effective is a preacher with a degree? Just because you have a stamped piece of paper doesn’t mean that you are the only person allowed to speak on God’s behalf, nor does it mean that this is the only person that Christians should seek in their time of need or questions.
This is why I speak and will not stop, unless God says otherwise. You see, God has laid it on my heart to do this blog. I hear the Spirit speak to me on what to write about and sometimes the Spirit does the talking and I do the typing. If I start a post and run into a lot of trouble with it, I usually abandon it on the assumption that the Spirit is not speaking and it is all my own words. As you may recall I just “took off” for the month of July on this blog to pray. One of the things that I prayed for was whether or not to eliminate the Refined4Him blog site because I only have five or so devoted readers and NOBODY ever leaves a comment. It seemed to me pointless to discuss/preach/teach/praise/worship God when nobody was reading it. But God answered my prayers, without a doubt, to continue doing this, regardless of whether or not I am my own “fan”. I assume that someday this will all come around and I will find out why God has called me to this and why He has asked me to continue.
So there you have it. The conclusion of the “Why ‘Refined4Him?’” blog series. I hope you have enjoyed my testimony, creed, and why this blog was created. I trust that if you have survived this three part saga, then you must be here for the long haul. Either that or you are really bored. But either way I hope that I am effective in what I do for our Savior. May this blog, other blogs, and other ministries be a blessing to you. Thank you for your time these past few weeks and God blessJ .
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