Self Help-less...

Pastor Tim said during family camp that the western church has primarily made everything about "me"...just go to a christian bookstore and look on the shelves its mostly a "self-help" library.

This is unfortunate but true.

"5-Steps to Financial Freedom"

"40 days to fulfill your purpose"

"How to be free from_______"

"Etc...etc...et al"

Most of, if not all, self help materials are meant to guide the person to some form of personal freedom...nothing wrong with that...but...

What if it isn't about us?

What if freedom never was about me?

What if freedom is about Him?

Worship must be about Him.

If it isn't, well...it probably isn't worship...and it definately won't represent freedom.

I am currently studying the life of Paul, the Apostle John and the Ephesian history.

As I connect with the historical perspectives on what these men did and how they approached dethroning the powers of the Asiatic region one thing I notice is that both of these apostles were men of worship.

The book of Revelation is primarily a book on worship, those who will, and those who won't worship the Lamb and the the consequences of those decisions.

Of course we are all familiar with Paul and Silas sitting in a jail cell praising God and worshipping at midnite...

Now contrast the lifes and responses of three great men who were in some capacity in "prison"...

John the baptist...

John the Apostle...

And Paul...

John the Baptist is sitting in prison at the end of his life waiting execution...and he sends a delegation to Jesus asking "Are you the One or do I look somewhere else?"

Whats behind this question?

I think John had reached a point where he was disappointed, the revival he had been promised had came and went and things did't look much different.

Ever been there?

You know, you go to the meeting expecting some earth changing word from God only to walk out wondering if you need to look somehere else...

"Are you the one?"...

Every self help book I've opened I have opened with that attitude...is this the one thing that will change me?

But...


(here it comes)...

John the Apostle and Paul both approached the frustration of captivity a little differently...and both had radically different results than John the Baptist.

These guys made thier captivity about Him.

They worshipped.

In Pauls case an earthquake happened and many people came to know the Lord thru the event.

In Johns case, the heavens opened and he was given a perspective that radically changed the western world.

Historically Johns imprisonment on Patmos was about 18 months. When he was released he went to Ephesus and tradition has it he went into the Temple of Dianna and confronted the demonic power of that region with immediate results.

Shortly after his confrontation there was of an end to the temple worship of "Dianna of the Ephesians" (*Acts 19:28) , and a breaking of not only the demonic powers but also a release of the power of the gospel so that in 100 years the very government that was persecuting the church would be kingdomised.

I'll get to the point:

No matter what the condition of your life be it slavery or freedom, it is about Him.

If you make all about HIM and prioritise worship even while experiencing various forms of "frustrated freedom" (read jail here)...then since God is no respecter of persons...you can probably expect that things will begin to shake loose and real freedom will come to not only you but those around you.

The fastest way out of "self-help-jail" is the same as any other jail...begin to worship.


(* Artemis and Dianna are basically the same demonic power)