Dwelling Place

Al Pittman: David got upset with God, and I think sometimes we're like David. We get upset. We try something for the Lord, and, "This is going to be so awesome, Lord. It's going to be cool, and everybody's going to really envy us." We try to do something for God that's big for God, and then it falls on its face, and we get mad at God. "So I won't do anything." Isn't that what David did?

Of course, we all know that David was bringing the ark up, not according to the Word of God, but according to the ability of man.

Narrator: Thank you for listening to the Dwelling Place, a radio ministry from Pastor Al Pittman of Al Pittman Ministries. The purpose of this radio program is to encourage you, strengthen your walk with the Lord, and grow. To support this program financially or learn more about the ministry, visit us online at AlPittmanMinistries.com. That's AlPittmanMinistries.com. Thank you for partnering with us. Now, here is Pastor Al.

Al Pittman: It's my job, my task, to share with you from Galatians chapter 3, verse 3. If you have a Bible, please open to Galatians chapter 3, verse 3. We're just going to read that quickly and then pray and then dive into the Word of the Lord. Amen.

I was sitting upstairs, and my wife—she taught one of the breakout sessions—my beautiful wife, Norma. Where are you, honey? Are you there? Where are you? Oh, there you are. Amen. I was sitting there, and the women were coming down, and they were giving me dirty looks. I don't know what she shared, but I think I'm in trouble, though. I don't know.

All right. Galatians chapter 3, verse 3. "Are you so foolish? Having begun in the Spirit, are you now being made perfect by the flesh?" Amen. Let's pray.

Father, we pray in the name of Jesus that You will bless Your Word, that Your Word would go forth, Lord, as You have promised, that it will not return to You void but will accomplish that which You sent it to do. We commit this time to You, Lord. Those of us who have begun in the Spirit, may this message, Lord, serve as a guide, an encouragement, and even a warning.

For those of us who have begun in the Lord and in our ministries, Lord, that we should finish also in the Spirit. Father, we commit this time to You. Be glorified. Magnify Your Son. Let no flesh be exalted but the name of Jesus alone. For we ask it in His name, and everyone said, "Amen."

Now, in context, many of you are Bible students. You know that Paul is talking about salvation here. The Galatian believers, many of them, had gone back to the law. The whole book of Galatians is about going forward in the Lord, trusting in Jesus Christ, not trusting in the law. Many of them had gone back to the law, and Paul is challenging them here, saying, "You began in the Spirit. The Spirit of God has drawn you, but now you're trying to perfect what God has done in the flesh, perfect your salvation in the flesh."

But this exhortation can also be applied to us in our ministries: how we have begun in the Spirit, and many times we find ourselves now in the ministry because we've been around the church a little bit. We've got a little education. We know a few things. So we're like, "God, I've got it from here on out. Thank you. I appreciate the training. Boot camp is over. I think I've got a good handle on things. If I need you, I'll call you."

That's the mentality sometimes we have. We say, "Oh, I'm not doing that," but sometimes we take a real hard look at our ministries. Many times we end up doing that. Paul, whether you're talking about salvation or ministry, beginning in the Spirit, says for us to try to perfect something in the flesh is foolish. The Greek word is *anoetos*, and it means simply unintelligent, by implication, sensual.

In other words, Paul is saying here you're being foolish in that you're trying to finish through sensuality, through your flesh, what God has started in the Spirit—those things that appeal to our flesh. We think, "Oh, that's cool, so it must be God," but is it really? It may appeal to my flesh, but is it really the Lord?

We need to remember the scripture tells us in Hebrews chapter 12, verse 2, that it is Jesus Christ who is the author and the finisher of our faith. He is the author and the finisher of your ministry, whether that's teaching Sunday school, or you're leading a women's group, or you're senior pastor. God, You've got to do this thing. You have got to do this because I can't.

It's a liberating place when you realize, "Lord, I can't do it, but You have to do it." Philippians chapter 1, verse 6—many of you are familiar with that verse as well—Paul declares to the church of Philippi, being confident of this very thing, that He who has begun a good work in you will complete it until the day of Jesus Christ.

Boy, isn't that a reassuring word? I mean, how many of us—I don't want to see a show of hands—but have messed up in ministry? Aren't you glad God made a commitment to you that He started a work in you that He will also complete? Some of us have derailed, and we've come back to the Lord, and all these different things. Yet God has promised to finish what He started in us.

Aren't you glad that He creates beautiful things from ashes? Out of the ashes of our own doing, He creates beautiful things. Aren't you glad that He takes things from the dung heap of the world and things that the world says are useless, and even sometimes the church looks at you and says you're useless, God says, "I can still use you"?

Amen. I love that. He who began a good work in you. You are His workmanship. He said that He will also complete. You know, it's amazing how a move of God—Calvary Chapel, the group that most of us belong to, Chuck Smith started back in, I believe, late '60s, early '70s—how it was just this mighty move of God.

And many other movements. One of the denominations I used to belong to was birthed out of the Azusa Street Revival in the turn of the century. Amen. Some of you know where I'm going with that one. But you know, it's amazing how a great work of God, a move of God, soon becomes a system of man, ending as an institution of religion, a monument, a mausoleum years later.

And why is that? Because they began in the Spirit, and then they're trying to perfect it in the flesh. See, the problem that each move of God faces is that we like to perfect it. We like to perfect it. A move of God. God does something awesome, and we're just excited, "Oh, it's cool," and then what happens is we try to perfect what God started.

That's the problem. And you know why we want to do that? So we can take the credit for it. You know, "Oh, look what we've done." Now, none of us would admit to that. Amen. What's the motivation for wanting to have a large church? Is it the glory of God, or is it the glory of yourself?

That's the question that I ask myself many times as God is blessing and growing His church. Oh, we love to start boasting in that, you know, how many people you've got coming, you know, how big the building is, and all of that. "Oh, yes, look what the Lord did, but I helped." Amen. We like to do that.

They say you go to the senior pastor conferences years ago and you'd hear people talking about the three Bs: budgets, buildings, and butts. How many you got in the seats? How big is your building? How large is your budget? Having begun in the Spirit, will you perfect what God has done in the flesh?

There are two Old Testament examples that warn us against that. One is many of you are familiar with, Uzzah. Remember him? David's homeboy, David's friend. David was trying to bring the ark of God up to the tabernacle there in Jerusalem. And the oxen stumbled on the threshing floor, and it looked like the ark was going to fall over. Uzzah reached out to help God out and steady it.

As he reached out, God reached out to him and slapped him into eternity. Killed him. Killed him because he dared to touch the glory of God, to take credit for it. Bible says in 2 Samuel chapter 6, verses 7 and 8—you just write it down, let me read it to you—"Then the anger of the Lord was aroused against Uzzah, and God struck him there for his error." It's always an error to touch the glory of God, to take credit for it.

"And he died there by the ark of God. And David became angry because of the Lord's outbreak against Uzzah. And he called the name of the place Perez Uzzah," which means outbreak against Uzzah, "to this day." David got upset with God, and I think sometimes we're like David. We get upset. We try something for the Lord, and "This is going to be so awesome, Lord. And man, it's going to be cool, and everybody's going to really envy us."

We try to do something for God that's big for God, and then it falls on its face, and we get mad at God. "So I won't do anything." Isn't that what David did? Of course, we all know that David was bringing the ark up, not according to the Word of God, but according to the ability of man. And Uzzah was trying to help God out.

It's amazing how we want to jump in and try to help God out when we see the ministry kind of maybe teetering a little bit. Remember, as Pastor Eric taught us and shared with us, it's not by might nor by power, Zechariah said, "but by My Spirit," says the Lord. Could it be that your plans have failed because God is trying to get you back to Him?

Could it be that your plans have failed because God is more concerned with promoting His will rather than your will? Isn't it amazing how that happens? David got mad at God, and I think God was trying to get David back to the Word. Remember, you know the story, that he finally went back to the Word and as he saw what the Word of God said, that you're not to bring the ark up on a cart, but the Levites were to bring it up on the poles.

And then when he went back to God's Word and did it God's way, God blessed it. I've seen that in my own life where things have failed, and I go, "Okay, God, I guess You didn't call me," and I'm complaining. Then I go back to the Word and go, "Oh, that's not the way You wanted me to do it in the first place."

So sometimes our failure is because God is trying to get us back to where we ought to be. Amen. 1 Chronicles chapter 10 is another warning. You may want to turn there with me, 1 Chronicles chapter 10. Reading this the other day, and it just stuck out to me, and I thought, "Wow, I'm going to share this."

Because here we have the account of Saul, King Saul, and in his demise. Here he has been defeated by the Philistines. He along with his sons have been killed. 1 Chronicles chapter 10, verse 8 says, "And it happened the next day, when the Philistines came to strip the slain, that they found Saul and his sons fallen on Mount Gilboa. And they stripped him, and they took his head and his armor, and sent word throughout the land of the Philistines to proclaim the news in the temple of their idols and among the people. Then they put his armor in the temple of their gods and fastened his head to the temple of Dagon."

"And when all Jabesh Gilead heard all that the Philistines had done to Saul, all the valiant men arose and they took the body of Saul and the bodies of his sons, and they brought them to Jabesh and buried their bones under the tamarisk tree at Jabesh, and fasted seven days." This is the point I want you to hear. "So Saul died for his unfaithfulness which he had committed against the Lord because he did not keep the word of the Lord, number one, and also because he consulted with a medium for guidance."

He did not consult with the Lord but consulted with a medium for guidance concerning the work of God. We must be careful that we are not depending upon the guidance of the world and rejecting the guidance of God—that we're not depending on church demographic studies and what the latest fads are or anything else. There's nothing wrong with methodology and changing things up or being innovative. Even Paul said, "By all means, I will save some."

But we cannot be utterly dependent on those things. We must be utterly dependent upon the guidance of the Holy Spirit in your ministry. Be careful that you're not depending on those things. He was killed, God said, because he abandoned My Word and he did not rely on My guidance. Verse 14 says, "But he did not inquire of the Lord. Therefore God killed him and turned the kingdom over to David, the son of Jesse."

That tells me a couple of things for me. God doesn't need me. I need God. God says, "I'll take you out and raise up another one just like you." I don't need your innovation, Al. I don't need your wonderful ideas. It's not about you. You need Me. And Saul forgot that—that he needed God. After all, I'm the king. God's not impressed. I'm the senior pastor.

What does that mean? You're a slave, a bondservant of the Most High God, to rely upon His Word and His guidance at all times. And when we forget His Word and the guidance of the Spirit of God, when we are not taking time to seek Him and to inquire of the Lord, we're destined for failure. And I notice also that those who fail to follow God's guidance, to be led by the Spirit, will soon lose their heads.

Saul lost his head. Think about it. And the same thing applies spiritually. When we stop following the Lord and following His guidance, we will soon lose our heads in the ministry, and we will go crazy. It will become about us or what have you. If you want to keep your head, keep His Word and continue to depend upon the Holy Spirit. He not only lost his head, he lost his armor. He was stripped of his armor, his divine protection, and all of that.

That's a whole other sermon you could probably get into, but the point is well-made in the book of 1 Chronicles concerning Saul. God doesn't want you to end up as a trophy for the enemy with your hide tacked to the temple of the enemy of our soul. Therefore, we must remember first and foremost that the foundation has already been laid. I know that I'm talking to many who are Bible students and sold out for Jesus and all that.

But it's just human nature how we can begin to wander from the Lord and forget the foundation. The foundation has already been laid, and we must be careful, having begun in the Spirit, how we build on that foundation. 1 Corinthians chapter 3, verses 11 to 14, Paul writes to the church in Corinth: "For no other foundation can anyone lay than that which is laid, which is Jesus Christ."

1 Corinthians 3, verses 11 to 14: "Which is Jesus Christ. Now if anyone builds on this foundation with gold, silver, precious stones, wood, hay, straw, each one's work will become clear; for the Day will declare it. Because it will be revealed by fire; and the fire will test each one's work, of what sort it is. If anyone's work which he has built on it endures, he will receive a reward."

Paul is reminding us: be careful how you build. Be careful how you build. I'm always asking myself and challenging myself to make sure that this is what the Lord wants. We've had a lot of discussions about which direction God wants us to go as a fellowship as far as maybe future expansion and things like that. But it's like I'm trying to make sure, "Lord, this is not about me or getting my name out there. This is about You."

I want to make sure that we're building, that we're careful how we're building on this foundation that You've given to us. We've started in the Spirit, we must finish in the Spirit, being led by the Spirit of God. Today we see a lot of people in the church looking for new altars. New altars, the latest and the greatest to grow the perfect ministry. And again, God is not against innovation, but we need to be careful that we continue to be utterly dependent upon the Lord in whatever we do—totally dependent upon the Spirit of God.

There are two means by which the enemy, I believe, can lure you away from—you've started in the Spirit, but now you've been lured away from the Spirit, and now you've gotten away from what God has maybe called you to do. And there are two means, primary means, by which the enemy is able to do that. Number one is through comparison. Comparison. I do want you to turn to 2 Corinthians chapter 10.

When we start sitting around comparing ourselves to one another. Amen. Now, I know you don't do that. You don't compare yourself to other people's ministries, but you know what? The reality is that a lot of times people in the church do. Comparisons. This is how the enemy can get in and get you to stop following the Spirit, being guided by the Spirit. Because now we're not looking at the Spirit.

We're looking at someone else's ministry, and we're trying to mimic what we see on the outside or someone else's ministry or work that God is doing in someone else's church. You can't do that. What does the Lord want to do in your life? What does the Lord want to do in your church? That's what we need to be focused on. God showed me this early on when I first came to Colorado Springs and started pastoring the church and all that.

God, He took me here. I think it was before I even came to town. He just warned me. He said, "Don't you get up there and start comparing yourself. You focus on what it is that I've called you to do." And that's for every believer that is here. What is God calling you to do? We had a call on the radio the other day. A guy was talking about more pastors need to speak more about end times and what's happening in Israel and all that.

And part of the exhortation that we gave him was, "Are you doing everything God's called you to do?" You know, it's the old thing, Jesus speaking to Peter, and Peter, when John was following him, he said, "Well, what about that disciple?" And Jesus said to Peter, "Don't you worry about him. If I want him to live forever, that's up to me. You follow me." You see, the question is, am I continually following the Lord? Am I following His guidance?

"Well, is Pastor Ed following His guidance?" That's none of your business. "Is Pastor Al following—?" Are you following the Lord? Amen. If more of us would do that instead of comparing ourselves to other people, I think we'd get a lot more done for God. Amen. God always starts at your house. I mean, even when there's times I've got on my knees and prayed and honestly, if I'm honest with you, I was complaining to the Lord maybe about my wife or something.

You know, that's what prayer is a lot of times. We're just complaining. And God looks at you and goes, "Are you finished?" "But I'm complaining!" And God never says, "You know what, Al? You're right. Let's do something about Norma."

Narrator: Learn more about Pastor Al and his ministry by visiting AlPittmanMinistries.com. Also consider supporting us financially. You can send a check to Al Pittman Ministries at PO Box 50584, Colorado Springs, Colorado, 80949, or visit us online. Thank you for your prayers and your support. Your generosity keeps this radio ministry going.

Lastly, we would love to hear from you. You can contact us by emailing info@AlPittmanMinistries.com. That's info@AlPittmanMinistries.com. We look forward to hearing from you. Again, thank you for joining us, and we'll see you next time on the Dwelling Place. God bless you.

Have you been wanting to hear Pastor Al teach live? Well, now's your chance. Your sanctification is under the Father's authority. How God's going to provide for you is under His authority. How God is going to strengthen you is under His authority. Faith is trusting God for His part while doing my part.

Join Pastor Al at Legacy of Faith Church in Denver, Colorado, on Palm Sunday, March 29th. There, Pastor Al will be teaching a dynamic Palm Sunday message that you don't want to miss. Doors open at 9:15 AM, service begins at 10:30 AM. Head to LegacyOfFaithChurch.com to get directions or get more information. That's LegacyOfFaithChurch.com. We'll see you there.