Lately God has used a book to show what one of the greatest problems in the church today is. The book is called Honor's Reward by John Bevere. John is in my facebook and myspace friends. So check him out if you have never seen him. This NOT a cheap plug for a guy's book, and he is NOT paying me to say all this. The book is awesome.

I believe John is a prolific reformer of the Charismatic Church today. If he were a pastor I would join his church! Not that I don't love my own, but if I had no church home and he started one across town, I'd be there.

His book Under Cover is required reading for all leaders at our church. When Honor's Reward came out our church bought them by the case and every life group aka homegroup is supposed to be studying them.

Honor is huge! Honor is so foundational to the Christian faith I don't believe you can be a successful believer without it. In fact I will make a bold statement: You show me a Christian who does not honor people to include parents, pastors, civil government, and social leaders, and I'll show you a phony. Any Christian who cannot be under authority is not saved....period.

When Jesus was approached by the Centurion who needed his servant healed he demonstrated a profound understanding of authority. He recognized that he was a man under authority as well as a man in authority. He understood how honor operated. See for yourself in Matthew chapter 8.

But in the church today people are losing sight of honor. We wonder why signs and wonders are not seen here in America. People explain it away as cessation doctrine. They say "God doesn't heal in America like he does in India because we have doctors and they don't. And God uses physicians to heal over here." A brother who was heavily educated in the Word told me that once.

They just say "well God did that durning the times of the apostles to establish His kingdom. He's not doing miracles today." To that I say HOGWASH! In foreign countries people recieve leaders as messengers of God. Here in America we take this attitude with God's leaders, "He puts his pants on one leg at a time just like I do." Well the differance is my friend, once his pants are on he is called by God.....are you?

I lived in Korea for over two years and I also pastored in a Korean church here in the states. I can tell you a Korean would never treat their leaders with the dishonor we demonstrate in the U.S. Then we wonder why our churches are either not full or like my own, are full but have a small nucleous that does all the serving. Its honor my friend....or the lack thereof.

I ran into a close friend the other day, and like I always do when I'm excited about something, I ask everyone I meet if they've heard about it. Its an annoying thing about me my friends just accept....but I digress. I asked him if he and the life group he is in are studying Honor's Reward? I'll never forget his answer.

He said "they are, I'm not." I was like "say what?" He says "I read the first chapter and I just can't get into it." I was puzzled. This is a guy who leads and people follow. This was a guy who talks and people listen. But he is also a guy who has told me on occasion he is frustrated with our church. He is a guy who disagrees with leader's decisions, and has told me so.

He didn't know it, but he was right then an object lesson FOR the book. He would not have been a better analogy if John Bevere had shot a DVD of this guy and put it in the back sleeve of the book.

I was stunned! A leader who was in open rebellion to the entire pastoral staff by not joining in with his group and getting on board with what God is doing in our church. Notice I didn't say "what our pastor is doing" but I said "What God is doing." That's right when you buck authority in the church, you are sinning against God.

Even if that leadership is dead wrong or just out of touch, you are wrong to take it upon yourself to disobey. Its not like he was being asked to participate in human sacrifices or something that was sin, he was being asked to study a book with his life group.....and he wouldn't do it. That's right! I said wouldn't.

If you go to Family Church, you know we use our large sanctuary for everything. Dinners, concerts, services, VBS.....everything. Well we have chairs that must be picked up and stacked after services when a special event is going to happen that day or the next. Pastor will say at the end of a service "I need everyone to stack all the chairs (about 500 of them) 5 high."

Do you realize that when you walk straight to your car without helping that is rebellion? You have just disobeyed your pastor. Now I understand some people have to leave.....things happen. You have an early moring and chaiir stacking takes a while. I understand that. But some people have nothing going on....except the desire to NOT stack chairs. Guess what? You dishonor your pastor when you do that. I have been guilty of this sin and had to repent I'm sorry to say.

And then there's civil and government leaders. Do you reallize when you forward that pic of Barak Obama in muslim attire with the funny caption that is dishonor? That man is a United States Senator and therefore is authority instituted by God.

Sure I love to listen to Sean Hannity and Laura Ingram too, after all I'm a republican. But lately God has been convicting me through this book about some of what I hear on conservative talk radio. Some of it is corrections based on the facts. Hannity points out Mr Obama's views on a certain issue because an election is coming....I get it. But sometimes conservative talk radio crosses the line into dishonor.

People honor or the lack thereof will make you or break you as a Christian. If you can't honor authority you are in for a looooonnnnngggg eternity in heaven, if you get there at all. Because let's face it, some people don't act in honor out of ignorance, but some don't act in honor because they are NOT saved in the first place.

If you call yourself a Biblical believer, you will plug yourself into a local church and be under its covering. I am friends with a couple who got offended at a church and have stopped going to church. They think their family meeting together is church....its not.

If you are a Christian and can't submit to a body of believers and let them speak into your life, you have a serious heart problem. Get the book, read the book.

I'm thinking of starting an Honor's Reward facebook group......if John doesn't object. After all it is his book and I honor that. John what do you think?