Christian Living

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Sent Back to be a Blessing
By Patricia Backora, author of the book
Tough Love in Christ's Millennium
Which you can order online from: http://www.publishamerica.com

If you’ve ever felt misunderstood by a hard-hearted minister, don’t be too surprised, because Jesus’ worst enemies hailed from the religious Establishment. It was the scribes and Pharisees who helped to railroad Christ to the Cross. I suspect they felt threatened by Jesus because they thought He was jeopardizing their religious racket. They hated Jesus because He exposed hypocrites for the liars and deceivers they were. The darkness always hates the light. The man Jesus healed of blindness in John Chapter 9 was interrogated by the Pharisees about his miracle. Instead of rejoicing with this man that he had been set free from satan’s bondage, the Pharisees cast scorn on what Jesus had done. They denied the right of one formerly blind to speak of what Jesus had done for him, that God might be glorified in the works of His Son. The formerly blind man shared some words of wisdom with these blind Pharisees and all they could reply was: Thou wast altogether born in sins, and dost thou teach us? Then they cast him out of the synagogue. Jesus said that because the Pharisees refused to see the truth, their sin remained. There’s a great contrast between a Pharisee and a preacher whose motivation is to minister the life and love of Jesus.

Many years ago my brother and I were both enduring some terrible trials. I was so miserable that I wasn’t even able to encourage myself, much less my unconverted brother. The countless slick mail-outs we got from preachers made me think they lived in another world, far removed from the problems we faced. We went over to the neighbors' house. They gave Adam money to go get some coffee at a nearby supermarket. As he walked to the store he prayed: "Oh, Lord, if you’re real, ya just gotta help me find somebody who can help Patricia."

Once he reached the coffee aisle he got the surprise of his life, In the middle of the aisle stood "Brother Bob" a guy Adam had never seen before, preaching his heart out to anybody who would listen. Adam heard wonderful news of liberation through this man who did not run formal church meetings. He just shared anointed words of encouragement with anybody who had needs. Adam said: "Brother, you’re the answer to my sister’s prayers. She was feeling so low. I wish she was here to hear you."

Brother Bob phoned me at an agreed time, and as he spoke the chains just fell off my spirit. The fragrance of the love of Christ emanated from his words, and even from the way he spoke them. I thought, “There’s nothing phony about this man. He reminds me so much of Jesus. He said, "In two days you’ll have the answer. Sure enough, in two days the answer to my troubles came.

Over the years there were many times I’d phone Brother Bob for counsel and prayer support, and he was always there for me. Once when I was in the area, my brother and I went out three times to his rural home and attended his informal gatherings, usually between eight or nine people. It wasn’t a formal church meeting, just a time when people would gather round and tell him their troubles and ask for prayer. Brother Bob would pray for each of us and share a word of Scripture to fit our individual situations. And if the Lord gave him any insight into the cause of the problem or showed him that the answer was near at hand, he would share those things with us too. We asked him why he didn’t start regular organized church services. He said that he had tried for awhile to hold structured church meetings out in his barn. But it didn’t work out too well because he sensed that when he tried to organize this special work of God into a regularly scheduled "church meeting", the anointing would fade away. So he decided instead to stick with informal, impromptu meetings to pray for sick and troubled people as the Spirit led him. Naturally the pastors of the churches his visitors "belonged to" got upset about this, but Brother Bob would tell them: "If y’all would only slop your hogs the way I slop mine, they wouldn’t keep on breakin’ through your fence to stray over to my trough." Brother Bob was free to share what the Lord gave him, not hide it under a bushel basket. And that was because he wasn’t under the control of some church board which would have put restraints on the move of the Holy Spirit. But he and his family did travel to many edifying Christian meetings.

The hog analogy sounded both humorous and shocking to me, but it fit that countrified setting. That was a natural analogy for a country preacher to use. They don’t raise sheep in his area, at least not very many. Mostly it’s cows and hogs. Can you imagine the pastors of some of the most prestigious (and most powerless) churches in that area, who came from a refined, high society background, hearing it expressed in those terms!

The most amazing thing is this: that Brother Bob had lived to meet me and Adam. He had survived many heart attacks. Some time before Brother Bob met us, he’d died in a hospital of heart failure and gone to heaven. He saw the most beautiful Paradise all around him and desperately wanted to stay there. How joyfully liberated Brother Bob felt, for he was free from pain and physical infirmity at long last!

But Jesus had something very important to tell Brother Bob. Jesus said he had other work he needed to do for His Kingdom, and would he mind going back, even though his health was so bad? It was a sacrifice for Brother Bob, but he readily agreed that serving His dear Savior must come before his own personal welfare. At the time this happened, he was lying on a hospital guerney being wheeled to the morgue. How frightened the orderlies were when this dead preacher sprang back to life!

What an impact he made on my spiritual life! This man, who had suffered heart trouble most of his life, was sent back from heaven to a world like this, to help me and Adam, among others, to recover from the devil’s fiery darts and get strong enough to stand in faith on the Word of God. The Lord seemed to say to me: "I just couldn’t spare Brother Bob at that time. If I’d had anybody else who’d been willing and able to minister to hurting individuals the way this man did, in simplicity and sincerity of heart, Brother Bob would have been allowed to remain with Me in heaven the very first time he came up here."

My brother (a very skinny anorexic) developed cancer from heavy smoking. He was prayed over by Brother Bob, but Adam’s faith just wasn’t strong enough to ride out the storm. Like Peter who took his eyes off Jesus looked at the wild waves all around him, Adam was unable to hang onto what he had received through believing prayer. He eventually died from his illness. But Brother Bob realized you have to help people progress from the point where they truly are, not bemoan the fact they’re not yet strong in certain areas of their spiritual life. He helped prepare Adam for the time he’d meet the Lord, so that Adam would be sure he was saved and on his way to a far better place.

This dear saint was a great comfort to my family. A couple of years after Adam’s passing, this man of God succumbed to one of many heart attacks he’d had, and went home to Glory. I often imagine him and my brother walking together in Paradise, reminiscing about the good talks they had together on earth. I’m glad to be here on earth till Jesus comes for me, learning and doing things, happy that at this stage in my life I actually have the time and opportunity for the things that count for eternity. It wasn’t always this way. There are times when we are so busy doing urgent tasks every day, like Martha, we don’t have time to sit at Jesus’ feet like we should.

Two of Brother Bob’s favorite Scriptural passages which helped set me free were: John 8:32: "And ye shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free." And: "The thief cometh not but for to steal, kill, and destroy. I am come that they might have life, and have it more abundantly (John 10:10)." And, Brother Bob would often say: "There’s more for us than against us. Jesus and me, we make a majority."

I literally owe my spiritual survival to this man, and I hope the Lord told him so when he went home to Glory!

[email protected] http://www.kingdomageministry.com

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