MARCH 30, 2008

PREACH WHAT YOU PRACTICE !

http://netbiblestudy.net/worship/Preaching.gif

IF IT IS THE

GOSPEL TRUTH !

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We’ve all heard the saying, :practice what you preach” which is okay,
but I SAY, “PREACH WHAT YOU

PRACTICE !” A lot of people tend to think that they are being

HUMBLE when they simply “live” their faith by being KIND, and
CHARITABLE, and exhibiting the FRUITS OF THE SPIRIT, and so on
and so forth, rather than go around TELLING people to do this or
don’t do that.

It’s kind of an OLD SCHOOL way of thinking, perhaps also affected by

some HOLLYWOOD films that have gone out of their way to make the
preacher appear to be a “do what I say, not what I do” type of
personality.

And that is a PROBLEM—if preachers don’t LIVE out the FAITH that
they are preaching, but is that the MAIN PROBLEM ?

I believe there are TOO MANY people who, in the name of FALSE
HUMILITY, refuse to preach and/or maybe are not TRULY living a life
of faith that allows them to preach what they practice. It is ACTUALLY
VERY DIFFICULT to live a double life and preach what you don’t
actually practice and believe yourself.

And then there are those who think it would be nice to be a preacher or
pastor and simply show up every Sunday and tell people what to DO and
DON’T DO . But is it that SIMPLISTIC ? I wish it were so. In
fact, the kind of PREACHING I am thinking about doesn’t DWELL
SO MUCH on do’s and don’ts as much as it DWELLS UPON the
GOOD NEWS and reaching people with it in an AFFIRMING
MANNER. That’s the POWER of the GOSPEL! And I do a LOT OF IT
ONLINE—and even offer HOLY COMMUNION by email, among
other things.

But then I try to make EVERY ASPECT OF MY LIFE a TESTIMONY

to GOD. Recently I stopped in at a hair salon inquiring about services in
the little city of Alhambra, CA and the lady asked are you “OF A
RELIGIOUS ORDER…?” I was not dressed like a monk, nor a priest,
just a collared shirt and a jacket, but she said that there was “something
about me” that made her think so.

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I didn’t stay for a haircut because the haircutters were out for lunch
(it’s a “beauty college” that gives reduced price haircuts because it is
students who are cutting your hair), but I left thinking, “IS THAT
GOOD OR BAD?” that she thinks I am “religious.’ One problem is that
it leaves you SUBJECT to THEIR VERSION of what a “RELIGIOUS
PERSON” or “HOLY MAN” or “MAN OF GOD” should act like, look
like, be like, etc. On the other hand , if their impression is positive, it
allows you to have a positive impact on their life.

But LIVING ONE’S FAITH is MUCH MORE than a certain LOOK. In

MY CASE, 90% of my FAITH LIVE is lived out BEHIND THE SCENES.
It is usually not OVERTLY confrontational. And the GOOD NEWS I
deliver is often done through literature, or pocket BIBLES, or the
DVD’s I used to make, or my CHRISTMAS CAMPAIGN, etc.

And it is ONLY AFTER I’ve done all the grunt work behind the scenes
that I finally DELIVER A MESSAGE on SUNDAY—and even this is
done somewhat anonymously in a coffee shop somewhere (usually
Starbucks which offers electric sockets on the wall). But yet some people
are NEVER SATISFIED (including my brother-in-law & sister,
Engelbert & Sissy), and will attempt forever to make pastors, preachers,
and people of faith out to be hypocrites and themselves the real deal.

But that is an ASIDE for the moment . let me talk more about
PREACHING WHAT YOU PRACTICE. There are a LOT OF BIBLE
VERSES that support TELLING the GOOD NEWS to others :

JESUS HIMSELF, said,

“…As you go, preach , saying,'

The kingdom of heaven is at hand….”'
Matt 10:7-8

And again :

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 " Whatever I tell you in the dark,
speak in the light;
and what you hear in the ear,
preach on the housetops.”
Matt 10:27

And again:

"Let us go into the next towns, that I

may preach there also,
because for this purpose
I have come forth."
Mark 1:38

And again :

"Go into all the world and preach the

gospel to every creature”.
Mark 16:15

And again :

“He sent them to preach the

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 kingdom of God”
Luke 9:2

And again :

"Let the dead bury their own dead,

but you go and
preach the kingdom of God."
Luke 9:60

AND THAT’s “JUST JESUS”. That does not include PAUL or

others. SOME SAY that WORDS WITHOUT DEEDS are meaningless
—and there is some definite truth to that, but I also say DEEDS
WITHOUT WORDS is only HALF of the equation AND
therefore DOES NOT FULFILL the GOSPEL.

So the WISEGUY says, “Well what about the MUTE person WHO
cannot talk?” And of course there are always certain exceptions. There
are those who have SPEECH impediments, who don’t have a command
of the language, who are shy, etc. But then there are also those who
SPEAK WELL but are physically handicapped and cannot travel or
move very easily to do physical deeds of charity and acts of great
kindness; or who are financially poor so they cannot give much more
than the widow who gave her last penny (Mark 12.42) —does that mean
they are hypocrites for believing and preaching the GOOD NEWS ?

A PREACHER of the GOSPEL is, by and large, somebody who

INSPIRES others to LIVE FOR GOD ! And what does it mean to
LIVE FOR GOD ? To exhibit the FRUITS OF THE SPIRIT: love, joy,
peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-
control” (GAL 5.22). And I believe these FRUITS become MORE RIPE
and RELEVANT when we BEGIN BY CONSCIENTIOUSLY adjusting
our lifestyle to INTENTIONALLY preach the GOSPEL.

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I grew up going to CHURCH every Sunday—sometimes TWICE every
Sunday, back in Grand Rapids, MI, and I became a GREAT CHURCH
ATTENDER, sometimes even taking notes, and sitting in the wooden
pew WITH PERFECTION starting straight ahead with attentiveness to
the sermon; BUT for a long time I didn’t know how to LIVE OUT my
faith—and reach people with the Gospel.

Going up to people and yelling “BELIEVE IN JESUS CHRIST!” or

even handing out pamphlets or going door-to-door as do some persons
of various other religious orders (especially Jehovah’s Witnesses and
Mormons) didn’t seem to work that well for me (in the beginning).
Some people (especially in the United States) DON’T want to engage in
conversation with somebody on the street, or going door-to-door; and I
don’t like to FEEL REJECTED, and so I began by putting
pocket Bibles and pamphlets and my ministry card UNDER
windshield wipers around town and on a few trips across the USA,
including last summer, 2007.

That was MY INITIAL WAY of doing evangelism. It was NON-

CONFRONTATIONAL. Some people might say, you have to be
confrontational to be effective. Maybe so, depending on the situation
and the person or persons. For me, I had to start my ministry in a non-
confontational manner, and it meant MOSTLY GIVING of myself and
actual gifts to others.

And so when I SAT DOWN and composed my MESSAGE I felt as if I

was TRULY PREACHING WHAT I PRACTICE. I was doing good deeds
and being EXCEPTIONALLY KIND and longsuffering rather than
demanding my legal rights as a “ROMAN” (i.e. American). And in the
process I GAVE A NAME to what I was doing—MUSTARD SEED
MINISTRIES; and went through the process of having it organized as a
non-profit organization and filed as such with the state of California.
BUT naming & organizing & filing it was the LEAST of my concerns—
LIVING the IMPERATIVE to “PREACH” was my first & foremost
and ongoing concern.

And so I have concentrated on REACHING PEOPLE with the GOOD

NEWS. Why do some people in the world try to make preachers and the
GOOD NEWS out to be a matter of DO’s and DON’Ts ? That’s
something I do much more when I am substitute teaching—where I

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have to SPECIFICALLY CONCENTRATE on telling kids “do this” and
“don’t do that.”But the GOSPEL is so much MORE ENRICHED
than do and don’t.
And while I often talk about ME—that is for the sake of REPEATING
MY STORY—and getting the TRUTH known to others ( I do have a
few enemies who would like you to think bad of me), but PRIMARILY
you should come away from me and my message thinking about JESUS
CHRIST, love, and SALVATION, and less about me, the person:

The APOSTLE PAUL, himself, said,

For we do not preach ourselves,

but Jesus Christ as Lord,
and ourselves as your servants
for Jesus' sake”
2 Cor 4:5

“Woe to me if I do
Not preach the gospel “
1 Cor 9:16-17

However, I will also KEEP TELLING MY personal story—and how it

INTERCONNECTS with others because is is part of TRUTH
TELLING; and also, because in the process of our FAITH LIFE we
become more and more part of the BODY OF CHRIST. And if we are
part of the BODY OF CHRIST, part of preaching the GOSPEL becomes,
to a certain extent preaching ourselves, BUT NOT OURSELVES ALONE
—the entire BODY OF CHRIST that began with JESUS THE
GODMAN HIMSELF who DIED on the cross over 2000 years ago, last
week; and ROSE AGAIN !

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 MEANWHILE, there will always be QUESTIONS and CONCERNS
about whether a person is SINCERE or a TRUE BELIEVER, and
preachers or pastors and evangelists will ESPECIALLY come under
scrutiny as leaders of a congregation—and perhaps especially those who
get a salary for what they do, but is it OUR JOB or YOUR JOB
to ‘WEED OUT’ the false believers?

"'No,' he answered, 'because while you are

pulling the weeds,

you may root up the wheat with them.

Let both grow together until the harvest.

At that time I will tell the harvesters:

First collect the weeds and tie them in

bundles to be burned; then gather

the wheat and bring it into my barn.'"

Matt 13:29-30

In fact JESUS may have specifically told this PARABLE because of the
fact that it would be the FALSE BELIEVERS calling the TRUE
BELIEVERS FALSE !! It would be the HYPOCRITES themselves,
so well-versed, academically, in scripture, that would be crying
‘SPECK, SPECK!” not only when no speck existed, but that, in fact,
an ENTIRE LOG is in their eye ! It is FOR THIS REASON
that JESUS GAVE US A CLEAR PARABLE to fend off these attacks.

And my friends, I can tell you that I personally am periodically

ATTACKED by some of these people, including my brother-in-law,
ENGELBERT SLANDERSON ( a lawyer), as well as my own brother
(Slandrew Kok), and recently I noticed SKIP GREENFLAKE (Scott

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Greenway, a CRC PASTOR and son of REGGIE GREENFLAKE
(i.e.Roger Greenway) was attacking me in a COWARDLY manner.

And YOU KNOW how some of these people attack me? For no
outward breach of any laws or violation of other peoples rights, nor for
anything that is TRUE to me as a person and my CHARACTER &
INTEGRITY. They attack me with INNUENDO and sometimes
HIGHBROW suggestiveness, and occasionally direct words: And it is a
despicable BELOW-THE-BELT juvenile attack—directed at my
MANHOOD-things some men (& women) do in the darkness:

They attack me—saying I am a ‘masturbator” or as they sometimes say,

or said, a “jerkoff.” If they don’t say it in direct words they say it with
HIGHBROW MANNERISMS or suggestiveness. IT IS COWARDLY
and not only FALSELY SUGGESTIVE but probably HYPOCRITICAL
and probably a direct revelation of their own issues.

And ALL I CAN do most of the time is TURN THE OTHER CHEEK,
but recently I actually went so far as to CHALLENGE my brother-in-
law, ENGELBERT SLANDERSON to a SANCTIONED BOXING
MATCH, in accord with all local, state, and federal laws.
And now I EXTEND the same CHALLENGE to SKIP GREENFLAKE,
as well as my own lawyer brother, SLANDrew Kok (slandrew is derived
from the world SLANDER and the Bible speaks of SLANDER as
“throwing across” or dia ballo –throwing across evil words about others
—hence DIABLO –a word used for DEVIL essentially means
‘THROWING ACROSS EVIL WORDS’ or SLANDER.

It is SAD that I have to go so far as to BE WILLING TO

PHYSICALLY FIGHT for my FAITH, but if it is necessary
to DEFEND my reputation, integrity, and manhood, SO BE IT. And let
me repeat—the CHALLENGE is EXTENDED WITHOUT ILL WILL,
but solely CHRISTIAN LOVE, and if any of the recipients of the
challenge DARE to accept the challenge, I expect the BOXING MATCH
to be done in a SANCTIONED manner according to amateur and/or
professional boxing safety standards, with WITNESSES and any

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proceeds going to a reputable CHRISTIAN MINISTRY or CHRISTIAN
CHARITY (and not my own).

Is a boxing match UNBIBLICAL and in contrast to TURNING THE

OTHER CHEEK ? I’m NOT SO SURE. I am PRAYING about it—
whether it is in accordance with GOD’s WILL or not. If it becomes clear
that it is not according to GOD’s WILL I will retract the challenge, but
as of the moment, it seems FITTING, given the UNWARRANTED
attack on my BIBLICAL MANHOOD from a few of the above-
mentioned persons.

And because I am not yet married these people ATTACK WITHOUT

MERCY, as if marriage is the sin qua non of the faith life. As if being
married proves your manhood. My friends, I actually do wish to have a
WIFE and have been actively seeking a LIFE PARTNER with whom to
have children, but it has not yet happened. Does this mean I spend my
nights alone engaged in selfish activities?! GOD FORBID ! The
APOSTLE PAUL says it better than me:

“When I was a child, I talked like a

child, I thought like a child, I reasoned
like a child.
When I became a man, I put childish
ways behind me”.
1 Cor 13:11

And let me assure you, BEING UNMARRIED forces one to be MORE

DISCIPLINED, NOT LESS. And it also COMPELS growth IN one’s
MARRIAGE to JESUS CHRIST. Both the SINGLE LIFE as well as the
MARRIED LIFE have their pros and cons, their merits and limitations.

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But if people simply don’t believe that I live a life of integrity as a single
man perhaps a CHALLENGE to my detractors will settle this once for
all, IF THEY
DARE ! If they are so MANLY let us settle this in a way they think
is manly. And BY THE WAY, in some cases, it is COWARDLY WOMEN
who are INCITING their man to attack me. SHAME ON YOU, TOO !

And, my friends, I will END today’s message with this:

“Preach the Word; be prepared in

season
and out of season; correct,
rebuke and encourage —
with great patience and
careful instruction”.
2 Tim 4:2

TRUST GOD, follow JESUS, allow yourself to be LED by the HOLY

SPIRIT !. And KEEP or START PREACHING WHAT YOU
PRACTICE !

VanderKOK SIR JOHN THOMAS PHILIP A. STANLEY

POWER CHRISTMAS KOK

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