Message from Dr. Bob Paeglow
Ben Peters
Jul 8, 2009


www.ohmint.org

Greetings dear Saints,

There's lots going on and I'll share more soon, but I just wanted to get this response to my last letter, called, WHAT'S UP, GOD? I know you will enjoy what Dr. Bob has to say.


Ben,

I love your words and I believe you are "right on the money"! I've prayerfully contemplated why things seem to be such a struggle when we believe we are moving in what God wants us to do. I was praying for transformation recently. I was lamenting before the Lord, "Lord, why do you have us praying and working, giving up everything(which isn't entirely true) to see transformation and we don't seem to see it, at least to the degree that I would like to see it. What is it going to take?" I believe I heard the Lord say, "When my leaders forsake their pride and humble themselves, and work together, you will have it!"

Our biggest obstacle working here in the inner city is not poverty, its pride. Everybody seems to want to have their own program, everybody seems to be jealous of any one else's giftings, unwilling to serve one another or work towards each others success. Coveting each other's gifts, position, and ministry is commonplace. This results in duplication and waste of resources, missed opportunities, division, sickness, I could go on and on. Do you think the fact that we have over 30,000 denominations is pleasing to the Lord? It's an abomination! When I see one of these small storefront churches spring up here in the inner city around a particular aspect of the faith, I cry! We don't need small, mostly ineffective, churches, we need to come together. We cannot seem to come together as a body because all of us are trying to prove that we are somehow better, or our answer is righter, or worse the only answer, or our programs are better, yadda,yadda, yadda,ad nauseum.

IIChronicles 7:14 which we are always quick to quote and use to pray for revival contains 4 conditions before you get to God's promise "then I will heal your land." The first, and probably most difficult, condition states: " If my people.... will humble themselves" Our land remains unhealed because we have not even gotten to first base in God's recipe for revival. We have not humbled ourselves, it is humility and submission which causes a body to come together and function efficiently.

I am a doctor and have been trained to understand how the body functions. I have been humbled enough in my profession to realize how little I know, and trust me I am one of the leaders in my profession in the country, about the intricacies of God's creation. I do know this much, however. If my hand doesn't submit to my upper arm, my body is in chaos, and if neither submits to my brain, we have utter disaster. We must humble ourselves, and not only pray, but lay down our lives for the Unity of the Body of Christ.

I'll end with a brief story. A number of years ago I was active in a Bible Study in the town where we lived at the time. I was a real "hot shot" so full of myself, knowing all the right answers, the right scriptures, etc. I got into a heated dispute with a brother over the theology of healing, of all things! It got pretty nasty and the meeting ended on a sour note as far as I was concerned. The next morning I was driving myself into work, I was feeling an offense, and I was praying:"Lord which one of us was right?" The answer that came to me was so powerful I had to pull off the road. I was weeping so strongly I couldn't see to continue to drive!

The Lord said to me,"I am not going to tell you who is right because your heart is not right! It is just like when you get into an argument with your wife. You will continue the fight until she comes over to agree with you, even when you're wrong. It is because being right is more important to you than you're relationship together. Repent! Think about my son Jesus. He hung on the cross and bore every offense. He was crucified and he was right, He was innocent, but he didn't return the offense heaped on him, as you are so quick to do. When will you realise that being in a love relationship is more important than being right? Join my son in His suffering so that true unity can come forth. Unity begins with U(you)! It doesn't come from singing a few nice songs and saying a bunch of feel good words at some meeting. It will happen when you die to yourself, not returning offenses but causing them to stop right there with you.

I hope this might be of some encouragement.
Dr Bob