2352 Dallas-Cherryville Highway Dallas, North Carolina 28034-0512 USA

Paul A. Brintley, Sr. Minister

SERVICES Wed. 7pm - Sat. 6pm - Sun. 11am

Complimentary Breakfast Sundays at 9am

www.strivingon.com

Loyalty to the

Man of God Paul A. Brintley, Sr.

About Paul A. Brintley, Sr.

At an early age, my family and I lived in the projects of Mount Airy,

NC. Growing up, I saw my neighbors partake in crime, drugs, and

drunkenness. Yet my mother (Susie McClure), a widower, was

determined to follow the teachings of my deceased father who

diligently taught the Gospel of Christ for many years. My father

(Bishop L.C. Brintley) was the founder of three churches. After his

death, my mother continued to bring my brother (Ty), sister (Jean)

and my self to the Gospel Assembly Church even though it was

100 miles away to Gastonia, NC.

During my teenage years, I continue to go to church but my heart

was not in it. The sins of this life had took me under. I was afraid

that God was watching, but yet I continued on living under the

power of sin. My sophomore year of high school changed the path

of my life. I began attending Victory Christian Academy until going

on to college. While in college the Holy Spirit began dealing with

me about ministry.

Not knowing what lied ahead in my life, I diligently started seeking

God and drawing very close to my Pastor, William N. Podaras.

Brother Podaras reared me in the departments of Christianity.

Having a true man of God leading you is one of the most important

things that can bring you even closer to the Lord. Under my Pastors

guidance, I became a very successful businessman.

After being an Associate Pastor, of the Gospel Assembly of Kings

Mountain, NC, for two years, I married Celeste Crocker on January

27, 1996. We have been blessed with our only child, Paul A.

Brintley, II.

After founding a church in Shelby, NC, I have moved our assembly

to our current facilities in Dallas North Carolina.

Loyalty to the

Man of God

Paul A. Brintley, Sr. January 20, 2004

Obey them that have the rule over you,

and submit yourselves: for they watch for

your souls, as they that must give account,

That they may do it with joy, and not with grief:

for that is unprofitable for you.

Hebrews 13:17

Yet I suppose it necessary to

send to you Epaphroditus, my

brother, and companion in

labor, and my fellow soldier,

but your messenger, and

he that ministered to my wants.

Philippians 2:25

16

The things that we do today will have much influence

on tomorrow. The Bible teaches that in the last days there

will be individuals that will be heady, high-minded, and

truce breakers (2 Timothy 3:1-5). All three of these de-

scriptions are of such that are not willing to submit to God's

authority. These disciples are so head strong that they will

not allow anyone else to be their under-shepherd. Everyone

needs guidance. No one can make it on this journey alone.

Every man's head is Christ who is the Chief Shepherd. The

Chief Shepherd must have under-shepherds that have a re-

sponsibility of feeding the flock of God (John 21:17). So as

we allow the under-shepherd to lead us we cannot be high-

minded. A truce breaker makes a pledge of commitment

then breaches that pledge by being disloyal and not being

faithful. Once we make a vow, we must follow through

with it as we have purposed in our heart.

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Loyalty to the Man of God

Table of Contents

Loyalty to the Man of God ........................................ 1

The Set Man ........................................................... 2

Becoming Armor Bearers ......................................... 6

Worldly Influence Produces Unfaithfulness ................ 9

Divinely Called Men ............................................... 10

A Servant, Yet Being Saved ................................... 12

Loyalty to the Man of God

Being loyal has no self-gratification. The recipient, not the

loyalist, receives the gratification. The only self-gratification

that can be received is when someone is loyal to you. No one

should put on loyalty just to display a facade to get someone

to be loyal to them. Loyalty has its rewards. Many men of

God began showing faithfulness to someone else before they

started in ministry. The apostle Paul was faith to the Phari-

sees and then later to the elders in Jerusalem. Paul reminds

us in scripture that faithfulness is the key to being successful

in caring out commanded responsibilities. Have you been

faithful in another mans? Can you look back at when you

served others? Are you being served today as a result of

your faithfulness? The next few pages address the proceed-

ing questions and explains what it takes to become a servant.

1

Solomon said, "faithful are the wounds of a friend."

Wounds never seem to be good, but they are for the better-

ment when they press us toward perfection. Companion-

ship encourages one another to stay faithful when the other

is lacking. Romans 15:1 says, "We then that are strong

ought to bear the infirmities of the weak, and not to please

ourselves. "

The opportunity that we have to work together strength-

ens the whole body. Faithfulness is instilled in individuals

that have had a good example of faithfulness displayed be-

fore them. As we are kind and loyal to one another the

seeds that we are sowing will produce that same loyalty

back to the one who sowed.

If you want to sit under an oak tree in your later days,

plant an acorn in your youth. Use the men around you and

they will be loyal to you. God called men to know their

time of ministry and to pray for others to come along and

recognize the calling.

Let the Lord, the God of the spirits of all flesh, set a man over the congregation, Which may go out before them, and which may go in before them, and which may lead them out, and which may bring them in; that the con-gregation of the Lord be not as sheep which have no shep-herd. Numbers 27:16-17

14

But I trust in the Lord Jesus to send Timothy shortly

unto you, that I also may be of good comfort when I know

your state. For I have not man like-minded, who will

naturally care for your state. For all seek their own, not

the things which are Jesus Christ's. But ye know the

proof of him, that as a son with the father, he hath served

with me in the gospel. Philippians 2:19-22

Although Timothy’s head was Christ, he was a follower

of Paul. Paul told the church at Corinth to be followers of

him as he followed Christ (I Corinthians 11:1). We know

that the head of every man is Christ and no minister, parent,

or wife can be ordained a minister's head. When Titus was

sent to Crete he was directed to go by Paul, yet Christ was

Titus' head (Titus 1:5). Faithful men like Timothy and Ti-

tus worked with Paul and showed their faithfulness to him

and their reward was their own ministry. Romans 13 ad-

monishes us to be subject to higher powers; whether they be

ministers, governments, or parents, every soul must be sub-

ject to another. No man can stand alone in the ministry and

be successful. We find that in a multitude of counselors

there is wisdom safety (Proverbs 11:14). All ministers need

comrades, associates, peers- someone to be accountable to

in the ministry. Everyone is to be submissive to some au-

thority, even if it is obeying the speed limit on the freeway.

13

The Set Man

Every Christian should be led by the Holy Spirit. Its

leading will develop son ship in your life (Romans 8). We

ask for guidance from the Holy Spirit. The church has its

government which is set up in the Bible by the Lord Jesus

and His Holy Spirit; which is expressed through the minis-

try. Our leaders are very valuable to us as we travel on this

Christian journey. Journey, what a journey? Nehemiah asked

the king if he would be granted permission to go to Judah in

order to rebuild the city of his fathers. The king asks how

long will the journey be and when would Nehemiah return

(Romans 2:6). We ask the same questions about our Lord's

return. Peter said that some would even complain and begin

to scoff by saying, “where is the promise of the Lord's com-

ing?” (2 Peter 3:4). The church is awaiting the Lord's return.

(1 Thessalonians 4:17) There must be a hope established in

the people of God not to faint. The ministry has been estab-

lished to bring the believer into maturity through the word of

God. Christians today must not let their hope be deferred

because of the frailty of man, but must have a revelation that

God is still building his Bride through the church. Paul told

the Hebrews that they must assemble more frequently as the

close of the age draws to an end (Hebrews 10:15). Biblical

2

assembling has structure to it. One of the structures or orders

of service is teaching from the ministry. These teachings

allow the believers to mature in their walk. We are all striv-

ing to reach the fullness of Christ as mentioned in

Ephesians 4.

The crowds that followed Jesus really never had a reve-

lation of who He really was. They looked to the loaves and

the fishes. They didn’t look for and adhere to his teachings.

The miracles, signs, and wonders drew them to His meet-

ings. Jesus was aware of this fact:

Now when he was in Jerusalem at the Passover,

in the feast day, many believed in his name,

when they saw the miracles, which he did. But

Jesus did not commit himself unto them, be-

cause he knew all men, And needed not that

any should testify of man: for he knew what

was in man. John 2:23-25

If there is not some main attraction in the so called "church"

today, the people lose their faithfulness to the church. Loy-

alty to some is not even important. The congregation just

wants entertainment. Ringling Brothers put a monkey and an

3

A Servant, Yet Being Served

When the disciples asked the Lord to give them more

faith in Luke 17, Jesus told them that they must first be-

come servants. No maid eats her meal until the master has

eaten and is full. Then after the maid has seen that the mas-

ter has taken his fill then they may sit to eat. The title of

servant is not prestigious. Its root meaning is what a ser-

vant does. So one must be willing to serve before they de-

serve to be served. All leaders must be able to show others

what service is all about. Being able to first serve estab-

lishes character, character produces respect, respect pro-

duces loyalty, and loyalty motivates followers.

Each minister has a mentor or father figure that they

either look to or pattern themselves after. The minister has

served this mentor on a daily basis. "And if ye have been

faithful in that which is another man's who shall give you

that which is your own?" (Luke 16:12). Learn their life,

ways, communication and practices. These attributes are

manifested in the way they live and preach. Most men of

God have shown their loyalty to another minister, and still

look to that minister for guidance. Timothy’s loyalty was to

Paul.

12

that describes a current circumstance in detail. Although the

minister is gifted to look at several scriptures and receive

guidance in those unique situations, some may not see the

clear picture of what the ministry is presenting. Yet the min-

ister is looking far beyond the apparent, and has your future

in mind. Here is when the ministry needs the support of

those that the Lord has placed close by his side.

God has men in the earth today that are divinely called.

There may be only few truly called when you compare a

man of God to everyone who calls themselves Reverend so

and so.

"For they are not all Israel, which are of Israel."

Romans 9:6b.

Neither is all that say they are men of God are men of God.

Yet those who do possess this rare calling are precious and

they are due respect and loyalty. Elihu said that there is

maybe “one in a thousand” (Job 33:23) in his looking for a

man called by God. This office that has been established by

Christ is functioning today through apostles, prophets, evan-

gelist, pastors, and teachers. The five offices of this ministry

has three duties that must be established (Eph. 4:11-12):

1. The perfecting of the saints 2. The work of the ministry

3. The edifying of the body of Christ

11

elephant under a tent and drew a crowd. Two rival sport

teams can come to a stadium and draw tens of thousands of

fans to watch them compete. When the crowds come they

are united. They sing together, clap together, and even shout

in unison. After a few days, the monkeys and elephants go to

another city. The two sporting teams go to another city. The

crowds disperse with no unity or loyalty to one another.

Coming together is a beginning

Staying together is progress

Working together is success.

In mankind faithfulness must be developed. Even the

natural bond between parents and children must be estab-

lished and adhered to or even it can be broken. Even though

a child is reared in a loving home, they will still revolt. A

marital relationship must be built on trust or there easily

could be division and a lack of loyalty, which often times

ends with a divorce.

Today the simplest event can cause one to doubt an-

other’s vision and calling. The ear has heard a lot of garbage

that has never been expelled from the body. Our president is

an elected official and the way the president makes his elec-

tion sure is to build a group around him that has the success

4

of his administration at heart. That group around the presi-

dent must be loyal and believe that his vision for the country

is fulfilled. The vision of the church for today is established

in the ministry and the conveyed to the church. The church

must take the vision to heart by revelation and see to it that

they do not allow themselves to hinder the vision. Unless

the church catches the vision that has been planted in the

man of God for that hour, the vision will be delayed in that

city "vision tarry wait" (Habakkuk 2:3).

5

Divinely Called Men

Messages come over the bible stand that are purposed

by the Holy Spirit to cut away some of the things that are

pulling the church away from God. The church is some-

times deceived, believing that the man of God is too old

fashioned and is stuck in some older generation. Ministries

of God are instructed to conform to modern, worldly ways.

Thoughts of conforming are pressured by the congregation's

behavior. Fellow ministers tend to bend, Babylonian minis-

ters have already bent to the influence at their own church.

When the man of God uses the word of God to combat these

thoughts, individual’s loyalty begins to fail.

"A prudent man foreseeth the evil, and hideth

himself: but the simple pass on and are pun-

ished." Proverbs 22:3; 27:12

This proverb must be very important for the writer to

place it twice in the scriptures. The prudent man is watch-

ing for snares and pitfalls that are out before the believer and

is diligently warning his followers about them. Foresight is

so important. God calls His ministers to be seers. Ministers

are demanded to stay before the Lord for guidance concern-

ing current events. There is not always a verse of scripture

10

Worldly Influence Produces Unfaithfulness

Satan and all the evils of this world have a delight in the

lack of loyalty among God’s people. The lack of loyalty is

not only among one another, but also towards the ministry.

Evil forces are at work to destroy the thing that will eventu-

ally lead to their own demise. Many are losing the revela-

tion that God is still alive and at work today. The revelation

of God at work is dwindling because of the lack of loyalty.

The enticements of the Evil One and the fashions of this

world cloud the vision of the church. Many doubt the real-

ness of God, which is a very deceiving spirit at work. There

is a divine order of leadership that the Lord is using to carry

out the perfect will of God in these last days.

While gathering thoughts, the ungodly inventor searches

the lust of their own evil, corrupt, fallen nature. These inven-

tions, facades, ideas, and lifestyles seem to be appealing

when presented to us through various forms of media. The

attractiveness of these many enticements lure individuals

into following after and taking part in their purposes. Yet

their purposes are not always a benefit to the believer but

only a snare to get us away from the things of God.

9

Becoming Armor Bearers

The Bible has many examples of loyalty to leadership.

In 1 Samuel 10:26, Saul went home to Gibeah, and there

went with him a band of men, whose heart the Lord had

touched. The Lord will impress in your heart a revelation of

whom you should faithfully follow. The outward look does

not always tell the story of an individual. Sometimes we

judge a book by its cover instead of its contents. When the

Lord gives you a revelation of who you should be loyal to,

the mistakes in that minster's life that he has committed are

easily forgiven and forgotten just as Christ forgives. Imag-

ine a great swimmer in shark-infested waters and a boat

comes by to save this swimmer. There is no question that the

swimmer would be anxiously getting on the boat. What

would happen if this swimmer looked at the captain and said

that captain was never a good person? What would happen

if the swimmer saw some of the mates that worked on the

boat complaining that the captain never treated them well?

Would the swimmer tread water and debate if he should get

on the boat or not? It is very advisable that the swimmer

gets on the boat. Sometimes the one that we think has done

the most damage to us could have been used by the Lord to

perfect us, or work something out of our spirits.

6

We see that all of the sons of the prophets understood

that they had to submit to earthly leadership as well as heav-

enly. And the sons of the prophets that were at Bethel came

forth to Elisha and said unto him, "Knoweth thou that the

Lord will take away thy master from thy head today?" And

he said, "Yea, I know it; hold your peace" (II Kings 2:3)

Before Elisha was known as a prophet for God, he was

known as a servant to Elijah. But Jehoshaphat said, "Is there

not here a prophet of the Lord, that we may enquire of the

Lord by him?" And one of the King of Israel’s servants an-

swered and said, "Here is Elisha the son of Shapat, which

poured water on the hands of Elijah" (II Kings 3:11).

Once a man of God has been instructed by the Lord to

fulfill a task, he must develop disciples (followers). Most

people do not understand that being faithful will bring you

honor.

Let the Lord, the God of the spirits of all flesh, set a

man over the congregation. Which may go out before

them, and which may go in before them, and which may

lead them out, and which may bring them in; that the con-

gregation of the Lord be not as sheep which have no shep-

herd. And the Lord said unto Moses, Take thee Joshua the

son of Nun, a man in whom is the spirit, and lay thine hand 7

upon him; And set before him Eleazar the priest, and be-

fore all the congregation; and give him charge in their

sight. And thou shalt put some of thine honour upon him,

that all the children of Israel may be obedient.

Numbers 27:16-20

The first individual to catch on to the revelation is the

closest person to the minister. Wives are usually doubters,

and do not believe initially the calling on their husband.

Yet, as soon as the wife foresees that the Lord is at work in

the vision, then all others that stand by faith begin to take

hold. As the vision gets clearer to the people they realize

that the man of God has heard from God.

8