PAUL BROCHU
PEOPLE AREN'T
THE ENEMY
Adapted and Edited by J.L. Antonic
People Aren't the Enemy
Table Of Contents Foreward - From the Editor
3
Worship/Canticle
4
Prologue
5
What is Missions?
6
France in the 1990's
7
My Testimony
8
Isaiah 53:1-12
9
People Aren't the Enemy
11
Who is the Enemy?
12
Calvary - Beyond Sin
13
Anthony's Story
15
Blind to the Truth
20
Religion vs. Relationship
22
Church Tradition vs God's Truth
25
Penance vs. Grace
30
Penance vs. Grace - Sister Charlotte
31
My Testimony Continued - Growing up Catholic
33
Rev. Paul Brochu
People Aren't the Enemy
The Fear of the Lord
36
Conversion
39
All Put Together
44
Exhortation
46
Summary
48
About the Author - Paul Brochu
49
Rev. Paul Brochu
People Aren't the Enemy
Foreward - From the Editor On a random night around the year 1996 my local church announced that after service, the cassette tape ministry was selling off old preaching messages to make room for new masters. Ever the explorer, I was always drawn to the services held by our foreign missionaries, so to be able to buy a bunch of these cassettes for a dollar each was of great value and interest to me. I left with a nice bag of revival and mission service cassettes. Admittedly, it took some time before I was able to listen to all that I had purchased. As I was working through my stack of tapes, I came upon one by Paul Brochu called "People Aren't the Enemy." This title intrigued me as at the time I was struggling with a lot of persecution from Catholics, Anglicans, and even Protestants in my own family regarding my conversion to Biblical Christianity. Needless to say, it was the best dollar I'd ever spent. Bro. Brochu's message hit me right to my core and changed my walk with God forever. Since that time, I have carried that cassette with me as a reminder not to forget the lessons and examples he taught me. To this day, I can barely listen to it without being overwhelmed in the Holy Ghost with tears as I am reminded of the richness and depths of God's Love toward us. Like many who have come to the Truth from powerful denominational churches, it can and does take real courage to question, study, and trust the leading of God away from the traditions of men. It is out of profound gratitude for the ministry of Bro. Brochu that I set out to digitize the cassette tape, archive it, run an AI transcription over it, and then edit it into a readable eBook format so that others might enjoy the same impact this message has had on my walk for the last 27 years. Bro. Brochu and I have never met. I was not in the service when he preached. Even as I write this now, he probably as no idea that this message still exists. This book is my gift to him in gratitude for taking one Sunday over 25 years ago to open his heart and preach candidly from the depths of his soul out of a sincere burden for Christ. This message has kept me in the faith. May it strengthen yours.
J.L. Antonic
Rev. Paul Brochu
People Aren't the Enemy
Worship/Canticle <<Je suis dans la joie. Quand on me dit allons à la maison de l 'Éternel>>, I was glad when they said unto me, let's go to church. Praise the Lord. How many came to church tonight with the intention of having church? (church clapping) Good. I have felt that. Praise the Lord, I felt your worship. Amen. I have felt the presence of the Lord in your worship, I should say. And it's just good to be with you here tonight in this place. Amen. I feel Liberty. Where the spirit of the Lord is, there is liberty. Amen. And with Liberty in Him and in knowing him, praise God, victory is promised. Praise the Lord. And I'm glad tonight for the victory that comes in the Holy Ghost. Praise the Lord. Worship with us. with this little chorus. Amen.
In the name of Jesus, In the name of Jesus We have the victory In the name of Jesus, In the name of Jesus Demons will have to ee. Tell me who can stand before us, When we call on His great name? Jesus, Jesus, precious Jesus, We have the victory! In Jesus' name. Hallelujah. Praise the Lord. Praise the Lord. Praise the Lord. In the name of Jesus. In the name of Jesus. Praise the Lord. Amen. I appreciate your worship. It's because of your worship that the Spirit of the Lord has descended into this place. It is written that He inhabits the praises of His people (Psalm 22:3) and there is nothing more pathetic and nothing more boring than a dead, dried up, Pentecostal service. It takes the Spirit of God. It takes the anointing of God. I feel it tonight, and I'm feeling alright. Praise the Lord. In Jesus' name, praise the Lord. God bless you tonight. You may be seated.
Rev. Paul Brochu
People Aren't the Enemy
Prologue It’s our privilege to be here with you folks this evening. We had our rst meeting last night in Milwaukee, and I was excited about getting back to Wisconsin for seven years, almost immediately after my conversion. The rst seven years of my adult working life was working for a company that was based out of Appleton, and I was making repeated business trips here to this state for a long time. And even before the ministry was involved, there’s always been such a good feeling. And I'll tell you what blew me away was the general conference last year that you folks hosted in Milwaukee. I had never been to a better general conference in all of my life. Praise the Lord. And I would like to say it's because of your Wisconsin hospitality and your good looks, but I know the spirit of the Lord had a lot to do with that conference. But nonetheless, amen, we were looking forward to getting back here and what we felt last year we feel in this place tonight. Amen. My wife normally travels with us, and a previous pastor here this week accused me of forgetting her in a hotel room somewhere on deputation. She's not. Amen. She's not lost. Amen. I claim her at the Luston Fountain in St. Louis here in just a few weeks. But in any case, my two children are with us this evening and your pastor's already introduced them. I'll mention that Justin is 14, but he's still single. Amen. He thinks he's 18. Jesus' name.
Rev. Paul Brochu
People Aren't the Enemy
What is Missions? Missions is not just a program, where people that you don't know are sent to countries you've never heard of, but missions is simply people. Jesus said in his day, look out on the eld for their white, all ready to harvest, but the laborers are few, where are they? In the presence of his followers, not just the 12, but others as well, his parting words from his earthly ministry was this, go ye into all the world and preach this gospel to every creature. (Mark 16:15) Were you raised in Pentecost knowing this experience? There is nothing short of the glory of God in the life of an individual that was raised in truth and had the privilege of having a relationship with God in this experience from the beginning. Praise the Lord. BUT perhaps, at some point in your life did you not know anything about this and a witness shared with you that there was more to God than what you had? Everyone here tonight is a miracle because in actuality, even if you were raised in an apostolic home, you still had to be told of the things of God. Your salvation did not come just naturally through who you were. All of us have to go by the way of the Lord, by the way of the cross. Because I believe with all of my heart tonight that none of us are in this by accident, we have been appointed by God to be who we are. The grace of God touched us. He has appointed us to this moment of human history. The city of Madison (Wisconsin) this evening, just in this one location, has hope on account of what? 150 witnesses that are here tonight, 150 missionaries that God has sent to this single city to reach them with the truth of God's word. Many times our concept of missions is some foreign country with languages (and customs) we don't understand, and people that eat goofy food. But I want you to know that Missions tonight, more speci cally to you - is this city. It's your neighborhood. It's where you live. It's your mobile home park. It's where you work. Everyone that is in (your) city tonight, God is conscious of and he knows right where they're at. And that gives this city hope in Jesus Christ. Praise the Lord. You are the church. You're the body of Christ. And that's Missions. Amen.
Rev. Paul Brochu
People Aren't the Enemy
France in the 1990's France is made up of 57 million people. (68M 2023) It's the second largest nation in Europe. That's about a quarter of the population of the United States and yet France is only three or four times the size of Wisconsin. And so it's not a very big place, comparatively speaking, but many people are there. To reach this geographical location in this world. Like many countries in the world, there are cities in France with populations exceeding a million without a single church, without a single witness, and are without hope tonight outside of the gospel. But really it's not so much geography that I would want to convey to you tonight. There's actually, believe it or not, very little difference between most of Europe and life right here in Madison, Wisconsin. It's western living. People have a car or two in the garage. They will attempt to put their kids through school. They will take family vacations. But coupled with all of that are the same problems that people here in this city have when they're alienated from God. High soaring divorce rates, drug problems, alcohol problems, and just basic carnality that results in all kinds of human hurts. And then so that's the eld we're going to. Let me say this of this Roman Catholic nation of which only less than 2% of the nation would fall into a Protestant category. They're far more devout in the Roman faith than right here in the United States. They're far more devout even than they are in most of Europe. Yet, knowing only the teachings of Rome, only 6% of French people still attend Mass on Sunday and 94% are non-practicing. Many folks are doing everything they've been taught to do to live for God, to be obedient to God. They're just doing their own thing.
Rev. Paul Brochu
People Aren't the Enemy
My Testimony I want to put everyone at ease here tonight. I did not come to intimidate, I certainly did not come to insult or cause anyone to make, have feelings of discomfort in any means.(So while I do) have a testimony from my heart tonight, I'm sensitive about the things this evening that I want to share with you. This may not be a conventional mission service, but I do want to share my heart with you this evening. I was 18 years old when I came into Pentecost and during the entire upbringing, the rst half of my life, I'm 36, the rst half of my life was without any knowledge whatsoever of this new birth. I was not acquainted with the term repentance, though we dealt with sin in another way. We were very religious, but I didn't know anything about the Holy Ghost, the way that it was poured out in the book of Acts, though I thought I had the Holy Ghost. I knew very little about the Bible, though I knew a great deal about tradition. As a man, an individual that was doing everything he knew to do to live for God, I had no idea of the things that you folks know and the things that you have experienced and the dimension in God that you feel every time you gather together. I was never in the presence of God one time, like I had felt him here tonight, though I was very religious. You know, there's something real about God that most of this world doesn't know anything about, and that doesn't mean that they're not trying.
Rev. Paul Brochu
People Aren't the Enemy
Isaiah 53:1-12 Tonight, I'd like to initially take a text from the book of Isaiah, Chapter 53. 1 Who hath believed our report? and to whom is the arm of the Lord revealed? 2 For he shall grow up before him as a tender plant, and as a root out of a dry ground: he hath no form nor comeliness; and when we shall see him, there is no beauty that we should desire him. 3 He is despised and rejected of men; a man of sorrows, and acquainted with grief: and we hid as it were our faces from him; he was despised, and we esteemed him not. 4 Surely he hath borne our griefs, and carried our sorrows: yet we did esteem him stricken, smitten of God, and a icted. 5 But he was wounded for our transgressions, he was bruised for our iniquities: the chastisement of our peace was upon him; and with his stripes we are healed. 6 All we like sheep have gone astray; we have turned every one to his own way; and the Lord hath laid on him the iniquity of us all. 7 He was oppressed, and he was a icted, yet he opened not his mouth: he is brought as a lamb to the slaughter, and as a sheep before her shearers is dumb, so he openeth not his mouth. 8 He was taken from prison and from judgment: and who shall declare his generation? for he was cut off out of the land of the living: for the transgression of my people was he stricken. 9 And he made his grave with the wicked, and with the rich in his death; because he had done no violence, neither was any deceit in his mouth. 10 Yet it pleased the Lord to bruise him; he hath put him to grief: when thou shalt make his soul an offering for sin, he shall see his seed, he shall prolong his days, and the pleasure of the Lord shall prosper in his hand. 11 He shall see of the travail of his soul, and shall be satis ed: by his knowledge shall my righteous servant justify many; for he shall bear their iniquities. 12 Therefore will I divide him a portion with the great, and he shall divide the spoil with the strong; because he hath poured out his soul unto death: and he was numbered with the transgressors; and he bare the sin of many, and made intercession for the transgressors.
Rev. Paul Brochu
People Aren't the Enemy
The prophet (Isaiah) writes, of course, of the coming of Christ and his ministry. The gospels declare that the ministry of Jesus was totally entrenched in compassion and mercy, reaching out to people both in a category that could be called sin and another category that could be called religious. (Jesus) reached out to all kinds of people and at the onset of his ministry, he would declare what his ministry was all about, how he came to open prison doors to give sight to the blind, to set the captive free to heal those who had bruised hearts. It was a people ministry. It was people-oriented. It was heart and human spirit-oriented, amen, because it had to do with a relationship. What Jesus came to give this world was not religion. It was a relationship. The prophet is writing here prophetically of someone who would come along hundreds of years later, and it speaks as though it has already come to pass. Already it was settled in the mind of God. The Lamb had been slain from the foundation of the world, already in the mind and in the plan of God. But I want to take a closer look at this this evening because I really want to somehow put my nger on what this is really all about. The prophet wrote,
“surely he hath borne our griefs and carried our sorrows.” “...Yet we did esteem him stricken, smitten of God and a icted. But he was wounded for our transgressions. He was bruised for our iniquities. The chastisement of our peace was upon him, and with his stripes we are healed”. That's what he's all about. THAT’S what he's all about.
Rev. Paul Brochu
People Aren't the Enemy
People Aren't the Enemy When Isaiah writes of Jesus that “He bore our griefs and He carried our sorrows”, these two (concepts) do not necessarily have anything to do with sin. Not necessarily. They have to deal with the feelings at times of despair, loneliness, sorrow, grief, and uncertainties that can attach to our human spirit. People throughout the world, whether they're serving God or not. You know, we're all made of the same stuff. We're not a bunch of aliens in this place that are so far out from the reality of this world that we can't relate. We're not so different that we just live in the clouds all day long. Everyone in this room is made of the same thing that everyone is made of in this city. And the only difference tonight between you and those that are out there that don't know anything about God is the fact that you had an encounter with the living God who has changed your life. Amen. I want to keep that in perspective tonight because without that we will never have the burden that God wants us to have. We will never have compassion in our heart, Amen, to feel for them. If we lose touch, if we misplace or displace the reality of humanity in this world…
<<Nous ne combattons pas la chair et le sang, mais c’est contre la domination et l’autorité et contre les princes de ce monde de ténèbres. Et les esprits des lieux célestes. Mais les hommes d'églises avec lesquelles nous nous battons, nous n’en avons plus, mais nous sommes puissantes par la vertu de Dieu pour renverser les forteresses.>> We're not wrestling against esh and blood. We're wrestling against principalities and powers against the rulers of the darkness of this world. Against spiritual wickedness - not just wickedness, And this world is very dark. People are not the enemy at all. The most hateful, indifferent, oppressive individuals that give you a hard time: Those who are involved or steeped in crime or drug addiction; Those that will prostitute themselves; molesters of children; and any other category of folks that are out there that repulse you - even THEY are not the enemy. Neither is your neighbor. Nor your boss. We're not wrestling against esh and blood. People Aren't the Enemy
Rev. Paul Brochu
People Aren't the Enemy
Who is the Enemy? I believe this evening that the enemy is a force that we do not see with our eyes. It is the prince of this world, the god of this world. Paul writes in Corinthians “...In whom the god of this world hath blinded the minds of them which believe not, lest the light of the glorious gospel of Christ, who is the image of God, should shine unto them.” (2 Corinthians 4:4) The Bible also says that we are not ignorant of Satan nor his devices. (So) you come to realize that it is not people, amen, that are the enemy at all, but they are the victims and they are the casualties of a warfare that is taking place in a spirit realm that the carnal eye, the human eye cannot behold. It tells me that the reality is not the headlines in the newspaper. It is not the corruption in the government. It is not the indifference of folks that do not like you for who you are. These are not the full reality, but the full reality includes an unseen realm, a spirit realm, in which the forces of darkness and the devil, a fallen archangel who has still got a chip on his shoulder from being ejected from heaven, have made their abode. Because the God of Glory loves people, loves everyone He created, and has an (eternal) desire to have a relationship with them, this devil, the prince of darkness, is out to steal, to kill and to destroy (John 10:10) everyone of God's created children that he can. It's a vindictive attitude on his part. And so therefore, people as you see them, even as alienated from God as they can be, or even the religious ones that are so far out, amen, away from the truth of the word of God, they are still not the enemy at all. The Baptists, the Catholics, Muslims, Hindus, amen, Jewish folk, amen, Presbyterians and Lutherans, they are not the enemy. People are not the enemy. (John) said that Jesus did not come into this world to condemn the world. But (that) the world through me might be saved. (John 3:17) And according to Jesus, we need the new birth experience. (John 3:5) We must be born again, he said, of water and of spirit, or (we) shall in no likewise enter the kingdom of heaven .
Rev. Paul Brochu
People Aren't the Enemy
Calvary - Beyond Sin When we look at Calvary as being an event which would conquer sin, and somehow because sin touches every life, the Cross can still seem to be quite impersonal especially since despite the victory at Calvary the world can still seem so far estranged from God. But when we read closely of Jessus’ ministry and what he was all about, His cruci xion wasn’t only about dealing with the sin issue of humanity. Really, Calvary has much more to do than just with the sin issue of life (meaning sin and unrighteousness) it also has to do with human sorrow, grief, and heartache. It deals with not only these emotional issues of who we are as humans, but it also has to do with the physical man as well, the diseases and the a ictions that attack our bodies. All of the sorrows in human life that affect people, can lead to ruin their lives, can break down marriages, can send children to bed crying on their pillow, and more. Whether we’re living for God or not, we're made up of emotion. We're made up of a state of mind. We're made up of a human spirit. And seemingly this evening, the x for all of the world's problems are being produced through some physical means or through political agendas or what not, academic in uence. The only thing that will ever meet the spiritual needs of hurting people is a spiritual God. Why? Because the answer is not a psychologist. The answer tonight is not an AA round table. The answer is not a detox center, it's not a marriage counselor, it's not a nancial advisor. All of those things may bring help and reform, but the deep issues of the human heart can only be dealt with by one, and his name is Jesus. God is spirit. He is not an icon. He is not (on) a guilt trip. He is not a fear tactic. He is certainly not a myth. He is Spirit, and he loves people. He loves everyone. He is not against this world. He is not against people that live in this world. But his heart is touched with the feelings of our in rmities. It's not us. It's not our last name. It's not our bank account. But it's the spirit of the living God. We live in a world that is lled with spiritual problems because people are spiritual.
Rev. Paul Brochu
People Aren't the Enemy
It is for that reason that he said go and preach this word. There's more to life (through the Spirit) than anything that this world can produce. More than tradition, more than the rami cations of religious practice, there is (the) Spirit (of God). (And connecting with His Spirit) will result in an experience that will change your life. It will produce a relationship with God that will give you hope in this world!
Rev. Paul Brochu
People Aren't the Enemy
Anthony's Story I read an account several years ago. We were in Maine for ve years as home missionaries before leaving for Europe on the AIM program in 1990. It was during that time that I was there, it was an account that I read in the book of rescuing street children in New York City. It was a book put out by Covenant House which attempted to entice street kids, be they young prostitutes or junkies or just homeless minors on the streets of New York City, trying to entice them into their passenger vans each evening that were sent out to work the streets to rescue and bring them back to Covenant House. This book was an account of various cases of street children and their life and their testimony. There was a chapter that I read in here that literally sent me into depression for about three days, folks. I tried to identify it as a burden, but really it depressed me so bad. There was no problem praying during those days after I had read this account of a young man named Anthony. A young man named Anthony who at the age of 15 was picked up by Covenant House and after three days of attempts by a caseworker just to get this young man to talk, nally the social worker made eye contact with him and he erupted into uncontrollable weeping as he pressed his head into her shoulder. After a long, long time he nally was able to gain his composure enough to speak and begin to share with her who he was and what he was all about. His dad had been a pimp before that he was killed in some drug deal having been shot on the street. The mother was the prostitute. Dad was the agent; mom sold herself. They went from one cheap hotel in a city to another working the location for several months before moving on. Very little education because there were no roots involved in this family. The mother, the father, and two boys, Anthony and his kid brother. He didn't see dad very much. He was out doing his own thing and of course mom's place of work was the room there that evening and so for the entire life of this young man.
Rev. Paul Brochu
People Aren't the Enemy
The only memories he had of mom and dad were in the dimension that I'm sharing with you and of course he saw a great deal but each night mom would put the two boys to bed underneath the bed and she did her thing about two feet above their head and that was this young man's memory of mom. Junk food was their diet. Mom contracted AIDS at some point. No doubt her life was ramshackled with depression, heartache and all kinds of sorrow herself. It's hard to explain some things. Sometimes I can only guess that she was probably at the end of her rope and her means of escaping the reality of her life. Life without a husband, two kids on her hands and a fatal disease, she ran away and these two kids now are on the streets of New York City. Anthony is 11, four years before this account is given. What are you going to do? 11 years old and you're going to spend the night on the street in New York City? I wouldn't do that at my age. At the Greyhound station a very kind man picked these boys up and brought them to a home that was lled with 28 or 30 other young boys. Same industry as mom. This man had a ring of young men that would work their tricks on the street selling themselves but it's all that Anthony knew in life. It was nothing new to him as a matter of fact he was quite excited that he'd have three meals a day. He would be dressed in spiffy clothes, have a place to eat and sleep, plus the camaraderie of other young men living in the same house. I can't relate to this, and I cannot even imagine the thoughts or the concepts or the values of life where that would be the scenario of his upbringing. In any case, there was a sting operation in which this house of prostitution was broken up. The master escaped into the night leaving 30 kids on the street and it was that night that Covenant House picked up this young man named Anthony at the age of 15. I'm not giving you really all of the details but I can only tell you that I hurt so bad after I read this story. Of course, I had read all the other accounts as well but this was just one of the more profound. There are some people in this world whose lives are so laced with hurt and despair (that they are) seemingly so far away from even the potential of ever pulling it together.
Rev. Paul Brochu
People Aren't the Enemy
I prayed and I tried to rationalize these things, tried to deal with these things and I didn't want to feel the way that I did but I felt a little bit of vindictiveness toward God because I knew that God was omniscient and that he knew everything and he saw everything that is taking place in the world. I'm only reading ONE account and it's blowing my emotions out of the water. And yet God in all of his sensitivity and all of his knowledge and his concern that I read of in the word also knew of this? “Why didn't you come back, Lord, before Anthony was even born and save him the despair and the heartache and the tragedy that I have read about in his life?”. And I posed that question to the Lord in prayer, not because I was trying to be smart, but I really needed to get beyond this because it just wouldn't leave me alone. I want to share the Lord's answer to me with you that came from these scriptures. The Lord spoke to me:
“Right now because you've just found out about Anthony, you deal with things as you see them one day at a time.” that wasn't so profound. But he said,
“I have known Anthony. I foreknew Anthony. And I too have grieved over him. And I too have wept over him. And I too have been so overcome in my love toward him. But I dealt with this young man long before you ever knew about him." "I dealt with him at a place called Golgotha. I dealt with every human heartache. All of the grief of humankind, the despair, the loneliness, as well as the sin, the failures, the human tragedies of this human race." "Furthermore, I have dealt with the feelings of pain, the feelings of futility involved in those who would be a icted by the diseases that are in the world.” God was conveying to me that I was dealing with these things as I see them or as I encounter them, or as they a ict
me in this life.
Rev. Paul Brochu
People Aren't the Enemy
I began to draw from other knowledge that I had of the word of how David wrote in the Psalms that “even before we were conceived, he knew us”. (Psalm 139:16) Before YOU ever came along, he knew what YOUR address would be this year. Of our sin, the word clearly indicates to us that our personal sins were placed upon him on Calvary. And then I really began to understand the power and the glory of what took place in that historical occasion almost 2 ,000 years ago, where Jesus Christ not only dealt a death blow to sin, but (truly) triumphed over satan and spoiled his kingdom. The Lord was not just coming to grips with the heartache and despair of the sin issue in every human life, but he (also) felt their pain. He felt what Anthony felt!. He feels what we as individuals feel in our lives even now: • The heartache of marriages that are not coming together, the questioning... • The anxiety in young people that cannot put their nger on direction as they enter their adult life... Every scenario, every need of the human race was dealt with by Jesus as he hung on the cross. He would not come down. He would not escape your hurt. He would not turn his back. He would not call a legion of angels to deliver him. But he faced your heart. He faced every trial that would ever come to you in your life, even ones that you haven't experienced yet. He's already dealt with it. He's already dealt with heartache that's forthcoming.
Rev. Paul Brochu
People Aren't the Enemy
And though Jesus dealt with Anthony in his heart in ways that I have never even felt for Anthony, I could hardly take what I was feeling. But you see, my heart did not (physically) burst for Anthony. The word says that when they placed that spear into Jesus’ side, out came blood mingled with water, which medically speaks of a burst heart. (John 19:34) We can sometimes go berserk just dealing with our own personal feelings. You know, weak moments. You feel guiltridden, you feel like a dirty scoundrel dog until you nd a prayer closet somewhere to pray and repent. That feeling and that little space of time that you feel. A child that goes astray, the long nights spent praying and weeping and claiming the promises of God. Those human feelings of emotion and sorrow and grief that you feel as a parent. Those feelings in that moment of time in that window, all of that in all of your lives and every human life in this city and around the world was placed upon this one man - Jesus. Anybody that wants to paint him as a vicious vindictive, judgmental, impersonal, inconsiderate God can do it if they want to. But I already conveyed to you who the true culprit is behind the tragedy of the human race. The devil/prince of darkness, with all of his fallen cohorts, are the ones who take enjoyment by impacting heartache, suffering, and tragedy upon the human race. Not Jesus. The God (whom I met in prayer) was not an unloving God, but a God who loved this world so much that, as the creator, he subjected himself to his creation to be killed by his oppressors that he might convey not only His love but His hope to a fallen human race. That's the scenario of the world in which we live. It's not just problems in the world today. We're dealing with human lives. We're dealing with people who have feelings. We're dealing with people who don't have the revelation that you have: They don't know of the things of God that we know. They have never felt God one time in their life , many of them in ways that you have felt him many times. They don't understand the word. To many it just overwhelms them the thought of this book and to others they've been indoctrinated by humanistic academia that God is a myth.
Rev. Paul Brochu
People Aren't the Enemy
Blind to the Truth And so there you have it, people doing their own thing and all the while the Lord, the Lord continues to look into this world. Not anxiously awaiting the moment when he can judge this world, but with anticipation that his body in this world, speaking of his church, would simply reach out and gather more into this fold. Hey listen, I didn't come to throw rocks at the church, and I didn't come to you with a hateful spirit. So if you read that in this (message) then you're misreading me. I came to share with you though, that if anything is going to be critical, if we are going to be critical about anyone, it ought not to be them. It ought to be here, it ought to be us, we ought to consider ourselves. We are the ones that have tasted it. We are the ones that have encountered an experience with God that's changed our life. The Bible says that (God) blinds the minds of those who believe not so that they will not come to a knowledge of truth and be saved, (2 Corinthians 4:4). Meaning of course that they're blind, they can't see! Are you going to throw rocks at a blind person in an attempt to try and get them to see? And will you convince them of what it is like to see by insulting or by being critical or by alienating them because surely they don't want anything of God? If they did, they'd already be one of us! You know, Jesus in his ministry did not go out with his boxing gloves but he went out with his shing pole. And there are times that we see our duty in this world as one of stacking converts in our churches like Cord Wood, “Boy, we're going to win ’em one at a time!”, or “You wouldn't believe it brother, I just wiped him out man, I blew him away with the word!”. Oh really? Is God really impressed?
Rev. Paul Brochu
People Aren't the Enemy
I see Jesus talking to women who’d been married and divorced ve times. Do you think (she) had a high self esteem? That woman's life was a wreck. She went to the well at noon because she didn't want to face anyone else no one went to the well at noon. It was the heated part of the day, high noon! She couldn't face anyone in her town but Jesus came by and offered her living water. It was a prostitute, a former prostitute who was the rst one at the grave the morning of the resurrection. Mary Magdalene. It was a publican, a tax collector by the name of Matthew that was called to be an apostle. All kinds of situations in life and Jesus reached out to people, not just religious people but also sinners that were alienated from God by vice, tragedy and sin, etc.
Rev. Paul Brochu
People Aren't the Enemy
Religion vs. Relationship You know it's really, it is really sorrowful and it is really disgusting in that this is what the Lord is wanting to do in our world and this is what is driving him in an attempt to gather the lost of this world into himself. In the name of religion, the beautiful, powerful message of mercy and hope and grace that I have conveyed to you through this simple message about the cross has been taken by the hands of the religious and the cross has been gold plated and beautiful owers have been planted around it and it has become an icon. It has become a symbol or an identity of religious function, impersonal, impotent and meanwhile there are those that will embrace that because they want everything of God they can get. They are good people, they are devout people, they are sincere and faithful people but they have never seen or heard the message of the cross in the way that the prophet wrote in Isaiah, in the way that the Lord conveys in this world to those who will come to him with their needs and with their brokenness. The cross is simply an icon. Judaism began as something very spiritual in the Old Testament. The patriarchs were spiritual. Abraham, Isaac, Jacob, some of the kings, the prophets, David, they were spiritual people and because they were spiritual because they simply took the word of God and believed it and attempted to live it and they had a relationship with God there were signs that followed. There is much that has to do with the supernatural in the Old Testament when God was kept, amen, in the con nes of his word but somewhere in Judaism in the Old Testament at least up to 400 years prior to the coming of John the Baptist spirituality became ceremony and the supernatural was replaced by ritual and history says it had been over 400 years, silent years, no anointed prophets came to Israel, no healings, no miracles and yet religion is rmly in place. Do you know what's happened in Christianity over the last 2000 years in the New Testament? I'm speaking now in a blanket statement of the Christian world. The Christian church began as a spiritual entity. It was uni ed. It was based upon scripture, people that would have a relationship with God and because God is spirit and because of course God is supernatural, those signs follow. He has always sought to show his glory and his power and his majesty and his precious supernatural abilities through people who would simply allow him to be God.
Rev. Paul Brochu
People Aren't the Enemy
But though Christianity began as a very spiritual force, persecution came on the scene several hundred years into its history and a remnant of people that would still stand upon truth that would still endorse the word and not submit to the teachings and doctrines of man would be forced underground because of persecution and Christianity as far as what this world would see would become tradition. Jesus came to a very religious nation in his earthly ministry and in verse 15 of the book of Matthew, chapter 15 rather is a conversation he's having with some of their clerics. Now listen, these are the (Jewish) leaders. These are the ones that would in uence the masses. They were also the only ones that Jesus ever seemingly raised his voice to, because He knew that they had it in their power and in uence either to (endorse) what Jesus had come to share with the masses or to quench it. You know as well as I do today, because the gospel indicates this, that his cruci xion wasn't the result of sinners who were bent out of shape by his heated preaching. It was a boardroom decision. among religious men who saw Jesus as a heretic and a blasphemer. He did not t their tradition. It is said of Him, “...God was in Christ reconciling the world unto himself” (2 Corinthians 5:9). He was the “...image of the invisible God.” (Colossians 1:15). Paul (also) writes in Colossians, that “...in Him dwelt the fullness of the Godhead bodily” (Colossians 2:9). In other words, He (Jesus) was (fully) God and He was (fully) man. God robed himself in esh. The Jehovah God of the Old Testament had “come unto his own, but his own received him not” (John 1:11). The very ones that had mastered the art and the traditions and the renditions of religiosity were the ones who in their synagogue could not even discern who was standing in their presence (reasoning that) they were doing God a favor (to) crucify him. Religion within itself, (I'm talking about structure. I'm talking about the impersonal ceremony and ritual and function) is not the answer for our world. You've got all kinds of versions. You've got all kinds of styles and forms to religious life. In every nation you go to you will nd a religion of some sort. People (always)attempt to ll the emptiness that is contained within the human soul.
Rev. Paul Brochu
People Aren't the Enemy
It is in the innate subconscious nature of mankind to seek after God, but when they don't know Truth. They will attempt to ll (their hearts) with something similar like religiosity - and just look at the condition that religion is in. Religion is not the answer. Relationship is the answer. - this is what it’s all about. If you're new here (to this church fellowship), let me comfort you by saying, it's my rst time here too. But I know these people well enough. I've been around them and around their kind long enough to tell you that this is not a religion. Furthermore, this is not just another denominational choice for your city. This church is simply a location where people who have received a life-changing experience gather to worship God. God is not the building. God is not stained glass. God is not a high altar. God is not tapestry and ickering candles. He is Spirit. And sir or ma 'am, because he is Spirit, he can meet your spiritual needs and the things that are deep-rooted in your heart and in your mind and in your past. Because he's that kind of God. It's not a guilt trip tonight.
Rev. Paul Brochu
People Aren't the Enemy
Church Tradition vs God's Truth Let’s look now at Matthew 15 verse 1: Matthew 15:1 “Then came to Jesus scribes and Pharisees, which were of Jerusalem, saying,” “Pharisees and scribes”. Now these were clerics. They were religious men. They were of Jerusalem and they said to him, Matthew 15:2 “why do your disciples, why do your followers transgress the tradition? for they wash not their
hands when they eat bread.” Boy, that's a big statement. More blood has been shed in the human race over that idea than any other cause. “Why do your big-shot followers transgress the tradition of our elders?” They also had ts because he would heal their lame on the Sabbath day. I'm sure that didn't matter to the guy who came ying out of his wheelchair, but it mattered to them. Jesus looked at them and said, “let me ask you a question…” Matthew 15:3-6 3 "But he answered and said unto them, Why do ye also transgress the commandment of
God by your tradition? 4 For God commanded, saying, Honour thy father and mother: and, He that curseth father or mother, let him die the death. 5 But ye say, Whosoever shall say to his father or his mother, It is a gift, by whatsoever thou mightest be pro ted by me; 6 And honour not his father or his mother, he shall be free. Thus have ye made the commandment of God of none effect by your tradition." In other words, the word of God was very plain. It was very demanding. He says to them, “you have made the commandment of God of none effect by your tradition” - What did he mean by that?
Rev. Paul Brochu
People Aren't the Enemy
You see, they read from the parchments and the scrolls. They had their beautiful street processions, their high holy feast days. The pillars of marble were rmly in place. No doubt their synagogue was a work of beauty, something that one could take pride in to be a member in. Sinners were not allowed to worship there. They didn't want to pollute the temple with the presence of low life people, who were good for nothing except, to avoid by crossing the street. Jesus said, “you have made the word of God.” They read from Isaiah. They read what we read at the onset. But because it had become tradition, because it was all wrapped up in liturgy and creed and traditional ordinances, people were left on the pew, untouched, unhelped. Is it any wonder why not only the sinner, but the religious alike would ock to a desert to hear a man named John? What was the difference there? It wasn't so much that he had a ne place to preach. He had no temple. He didn't wear beautiful cleric robes that blew in the wind when he stood there on the mount to preach, but he dressed in garb that many did not care for. It was not designer clothes. You go read it for yourself. What was the difference? You see, in the life of the sinner, as well as the life of someone who is trying to get all of God he can by doing what he religiously knows to do, In both cases, they are out there for the same reason. They are looking for something that could make a difference in their life. You know what people are looking for in your city? In bars, in brothels, in houses of ill-repute, shooting-up, snorting, toking, sleeping around in a backseat somewhere on a dimly lit boulevard, as well as in places of worship in your city, in highfalutin religious locations? They're all looking for the same thing. Whether they equate their need as a spiritual need, a need for God or not, the human race is looking for the same thing. They're looking for that ful llment and that peace and that love and that acceptance that you have found in this precious Holy Ghost.
Rev. Paul Brochu
People Aren't the Enemy
But because in many cases, they don't know anything about the Holy Ghost, they're trying to ll that human need in all of these other locations: climbing a corporate ladder, sleeping around, an extra relationship, in the drug scene, through entertainment, etc. And people just like you and I are hurting all over the city, and they're after the same end result. But unfortunately, to many, the only thing they know about God is the impotency of tradition. Let me conclude this (point from Matthew 15), and I'll move on. The Lord looked at these clerics. These were men that saw themselves as God's gift to the world. They were the descendants of Abraham, and they would pride themselves, and they defended themselves in other conversations that Jesus had with them. But Jesus told them, “if you were the children of Abraham, you would do the works of Abraham, you're of your Father, the devil”. (John 8:39) They were morti ed when he spoke those words to them in the Gospel of John. But here in Matthew he says heated words as well. In verse seven, he looked at them and said, Matthew 15:7 "Ye hypocrites, well did Esaias prophesy of you, saying, 8 This people draweth nigh unto me
with their mouth, and honoureth me with their lips; but their heart is far from me. 9 But in vain they do worship me, teaching for doctrines the commandments of men." Oh, they've got it alright. They've got the form, they've got the style, and they do worship. But it's in vain, (because) they teach for the doctrines of God, the commandments of men. And there you have the source of making the word of God impotent and without (effect or) result. Do you know what drove Jesus to the synagogue? It wasn't to marvel over the nesse and the academic accomplishments of the clerics, but he saw those who had come to the temple because they wanted to live for God. They wanted something of God. They patronized that place because in that world, even back throughout time just like in your city today, there are people here, right in this city, that don't know the Truth but for as much as they do know of God, they love him. And they want to go to heaven.
Rev. Paul Brochu
People Aren't the Enemy
And some of them are waiting for the trumpet, like you. And there are those that are banking on a life amen in eternal glory with the Lord, and they want to do what's right. And they're doing everything they know to do, everything that's been taught to them. They're doing it with all their heart, but they don't know what we know. And I will say this as well, that if many of them knew what we knew, and if they had heard our testimonies, and if they had been in heavenly places in the spirit of God, like we have been many times, they would be here with us tonight. They are not the enemy. They are not the culprits. They are not antichrist. They are not renegades bent on going to hell. I have yet to meet ONE person that voluntarily wants to go to hell. We appease our conscience and our ineffectiveness in reaching this world by assuming that no one wants this, and that because religious people are just convinced that their way is the only way, they will never listen to us. And the devil laughs all the way as we isolate ourselves. If this doesn't t, then please don't try and put the shoe on your foot. I'm preaching to myself tonight. I need to get stirred at times to realize that. That my mission is not to occupy on Pentecostal Pews. I tank up here, but I live where you live, and I'm made of the same thing you're made of.
Rev. Paul Brochu
People Aren't the Enemy
And the world presses in from without, and the esh screams from within. And it's very easy to just fall into a relationship with God in which it becomes like a sponge relationship. It's just give me and give me and give me. We come in here and we feel what we feel, and we love the Word, and we hear it time and again each week. And all the while people are dying all around us, and they don't know anything that we know. And they don't know God in this element as a spiritual God or someone that can change their life. If you look at his ministry and you desire to duplicate His life in you, then it's not “us four and no more.” It's not just within the local church that we do our thing. But if you will read His life, you will see that he spent his heart, he spent his love, he spent his tears, he spent a prayer life on folks that were lost.
Rev. Paul Brochu
People Aren't the Enemy
Penance vs. Grace In my mind, there is nothing more sincere than a young Roman Catholic lady who is wanting to do the ultimate service to God in this life, who will write off the joys of a married relationship and of raising children to commit herself through the vows of poverty, chastity and obedience to a convent where she will pray hours each day for the lost humanity of this world. Shallow women don't make those kinds of commitments. But devout women, who are wanting to do what they've been taught is right, make those kinds of commitments. Maybe you’ve read articles about some of the various pilgrimage sites where the extremely religious of this world ock to. One of them is that place (San Pedro Cutud Lenten Rites in the City of San Fernando, Pampanga) in the Philippines. I had heard of it before, where every year during Easter week on Good Friday, dozens of Filipinos, and they've been doing it for decades, will be cruci ed, voluntarily. (They see this) as the very highest penance that they can do in their body to reciprocate the favor to Jesus for having spilled his blood for them, of course, his sacri ce. Every year, two or three of them die. They are physically nailed to a cross, and they are hung there after being beaten, as Jesus was. And every year, several of them die. The others are revived in hospitals, and some of them will even reenact this ritual in their body several times in their life. No doubt they're looking for that euphoric relationship or moment with God in their relationship with Him. I'm not here to endorse false doctrine. I'm talking about the sincerity of people. If I can separate people from religion, tonight, I want to focus on people. And I want to say to you that an article I read about this said, for the rst time in the history of this ritual, a non Filipino involved herself last year. It was a French Roman Catholic lady from Belgium who bought an expensive plane ticket to go to the Philippines, not to sunbathe or to check out the ruins, but to be cruci ed. You know what that tells me? That tells me that somewhere in Belgium is a woman who in her heart has gone to extents to have a relationship with God that most of us don't know anything about. I've never, never experienced self mutilation like that.
Rev. Paul Brochu
People Aren't the Enemy
Penance vs. Grace - Sister Charlotte Some of you may have heard the testimony of Sister Charlotte, a cloistered nun who escaped in the 1940s after 22 years in the strictest order of nuns. I believe it was the Poor Clares, the barefoot nuns. On taking her vows, this nun would never sleep on a mattress or a pillow again as long as she lived. But she would sleep on slabs of wood at night to in ict penance and pain upon her body so that her prayers would be more potent so that this world would come to a knowledge of the traditions of Rome by which they could be saved. (Then) a perpetual fast, meaning a fast for the rest of her life. She could eat a few ounces of bread each morning. A strong cup of coffee. No lunch. The evening meal was a few ounces of watery broth. A few ounces of bread. And that would be the diet for the rest of her life. Never again would you see the outside walls of that convent. Never again would she not only see family, but she would never hear from them. Penance. I don't have the time to describe (the hardships of her life) to you (in su cient detail), but su ce to say it was a living hell in that place. And she retells in her testimony (she's deceased now) if you hear the tape recording, she recounts that after 22 years in her convent she grew to the place where she didn't even believe that there was a God. But when she went in there at the age of 16 it was with a heart that was lled with compassion for a world that was alienated to God. And she was going in to pray ten to 12 hours a day for the lost humanity of this world. Folks, shallow people don't do that. There are church houses that will be lled in your city this morning, on Sunday morning by people who are doing everything they know to do to live for God. But they don't know this. They're not the enemy. In many cases, they're victims and casualties that are simply blind to the revelations of the Word that you have been so privileged to see and to understand and to experience.
Rev. Paul Brochu
People Aren't the Enemy
This is the eld. This is missions. Missions is people. It is said that Missions is the heartbeat of Jesus Christ. And I believe it. Why? Because missions is people. (Jesus) went to Calvary, not just to be mutilated, not because he was demented in his thinking and got pleasure with pain, but he went to Calvary for folks like Anthony and these Filipinos, and Sister Charlotte, and more personally, for folks like me and for folks like you, this thing is about people. It's not about programs. It's not about potluck dinners. It's not about beautiful sanctuaries. And all of those have their time and place, and those are perks in our walk with God. This thing is about people.
Rev. Paul Brochu
People Aren't the Enemy
My Testimony Continued - Growing up Catholic I was raised in a very religious home in the northeast. I was born and raised in the state of Maine. Both of my parents are French, of French Canadian descent. We spoke French in our home as a rst language. Tradition was really our family's identity. It was a strong tradition that's not so uncommon here in the upper Midwest. More speci cally, among strong European traditions. And much of our family's identity revolved around the church. My parents were simply instilling in me everything that they had been taught was pleasing to God. I was educated in parochial schools, taught by nuns and priests. I was an altar boy. And we loved our church. We loved our clerics, in spite of their occasional faults that seem to make headlines. But all of the dirt aside and I'm not saying that to be sarcastic, I'm telling you that there are some people that are simply doing it with all of their heart, and God sees that. And we want to get excited, you know, about praying, repentant, drunks through to the Holy Ghost. And I know that God is anxiously awaiting to. Fill them with his spirit. But how much more, honestly, do you suppose God wants to ll with the Holy Ghost the religious people of your city that are already doing everything they know to do to please him, but they just don't know about this yet? You better believe God loves them and. It's because of their love for God that God simply wants to give them more. It is not an insult. Amen. It is not degrading to share with them that God has more for them. But it's to the glory of God that it's because they love God and because they've got a desire to please God, that God is not to take away anything that they've got previously, but He simply wants to bless them with more truth. Find people where they are and begin to build on that instead of tearing them down. Jesus didn't even have accusatory words to the woman caught in adultery, but he began to put her life back together right where she was unconditionally. We need to learn from Him.
Rev. Paul Brochu
People Aren't the Enemy
And I haven't mastered a thing that I'm sharing with you. So please don't look at me as some big shot, cocky kid that came in here tonight. And if you want to talk about me, I'm leaving town tomorrow. But I know that you'll feel that way. I feel your spirit tonight. I feel your spirit. You love people. That's why there's a full house here. Because this church has reached out to people. But I thought I had what it took to go to heaven. I had been convinced all of my life that since my infant baptism and because of my infant baptism into this one true and universal (Catholic) church, I was going to heaven. Now let me identify something here. My parents were raised, I mean their entire childhood, early life up into their middle age was before the mid (nineteen) sixties at the conclusion of a council called Vatican II, which would relax a lot of the more dogmatic doctrines of the Roman Church. Since Vatican II, of course there is a relaxing of some things. It was what would result in the ecumenical movement, meaning that Rome would now open her hands of fellowship to all Protestant groups so long as they continued to baptize in the Roman Baptism. But listen, before Vatican II, which was when my parents were educated in this and when my early Catholic upbringing took place, before Vatican II, we were under the teachings of the Council of Trent. (These teachings) came out of medieval Europe, in which to even step foot on the steps of a Protestant church was a cardinal sin. And you were toying with Hell. The only folks going to heaven before 1965 in our ranks were us. And if you were not one of us, you were not only a Protestant, but you were also a heretic. You were a child of the devil. And that is why many of them will not open their doors to you when you knock, or they will not listen to you as you begin to try to share with them some great blessing that you have found in your life. It's not that they don't want God. It's not that they want to be indifferent toward you. But deep, deep into the recesses of who they are has been a traditional indoctrination. And they don't want to jeopardize what tradition has taught them is taking them to heaven. And they don't want to toy with hell by (even) considering some “cultic” practice.
Rev. Paul Brochu
People Aren't the Enemy
You see, things are not always the way that we perceive them sometimes - that this world is simply bent on going to hell. Many times, tradition has paralyzed people in fear. We could not even question the teachings of our church. It was heresy. And furthermore and again, this is my testimony if it wasn't like this in your parish, then God bless you. But in our parish, this book (The Bible) was off limits to us because we may misinterpret Scripture and pick up heretical teachings. Our teaching was dependent upon the representative of Christ in our own church, meaning our priest. And in 18 years of religious life. Folks that did not eat meat on Friday, that did the Stations of the Cross, and extra penance during Lent, and folks that prayed their rosary religiously. We went to Mass faithfully. Holy days of obligation - we were there. As religious as we were, never one time was this book (The Bible) opened in our house because my folks did not want to offend God. That's tradition. That's not the will of God, that's tradition. But well meaning folks can only do what they know to do.
Rev. Paul Brochu
People Aren't the Enemy
The Fear of the Lord When I was ten, the bishop came to our church. And I remember it, because it was a highlight of my life to that point. For months, about 150 of us elementary school kids at St. Rose of Lima Elementary School, we had prepared for months for this occasion to receive the Sacrament of Con rmation. And that day we came in in great procession in our church. The whole parish was there. The bishop, of course, was there. And to stand before Him was like to stand before the presence of God. He was the holiest man I would ever encounter in my life. I believed that. I'm not being (sarcastic)? And in beautiful red and white silk robes. (I think some of you here in Wisconsin can relate to my testimony), we came marching in. What an honor to stand before Him. It was my moment. He anointed my head with oil in the sign of the cross. I bent down to kiss the ring in his nger in respect and reverence, as I had been taught to do. And as I did, he said, Son, you have now received the Holy Ghost into your life. So, I thought I had the Holy Ghost. I went back to my pew, and I will admit I didn't feel any different, though I felt honored in the moment. You see, God was in tradition, and we were taught to love and to reverence and to revel in our traditions. I didn't know anything about this spirituality business. I never felt God in the way that you feel Him around here many times. But I didn't know to either. If there was any question of shortcoming, (and of course, we saw ourselves as sinners. We saw ourselves as alienated from God. And really, the bene ts of living for God were really not so much in this life.), we were to go through this life in penance in an attempt to - now this is my own thinking, this is not in stone, but it was within my own conceptualization that God was always on the verge of losing his temper. And that's why we didn't make noise in his house.
Rev. Paul Brochu
People Aren't the Enemy
I feared God. I had a profound fear of God. I wouldn't even turn around in my pew. And the reason for that was because my father would deal with me when I got home, because the presence of God was in the Host, the Communion Bread blessed by the priest on the high altar. And if you look toward the back during service, friend, you're turning your back on God, and you can expect his wrath. We didn't turn our back on God. We feared God! Nor (sic) did I ever in my life feel free to go running to Him with my problems. He was Holy. He was powerful. I didn't doubt for a moment that he created this world by the power of his Word. I believe that with all of my heart. But I knew my shortcomings. I had been taught to realize and believe and understand that I was a sinner and I better do everything I can do possible in this life and a lot of penance to gain the favor of God. But in any case, it would still take Purgatory! (Purgatory) was the place beyond death where you would burn in something comparable to hell. Though the comfort was that it wasn't hell, it was temporary. And of course, loved ones in this life could burn candles for you or have masses set for you in your honor, and that too would expedite your stay there. But you could expect to be there thousands of years, was at least my concept. Someone shared with me that they were indoctrinated as a child that for every sign of the cross that you would do, it would take 100 days off of Purgatory or whatever. I'm not being (smart) here, I'm telling you, 57 million people in a place called France only know God in this realm because the only thing they know of God are the teachings of Rome. And you can write them off and you can be indifferent toward them and you can laugh at them in some of their left eld thinking. And it may seem as a fairy tale to you tonight, but there are those that would burn at the stake before they would denounce those teachings, because they want all of God they can get. And if it's the only thing of. God they know, they're going to do it with all of their heart.
Rev. Paul Brochu
People Aren't the Enemy
Paul said it like this to the Romans in chapter ten. He said, Romans 10:14-15 "How then shall they call on him in whom they have not believed? and how shall they
believe in him of whom they have not heard? and how shall they hear without a preacher? 15 And how shall they preach, except they be sent?". And while we vindictively think our hateful thoughts (toward) folks that are out there because they're not in the Truth, let's ask ourselves the elementary question: “Is it possible to do some things that you don't know anything about?” No. So, how will they know unless someone tells them? As for (your) city, that's where the church comes in. That's where you become involved. Christ in you, the body of Christ. That's not just some term that's been attached to you. You are the earthly ministry of Jesus Christ, his Spirit working through you. Acts 1:8 “But ye shall receive power, after that the Holy Ghost is come upon you: and ye shall be witnesses…” (This is) not just to dazzle you when the power of God begins to sweep in this place on a Sunday night, but it's to equip you to reach this world that Jesus loves, that he could never reach in his own earthly ministry in one man's lifetime. That's why he lled you with his Spirit. That's Missions.
Rev. Paul Brochu
People Aren't the Enemy
Conversion My older brother was heavy in the drug culture. He was nine years older than me. That means that when I was beginning high school and was turning onto all of those same things with a crowd of kids that I hung out with, he was into it big time. But he was in his mid twenties and already living away from home. My brother was attractive, was very successful with ladies, and that impressed me - I wanted to be just like him. People in this world have carnal values. I was still going to heaven, though I needed purgatory. And I would have been the rst to tell you that. I had a fear of God. But I really did not see myself as “lost” because, you see, tradition had me going to heaven on a red carpet. My brother married a very beautiful young lady. She was raised in a uence, her parents were in the entertainment eld, though they are not famous names that you would recognize. She herself was a professional model in magazines, in catalogs, on makeup cartons, pantyhose packages, advertisements as a child on cereal boxes. And, you know, the values in this world and what the media indoctrinates into the minds of people in our culture is that if you've got money, or if you're good looking, or if you're successful, then you will be happy. And people are hurting as they will kill for those things because everyone is wanting to nd their ship as it comes in and when they get to the end of the rainbow, there is no pot of gold. That the issues of life that can only be met by a living God hits them in the face as they realize that their answer must be something else. The fact was, though as beautiful, as popular, as ideal as my brother and his wife seemed to be, and had many friends, they lived for the night. My brother and more speci cally, my sister in law were very unhappy. When you got beyond her beautiful face, if she would open her heart to you, it would be lled with all kinds of sorrow in the name of her profession. Pushed on by a mother that wanted her to be successful in this eld, she was sleeping around with executives from the age of 14 to get signatures on contracts from executives, high ranking executives in the garment industry.
Rev. Paul Brochu
People Aren't the Enemy
Young women with similar situations don't enter into adult life, or womanhood, or more speci cally, a marriage relationship up without a ton of heartache. People can only and are only the victims of their exposure to this world, this grief and sorrow that we read about in Isaiah. The church sent a home missionary to our town, and I can only say that the missionary and his wife were candles in a very dark place. They began to share the word and began to love people. They began to reach out. One of their rst converts? My sister in law Cindy. She had had everything out there. She had looks, they had friends. She knew it didn't work. She didn't know anything about God, didn't have any tradition to fall back on. But when they began to tell her about the Lord, not about tradition when they began to tell her about the Lord, she repented. It was within the week she repented, was baptized in Jesus' name, and God lled her with the Holy Ghost. And you know what happened overnight? Without a new converts class, without a pastoral counseling session, overnight the drinking ceased. The drugging stopped, the sleeping around, the immorality. Her countenance changed, her values changed, her life changed. Before me, it scared the living daylights out of me. I had never seen anything like that before in my life. Conversion to me, by de nition, was swapping from one church to another. I didn't know anything about that, but I could not ght it. The world cannot produce those results overnight. You'll pay $100 (an hour) on a psychologist couch who will take months to bring some reform into some comfort to a broken, torn up mind. But it won't happen overnight. And I couldn't ght that. And I immediately threw up my religious defense. And I will tell you, I will confess, I fought this for a year and a half. I began to go to church with her. And like many of you, the rst time I came to a church like this. I just wanted to get out alive! These were a bunch of fruitcakes. The service didn't phase me. It didn't affect me. The preaching did nothing for me. I just thought, I'm never coming back to this place. You talk about disrupting the silence of heaven. These people were blatant blatant lawbreakers! (You might be laughing to yourself because you were there once too!)
Rev. Paul Brochu
People Aren't the Enemy
But you see, I couldn't get away from her life. You are an epistle read of all man. That's right. And you better watch what you do even when people are indifferent toward you. Because down the pike, when things fall apart, they will come to you. When stained glass is not meeting their needs and not comforting their heart, they will come to you and they'll say, look, I know I have given you trouble, but would you pray for me? You have got in your church, in your life, what an entire city is waiting to hear. There are people that are waiting to hear from you. There is an unborn church that is far greater than the numbers that are here tonight, right here in this city. Jesus knows all about them, and he sent you here to reach them. And as that home missionary and his wife did their thing. I began to go to church. I don't have time to get into this, but let it just su ce to say that the Word of God that I began to hear preached was not laced with a bunch of traditions of man. And because it was not, it cut the living daylights out of my heart and it revealed sin in my life that I had never seen before. Furthermore, I came upon the fact that “it is appointed unto every man once to die. And after death the judgment ”. (Hebrews 9:27) Not some fancy place that would clean me up and send me to heaven in spite of myself. But after death, the judgment fear overtook. Me and I realized for the rst time in my life that I was lost. I saw my life for what it was. The word of God had exposed me, and yet the love of God was drawing me. I would attempt to reform a little bit, though my whole heart was not in it. I had too many questions. But I'll say this, (amen) speaking about folks that live in a liberated humanistic world where anyone can do their own thing and they will preach a message out there of being unbound, I found out who was unbound when I came around real Christians.
Rev. Paul Brochu
People Aren't the Enemy
It took me months, and yet I would see men, grown men, with tears streaming down their cheeks, hands in the air, women praying in the presence of God. It was all over their faces. I saw the glory of God in them. They were speaking in tongues. Who was bound? It was me. It took me months to raise my hands. Tradition had me so bound. My life was so alienated from God and I didn't know what to do. I had so many questions. Well, I tried with my own answers. And it cost me a lot. I went straight to the bottom and thank God, because it was there that I could only look up and he was still there waiting for me. Big shot, a year and a half later I realized that I really did need God and I better desperately get a hold of God, because if I died, I was going to hell. I'm talking about what I felt within me. Fear. Fear. I went to that home mission church that night on New Year's Eve. The night before 1978, the very last day of 1977, I was 18 years old. It wasn't a real religious setting. It was metal folding chairs and a rented room for a New Year's Eve service. I’d never spent New Year's Eve like that before. It wasn't the Midnight Mass - it was a place like John's desert. If you want the artistic beauty to be so good, it may make you feel good for an hour on Sunday morning, but when you leave the building, your problems wait for you on the back steps (of the church). Jesus won't leave you on the back steps. And I found him there that night. I found him in repentance. And I prayed and I wept and I wept in that seat of that chair. I never felt that of God before. I certainly never felt that in a confessional booth. But though I had expected judgment and vindictive words, and because I really did have a fear for God, but because I was so desperate to get right with God, I was willing to take whatever he was going to dish out to me that night. Indoctrinated still by tradition, I trembled as I wept, but I bypassed the saints who previously had been taught were the only ones worthy to enter the presence of God! (You are supposed to pray your petitions to them and they will intercede to God on your behalf.) I bypassed all of that business that night, and I went to the top, and I was willing to take his chastisement.
Rev. Paul Brochu
People Aren't the Enemy
But you know what I found there on my knees? It wasn't unkind words. It was a loving God that cared for me in spite of my shame and my shortcomings and my detestable attitude, my hatefulness and all of my faults. No one knew me, but He knew me, and He loved me. Five weeks later, after that repentance experience, I received the Holy Ghost for myself. And if you have any doubts, let me tell you tonight that I believe, from having been on both sides of this thing that we have got tonight, what this world and what young hippie men in your city are looking for. They're looking for this. This works! This works! It really does. It's not your program. It's not your chorus… I'm talking about the Spirit of God, the baptism of the Holy Ghost. Baptism in the name of Jesus Christ to wash away not only your sins, but all of its guilt and condemnation that's attached to it. This works. It'll make you new, brother. It'll make you a new creature, sister.
Rev. Paul Brochu
People Aren't the Enemy
All Put Together I want to close (by sharing) an account of a woman that I met in the Paris subway a few years ago. Actually, I met her in passing. I was running between trains during the rush hour. For those of you that have not traveled in Europe or in France, Paris is about the size of Chicago. And you know what 430 on a Thursday afternoon in Chicago was like? I was beneath the surface between trains. Everyone was racing to get home. And I caught sight of a woman, a French lady. Because she's French, I could tell you what her religious background was and her concept of God. It's what I just shared with you, the same as my own. She was dressed in a beautiful tailored suit. Her hair had been done professionally. Expensive jewelry. A woman, maybe in her, maybe mid to late 50s, no doubt. Perhaps someone's mother, maybe even a grandmother. In all fairness to the way that she was attired, she could really have been a bank executive on her way home from work. But what stood her out to me was her condition. Something immediately welled up a lump in my throat when I saw her in passing, because she was sitting drunk on those dirty subway steps, people bumping into her and shoving her. No respect. Listen, she wasn't a bag lady, folks. She was not a street person. She was someone probably on her way home from work. She took pride in dressing herself that morning. You know, even good people in our world can have problems. Hey, listen, even mothers can have problems. And the tragedy is this. I began to think. I began rst to deal with feelings of hurt. I can be a crybaby sometimes when I think about the heartache and the rut that some people call life. She wasn't happy with herself. She was down on herself. She had a low self esteem. She was probably isolated from her family and her friends. She probably lived in depression.
Rev. Paul Brochu
People Aren't the Enemy
And she's done everything that tradition has taught her to do to get God's attention and to get help for her life. She's burnt candles every time she's gone to church. She's there every Sunday. She has prayed thousands of Rosaries to Mary, and every saint in heaven has heard from her many times. She's promised Novenas. She has made a pilgrimage to southern France, to a place called Lourdes, where if you drink from the holy water that springs from the grotto there, you will either be healed in your body or delivered… And all of those things have failed her. And at some point, maybe she sees it as a lack of faith, but at some point, she gives up and just determines that she's going to have to make the best of life. But she'll hold on to one last hope, and that's that. A place called Purgatory will clean her up. And one day, all of this hurt and human darkness and depression will be behind her, and heaven's gates will open. She's promised that because of her infant baptism into the church. And one day heaven will receive her and she will live happily ever after. And that is what's before her. And that's what keeps her going.
Rev. Paul Brochu
People Aren't the Enemy
Exhortation Well, we've got something here tonight. And to whom much is given, much shall be required. Freely we have received. Let's give. Not talking about your wallet, sir. Talking about your heart. Talking about your compassion and your love. Taking a chance on people when there's no promise they'll ever love your back. Jesus did. He took a chance on me. Took a chance on you. Thank you for sending a home missionary to my town, because I should be a statistic in your home missions brochure. But I'm one of you, and I've got what you've got now. As of (this message), there are 57 million people all over France. We've only got churches in eight locations in France, and some of seven of them are in the northeast. Entire regions of France, 48 cities with population over 100,000 people. And of those major metro areas, we've got churches in only four of them and people like you and I live there. And their concept of God is tradition. Will they receive this when they hear? Ten of them in our headquarters work just south of Paris received the Holy Ghost on Pentecost Sunday alone. And in that same building, when they dedicated their new sanctuary last June, 8 Roman Catholics received the Holy Ghost for the rst time in the dedication service. That work, it's just like this when it's a revival church. Every week, someone's either new in the altar getting baptized or receiving the Holy Ghost. Why? Because people that hear about this, that are serious about God when they get beyond the traditions, will receive it just like you did. “But how will they hear without a preacher? And who will preach unless they are sent?” If someone had not shared their witness with us, like many of you (with traditional church backgrounds), we would only equate God in the same aspect (sic) as that woman in the subway. And maybe you would even consider that you would still be back in the home country tonight if Grandfather had not boarded a ship and come to this place where a witness would cross your family's path, you should still be back there tonight, brother. Your cousins are. Your aunts and uncles are still back there. Mine are back there. Had someone not told you.
Rev. Paul Brochu
People Aren't the Enemy
So to those of you that have got a vision for souls and invest in world missions, God bless you because you've got a hold of something and God will bless you. The Lord has called us to go there (to France). But though I count it a privilege, I can't just go there and work. I could never obtain a work visa. The unemployment is too high in France. We can only go with partners, brothers and sisters here in America that realize their blessings and who've got a vision for souls. There are no big “I’s” and little “you's” in this kingdom, all of us are equally important in the work of God, though we may have different responsibilities. Maybe something is welling up in you tonight and you thank God. And don't just remember the Brochu’s in France. But would you pray for all of our missionaries? Would you pray for your home missionaries? And even more speci cally yet, would you immerse yourself in the outreach of this local church? “Bringing in the
sheaves” (Neh 13:15) before he comes? God Bless You
Rev. Paul Brochu
People Aren't the Enemy
Summary God loves all people but most are alienated from him. Though God loves everyone in the world, most of them don't know the truth and are doing their own thing. The only difference between us and them is that we have encountered God and received a life-changing experience through the Holy Spirit. Missions should focus on reaching people in our city and neighborhood. The cross deals with human sorrow and grief The cross not only deals with sin but also human sorrow, grief and heartache. It meets people's needs in spiritual, emotional and physical realms. Religion cannot solve problems but relationship can Religion itself cannot meet spiritual needs or solve the world's problems. It has become mere tradition and ceremony. Relationship with God is the answer. God is spirit and he can meet spiritual needs. Do not judge others but show compassion We should not judge, condemn or alienate others. We should see them through God's eyes and reach out to them with his love. Though they seem far from God, he knows and cares for them. He has dealt with all human hurts at the cross. Reach out to others in your city and neighborhood with God's love and truth. Do not judge or condemn others but see them through God's compassionate eyes. Share the message of hope and grace found in the cross with people around you. Build a relationship with God and know him in spirit and truth. Pray for people in your life who do not yet know God, that they may come to the knowledge of truth and receive new life in Christ.
Rev. Paul Brochu
People Aren't the Enemy
About the Author - Paul Brochu
Rev. Paul & and wife Darla Brochu have ministered in France since 1993. They have worked both in Western France and in Paris. In 2013 they assumed the pastorate of Paris Centre Church. After assuming the senior pastor role in 2021, the Brochu’s primary focus is spiritual oversight and expansion into unreached areas of France. Along with this ministry, Paul Brochu is an instructor at the French Bible Institute. He is a member of the United Pentecostal Church of France National Board, and Superintendents of the German Speaking Nations, as well as serving as Area Coordinator for Western Europe and the Mediterranean in the Europe Region. “People Aren’t the Enemy” is adapted by the editor from a live taped sermon of the same name given by Rev. Brochu in Madison, Wisconsin in the early 1990's while the Brochu’s were on ministry furlough traveling across the USA raising money and prayer support for their foreign missions work in France. To learn more about their church in Paris, please visit https://www.epupariscentre.com/
Rev. Paul Brochu
People Aren't The Enemy. "People Aren't the Enemy" is a passionate and timeless exploration of the depths of the Grace of God toward sincere people who love God but are following him in ways laid out before them by church traditions that instead of drawing them closer, actually further alienate them from God. Adapted from a sermon given in the early 1990's, this powerful message examines the extent of God's Love for people who might be doing all they know to do for God and still nd themselves biblically "lost". Drawing on his background as a former Roman Catholic, Rev. Paul Brochu re ects on how Godly compassion, not judgment and condemnation, is the key to winning souls for the Gospel of Jesus Christ.