“…a certain damsel possessed with a spirit of divination met us… and cried, saying, These men are the servants of the most high God, which shew us the way of salvation…Paul being grieved, turned  and said to the spirit, I command thee in the name of Jesus Christ to come out of her.”  (Acts 16)

“Much learning doth make thee mad.”  (Acts 26)

The enemies of Christ called Him:
*the son of Beelzebub
*an aloholic,
*a false prophet
*A man possessed by the devil
*a bastard
*Blasphemer
*Liar
*Homosexual. There are persons that call Him homosexual and put on plays to demonstrate their reprobation.

We should take the insults of God’s enemies, that were and are thrown at Him and His own as a complimentary insult and complimentary offense. What do I mean?  Reader, would it be a good thing or a bad thing if a white supremecist said you were a great guy? It would be a horrible thing if you were not a white supremecist, would it not? But if the same white supremecist called you dirt or a betrayer to all white persons, would that not be a good thing?  If sinners called you hypocrite and self righteous, this would be a good thing, but and only if it is not true. When the political left call us haters, it is a badge of honour. If the political left calls you racist, bigot, homophobe, take it as a compliment and know you are doing right as long as those names are not fitting.

The devil is called the accuser of the brethren.  If the devil started saying good things about you to God, would that be good or bad?  If you are not the object of disdain by a satanist or atheist (same thing), you’re doing something wrong. I’m not saying you should be offensive to a satanist, i’m saying your beliefs and positions would be a stumbling block and rock of offense to his sensibilities, but he should not have any room to speak ill of your person.

Reader, in today’s world and politically charged environment, it is a compliment to be called a racist, a bigot, a sexist, a homophobe, and a hater, when you are the farthest thing from those types of persons. If you are actually one (1) of those things you are missing the mark, my frienemy.

They were “first called Christians in Antioch.” The term Christ-ian was an insult but those called Christian took it as a compliment. I know that today the word Christ-ian has a wide definition (that is why I spell the name the way I do). Many believers use the term, “Christ-follower” instead of Christ-ian because of it’s wide definition. Many use the name Christ-ian, who are not.

Many other religions and or cults use the term Christ-ian.  Catholics consider themselves and call themselves Christ-ians as do Jehovah’s Witnesses (this is a newer practice in their (s)atanic attempt to take as many to hell as they can), as do Mormons, and those aligned with what is called, the Christian Church, the denomination.  The apostolic church is not Christ-ian, they too, insist on baptism and tongues as requirements for salvation. These are not Christ-ians; they teach baptism is a necessity to being saved. In other words, they believe salvation is the effect of Christ’s Work AND THEIR baptism… When i write in chatrooms or comment sections as i write here, I am called a judge, self-righteous, hypocrite, “evil at it’s worst,” stupid, idiot, hater, and all the other notable expletives we hear every day. I take all of the “cyber-abuse” and am encouraged thereby it. God takes the wrath of man and makes it a blessing to and for His own. GOD is GOoD to His own…GOD is sooooooooooooo GOoD to me.

Let me be clear Reader, If you believe salvation, your salvation, is the product of Christ’s Work AND anything, you must reconsider your salvation and your faith. Let me use a mathematical-like equation:  Christ + Nothing = Salvation,   Christ + Anything else = No Salvation.  Even your faith cannot be credited for your salvation.  It Is God and God’s grace, through His gift of faith, that salvation is received. “[…faith is] not of yourselves, [but faith is] the gift of God.”  [A SideNote: The person who has hi-jacked the good title of fundementalist would now be jumpimg up and down on a chair and holding his KJV up in the air, while he cries, “This heretick is adding to the Words of Scripture and he is going to hell!!!!!.”  Reader, I’m not adding to Scripture, we are simply using words to exposit the golden truths of Scripture.]

An analogy: When you have purchased a gift for someone, is that item not your’s until you present it to someone? Could you not decide to give it to someone else before you give it to the person first (1st) intended?  Could you not decide to burn that item before you give it to a person? Could you not decide…do you not have the right to keep that item for yourself? You will answer in the afirmitive to all these questions and then you might understand the doctrine of election and maybe believe it, and enJOY a revival like no other.

The Lord Christ is your Saviour; your faith is not the cause and is not your saviour.  Your faith is the gift of His Grace, just as is His Salvation. I say, His salvation because it is His Salvation. His Salvation is given to you; it is not your faith that saved you. I’m not playing with words, I am teaching you sound and God glorifying doctrine….YOU SHOULD BE PRAISING GOD NOW.

Reader, “Salvation belongeth unto the LORD.” Salvation is God’s Salvation that He has freely given to you, This should be a subject that compels your deep thinking and meditation. This gift was God-made “before the foundation of the world.”  This gift was made for you, as you were specifically, particularly, peculiarly, and electively firmly in God’s Mind. Reader, God LOVES YOU!!! Do you know and understand that? God loves you affectionately, intensely, intimately AND ELECTIVELY…Yes, He CHOSE to love YOU. God chose YOU!!! to be an object of His Great Love. God chose YOU!!! to love. God loves YOU while He has chosen not to love others. GOD passed by others to get to you. Reader, all the persons and people and peoples that God chose to kill, through His servants, in the Old Testament, was for YOU!!! BUT…BUT…BUT remember: none of it is about you; it is all about HIM, the Triune God, and you should like it that way.

Reader, Beloved, I am not writing this to puff you up, I am writing this to Exalt my/your Sovereign. This knowledge, this gift, this truth, should give you great comfort and great confidence. This most prized possession should allow you to see “MY GOD IS SO BIG, SO STRONG AND SO MIGHTY, THERE IS NOTHING MY GOD CANNOT DO. The adversaries to the doctrine of election believe those who bask in the glory of election or rather the Glory of the Electing God to be filled with pride. AND THEY ARE RIGHT AND TRUE, THEIR CHARGE IS GOOD AND TRUE AND “WORTHY OF ALL ACCEPTATION!!!” The person who understands this doctrine is proud and PRIDE-FILLED of and for His or her VERY BIG GOD. The elect is Filled with PRIDE for GOD, THE ONLY SOVEREIGN. The elect person is both humbled and exalted at the same time.

The person who knows and understands that GOD chose THEM and that Christ died for them, exclusively (as in excluding others), specifically (as in specifically You), peculiarly (as in you are peculiar to God or God-owned and loved), intimately (as in there is no other), and personally (just for you) is like a balloon filled with helium (Atomic number: two (2) for the gifted with great intelligence) that flies up, up, up HIGH in the sky.

Reader, it is now time for you to thank God for the salvation He has given to you.

Godspeed.

“there is neither male nor female: for ye are all one in Christ.”  (Galatians 3)

How can one (1) think and say one (1) is not a feminist, yet think women are equal to men. You may have realized we have been writing on pastoral qualifications and disqualification.  One qualification and a very important qualification is the man must keep his house in order because if he cannot do that, he will not keep the church in order, as he must be faithful in the little things before God will give him the responsibility in greater or bigger things.

Not bigger, as in the ministry being more important than his family, but as in the church requiring far more attention because there are far more persons to oversee and to be responsible for.  When Christ said His servants will do greater works than He did, He in no way meant greater works interms of power or magnificence but in terms of the number of works.  Billy Graham and Paul both preached to more persons than did Christ as did many of the unknown men of God, humanly speaking. Christ of course preached through them.

When the shallow man, that is saved or thinks of himself as saved, believes he must demand complete “submission” from their “weaker” wives he is wresting Scripture out of context and trampling the Word(s) of God under foot. Some of these men and even some “preachers” believe the man must “wear the pants” in the marriage. Let me be clear on this topic. I do believe in the Spiritual headship of the husband and father in a Christ-ian marriage. I believe in the headship of the husband. I believe the wife should submit to the husband…”HER OWN husband” and not another man. If a “Christ-ian” man thinks my wife should submit to him because he is a big man and she is just a woman…he would be submitting to my ankle lock or arm bar within seconds (2nd’s), spiritually speaking.

The woman should submit to no man but her own husband (own as in owner-ship, her ownership of him, i mean) AND Christ, in terms of wifely duties in and out of the marriage bed. A woman should also submit to a pastor’s SCRIPTURAL teaching as it is the Word(s) of God. I do not say that a pastor should speak to another’s wife in private and direct her in the things of God…never…never… never ever…ever… ever.  It is a fool of a pastor to sits alone with another man’s wife and a poor husband that is not concerned about that dynamic.

No man of God should ever be in private with a woman that is not his wife or daughter or close relative. A woman, who is married, should never be in private with a man that is not her husband, father, or close relative. Before someone goes crazy, let me say, eating lunch with a client over business in a public place is sometimes unavoidable and this, I think God understands. I was once in a situation where a very pretty female client, that met me to discuss landscaping plans, wore a wet and white t-shirt with no bra on. I kept my eyes on her eyes and afterwards requested another person, a female, be assigned to that account.

As to a wife taking care of the household as in, domestic responsibilites such as,  bills, home’s maintenance needs, the husband’s schedule, (and to put him in his place when necessary or to disagree with him in terms of daily life); it is a wise husband that sees the benefit in these matters. Would the husband be wise or be a good head if he demanded that he takes care of things that he is not suited and his wife?

If my wife is better and more mindful of daily things and temporal duties, would I not be an idiot to take lead of these thing?  Let me be clear on this matter:  If you are an absent minded husband but you see it as your Christ-ian duty to take lead on temporal and household matters, you are a fool. If you are a wife and resent your husband because he leaves things in your hands, you are not seeing things as God would have you see things…read Proverbs 31.  If  husband and wife do not see that the wife, does in fact, do everything they are both out of line and ignorant to reality.  Read Proverbs thirty-one (31) and tell me the wife in that Proverb does not do everything.  She does and this is God’s will.

Do not take this the wrong way, wives and husbands, I am not saying the husband can sit around and watch her doing everything. In her doing everything, she can tell you what to do.  This is called “submit[ting] to one another.”  The man that sits around is not understanding God’s Word and directive at all. On the opposite side of things, the wife is to submit to the husband’s headship in Spiritual matters. The Scriptures tell us that the woman should not usurp the man’s authority. In context and in the greek this tells us that the wife should not ever take the lead in Spiritual headship…NEVER…unless the husband is deficient in his most important responsibilites. In her spiritual leadership, if the husband is deficient, she is to pray and ask God to deal with the husband on this matter.

A word on the role of women not being in spiritual leadership. While the Scriptures are clear that the woman must not usurp the spiritual authority, let me speak on a few exceptions.
*If the husband is lost or departs, the wife must be the spiritual lead. The wife should make this a matter of lifelong repentance if she was a believer before marriage and the husband was not. This is because God warned her in clear Words. The Lord has every right to take issue and chasten a daughter for life if a daughter marries a known unbeliever as could her children in later life. In the smaller picture, she has carelessly and in full knowledge subjected her children to a pagan. That may sound harsh and rough…it was meant to be. I struggle to have sympathy for a woman, a saved woman, who married a known rebel, who hates God. I would go sooo far as to say, a woman, a Christ-ian woman, should not conceive if she is married to a spiritual gentile.

Some metaphors:
*If a person brought another to be the victim of an abuser, would that person not be as guilty and culpable as the abuser; if not more so?  Believer, it is spiritual abuse to subject a child to an unbeliever or even a “believer” that is spiritually enemic.
*If you were asked by a childish and tempermental and verbally abusive boss for the names of potential employees or past co-wokers, would not your friend be fully justified in their anger and sense of betrayal, by your willfully subjecting them to a boss that abuses YOU? Methinks. “oh, yeah!

Going back to the marriage metaphor… if you are married to an abusive (coward, impotent in character, hate-filled, self-centered and self thinking, piece of or pile of fecies) man, or man so called, and you bring a child into this despotic kingdom of (s)atan, You…You…YOU would be open to God’s chastening and anger as well as the child or rather fellow-abusee’s anger later in life.

A woman that thinks bringing a baby into an abusive marriage, physical, mental, or verbal is a fool and a betrayer of that life; a life that is precious to God. That woman would be a fool and betrayer of that child before and during her pregnancy, post pregnancy, she must be the child’s refuge.

This woman could be repentant AND thankful for her child(ren) at the same time.  “WHAT!?” you might think or say.  How is that possible?  It is possible in the same sense that you are a saint and a sinner, at the same time, is a reality. I know of a woman, who was married to a sociopath, who purports to be a holy man of God, if not God Himself.

What should this woman think of herself with the above reality? If she repents for the suffering of her children under the vile despot, would she not be saying she is sorry for having these children?  Would her children then be a mistake? No…absolutely No!!! Have you never repented of a sin but still saw the blessings that came out of that sin? AND are even now thankful for that sin (as God works all things together for our good), while being sorry for your part in that sin? Reader, God is Sovereign over the seemingly contradictive aspects of our lives…know this. We can be repentant and thankful for the same thing at the same time…it may sound contradictory but it is not. Let me explain from Scripture.

God elects and chooses who He will save, yet every man is responsible and commanded to repent and believe in a voluntary spirit. Both are true and are true at the same time. This woman can be repentant and thankful for bringing children into the wicked kingdom of a (s)atanic despot at the same time. How? Glad you asked:
*There will be more witnesses against the spiritual bastard (I use the word bastard because he has no Heavenly Father) at the great white throne judgement.
*The woman needs support…”it is not good that [wo]man should to be alone” and a woman would be alone, humanly speaking, in an abusive marriage.
*Also, this will be a deeper thought and require deeper and more spiritual-thought energy, so put your thinking hat on……….Ready?…..  Since God chose who He would and would not save, and this woman finds her children being followers of Christ; it was within God’s will that she bring these lives into the world. We learn or could learn from Samson that God seeks opportunity against His enemies. Therefore, It is God’s will that this woman and these children, His children, suffer…..No!!! not suffer, but endure and persevere and come forth as gold and bring great glory to God as God sees them through all of it.

Also, each smiting: verbal, physical, mental, or emotional abuse, that the bastard struck will be returned unto him one hundred (100) fold by the Almighty, Sovereign God that loves her and her children and Hates, yes, hates the bastard. This is not only true of this specific woman; i know all God’s daughters, in this same position, will be honoured by the destruction of their abusers. God will be greatly glorified in and by the demonstration of His Godly , Holy, and Righteous Hate, Wrath, Fury, Anger…AND PLEASURE in His condemning (and the condemnation itself) of all abusers of His daughters. All His daughter will then understand all the whys of their lives.

Female reader, I acknowledge the above is a sensitive subject; I hope you receive this writer’s word in the intended manner in which he wrote it. That intended manner is a manner of love and concern. Female reader, I have said before and I trust, that in the Lord, I will say again; if you are in an abusive relationship tell me or someone else that could help in this matter and do not think it wrong to ask God to remedy your situation with any means that would glorify Him and help you…even the death of an abuser. Before someone thinks the last sentence un-Christ-ian; let me introduce myself to you as a person who lives in the real world and lives in the service of Christ, Who “was made [F]lesh” and understands “real life” perfectly.

I am trusting i have not been offensive in any way in this article. If ssomeone has been offended, I have two (2) things to say:
*I did not mean anything to be offensive.
*You have misread what i have written.

In summary, we are all weak…equally weak in relation to God. We are all weaker than the other in different ways. Each person should submit to each other in and according to their strengths and weaknesses. The husband being the appointed leader of a family is a gift to God’s daughter. The husband is head because Christ is the Head of the church. A husband that sees the wife’s gift in administration and asks her to take the lead in domestic affairs is leading wisely and can be considered to the pastoral office. The husband that is not wired for the domestic affairs of life but demands control anyway, due to pride and a MASSIVE and WILLFUL misunderstanding of Scripture, and then screws things up is a fool and is not leading his house well and is not qualified to pastor God’s flock as an under-shepherd.

Therefore, I am not a feminist because I need not be to see my wife is egual and loved and treasured by God. The wife is weaker than the husband in some areas as he is weaker than she in others and both are weaker than God.

Godspeed.

“Pray without ceasing”  (1 Thessalonians 5)

“God forbid, that I should sin againt the LORD in ceasing to pray for you.” (1 Samurl 12)

“You may read the passages about and think to yourself, “WHAT?…how do others pray without stopping….AND! it’s a sin to cease!!!”  Reader, it is a principle that if “it is written” in Scripture it is true and should be taken serious…”it is “worthy of all acceptation.” The question is how does one pray without ceasing and why is it a sin not to pray?

We’ll take the latter before the former because it is the easiest.  Why is it a sin to cease from prayer?  The reason it is a sin not to pray is because the “Bible tells me so.”  The answer is as simple as the lyrics in “Jesus love me.”

Really that answer is the answer to many of the “whys” we ask regarding Scripture.  Q.”Why should I love my enemy?  A. The Bible tells you so.  Q. Why should I put others ahead of myself? A. The Bible tells me so. Q, Why?  A. The Bible tells me so.  I understand that answer may not be sufficient for unbelievers who, “ask a reason” but it is sufficient for the believer. Once we have been quickened by the Scriptures and have been converted to a new life in Christ, the answers to all our questions is the Bible tells me so.

Don’t get me wrong, thinking Reader, “Thus saith the LORD” is reason enough to believe all that the Scriptures tells us, God does not leave us there; God always gives us a reason…if He chooses to and if He chooses not, “thus saith the LORD” or “it is written” is plenty sufficient. Once you have entrusted the Lord with our eternal and everlasting soul, all can be entrusted to Him for we “know [W]hom I have believed.”  Notice it does not say what I have believed or what I have believed in, but “Whom I have believed.”

In this passage we have been discussing RE: why it is a sin not to pray, it specifies “for you.” Reader when someone needs us to pray for them, it is a sin.  Reader would you not take it as an offense if you were sitting on the side of the road with car trouble and your someone you know drives past while waving and smiling at you?  Would you not be shocked if you were walking downa sidewalk with someone you consider a friend keeps on walking after you stumble and fall down?  If you were telling someone of a real trial you are experiencing and this person, tilts their head and simply says, “Aw” and keeps talking about how great their life is, would it not cause you to wonder of their friendship?

Reader, What if you were walking with two (2) friends and one (1) is bewailing a real grief in their life and the other simple ignore the other and starts up a differnt subject of conversation, would you not feel bad for the one (1) ignored and feel a bit of anger toward the one (1) who ignored the other? I think you would and if not you are equally uncaring.  These examples should be sufficient to the question of why it is a sin not to pray for another.

Another reason your prayerlessness is a sin against God is you are passing up an opportunity to enter HIs divine and royal Presence.  We have never lived under a king’s sovereign rule before submitting to Christ as our Lord and King, therefore we do not know or understand how one should act under a Sovereigns rule. Therefore, one may not see why it is sinful not to pray. If we did live under an earthly king, we would know how offensive it would be to a king, if we ignored an opportunity to enter his royal presence.

What happens if you are called to jury trial and you ignor that call?  You could have a bench warrant put out for your arrest.  What would happen if you ignored a Subpoena to submit to a trial in a court of law?  Would not an arrest warrant be put out for your arrest?

What if you have a court mandated appearance before a judge for a broken law and you choose to nsimple ignore the summons?  You are right, you would have a warrant produced for your lawful apprehension.  Reader, If God opens up His throne room and invites you to enter His presence with all your cares, concerns, petitions, confession, supplications, etc. and you cast that invitation to the gorund and trample over it, you have caused an affront to the court of God.

What if a person, who belives you to be one who cares for them, learns that you have never thought it important to pray for them? Would you not expect them to be terribly hurt? What if the shoe was on the other foot, or if they failed to do unto you as they would have you do unto them? Would you not be hurt?  The answers to the above questions demonstrate your trust in God’s Word concernng prayer.

If you care not to pray for others and if others fail to pray for you and it bothers you not, Reader, you believe not in the power or necessity of prayer. and you manifest an unbelief regarding God’s desire, not only to hear prayer but His power, to hearken. Let me be painfully and possibly and offensively clear…if you do not pray and if you fail to pray for others, you believe not in God’s power, love, and readiness to demonstrate both.  Reader, we would ask you if you really and truly believe in God.

Reader, when I was a young and more immature believer, I would hear of others praying for hours and the “sweet hour of prayer” I thought to myself how others did that and if it wasn’t simple a boast.  It seemed it impossible to me.  I would also hear of pastor spending upto thirteen (13)  hours in their office, each day, I thought and wondered what they could possibly be doing for all that time.

Reader, I can, after years of walking with Christ, tell you what the men of old times did for thirteen (13) hours in their office.  The godly men of old would:
*Pray in and with the Spirit.
*Read daily reports in news papers,  in and with the Spirit of prayer.
*Read and answer correspondense in and with the Spirit of prayer.
*Read the Scriptures in and with the Spirit of prayer.
* Study the Scriptures in and with the Spirit of prayer.
*Counsel others, from Scripture, in and with the Spirit.
*Pray  in and with the Spirit.
*Eat and pray in and the Spirit.
*Meditate in the and with the Spirit.
*Think about and prepare messages that will be (DV) be presented to God’s people in and with the Spirit.
*Writing in and with the Spirit.

You may see a common denominator in the above bullet points.  That commonality is, “in a with the Spirit.”  Reader, this is praying without ceasing.  When one (1) does everything in and with the Spirit one is remaining in God’s Presence perpetually and is “praying  without ceasing.” Now, I now wonder how a pastor does not spend most of his day in his offense and pray without ceasing and how he sins not by failing to pray.

Reader, have you ever wondered what one could pray about or for for such a long time? even sweet hours of prayer. I hope the above dispelled the thought or the picture of a man “struggling” in prayer for so many hours.  The man of God does not kneel at his bedside, “leaving indentions in the floor.”

Cast that defeating picture from your mind. To cease not in prayer is to do all things in and with the Spirit.  One (1) can drive in and with the Spirit. One (1) can wash dishes and change diapers in and with the Spirit.   One(1) can work on a care engine in and with the Spirit, Reader!!! one (1) can watch TV in and with the Spirit!!! Do not think me crude, but a Christ-ian couple can spend their most intimate times in and with the Spirit. One can sleep their nights in and with the Spirit. One can even sin in and with the Spirit, thus did David say, “Against Thee and against Thee only did I sin.”  If one (1) lives and walks in the Spirit, one (1) is fulfilling Paul’s “law of prayer.”  One (1) is praying without ceasing when one (1) brings their imagination under the obedience of Christ.  To do all things, “to the glory of God” is praying without ceasing.  Thinking about God and acknowleding God in all things is praying without ceasing.

“Luther said, “Let thy words be few” when praying and the LORD say, “You weary [M]e with your much speaking.”  The above explains that paradox.  After writing all of the above let me give you things to pray about or for in a day of ceasless prayer:
*THe past night of rest or night of sleeplessness in His Presense.
*The new days events and adventures.
*Grace to live this new day for God’s glory.
*To be a blessing for others.
*To put a guard upon your lips and to let all things be spoken bt grace.
*To leave all persons and places better than you found them.
*THank God for the days events thus far and for the rest of the day to be spent for His glory, and as a blessing to others.
*Read the Word in and with the Spirit. Pray before reading, during reading and after reading.  Ask for opportunities to apply spiritual lessons to your day and other’s day.
*Thank God for the days events thus far and that His blessing follow you for the rest of the day.
*Thank Him for the food you will enjoy…pray before eating, during eating and after eating.
*When someone does something that may bother you, pray for grace and act in that grace and then thank God for  that grace.
*THank God for the events thus far and for grace to continue.
*Pray and thank God for those that are in your life…even the ones that cause trouble.
*Ask God to help you be sensitive to His leading(s).
*Thank God for traffic lights, even the red ones.
*Ask God what you should learn from something that did not go well.”
*Thank God….just Thank Him and ask Him to forgive you for not being able to remember all the times you forgot to thank Hi.
*Acknowkedge God in all your ways.
*Thank God for all the time He reminded you not to lean upon you own faulty wisdom.
*Ask God to led you in a time of meditaion upon His Word(s), Ways, and Works.
*Ask Him to help ypu become more Christ-like.
*Ask Him to help others to grow in their knowledge of God and His Word.
*THank God for the knowledge, understanding, and Wisdom He grants you.
*Thank Christ for His imputed righteousness.
*Thank God for sending His Only Begotten Son to die in your place.
*Praise Christ for His strength and for allowing His righteousness to impute His righteousness to your account and for bearing your sins against Him.
*Thank the Spirit for enlightening your understanding in concern with the Gospel of Christ.
*Ask God for His blessings upon your evening.
*Thank Him for the days events and opportunities to bring Him glory and to forgive you your many…very many trespasses.
*Ask God for a peaceful night of rest.

Reader, need I give you more things to pray for? Are not the above suffient cause and reasons and example to keep your prayer life active? I could give you many more, but I trust the above is sifficient. The above should be sufficient reason and example for you to confess the sin of failing to pray, to pray for others, and for yourself as well as ignoring God’s invitation to approach Him in His Throne of grace…His throne of grace is there for you and to deny that invitations to deny His throne and His grace.

Let me give a few metaphors for what I am speaking to concerning ” in and with the Spirit”:
* Driving silently in a car with another without awkward silence.  You both are aware of the other and have acknowledged each other’ presence.
*Spending quality time watching TV without speaking….I’m serious. The person who says time in front of a television is not quality time is wrong.  We should not spend ALL our time infron of the television, but mush bonding has been established and can be established…It gives a family a subject to discuss.  I spend most of my time with the Lord, so I obviously spend time speaking to my family about things of God, God, and their relationship to God and while I can spend days with other pastors speaking about God and His greatness, this is not a topic that is what everyone else in my life wants to discuss or needs to discuss and that is not a sleight against them.

Television gives a family something to discuss on an even or equal ground.  When my children were younger I certainly spoke to them about God and the DEEP things of God….kids get it…trust me. However, as kids are kids and adults are adults, attention spans are short so we needed other things…unimportant things (in relation to the things of God) must be talked about.  Hannah, when she was young, she and I would spend hours on a Friday night watching, Buffy the Vampire Slayer” and would discuss that togethers. We would discuss how that show demonstrated soooo much Christ-ianity and sound spiritual sugjects.  Reader, if you are offended by the last senstence, save your remarks…you know not what you are speaking to or about.

I got off of my topic, but I’m sure that rabbit trail will be helpful to someone.

Reader, another metaphor of spening time in and with the Spirit is the marriage bed.  It is important for a husband and wife spent their nights with each other in the marriage bed.  Before I leave the last two (2) sentences, let me say something. There are reasons and times for a happily married couple to sleep apart.
*If one (1) or both are in a period of prayer of fasting and prayer, but they should not spent too much apart, lest the devil enter into mind or marriage bed.
*Full disclosure, there are times my wife and I MUST sleep apart. This writer is a violent sleeper. I scream and shout in my sleep. I also go days, many day without sleep. I do not say that as a complaint for I spend those nights in and with the Spirit.
*A reason a married couple could and should sleep apart is if their is abuse in the marriage.
*A couple should never sleep apart due to a disagreement as the devil may gain a foothold in a night of sleepless anger or angry dreamng.
Therefore, a married couple sleeping together is a good metaphor for praying ceaseless ness and for doing all things in and with the Spirit.

As this article has been lengthy it is worthy of you time and thought.

Godspeed.

“We are troubled on every side, yet not distressed; we are perplexed, but not in despair; Persecuted, but not forsaken; cast down, but not destroyed…”  (2 Corinthians 4)

“…I will not be brought under the power of any.”  (1 Corintians 6)

“…so fight i, not as one that beateth the air: But I keep under my body, and bring it into submission….”  (1 Corinthians 9)

“We wrestle not…”  (Ephesians 6)

“O thou that are named the house of Jacob, is the spirit of the LORD straitened?”                                                                                                                                                 (Micah 2)

Reader, It is no secret that I am an observer of professional wrestling and mixed martial arts.  I have been for more than thirty (30) years.years and I am in no way embarrassed by it.  I went, as a teen-ager into my early twenties (20’s) every month to Rosemont to see Wrestling. I met many of the wrestlers and spoke to them each month. Boy, do I have stories. For a good “stretch” (wrestling term) I did not sit any farther than the forth (4th) row. I made friends with two (2) guys and each month during intermission, we would take turns  going and buying next months tickets for each other, it also depended on who was to be wrestling after the intermission. It was neat, three (3) strangers made friends around a common interest. I have no idea who or where they are now and that was a mistake. I was a teen and I would get into arguements with the wrestlers at ring side.  I actually spit in a wrestler’s face because he had “turned on America” during the first Bush Sn.’s years as president. I was a kid.

Having grown up, I began training in Brazillian Jiu Jitsu. I have always had a warriors spirit in me. Like David, like Samson, Like Paul.  The quoted Scriptures above are all wrestling or grappling or pancration terms, Paul used in his ministry. He said he was cast down but not destroyed. That is wrestling talk. Paul said he would not be brought under the control of anything, thats wrestling talk for being pinned or submitted. Paul even uses the word, submission when speaking about his internal and carnal or old man wrestling matches.

Jacob wrestled with the Pre-incarnate Christ. David spoke about God teaching his fingers to fight and his hands to war. I could make an argument for a young Jesus ben Joseph learning wrestling as His nation was under the Roman occupation. Romans were big on wrestling in their days. I would even argue that Christ and His disciples had sparring matches…it was the thing in that time. Also Paul speaks of Christ making an open show of those He had put down, during the three days in Paradise.  David is a picture and type of Christ…his fingers fought and his hands warred.  What do you think Christ was doing during His three (3) days in Paradise. Paradise was His war room. Think about it. Look at what older writers say about those three (3) days.

So what does all this wrestling talk have to do with anything? I will tell you as God allows. I am preparing to start a Jiu jitse training regiment and if God allows, I would like to compete on a jiu jitsu team. My trainers are my brothers in Christ and my friends. Their name is Hill. Ron and James Hill. There father is a minister of our Lord Jesus. These men trained me before and I would not want anyone else to train me now. Why would I try to compete at my age? The LORD is my strength…literally, I mean, He enlarges me and He has given me a new and better mindset.  Also, I would like my daughter to see their father compete now that they are of age to know what’s going on. They were toddlers when i was training before. Humanly speaking Jiu Jitsu has been a great part in making me the man that I am. God used that. God does that. God is a Man of War…He said that.

Enough about me. What does any of what I have written have to do with theology or spirituality?

The quoted passages above all speak to grappling. God said in Micah, the Spirit would not be straightened. Straightened or stretched or racked are terms of bending and twisting the body into a point of submission. When Paul says, he was troubled on all sides but were not cast down, Paul is speaking about his adversaries surrounding him and think they have the upper hand because of the numbers game. Paul said, cast down but not destroyed, Paul speaks of being thrown to the ground but not being pinned or submitted. Arguments can be made for Paul being a grappler as well.

So what does wrestling or grappling have to do with our spiritual state or the divine nature we have been made partakers of? We are sainted grapplers in our thoughts and actions. We struggle in our mind over thoughts or ideas. Paul tells us we must bring our imagination and thought-life under the obedience of Christ or one could say, that the unconverted sinner to be a converted saint must submit to Christ.  Peter said he was, apprehended by Christ. that is a grappling term, apprehend your opponent and straighten him into submission. When Christ says in John six (6) that the sinner is drawn to salvation, He uses the Word for Dragging as in dragging an opponent.

We all wrestle with our old man or old nature.  We wrestle with doctrines. We wrestle in our understandings of Scripture. We wrestle with demonically influenced persons all the time, the lost or reprobate…those God has past over and chose you, instead of them, to be His elect in Christ.  Reader, Wrestle with these great doctrines. Reader, wrestle with God in negotiative prayer. It’s okay to negotiate with God….Moses did it all the time.

Reader, wrestle with the doctrines you dislike, but understand God had a great “hold” over His truth. When I first learned by the Spirit about the doctrines of grace or calvinism or sound doctrine as it should be called, I had to wrestle with many of my family and fellow believers into submitting to the truth of Scripture and not “what we have been taught for years.” But this wrestling and this submitting to Truth is Christ-ian liberty by definition, Reader.

Christ is called the “Word” in Scripture. That word, Word can be translated, Logos or logic. Logic is the rigouous training of one’s mind.  Peter said the enemies, “wrested” the Scriptures of Paul. Jacob, son of Isaac…his name means heel holder or heel hook, a submission hold, very painful.

Reader, the saints of God are wrestlers in many meanings of the word.

Godspeed.

“…[T]hou understandest my thought afar off.”  (Psalm 139)

Prayer is a real power and might I say, it is a POWERFUL power. In all actuality and in all seriousness and soberness, prayer is a super-power. Prayer is supernatural. Prayer is supernatural because God is Supernatural.

As prayer is powerful or rather the One Who inclines His Holy Ear to prayer is Powerful, we should be careful with our prayers. Why do I say we need to be careful wih prayer? We say we must be careful with our prayer because the enemy “IS listening loudly.”  Some prayers can be said outloud and should be said outloud. Table grace should be said outloud. Prayers or public prayers should be spoken outloud, obviously. BUT…BUT…BUT…

There are many times when one (1) will want to speak with the Master in silent prayer. When I say silent prayer, I mean praying to Him through the Spirit or the mind. There are prayers you do not want the enemy, which is legion, to hear. I know that they cannot stop or stay God, However remember what the angel said to Daniel…Research for yourself on this matter.

Since the enemy cannot thwort God’s purposes or pleasures, we should not give the enemy the satisfaction of hearing our repentance or confessions. The silent prayer shuts them out. One could pray outloud and then go silent-prayer  and then pray outloud and go silent-prayer again. This method, i think, would vex the enemy. As C.S.Lewis and Luther point out, the devil cannot stand being mocked. Therefore, mock him we shall.

“…if…”  (A Word from Luke 17)

The Word “if” is one (1) of the great Words of Scripture. If  is a great guardian of God’s Word and or Sound Doctrine.  See Colossians 1:23, John 8:31 as two (2) examples of the guardianship of  If.

In the Book of Luke chapter seventeen (17) and verse three (3) our Lord says, in respect to forgiveness, “Take heed to yourselves: If thy brother trespass against thee, rebuke him; and if he repent, forgive him.”  That is the Lord’s teaching on forgiveness. The economy of Words for such a hard subject is noteable. Many a preacher has said much less with many, many more words.

The act of forgiveness is a formal matter. One does not just forgive liberally or generously. To forgive a person for a trespass without the trespasser repenting, one would be condoning what the trespasser has done. What if the person doesn’t want your forgiveness, then what?

Here is one (1) more difference between those in Adam and those in Christ. Those in Adam or those of this world think the trespasser should be the one to go and “say sorry.”  However, the Master tells us that the offended party must go to the trespasser. Why is this?  It is because some can offend or trespass without knowing it. Therefore, the one (1) that has been trespassed upon must go to the offending party and settle things. If the person repents, forgiveness is in order…quick and fast. Forgiveness is not about feelings; forgiveness is a formal act. Forgiveness is a releasing of one (1) who has wronged another and is truly sorry and bothered by their actions.

How can one (1) never need to forgive?  By loving instead of making a list. “Love covers a multitude of sin.”  How can one (1) never need to forgive?  One (1) can be gracious and take no offense at anything, save a person speaking ill of Christ.

There is confusion, I think, between forgiveness and bitterness.  One (1) cannot legitimately forgive anyone who does not repent or ask for forgiveness. However, one (1) must not hold any bitterness against a person that has trespassed or offended one (1).

To settle this matter, Did God forgive you before or after you repented and believed? Therefore, if a Christ-ian “forgives” without the trespasser repenting, that Christ-ian is holier and far more merciful than God. If one (1) follows this “forgive everyone for everything”  one (1) is not far from universalism.

What about Christ saying, “Forgive them, they know not what they do.”   Christ was speaking specifically about the soldiers who were carrying out orders. As God looks upon the heart, Christ may have seen a godly sorrow in the soldiers. Also, He could have meant forgive them for the Crucifixtion but not necessarily all their sins.  A rule of interpretation is go with what is clear and be careful with what is not expressley stated.

When Christ was reviled, Christ did not revile again. In other words, when Christ was reviled, He did not fight back. It is hard to offend a humble Christ-ian. Are you a humble Christ-ian?  Are you offended easily? To be offended easily is not Christ-like.

Godspeed.

“We then that are strong ought to bear the infirmities of the weak, and not please ourselves.”  (Romans 15)

1 Timothy 3 gives us the qualifications of the pastor or the bishop. The unfortunate truth is however, that when a pulpit committee, elders, or deacons (deacons would demonstrate an unBiblical church governing body) sits down with a potential pastor or a candidate for pastor, 1 Timothy 3 is rarely used or reviewed. Instead the candidate is asked a bunch or questions that may not be necessary.  a lot of the questions reveal or betray a bias.  This is unfortunate to say the least and an affront and offense to God to say the most. i Timothy has been inspired and written for a purpose and that purpose is not to ignore it.

You may have noticed that I have written on the pastoral office recently.  This is due to a pastoral theology book I have been studying and then discussing with two (2) other pastors. This study is encouraging and challenging. We will list, in bullet point form, what the qualifications are:
*The office must be desired by the candidate.
*The bishop must be blameless, the husband of one (1) wife, vigilant, sober, of good behaviour, given to hospitality — because churches were in homes, apt to teach.
*Not given to wine, no striker, not greedy of filthy lucre; but patient, not a brawler, not covetous.
*One that ruleth his own house well, having his children in subjection with all gravity.
*Not a novice or new convert, moreover he must have a good report of them which are outside of Christ or unsaved.

Again, the above is the inspired qualifications of a man seeking the office of pastor AS WELL as that which the church must use as they consider any man for the office of pastor or overseer. Please note, a man that preaches well does not a pastor make. Read that last sentence again. The call to preach was different than the call to pastor in the past. The call to pastor today includes the call to preach. In the early days of the church men were called to preach in terms of evangelizing.  I will not say that the office of evangelizing has ceased. I will say that men are not called to be evangelists today BUT and this is a Big BUT: Ministers that have aged in the ministry still have a place in the ministry. This is usually called evangelizing. The offices that remain are the offices of pastor, teacher, missionary, elder, deacon.

Offices that have ceased include: prophet as in prophet speaking about the future and speaking for God.  I contend and i use that word on purpose. I contend that the pastor or minister is still a prophet in terms of his forthrightness and his Scriptural FORTH-Telling, not FORE-telling. I used the word contend because this position has caused contention. To be clear, the office of prophet, in terms of prophets like Elijah, Elisha, etc is closed, but it is an office that may be given life again in the two (2) witnesses of Revelation 11.
The office of Apostle is closed, there are no apostles today. I have had this discussion with a believer once. This believer held to the apostleship being open and alive.  His arguments were astoundingly fictional. This man made the silly argument that Paul was not an apostle at his calling by Christ, but would become an apostle at a later time.  How this argued for the apostleship I know not. I have thought about this for years and am still dumbfounded.

A reason for the FORE-telling prophets to have ceased is because we have God’s full revelation in the Scriptures and Christ-ians now FORTH-tell what sinners need to know. The reason for the apostolic office closing down is due to the qualifications of apostleship. These are: viewing the life and resurrection of Christ and having been Personally sent by Christ. This eliminates every single person on this earth, another qualification was the sign gifts to authenticate their apostleship  All of these are not being used by God today. The person that calls himself or HERSELF is having an issue with keeping pride in check.

A note regarding tongues. I am wishy washy on this. I don’t believe in them, but if a person began speaking in tongues and an interpreter was present and the message was God glorifying and Scripturally sound, I probably wouldn’t shut them down, oh and if it was men doing so. However if a bunch of women stood up and began speaking in tongues with or without an interpreter, I would shut it down quick and fast. Again, as with the person calling himself or HERSELF an apostle, the tongue-talker is calling attention to self. Let us differentiate between the gifts of tongues from Acts and God giving today’s missionary a gift to speak the language of the people. I’ve heard of this before; I know not the veracity of the claim. However, I limit NOT God. If He so pleased, He would gift the missionary. This would be a miracle, as He would be bringing the supernatural into the natural or over-riding the natural with the supernatural.

After writing all of that, these are the disqualifiers, other than not meeting 1 Timothy 3’s requirements.
*Denying the virgin birth
*Denying the Trinity
*Denying the Deity of Christ
*Denying what is called the five (5) Sola: Grace Alone, Faith Alone, Scripture Alone, Scripture Alone and of course, Christ Alone.
*Affirming universal salvation, IE. Exalting God’s Grace above His Holiness, Justice, Righteousness, and Wrath.
*Affirming a small group that never heard of Christ….I think this heresy is going to be big in the coming days.
*Denying the death, burial, and PHYSICAL Resurrection of the Lord Jesus Christ.  His Resurrection was Bodily and He remains in that Body.
*Denying the Absolute necessity of the Holy Spirit initiating Salvation.
*Affirming that a person can be saved whenever or where-ever they please.
*Baptism having any saving power at all. Baptism is the first thing the Lord….the Lord…the Lord Jesus commands us to do.

The above represents just a few of the doctrinal errors that must disqualify a man from pastoring a church.

Some beliefs that would keep me from attending a church on a regular basis.
*A church that is HEAVY on service as in service being a status maker.  My father in law heard a man once say to him, “If there isn’t work in Heaven, I don’t want to go.” To be honest I don’t think he has to worry about going to Heaven.  If that is the man’s way of thinking, he is a Galatian believer.
*A church that does not call the people of God to service.  There is a balance and it is easy to get off balance, to be sure. The church must have a balance between worship and service. If the reader or the student of Scripture is observant, they would not that worship and service is always in that order, just as Lord and Saviour is always in that order.
*The church that puts a new convert “to work” immediately s a church I would not be part of. To put a new born saint “to work” is to spiritually kidnap the saint from God!!! To put this into perspective: Imagine yourself in a delivery room and you see a mother give birth, the new born is then sent off to another facility where they will grow up to serve a need. All of this is done without the parents permission.  Would you, Reader, not call this kidnapping?  When a church takes a new creation or a new creature and puts him or her “to work” they are committing spiritual Kidnapping and the Parent is God.
*A church that preaches an impotent God instead of the Sovereign God…Sovereign over ALL things is a church I could not attend nor support financially or prayerfully.
*A church that has as it’s pastor, a man that went to a Christ-ian college and is still towing the line of that school; this church I would not attend.

There are more traits that would put me off, but the above will suffice.

The benefits of disagreements on secondary issues and even primary, sound doctrine is both persons sharpen each others mind…iron sharpeneth iron. One (1) may see the error in one’s (1’s) belief or doctrine. God is pleased to see His servant contending for the faith. It could inspire others to discuss the issues with others. Many benefits come from an argument over doctrinal issues…argument as in positing one’s (1’s) side and not arguing in the sense of anger and name calling.

Godspeed.

“And ye fathers, provoke not your children to wrath: but bring them up in the nurture and admonition of the Lord.”  (Ephesians 6)

There comes a time when “bring[ing] them up in the nurture and admonition of the Lord,” has past. Understand this and you will experience a bit of peace.  The time to “bring them up,” has past when they are now grown ups or have been brought up. To continue to hound them and manifest a discouragement in EVERYTHING you children do, say, or think is to provoke them to wrath. How do we know this? because they continue to live in the way that displeases you. Wrath does not necessarily equate to outward anger, or yelling and shouting.

A son or daughter may manifest wrath by continuing their way of sinful living and even introducing others into their way of living. Another way a parent can provoke a son or daughter to wrath is by never “displeasing” them.  This is why Absalom betrayed David, David never displeased him or chastened him or disciplined him.  Other ways to provoke is that “certain look,” or that deep breathe of distain. Father, as it was when they were mere youths, they see and hear everything.

I’m not going to say that I am the best human father ever, but I am far from the worst.  How do I know this?  I know this by my fruit and in this case my fruit is my offspring. After having said that, let me be CLEAR of this next point; Great parents can bring up awful sons and daughters and awful parent can produce…produce, i say and not bring up…awful parents can produce great sons and daughters. Christ-ian history has many, many examples of bad parents and good kids.  This is seen in kings in the Old Testament. This is seen in preachers, and in all walks of life as well.  Granted many of the preachers or rather all of the ministers were born again, but the fact thy had rotten parents yet stand.

Having written the above, I have seen bad parents, really, really bad parents and really bad parenting.  Is there a difference? There is a difference and that being: A really good parent can, at times, parent badly. Just as a bad parent can get it right sometimes. I have three (3) daughters and they attend a Christ-ian school and have, in one (1) case K5-12. My twins have been attending and they are in their Junior year. In that time I have seen good parenting and in that time I have seen bad parenting….so bad that it breaks my heart.

I have seen some really good kids and knew that when they went home, they were going home to a less than good place. The thing is in some of these cases, the parent really believes s/he or they are doing right and their parenting is, in fact, coming from a place of LOVE. Because of these two (2) factors the probability of their parenting style changing is very low…not impossible, but low….God is the God of the Impossible.

Usually we can tell where these parenting styles will lead. How? we have seen these parenting styles before and have seen where they lead. We have been asked by a pastor to teach on the family. This has not happened yet, but it is something I long to teach and preach on.  I say preach and teach because we desire to preach to the heart and teach the mind.

We are aware of so very many cases where a good parent, a godly parent is acting from love, concern, and even fear, but they are only provoking their son or daughter to wrath.  I want to shake them by their shoulders and say, “STOP IT!!!”

There are so many cases where a parent is not qualified to help their adult child.  I remember when I was a young man, I had many screws loose. Praise God for His gift of the power of the sound mind and the power it wields. My Mom…who WAS and IS a great Mom and who I pray, so often, will continue to be a great Mom bought me a snake.  I had wanted a snake forever. She would never, ever allow it, she was not snake friendly we’ll say.  This was her answer to my problems. While i was very happy to get the snake, my problems persisted.

Why do I say my Mom, who did everything she knew to do, didn’t know what to do? When she was growing up she never shouted and swore at her mother or father, I did. When she was growing up she never held a knife in her hand and though of doing evil, I did. When she was young she never picked up a chair and threatened to throw it at her Mom or hit her mom with it. I did. She never ever thought about hitting her mother, I raised my hand to my mother. She would never fornicate in her parents home, I did. She wouldn’t bring alcohol into her mother’s home, I did. You see…i was new ground for her.  My brothers and sister, certainly caused some trouble, but not my kind of trouble.  How was she, a 5’2 petite women in her sixties (60’s) suppose to handle a rotten son who obviously shows her no respect?

Church WAS NOT the answer either. I was the one who started attending Church first (1st), my Mom and Big Momma (G-ma) began attending with me.  When I began my rebellion against God, I ceased to attend and they continued.  each Sunday, she would ask if i was going to church but after being told no, she ceased. The pastor and friends from that church would come and TRY to visit but I would refuse to see them. I told them, I cared not for God or for church and that means I care not to see them of hear them. What was my Mom to do?  She did the only thing she could do and that was pray for her rotten, rebellious son.

Reader, you might be wondering what caused me to rebel. I rebelled over the loss of a girl friend….yep a girl friend….I was that shallow and immature. Today, I thank and praise God for not allowing me that girl…a fine person, I’m sure she is…she had a good family and was even baptized in that church we were attending at that time. But If God allowed me this girl, I would have missed out on my wife…the wife of my youth and my daughters!!!  To quote a country and western song, “Thank God for unanswered prayers.”

In any event, I was addicted to alcohol, sex, anger, violence, lawlessness and the list could go on.  How did God break me from all of that?   Reader……goosebumps, I have goosebumps.  How did God break me from this rebellion?  Did He chasten me and discipline me?  Did He give me an illness?  Did He allow me the DUI’s I rightfully deserved?  Did i contract a STD?  Did a husband beat me up? Did I father an unwanted baby? Which of the above did God use to break my rebellion? None of the above.

God, instead of using any of the above, protected me from all of the above.  I would test Him to see His breaking point. Where would His love end? Reader, God has no breaking point  and His love is without bounds or limits. One (1) night after being kicked out of a bar for brawling with the man that lost his fiance to me, I “parked in wait” for this man. During my vigil, I would vomit many, many times. Though it was not audible….hear me, it was NOT audible, However it was as powerful as if it were audible.  I “heard,”  …Goosebumps and now tears, Readers. I “heard,”  “How much longer will you do this to yourself. How much longer must you test My Love?”

Reader, the following Sunday I woke up early and said to my Mom, “I’d like to go to Church today.”  She said, “you would?” and knew me enough to leave it at that.  Soon after I gave my testimony at that church that I avoided for so long.

Not long after that, the church split because of a charismatic element.  Very sad was that. Soon after that i met Debbie and began attending Church with her family. I remained at that church fora decade or so. I was youth pastor and filled in for the pastor on when the pastor left, except for Sunday morning when candidates would preach. After that decade, we left and began a small preaching and teaching ministry from our home and have written on a number of different blogs. We also minister when invited.

So you see fathers AND mothers, you might be looking at you adult child and fretting and fearing, but that is wasted spiritual energy. If you adult child grew up in a Church and  a Christ-ian home, God knows them and He knows what’s going on in their thoughts, and feelings and you DO NOT.  He knows His purposes and you don’t.  Parent, he is God and you are NOT.  You are your adult child’s parent(s) but He is God.

In closing a bit of irony, if I didn’t go through a rebellious spell and my Mom didn’t endure my rebellious spell, I would not be writing this to you and for you. Another point, God may be allowing you to suffer these pains so you have in sight to His pain when His children rebel.

“Now the Spirit speaketh expressely, that in the latter times some shall depart from the faith, giving heed to seducing spirits, and doctrines of devil’s; Speaking lies in hypocrisy; having their conscience seared with a hot iron; forbidding to marry, and commanding to abstain from meats…”  (1 Timothy 4)

“And thou shalt not let any of thy seed pass through the fire of Molech…”  (Leviticus 18)

“Suffer the little children to come to [M]e…”  (Mark 10)

Reader, If you have not watched and listened to AND HEARD the D.A. from Pennsylvania as he gave his report on the (c)atholic “church” and the sexual abuse of children, please do so. This report can be seen, listened to AND HEARD on Youtube. You might say, “I don’t want to listen to that stuff.”  I retort, Christ-ian, It matters not what you want or like. You, Christ-ian, are commanded in 1 Corinthians 2:15 to Judge all things.  How can you judge all things if you give in to yourself. We are to pray; our prayers must be informed if we are to pray effectively. We cannot close our eyes or turn our heads, we must look into the eyes of this foul and evil world, and let the spittle from our fervent prayers and cries smite the face and eyes of this ungodly world. It is your Christ-ian duty to know this and to act accordingly.

How should we feel about this news of sexual abuse? First let us think of the children that are now grown up and the children that are currently being victimized. Certainly we might feel like lashing out at the abusers but that is carnal and the Scriptures tell us the wrath of man does not work the righteousness of God.

The children and the now grown up abused should be our first (1st) concern. We must pray for them, we must weep with them. we must seek to minister to them. We must share the Gospel with them as not only have their bodies and minds been abused, their spirits have been abused. These persons have been lied to for their whole life. They are ripe for the Gospel. The Physician, the Great Physician is in His office and ready to see them and bring them healing, soul, spirit, and body.

Once we have spent time thinking, praying, and ministering to those that have been abused, we can turn to the abusers.

How should you feel? Are you allowed to feel angry? Should you be praying for these abusers? My answers are these
*How should you feel?  Probably exactly how you are feeling.
*Are you allowed to feel angry? “Be angry and sin not.”  YES YOU CAN BE ANGRY. YOU SHOULD BE ANGRY…YOU MUST BE ANGRY!!! EVEN OUTRAGED.
*Should you pray for these abusers? Pray?…yes, Pray for the abuser? NO! …pray against the abuser? YES!!!

Let me clear things up because I know some of you are thinking about the Lord’s teachings like, pray for them that despitefully use you, and bless them that curse you, love them that hate you. It may be that some are thinking of Paul’s word, “Overcome evil with good.”  Reader what I am saying does not cross those lines.  Am I disagreeing with the Lord Jesus?  GOD FORBID….DEATH BEFORE DISAGREE !!! !!! !!!

Reader, I am not speaking about your enemy or my enemy. I am speaking about the enemy of God and the enemy of helpless children. If any of these abusers come to our doors seeking water or aid, we must grant them their needs. There must be no doubt on this. One can be opposed to gay rights…one can even hate gay rights. One can hate the abusers of children in the nebulous but in life, we must still love our enemies. In other words, hate God’s enemy a far off but love them up close. This should make sense if the Spirit abides in you. If you are confused, contact me directly so I might clarify.

Christ-ian prayers should be directed to God, Who Judges Righteously and standeth at the door. Your prayers (no swearing; if you can help it) should be invective. Imprecatory prayers are allowed. You must not use these prayers against your enemies but against the enemies of God and others. Psalm 69 is an imprecatory prayer that you might find helpful in your invective and imprecatory prayers.

A word to comfort you: Paul tells us that our prayers are cleaned up by the Holy Spirit and He delivers our prayers to God and He conforms them to God’s will (Romans 8). Therefore, you can and may pray your heart out. You may “angry pray” and denounce the pedophile priests with and in your prayers. If your prayer is not in accordance with God’s will, the Holy Spirit will not take it to God or He will conform it to meet God’s will.

The Christ-ian must have liberty in prayer. The Christ-ian must be open and honest with God concerning all things. God invites and encourages us to come to His Throne of Grace and to cast all our cares upon our Elder Brother, because our Elder Brother cares for us. Our Elder Brother has all power and authority over all flesh, over all carnal things and all spiritual things.

In closing, May God condemn the catholic church wherein (s)atan and demons reside.

Godspeed.

“…he must not be…”  (1 Timothy 3)

We have been writing on factors that must…not should or could, but must keep certain persons out of the pastorate. Let me say this before continuing, I have and more importantly, the Scriptures have no problem with women in ministry other than the pastorate.

Women can be preachers to women and even men that choose to hear her but not a pastor….preacher and pastor are two (2) different offices. All pastors are preachers and teachers, but not all preachers and teachers are called to the office of pastor.

Let me say this as well, a woman, humanly speaking, might be a better pastor than many male pastors…this is a truth that cannot be denied. However, God would not bless that pastoral office if a woman was in it. The pastorate is some what of a motherly office. But that does not change the Biblical fact that God calls and installs only men to the office of pastor.

There are women in the ministry and stay with the Scriptural bounds set forth in God’s Word.
*Joyce Meyer: Like her or not, agree with her or not (and I don’t on some of her teachings, but can Amen her on others) but Joyce Meyer teaches/preaches to women throughout the world and she preaches Christ crucified and Christ resurrected, and she preaches the power of the Blood and the Name of Christ Jesus. Christ is her Lord. Like it or not. This woman can out preach and out teach many a man I have known.
*Paula White: I cannot approve of this woman, her doctrine and her spirit is anti-Scripture.
*Beth Moore: A teacher of women, Yeah, there are some secondary issues that I disagree with but she is a help to many women and she is a servant of the Lord.
*Joni Erickson Tada: A speaker and a writer. She does not seek to usurp authority from men in the pastorate.  She is an inspiring servant of God AND sound in her theology, her doctrines of grace or calvinism is sound.
*Nancy Leigh Demoss Vermooth (sp?): A writer and speaker. Very sound and very helpful to woman and men. She does not seek to usurp authority.
*Rosaria Butterfield: This woman is a post-lesbian speaker on the subject of homosexuality and and Scriptural matters.
*The majority of women on TBN should be avoided like the plague that they are.
*Biographies of Christ-ian women of the past are extremely helpful. Idelette Calvin, Katharine Luther, Edith Schaeffer, Joy Lewis, Susanna Spurgeon, Sarah Edwards, Ruth Graham, Madame Guyon and many more.
*Kay Arthur: She is a good teacher and teaches how to learn.
*Janet Parshall: A radio Host on Moody Radio in the afternoon, excellent. Listening to this lady is time, wisely and v. well spent.
*June Hunt: Another radio ost that is helpful to anyone and is not a usurper.

I write the above so no woman can feel offended by God’s choice of men over women for the office of pastor. I will say this as well, “It is not good for man to be alone,”  the pastors wife, though not a pastor herself in any way shape or form, is a great help to the man. The pastors wife is an anchor, a rock. Spurgeon called his wife his sovereign. YES, YES, YES, I know those are terms used for Christ, but did not Christ compare Himself to a mother hen?

When we say the wife of a pastor is an anchor or a rock, we are not speaking irreverently, but truthfully and factually. My wife is an anchor, not to my soul but to my senses and feelings. When many things or persons oppose me for whatever reason, I know I can go to my wife and find someone to love me. Minister, if you have a problem with what was just written, SHAME!!!, SHAME!!!, SHAME!!! on YOU!!! YOU!!! and YOU!!! Does not Christ venerate and exalt His bride, the church?

Allow me to meddle…if you are the type that carries his Bible under his arm, has a puffed out chest, his chin up, and the sin of pride oozing all over and your wife is carrying the baby(ies) or dealing with the kids and carrying all the essentials, I have no time for you, you are already disqualified from everything I know to be Christ-ian and loving. If I were to allow the old man in me to come out, I would gladly knock you down and berate you for your spiritual pride and utter ignorance. But instead, I would, (DV), ask to speak with you aside of everything that is going on and have a discussion with you that you will never forget. You should not be surprised if I and a number of other MEN visit you at home to see how things are going. Am I talking tough? No!!! I am talking Shepherdese or pastorese or a dialect of preacherese. Don’t worry you’d understand all three (3) easily.

After reading this article and the article preceding this article, a woman should know that God does not see her as second (2nd) rate or less than, or inferior to anyone. God loves His daughter, Christ died for His little sisters, and He validates the wealth and worth of women as He keeps them in His company in the Gospels and in this contemporary world that belongs to Him.

As to new coverts: New converts are easily tricked by the machinations or the tricks of (s)atan. The new convert is especially vulnerable to being puffed up with pride and used by (s)atan to do great harm. As we said in the previous article, the new convert or the new creature in Christ or the new creation should be left alone with the Holy Spirit for a good amount of time before being thrown to the wolves and by wolves I mean pastors and ministers.

Let the new born be cuddled and loved upon by his new Heavenly Father. If you do otherwise, you are guilty of spiritual kidnapping and spiritual child abuse. In the previous article we wrote on the dangers and consequences of putting a new convert into public service. The dangers are many and are felt today. A new covert being put into the ministry is like the ice berg that took down the Titanic. There is apparent surface dangers but there are very many dangers and disasters lying beneath. These dangers do not tear apart a ship but persons and families.

The greatest harm done is the smearing of Christ’s Name and God’s Glory being spoken of in ill terms. Great harm is caused when the church ignores the Word of God. The question could be asked, The Word of God brought you to where you are, do you now, in spiritual pride and arrogance, close the Book of books?

Godspeed.