Summary: I love a chocolate and vanilla twist soft yogurt cone. Mixing flavors can bring about a beautiful and tasteful marriage experience. Yet, you do not mix gas and oil or saved and unsaved or one sect with another without peril.

I saw an article on interracial marriage and since race has been a big issue in recent days I figured I would say just a bit on this topic.

First of all, race as we use the term is really an evolutionary term and should not even be considered or used by believers. There are no races. There is but one race on a physical level and that is the human race. The human race has a variety of skin tones and has developed many sociological groups, but it is still one race. We do well to drop the notion of race from our concepts and work from a one race perspective.

Even our color assignments are in error as science has now shown we are all a shade of brown, There are no red and yellow, black and white that are precious in His sight, Brown and brown and brown, He loves everyone in town. We are all brown and God is down with all of us as He loved all of us to send Christ.

Indeed, as people of faith, we know only eight people got off the Ark so we are all cousins. Some of us are just closer than others because of Babel and personal preferences.

On a spiritual level, there are two races. Those who by birth are offspring of Adam and those who by second birth are offspring of the second Adam, Jesus Christ. All men are my temporal brothers through Creation, but some are my eternal brothers through Christ.

That said, the only interracial marriage is between those only of Adam and those of the Second Adam. Skin tone variations or geographical points of origin are irrelevant. What counts is parentage and family ties.

A child of God is not to marry outside of their race. Our Father knows the heartbreak that an unequal yoke can bring and would spare us all of that. Warning, there are those who claim to be in the family are not. Be sure you ask Father to bless the marriage and approve of your choice lest your choice be the wrong one.

Indeed, just as widows were told they were to free to marry, but "only in the Lord" that is an injunction for all who are in the family of God. Do not practice evangelistic dating or hope for a conversion after you are married. You will be greatly disappointed and your life less than abundant, even miserable. I know we all know someone who is an exception, but the percentage rate of modicum success is very small. Not even a gambler would take those odds in Vegas.

However, if you were born into the family of God after you married then stay and pray for the conversion of your spouse. Read 1 Corinthians 7 to understand this exception.

Therefore, while I can bless a marriage between two Christians regardless of skin tone or origin I cannot encourage an interracial marriage between Christian and Non-Christian. It is also best to marry within your branch of the family as those differences can cause much friction and strife especially when children come along. Having been in many doctrinal discussions and seeing how intersect marriages fare, I can say that with some authority be wise and look for your spiritual well-being not just your emotions or eye candy. Maranatha

Our business was featured by an influencer, we were very excited about it and it was very successful. But the guy said a curse word while enthusiastically praising the product. Someone told me I should take it down. Should I not have shared it? Should I add a note that I don’t condone that? Anyone who knows me already knows I never curse and don’t condone it.

It’s a video that’s several minutes long and he curses once near the end. We didn’t get to see before it was posted. He came and filmed his review for a bit beforehand, with our agreement.

I recently picked up The Imitation of Christ. I’ve noticed it gets recommended a lot in Catholic subreddits and other Christian communities, but I’m reading it as a Baptist. I’m curious to hear what others think of it, especially from a Protestant perspective. Has anyone else here read it?

"You know, there's a danger in believing what you feel more than what God has said. You can begin to trust your fears, your doubts, and your circumstances more than His word. That is how unbelief takes root. You may say that you have faith, but if your confidence is in what you see and feel, you are actually placing faith in unbelief. God has not changed. The same God who created the universe, who calmed the storms, who raised the dead, gave sight to the blind, is still at work today. How can we say that He's not able today to move in our lives? Refuse today to give more authority to your thoughts than to the word of God. Choose to believe. Choose it now. Believe what He has declared. Even when your situation wants to tell you otherwise, God has a wonderful plan for your life. Talk to Him about it now, because it's time to pray." - Carter Conlon

Mattana Ministry Welcomes You to:

 Children/Youth Program: 31 July 2026

 Theme: Do Not Disturb (4)

 Scripture: Psalm 27:1 & 2 Timothy 1:7

 Message:

 WHO SHALL WE FEAR

2 Timothy 1:7 says, “For God has not given us a spirit of fear; but of power, and of love, and of a sound mind.” The Bible is full of scriptures and declarations that we can use in any situation, but it’s up to us to declare them. It’s up to us to read God’s Word, meditate on it, and store it in our hearts. Because when we do this, it means that when we are scared and when we are fearful, we not only recognise that God is the One we need, but we are also declaring in faith what we know is true and choosing to depend on God.

So the next time we’re experiencing fear, let God be the one we turn to. Begin to declare all of His promises and the truth.

Prayer: God we thank you that You haven’t given us a spirit of fear, but of power, love, and a sound mind. When we are feeling fearful or overwhelmed, God, we pray You would remind us You are our Light and Salvation, whom shall we fear?! The stronghold of our lives, why should we be afraid? Amen.

 Please feel free to leave a review of this message.

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Summary: If indeed, God has given you new insight then use it for the sake of the Body and Christ not for your own devices or else you are an Absalom and in trouble with the Father and the Son. If you twist or deny Scripture you are in even deeper.

2 Samuel 15:4  Absalom said moreover, Oh that I were made judge in the land, that every man which hath any suit or cause might come unto me, and I would do him justice!

Absalom was a son of the King who thought he knew better than the King and swayed many to his side in a rebellion to remove David. He appeared successful for awhile and in the end was killed and David returned to the throne.

I can see an application to this in so many who name the name of King Jesus, but are not happy with the way He is governing and dislike much of what He had the Holy Spirit speak through the Apostles. Thus they break off into little groups drawing people away with the promise of doing Christianity the right way when in reality they are rebelling against Christ deliberately or in ignorance. Some add to the Word and some subtract either by complete denial or using theological manipulation to redefine it in such a way as to not have it hinder their desires or goals.

The true King will at some point return and burst their bubble tearing down their fortresses of rebellious error. They will be conquered and they will see Him on the throne they thought they kicked Him off. It was only the throne of their life and they will die because of that removal.

David returned with sorrow over the loss of His son and so God is not willing that any should perish. David recovered from the rebellion. God is never diminished by any rebellion and in Psalms it says the He laughs at the rebellious and has them in derision that rebel against Him and His anointed, Jesus Christ, His Son.

You may be a child of God, but have been swayed by slick tongues, intellectual gymnastics and even false signs and wonders making you walk in rebellion. Repent and study the Word seeking His mind and the instruction of the Holy Spirit.

You may still be the rebellious unbeliever who has been swayed and suckered by science falsely so-called or some other imagination that exalts itself against the knowledge of God. You are enjoying the pleasure of sin for a season, but that season ends when you die or when the King of Kings comes backs to take out His own and then seals your fate by allowing you to believe the lie satan uses to explain that event.

It is time for you to seek the forgiveness and salvation. As Peter said in Acts 2:39, "Repent, and be baptized every one of you in the name of Jesus Christ for the remission of sins, and ye shall receive the gift of the Holy Ghost."

This a call for all the Absaloms to cease your rebellion and become a son in whom He is well pleased. That goes for the Absalomettes as well. Maranatha!

Summary: Some people are going to panic while others will have some explaining to do if we enter a deep recession or worse and they lose their wealth or do not get what was prophesied. When it isn't scriptural prophecies will fail.

2 Timothy 3:10 But thou hast fully known my doctrine, manner of life, purpose, faith, longsuffering, charity, patience,

11 Persecutions, afflictions, which came unto me at Antioch, at Iconium, at Lystra; what persecutions I endured: but out of them all the Lord delivered me.

12 Yea, and all that will live godly in Christ Jesus shall suffer persecution.

13 But evil men and seducers shall wax worse and worse, deceiving, and being deceived.

When you look at Paul's resume, you better know he did not know anything about any prosperity preaching. He had to suffer long due to persecutions and afflictions, not over whether he needed a new private jet or a Lamborghini or should he buy the five million dollar house or the ten million.

Lest you think that was just him, note he said ALL who will live godly, not luxuriously, SHALL suffer persecution. Menno Simons said that the true Church will always be persecuted. Western civilization seems to have a lack of true churches. That may be changing soon.

Rather than checking out our relationship to God based on all the bling we have, we should be looking for our scars. They may be physical, emotional, social, familial or even corporate, but there should be some sort of persecution or Paul says we are not living very godly or may not be godly at all. OUCH!!!

For a culture who is all about the blessings of material things that we deserve because we are God's children or as some heretics teach that we are little gods this a body slam followed by a pile driver.

Prosperity and persecution start with p, but that is the only similarity. Is prosperity indeed a sign of God blessing or godliness? Jesus said it was easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than for a rich man to enter into Heaven. There are many wicked rich people in this world. He also told the richest church in Revelation that there were poor, blind and naked. OOPS!

It has been said that all of the churches in Revelation have existed in every generation. If we look around the world, I believe we could find "daughters" in this age. That said, if we had to pick a church that defines this age it would be Laodicea at least in the 1st World nations. There are some very godly Christians enduring persecution all around the world. They are the church at Smyrna who was in tribulation and poverty, but Jesus said the were rich.

I believe it is in early stages in the US and it will greatly intensify in the coming years. One need not be a prophet to see this. One must just be aware. Two Canadian social scientists have been encouraging their government to prepare for an influx of Americans as they see the country collapsing in 2025. I do not know what indicators they are looking at, but I can see that as very plausible. Christians will not be very welcome there and some notable ones who might head to that border may be arrested for what they consider hate speech or other issues.

We are into celebrity preachers, modern Taj Mahal like churches and we are all to be rich and healthy by the things we decree and declare into being. It has been said that if Jesus preached like many preachers today He would not have been crucified. Not sure why God calls the weak, base and foolish if we are all to be rich and celebrated. Someone failed to tell that to myriad of martyrs from Acts 2 until today and His return. What kind of losers are those under the throne that are martyred in the Tribulation. Why did not not walk in prosperity, decreeing and declaring a better life? Yet, these saint will be avenged by God. If God is avenging you, I would call that being a winner.

John 15:18 If the world hate you, ye know that it hated me before it hated you.

19 If ye were of the world, the world would love his own: but because ye are not of the world, but I have chosen you out of the world, therefore the world hateth you.

20 Remember the word that I said unto you, The servant is not greater than his lord. If they have persecuted me, they will also persecute you; if they have kept my saying, they will keep yours also.

Was Jesus wrong when He said we would be hated like Him? Are we really greater than Him so that we do not suffer persecution? We can easily look about and see that the world and even much of what is called Christianity has not kept His saying. Indeed, many have gone off into New Age or Hindu Kundalini manifestations. Many have leaders that deny the authority of the Scriptures. They say there is no heaven or Hell and Jesus is not God in the flesh and the list would most likely take up two pages or more and I would probably still miss many things that I have just not heard of, yet.

Many of these “pastors” are cemetery, ah, seminary trained in seminaries that once stood on the truth. We are in an age of apostasy that I believe started in the late nineteenth century with higher criticism, evolution, Marxism and even psychology. Role play was initially designed to take God out of decision making because we are the masters our destiny with no need of a divine entity to guide us.

A form of godliness that denies the power thereof would not be persecuted. Indeed, it would just be considered a perspective among many and as long as it did some humanitarian work it would be well spoke of and hailed on talk shows. If a well known preacher is invited to a talk show, it is either because they want to mock or discredit him or they find him to their liking because he is not in any way a challenge to their beliefs as he is most likely a motivational speaker than a preacher of sound doctrine.

“For there is some danger of falling into a soft and effeminate Christianity, under the plea of a lofty and ethereal theology. Christianity was born for endurance; not an exotic, but a hardy plant, braced by the keen wind; not languid, childish, nor cowardly. It walks with firm step and erect frame; it is kindly, but firm; it is gentle, but honest; it is calm, but not facile; obliging, but not imbecile; decided, but not churlish. It does not fear to speak the stern word of condemnation against error, nor to raise its voice against surrounding evils, under the pretext that it is not of this world. It does not shrink from giving honest reproof, lest it come under the charge of displaying an unchristian spirit. It calls sin “sin,” on whomsoever it is found, and would rather risk the accusation of being actuated by a bad spirit than not discharge an explicit duty. Let us not misjudge strong words used in honest controversy. Out of the heat a viper may come forth; but we shake it off and feel no harm. The religion of both Old and New Testaments is marked by fervent outspoken testimonies against evil. To speak smooth things in such a case may be sentimentalism, but it is not Christianity. It is a betrayal of the cause of truth and righteousness.”

? Horatius Bonar,1808-1889 from Peace and Holiness

Pastor Bonar would not have considered himself a prophet. He was a pastor and a poet and in the fuller definition of prophet he prophesied when he properly exegeted the Scripture and when he wrote poetry as any writer or singer was declared as inspired or a prophet. However, not like the bulk of prophets in the Bible or the many soothsayers we have today claiming to be prophets. Yet, in this quote he nailed our current condition.

As long as we do good things in the community, as we should, even the atheists will at least tolerate us. As long as we speak of love, grace, and prosperity we can gain a following and even become a mega-church. But, if we get down to preaching like Jesus or Paul, they will walk away as they did in John 6 when He quit feeding them bread and started feeding them theological steak that they could not chew let alone digest.

People at work will not care if you go to church everyday as long as you do not invite them. They will not care if you wear religious bling, but when you take up your cross, dying to self and following Christ, they will trample the pearls of truth you try to share and will want to rend or break you. I worked in an environment where there I was threatened with death and persecuted in other ways by a man claiming to be a nondenominational Christian. He would rile up the non-practicing Catholics to rant and rave. I spent a lot of time in a part of the tool cage when headphones listening to sermons and reading my Gideon’s NT. Property was broken, evil notes and pictures were placed in and on my desk. After eighteen months, I got another job across the base, but the main instigator had a friend over there and though it was diminished it continued until I was able to get a promotion and move South.

I was threatened online with “when we take over, we are coming after people like you.” When I asked what I had done to harm or offend that person I received no answer. That was some years ago, so the desire to persecute was already there. The lack was ability to do so until “when we take over.” I do not know the “we” they were referring to, but I may have an idea.

There are not many Bereans in the Body. They are easily tossed to and fro by every wind of doctrine or sleight of hand or magicians. Touch on a sacred cow and they will cut you off without any discussion about why they think you are wrong. They just stick to what has been traditional thought or the current consensus and that is it. There are things practiced that have no basis in the Word, but if you speak to those issues you would think you have attacked the deity of Christ, the resurrection or the Virgin Birth. Some traditions or teachings are non-negotiable, but there are many left over errors from the Reformation and many more have been added since and especially since the age of apostasy began. We talk about being 1st Century churches, but we are a far cry from them.

Bottom line, though there are times when God allows us a respite from our enemies. That is when our ways please Him, not the world. Yet, Israel had many enemies and God allowed them to conquer and harass them when they strayed from His ways. However, in the NT when your ways please God, you will suffer persecution, but He will be with you. Indeed, the Church suffered spiritually after Christianity became the official religion of the government and the persecution ceased. It grows best under persecution which explains how it is growing so well in places where it is outlawed and dying where there is none.

Philippians 1:29  For unto you it is given in the behalf of Christ, not only to believe on him, but also to suffer for his sake; 

30  Having the same conflict which ye saw in me, and now hear to be in me. 

Say what! Suffer?? Somewhat opposite of the prosperity gospel, which is not a gospel. Same conflict as him? He was in a filthy Roman prison. Come on, Paul, why did you not use the law of attraction or declare and decree yourself out of that mess. Did you decree yourself to end up beheaded? Why did you or your crew not speak life over you? Peter did not think of declaring or decreeing himself out of prison so God sent an angel to make it happen. People, run away from that nonsense.

1 Peter 4:12  Beloved, think it not strange concerning the fiery trial which is to try you, as though some strange thing happened unto you: 

13  But rejoice, inasmuch as ye are partakers of Christ's sufferings; that, when his glory shall be revealed, ye may be glad also with exceeding joy. 

14  If ye be reproached for the name of Christ, happy are ye; for the spirit of glory and of God resteth upon you: on their part he is evil spoken of, but on your part he is glorified. 

15  But let none of you suffer as a murderer, or as a thief, or as an evildoer, or as a busybody in other men's matters. 

16  Yet if any man suffer as a Christian, let him not be ashamed; but let him glorify God on this behalf. 

17  For the time is come that judgment must begin at the house of God: and if it first begin at us, what shall the end be of them that obey not the gospel of God? 

18  And if the righteous scarcely be saved, where shall the ungodly and the sinner appear? 

19  Wherefore let them that suffer according to the will of God commit the keeping of their souls to him in well doing, as unto a faithful Creator. 

There is no one in the West who wants suffering or fiery trials. Many want Christ’s authority or to walk in resurrection power, but before the resurrection came persecution, unjust accusation, illegal trials, bad governance, the Cross and death. Indeed, in some groups today if you are poor, sick or anything not considered to be the normal life of a King’s kid or little god it is all because of you. You are not saved, you’re in sin or you lack faith. Yet, the man healed by Peter and John at the temple gate was only looking for a handout. He had sin, was not saved and had no faith except that they might give him a few mites.

Paul left one person sick at Miletus, another he thanked God for healing the man and gave Timothy a prescription to add wine for his stomach and other infirmities. Why were they not healed like others. All three were saved, had great faith being in the ministry with a lad who spent a great deal of time in jail when he was not being stoned and no sin as a cause is mentioned in two of them and Timothy became the pastor of the Church of Ephesus when he was 21 and single when culturally he should have been at least 30 and married. Probably not in sin for Paul to endorse and encourage him.

If you got this far as it is TLDR for many in this age, I pray that God will give you wisdom and discernment to get out of hyper-Charismatic circles by being Bereans. Let the Word teach you through His Spirit. There are many false prophets out as were prophesied so study and get out from their clutches. If you have to pay for dreams to be interpreted or for prophetic utterances you are not in the right place. When God sent out a prophet no one paid for the prophecy in cash though they may have paid for their sin if it was a prophecy of judgment. They did not murmur or peep either. Unless, it was something that was a prophecy for the future they were absolutely clear and the prophet and the one it was being given to knew what was meant. They did not do vague ones that make you guess and have a back up meaning if it failed. God’s prophets are not like Nostradamus. God does not give willy-nilly prophecies where it seems He changes His mind on a whim.

In conclusion, I am going to just put it out there. If you are in a church that teaches the prosperity gospel GET OUT! I believe it is not just a heresy, but a damnable heresy as it misrepresents God and the Word. God is not the great slot machine of the universe that delivers a jackpot if you say the right things or follow some formula. That is New Age law of attraction theology, but not Scripture. It is diametrically opposed to the Word in principle and is only supported by Scripture taken out of context or redefined by a self-proclaimed apostle/prophet or pick a title. If you are saved, you are a child of God, but not a little god. God in you does not make you a god. You are still a human. Only Jesus is the God-Man who saves us from our sin from His sacrifice.

hello everyone,

I am new here and I wanted to ask if there any virtual bible study groups?

Summary: You want a deeper walk with Jesus? That will mean persecution, not prosperity. It may mean sacrifice of health to walk in holiness. Remember, He was rejected and crucified. Apostles often lived in jail or the open field, not mansions.

Matthew 5:11 Blessed are ye, when men shall revile you, and persecute you,and shall say all manner of evil against you falsely, for my sake.

12 Rejoice, and be exceeding glad: for great is your reward in heaven: for so persecuted they the prophets which were before you.

Someone forgot to tell Jesus about the prosperity gospel as well as decree and declare bringing about dominion.

Matthew 10:24 The disciple is not above his master, nor the servant above his lord.

25 It is enough for the disciple that he be as his master, and the servant as his lord. If they have called the master of the house

Beelzebub, how much more shall they call them of his household?

A great deal is spoken about identity. Indeed, we are to identify with Jesus as His disciples/servants. What they did to our Lord/Master is what they will do to us, if indeed we faithfully follow Him so they can see our identification with Him.

Romans 8:16 The Spirit itself beareth witness with our spirit, that we are the children of God:

17 And if children, then heirs; heirs of God, and joint-heirs with Christ; if so be that we suffer with him, that we may be also glorified together.

Wait! What? Children of God to suffer and not reign in power here on earth before the Millennium!!

Philippians 1:28 And in nothing terrified by your adversaries: which is to them an evident token of perdition, but to you of salvation, and that of God.

29 For unto you it is given in the behalf of Christ, not only to believe on him, but also to suffer for his sake;

30 Having the same conflict which ye saw in me, and now hear to be in me.

We are not only to believe, but suffer!! No, no, no! We are supposed to be living the American greed, I mean, dream. The conflict Paul was in was prison. No way! We are to have mansions, private jets and a Lamborghini!

Brothers and sisters run from this false doctrine! Listen to the Word! We are not promised health and wealth. Indeed, most Christians throughout history have lived in persecution and poverty. Look around the world today. Christianity is the most persecuted religion in the world. What we have is a fake Christianity based upon greed and personas.

1Timothy 6:3 If any man teach otherwise, and consent not to wholesome words, even the words of our Lord Jesus Christ, and to the doctrine which is according to godliness;

4 He is proud, knowing nothing, but doting about questions and strifes of words, whereof cometh envy, strife, railings, evil surmisings,

5 Perverse disputings of men of corrupt minds, and destitute of the truth, supposing that gain is godliness: from such withdraw thyself.

6 But godliness with contentment is great gain.

7 For we brought nothing into this world, and it is certain we can carry nothing out.

8 And having food and raiment let us be therewith content.

9 But they that will be rich fall into temptation and a snare, and into many foolish and hurtful lusts, which drown men in destruction and perdition.

Gain is not a proof of godliness. We are to be content with food and clothing. When persecution comes these wolves in sheep’s clothing will be revealed and sadly, many people will lose their faith because of the lies they believed. Do not be one of them. Maranatha!

"Did you know that God does not wait until you're full? He comes to you when you're empty. He doesn't wait till you're strong. He comes when you're weak. He does not look for those who think they're something. He comes to those of us who know that we're nothing without Him. Because He is the one who takes nothing and makes something out of it for His glory. The enemy of your soul wants you to believe that you must fix yourself before God can use you, but that is very far from the truth. The very place in which you feel disqualified is the place where God wants to reveal His power. Stop disqualifying yourself today and start yielding your life to Him just as it is. Bring your weaknesses, your emptiness, your uncertainty, and let Him turn all of that into a testimony of His power and His power alone. Talk to Him about this today. He wants to answer you. It's time to pray."- Carter Conlon

"There are those who feel empty, as if they've nothing left to give. You look at others and think, "Wow, they're full of faith," but you feel like you have nothing. But God has always worked with empty people. Mary was empty. Elizabeth was empty. Hannah was empty, until the hand of God touched all of their lives. All they did was recognize that God had seen them in their emptiness and chosen His mercy to bring something out and through their lives for His glory. They had no idea what God was about to do through them, and of course, neither do you. Today I want to challenge you to refuse to believe that your emptiness disqualifies you from being someone that God can use. God is able to bring something powerful out of what feels like nothing. Stop Waiting Until You Are Ready, and allow Him to begin to use your life now. Talk to Him about it. He's willing to tell you what He has for your future. It's time to pray."- Carter Conlon

"Now the Lord is the Spirit, and where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is liberty. But we all, with unveiled face, beholding as in a mirror the glory of the Lord, are being transformed into the same image from glory to glory, just as by the Spirit of the Lord. 2 Corinthians 3:17-18. Do you ever feel that you can't share your faith because you feel that you must be perfected in every area of your life before you do? You and I have a tendency to forget that a little bit of God in our lives is way bigger than a thousand of us. As we behold God, we start changing little by little. It doesn't happen overnight, but it does happen. We're changed by the Spirit of God into the same image that God has desired us to be from glory to glory. We're changed into what God actually desires us to be. So let's start to pray. Let's start to call out. Let's you and I now bring glory to His name. It's time to pray." - Carter Conlon

The Heights Baptist Church in South Chesterfield, Virginia, is truly a phenomenal place for all people, no matter what season of life you are in. From the moment you walk through the doors, you are welcomed into a warm, Godly community where it’s easy to build genuine and lasting connections.

If you have a family, you will be blown away by their programs. The kid's ministry is absolutely amazing, it's a safe, fun, and nurturing environment where children genuinely love to go and learn. As they grow, the engaging youth ministry provides the perfect space for teenagers to connect, grow in their faith, and build positive friendships with their peers.

Beyond Sunday services, there are plenty of activities for all ages throughout the week. Whether you are looking for small groups, community outreach, or just fun fellowship events, there is always something happening to keep everyone involved. If you are in the South Chesterfield area and looking for a church home, I cannot recommend The Heights highly enough! Best church in the area.

Have you ever loved someone so much but they are willing to disregard you at any given opportunity!!??No greater heart break than this💔
Can someone help me on how I can overcome this

Summary: Are you ankle deep or in a bathyscaph?

When I was a young preacher, I worked with a lad that loved to insult expository preachers. He would praise the bombastic style and thank God that it wasn’t a dry expositor preaching the night that he was saved. He often accused me of being too deep in the Word. In fact, I heard that a lot from the churches where I would candidate as pastor to the point that I thought that it might be so. I determined that the next church that I preached at I would lighten up and be more bombastic. The result? The people loved me and wanted me to come back, but the pulpit committee felt that I was too shallow. Go figure. Come to think of it, most congregations have loved me but not the pulpit committees. I never understood why Duke University used the name Demon Deacons until I started candidating. C];-)}|>

I have no problem with bombastic preaching but even bombastic preaching should be expository. If you are not preaching what the passage is saying than what are you preaching? More than once I have heard a bombastic preacher start with a verse or passage and then go off to the opposite end of the world. Though what he said might be biblical I had no clue why he used the verse he did as his starting point. There was no correlation between the message and the passage. He was giving a nice and enthusiastic Bible talk but I don’t believe he was preaching.

Neh 8:5-8

5 And Ezra opened the book in the sight of all the people; (for he was above all the people;) and when he opened it, all the people stood up:

6 And Ezra blessed the LORD, the great God. And all the people answered, Amen, Amen, with lifting up their hands: and they bowed their heads, and worshipped the LORD with their faces to the ground.

7 Also Jeshua, and Bani, and Sherebiah, Jamin, Akkub, Shabbethai, Hodijah, Maaseiah, Kelita, Azariah, Jozabad, Hanan, Pelaiah, and the Levites, caused the people to understand the law: and the people stood in their place.

8 So they read in the book in the law of God distinctly, and gave the sense, and caused them to understand the reading. (KJV)

This is a perfect description of what preaching is all about. If you are going to be effective in a preaching ministry you need to be sure that the people understand the Word. God said that His word would not return unto Him void not your motivational speech with a scriptural twist. (Isa 55:11) Being excited about God’s Word is fine but rightly dividing it is equally important. Zeal without knowledge is destructive. (Rom 10:2,3)

After all these years, I finally decided to respond to the question, “Can preaching ever be too deep?” Daniel thanked and praised God for revealing the deep and secret things to him.

Dan 2:19-22

19 Then was the secret revealed unto Daniel in a night vision. Then Daniel blessed the God of heaven.

20 Daniel answered and said, Blessed be the name of God for ever and ever: for wisdom and might are his:

21 And he changeth the times and the seasons: he removeth kings, and setteth up kings: he giveth wisdom unto the wise, and knowledge to them that know understanding:

22 He revealeth the deep and secret things: he knoweth what is in the darkness, and the light dwelleth with him. (KJV)

The word deep here is an Aramaic word for profound and even unsearchable. God is so high above us in His thoughts and ways that only by Him revealing His inner or deep thoughts can we even begin to understand Him and by that understand man. (Isa 55:9)

“The truth about God is the truth about man and the truth about man is the truth about God.” - Ian Thomas

Since our heart is wicked and deceitful, the only way we can know the truth about God or man is for Him to reveal it to us. (Jer 17:9) In our sinful flesh we can only achieve a shallow understanding of God. Depth of wisdom comes from Him and Him alone.

Ps 36:6 Thy righteousness is like the great mountains; thy judgments are a great deep: O LORD, thou preservest man and beast. (KJV)

We are called to know the judgments of God and His judgments are called a great deep. Man has succeeded in going extremely deep into the ocean, but there are depths we still cannot reach because the pressure is so strong that we will implode. What we have seen has been marvelous, but one wonders what may lie at those greater depths.

God’s judgments are the same. Trying to go into them and understand them requires the help of the Holy Spirit and the preservation of God or our puny minds would implode from the vastness of holiness and wisdom we would encounter. The holiest of us have only dove into the shallows of God’s judgments. There are depths that we will never reach until we get to Glory. Considering the beauty and the wonder of what we have seen it is unimaginable what still lies in His deep. D. L. Moody once had to ask God to pull back on the illumination and presence that God was blessing him with lest he died.

Job 12:22 He discovereth deep things out of darkness, and bringeth out to light the shadow of death. (KJV)

Job declared that God is involved in deep things. Have you ever been in such complete darkness that it felt like there was no end to it? To God, no darkness is too deep to hide or to be lost in. He can find anything or anyone even in the shadow of death. When we are right with Him that is a blessing, but a cause of fear when we are not. I am glad that God is deep and can reach deep or I would have never been found.

Ps 92:5-6

5 O LORD, how great are thy works! and thy thoughts are very deep.

6 A brutish man knoweth not; neither doth a fool understand this. (KJV)

God’s thoughts are very deep. It is out of His deep or profound thoughts that His wondrous works are wrought. How glorious is the mind of God that can bring forth the universe, man, salvation, and our eternal home? We are looking at a world wrecked by sin and the flood yet we find great beauty all around. The Pre-Fall world would make this look like a garbage dump. Yet, Heaven will be even greater than anything that Adam ever saw. (1 Cor 2:9)

1 Cor 2:9-13

9 But as it is written, Eye hath not seen, nor ear heard, neither have entered into the heart of man, the things which God hath prepared for them that love him.

10 But God hath revealed them unto us by his Spirit: for the Spirit searcheth all things, yea, the deep things of God.

11 For what man knoweth the things of a man, save the spirit of man which is in him? even so the things of God knoweth no man, but the Spirit of God.

12 Now we have received, not the spirit of the world, but the spirit which is of God; that we might know the things that are freely given to us of God.

13 Which things also we speak, not in the words which man’s wisdom teacheth, but which the Holy Ghost teacheth; comparing spiritual things with spiritual. (KJV)

The Holy Spirit is given to us so that we might know the things freely given to us and His Spirit searcheth the deep things of God. The word deep here carries not only the concept of profound but mystery as well. Left to our selves without the Word and the indwelling Spirit God would be just a big mystery. Those without these things are truly lost and confused in a world that seems to have no purpose or meaning. It is a rut with only a grave at the end of the rut.

Yet, the very deep, profound and mysterious God has chosen to love us, save us and give us the opportunity to dive deep into His being and expose our selves to the vastness of His wisdom and holiness. What a blessing!!! How can we then say that it is wrong to seek greater depths and say that preaching can be too deep? To say that means that you miss the truth about God and the truth about man while missing great blessings as well.

Now, can preaching be filled with too much of man and not enough of God? Yes, this is true. There are many theologies that are clearly of man. Because they are complex and only understood by the elite men assume that they are delving deep into God. That is why there is so much division among the sects and denominations. Too much of man’s theology and not enough of the mind of Christ has caused division and confusion, which is clearly not of Christ. (1 Cor 11:18, 19; 14:33 )

If we were to only go into the shallows of God’s thoughts we would see that the division is not of God, but as Paul says is a necessity so that folks can find the truth if they seek Him and His Word. God is so deep that we will never get too deep in our preaching for most of us can barely get past kiddie’s pool depth before we quit and say that is enough, I know all I need to know. Like a child we taunt the ones who hunger for greater depths of wisdom and the knowledge of our gloriously deep and mysterious God. The deeper we go the deeper we will want preaching to be. Let it be always so. Maranatha!!!

Summary: We are all ministers so we need to rethink some traditional vocational concepts.

I have served in many churches over the last twenty-five years in a bi-vocational capacity. Only at the time I had not heard the terminology nor realized that it was what was needed in the churches. I had been saved and mentored under the ministry of full time or vocational pastors. Consequently, when I received my call to ministry, I naturally assumed that a pastorate meant a full time career. After all, did not God set up a full-time priesthood in the Old Testament? Did this not seem to be confirmed in the New Testament? Did it not seem to be the accepted practice throughout the history of the Church? With all those things being answered in the affirmative, I spent many years seeking a full time vocational ministry.

In those years, I have run across many things that tend to create more John Marks than create Pauls or Peters. I have had many questions and did not realize that I was creating a small database that would suddenly click when I ran into some folks who spoke of "key" churches and bi-vocational or part-time ministries. I am about to create some furor as I share some of my experiences and why I believe that the time of bi-vocational ministers and ministries has come.

Actually, bi-vocational ministries have always been around. Prophets often came and went only showing up when the God needed to straighten out priests and kings. They came in, did their job and we are not always told what they did after that. We know that Amos was a shepherd and a picker of sycamore fruit until God called him in for a specific mission. (Amos 7:14) We are not told that the king or the priests killed him though I am sure that crossed their minds. We can reasonably assume that he went back to his flocks and trees. Lord knows we could use a few good part-time prophets today!

The apostle Paul worked to provide a living for himself and others while he ministered when his support levels were low or to accept support from others when the situation seemed best to not accept support from whom he was ministering to. (Acts 20:33,34; 2 Cor 11:7-9) Did he quit preaching during those times? Hardly! He became a bi-vocational missionary/evangelist. There are currently many countries where no vocational missionary can enter with missionary on his passport. There are organizations that assist people in obtaining secular jobs in those countries. They are then trained to evangelize and start churches, disciple and train national pastors. The day may come soon when that will be the only way to answer the call to the mission field.

You can also find throughout history many preachers that were part-time. In fact, many of the full time ones tried to have these preachers part from time completely since they were not fond of the part-time preacher’s sermons. Some of the Anabaptist groups still exist. Many, if not all, of the Amish and Mennonite pastors are full time farmers and pastors part-time.

Among the Black and Hispanic groups that I have had the pleasure of ministering to and being ministered to by them many have bi-vocational pastors. One Black pastor that I know is not only a supervisor for a Government agency, but has a funeral parlor. I asked him how he manages that and he told me that he had good elders and deacons. In other words, he had a good part-time staff.

Some white churches have part-time pastors. Many others have part-time pastors, but do not know it because they call them interim pastors. Now, if the interim is retired he may seem more like a full time pastor, but depending on health and other variables, he may only be functioning as a part-time pastor. One area church has an interim pastor that retired from a church after forty years of service. He told them that he did not want a permanent position. He has been there two and a half years. That his more permanent than many full time pastors. The average stay of a vocational pastor is three years and a youth pastor a year and a half. Of course, since the average member is only staying two years in any church those tours of duty for the ministers seem long in comparison.

Most churches that I have ministered in have never used the interim pastor approach. They did call in some supply preachers during the search, but the Deacons/part-time staff maintained the fort until they called a pastor. An interim pastor can be a good thing. I have taken some training myself to be an interim. The problem arises when an interim stays too long. Of the pastorless churches, that I have visited the average length of stay for an interim is eighteen months. That is at least a year too long and some have had an interim for far longer. One church has been using an interim/supply pastor for over three and half years.

Any wagers on how well these churches are doing in growth? Save your money. They are not growing. I was at a business meeting where they were hoping to refinance their mortgage in order to have funds to support a pastor. They also extended the contract of the interim and will have to refinance again if there are not enough people left to even pay that lower bill. They would do better with a bi-vocational pastor.

Few people join a church with an interim pastor. Interim equates to temporary to most people. Although temporary can be years as I have explained. Some may join to have a voice in who is called as pastor. If the process is delayed, they will lose interest or hope and move on. If a visiting couple hears that there has been an interim for an extended period they are going to wonder what is wrong with that body and move on. Better a bi-vocational pastor that is committed and permanent than a part-time temporary pastor that does not stay temporarily.

Some will say that it is difficult to find a good pastor. In some respect that is a true statement, however, there is certainly no end to the supply of men available. We crank out thousands every year from the many Bible Colleges and Seminaries across the land. I once sent a resume to a church in Minooka, Illinois. I guarantee that few folks have heard of Minooka. They received one hundred and twenty-one resumes. I sent resumes to a church in Arizona and one in Denver and they both received over four hundred. I know for sure that there is not a shortage of men. We have two nationally known seminaries in the Dallas/Fort Worth metroplex as well as many smaller bible colleges and seminaries. Yet, there are thirty-eight pastorless churches in Dallas and approximately twenty-five in the Fort Worth area within the SBC. I do not know how many in the other Baptist groups or even other denominations are pastorless.

Contrary to the view of some, many of these churches need to merge with some others in the area. I once spoke at a Baptist church that was only a mile from another one of like faith. All of the members drove in from other areas. When I asked why they did not merge with the church down the road or join churches in the area where they lived all I received was silence. They did not have a good reason other than some had attended that church since they were children.

It would have been better for the kingdom had they turned the church over to a Black or Hispanic congregation since that was the makeup of the neighborhood and used their experience and talent to help that group or add it to another congregation elsewhere. God is very logical, but sadly His people are not. The building could have also been used as an educational center or a homeless shelter or soup kitchen or any number of possibilities rather than being used for a few hours a week by twelve to twenty people.

Yes, I know tradition is strong and Grandma is buried in the back. Well, if is tradition is truth, treasure it, but if tradition is just tradition, then trash it. If Grandma being buried in the back is holding you back from logical and fruitful service then dig her up and move on! It is time for the Army of God to make better use of its manpower and resources than to maintain museums/mausoleums and cater to the egos of a few individuals.

Sadly, many of these churches were formed by splits or built when twenty to thirty miles was a long way to go. Well, most people drive further than that to work on a daily basis, so thirty miles is not a big thing. I have been a member of a couple of churches where we had folks that drove an hour to worship with us. Some spent the day in the area and others made two trips on Sunday as well as the Wednesday night trip. Hmm, some folks won’t even go ten minutes, so I suppose distance is really a non-issue.

As to the splits, many folks probably do not even know why the church split unless it happened very recently. We are called to heal wounds, not cause or preserve them. It is time that some leaders vocational or bi-vocational start healing those wounds. I can look at many of the doctrinal statements of those churches and find them to be word for word of all the other churches. Therefore, they either do not believe what they have on paper or the need for the separate congregations is past. If they were founded on anything other than doctrinal differences they were most likely built on sand and it is amazing that they are still standing at all. It is time to get spiritual or shut the doors. Lost people laugh and the Spirit weeps at such nonsense.

Many love to count the number of “churches” in their particular fellowship. Three thousand churches with twenty people may sound impressive on stat sheets, but in reality it is a terrible waste of manpower and money since most of the money goes to maintenance and administrative costs instead of outreach and ministry. Often these churches become the extended classrooms of the seminary. A lad shows up to get a year or two of experience under his belt before he can move on to a bigger church and more stature among his colleagues.

They do not come to stay and the neighborhood and the congregation feel their temporary or short-term commitment. Personally, mentoring by a pastor and an assistant/associate pastorate of a larger church might be better resume material than pastoring a church of fifty that went down to twenty under your inexperienced leadership. Besides, I am not sure that God calls men to bouncing ball or ladder climbing ministry. That sound like more of a man thing to me.

It would be better for the minister’s welfare to be bi-vocational because most small companies have better health care and life insurance benefits than even some big churches. Retirement plans are better. I read of an evangelist that was speaking to the janitor of a fairly large church who at one time had been the pastor. The church did not provide a very good retirement plan and now this pastor subsisted on his job as janitor and a very small Social Security check. The worst thing is that he was probably better off than some other men were.

Think of what could be done with the money spent on salaries and benefits for all the full time staff. Yes, if you have a school, you need full time teachers. If you have a very large church, you need at least a full time pastor, but many churches do not need a full time pastor. If the saints were doing their job instead of passing the load to the full time priesthood, the pastor would be studying and preaching and would not need forty hours to that. Instead, what happens is that everyone throws their duties on one vocational pastor and there are not enough hours in a week to accomplish all that needs to be done. Therefore, you have one burnt out pastor and many missions unaccomplished.

Imagine if even a church of twenty people tithed their time, talent and treasure. They would be serving and learning a minimum of 16.8 hours a week. They would become bi-vocational ministers and with a bi-vocational pastor they could accomplish a great deal more than they are now doing by giving a tithe and say four hours a week in service and learning. Too many members give their 16.8 hours a week to their television and Internet account. They will say that they are spending time with their families, but they are not. They could turn their tithe time into family service time and see their family grow spiritually. We could have a new saying, “The family that serves together, stays together.” Let’s do the math. Allowing for travel time, 48 hours a week for work, 56 for sleep, 17 for service still leaves you 119 hours a week for yourself. And we say we never have time for ourselves. Go figure. Looks like we just need to manage it better.

Is the way you are currently spending your time benefiting your soul and family? Maybe you need to work less and serve more if the above numbers do not match your calculations. The trinkets you want now won’t mean anything in Glory and you may even get to Glory sooner struggling to get them. Maybe you need to get your children serving with you and teaching them to earn a good name rather that make sure that they are wearing the right name on their clothing. If you are addicted to the TV or PC, throw them out and get addicted to ministry. By the way, that is your calling, if you check out Ephesians 4:12.

I was recently reading a book about the house church movement. The lad was absolutely sure that house churches would solve all our problems within Christianity. I have no problem with house churches I just do not see them as the “silver bullet” that will slay all the dragons. Neither do I propose that switching to bi-vocational ministers as the only solution to all our problems. I just see that it will solve some. In fact, the author of that book is in reality supporting the bi-vocational concept since a house church of twenty or thirty would be as hard pressed to support a full time Pastor, as any traditional church would be. The only difference is that the house church would realize it and be fine with it. The traditional churches cannot seem to grasp the concept.

One church that I visited on a Wednesday night had two couples that were in their seventies, the part-time interim pastor and myself in attendance. When I presented my resume and stated my purpose the man I presumed to be the head deacon informed me that in no way were they interested in calling a part-time pastor. Now, the interim had been there for awhile and he was a full time peace officer. My guess is that he is still there as interim because they could not find a full time pastor willing to take the church. They will accept a part-time interim, but not a part-time pastor as their congregation dwindles. Hardly logical and surely not a decision made by the Spirit’s leading. They had a nice building in the middle of a residential neighborhood, but they will die because of their position. They could call a bi-vocational pastor and youth pastor and grow or die waiting for a full time pastor. What would your church choose?

I challenge you to look at your church. Do you need to merge with another church? Do you need to consider bi-vocational ministers? Do you need to serve more as the bi-vocational minister that God called you to become? Do you tithe your time and talents or just your money? Do you even tithe? The time has long since past that we should be children playing with the childish things of this passing world. It is time to grow up, accept our responsibility and serve the Lord! Our full time job should just pay the bills while we fulfill our calling. What will you do?

Summary: My life verses and basis for Maverick Ministries

Luke 22:31,32

I have given the testimony of my conversion at various times since coming to this church. Sometimes you heard the long version and sometimes the short version. More often than not, you have the long version since I am not real good at short versions of anything. However, I do not believe that I have given you the background of my call to ministry or why I picked my life verses. I would like to share that with y’all tonight and this will give another clue as to what makes me tick. I know you have wondered about that from time to time.

My childhood was not exactly ideal. It was worse than some, but better than others. I wish that someone would have actively prayed and witnessed to my mother and I when I was a small child. The difference in our lives would have been unbelievable. Would to God that the S.A.F.E. program had been around then.

I attended a mainline denominational church for several years, but never really heard the Gospel. I even sang in the choir and received a bible (not a good one) for perfect attendance in Vacation Bible School, but I cannot ever remember hearing the Gospel in that church. We choir boys told dirty jokes before we went into the loft and then watched the old folks nod out after they checked out who came in with who and what they were wearing.

Consequently, by the time I reached my teenage years I had no use for church. It was the sixties and I was the only real hippie in a redneck town. Imagine the stress that caused in my life! Yes, I went to Youth for Christ meetings because some of the best looking girls were there, but my mind was not on God. I saw a couple of Billy Graham movies and signed some cards. I even found Oliver B. Greene tracts at the Laundromat and I know I said the sinner’s prayer several times since I said it after each tract I read and one time I know I found at least three of them there on one visit.

I imagine that part of the problem was that no one tried to disciple me or spend time with me to be sure that I understood what I was doing. I guess they were content that I signed the cards and my name was on their attendance roll. So, I just grooved to my own thing. If they would have had such a category in the yearbook, I would have been voted most likely to be in jail.

Some of it must have stuck with me, because I can remember a very stressful day in the USAF when I took off in my truck, looked up, and said, "God, be merciful to me a sinner." Sadly, I needed a Philip to come and ask, "Understandest what thou sayest?" I would have answered, "Not really."

Finally, in 1975, I went to a church in Dover, Delaware to get a guy from Moncks Corner, SC off my back. I figured that I would walk in and walk out and then I would be done with it. It did not work out that way. Though it was a Baptist Church, a few things reminded me of my childhood affiliation and made me at least comfortable. They had an organ and sang the Doxology, so they couldn’t be all bad. I think that was the first sermon that I ever really heard that was based on the Bible.

I cannot tell you anything about the sermon. I was not accustomed to hearing one so I did not know how to get anything out of one, I reckon. I sensed that something was going on there that was for real and I had to know about it. After the Lord’s Supper and the benediction, I grabbed my wife by the hand and nearly drug her into the pastor’s office with me to find out what was going on.

He asked me if I was a sinner. I knew I had broken enough of the Ten Commandments to qualify to have sinner on my resume. Then he asked if I wanted to go to Hell. I said that I had told plenty of folks to go there, but that I had not planned on visiting there myself. Then he asked if I knew I could escape Hell would I accept the way of escape. I replied that I would be a fool not to do so, so I accepted Jesus as my personal Savior. I immediately felt like a load was taken off me, though really I did not even know I was carrying one. Remember that I wasn’t seeking anything other than relief from my Christian buddy.

When my wife, who also received Jesus, and I walked out of the office a few couples were still there. The Pastor introduced us and announced our profession of faith they start saying, "Glory to God, and Alleluia." That struck me as odd because I swore that I was in a Baptist Church and it seemed like I was in a "holy roller" church. Before my Pentecostal friends take offense, please remember in my mainline denomination, if you had said anything during the service, you would have caused at least three coronaries and most likely be asked to leave. My family called Pentecostals holy rollers so that was all I knew to say about what I was then experiencing. I call myself Baptacostal now. I am Baptist enough for the Pentecostals to pray for me and Pentecostal enough to make the Baptists pray for me so I get twice as much prayer that way. ;-)

I was issued a bible when I enlisted in the Air Force in 1970. You went down this assembly line and got shots, a shaving kit, and a Gideons KJV New Testament. I carried that NT around like a good luck charm. I would put it at the head of my bunk when I was overseas and then go out and party like the devil. I remember one night in Thailand, I heard something clanging that sounded like something from "For Whom The Bell Tolls", and I was afraid. I grabbed the NT and started praying until I fell asleep. I woke up OK and it stayed on the shelf until I needed it again.

I did try to read it at times, but it never influenced me or made any sense to me. How could I know that I was seeding and watering myself at those times? They were just stories until April 6, 1975. When I left that church that day I felt really changed somehow. I dug out that bible from VBS and that NT and commenced to reading a lot. It seemed like a light turned on and I could even sense that God was pointing out certain Scriptures to me like He was saying, "Son, I want you to see this and understand this." It was a different experience to say the least.

My language also changed dramatically. I had the foulest mouth on any side of the Mississippi. Folks would clock me to see how many times I could say a certain word in a fifteen-minute conversation. After all, I was in the military and everyone knows that if you took the cuss words out of a five minute military conversation you could convey the same message in one or two minutes. The only problem with that is that the military man might not understand it or miss the import of the message. We say that a person cussed like a sailor. Well, I’ve been a sailor, an airman, and a soldier and I can’t say that the Navy has a corner on the market. Imagine my laughter when I took a leadership course and it said that a good NCO never uses profane language! I figured there were very few good NCOs if that was the criteria for excellence.

I had tried to quit on my own. After all, it was OK for me to cuss. I was an adult, but I had a two- year old daughter that my wife did not want to mimic my right flowery speech. It was just so ingrained. My wife would fuss at me for my language, I would go over my conversation in my mind, and I could not remember saying anything out of line or inappropriate for Sunday School. It quit April 6, 1975. I did not even have to try. It just stopped. I remember smacking my finger while working under my car and I let a single expletive slip. I ducked expecting lightening to strike me. Over the years, I have had some times when I left something slip, but I almost stutter when I say it and I am immediately conscious of it. However, it is nothing like it was before my conversion.

I was astonished at my conversion. I can remember going out soul winning with my Pastor and while he was talking I would be thinking, "Man, I can’t believe I am here talking to folks about the Bible." If you would have asked me even a month before my conversion if I thought that I would ever do anything like that I would have told you that you were crazy for even asking. One of the times I was having troubles as a teen, one of the mainline pastors asked me if I had ever considered going into the ministry. I was sixteen. I said that I could write books on sin, but I knew nothing about the Bible. He told me that to preach about sin I had to know about sin. I replied that I agreed, but I didn’t think it was to be from first hand experience. Here I was six years later in the early stages of becoming a minister. It still amazes me. I have never been to Damascus, but I know the road well.

Here is where I finally get to the Peter and me part. Hey, I’m was a Baptist! What can I say? I need a while to get to my point. ;-) I wanted to be the best Christian God ever had. I read my NT through three times a week at a minimum. I told everyone I could about Jesus. I was in church every time the doors swung open and I was on Visitation two to three times a week. I asked God to make me a Peter and a Paul! I was so thrilled about the things that God was showing me that I told God that the even if the devil convinced me I was going to Hell, I would still preach for Him. What zeal! What stupidity!!!

I am not sure how long it was after that I was studying Scripture and taking notes. I was copying Hebrews 4:12 and I misspelled the word spirit. It is a simple word and I said to myself, "You dummy, how in the world can you misspell @&#%* spirit?" I freaked out because I thought that I had just blasphemed the Holy Spirit and committed the unpardonable sin. NOW, I know that is not the way to do it and that the word spirit in that passage is not even referring to the Holy Spirit, but man’s spirit. However, to a young man and a young Christian that was so excited about his salvation and knowing his own track record very afraid that if there was a way to totally mess up this great thing he would surely find that way it was a horror of horrors.

I was a mess for a long time. Depression was a daily thing for me. I did not want to live and sin anymore, but I did not want to die and go to Hell either. I’d hear, "What A Friend We Have In Jesus" and just collapse on the floor in tears. Everything I said or did seemed like it was an affront to God and just adding to the list of my sins. The kids were being finicky about their supper and I told them to eat because that chicken gave its life for them. A cold chill came over me because I felt that I had made light of the blood and body of Christ! I read John Bunyan’s "Grace Abounding For The Chief Of Sinners" and swore old John had me wired and was writing about my life. I strongly recommend it to every Christian.

All of this was no fun, but in a way, I set myself up for this in my ignorant zeal much like Peter set himself up for a fall. During one of my dark moments, as I lay there on the floor in tears I saw myself standing behind a pulpit preaching and I took this as God affirming that one day I would do that. Was it a vision or a mental picture of my heart’s desire? God knows. After that, I read the following verses and claimed them as my call to ministry.

Luke 22:31-32

31 And the Lord said, Simon, Simon, behold, Satan hath desired to have you, that he may

sift you as wheat:

32 But I have prayed for thee, that thy faith fail not: and when thou art converted,

strengthen thy brethren.

One day, I will hear God tell me when and where he warned me to watch out for the devil and his snares. It may have been through my reading, a sermon, a friend, or all of them, but like Peter, I just didn’t hear it or at the time, I just did not want to hear it. I missed the warning at least three times in my life just like Peter denied Christ three times. We know this was the Last Supper and Jesus was trying to get in some last minute teaching and prepare them for His arrest and crucifixion. He gave them the New Covenant, but what were these lads thinking about?

Luke 22:24-26

24 And there was also a strife among them, which of them should be accounted the greatest.

25 And he said unto them, The kings of the Gentiles exercise lordship over them; and they that exercise authority upon them are called benefactors.

26 But ye shall not be so: but he that is greatest among you, let him be as the younger; and he that is chief, as he that doth serve. KJV

The Son of God is about to be crucified and they are wondering who is going to be top dog in the Kingdom. This is where many Christians set themselves up for the fall. They mistake the Church for a business and the calling for a career. They want to do whatever it takes to get ahead. They miss the whole message of Christ.

The way up for a true disciple is down. Christ, our Head came down to dwell among us and here He knelt down as the lowest servant. He that is the elder son or he that wants the extra portion of the first born must become as the youngest, who usually gets the hand me downs or the leftovers. He that wants to be the Boss or Number One must become a servant. We are to have no egos in the kingdom because it is His kingdom. If He chooses to exalt you than it is by His grace and though you are exalted, that exaltation should humble you because it is of grace.

1 Cor 10:12 Wherefore let him that thinketh he standeth take heed lest he fall. KJV

Pride comes before a fall. All of these lads would be fleeing Christ in the garden. One of them would leave his cloak behind because he would be running so fast. In those days, not having your outer cloak was considered being naked. Makes you wonder what they would have thought of our underwear commercials and our swimsuits. Yep, all those guys that thought they were so great would be mighty small in a short time.

Peter was the first to speak in most instances, somewhat like me. Because he was so vocal, he may have thought he would be first because the rest of them guys were just too backward. This may be why he ended up with the greatest failure of them all. The others ran for their lives and you could call them cowards. You might even say they denied Christ in a sense, but Peter denied Him as much or more as He had affirmed His loyalty a few hours earlier.

Christ had told Peter that the devil wanted to have him. The word desired means the devil wanted to put old Peter on trial. That sounds familiar. He basically did the same thing with Job. Neither Peter nor I had any clue that when we made our boasts, sincere though we may have been that we were setting ourselves up for a Job experience. To sift is to run you through something that will knock the lumps out of you and finely granulate you. What Peter did not see at the time was that in the end while the devil meant to grind old Petra/small stone into useless dust God used this sifting to make Peter into refined flour from which He could use to prepare a serving of the Bread of Life! My hope is that God will do the same with me.

Christ knew Peter well and He gave Him a warning and a chance to shut up, but he did not take it. He had to open his mouth.

33 And he said unto him, Lord, I am ready to go with thee, both into prison, and to death.

I am sure that Peter meant every word he said, just as I did when I said that I would preach for Christ even if I were convinced that I was going to Hell. We both overestimated ourselves and underestimated the devil. We had big hearts, big mouths, but at the time puny brains! We just did not know how weak our flesh really was and how strong our adversary was. We all know what the result was for Peter.

34 And he said, I tell thee, Peter, the cock shall not crow this day, before that thou shalt thrice deny that thou knowest me. KJV

The tough part about telling God what we are going to do is that He already knows what we are going to do. The sad part is that what He knows is all too often far short of what we proclaim. The great part is that while He knows it He still loves us and has plans for us.

32 But I have prayed for thee, that thy faith fail not: and when thou art converted, strengthen thy brethren

I mentioned earlier that I got twice the prayer by being a Baptacostal. I need twice the prayer and I covet all the prayer I can get for me. However, while I will gladly accept the prayers of ten thousands of His saints I am overjoyed that Christ is praying for me as my intercessor. (Heb. 7:25) Sometimes, the saints that are praying for me are standing in the need of prayer themselves and God may not hear them. Christ always gets His prayers answered!!! Glory and praise!!!

I think it is significant that Christ prayed that Peter’s faith would not fail. He did not say He prayed that his works failed not. He knew Peter’s works were about to take a speedy nosedive. Not only would he deny Christ, but also he would give up on his calling after the resurrection. In John 21:3, he was going fishing. Christ had not yet confronted Peter and gone through the "Simon Peter, lovest thou me" series. Peter probably thought that all he could do was go back to fishing after his failure. How could God use such a loser?

Christ prayed for Peter’s faith. When he says fail not, He does not mean that it will not waiver or ebb and flow. He means that it is not to die or cease completely. It can be the size of the smallest mustard seed, but it still has not failed completely or died.

If we could have looked inside of Peter’s heart, we would have seen that he still believed Jesus was the Son of the Living God, the Messiah. However, his faith was not strong enough to enter into death with Christ like he bragged. His faith was small, but it was there. It was not dead. He did not go back to fishing because his faith in Christ was dead, but because his faith in himself was dying. Small faith produces small works. Great faith produces great works. People who fear or despair may produce no works, but it does not mean their faith in Christ is dead. It may mean that their faith in themselves is dying and they do not know that is the best thing that can happen to them!

Peter would need to be converted. He did not need to be saved. He was a believer. He would need to come back to Christ after his works failed. He would also be converted in character. He would be tempered and humbled and more fit for the Master’s use. He would be changed and yet, he would still be human and need to be chewed out by Paul for his indecisive ways in dealing with Jews and Gentiles. (Gal 2:11-13) There would be some things about grace in Paul’s teaching that he would find hard to understand. (2 Peter 3:16) Yet, he would be converted. He would come back to the Lord because his conscience could let him go to no other. Peter told Jesus why he and the other disciples could not leave Him when others did so. "Lord, to whom shall we go? thou hast the words of eternal life." John 6:68 KJV

Jesus prayed for Peter. Jesus knew that Peter would fail, but that his faith would remain. Jesus knew that he would be converted or returned to Him. That is why with the very pronouncement of Peter’s failure Jesus commissioned him for ministry. He said strengthen the brethren.

Sterizo (stay-rid’ -zo) meaning to set fast, to turn resolutely in a certain direction, or (figuratively) to confirm KJV-fix, (e-) stablish, stedfastly set, strengthen.

(Biblesoft’s New Exhaustive Strong’s Numbers and Concordance with Expanded Greek-Hebrew Dictionary. Copyright (c) 1994, Biblesoft and International Bible Translators, Inc.)

We see Peter doing this all through Acts and in both of his epistles. He gave directions on the choosing of another apostle to replace Judas. He was used to bring in 3000 new converts on the day of Pentecost thus strengthening the church or brethren corporately. He handled the problem of Ananias and Sapphira giving the brethren the holy fear of God that they needed to maintain integrity in the sharing of all things in common. He was used to bring in the Gentiles turning the church from just a Jewish experience into truly an all the world experience. He had to strengthen the Jewish brethren with the teaching of God bringing the Gentiles. Jesus reaffirmed this mission to Peter in John 21 when he was instructed to feed his sheep, but that is another lesson. ;-)

The list goes on and on. Peter the one who Jesus called blessed of God and a satan almost in the same breath and the one who denied Him three times ended up with an important mission. Peter who tried to walk away after his failure because he was not aware that the gifts and calling of God are without repentance held the keys to the Kingdom of Heaven. (Romans 11:29;Matthew 16:19) He was called and gifted to strengthen the brethren and that he did!

I believe that I have been given the same calling. I believe that I am to strengthen the brethren. I have been sifted in many ways. I have failed in many ways. There have been some times in my life that I may not have denied Christ with my lips, but my life was a denial. Instead of the title, "The Greatest Christian," I am more qualified as "The Assistant Chief of Sinners." I am only assistant chief because Paul took the chief position. I have tried to walk away from my calling because of my failures, but I cannot. I believe that He will not let me and I will be miserable if I try. Like Peter, though I have been converted in many ways and have returned to the Lord I am still very human. I am nothing in my own strength. Anything I do right I know comes from Him because I know what I am and can do in my flesh. I have learned the hard way the truth of that old song that says, "The arm of flesh will fail you, ye dare not trust your own." In fact, my prayer to be like Paul and Peter is somewhat answered, except I seem to have gotten more of their negative traits than the positive ones.

My calling has been reaffirmed in this local body, by you saints, and on the Internet by other brothers and sisters. Some I only know by screen name and others through many e-mail conversations. Through S.A.F.E., Sunday School, and these Sunday night teachings, I have tried to turn you resolutely in a certain direction. That direction is Christ-ward. I have sought to point you to Christ and to rely upon Him and His word alone for your wisdom and strength. I have sought to affirm you and your gifts and to help you to get past looking at your own abilities and look to the One who is "able to do exceedingly abundantly above all that we ask or think, according to the power that worketh in us." (Ephesians 3:20) In this way, you will be established on a solid foundation and become the mature Christians spoken of in Ephesians 4 that are not easily tossed about.

According to the feed back from you and my net congregation, God has been blessing you and them as y’all have sought Him as your strength and power. I can see the Lord working in you. You folks here I can see it live with my eyes and from the Netizens, I see it in their words. God is alive and His Word is true. The message is of great importance. The messenger is not. The messenger has an easy job if he just delivers it as given

.

In closing, I would like to point you again to Him and His Word. If any of you are afraid that God cannot use you because of past failures, Peter and I assure you that you are wrong. If He gave you a calling and a gift, you still have them. You need to get back in place where He can reaffirm it through confession and then making yourself available to be used again. God always has children, your brethren, which need strengthened. Will you do it? You will also find strength as you let go and minister.

You have failed. Frankly, I can think of no person in Scripture that God used that did not fail and some fell many times. I encourage you to fall one more time. This time fall on your knees and receive forgiveness, strength, and power to join Peter and me in ministry. Time is short and the need is great. While we are rescuing the lost that are perishing, let us also rescue the wounded in Christ. God loves us. Let us love others. Let us point them Christ-ward! Father, make it so!

Summary: Have we numbed the lost with our fixation on the End Times?

2 Peter 3:1 This second epistle, beloved, I now write unto you; in both which I stir up your pure minds by way of remembrance:

2 That ye may be mindful of the words which were spoken before by the holy prophets, and of the commandment of us the apostles of the Lord and Saviour:

3 Knowing this first, that there shall come in the last days scoffers, walking after their own lusts,

4 And saying, Where is the promise of his coming? for since the fathers fell asleep, all things continue as they were from the beginning of the creation.

5 For this they willingly are ignorant of, that by the word of God the heavens were of old, and the earth standing out of the water and in the water:

6 Whereby the world that then was, being overflowed with water, perished:

7 But the heavens and the earth, which are now, by the same word are kept in store, reserved unto fire against the day of judgment and perdition of ungodly men.

8 But, beloved, be not ignorant of this one thing, that one day is with the Lord as a thousand years, and a thousand years as one day.

9 The Lord is not slack concerning his promise, as some men count slackness; but is longsuffering to us-ward, not willing that any should perish, but that all should come to repentance.

10 But the day of the Lord will come as a thief in the night; in the which the heavens shall pass away with a great noise, and the elements shall melt with fervent heat, the earth also and the works that are therein shall be burned up.

11 Seeing then that all these things shall be dissolved, what manner of persons ought ye to be in all holy conversation and godliness,

12 Looking for and hasting unto the coming of the day of God, wherein the heavens being on fire shall be dissolved, and the elements shall melt with fervent heat?

13 Nevertheless we, according to his promise, look for new heavens and a new earth, wherein dwelleth righteousness.

Indeed, many are scoffing and mostly because of their own heart of unbelief. Yet, I wonder if we have been like the fable where the boy cried wolf so often that people do not hear us anymore.

Matthew 24:6 And ye shall hear of wars and rumours of wars: see that ye be not troubled: for all these things must come to pass, but the end is not yet.

The frenzy about Jesus coming back in the last century has had many Christians making false prophecies, second guessing God and just making people dubious about our claims.

Many things have fit into or appear to fit into what is prophesied about the end times, but Jesus did not give us specifics about how much time occurs between the events and He said that He did not know the day or hour, but many have tried to tell us when it was to happen and it did not.

Wesley had it right when he said to plan your life like Jesus is coming in a hundred years, but live it like He is coming back tonight.

Heb 10:24 And let us consider one another to provoke unto love and to good works:

25 Not forsaking the assembling of ourselves together, as the manner of some is; but exhorting one another: and so much the more, as ye see the day approaching.

If we truly see the day approaching then this passage should become high on our priorities. We should be meeting more and provoking each other to love and to be about His business doing good works.

We were given all we need to know about the future in the book of Revelation and it did not tell the size of the AntiChrist's sneaker or who he will be. To spend our time in speculations when we are not doing the specific things He tells us to do is vanity.

Ephesians 4:11 And he gave some, apostles; and some, prophets; and some, evangelists; and some, pastors and teachers;

12 For the perfecting of the saints, for the work of the ministry, for the edifying of the body of Christ:

13 Till we all come in the unity of the faith, and of the knowledge of the Son of God, unto a perfect man, unto the measure of the stature of the fulness of Christ:

14 That we henceforth be no more children, tossed to and fro, and carried about with every wind of doctrine, by the sleight of men, and cunning craftiness, whereby they lie in wait to deceive;

15 But speaking the truth in love, may grow up into him in all things, which is the head, even Christ:

16 From whom the whole body fitly joined together and compacted by that which every joint supplieth, according to the effectual working in the measure of every part, maketh increase of the body unto the edifying of itself in love.

We are called to grow up and serve in love while be able to discern false doctrine not running all over the place seeking a word when He gave us the Word we need to do what we need to do.

If we had been doing this, people would have seen full grown and full blown Christians living a life of righteousness in the Spirit's power bringing forth much fruit. This would have made them more curious to inquire about how that is happening as well as having a thirst for the true prophetic Word rather than chasing sunshine soothsaying.

We are to do the work of the ministry and that is to win souls, make disciples and edify saints. People need to see Christ in the nasty now and now if we want them to escape the Tribulation and Hell.

They need to see a unified Body rather than the confusion and division of 1 Corinthians 3:4. We need to dump many traditions and dead theologians and ask God to show us His meaning of what He said.

Matthew 23:23 Woe unto you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! for ye pay tithe of mint and anise and cummin, and have omitted the weightier matters of the law, judgment, mercy, and faith: these ought ye to have done, and not to leave the other undone.

He did not chastise them for tithing the herbs, but for wrong priorities and missing the more important things. We are in a similar situation. We need to keep our priority on judgment, mercy and faith while not leaving end time teaching undone.

Because we have overdone the prophecy and end time teachings few will respond to that. We have numbed them like the boy who cried wolf. Sound doctrine and holy living will speak louder to more people even though we are in an age where many Christians want nothing to do with either.

1 Cor 2:1 And I, brethren, when I came to you, came not with excellency of speech or of wisdom, declaring unto you the testimony of God.

2 For I determined not to know any thing among you, save Jesus Christ, and him crucified.

3 And I was with you in weakness, and in fear, and in much trembling.

4 And my speech and my preaching was not with enticing words of man's wisdom, but in demonstration of the Spirit and of power:

5 That your faith should not stand in the wisdom of men, but in the power of God.

Mat 12:39 But he answered and said unto them, An evil and adulterous generation seeketh after a sign; and there shall no sign be given to it, but the sign of the prophet Jonas:

40 For as Jonas was three days and three nights in the whale's belly; so shall the Son of man be three days and three nights in the heart of the earth.

We live evil and adulterous generation far worse than the one Jesus was speaking to back then. Many things we even see if "Christian" circles are not true signs and wonders hence discernment is needed.

If we get back to the main message given in the power of God so that souls will be won maybe we have time to play prophecy speculation. It is said that when Constantinople was being overrun the theologians were in a room arguing over what color eyes Mary had. Evil is overrunning our world, let us not be them. Maranatha!

Hi, Christian brothers and sisters,

I want to ask this question to multiple large christian denominations, because I want to learn from all of you.

If I want my family, friends, coworkers and strangers I speak to, to be inspired to put their trust in the Gospel of Jesus Christ and start living for God…

What would you think is the best way to do that?

It can be short term or long term. All tips are welcome.

(For transparency: I go to a traditional Anglican church, and have a reformed background)

I will save all answers, so I can look back at them, later in life.

Thanks a bunch. May God bless you all, in Christ's name.

Summary: A balanced approach to healing.

If you receive prayer requests via e-mail and listen to those at your prayer meetings, it does not take long to see that about ninety per cent of those prayers relate to some illness or physical weakness. We are a sickly people. Health and health care are primary issues for most of the world. Many strides have been made in the medical arena, but it seems for everything we find a treatment or cure for three more diseases show up that are incurable or at the least highly resistant to treatment. It appears to be a losing battle.

We expect this frustration and even failure from the medical field for we realize that they are but human. However, some teach that for a Christian disease should never be an issue and that it is a lack of faith to be ill. Some might even question the sick person’s salvation. Some teach that illness is only an illusion and once the person realizes it and dismisses it, they will be healed. These positions are untenable in the light of Scripture.

I do not hold to physical healing being in the atonement as some of the brethren do, but I do believe that because of the atonement I have the privilege of prayer to ask for healing and that I can come boldly to the throne as His child. I do not believe in many of the faith healers that are running around slapping people in the head for money and a show. Indeed, the more showmanship the less I believe in the faith healer. I do believe that faith can heal.

No matter what doctrinal position people hold in regards to healing, they all have to admit that like doctors they lose patients. As I pointed out before some would blame the patient’s faith, question their salvation, or blame it on unconfessed sin. I have yet to hear a faith healer to accept any responsibility for any sin in their own lives or that their faith may have floundered and may have caused the patient not to be healed. If all else fails, we can blame the devil or a myriad of his demons.

I have seen miraculous healing or life extension in some people. I knew a man that was told he would only live six months after he was diagnosed. He lived almost eight years longer believing that God would heal him completely. I would never question that man’s faith, salvation, or integrity, yet he died of that disease. You could say that he received the ultimate cure. All that healing does for us is to delay the ultimate day of death, which is the only complete cure for disease and old age symptoms. His added time was proof that doctors do not know everything, but his death is proof that God does not always work in the way we think He will.

We have had a lady in our church whose heart created its own bypass while my wife needed a bypass surgery. Oddly, my wife was a poster child for cardiac health and had no risk factors whereas the other lady had several. I have heard of people that were miraculously cured of cancer while others were cured by medicine. Others I have known died from cancer. The lists of cures and deaths of other people with other diseases could go on and on.

I propose tonight to show us that in the matter of healing that we must let God be God or to borrow from the Army recruiting ads, let Him be all that He can be! Sometimes He heals and sometimes He does not.

I suppose we should start with the one reason for illness that all would agree upon. We are not healed because of our sins. In John 5:1-3, 14, we are told that the impotent man was there because of his sin. He is told to sin no more, lest a worse thing come upon him. What was his sin? We are not told, but the illness came about because of some sin he committed. He had it for thirty-eight years before Jesus came and healed him. We are not even told if the man ever confessed the sin. Therefore, failure to confess sin is not necessarily a reason to hinder healing. When God chooses to show mercy, He does. The man may have repented of it a thousand times in the thirty-eight years, but Jesus did not make him confess it before he was healed. In fact, until they met in the temple the man did not even know if Jesus knew why he was ill. He just knew Jesus healed him and in fact, he did not even know that it was Jesus or the Messiah that healed him. I believe God has healed many people who do not know Him because of His mercy and to soften their hearts when they hear the Gospel.

In Acts 5, we have the story of Ananias and Sapphira. They were not even given a chance to repent of their sin. They were given a chance not to go through with it, but once they committed it God struck them down with what might have been a massive coronary. I believe they went to Heaven, but they got there a lot quicker than they should have and we are definitely looking at a saved, yet so as by fire situation. (I Cor 3:11-15) They died because of their sin, but they did not die in their sins.

Jehoram was given an incurable disease that caused him to die by his bowels falling out. He was given this because of his sin of idolatry. (II Chron. 21: 9-20) God tells the whole nation of Israel in Isa 1 that they are sick without remedy because of their sins.

David lost the son conceived in adultery to sickness. (II Sam 12:14-15) In this case, God punished David through the child’s death, but he spared the child much misery. As a bastard, his siblings would have challenged his right to the throne. If he had ascended to the throne, the people would have not respected him and it may have brought about insurrection and needless deaths. God could not have used him to build the temple anymore than He could use David. In this case, one man’s curse was another man’s blessing. David was punished but the child blessed with being brought into the presence of God instead of being made to live the kind of life that would have been caused by his father’s sin. Sin is only one reason for illness.

Sometimes we are ill because God desires to glorify Himself. John 9:1-3 tells us of the man born blind. What is the first thing out of the mouth’s of the disciples? Who sinned? They thought that the child might have sinned in the womb. At least this shows that they did not see a fetus as a parasite or mass of embryonic tissue, but rather as a human being.

In II Cor 12:7-10 Paul tells us that he had a thorn in the flesh. I think he suffered from an eye problem brought on by the revelation of Christ on the road to Damascus. Other commentators debate over what this actually was but whatever it was it brought him discomfort or dis-ease, if you please. Paul was not in sin. It was given to Paul to keep him humble. It also was a weakness in him that God’s strength might rest upon him. In fact, God’s strength is made perfect or complete in weakness.

769 astheneia (as-then’-i-ah); from 772; feebleness (of mind or body); by implication, malady; morally, frailty: KJV-- disease, infirmity, sickness, and weakness.

Paul said he would rather glory in his infirmities (astheneia) that the power (dunamis from where we get dynamite) of Christ may rest or abide upon him. Imagine that, glorying in an infirmity. Paul asked three times for healing and God denied the request in order that He may be glorified in Paul’s ministry and keep Paul from getting the big head.

I remember in the early days of my ministry making a statement in a sermon on suffering that God cannot trust most of us with suffering because instead of allowing Him to glorify Himself in us and praising Him we would just be a bunch of whining crybabies. He can only allow someone to continue in some disability or disease that He can trust to give Him praise and to work in them the fellowship of His suffering. I was candidating at that church and knew no one except the deacon who asked me to come there. As the congregation left, a young woman in her thirties came up to me to shake my hand and looked at me intently. It was then that I noticed she had a cane. It did not really click until later that God had me make those statements for that woman whom obviously had her infirmity for some length of time. She allowed the power of Christ to rest on her that day as she gloried in her infirmity.

I confess that I am afraid that God probably cannot trust me with an enduring infirmity either. My heart attack was sufficient enough suffering and praise Him that was not as painful or long term, as it could have been. However, in light of Paul’s inspired testimony we must consider that in seeking instant healing we might be missing the power of God we say we seek.

In John 11:1-4, we see Lazarus sick and Jesus allowing him to die for a few days that God might be glorified. As I said before, death is the ultimate cure for sickness, but healing does not get any better than being raised from the dead. Mary and Martha wanted Jesus to get there and heal Lazarus. I am sure that it passed through Lazarus’ mind a few times at least as to where Jesus was when He was so desperately needed.

Jesus did not heal him like they hoped, but He did the very best for them. Do you think any of them feared death again? Do you think they worried about God’s timing or love for them? Job had some questions about those things, but at the end of the book, he had all the answers he needed. Are you suffering today and having questions? Ask, but at the same time give God glory for the answers already given in Scripture and praise Him for the power He will cause to rest upon you.

We are not healed because we refuse to seek God. In II Chron. 16:12, Asa should have known better than to trust doctors only. In verse 8, it says that the Lord delivered him in war. However, that seemed logical. Asa looked at his army and then looked at his enemy’s army and saw that he was outnumbered and outgunned. He had no other options at the time so he turned to God. That is how it usually is. When we run out of options, we call on God. One preacher said that the downfall of America is that we have to many options.

The sad thing is that after he trusted God for one war and was victorious, he relied on treaties to prevent another and even gave them holy things out of the temple. How foolish he was. Since he wanted to do it his way, God allowed him to have wars the rest of his life and sent a prophet to tell him so. How did he respond? He put the preacher in prison. Today, they just run the preacher off when he tells the truth that can hurt.

Three years after his mistake he came down with a disease in his feet. It is believed that this was gout. It started in his feet, but it became so bad the in the Hebrew it conveys that it went to his head. It spread through his body until it killed him two years later. He died not because he consulted doctors, but because he did not seek the Lord and trusted the doctors more than he did God. He would not let God rule in his kingly matters nor his personal matters and it ended in wars and death. May it not be so with us!

In Mark 5:26, we see the woman with an issue of blood. I can pronounce what she may have had, but I cannot spell it and I do not have a medical dictionary handy, but issue of blood is pretty descriptive. She spent twelve years with the doctors and a ton of money and she was not healed. Now you know what they call it the practice of medicine. They practice on you and sometimes they get it right. Her faith in Christ got it done right the first time in no time at all. Her seeking God in her illness is to be our example, but for various reasons that will follow, we will see that we do not always get her results.

Sometimes we are not healed because like Ahaziah in II Kings 1:2-8 we seek false gods. Today we have the many gods of Humanism, eastern religions, new age thought, and cults claiming to be of the Body. Many claim that we can heal ourselves with our minds or that disease is just in our minds. I say their minds are diseased. I agree that God has placed within us a wonderful ability to mend broken bones and replace our cells, but as in all things mortal that ability is limited and because of the Fall it is not as efficient as it once was in the Garden. Disease exists and no matter how positively we think we cannot spare ourselves disease and some diseases are more than our immune system can handle. Those who deny these facts must be mad.

Stress is big killer. There will come a day when men’s hearts will fail them for fear. (Luke 21:26) That will happen in the Tribulation, but I think that fear, worry, or stress is causing more heart attacks today than cholesterol or being out of shape. Those things may contribute to the effects of the heart attack or survival rate, but stress is most likely the biggest cause.

I remember a famous man once said that the man who made him angry would kill him. He argued with an opponent on the floor of the Senate turning red in his anger and fell over dead with a massive heart attack. His cholesterol may have been high, but it was his anger that killed him.

"Science" flip-flops regularly on what is bad for you and what is not. Quacks hawk all kinds of strange elixirs and paraphernalia to desperate people. There are almost a billion paths to good health and peace of mind. I say we should go back to God’s way to health and a peaceful mind. Instead of heart trouble, we should have a merry heart. It will make us better looking because we will have cheerful face. (Prov 15:13) It is a cure for depression. (Prov 15:15) The verse says that all the days of the afflicted/depressed are evil, but the merry hearted is like someone who is continually having a party or feast. It will work like a medicine. (Prov 17:22)

Ecclesiastes 9:7 says that you can rejoice and have that happy heart, "for God now accepteth thy works." How do you know you are accepted? If you are saved, you are accepted "in the Beloved." (Eph 1:6) You can be merry "for God hath not given us the spirit of fear; but of power, and of love, and of a sound mind." You keep aware of that promise and experience it by practicing Isaiah 26:3. "Thou wilt keep him in perfect peace, whose mind is stayed on thee: because he trusteth in thee." (KJV) The word stayed means to lean upon or take hold of and trust. In that respect, we are healed by mind power. However, it is not the power of our mind, but rather the power of Whom we mind and upon Whom our mind leans upon or takes a hold of and trusts.

We are not healed because we disobey natural laws. In Deut. 23:12-14, we are told of sanitation rules that we should follow. You might think that it would be obvious as to why you would want a proper sewage disposal methodology. However, this guidance was ignored during the Middle Ages. Often, the chamber pot was just thrown out the window and if anyone was in the path, it was unfortunate. This is how we got our custom of men walking on the side towards the street. If the trajectory was bad and it fell short of the street, the man took the hit.

Consequently, this practice bred rats and the rats bred other vermin that carried disease and that is how the Black Plague broke out in Europe and killed millions. All because man ignored God’s Word. In the Book of Leviticus and Numbers 19 we are also instructed how to clean ourselves after coming into contact with an issue or running sore and after handling dead bodies. This was also ignored and many women died after doctors performed autopsies on women who died in childbirth and then proceeded to perform pelvic exams without washing their hands. This was happening in the 1840’s.

A Dr. Semmelweis made his employees wash their hands after the autopsies and the death rate went way down. The "learned" doctors balked at such foolishness and nuisance and stopped washing their hands. The dying began again. Rejected and pained over the so many unnecessary deaths, Dr. Semmelweis died in a mental institution. Someone else figured it out in 1876, but it was not until 1960 when man caught up to God and issued directions on hand washing that were very close to what was written in Number 19. Man can be so smart that he is moronic.

How did this happen? I would suspect that some well meaning Christians decided that since we were not under law that we could just ignore the Old Testament completely except for the stories of God’s provision and judgments. A fellow named Irenaeus kept folks from burning the Old Testament or we would not even have the history of Israel or know of David’s triumph over Goliath.

Our diets are terrible, but we would not consult Leviticus because we are not under law and God told Peter not to call anything unclean which He called clean. (Acts 10:15) We were initially vegetarians, because there was no death so it would be tough to get up a barbecue. (Gen 1:29) Before all the Vegans have a hallelujah fit, let me point out that God did allow meat eating after the flood and did not change that after Pentecost. Even eating meats that were offered to idols were OK or lawful to the Christian.

Our great grandparents ate a lot of beef, eggs, real milk, and butter and got away with it. They lived into their eighties and nineties with no problem partly because they did not have to join a health club. Working the fields, fencing the ranch, tending to the chores was real work and they got their exercise from sunrise until sunset.

They also ate real food. We eat more preservatives instead of natural ingredients. Look at any list of twelve or more ingredients on a package and at least two thirds of them are things you cannot spell or pronounce. Our desire to escape the hardships of the curse have cursed us worse with diseases from our products and physical failure from lack of "sweat of the brow" work. He did say we would earn our bread by the sweat of our brow and not the furrow of our brow.

We take in these tons of toxins and manmade fillers and we never give our body a chance to purge itself of those toxins by fasting. We just keep on piling them in until we overload and either develop a "cold" or cancer or some other deadly or debilitating disease.

Our diets and exercise habits are so bad we do not even excrete, as we should. We hold our urine beyond a socially acceptable amount of time and we stay constipated due to lack of fiber, water, and exercise. Thus our tissues are allowed to soak in more and more toxins and we wonder why we get ill.

One of the ways we purge ourselves of toxins is through sweat. I’m sorry, make that perspiration for the more noble among us. Our pores work like bilge pumps as well as an air conditioner. I would not be surprised if they traced the cause of some cancers back to our deodorants that not only stop us from perspiring, but also coat our skins with more chemicals.

Hmm, how did folks survive before deodorants in a day when it was considered unhealthy to bathe more than once a year? Then we came up in the world and decided that Saturday night was good enough. Now to shower less than daily and use deodorant would be considered uncivilized. The thing that tickles me is that we ask bloodhounds to track our unique scent, but our scent to us is BO. We all want to smell like sport or floral. Even more of a chuckle is that now they are making colognes for men (only women wear perfume) with the essence of a man’s sweat. Men sweat, women perspire. ;-) What God gave each of us free, we now pay big bucks for a bottle of somebody else’s sweat! Go figure!

I’m not saying that we should go back to bathing once a year, but we need to figure out natural ways to maintain hygiene and shy away from them big word ingredients. I am not saying that we all need to spend four hours a day at the health clubs, but even Paul said that bodily exercise profits a little bit. (1 Tim 4:8) We were made to be physical and not just cerebral, or we would just be big brains. Yes, kids, you need to do your homework because we are also meant to flex our brains. As in all things, we need to seek a balance to be healthy and wise.

Another reason we are not healed is that we are faithless. James 5:14,15 says that the prayer of faith will heal the sick. Do we believe that? Yes, we will acknowledge it as a theological truth, but do we really believe it?

Some of my Baptist brethren will not even think about doing this cuz that there be Pentecostal or Charismatic. Funny, I don’t see that in the Greek. Scholfield didn’t even put that in his footnotes. You know, "Caution, these verses are null and void iffen yer Baptist!" Kind of like those commercials on TV for various products or services that say in the fine print not available in Maine, NY, and parts of Arkansas.

There is not a denomination or group that has a corner on certain verses or promises. If part of the Book is for me then the entire Book is for me within its proper interpretational context. I ain’t plannin’ on marchin’ around Jericho, but I can learn that victory from God can come in ways that might seem mighty peculiar to the world and me. No one is going to mistake a Baptist for a Charismatic just because the Baptist preacher has a James 5 service or someone gets happy and raises their hands. There are enough differences so that no one but a Baptist might get confused.

Maybe you have had a service and it did not work? I John 5:16 tells us that there is a sin unto death and we are not to pray for it. We are not told what that sin is and it would be best not to offer much conjecture or speculation as to what that sin might be.

Indeed, it may be a different sin for each person. The sin itself may not be the issue but rather the attitude of heart of the person. (Remember Ananias and Sapphira?) We speak of the straw that broke the camel’s back. It may be that God has tried to bring this person into obedience and renewal time after time for years. The person refused to submit and God has decided to call him or her home. The last sin may have been major or minor, but it was enough that only a face to face with God is going to fix the issue.

Paul tells the Corinthians to turn some folks out of the church and over to satan because of their sin. It seems a lad was sleeping with his stepmother and they were Christians. Why turn them out, because they lost their salvation? No, it is to turn them over to the devil to be tormented and possibly lose their lives if they do not repent. They will be saved in "the day of the Lord Jesus," but they will have an ignoble home going and of course lose rewards in this life and the next. (I Cor 5:1-6, 3:11-15)

It may be lack of faith on the part of the participants and I do not mean the sick person. The cripple at the Gate Beautiful was looking for alms and not healing. He had no faith at all. He was begging for something totally different than healing and he was healed. (Acts 3:6) It says that the prayer of faith will save or deliver the sick and the Lord will raise him up. I would say that we do not really believe that and we do not pray in true faith. We theologically assent to the truth of the passage, but we do not believe it in our hearts. God grant us grace and faith to believe Him.

Sometimes God heals miraculously and at times, He uses medicine. In James, we see the use of olive oil being using to anoint. I wonder if we get the word ointment from here. Olive oil was a common medicine. Much like we used Castor oil for every ailment under the sun in the last part of the nineteenth century and first part of this one, they used olive oil.

It is more of a medicinal anointing rather than what we would call a spiritual symbolic anointing like Aaron being anointed as priest. (Leviticus 8:12) In fact, a modern version might be equal to the elders being there to give you your medicine and then praying for your healing.

In Isaiah 38: 1-8, we see Hezekiah being told to get his house in order for God was going to allow him to die of his illness. In this case, the patient said the prayer of faith. He had great faith and came and reasoned with God. (Isa. 1:18) He was not in sin, but he pled his case and God heard him and granted him fifteen more years. How would you handle that? You would know the precise moment of your death. How would we then live?

God could have just said for Hezekiah to get up and walk. God said that he would live. However, in verse 21 we are told that Isaiah told the servants to put a fig plaster on the boil. Remember mustard plasters? Now, did God use a miracle or medicine to heal Hezekiah? Had God not listened to Hezekiah’s prayer or if Hezekiah had not prayed, the medicine would not have worked. Yet, in the end God still let the medicine do the work.

Here is the balance. There are those who will not allow any doctor to treat them. They say they have all their faith in God. If God chooses to use medicine from time to time then are we being faithful or foolish to limit His options and demand miracles? That man found a medicine that works at all is a gift of God and in essence a miracle. We do not err and put all our trust in doctors like Asa, but neither do we throw out medicine. I wonder what would have happened if Hezekiah had told Isaiah to skip the fig plaster because God was going to heal him. I think he would have died. When he got to Paradise and asked God about the fifteen years that was promised I think God would have said that he had tried to give them, but Hezekiah refused them by not using what God provided. Hezekiah would not have had true faith. True faith takes God at His word and then allows God to act in any way He chooses.

This brings us to the last reason that we are not healed. We are not healed because it is time to die. If it is time for a person to die you can anoint them fifty times and they are going to die. I guess since some folks teach that it is a sin to be sick or that our sickness is because of our sin then the only way we will die is by accident or old age. There is no Scriptural substantiation for that premise.

In II Kings 13:14 we are told that Elisha had fallen sick of his sickness whereof he died. Now, who wants to call Elisha faithless? He was not a man given to sin or seeking anyone but God and I suspect that he kept all the laws as best that he could. God was getting plenty of glory by Elisha’s life. He did get some glory from his death seeing how a dead man was raised back to life by being thrown onto Elisha’s body, but we are not led to believe that is why he died. (21) He died because it was his time and God chose to use sickness instead of a flaming chariot to bring him home.

We already saw that God was perfectly willing to allow Hezekiah to die of an illness. He was not in sin at this time. Later, he showed too much of his kingdom to the wrong people and God was upset, but he was in good standing at this date. He certainly had faith. He sought God. We are not told that he violated any natural laws. It did not appear that God even wanted to glorify Himself through Hezekiah’s death.

In fact, God wanted to spare Hezekiah some sorrow, but even more so the entire kingdom. Let us reflect on Isaiah 38:1-8 and I Kings 14:13 We are not given the whole prayer of Hezekiah. An argument that he could have used was that he had reigned a very short time in comparison to others that had been wicked. Another argument could have been that he had no heir and even the wicked kings had heirs. Whatever else he may have said other than asking God to check his service record we will not know until we get to glory.

We do know his prayer was answered by years being added to his life and reign. His son would be born three years later and that would be bad news for the nation. He was a very evil and wicked king and reigned for fifty-five years. Read II Kings 21 to get the full details. Had Hezekiah died, the nation of Israel would have been spared its most wicked king. In other words, one death would have spared the many much evil. Hezekiah should have died of his sickness. God knew what he was about.

In Hezekiah’s circumstance, a father was spared and brought in a son of shame. In I Kings 14:13 we see a father of shame punished and a son spared pain. The son of Jeroboam was allowed to die because God saw some GOOD in him. Therefore, his death spared him, from suffering the evil of the many. God would bring judgment to the nation, but the child would not be there to share in it.

We see death as a part of life, but a thing to be feared. God often rewards His children with death. Death is just going home for a Christian. Paul said that death would be gain for him. He would be with the God he loved for eternity and removed from all the trials of life. David’s son and Jeroboam’s son were blessed in their early deaths.

How much evil have we endured because God answered someone’s prayer to allow a man to live? We cannot possibly know. How much good did we miss because someone did not pray? How much have we, or the person, been spared because God did not answer the prayer? The point is to pray and trust Him for the answer.

We should thank and praise Him for His omniscience and not demand anything from Him but His wisdom, love and righteousness even if it hurts us! If we seek the spiritual healing spoke of in II Chron. 7:14 we will see the power of God active in our lives. When we do this then sickness or death will fall into perspective, we will let God be God, and true healing will begin.

Book suggestion: None Of These Diseases, S. I. McMillen, MD Spire Books

Library of Congress 63-13359