Happy Anniversary!
Labels:
From My Heart
Well, today is my 15th Anniversary! As I think of the enormousness of this wonderful day, I'm also overwhelmed by the fact that my wife has been more than just a wife. She has been my friend and confidant, my rock and helpmate. She has been one of the most consistent Christians I've known, no she has not always done it right but she has always had the intent to do it right. Over the years, we have often received compliments for the good behaviour of our children and I have to honestly give the credit to my wife's consistent and Biblical rearing of them. It is sad but the Lord knows I spent too many years contributing to their rearing with a "do what I say, not what I do" attitude, instead of actually being a proper example. I had habits in my life that I thought were hidden from the kids but ended up just confirming to them that there father was a hypocrite, but thank the Lord He has changed me and as a sign of His long-suffering He still chooses to use me. As I ponder these things on my anniversary, I find myself focusing back on my wonderful wife and realize she is truly a gift from the Lord! She had an 'out' (Thanks Pastor Taylor) but she chose to follow through with the wedding and over the years she has chosen to stay with me, in spite of me
Thank you Kimberly for being my faithful wife especially when I deserved less and you deserved more! Thank you Lord for giving me a wonderful, beautiful, and Christian wife!
Happy Anniversary, Babe! I Love You!
Thank you Kimberly for being my faithful wife especially when I deserved less and you deserved more! Thank you Lord for giving me a wonderful, beautiful, and Christian wife!
Happy Anniversary, Babe! I Love You!
The idea of "ONE" wife...
Labels:
Divorce Issues,
From My Notebook
Uh-oh! Here comes trouble! That is the reaction I will more likely receive especially with a blog title like this. But I'm tired of quite a bit of convenient 'RE-interpretation' that pastors, church leaders, and religious organizations have taken with the requirements established for deacons and pastors.
Okay, our primary look is at I Timothy 3:1-12 and Titus 1:5-9 where we read of the requirements laid out for bishops (pastors) and deacons. When we look at church history [note: I refer to our Christian faith more specifically the Baptist history] we see that most Bible scholars had no issue with the understanding that a divorced man could not be a pastor or deacon, but in the last century we find a new "revelation" that conveniently falls in place with other "new revelations" like women preachers, homosexual-practicing 'Christians', and other twisted lies from Satan. Should we cast the blame for the acceptation of these lies on the preacher or the audience? I think both bear responsibility but the preacher definitely has more accountability before God. Sadly, the audience is leaving itself open for these lies as more and more of them forgo the idea of true personal Bible study and rely on the preacher to tell them what to do and what to believe. My desire is for more church members to as those of the church at Berean (Acts 17:11). Now I don't have any in-depth scholarly studies nor do I have any studies in Biblical languages (unless you count the Greek I studied in High School back in 1986...which I forgot by 1987) but I do have a Greek Study Bible, a couple of Concordances, and a computer that aids in my study of the Scriptures. I downloaded the free E-Sword software to both my laptop and my PDA [note: the PDA version came with the Greek New Testament (Textus Receptus), the Greek Old Testament (The Septuagint), King James Bible, Strong's Concordance, Clarke Commentary, Thayer Commentary, Strong's Concordance, Webster's Dictionary, and a couple of more reference materials.] which I love to use in church services to keep a preacher 'honest' as they show off their knowledge with Greek or Hebrew words. For example, I recently listened to a sermon where a preacher used 10 Greek words and 6 were either the wrong word or the wrong definition. Oh, the preacher sounded good with his expansive vocabulary and biblical knowledge but a true study by the audience would verify whether the preacher was speaking the truth or just trying to impress. I don' t mean any unkindness but this seriously weakens the message when the messenger is at best weakly presenting the very words of God and at worse willfully misleading or downright lying to God's people. Oh the responsibility and accountability!
Back on point, the most convenient method of twisting is through ignorance more than an intentional twisting of the Bible. Without overwhelming you or taxing my limited knowledge of Greek, I do want to point out the most common misinterpretation in this particular case of the subject matter...is simply the word "ONE." This simple word is translated a few different ways in the New Testament, but most people easily confuse this (especially when they don't learn to study and prove the pastor - Acts 17:11). In I Timothy 3 & Titus 1 the phrase "the husband of one wife" is often confused as being the same translation of "the wife of one husband" used to describe the 'enrollment' requirements of a widow into the churches 'widow support program' (see I Timothy 5: 1-17) but upon closer examination one discovers that the Greek words used for "ONE" are different. I Timothy 5 uses the word heis which is usually used in the sequence of numbers most often translated as the numeric value of one. I Timothy 3 & Titus 1 uses mia which is usually used as the numeric place value (most often translated one or first). So a pastor or deacon is to have one wife only. Now before you ask an exception could/would be made in the case of the death of a spouse. God doesn't judge this as immorality or adultery, because in God's eyes He sees one man and one woman i.e. marriage as a living relationship. So how can something this clear and this precise in either English or Greek be so easily confused or misconstrued? Well, simply the serpent has been twisting the truth of God since the garden, so why are we so surprised? And as we Christians sit in our comfortable pews we expect the preacher to feed us and we do little any real studying ourselves. No wonder the devil has his way with us.
Now I think I said everything I wanted to so how do I end this long posting? Let me say that we must always honor the man of God and should never disrespect the authority that God has placed over us, but we should not automatically accept everything that is said (Acts 17:11). So I guess the best, last words I could say is STUDY THE WORD.
Let's prove the preacher and in the process learn a little ourselves!! God bless you as you seek to know the Savior and strive to share Him with another this week.
Uh-oh! Here comes trouble! That is the reaction I will more likely receive especially with a blog title like this. But I'm tired of quite a bit of convenient 'RE-interpretation' that pastors, church leaders, and religious organizations have taken with the requirements established for deacons and pastors.Okay, our primary look is at I Timothy 3:1-12 and Titus 1:5-9 where we read of the requirements laid out for bishops (pastors) and deacons. When we look at church history [note: I refer to our Christian faith more specifically the Baptist history] we see that most Bible scholars had no issue with the understanding that a divorced man could not be a pastor or deacon, but in the last century we find a new "revelation" that conveniently falls in place with other "new revelations" like women preachers, homosexual-practicing 'Christians', and other twisted lies from Satan. Should we cast the blame for the acceptation of these lies on the preacher or the audience? I think both bear responsibility but the preacher definitely has more accountability before God. Sadly, the audience is leaving itself open for these lies as more and more of them forgo the idea of true personal Bible study and rely on the preacher to tell them what to do and what to believe. My desire is for more church members to as those of the church at Berean (Acts 17:11). Now I don't have any in-depth scholarly studies nor do I have any studies in Biblical languages (unless you count the Greek I studied in High School back in 1986...which I forgot by 1987) but I do have a Greek Study Bible, a couple of Concordances, and a computer that aids in my study of the Scriptures. I downloaded the free E-Sword software to both my laptop and my PDA [note: the PDA version came with the Greek New Testament (Textus Receptus), the Greek Old Testament (The Septuagint), King James Bible, Strong's Concordance, Clarke Commentary, Thayer Commentary, Strong's Concordance, Webster's Dictionary, and a couple of more reference materials.] which I love to use in church services to keep a preacher 'honest' as they show off their knowledge with Greek or Hebrew words. For example, I recently listened to a sermon where a preacher used 10 Greek words and 6 were either the wrong word or the wrong definition. Oh, the preacher sounded good with his expansive vocabulary and biblical knowledge but a true study by the audience would verify whether the preacher was speaking the truth or just trying to impress. I don' t mean any unkindness but this seriously weakens the message when the messenger is at best weakly presenting the very words of God and at worse willfully misleading or downright lying to God's people. Oh the responsibility and accountability!
Back on point, the most convenient method of twisting is through ignorance more than an intentional twisting of the Bible. Without overwhelming you or taxing my limited knowledge of Greek, I do want to point out the most common misinterpretation in this particular case of the subject matter...is simply the word "ONE." This simple word is translated a few different ways in the New Testament, but most people easily confuse this (especially when they don't learn to study and prove the pastor - Acts 17:11). In I Timothy 3 & Titus 1 the phrase "the husband of one wife" is often confused as being the same translation of "the wife of one husband" used to describe the 'enrollment' requirements of a widow into the churches 'widow support program' (see I Timothy 5: 1-17) but upon closer examination one discovers that the Greek words used for "ONE" are different. I Timothy 5 uses the word heis which is usually used in the sequence of numbers most often translated as the numeric value of one. I Timothy 3 & Titus 1 uses mia which is usually used as the numeric place value (most often translated one or first). So a pastor or deacon is to have one wife only. Now before you ask an exception could/would be made in the case of the death of a spouse. God doesn't judge this as immorality or adultery, because in God's eyes He sees one man and one woman i.e. marriage as a living relationship. So how can something this clear and this precise in either English or Greek be so easily confused or misconstrued? Well, simply the serpent has been twisting the truth of God since the garden, so why are we so surprised? And as we Christians sit in our comfortable pews we expect the preacher to feed us and we do little any real studying ourselves. No wonder the devil has his way with us.
Now I think I said everything I wanted to so how do I end this long posting? Let me say that we must always honor the man of God and should never disrespect the authority that God has placed over us, but we should not automatically accept everything that is said (Acts 17:11). So I guess the best, last words I could say is STUDY THE WORD.
Let's prove the preacher and in the process learn a little ourselves!! God bless you as you seek to know the Savior and strive to share Him with another this week.
PS. Bible study is more than just reading your Bible once, in a year, or daily...it is truly studying it with study resources and reference materials. Try it you may like it!!
Putting Tools in my Toolbox
Labels:
Misc
No, this is not a post about my handyman skills (or lack thereof) nor is it about my latest trip to Home Depot. Rather this is about my wonderful Christmas gifts. Yep, my wife let me purchase my own Christmas gifts and I had fun shopping online at BJU Press, Christian Book Distributors, and Regular Baptist Press. I was surprised with all of the varied resources available to preachers and teachers. So I confess that I worked it out to order my gifts from my parents as well. I picked up some great books for studying the Bible, preparing sermons, and even a few on sermon illustrations. I picked up some booklets to be used for personal devotions, Sunday School lessons, or Bible Studies. I am very excited for a selection of books I ordered from RBP...a set referred to as the BUILDUP series. This seems to be a very good Adult or Wednesday Evening Bible Study series for all Christians of any maturity level. I spent way too much money because once I got started it was hard to stop :)
I am glad that BJU Press and RBP offer the many solid resources that they do but I was shocked and saddened by all of the confusing (garbage) resources available online (and yes through CBD). Many of these resources are either blatantly worldly, scripturally weak, or extra-biblical. It can be a challenge at best, an exercise in frustration, or doctrinally corrupting at worse. So it is with a grateful heart that I appreciate the advice I receive from other Fundamental Baptist pastors in regards to recommended resources and to those companies that still make the solid, biblically correct materials available. Thank you and keep up the good work!
Ok so enough of my rambling...I gotta go study and use my tools! Happy Holidays to All! God Bless!
I am glad that BJU Press and RBP offer the many solid resources that they do but I was shocked and saddened by all of the confusing (garbage) resources available online (and yes through CBD). Many of these resources are either blatantly worldly, scripturally weak, or extra-biblical. It can be a challenge at best, an exercise in frustration, or doctrinally corrupting at worse. So it is with a grateful heart that I appreciate the advice I receive from other Fundamental Baptist pastors in regards to recommended resources and to those companies that still make the solid, biblically correct materials available. Thank you and keep up the good work!
Ok so enough of my rambling...I gotta go study and use my tools! Happy Holidays to All! God Bless!
The Pastor's Heart
Labels:
From My Bookshelf
I saw his load alongside mine,
To him I said, "Come unto me; I'll gladly carry thine";
I'll help him with his burden, then regain mine after while,
I saw the fetters binding him, and felt a pity pain.
A DOUBTER knocked at study door; I had an urge to groan,
I sat ALONE in darkened room, and felt a shadow's knife.
I slowly laid my nighttime down, to help him seek for light.
My problem was a mountain steep, and his was just a hill.
He told me of a broken heart, while mine was breaking too.
Another came when I was SICK to say he had the flu.
Another WEEPING SEEKER came, for me, his tears to dry.
AND NOW, IT'S LATE, and all have gone, each one to his abode.
Where is the darkness I once knew? I now see only light.
My sickness, now, bath turned to health! And trust replaceth fright!
"I have a burden, Pastor, that I'd like to lay on you."
I listened, tho he never knew I had a burden too.
I took a tearful look toward mine; then his came into view.
Twas plain to see my burden was The larger of the two.
I saw his load alongside mine,
And, tho they both were real,
The yoke he bore was made of wood,
And mine was made of steel.
To him I said, "Come unto me; I'll gladly carry thine";
Then whispered unto selfishness, "But who will carry mine?"
I softly laid my burden down to help him his to bear,
I softly laid my burden down to help him his to bear,
While knowing that my heavy load I'm not allowed to share.
I'll help him with his burden, then regain mine after while,
When I will sigh and weep once more,while now I force a smile.
I felt the CHAINS OF BONDAGE till A CAPTIVE came to me.
I felt the CHAINS OF BONDAGE till A CAPTIVE came to me.
He bade me help him break the bands, and aid him to be free.
I saw the fetters binding him, and felt a pity pain.
For his were made of little rope, and mine of heavy chain.
I laid aside my heavy chains, so he, my help, could borrow.
I laid aside my heavy chains, so he, my help, could borrow.
I'll help free him of bondage now, and think of mine tomorrow.
A DOUBTER knocked at study door; I had an urge to groan,
"Why bring your pebble doubt to me, when mine is made of stone?"
I smiled at him and listened, while believing in my doubt.
I smiled at him and listened, while believing in my doubt.
I laid it down reluctantly, and feigned about a happy shout.
I sat ALONE in darkened room, and felt a shadow's knife.
Another came to share with me some darkness in his life.
As I compared my night with his, His dark possessed a lack.
As I compared my night with his, His dark possessed a lack.
For his was just an evening shade, while mine was midnight black.
I slowly laid my nighttime down, to help him seek for light.
I'll tread my dimming path again, when I have made his bright.
A TROUBLED SOUL came to my door, a problem to confide.
A TROUBLED SOUL came to my door, a problem to confide.
I had a problem, too, that day; twas hard for me to hide.
My problem was a mountain steep, and his was just a hill.
My problem was an ocean wide, and his a tiny nil.
Yet, 'tis my lot to fill his need, and put mine on the shelf.
Yet, 'tis my lot to fill his need, and put mine on the shelf.
For I must lay my heartache down, and hide it from myself.
He told me of a broken heart, while mine was breaking too.
I told him of a mending God who maketh all things new.
He told me of his thirsty soul; I gave him living water.
He told me of his thirsty soul; I gave him living water.
He said he was a broken vase; I told him of the Potter.
Another came when I was SICK to say he had the flu.
His fever was a hundred-one, and mine a hundred-two.
Another came when I was FAINT, to say that he was weak.
Another came when I was FAINT, to say that he was weak.
Another came when I was DUMB, to say he could not speak.
Another WEEPING SEEKER came, for me, his tears to dry.
I went alone and wiped my eyes, then told him not to cry.
Another came when I was TIRED, to say he needed rest.
Another came when I was TIRED, to say he needed rest.
I lifted him with weary arms, and tried to give him zest.
AND NOW, IT'S LATE, and all have gone, each one to his abode.
So I must find my problems, and regain my heavy load.
Where is the burden I had borne? I had it while ago!
Where is the burden I had borne? I had it while ago!
Where is the problem I must solve? I left it here, I know!
Where is the darkness I once knew? I now see only light.
The chains, the tears, the pains, the fears, are nowhere now in sight!
I cannot find my broken heart! Where is my fevered brow?
I cannot find my broken heart! Where is my fevered brow?
I have a song! the tears are gone! I cannot find them now!
My sickness, now, bath turned to health! And trust replaceth fright!
Assurance covers all my doubts; My darkness now is light!
I heard a voice from Heaven say "My child, 'tis always true:
I heard a voice from Heaven say "My child, 'tis always true:
When you take care of others' needs, I will take care of you."
~~Dr. Jack Hyles
A Disciplined Tongue
Labels:
From the Pulpit
LORD, set up a guard for my mouth; keep watch at the door of my lips. - PSALM 141:3
Proverbs 10:19 states, "The one who controls his lips is wise." I’m glad God included in the Psalms and Proverbs the words that are before us today about controlling our speech. It’s important to talk, but talking too much is as bad as not talking at all. Proverbs extols rationing our words.
Once, when Thomas Edison the inventor was at a reception, the toastmaster stood up and complimented him on his many inventions, especially the talking machine. After the toastmaster sat down, the aged inventor rose to his feet and said, "Thank you for those remarks, but I must correct one thing. It was God who invented the talking machine. I only invented the first one that can be shut off."
A doctor told me that once, while writing out a prescription, he asked a woman to put out her tongue. When he had finished, she said to him, "But doctor, you never even looked at my tongue."The doctor replied, "It wasn’t necessary, I just wanted you to keep quiet while I wrote the prescription."
A wise person has a disciplined tongue. Many need to learn this, for, like the tongue in old shoes, our tongue is often the last thing to be worn out. If a disciplined tongue is your need, ask God to help you, for an undisciplined tongue is an unloving tongue and leads to much trouble.
Proverbs 10:19 states, "The one who controls his lips is wise." I’m glad God included in the Psalms and Proverbs the words that are before us today about controlling our speech. It’s important to talk, but talking too much is as bad as not talking at all. Proverbs extols rationing our words.
Once, when Thomas Edison the inventor was at a reception, the toastmaster stood up and complimented him on his many inventions, especially the talking machine. After the toastmaster sat down, the aged inventor rose to his feet and said, "Thank you for those remarks, but I must correct one thing. It was God who invented the talking machine. I only invented the first one that can be shut off."
A doctor told me that once, while writing out a prescription, he asked a woman to put out her tongue. When he had finished, she said to him, "But doctor, you never even looked at my tongue."The doctor replied, "It wasn’t necessary, I just wanted you to keep quiet while I wrote the prescription."
Yes in spite of my attempt at humor, don’t miss the point - words are important, but don’t overdo them. I like the advice of an anonymous poet who wrote:
If your lips would keep from slips
Five things observe with care:
Of whom you speak, to whom you speak,
And how and when and where.
Five things observe with care:
Of whom you speak, to whom you speak,
And how and when and where.
A wise person has a disciplined tongue. Many need to learn this, for, like the tongue in old shoes, our tongue is often the last thing to be worn out. If a disciplined tongue is your need, ask God to help you, for an undisciplined tongue is an unloving tongue and leads to much trouble.
Understanding God's Will
Labels:
From My Heart,
Prayer Request
Do you know God's will for your life? Well, good let me know, will ya? Yes, I understand that we do know God's will for our lives by walking daily according to His Word. We are to be fulfilling the Great Commandment and the Great Commission...loving God and telling others of Him! But to understand how and when we are to do His choice for our life or the where of service to Him or the why's of things (good or bad) that come into our lives...anyone have these figured out? I have reread Job to understand how he responded so I can learn to allow difficulties into my life without blaming or doubting God (or the others around me). Job was even "betrayed" by his Christian friends who told him to purge his life of sin and seek God's forgiveness even though Job knew he was "ok with God." So as I seek the Lord's direction and for Him to open doors for me to serve at, I try not to get bogged down with self doubt or insecurities. I know I have been called to preach and do desire to serve Him and minister to the Body of Christ. I just want to do everything in the right time, making the right choices. As we search for a church, I ask you to pray with us for the Lord to open doors for me to preach at. I also ask that you will pray for our exit from here that the Lord will receive glory and that the ministry will not be harmed. We want to protect our testimony and continue to serve the Lord effectively while we are still here.
PS. I may be preaching at a church a couple of hours away within the next couple of weeks, please pray for this.
PS. I may be preaching at a church a couple of hours away within the next couple of weeks, please pray for this.
Life Without Christ is Without Hope
Labels:
Current Events
A life without Christ is a life without hope and a sure path to sadness and loss. Not just to the one without Christ but also to every life that’s touched by a hopeless life. Reaching people with the “Good News” of Jesus Christ is not just about heaven. It’s also about sharing hope.
In the space of just a few days, mass shootings at a mall in Omaha, Neb., and at two churches in Colorado (Arvada and Colorado Springs) have claimed the lives of 14 people (including two gunmen). CNN reports that the same man, Matthew Murray, perpetrated the killings at a Youth With a Mission dormitory at Faith Bible Chapel near Denver and at New Life Church in Colorado Springs. Details regarding the motivation of the Colorado shooter have not yet been established. But more is known about the Omaha shooter who killed eight victims before taking his own life. Robert Hawkins, 19, left a suicide note which alternately voiced despair and a desire for fame: “I’ve just snapped. I can’t take this meaningless existence anymore. I’ve been a constant disappointment and that trend would have only continued. I know everyone will remember me as some sort of monster, but please understand that I just don’t want to be a burden on the ones that I care for [for] my entire life.” Elsewhere in the note, he said of his motivation, “Just think tho I’m gonna be [expletive] famous. … I just want to take a few pieces of [expletive] with me.” [abcnews.com, 12/8-10/07; cnn.com, 12/10/07]
In the space of just a few days, mass shootings at a mall in Omaha, Neb., and at two churches in Colorado (Arvada and Colorado Springs) have claimed the lives of 14 people (including two gunmen). CNN reports that the same man, Matthew Murray, perpetrated the killings at a Youth With a Mission dormitory at Faith Bible Chapel near Denver and at New Life Church in Colorado Springs. Details regarding the motivation of the Colorado shooter have not yet been established. But more is known about the Omaha shooter who killed eight victims before taking his own life. Robert Hawkins, 19, left a suicide note which alternately voiced despair and a desire for fame: “I’ve just snapped. I can’t take this meaningless existence anymore. I’ve been a constant disappointment and that trend would have only continued. I know everyone will remember me as some sort of monster, but please understand that I just don’t want to be a burden on the ones that I care for [for] my entire life.” Elsewhere in the note, he said of his motivation, “Just think tho I’m gonna be [expletive] famous. … I just want to take a few pieces of [expletive] with me.” [abcnews.com, 12/8-10/07; cnn.com, 12/10/07]
Truth in a Nutshell
Labels:
From the Pulpit
What are the benefits of keeping our gaze continually focused on God? I can think of at least three.
First, the more we study Him, the more we will want to become like Him. The most natural thing in the world, when there is a good relationship between parents and their children, is for that child to want to become like them. That is the way it is also with God our Father. The more we discover of His love, His holiness, His purity, His trustworthiness, His strength, His patience, the more we want to emulate Him.
Second, the more we study God, the better we will know ourselves. When Isaiah stepped into the Temple and had a vision of God, he also saw the truth about himself. Things that were hidden deep within him came to light in the presence of the Eternal.
Third, the more we study Him, the clearer will be our perspective on the world. When you see that God is in charge, then you won't panic every time you open the newspaper. You can only know God, of course, through Christ, and because You have Him, instead of saying, "Look what the world has come to," you will be able to say, "Look what has come to the world."
So in conclusion the people who know their God will firmly resist the Adversary. The Prophet Daniel writes, "...but the people that do know their God shall be strong, and do exploits." (Dan. 11:32). I can do no more than to say - there you have it in a nutshell. The more you know God, the stronger you will be.
May God bless you as you learn to rely on Him!
In the day when I cried thou answeredst me, and strengthenedst me with strength in my soul. - PSALM 138:3
What are the benefits of keeping our gaze continually focused on God? I can think of at least three.
First, the more we study Him, the more we will want to become like Him. The most natural thing in the world, when there is a good relationship between parents and their children, is for that child to want to become like them. That is the way it is also with God our Father. The more we discover of His love, His holiness, His purity, His trustworthiness, His strength, His patience, the more we want to emulate Him.
Second, the more we study God, the better we will know ourselves. When Isaiah stepped into the Temple and had a vision of God, he also saw the truth about himself. Things that were hidden deep within him came to light in the presence of the Eternal.
Third, the more we study Him, the clearer will be our perspective on the world. When you see that God is in charge, then you won't panic every time you open the newspaper. You can only know God, of course, through Christ, and because You have Him, instead of saying, "Look what the world has come to," you will be able to say, "Look what has come to the world."
So in conclusion the people who know their God will firmly resist the Adversary. The Prophet Daniel writes, "...but the people that do know their God shall be strong, and do exploits." (Dan. 11:32). I can do no more than to say - there you have it in a nutshell. The more you know God, the stronger you will be.
May God bless you as you learn to rely on Him!
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
