"Preach the Word,

Ken was a young man in the naval reserve from Ohio. He was stationed on Grosse Ile in the downriver Detroit area many years ago. Experimenting with his new-found freedom as a young man he went out with buddies and did some drinking. It was a Saturday night. He spent a restless night fighting off dark guilt and unhappiness. He got up early the next morning to attend chapel on the station. He was the only one there. The chapel was conducted by a local pastor who volunteered because there was no station chaplain at the time. This young man would not find the Lord for a few years, but that experience was a nudge in God's direction.

Keith attended the funeral of a friend. While the pastor was trying to eulogize his friend he got to thinking about what it would be like when he died. What would the pastor have to say about him at his funeral? It turned his life around. The funeral was a nudge towards God.

Tony never told the pastor the effect his question had on him. Ken was eventually converted and entered the ministry but never met the pastor on Grosse Ile again. Keith never told the humble country pastor about what happened to him at the funeral of his friend but God used him to nudge him closer to God. People write books about profound things, overt miracles, the out-of-the-ordinary—but the thing that keeps me plugging away in ministry is the potential of nudging someone just the right way at the right time to make a decision for God.

So have you nudged someone God's way, today?!

My friends and co-laborers, keep the advice of Ecclesiastes 7:20-22 in mind at all times. “For there is not a just man upon earth, that doeth good, and sinneth not. Also take no heed unto all words that are spoken; lest thou hear thy servant curse thee: For oftentimes also thine own heart knoweth that thou thyself likewise hast cursed others.”

We must never forget that though saved, we are still sinners. Pastors, Deacons, leaders, teachers, and yes, even, parents have the old, rebellious, corrupt nature. We shouldn’t be surprised that, from time to time, those under our authority become dissatisfied with our leading. For the pastor this includes wife, child, deacon, and church member. The pastor must remind himself that he “likewise hast cursed others.” We all get dissatisfied with other people from time to time, even with those we love the most.

The advice of Ecclesiastes 7:20-22 is very wise and important for leaders to keep in mind. It is not reasonable to expect that those God has placed under our supervision will never feel or express any sign of rebellion and criticism. We still have a rebel nature that must be controlled by the power of the indwelling Spirit of God, but who walks at every moment in the fullness of the Holy Spirit? Who never sins? Who makes only wise and proper decisions? Who never rebels or complains? It would be unwise to expect perfect, constant submission from our people. It won’t happen!

Let us be wise, prayerful, vigilant, humble, and patient at all times, but especially in times when our decisions are rejected and our authority despised. Look to God for wisdom and help. Wait on Him; follow His leading without fear. He will solve the problem, for it is His work and His church; and He will be faithful to instruct you about your part in the solution (and in the problem!).

Are you meeting daily with God and feeding upon His Word, dear Christian friend? There is an old and wise saying, "The Bible will keep you from sin or sin will keep you from the Bible." Psalm 119:9 bears this out: "Wherewithal shall a young man cleanse his way? by taking heed thereto according to thy word." And that goes for the old man, too!

A recent study of 200 pastors who committed adultery or other immoral acts found that they had something other than immorality in common, in that none of them had a regular quiet time in fellowship with God.** No believer "falls" into sin. We backslide into sin when we neglect the basic spiritual resources God has given us. This is a very hectic age, but if we are too busy to spend time alone with the Lord and His Word, we are far too busy.

10 Finally, my brethren, be strong in the Lord, and in the power of his might.
11 Put on the whole armour of God, that ye may be able to stand against the wiles of the devil.
12 For we wrestle not against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this world, against spiritual wickedness in high places.
13 Wherefore take unto you the whole armour of God, that ye may be able to withstand in the evil day, and having done all, to stand.
14 Stand therefore, having your loins girt about with truth, and having on the breastplate of righteousness;
15 And your feet shod with the preparation of the gospel of peace;
16 Above all, taking the shield of faith, wherewith ye shall be able to quench all the fiery darts of the wicked.
17 And take the helmet of salvation, and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God:
18 Praying always with all prayer and supplication in the Spirit, and watching thereunto with all perseverance and supplication for all saints-- Ephesians 6:10-18

**This has been a friendly reminder from David Cloud

Hold on! Before you get mad at my title read a little more of this posting.

As I was reading in Genesis today I happened across the story of Abram & Saria's (aka Abraham & Sarah) escape form the famine into Egypt (Genesis 12). You know the story as they approach Egypt Abram tells Sarai that she is to tell anyone they meet that she is his sister not his wife, otherwise the Egyptians will kill him to take her. Further in today's selected passages I read the story of Hagar (aka Sarah's servant) and how Sarai told Abram to bear a child through Hagar with Sarai's permission and insistence (Genesis 16). As I pondered these passages and took notes [note - these are important elements of Bible study...reading the Word is really just a minimum. A Christian should not just read the Word even if you are doing it under some timeline, i.e. in a year, a half year, etc. A Christian is better served to take their time and really study the Word as the read (II Tim. 2:15). Don't fret, this does not have to be a tedious process or consume much more time than plain Bible reading.] as I try to do when I do my daily devotions/Bible study, I was amazed at the common factors in these stories and then a profound thought from the Holy Spirit hit me. Sarah's sin seems to coincide with Eve's sin. "Huh?" you may be asking yourself, "How did you connect those two thoughts and different stories?" Well....

Let's look at Eve in the garden hanging out with the man of her life, her sweetie, her boopsy, whatever... But there they are when suddenly the serpent that they knew and were familiar with [note - we gather from their lack of reaction to his presence or his ability to speak...which is another sermon altogether.] comes along and raises questions about what God said...or should I say what God told Adam. So Adam is there (Gen 3:6) to hear the conversation, to see his wife's reaction, and to taste of the fruit, yet he fails to warn her, to correct her misquote of what God said to him, or to take a stand for right, even if it meant losing his helpmate. I believe that Adam allowed Eve to be in compromising situation that caused her to question God, then willingly partook of the sin with her, and finally he blamed her for the whole thing. I feel this all came about from Adam's initial sin, I feel that Adam loved Eve so much and enjoyed her companionship so much that this caused him to add to God's commandment (Gen 2:16-17). There doesn't seem to be anything wrong with being more strict than God but if it causes you to sacrifice honesty for a "higher good" then you are wrong period. I believe that Eve thought that God did say not to touch the fruit of the Tree of Knowledge because that is what her loving, caring mate told her....you know the leader of the home, spiritual guide to the family. See Adam set her up for failure (i.e. to sin, to believe a lie) and then later blamed God for giving her to him. We also often overlook the fact that Adam was there "with her" and willingly took of the fruit from her and did eat. What does this have to do with Sarah?

Back to were we started...we see that in Genesis 12 that Abram wasn't told by God to flee the land and go to Egypt, but he did. And apparently there was a reputation of the Egyptians to kill men and take their wives, or at least Abram had that impression. So for the "greater good" Abram set his wife up for failure (i.e. to sin, to lie) and ended up hurting his family, their bond, and their testimony. A few chapters later, we see Sarah giving Abram her Egyptian handmaid...wait was she a 'product' from their trip down to Egypt (I might add, outside of God's will). If Hagar is a handmaid (slave) that they purchased/received while on their trip in Egypt then this sin of lying by Abraham and Sarah is just continually snow-balling out of control. Because as you read through this story about Abraham, Sarah, Hagar, and their children, we see how things get ugly and people get mean-spirited all because of Abraham's lies and then is willingness to sin with his wife.

Adam should have stopped his wife from questioning God or at the very least not eaten of the fruit himself...but he failed and blamed. Abraham should not have given in to Sarah's disturbing wishes for a son by committing adultery with another woman, Abraham should have trusted in God to provide a son; he knew God was going to do it. If these men would have stood up and done what was right the first time think of the heartache that would have been avoided. Adam don't add to God's commandments! Adam warn your wife about sinning and questioning God! Adam don't willing go along and partake in the sin! Adam don't blame God or anyone else! Abraham don't run away; trust in God! Abraham don't ruin the bond between you and your wife by having her commit sin for a supposedly 'higher cause'! Abraham don't put yourself in a situation that you will come to regret later in life! Abraham don't willingly violate God's directions to make your wife happy!

Ok, so this wasn't probably what you thought it was going to be (or may be you did get it right...good for you!) but Christian men, sadly all of this applies to us more than we admit or realize. Our wife and children sin of their own free will but are we setting them up for failure? We need to stay strong in the Lord and develop this in our wife and children! We have no one to blame but ourselves and with a little bit of courage we could save ourselves a whole load of heartache. God give us good men, strong and mighty in the power of the Lord! God bless you!

I was going to start my post with 'Da' instead of 'The' just to keep all the 'D', but I decided not to punish you with all of my attempts at humor. I flipped back and forth from using "dying" to "dazed" and went with dazed because I feel that many faltering Christians can be restored and revitalized with proper Godly preaching and teaching of the whole truth. Anyways as most of you may already know (if not...surprise!), I have tendered my resignation at our current ministry and am seeking a Senior Pastorate position. But as I contact and am contacted by churches I have been saddened (and slightly annoyed) by the big three issues affecting Baptist Churches. Bible Version, Blended Music, and Divorce...I have covered divorce in my last couple of postings [editor's note: not referring to my Anniversary posting!!] and will eventually get around to the music issues (because I do think it is important) but this Bible version debate is destroying churches, weakening Christians, and ruining our testimony to the world. So I would like to share some excerpts from some emails from a church I was communicating with regarding their open pastoral position and my stand on issues. Primarily, my stand on the Bible become a matter of interest and so I have posted nearly all of my email which is my simple, non-eloquent defense of the Bible. I pray it is a blessing to you and I would enjoy hearing some of your feedback, both for or against my points.


Email Sent Me From an Independent Baptist Church -
Pastor Coon,
Thank you for your prompt answers. For the record our church is struggling with the answer to the KJV question. We as a deacon board have a problem with the phraseology you use as the only preserved version for the English language. We are attempting to remove any type of suggestion of such from the constitution of the church.We find that the KJV while wonderfully written, does not communicate God’s word as effectively as a style written in a more modern day style such as the NASB or NIV, but we are going to recommend that we will accept the NKJV or the KJV from the pulpit only. If this stance concerns you We understand, but we as deacons feel that if we do not amend the constitution then we allow the, mindset of Ruckman to possibly infiltrate the minds of people and then to pollute the interpretation of scripture.

My response to their email and my simple position regarding the Bible...

Brother,
Thank you for your honesty and frankness. I was not going to respond because I did not want to seem as if I was trying to sway you over to my side of thinking or because I seemed desperate to minister to your church. I know and pray that the Lord’s Work will be done in both of our lives as we seek to serve and please Him. But I do feel led to share with you some thoughts on these issues and would like to provide a resource for your consideration. For the record, I’m not KJV-Only as is often assigned to those of the Ruckman mentality…but I would proudly claim to be Only KJB. It is sad to have to separate like this but I think there is a difference as explained in this email.

First, I understand the dilemma that the inappropriate, confusing defense of the King James Bible by the likes of Peter Ruckman, Gail Riplinger, and others have caused though I would encourage some hesitation so as ‘not to throw the baby out with the bath water.’ I already appreciate your wisdom that you show in recognizing there are issues and I understand your fear of falling into the trap of the philosophy of Ruckman as so many good churches have. For us Baptists, it is easy to rally behind a preacher who wants to defend God’s Word, but most often these churches would do better to more thoroughly research both the man and his testimony before ‘jumping on the bandwagon.’ I believe that Peter Ruckman’s gross abuse started well before his misrepresentation of the King James Version…one must only look at his two divorces, which in my Bible disqualify him from pastoring yet he has condoned this through some extra-interpretation of word tenses and extra-biblical apostasy regarding the gifts of the Spirit. I use a strong word here but I do it on purpose…I despise those that for the sake of a “higher cause” willingly ignore or invalidate the truth. I also despise those that defend anything (favorite color, football team, Bible version) in a mean-spirited, vulgar way…this is not God honoring nor is it a worthy witness of one who claims Christ as their Savior.

Secondly, I do not change my belief of preservation versus inspiration. I do believe that God’s Word and history shows us that He has always protected and preserved His Word throughout the centuries. One needs only to consider even after the many raids and pillages of the temple where the ark of the covenant, the scrolls, and other temple items used in the worship of God were either stolen, destroyed or lost or into the time of Christ where foreign rulers controlled the land and treated the Jews as they pleased…yet somehow God preserved His Word and tools for worship. This may not be a new thought but of further interest, God has always preserved His Word in the common language of the largest, target audience. During the Old Testament period, we see that the Scriptures were given in the common language of Aramaic & Hebrew since these were the common languages of both the target audience (Hebrew) and the region (Aramaic). I think that we have simple proof of this because of the testimony of people such as Caleb, Rahab, and Ruth, who were outsiders that chose to follow the God of the Israelites. Furthermore in the New Testament age (before and after Christ’s earthly ministry) and especially as the Word was spread to the Gentiles this opened up the Word to the new common language of Koine Greek which is the language of the New Testament (yes even the Old Testament was translated into Greek as well). As we approach more the “modern times” of the Renaissance and Reformation periods we see English becoming the more common language which is still true today. Being a former Marine I have traveled extensively to live in a foreign country or on missions to foreign lands; I have been surprised at the widespread use of English through-out the world…this is truly a common language for business, science, education, and tourism. So as the world-wide domination of Alexander the Great brought a common (Koine) Greek language to most of the known world so did the crusades and other social factors do a wonderful job of spreading English as a common language. So it was only natural for God’s Word to be preserved in the common language of then and now…which is English.

Thirdly, my view of the other English versions is not an issue of their translation into a modern jargon but is more an issue with ignoring what scholars throughout time have clearly said were the best texts to translate from. I whole-heartily disagree with the mindset that ‘older is better’ when it comes to the ancient texts, while I can understand this view it does not endue unmitigated authority based on age alone. The recent discovery of The Book of Judas should clearly identify this for us…just because something is written in ancient days should not be considered truth. I would commend the earlier scholars and translators in saying that the decisions they made to establish the canon of Scriptures was a logical and trustworthy sign of God’s preservation of His Word. I think that we often overlook the fact that many of the original texts were lost or destroyed not through misuse but through overuse. Many of the original texts were copied over and over because they were validated by Church tradition and leaders who knew the authors and passed on their texts to other churches for their discipleship. So the many wise ancient scholars that understand these things, for more than we of the modern age that somehow feel it is our responsibility to question everything, used the many criteria for establishing the canon of Scripture and we should accept that this is another sign of God’s preservation. I believe that the King James Bible was translated from the best and most accurate preserved texts and thus continues the line of being preserved.

Fourthly, I take issues with the fact that modern versions leave out words, phrases, and verses and then imply that this version is the more correct translation. So does this mean that God’s people have not had accurate translations throughout the centuries? How did we ever accomplish so much what with the great revivals, mission endeavors, worldwide spiritual awakening throughout Christian history? I believe that not only all the points of #2 and #3 apply here but that God preserves His Word to be used and actively empowers it. God has always provided the Truth for man to see so there is no way that the ‘real truth’ would be hidden in a cave for thousands of years waiting to be discovered by someone. This alone should be validation of the King James Bible over modern versions that the revivals of the past have not been repeated since the Bible version debates began. How can they if people cannot clearly see the truth? If the ‘truth’ is whatever you find easier to read or understand whether a non-gender Bible, or perhaps an Ebonics Bible, how about if we make God of the feminine gender…is this the truth? Can we have revival?

Fifthly, I take issue that if one defends a pure and holy Bible as many defenders of the King James Bible do, how can this be bad? I don’t mean one who defends the lies of Ruckman and his crowd but one who truly believes that the Bible I preach from is not man’s opinion but are the very words of God preserved for me to study, to model my life after, to preach from, and to pass on to others in witnessing. Modern versions seem to attack the very notion that we can have a pure and holy Bible and that the idea that one would defend this notion is paramount to heresy. That me say that if I can’t believe a Bible is God’s preserved Word then I can’t believe the words or thoughts of any Bible and my salvation is brought into doubt. Does the NIV, NASB, Living Bible, the Message, etc claim to be God’ s preserved Word or do they claim to be another translation in modern language and jargon? Why condemn anyone for saying that there is a pure and preserved Bible? It is sad that if I believe the King James Bible to be truth and argue with others who don’t, I’m considered intolerant and archaic but if it is in protecting the preservation of God’s Word that one must be considered intolerant then so be it. I’m intolerant because I will not tolerant the attacks of the devil on my faith or the truth of my salvation. Does one who excepts the NIV or NASB consider the feminine gendered Bible heresy? Or how about the Ebonics Bible? So can one defend the NIV in the same way that I defend the KJB? So am I wrong then in defending to a higher scale than one who defends the NIV or NKJV? I defend, study, and preach from a preserved work that is based on/translated from the inspired words of God…how can that be weak theology or wrong? I have found that many times the issue of modern versions becomes a slippery slope that may lead a church away from Baptist Fundamentals towards a weakening of church doctrine, church leadership, and the worship of God.

Sixthly, I take issue that many modern versions try to compare their language as English to English so that many modern versions are understood to be better English translations. But what is often missed is that the King James Bible is still the only Bible based on the Received Text (TR – Textus Receptus) which was the canon of Scripture established by the early church leaders, church historians, and scholars as the best and most accurate text. Yes I know that there were other solid English Bibles based on the TR but many of them gave way to the King James Bible because of its superiority in translation and preservation. This was done not just in the literal word for word translation but the KJB was recognized as having also captured the tone and temperament of the original writers. Another things often not disclosed is that many of the modern versions are based on a Greek text (Wescott & Hort) which has only more recently been accepted and has been found lacking as a proper translation by many Bible scholars. So should we question the legitimacy of any Bible translated from this Greek text? Is this why most modern versions try to paint themselves as a Bible of modern language and terms, updating the KJB? When in reality they should admit to being a new translation rather than an updating to the King James Bible. Is this a true issue of Olde English verse modern language? I don’t think so. Do we find Shakespeare being updated and considered still has poetic or beautiful? Why is it okay for Scripture to be subjected to ‘updating’ but Chaucer, Raleigh, Lovelace, and others are allowed to maintain their beauty and elegance through the original form? Many tests have been conducted that show the timing, rhythm, and poetry of the language of the King James Bible can be understood better by all ages and all education levels. Yet this is often overlooked and modern versions are often misunderstood to be the same Bible with newer words, when in fact they are new Bibles that as I mentioned in my fourth point make changes to or remove things from the English Bible.

Lastly and meant more as a side comment than an actual argumentative fact. Why are all modern versions copyrighted? Why if they are the truth are they not freely available? This has the ring of the moneychangers in the temple that Jesus chased out. Understand they were not chased out because they were selling in the temple [note: as was a common practice established in the OT for travelers from far away to buy lambs, turtle-doves, etc to be used for sacrificing in the temple rather than travel with their own] but rather they were chased out because of their attitude towards the worship of God. They were not there to see others worship the one true God and it seems that many modern Bible versions are in the same classification of making money off of God’s worship.

I don’t mean to take liberty with your honesty or openness but I pray that this may make you reconsider how you separate in your decision of Bible translations. I know God has a man that can come in and protect your church from apostasy through proper preaching and teaching. These Biblical elements are much more powerful than a constitution because God blesses and empowers them more than we can know through the power and convicting of the Holy Spirit. I am always available to discuss more with you either about these points, the church, or any other teaching issue. I will not ‘preach at you’ or pester you again unless in response to your emails but I do pray that God blesses you as you seek His man for your church.

PS. A man I admire and whose opinion and teachings I trust, David Cloud, is much more knowledge on these issues than I and so I would encourage you to check out his website at http://www.wayoflife.org/.

Now I know I don't have the years of study of many others but how difficult can it be? God made all things so simple that a child could see the evidence and put their faith in Jesus.

As I continue this thought (or is it a rant) about the contemporary idea that we have received "new revelations" about the requirements for pastors and deacons. But as I read my Bible I find that in both English and Greek it is pretty clear as to the prerequisites for these important church offices...no I mean church leaders.

“A bishop then must be blameless, the husband of one wife ... One that ruleth well his own house, having his children in subjection with all gravity; (For if a man know not how to rule his own house, how shall he take care of the church of God?)” (1 Timothy 3:2, 4, 5).
“If any be blameless, the husband of one wife, having faithful children not accused of riot or unruly” (Titus 1:6).
“Neither as being lords over God's heritage, but being ensamples to the flock” (1 Pet. 5:3).

In a previous posting I shared briefly about the different interpretations (or rather misinterpretations) of the word "one" as it was used to say that a man need only to have been the husband of a single woman (or of a "single eye") so that a divorced man could still pastor or fill the role as a deacon, but this is not how the greek words differienate on the word "one". [note - read that post for more info.]

In this posting, I want to take a slightly different approach and one of a more practical matter rather than a philosophical or spiritual matter. I want to focus in on the children of the pastor or deacon. I was surprised that throughout the Jewish Temple history and into our church history there was an expectation for the priest or pastor to be married and/or have children because this allowed him to relate to his audience and allowed him to apply the whole truth of God's Word. Ok this makes sense to me and yes I would like a church leader who can relate to my life, so that he may teach the Word so that I may learn to apply this teaching to my life. Of course I don't expect my pastor or deacon to have faced every trail or sin but to know that he has walked in similiar shoes helps in regards to building my trust in him and his preaching as well as the ability to relate the Scriptures to my everyday life. Now a divorced man weakens the message when he has to make interpretations or excuses that are contrary to past centuries of church, history, Bible beliefs, and traditional practices as well as introduces a misrepresentation of God's Word.

After saying all of this as an introduction, my main point is that a divorced pastor or deacon has real issues with ruling his household and having his children in proper subjection, according to the Scriptural guidelines. It is a sad fact of divorced life, but nearly all divorced men have an abnormal relationship with their step-children. Having served for over 17 years in our nation's military, I have seen the experiences of many broken marriages and the attempts at remarriage that can never amend the family unit no matter how much love or good intent is involved. A man that has remarried can never establish the same authoriative relationship with the children from another man (this is the same for a woman, but has less of an impact since the husband is to be the God directed authority in the home). I have heard a child call their step-parent (father or mother) anything other than Mom or Dad...especially considering that most still have relationships with their other biological parent. Now I know that I am painting with a thick brush and that there are exceptions to this but I ask you to think about every divorced relationship you are familiar with and honestly answer to how the relationship is between the father and the children. I already covered my military experience but let me say that I have seen the same things in the seven years of working as a Youth Pastor. In this experience not one child has ever had a proper biblical father-child relationship that one would describe as the ideal relationship for a pastor or deacon towards their children. I have personally seen that this abnormal relationship extends into the adult world as well and that maturity doesn't neccessarily make it better or easier. Now translate this father and step-child relationship that is a constant struggle in a normal setting and compound it with the pressure and expectations of being a church leaders' family. This is a continuous conflict and a terrible testimony for a man trying to lead a church body and a blight on the office of pastor and deacon.

So add these ideas that "being the husband of one wife" and "having his children under subjection" are two very real and very simple elements of the prerequitises to being a pastor and deacon. For us to excuse or overlook these elements is ignorant at best and heresy at worse. Believe the Bible more than man's opinion and develop the practice of studying it for yourself.

Want more information about this issue? Follow this link