THE NEXT WAVE MAGAZINE. JANUARY 2012

The Voice of Global Apostolic Reformation

January 2012

International Circle of Faith 40,000 Ministers with 11 Million Constituents

Inside: Winds of Change Post Denominational Age Three Generations

HERETIC!

Heretics or Lunatics Cultic Churches Mercy, Mercy The Elijah Principle Perfect Pastor Found Dead

The Apostolic Dimension

Wolf in Sheep’s Clothing page 4

Editorial

A

man who spoke broken English was once meant to say, “What on earth I am doing here!” Instead he asked, “What am I doing on earth?” The question was a good one. What is your purpose on earth? Today, many are being encouraged to “discover your purpose” and “know your assignment”.

This very often leads to frustration and disillusionment. When you keep life simple and do ONE thing – hear His Word- you will discover your purpose quicker by accident than you ever will on purpose. Whatever God has started in you He is more than able to finish. I can assure you He does not need our intellect to assist Him. In the above illustration, had the man been referring to God he would have asked, “What is God doing on earth?”

This is another interesting question.

Though we may become alarmed and frantic about many of the modern day events that take place, God is not so alarmed.

“Known to God are all his works from the beginning of the world” (Acts 15:18) This should be a sobering thought for us. It should bring the realization that God is in full control and knows what he is doing. He unfolding His master plan and we are given the opportunity to be a part of that.

will and to do of his good pleasure” (Philippians 2:13)

We pray according to His will.

We only do what He says. He does not require our bright ideas, gimmicks and strategies. He has His own plan. He that has an ear let Him hear what the Spirit says to the churches. There is another dimension, in that God does not do anything on earth unless he first revels His secrets to His prophets.

“Surely the Sovereign LORD does nothing without revealing his plan to his servants the prophets.” (Amos 3:7).

Not everyone is aware what God is doing and nor is it their fault. God in His infinite wisdom does not reveal everything to one individual. If we listen carefully we can hear the voice of God being spoken throughout the earth – a message is going forth.

I hope God speaks to you through this issue of The Next Wave.

James Peter Jandu,

Editor

“For it is God which works in you both to

THE NEXT WAVE is a monthly publication of the International Circle of Faith (ICOF) Global Network and is distributed globally to Churches, ministries and Christian organizations.

CONTENTS

Heretic The Apostolic Dimension Winds of Change Three Generations Post Denominational Age Importance of Networking Wolf in Sheep’s Clothing Heretic or Lunatic A Better Way to Pray Perfect Pastor Found Dead The Lord is His Pastor Cultic Churches Why Do Divisions Occur?

Archbishop Benson Idahosa Mercy, Mercy The Elijah Principle TL & Daisy Osborn False Profits of God Marriage & Divorce Religitics Persecution Watch Classified Ads Humor

2 4 8–9 11-12 15-16 16 18-19 21-23 23 24 25 27 28-29 30 31-32 33-35 36-37 38 39-41 42 44 45-47 49

WELCOME TO THE NEXT WAVE. WELCOME TO THE INTERNATIONAL CIRCLE OF FAITH.

THENEXT WAVE

is the voice of Apostolic Reformation (Apostolic Restoration). Since the time of John Wycliffe there has been an interest of true believers in returning the Church to the tenets taught by the original Apostles and held by the New Testament Church. This Apostolic Reformation has seen many waves of the Holy Spirit. The last prominent wave of Apostolic Reformation was in the late 1890’s and early 1900’s. It is our expectation that we are in another wave of Apostolic Reformation. The Next Wave is published by International Circle of Faith Global Network. To receive a complimentary copy of The Next Wave each month register your email on our website.

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Heretic!

By James Peter Jandu

www.jamespeterministries.com

Some Christians are so insecure and narrow minded that in their view everyone is a heretic except themselves. Always be weary of people who are quick to use the label ‘heretic.’ It could be a cover.

I

T is astonishing the speed at which certain Christians label others heretics. In society it is not uncommon for individuals to be innocently be accused of rape or being a pedophile just to ruin their name. Within Christendom the label that can harm a person’s reputation is being accused of being a heretic. This word sounds worse than it actually is, but once labeled a heretic it can be difficult to clear ones name.

could actually be the heretic.

‘One who holds to a heresy; one who believes some doctrine contrary to the established faith or prevailing religion’ Webster’s Unabridged Dictionary, Heretic (Page: 688)

“But this I confess to you, that I follow the way which others call HERESY, in this way I worship the God of my fathers, believing all things which are written in the law and in the prophets.”

By the above definition, Martin Luther was a heretic in the opinion of the established church. This further means that the accuser

Some Christians are so insecure and narrow minded that in their view everyone is a heretic except themselves. Always be weary of people who are quick to use the label ‘heretic.’ It could be a cover. Remember, we ALL have beliefs that are contrary to the Bible from the day we are ‘saved’ to the day we die are we all heretics?

The Greek word for ‘heretic’ found Titus 3:10 is ‘haireticos’ and it is used only once in the New Testament. There is another related Greek word - hairesis which means a “sect” or a “heresy”.

This word is used in Acts 24:14 where the Apostle Paul was accused of heresy. While defending his new belief in Christ before the court he says:

There are so many topics and issues I could have a view on but I really do not have the time to investigate them to give a quality opinion. Truthfully, there are some major doctrines I have not reached a conclusion on, nor I am certain I ever will, at least while here on earth. It is claimed by some that a belief in the trinity is essential for salvation, but which of the least five major versions of the trinity is the acceptable one?

I enjoyed this illustration I read many years ago.

“I was walking across a bridge one day, and I saw a man standing on the edge, about to jump off. So I ran over and said ‘Stop! Don’t do it!’

2

‘Why shouldn’t I?’ he said. I said, ‘Well, there’s so much to live for!’ He said, ‘Like what?’ I said, ‘Well...are you religious or atheist?’ He said, ‘Religious.’ I said, ‘me too! Are you Christian or Buddhist?’ He said, ‘Christian.’ I said, ‘me too! Are you Catholic or Protestant?’ He said, ‘Protestant.’ I said, ‘me too! Are you Episcopalian or Baptist?’ He said, ‘Baptist!’ I said, ‘Wow! Me too! Are you Baptist church of God or Baptist church of the Lord?’ He said, ‘Baptist Church of God!’ I said, ‘me too! Are you original Baptist Church of God, or are you Reformed Baptist Church of God?’ He said, ‘Reformed Baptist Church of God!’ I said, ‘me too! Are you Reformed Baptist Church of God, reformation of 1879, or reformed Baptist Church of God, reformation of 1915?’ He said, ‘Reformed Baptist Church of God, reformation of 1915!’ I said, ‘Die, heretic scum,’ and pushed him off.”

Pride locks people in error. Strongholds in the mind built by seeds of erroneous teaching lodge in the thoughts and promote self gratification, interests and ambitions instead of the ways of God. Victims become un-teachable and argumentative while they seek to teach others. Utter delusion! Some people have a degree in Know-It-All-ology. They studied at the University of Thickheads, also known as Churches. Lectures are presented as Sermons. The entry qualification for this University is a grade A in the following subjects: Rebellion, Ignorance and Stupidity. Most Christians qualify and graduate with flying colors!

If you have a graduation certificate it is not worth the paper it is written on.

The solution to this whole issue is to just rely on the Holy Spirit. God is best interpreter of scripture. He will guide people into all truth. Go where the evidence leads. Remember…keep it real!

Bishop Bernie L. Wade, ICOF President The Mission of ICOF is to provide: Unprecedented unity to the body of Christ Communion of like-minded churches, ministries, education and charitable organizations Fellowship connection for church leaders and ascension Resources for training and equipping Mentoring relationships for ministry development Apostolic Covering for structure, order and protocol

P.O. Box 72 Sulphur, KY 40070, USA Tel: 502.410.4263 Email: administration@icof.net

The Apostolic Dimension The Apostolic Dimension must be

restored before we can be the reformers the Church desperately needs!

True Apostolic authority establishes divine order and manifests authentic signs, wonders and miracles. When the power of God is not evident, the Holy

Ghost is not present. That is why so many churches have degenerated and resort to counterfeit authority, which is witchcraft. The sons of sceva were operating in counterfeit authority.

The results of true Apostolic authority is when believers who were of different

“True Apostolic authority establishes divine order and manifests authentic signs, wonders and miracles�

By Paul Sherril

Send comments and suggestions to: Email:

nextwave@icof.net 4

By Paul Sherril

cults, sects and religious persuasions began to confess their sin of unbelief and leave the counterfeit churches that held them in bondage. Acts 19:11-20

www.gloryrevolution.org www.holyghostoutpouring.org

“It is our expectation that we are on the verge of yet another wave of the Spirit. We refer to this as The Next Wave. The Next Wave will be as radically different as the last wave. The opposition will come from the recipients of the last wave.�

Dr. Bernie L. Wade, President International Circle of Faith

QUOTE "If Christianity is to receive rejuvenation it must be by other means than any now being used. If the church in the second half of [the twentieth] century is to recover from the injuries she suffered in the first half, there must appear a new type of preacher. The proper, ruler-of-the-synagogue type will never do. Neither will the priestly type of man who carries out his duties, takes his pay and asks no questions, nor the smooth-talking pastoral type who knows how to make the Christian religion acceptable to everyone. All these have been tried and found wanting. Another kind of religious leader must arise among us. He must be of the old prophet type, a man who has seen visions of God and has heard a voice from the Throne. When he comes and I pray God there will not be one but many he will stand in flat contradiction to everything our smirking, smooth civilization holds dear. He will contradict, denounce and protest in the name of God and will earn the hatred and opposition of a large segment of Christendom."

A.W. Tozer

April 21, 1897 - May 12, 1963

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THE NEXT WAVE is a monthly publication of the International Circle of Faith (ICOF) Global Network and is distributed globally to Churches, ministries and Christian organizations.

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Winds of Change Dr Robert "Doc" Straube

A

“A cloud is on the horizon! Winds of change are gathering strength!

A storm is coming…it is a storm of change!” question: How do we as the church see ourselves in relation to our community? Most churches see themselves as outside the community inviting people to “come into the church and out of the ‘world’ and be separate.” As the Church, we must begin to see ourselves as inside the community as an agent of change and transformation!

Being “separate” in values and lifestyle is not the same as being “isolated” from those God has called us to love and reach.

ll over the world the Spirit of God is causing sincere believers to reexamine how we “DO CHURCH.” It is no longer about size…small groups…spiritual gifts…or seeker sensitivity. It’s about making a significant and sustainable difference in the lives and families of our communities and cities! I have always enjoyed the old saying, “The definition of insanity is to keep doing the same things over and over again expecting different results.”

There’s a growing awareness that the church cannot continue to do the “same old things” and get different results!

“You are the salt of the earth. But if the salt loses its saltiness, how can it be made salty again? It is no longer good for anything, except to be thrown out and trampled underfoot. “You are the light of the world. A city built on a hill cannot be hidden. Neither do people light a lamp and put it under a bowl. Instead they put it on its stand, and it gives light to everyone in the house. In the same way, let your light shine before others, that they may see your good deeds and glorify your Father in heaven.”

Matthew 5:13-16 If we want to be “Salt and Light” as God meant us to be, we must do something different and be something different!

Community transformation will not be accomplished alone by spiritual services, powerful preaching, musical masterpieces, or choir cantatas—as good as these are. The church today needs a “Church-quake” of seismic proportions if it is going to be all and do all

that the third Millennium requires!

In my opinion, “Church-quake” requires a paradigm shift! A “paradigm” is a model consisting of shared assumptions of what is true or what works! A “paradigm shift” is “a moment of ‘AHA!’ when one sees things in a new light and can never go back to the old ways again!”

Here is a real example from a church in a mid-western state. One day a pastor became “fed up” with the marginalization of his church within his city. He knew that his people had what thousands needed and desired but did not know how to find. So he made an appointment with the mayor and asked one question, “How can we help you?”

The mayor gave him a list of “Challenges Facing the City.” He went back to his church and asked them one question, “What can we do that will cause people of this city to say that God is here and at work in this city for no one could do these things if God were not with them?” This simple leadership act made that Church no longer a “walled-in clique,” but a “bridge-building church” to the community God called it to love and influence!

“The first paradigm shift we need is a shift from building walls to building bridges!”

The first paradigm shift we need is a shift from building walls to building bridges! Matthew 5:13-14 states, “You are the salt of the earth…You are the light of the world.” The root of this first paradigm shift is to ask ourselves this 8

Since then, in just four years, one hundred other churches joined that one!

Five thousand volunteers built bridges into their city by building parks and playgrounds, refurbishing fifty schools, setting records for Red Cross Blood do-

nations, enlisting thousands of new organ donors, offering scores of “Life Skill Classes” on finance, marriage, aging, parenting with over 5,000 attending, and donating nearly $1,000.000 to human service organizations for at-risk youth.

All of this leads to one conclusion: once a church makes the mental shift

do everything in our power to earn the right to shine our light (the Word of God) and sprinkle our salt (the Spirit of God) in our city!

When we have “made His praise glorious” by our good deeds and people see them and begin to “glorify our Father who is heaven,” the door will be open to plant the seed of Christ’s love that

“All of this leads to one conclusion: once a church makes the mental shift from “set apart” to “Salt and Light,” it is limited only by its imagination and creativity in how it can serve and transform its community and city!”

from “set apart” to “Salt and Light,” it is limited only by its imagination and creativity in how it can serve and transform its community and city!

But a legitimate question arises. “Is this what the church is – a social service organization?” Of course not! The Church is the visible expression of the Kingdom of God in the earth! Well, then, is it not enough to stand there separate, and “over against” the community (the world), “throw the Gospel like a rock” at it? No! It is not enough.

Jesus’ command was to “go into the world and make disciples…” We must

Extract from New Book, ‘Rebranding Christianity’

Hardness wrapped in softness

I can seem to be hard sometimes against religious people…but hey, so was Jesus. I read this illustration recently:

A man saw a farmer with a cow that had one wooden leg. He stopped and asked why it had one wooden leg. The farmer began to explain how wonderful the cow was, how it saved his life and on and on and on. Then the man stopped him and said, “I am sure the cow is wonderful but why has he only got one wooden leg?” The farmer replied, “You cannot eat a nice cow like this all at once!”

will heal hurting hearts, mind shattered, restore broken families, and transform our city from within! This is our mission! This is why God has placed us in our city!

Let’s stop just providing ministry programs and worship services for our community and earn the right to penetrate our community as “Salt and Light” to offer help, healing, and perhaps even transformation.

We will be a city that is set on a hill ... Many of the cities of Judea were placed on the summits or sides of mountains, It is not my intention to kill the cow of religion gradually. I want to destroy the sacred cows we have in Churchanity by throwing the inkpot at religious Christianity. I pray you will join me in the blood

bath slaughtering of these sacred cows that many hold tightly to. What is my motive? - The three people that die each second without having known Christ in this life.

Some will read this writing and not change, while others will be shocked as it dawns on them that they will have to abandon many of the unbiblical practices taught today. I hope the seed lands on good ground and produces a harvest of spiritual fruit.

Available at:

www.jamespeterministries.com 9

and could be seen from afar. Perhaps Jesus pointed to such a city, and told his disciples that they were like it. Their actions could not be hid. The eyes of the world were upon them. They must be seen; and as this was the case, they ought to be holy, harmless, and undefiled. So too must we become the city on a hill, where all eyes will see a people who follow God in holiness, service, worship and kingdom building. They will see us laying our lives down for others, giving of ourselves in service, our clothes, our food, our shelters and sharing our hearts, our faith, and our relationship with our God. While the standard church of today is on their hills doing their religious activities just as the Pharisees were doing when David brought the tabernacle back into Jerusalem and put it upon an opposite hill, we too will be celebrating and serving the Living God in the City on the Hill, where the presence of God is manifest and His people worship in His presence. I have always said, “If God be here, then where be His miracles?”

We will be a people who will receive, usher in, and demonstrate the presence of the Lord God and His miracles.

He will confirm His Love, His GenuineSelf and His Holiness for the world to clearly see.

Dr Robert "Doc" Straube is President ICOFCSU. He serves as President of Christian Multiversity, Fivefold Apostle and Chief of Staff for ICOF. Email: docrob77@earthlink.net

QUOTE

“You can evangelize until you are blue in the face, try every

trick or gimmick to reach people but no one comeS to the Lord

unless His Spirit draws them. The LORD adds to the church such

as should be saved. He did not say, “I will build your Church” nor “You will build My Church” - He said, “I will build my Church!” ...How shall they hear without a preacher? And how shall they preach unless they are sent? ...Some are sent, the rest packed up and went! The self-effort, humaNistic gospel has been the curse of the Church. Connect with What the sovereign lord is doing. HE CONFIRMS THE PREACHING OF HIS WORD WITH Signs and wonders not signs and blunders. The one with Ears let him hear what the Spirit says to the church.”

James Peter Jandu, Editor, The Next Wave

Three Generations Published in March 1968 issue of The Pentecostal Herald.

From a sermon preached by Robert W. Taitinger, Edmonton, Alberta, Canada at the Eighth Pentecostal World Conference, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil.

T

here are some alarming tendencies in the Pentecostal church. It has happened to every church before it. If we are to survive the vicious ordeal, it will be because each generation realizes that victory and continuance must come by each individual having a personal encounter with God and receiving a personal Pentecost, being filled with the power of the Holy Spirit.

The third is often a perilous generation. Church history reveals it is usually a generation of nonconformists and rebels. Jacob was no exception. His life was marked by deceit.

According to statistical surveys, a generation is 25years. The Pentecostal church has thus produced its third generation. Our teenagers represent a most decisive generation of this Pentecostal revival. Let me illustrate by using three interesting generations of Biblical history. The lives of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob can be fittingly compared to the brief history of the Pentecostal church.

Abraham --The First Generation Abraham prayed for everything he received. His walk with God was a lifetime of communion with his Maker. He was the predominant man of prayer in the Old Testament.

Abraham built seven altars during his lifetime. An altar always speaks of sacrifice and selflessness. At an altar personality differences and conflicts are forgotten as men seek God. At an altar the Blood of cleansing is applied, and men are clean and free and new.

Abraham believed God, and it was accounted to him for righteousness. So monumental was the character of this man that Paul painted his portrait in Galatians and declared that by faith we too are the sons of Abraham.

Over six decades ago God visited the earth with Pentecostal revival. In an old mansion used as a Bible school in Topeka, Kansas, a class studying the Book of Acts concluded that the Early Church received its dynamic power through the baptism in the Holy Ghost when they were visited by the phenomenon of speaking with other tongues. In a sovereign and salutary manner God began to pour out of His Spirit on hungry, seeking hearts-with revival bursting forth in every comer of the earth.

Whether in Sweden or England, the USA or Brazil, the Orient, or the islands of the sea, the most predominant feature of these early meetings was the emphasis on prayer. The fathers of the Pentecostal fellowship were men who knew how to pray. They had to know how to pray. They prayed for most everything they had. They prayed for rent money, for fuel for the fire, for the food they ate. They had to pray for clothing to wear and for courage to 'survive the criticism and contempt leveled at them because of their new-found experience.

If there is anything that has made the fellowship of Pentecostal believers what it is today, it is prayer. It was born at an altar of prayer where the Holy Ghost came upon men and filled them with a burning desire to serve Christ. At 11

those altars men were endued with power from on high. The Word of God was like a fire burning in their bones, as they preached and the Lord worked with them, confirming His Word with signs and wonders.

The first generation of Pentecostal believers set before us an enviable example of Spiritfilled, victorious living. They gave birth to a [group] that has circled the globe and now claims millions of members.

Isaac --The Second Generation Isaac inherited what he received. In Genesis 25:5 we read: "And Abraham gave all that he had unto Isaac."

One who inherits a thing cannot appreciate it like the one who has earned it.

The boy who inherits the home his father built with his own hands can never know its real worth. He knows nothing of the late hours of toil and of doing without that made the house a reality.

No stress or strain, no amount of sacrifice is required to inherit something.

Isaac was fortunate to be the son of a great man of God. He knew the things his father stood for. But being born the son of Abraham had not made him a spiritual character. Isaac had inherited a spiritual atmosphere and many privileges, yet in his life there lingered no memory of a personal encounter with God. Later Isaac traversed the very places where his father Abraham had dug wells of water many years previously.

He found the wells were stopped up, so he dug the wells of Abraham again. He removed the debris that had quenched the flow of life-giving water. He drank from the wells of his own digging. There

he had his own experience.

“The first generation of any religious movement is generally one of inspiration and revival. The second includes periods of building and numerical advances. But with the third generation there is the inevitable drift to social acceptance, materialism, and dependence upon human means”

Many of us were born as second-generation Pentecostals, knowing little or nothing of the real worth of the spiritual blessing we had inherited. We never had a drunkard and a brawler for a father, and we knew not what it means to have a socialite for a mother.

As children we were taken regularly to church where gospel choruses and personal testimonies .were an integral part of the service.

We were never shocked when we heard someone speak in tongues; our parents had done it for years. They attributed their constancy and fervency to the fire of the Spirit that they received as they fasted and prayed and met God at an old fashioned altar of prayer.

Then came the day when some of us discovered that although we had inherited much, we could not claim to be Pentecostal for we had never been to the Cross or to the Upper Room. I was one of them. I learned a solemn truth.

You can teach a child the Bible. You can encourage him to memorize the Scriptures. You can take him to Sunday school. You can give him the rich heritage of a Christian home. But you cannot transmit or transfer a religious experience. The child has to dig his own spiritual well. He has to make his own personal contact with God. Only then will he burn with such an intense glow that men will recognize he has been with Jesus.

and deceitfully accepted the blessing that was not rightfully his.

He fled from the wrath of his father and his brother Esau. At Bethel he drove a hard bargain with God. He said, "If You will bless me, I will pay you a tithe of all I possess." He was a schemer. In Syria Jacob schemed for his cattle and there he became rich. He took two wives, reared a family, and became a prosperous man.

Then one day God told him to go home.

Now the picture became different. He thought about Esau. He recognized that his easy way to fame and fortune was catching up with him. So, realizing the shallowness of his life, he began to see how destitute he was of the noble characteristics and spiritual experi-

had a personal encounter with the only One who could make him like his father and his grandfather. It had to come.

I am afraid that too often the third Pentecostal generation is far removed from the praying men of faith and power that shepherded the formation of the church as we know it today.

Church history informs us there are certain hazards to the survival of a spiritual organism. The first generation of any religious movement is generally one of inspiration and revival. The second includes periods of building and numerical advances. But with the third generation there is the inevitable drift to social acceptance, materialism, and dependence upon human means. This generation knows little of the calloused hands, the ridicule, the blinding tears of travail, the price it cost to bring the church into being.

Like Jacob, our third generation must meet God for themselves. There is no shortcut to Pentecostal blessing. It has to come in the same way it came to Abraham and Isaac, to your father and mine. In the final analysis, it's not what you know; it's whom you know --God. It's not what you possess but what you really are that counts. All the modern inventions, all the religious entertainment, all the beautiful facilities money can provide can never take the place of the Pentecostal power that fostered the church.

“We have seen Pentecostal teen-agers and young adults rise with a determination to serve God with a burning passion, to know Him and make Him known”

Jacob--The Third Generation Abraham prayed for everything he received. Isaac inherited most of what he received. Jacob schemed for much that he received.

The third is often a perilous generation.

Church history reveals it is usually a generation of nonconformists and rebels. Jacob was no exception. His life was marked by deceit. With goats' skins on his arms and neck he stepped into the presence of his aged father

ences that had motivated his forefathers. Sending his wives and belongings ahead, he remained alone to seek the God he had met at Bethel so many years before.

During the long hours of the night he battled in prayer and tears, and was visited by a heavenly messenger who wrestled with him. The visitor struggled to escape. In desperation Jacob cried, "I will not let thee go, except thou bless me." In that victorious moment he received a new name, Israel, "prince with God." The third generation schemer 12

In the third generation we see some alarming tendencies. The spirit of this distinctive group is to depart from the traditional paths. But let me say that we also have great cause to be encouraged. We have seen Pentecostal teenagers and young adults rise with a determination to serve God with a burning passion, to know Him and make Him known. The future is as bright as the promises of God. We rejoice in the prospect of a victorious Church that will move on like a mighty army.

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QUOTE Dr. Sanford Wade is the Bishop to the Bishops for the International Circle of Faith. He has served in a variety of roles in the body of Christ and is the founding Pastor of Apostolic Temple in Columbia Station, Ohio. He is a spiritual father to ministers all over the world.

“The Apostle Paul said we should press onward and upward to the mark of perfection which is in Christ Jesus....We are not building kingdoms for men, we are working in the Kingdom for Christ Jesus!...God is speaking to His people. He that hath an ear, let him hear what the Spirit saith to the Church.�

Bishop Sanford L. Wade

Living in the

Post-Denominational T

Age

By James Peter Jandu

www.jamespeterministries.com

oday many are saying that we are living in the post-denomination era. The walls of denomination are coming down as Christian believers focus on Jesus Christ as the truth (John 14:6) not their particular church denomination. If Jesus Christ were here in the flesh which church would He fellowship with? I believe He would fellowship with churches you are not presently fellowshipping with.

Among the participants were TV preachers Kenneth and Gloria Copeland, International Foursquare President Paul Risser, Assemblies of

matic, Oneness, Word of Faith, Third Wave-came together in a spirit of unity, not to discuss doctrinal differences, but to rejoice in their common spiritual heritage."

Almost 30 senior figures representing Word of Faith, charismatic, traditional Pentecostal and Oneness Pentecostals met for three days at a Washington, D.C.area hotel to talk and pray in an unprecedented move toward unity.

The following report shows this trend:

Historic Gathering Bridges Pentecostal and Charismatic Divides (2002) Joint ministry effort could follow from groundbreaking meeting Leaders of America's major Pentecostal and charismatic movements have met secretly in a historic meeting intended to build bridges between different groups that have been at odds or a distance for years.

Almost 30 senior figures representing Word of Faith, charismatic, traditional Pentecostal and Oneness Pentecostals met for three days at a Washington, D.C.-area hotel to talk and pray in an unprecedented move toward unity.

The diverse group plans to cement the groundbreaking gathering, held at the end of April, with some sort of united ministry effort in the months to come, possibly a combined churchplanting effort in a major city.

God General Superintendent Thomas Trask, International Pentecostal Holiness Church General Superintendent James Leggett, and United Pentecostal Church (UPC) International General Superintendent Kenneth Haney.

Also taking part were Billy Joe Daugherty, pastor of Victory Christian Center in Tulsa, Okla.; Church of God of Prophecy General Overseer Fred Fisher; Lamar Vest, general overseer of the Church of God Cleveland; Bishop George McKinney of the Church of God in Christ; and Ted Haggard, pastor of New Life Church in Colorado Springs, Colo.

Together 2002, as the gathering was named, was convened by Robert Fisher, director of the Center for Spiritual Renewal (CSR) in Cleveland, Tenn.

He was also behind Solemn Assembly 2001, which brought thousands of Pentecostal leaders and lay members together for a 50-hour prayer vigil renouncing past divisions in Atlanta.

CSR described the meeting as "the first time ever, top leaders from all the streams of Pentecost-classical, charis15

Vinson Synan, dean of the School of Divinity at Regent University, Va., and a leading Pentecostal historian, who took part in the meeting, said it had been "truly a first." It was especially significant because of the participation of those who have not usually attended Pentecostal leadership events, including the Copelands, healing ministry leader Francis McNutt, and Haney and Nathaniel Urshan from the UPC. "The Oneness brethren were warmly received and participated equally in all the discussions," Synan said. "This may mark a new day in relations with Oneness and Trinitarian Pentecostals." The two camps split in the early 1900s because of differing views of the triune nature of God. For his part, Daugherty found the meeting "especially significant in bringing the streams of the Pentecostal-charismatic believers into a mutual appreciation of one another." He added: "People work together when they know and trust one another. We know each other now, and trust was built. There are no limits to what God can do when we come together."

Haney (Former UPC superintendent) said that he appreciated the opportunity to meet with others he had only known from a distance or met briefly. "I found them to be sincere, caring men

and women," he said. "We have varied agendas and some theological differences but share a common bond as advocates of the Pentecostal experience that is being poured out in unprecedented measures around the world, and must not allow focus on this great experience to be derailed."

Jeff Farmer said it was "the most empowering, encouraging and affirming" meeting he had been in during six

years as president of Open Bible Churches. "There was no bottom line other than that God was among us and that we would meet together again and keep listening."

(www.pneumafoundation.org)

The above article shows what God is doing. He is doing a "new thing." However, many Christian leaders will miss what God is doing because of their desire to not change, even when God is

doing a new thing. This unwillingness is usually because of fear of what the outcome may be. But like Abraham we must move out by faith.

It is a tragic day when Spirit-filled Christians cannot fellowship and work together. This attitude that brings disunity is devilish. There is so much we can do if we work together. We should do whatsoever we can to promote Spirit led unity amongst Spirit-filled believers.

The Importance of

Networking

Divine Connections - Allowing God to connect you!

“Networking’ is the ‘in’ word today. So the question has to be asked, ‘Do we network just because it is fashionable or because it is important?

bined, God-given wisdom and resources will we accomplish the task. (Ecclesiastes 4:9-12) b.Networking allows us to brainstorm together, share varying approaches, evaluate different strategies, learn from the mistakes and successes of others and provide some benchmarking for future activity. (Proverbs 13:10)

Networking brings together different agencies, churches and organisations, of varying size, who all contribute to the task of world mission.

Why is networking important?

c.Networking often encourages greater stewardship and efficiency by joining together to share facilities, reducing duplication and limiting waste. It can lead to considerations of merger. (Titus 3:14)

1. Networking shows appreciation a. Networking is a demonstration of unity in the body of Christ. (John 17.20-23) b. Networking often reduces a spirit of competition and encourages a spirit of sharing (1 Corinthians 1:12-13, Colossians 4:16) c. Networking encourages accountability to those who share the same vision and understand the constraints. (Luke 19:12-27)

2. Networking protects attitudes a.Networking encourages humility in larger organisations when they acknowl-

edge that they do not have all the answers but can learn from others. (1 Corinthians 4:6-7, 18) b.Networking helps smaller organisations to feel they are making a contribution beyond their own limited resources.

(1 Corinthians 12:21-25)

3. Networking improves effectiveness a.Networking recognizes that we live in a complicated world and that only by working together and sharing our com16

4. Networking demonstrates fellowship a.Networking helps support and lift up those who are struggling in the task.

(Isaiah 35:1-4) b.Networking allows us to rejoice in success from wherever it originates. (Philippians 1:12-14)

The Next Wave is here!

ICOF

www.icof.net

What are the benefits of being a member of the International Circle of Faith?

Membership in a truly multi-cultural, multi-ethnic, international Christian movement.

Listing of your ministry and your ministry web site inside ICOF website for all to see. If you do not have a web site for your ministry, our web design staff can build you a quality site at a significantly discounted rate.

If you are a business owner we will list and certify your business in the ICOF Christian Business Association. This gives you the ability to market your products and services worldwide through our network.

Networking with other businesses to bring more opportunities and to "Keep Kingdom Money in the Kingdom."

Opportunity to participate in any of our accredited university classes.

Certification and membership credentials for you and your ministry.

Annual International and National Conferences.

Membership in a worldwide network currently consisting of over 40,000 churches, ministers, ministries and Para-church organizations working together.

Your ministry maintains complete local autonomy in leadership and complete local ownership of church properties and resources because we are a network, not a denomination.

Access to members of our top leadership globally and also to any member of the general body for friendship, counsel and support.

A member of ICOF Congress is available 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, 365 days a year!

Educational accreditation for your ministry's Bible College or Seminary.

Women's Leadership. Anointed women of God are given flexibility to be used by the Holy Spirit in leadership. Women are not "held back" from their God given calling.

ICOF sponsors conferences, breakout sessions and workshops oriented toward women and women in ministry. This continues our theme of ministering to the ministers.

Women in ICOF leadership roles plan and direct these meetings.

Youth Leadership. ICOF has structures for youth leadership to assist, support and involve youth ministers and ministries in all our activities, including conferences, concerts, retreats, etc.

Non-church Leadership for Christians who minister in the secular world and outside of normal "church" environments. ICOF has structures for leadership to assist, support, and mentor and train persons who minister in other areas (i.e.-Business, Para-Church ministries, music ministries, house churches, nursing homes, campus ministries, etc.)

Covering, Licensing, Fellowship and On-Going Support within an internationally recognized network of ministers, churches and para-church organizations that span every human endeavor.

We are here for you!

Wolf in Sheep’s Clothing: 5 Tips to Identify One

H

ave you ever heard the saying “a wolf in sheep’s clothing”? I have heard it a couple of places. First, many years ago I heard one of Aesop’s Fables which talked about a wolf that put on a sheep skin so that he could fool the shepherd into believing he was a lamb.

Then when the shepherd locked the flock behind the gate at night the wolf thought he was clear to eat all the sheep he wanted. To his surprise the shepherd returned to the flock that night to gather meat for the next day. The wolf in sheep’s clothing was killed as one of the sheep. You see the saying “wolf in sheep’s clothing” simply means someone who is pretending to be something they are not.

Years later I heard this concept in another place –The Bible. Jesus warns against wolves in sheep’s clothing: "... Beware of false prophets, who come to you in sheep’s clothing ..."

Matthew 7:15 “ … Beware of false prophets, who come to you in sheep’s clothing but inwardly are ravenous wolves.”

Mathew 7:15 Following are five tips on how you can identify a wolf in sheep’s clothing; a false prophet.

The Guessing Wolf: They Said It Would Happen – Did It? History is full of accounts of folks pre-

By Pam Williams 18:20; Ecclesiastes 10:14).

The Biblically Illiterate Wolf: Does What They Prophesy Agree With Scripture?

dicting the end of the world; some in the not so distant past. Also, how about the prophets who promise people that they will be healed of a terminal disease and it never happens? A true prophet will predict things and those things will come to pass. A wolf in sheep’s clothing will play the guessing game and when their prophesy turns out false, they will make excuses and sometimes even set a new date for

Are you hearing things that you know do not agree with what you have learned from the Bible? If you are it may be because that wolf in sheep’s clothing does not know the Bible and he is counting on his audience not knowing the Bible also. This is why it is essential for the Christian to be daily in the Word because when you know the truth, a lie will be very clear to you.

Is he causing problems in the church and amongst the brethren? A prophet should be building up the church, not tearing it down and causing divisions.

Perhaps he is a smooth talker and be-

“Pay careful attention to yourselves and to all the flock, in which the Holy Spirit has made you overseers, to care for the church of God, which he obtained with his own blood. I know that after my departure fierce wolves will come in among you, not sparing the flock; and from among your own selves will arise men speaking twisted things, to draw away the disciples after them.”

that big prophetic event. The Bible is clear about what will happen to false prophets and the foolishness of predicting the future (See Deuteronomy 18

lieves that his smooth talk will gain him follows and feed his own belly (pride).

He is not looking to edify the body, he is selfish and cunning. Look at these

teachings and warning from Paul to several of the churches in his day; they are relevant in today’s churches also.

(Romans 16:17-18 (KJV); 1 Corinthians 14:3-4 ; Ephesians 4:11-16)

The Worldly Wolf: Do They Have A Good Testimony for Jesus?

The worldly wolf will not bear fruit. You may not even know he is a Christian by his deeds. You can see this wolf when he goes about his daily affairs and his actions are not such that lead others to Jesus. In fact, his actions turn people away from the truth of the Gospel. He is not an ambassador for Christ. Here are some verses from the Bible to help you spot this wolf. If you don’t see this in his walk, beware. (Matthew 7:16-20 ; Romans 6:4 ; Galatians 5:19-25; ; Ephesians 2:10 ; Hebrews 6:1 ; James 2:16 ; 1 John 2:6) The Lazy Wolf: Are Their Prophetic Teachings Generating Lots of Money?

Wolves will eat just about anything, even road-kill meat. It is a way to save energy during the cold winter months.

It’s a way to get something for nothing – no work involved. They will look for deer that have been struck by motor vehicles and enjoy a free meal. Same thing with the false prophet; their greed will cause them to collect money for speaking engagements where they speak the falsities and exploit unknowing prey. Greed drives their ministry rather than grace. We are warned that these wolves are not only outside of the

church, but come from within as well.

Acts 20:28-30 “Pay careful attention to yourselves and to all the flock, in which the Holy Spirit has made you overseers, to care for the church of God, which he obtained with his own blood. I know that after my departure fierce wolves will come in among you, not sparing the flock; and from among your own selves will arise men speaking twisted things, to draw away the disciples after them.”(See also 2 Thessalonians 3:10 ; 2 Peter 2:1-3)

The Sneaky Wolf: They Hide Until the Time is Right Wolves are sneaky. They watch the prey and plan the attack. The sneaky wolf, false prophet is in the church watching and waiting. He is the one who calls secret meetings. He gains the trust of folks and then rises up to attack, taking innocent victims with him. The Bible is clear about how God will deal with these sneaky wolves (Matthew 7:21-23 ; Matthew 24:4-5 ; 2 Corinthians 11:13).

A True Prophesy: Wolves Won’t Always Be Bad

The great thing about the Bible is that is does not only tell us to beware of these wolves in sheep’s clothing, but it also assures us that we will not always have to fear the wolf. Isaiah, a true prophet, tells us that we have this to look forward to after Jesus comes and there is a new Heaven and new Earth: (Isaiah 11:6 ; Isaiah 65:25).

“Scripture quotations are from The Holy Bible, English Standard Version® (ESV®), copyright © 2001 by Crossway, a publishing ministry of Good News Publishers. Used by permission. All rights reserved.”

Quotes “Throughout history there have been waves of the Holy Spirit that resulted in attempts at restoration or reformation of the Church to return it to the original doctrine of the Apostles of Jesus Christ. We refer to this as Apostolic Reformation.”

Dr. Bernie L. Wade, President International Circle of Faith

“Leadership and learning are indispensable to each other.”

John F. Kennedy “Leadership is getting people to work for you when they are not obligated.”

Fred Price “We cannot lead anyone else further than we have been ourselves.”

John Maxwell “He who thinks he leads and has no one following him is only taking a walk.”

Anonymous “Leaders who want to show sensitivity should listen often and long, and talk short and seldom. Many so-called leaders are too busy to listen.

True leaders know that time spent listening is well invested.”

Oswald Sanders

19

International Circle of Faith US-Synod

Headquarters: Birmingham, Alabama USA

Tel: 205.356.1883

Apostle, Dr. Chellee F. Barber Th.D. Presiding Bishop

Bishop Dr. Leonard D. Barber

Quotes “Dwight L. Moody once said that he would rather put a thousand men to work than do the work of a thousand men Failing to delegate, the leader is caught in a morass of secondary detail; it overburdens him and diverts his attention from primary tasks. People under him do not achieve their own potential. In some cases, insisting on doing a job oneself is a result of simple conceit.�

Oswald Sanders

Minister Bates is the Membership Director for ICOF and has done an incredible job of helping to organize and document ICOF's ever growing membership. She is an accomplished writer and prophetic poetess. She is the founder and president of Heartfelt Ministry, reaching out to women across the globe.

H

Heretics or Lunatics?

“The Apostles of the New Testament age possessed the authority of the Lord. They didn’t introduce anything new nor did they try to add to what had been taught to them.”

by Lea Bates

onestly, I don’t believe I have ever read anything so compelling and so convicting as the book “Will The Real Heretics Please Stand Up” by David Bercot. So much has changed since the apostolic age; lifestyles, beliefs, the list goes on and on. What comes to my memory is a commercial where a man is standing at an ATM machine withdrawing money from his account. A message comes on the screen informing him of a $3.00 charge for the withdrawal. It prompts him with a question: “Do you wish to continue?” Yes or No are his options.

All around him people are urging him to “Just accept it.” In other words, say yes.

The man ultimately accepts the charge although by his body language one could tell he disagreed with having to be charged to withdraw funds from his own account.

You may wonder; what does this story have to do with the ever changing cycle of beliefs in our course of history of religion? In my opinion…a lot, so let me explain:

(who were taught by the apostles).

There was persecution; however, they endured knowing that their obedience was one that they shared with Christ; who also suffered. They loved all people and would never fight with a sword, and they trusted the Words of Jesus.

Instead of describing how our early brothers and sisters lived, allow me to ask a few questions. Can you live without your entertainment, your recognition as a successful person? Or better yet, can you live without your materialistic things and your riches (for those who have such). What are your views on divorce, abortion, fashion and modesty? Is watching an R rated movie ok?

Or what about the subject of evolution before Darwin; can women really have a place in religion? You may or may not be surprised to hear that these issues were also is-

we cannot serve two masters. Although we say we love God we cling oh so tightly to our tangible valuables and dwell in a sea of self-esteem built by man and not God. Compared to our early church…we say we love God, but our hearts are far from Him. We have taken what was wrong in the eyes of the early church and made it right, justifying it with twisted scripture. We have become a church that has accepted the ways of the world to escape the persecution befallen to us by our ancestors.

After reading this book and learning of the early beliefs and ways of the church according to the Apostles I began to look at my own value system.

Believe me…it wasn’t pretty. I was encouraged though to

Jesus left with 3 identifying marks of a faithful servant of the church: 1. Separation from the world (John 15:18,19) 2. Unconditional Love (John 13:34,35) 3. Obedient trust (John 14:1,21) The early church lived in this world but had nothing to do with it. They lived totally different with principles and values as taught to them by their elders

sues of the first century Christians. Matthew 6:24 tells us that 21

learn that there were men of God who upheld the traditional teachings and still believe in upholding them today. Thank God for the remnant, or we’d all be lost.

The early church grew people spiritually by teaching by example. They didn’t put people out of the church for not being obedient to the beliefs. However, most Christians obediently followed the beliefs of the church.

But just what did they believe about salvation? Are we saved by faith alone?

Do Christians earn their salvation by works? Are faith and works mutually exclusive? You may be surprised what the early church believed. Does it compare to what we believe today? What about salvation by grace alone?

It is not feasible to answer all these questions in this article. I recommend you read the book for yourself and allow the Holy Spirit to guide you into the truth.

What about predestination and Free Will. Do you believe in predestination? Are you sure it’s what you think you believe? Deut 30:19; Rom 9:16; 2 Pet 3:9; Rom 9:18 are some examples of scripture concerning these subjects. You may also be surprised that some of our beliefs today were taken from the Gnostics. Yes, the group of heretics that tried to disqualify the beliefs of the early church had a hand in twisting the minds of believers into thinking that we were all predestined to be either a believer or not. The Gnostics were the earthly thorn; the Pharisees of the early church.

10:9 that if one confessed Jesus with their mouth and believed in their heart that God raised him from the dead then they would be saved. Water Baptism came immediately afterwards as a remission of sins. They based their beliefs on these passages, among others: Acts 22:16, Titus 3:5, 1 Peter 3:21, and Acts 2:38.

The primary teaching of the early church was oral, they didn’t teach out of a book, or from the letters that were sent to them from the Apostles. The

jecting any new teachings that didn’t come from the Apostles.

So what happened after these faithful apostles passed on? They consulted the disciples. If this is so then how and when did Christianity become corrupt?

There were 4 walls the early church had established to keep them separate from the world and to safely justify and keep their values and beliefs. The following are the four towering walls: 1. The firm conviction that there was no new special revelation after the time of the apostles and an ultraconservative spirit that equated change with error.

“For the first two centuries the beliefs of the early church remained intact. It wasn’t until the third century did the crumbling of these walls begin”

How can God harden the heart of one and soften the heart of another. How can the one with the hardened heart be destined for hell with no hope for eternal life? Can God really be a just God to judge both of these? There was a very good discussion made by Origen concerning this subject and one I certainly gleaned from. God knows the heart of man, and He will use the hardened heart of one (i.e. Pharaoh) to soften the hearts of others (the people of Egypt). God knew Pharaoh’s heart!

What about salvation and Baptism?

Should a Christian be prosperous? Is the health and wealth gospel of today a valid teaching? One might be surprised to hear (or not) that Water Baptism was an important part of one’s salvation. It wasn’t a ‘sinner’s prayer’ and a walk to the front of the building for alter call that justified their salvation. No, they lived by the Word of God in Romans

2.The church’s separation from the world, protecting Christianity from being influenced by the currents of worldly attitudes and practices

teachings from the Apostles established church government, methods of worship, and mode of baptism. These were oral and not written. These teachings of the Apostles were ones that became traditions or customs and were never questioned but gladly followed through.

3.The voluntary practice of referring questions to the elders in churches where the apostles had taught.

Revelation – Fact or Fiction

Satan realized it was best to try to destroy from within. For the first two centuries the beliefs of the early church remained intact. It wasn’t until the third century did the crumbling of these walls begin.

The Apostles of the New Testament age possessed the authority of the Lord.

They didn’t introduce anything new nor did they try to add to what had been taught to them. Tertullian stated that “in the Lord’s apostles we posses our authority. Even they did not of themselves choose to introduce anything [new], but they faithfully delivered to the nations (of mankind) the doctrine they had received from Christ. If, therefore, even ‘an angel from heaven should preach any other gospel,’ we would call him accursed…We therefore draw up this rule; Since the Lord Jesus Christ sent the apostles to preach, no others should be received as preachers [of original doctrine] than those whom Christ appointed…”

According to the early church there were no new revelations of God. What had already been spoken was it. The leaders of the early church were men of integrity and fought to keep the preservation of the New Testament re22

4.The independence of each congregation, making it difficult for any erroneous teachings to spread quickly through the church.

Constantine’s doctrinal debut

Constantine was a Roman general who became the ruler of the Western half of the Roman Empire in 312. He also issued the Edict of Milan in 313, which gave Christianity recognition by the state for the first time. His Counsel of Nicene that he convened caused more harm than good to the Christian faith. It began the shift of a relationship with Jesus Christ and living a lifestyle of faith to doctrine. Through this counsel elders and Bishops of the churches were called together in hopes of settling disputes of doctrinal beliefs that began as a result of blending together church and state. The following are examples of this counsel: 1.Dazzling the masses with glimmering

church buildings invites people in which means more can be converted.

ley other movements attempted to restore apostolic Christianity.

2.Marketing the cross. People claimed to see images of Jesus in objects. This resulted in a frenzy of people buying relics in hopes of owning a piece of something holy.

In closing I should mention that we as Christians, cannot say that our, and only our, beliefs and lifestyle are right and others are wrong. When we reflect back on early apostolic Christianity we find that there are skeletons in our own closet that need to be brought out and repented of. Should we throw away everything we’ve learned, move off to a desolate area with our family and adopt the ways of the early Christians?

Should we rebuke others because their opinion on salvation or baptism is different than ours? Certainly not! We should consider that perhaps it is our own belief system that might be misinterpreting what we’re reading. Matter of fact, the early Christians would have never caused a schism over a belief. Instead they respected the opinion of their elder. Who are we to judge?

Matthew 7:1, 2 tells us that the manner in which we judge we will be judged. We cannot dismiss what the Word of God says. It is what it is.

Which brings me back to the beginning of my story; what did the story of the man at the ATM machine have to do with this article? Everything…All through the centuries after the death of the Apostles, man has tried to change and re-write what Jesus taught.

The people of the congregation, was at the mercy of the elders and bishops to accept what they instructed them to do. When Constantine formed the

3.If you feed them, they will come.

4.Growth indicates the blessings of God. Those churches who refused to conform to the new church-wide creed would be banished into exile. Five churches refused to conform. No teaching except that which was introduced by the Nicene council would be tolerated. Eventually more and more creeds were established and the original apostolic teaching bid a temporary farewell.

Most Bible theologians can probably quote what happened in the trail that led to where we are today. From Martin Luther, to John Wesley there were major leaps to restore the early Christian beliefs of Christianity. However, history has a tendency to repeat itself and following the ways of early Christianity allowed for interpretation misunderstandings. The basic principles already defined seemed to have lost their meaning in a sea of interpretation.

It is interesting to note here that by the 1700’s the Church of England had re-

“...we as Christians, cannot say that our, and only our, beliefs and lifestyle are right and others are wrong” gressed into a lethargic church of the educated, the cultured, and the wealthy (sound familiar?). Finally it was Wesley who realized that a spiritual revolution begins on the inside of a person with the help of the Holy Spirit. He realize that a change on the inside of a person reflects on the outside…by his lifestyle. Thus began a revelation that turned England and America upside down. Finally a ministry was catching on to the early church and their understanding of a relationship with Jesus Christ and being empowered by the Holy Spirit. Following the years of Wes-

creeds that changed Christianity the people had to either accept it or be exiled from their country. I can hear the leaders now, out of fear for their jobs and their lives, to convince the people to ‘just say yes’. Press the yes button and get your withdrawal. Let’s get on with this so there will be no harm done.

Accept the ways of the world. Become one with the state and no harm will come to you. Just ‘accept it!’ It wasn’t until they became one with the world did the persecution stop. How did something so wrong become so right?

23

A better way to pray

by James Peter Jandu

Often when I take a peek at books on prayer I have to start chuckling when I read the weird and wonderful methods we invent to aid our praying and supposedly help God. We desperately need to re-examine our doctrines on prayer to realign them to the intentions and purposes outlined in the Scriptures. It is admirable that Christians today desire to pray. However, there needs to be a realignment and balance brought back to the teaching on prayer. I have learned that knowing how to pray is as paramount as the need to pray.

There are two prayers we cannot pray.

We cannot pray:

1. That God will do what He has already done.

2. That God will do what He told us to do.

Most prayers consist of these two elements.

When the disciples asked Jesus to teach them how to pray He responded by teaching them how not to pray. The way He told us not to pray is the way most Christians adopt.

The majority of Christendom is still stuck on the ‘good morning Jesus and good night Jesus’ prayer model. Once a mind has been fixed to pray according to this model, it can be extremely difficult to break free as there would be a need to relearn how to pray based on the New Covenant.

Extracts taken from new book releasing soon, ‘Prayer Scams’ by James Peter Jandu - www.jamespeterministries.com

‘Perfect’ pastor

found to be dead

By James Peter Jandu

www.jamespeterministries.com

“Has your preaching died? A true preacher can preach without notes, though the careful use of notes can be beneficial. A man called by God is able to hear God speak.

All true preaching is prophetic. Any fool can write notes and give a religious lecture. We need to hear what the Spirit is saying to His church” JPJ

The following was recorded in the press:

Dead Preaching The tragedy is this is a reality in many churches. The preaching from the pulpit is dead and some people don’t know the difference between preaching that produces like and preaching that results in death.

BOZEMAN, Mont. — An associate pastor and church sound man pulled a Weekend-AtBernie’s-style scheme, keeping their church’s senior pastor in the pulpit six weeks after his unexpected death.

“I thought he was going through a personal renewal which mellowed him,” says one member after learning that pastor Lenny Dillon had been dead since July.

Dillon, 57, died of a stroke while vacationing with his wife in Canada. She went along with the scheme because she couldn’t bear to let her husband go.

It “comforted me to see him preaching, even though I knew he was dead,” she says.

To the trio’s amazement, the church flourished. Rancorous disagreements stopped. People felt ministered to and cared for.

“He seemed so happy all of a sudden,” says one woman. “That peace spread through the congregation.”

Barry and Linda Cox attended several counseling sessions with the dead pastor and said it vastly improved their marriage.

How to recognize the preaching is dead: 1. People do not look forward to the preaching.

2. There is no flow and manifes-

“He was such a good listener,” she says.

Embalmed and dressed in a threepiece suit, Dillon was propped against the pulpit every Sunday. The associate stitched sermons together from past sermon tapes. The sound man turned down the lights. After service the associate and sound man helped Dillon shake hands in the foyer. They put sunglasses on Dillon and made up a story about botched laser eye surgery.

Though the ruse has ended, some people in the church want the corpse back.

“Best two months this church has ever had,” said one man.

(Source: Online Newsfeed)

24

tation of the Spirit. This does not mean there has to be hyper emotional preaching or dramatic activity. Simply put there should be a sense that God has just spoken to us.

3. The preacher is preaching to im-

press. If children cannot understand you then your preaching is over complicated.

4. The end is worse than the beginning.

Good preaching produces good testimonies.

5. The end is not nigh. Everyone is

watching the clock. The seconds feel like hours. The Word of God is quick and powerful, not slow and long winded.

The Lord is His Pastor Leading by Example

by Gary Kurz "No, I don't think you understand me Chief," explained Mike in pigeon English, a blend of English and local dialect. "I am trying to tell you about Jesus and how much he loves you and your people, but you are talking about some real person."

Almost as quickly as the words left his mouth, Mike quickly retracted them; "I don't mean that Jesus is not real, but that you are talking about someone who you met in person and you can't meet Jesus in person."

Mike's voice trailed off as he realized he had muffed it again. That wasn't what he wanted to say either. Of course Jesus is a real person. Of course you can meet him. He knew what he wanted to say, but this language barrier was proving to be more of a problem than he had anticipated.

Why had he volunteered to come here anyway? Surely the tribe could do without their missionary pastor while he was on a few months furlough. He and the other Bible College students thought they would be having fun in the field during summer vacation. Arguing with a tribal Chief who always gets his way was not his idea of fun.

But he was deep into it now. Focusing, he tried again. "My friend, I am trying to tell you about the one true God. He lives in a place up there," he said pointing upward, "and he hasn't been here in a long, long time. You simply could not have met him in person."

Obviously frustrated himself, the chief retorted in his own blend of English and local language "How God help me if no come village"? Before Mike could

his feet as he wondered what on earth this news could mean.

answer, the Chief added "Him live here many days. Him give food, teach people, heal sick. Him love my people. Him Lord".

"No, no Chief, you don't understand" Mike cried, "whoever you are talking about is not Jesus. Jesus left this world. He is not here. But he promised he will come back one day".

The Chief, with great enthusiasm responded "Ah yes, now you see Chief's point. Jesus come here. Him do all you say. Him leave like you say. But him promise to come back."

Exasperated, Mike said mockingly, "Okay chief, when? When will he come back?" Certain he had finally prevailed; Mike folded his arms and leaned back on his stool with a grin. But the Chief's response quickly erased the grin and almost caused Mike to fall off the stool; "two days Jesus come."

Not knowing how to respond, Mike decided to leave the conversation there and wait for two days to pass. "Then", he thought to himself, "the Chief will see I was right."

It was barely dawn when the young native shook Mike from sleep "Come, come; Chief say you come? Him say Jesus here." Half asleep and half numbed by the startling, unexpected news, Mike hurriedly dressed and ran as fast as his feet could take him to the main camp. His mind raced ahead of 25

As he came into the camp, he saw a large group of villagers crowded around the meeting arena. As he pushed his way past the outer ring of the crowd, he saw a tall man towering above the people. Several were patting him on the back. Others were hugging him in tears of joy.

Mike couldn't quite make out who the man was until he was almost upon him, but when he did finally recognize him, Mike stopped dead in his tracks.

There in front of him was the Missionary Pastor. Mike had forgotten that the Pastor's furlough was almost over and that this was the day he was to return.

Immediately, Mike understood. While he had been right, it was a hollow victory as the Chief's position had been more accurate and insightful. The Missionary Pastor had set such a perfect Christian example that the people had mistaken him for the very Savior he was telling them about.

He had so personified the attributes of Jesus in his service to the villagers that when he spoke about the Lord they could not make a distinction and naturally assumed he was speaking of himself. No doubt the Pastor would correct this misconception when the time was right.

Sometimes the only Jesus people will ever see is us.

About the Author Gary Kurz is a Baptist Preacher and Bible Teacher. He helps those grieving the loss of a pet to understand the Biblical evidence that proves they live on. His most popular book, "Cold Noses at the Pearly Gates" delivers hope and comfort to the reader in a very gentle, yet convincing way. Visit at http://www.coldnosesbook.com for more information, tips and gifts or write to Gary at petgate@aol.com.

Holy Convocation Restoration Assembly 1238 Center Point Pkwy Birmingham, Alabama

Headquarters: Birmingham, Alabama USA Email: apostlecfroberts@restorationassembly.org

PO. Box 611380 Birmingham, Alabama 35261

August 2nd - 4th 2012

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email: administration@iCof.net

Is your church a cult? Part One

Cultic Churches

By James Peter Jandu

www.jamespeterministries.com

“There's a difference between knowing the path, and walking the path” The Matrix

Just because a person is in front of you doesn't necessarily mean they're leading you.

They could be blocking you. Learn to discern!

Source Unknown

As the old saying nearly goes, if you like sausages or Christians, you shouldn’t watch either of them being made.

The methods used for the formation of Christians are well-known to primarily insiders only. Your ‘pleasant’ Christian neighbor is only being polite firstly because they want to convert you, secondly, to live up to standards set up to compete Christians against one another and thirdly, to ease their conscience. These methods are along the lines of Dale Carnegies book, “How to Win Friends and Influence People”. The book was geared to “Enable you to make friends quickly and easily”, “Increase your popularity” “Help you to win people to your way of thinking” and “Help you to arouse enthusiasm among your associates.” These robotically performed principles may work in a business setting (the book was written during the Great Depression) but they fail to work in Biblical spiritual context. There is something indefinable in the tone of these things which implies we can achieve success without God.

as you are” (Matthew 23:15) Christians are mass produced in cultic churches and shipped worldwide.

When the rubber hits the road there is an almighty collision of philosophies and it often appears that ‘non-Christians’ are more Christian than Christians. Here is what I would like to say to these churches: Your church could be full of spiritual germs. You may have become so ac-

often snub cults like JW's and Mormons while failing to realize that many of our leadership methods are identical to these cults, like two peas in a pod.

Pastors are often under immense pressure to 'build' a church like the ‘Joneses church’ and when they do not secure the cooperation of their congregation they instigate the use of control techniques to achieve 'their' goals. The main goal becomes to have a sizeable church that follows them as a leader without question. If we really scrutinize the motives of many Pastors and church leaders we would discover that though they love the Lord they are in reality incredibly controlling. This is not always their fault. The Church may have hurt them. Hurt people hurt people. There are many good Pastors who have learnt not to behave in such manner.

Pastors are often under immense pressure to 'build' a church like the ‘Joneses church’ and when they do not secure the cooperation of their congregation they instigate the use of control techniques to achieve 'their' goals.

Jesus explained it well: “Woe to you, teachers of the law and Pharisees, you hypocrites! You travel over land and sea to win a single convert, and when he becomes one, you make him twice as much a son of hell

customed to its methods, practices and ethos that you are blinded and your spiritual immune is not able to detect dangerous cultic behaviors. In other words strongholds have been built in your mind.

The results of my research into churches and their methods of operation shocked me when I discovered that many churches are very cultic in their behavior. They may have a genuine passion for the Kingdom of God, yet they are incredibly controlling. We 27

Churches need to become places of healing, restoration and where the Gospel of Grace is clearly proclaimed.

Our efforts to reach our communities are being paralyzed by our cultic behavior. There are many churches infested with spiritual bacteria. You better believe this.

In the next issue we will deal with part two – Fruits of a Cultic Pastor

Why Do Divisions Occur?

By James Peter Jandu

www.jamespeterministries.com

“And John answered Him saying, Master, we saw one casting out devils in your name, and he does not follow us, so we rebuked him. But Jesus said, “Don’t rebuke him. No one who does a miracle in my name can speak evil of me. The one that is not against us is on our side” (Mark 9:38-40)

J

ames has a clear answer for this.

He writes, “From whence come wars and fighting from among you?

Come they not hence, even of your lusts that war in your members? Ye lust, and have not: ye kill, and desire to have, and cannot obtain: ye fight and war...” (James 4:1-2).

because of minor differences in teachings. If Jesus Christ were here in the flesh which church would He visit? Who would He work with? We should work with and fellowship with people Jesus would. If the Spirit of God is evident in someone’s ministry pray, fellowship and work with them!

that there be no divisions among you.”

(I Cor. 1:10 see also verse 11, 12). This sounds like something that is not possible. This was just the desire of the apostle Paul and it referred to a unity in the Spirit and in the faith. It did not refer to us being part of the same ‘organization’ or ‘local church.’

Many Pastors are politicians not preachers. Seeking positions and building up their own kingdom is their main goal. They also worship their doctrines and ideas that differ from other churches.

Another major problem is when a leader attempts to ‘own’ Gods work.

These are political minded people who fight and kill just to try to keep hold of what ‘they’ have built up. The church belongs to Jesus Christ and He will build it (Matthew 16:18). He will decide who is in His church.

Many people have trouble accepting independent churches. It is not in the scope of this article to deal with the whole subject but subject can be summed up in a few words.

Personally

Often there is fear that if one church fellowship’s with another then there may be a possibility a member may leave one church and move to the other church. This should not be a problem. If a member does not want to be in a particular church then they should be free to leave. Surely you do not want members in your church who do not want to be there. It is better to have willing members in your church.

We often do not want to visit or fellow-

Has the kingdom of darkness used you to bring disunity in the Body of Christ? Personally I want to be used

by God to pro-

mote unity.

We may not agree on every point but we can agree on enough to fellowship and work together.

No Divisions

ship with a church

The desire of the Apostle Paul was that there be NO divisions. He writes, “Now I beseech you, brethren, by the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, that ye all speak the same thing and 28

some of the best preachers I have known of were Independent. Many people have a small, closed and traditional mind and they believe that to be part of an organization is the only way God works. However, God does not seem to agree with that idea as He uses many Independent churches and preachers in a mighty way.

Organizations (groups of local churches) can be a very good structure and God has used this to spread the gospel. However, many leaders in organizations have developed a ‘denominational spirit.’ This has led to many hindrances in the work of God. The doctrines the Bible teaches cannot be altered. However, in the church, it is possible that we are more critical in the way we deal with others than

God is. No two people will be of the same opinion on every single issue.

Paul and Barnabas disagreed sharply because they could not be in agreement on a co-worker for their intended missionary journey and so they separated, nevertheless both were used by God. Later on they were united again (Acts 15:36-39; II Tim. 4:11). Disagree-

purple when in Tom’s presence. But eventually he felt like he was compromising his faith in Jesus Christ by associating with his brother. One day, he told Tom that he would no longer fellowship with him because of the color of his clothes. The two brothers have not talked together since!

“Many Pastors are politicians not preachers.

Seeking positions and building up their own kingdom is their main goal. They also worship their doctrines and ideas that differ from other churches.” ments do occur, but let us differ and not become disagreeable and unpleasant.

Numerous ministers have been deserted by close friends, not for the reason that they have sinned, but because they have rebelled in opposition to unbiblical traditions. Despite the fact that that ministers motives were uncontaminated he is lied on, and rumors are spread about him unchecked. Ferocious tongues are let loose. It is said that the church is the only army that destroys its wounded. Consider the following illustrations: There were once two brothers, Jim and Tom, who grew up and became preachers of separate Spirit-filled churches.

Jim had a peculiar dislike for the colour purple because he felt God had re-

Does this sound ludicrous? God’s people wipe out relationships over things equally nonsensical. We argue about minor differences in doctrines and so many non-essential issues. We want to win arguments and be correct on every issue, showing everyone else to be wrong. However, God is true and everyman a liar. Jesus told the people that they “neglect the important matters of the law.” They were concentrating on small issues and had a complete book of ‘holiness’ rules and regulations that separated them from others, even other believers in the Torah!

“The Next Wave will seek true prophetic vision and move away the ministry of Jannes and Jambres who opposed Moses. This will turn the Church from spiritualism and soothsayers who have invaded the Bride in hordes under the guise of 'prophets' and self

The Next Wave will put less emphasis on titles, attire and bling choosing to focus their energies on relationship.

Denominations will continue to become less relevant” Dr. Bernie Wade

Let me close by sharing another story that illustrates my point: A Christian came across some devils relaxing under coconut trees drinking

“If a member does not want to be in a particular church then they should be free to leave. Surely you do not want members in your church who do not want to be there.” vealed to him that the colour purple was evil, since it was worn by the great whore of Revelation 17. he even refused to associate with people who wore purple. On the other hand, Tom was an aristocratic fellow who felt purple represented royalty; consequently, every outfit he wore had purple in it.

Since they were brothers, Jim made every effort to overlook his aversion to

Quotes

the juice from the coconuts with straws. They looked at peace with each other and content. The Christian asked them why they were lying down and not fighting against the Christians. One devil replied, “We don’t need to fight them, they are fighting and destroying each other!”

29

Dr. Bernie Wade is the President of the International Circle of Faith (ICOF) Global Network. A Global body of believers served by more than 40,000 ministers representing more than 11 million constituents. This is considered the largest Apostolic body of believers in the world.

“History testifies that God works amongst & through people who do not have all their beliefs in order. In fact, God is attracted to imperfection so His Spirit can guide into all truth.

Never think you have arrived and don’t be swift to dismiss others.”

James Peter Jandu

The Late Archbishop

Benson Idahosa (September 11, 1938 - March 12, 1998)

T. L. Osborn remarked on him as the greatest African ambassador of the apostolic Christian faith to the world.

B

cluding healing the blind, and raising up to twenty-eight people from the dead at different times in his ministry.

A claim made by Idahosa that he had raised eight people from the dead was dropped when challenged by the Advertising Standards Authority, who sought evidence that the individuals concerned had in fact been dead.

orn to non-Christian parents in a predominantly non-Christian community, he was rejected by his father, John, for being frail and sickly. He constantly had fainting spells as a child, and on one of his spells, his mother, Sarah, abandoned him at a rubbish heap presuming him dead. Hours later, he came to, and began wailing and was rescued by his mother. He grew up in a poor household. Like most of the surrounding houses, his family home was a mud house. This reality denied him access to education until he was fourteen years old, when he was able to attend a local government school As the first Pentecostal archbishop in Nigeria, he was renowned for his robust faith. T. L. Osborn remarked on him as the greatest African ambassador of the apostolic Christian faith to the world Early ministryAs a youth, he got converted to Christianity by Pastor Okpo, and joined his fledgling congregation as one of its first members. He was very active in proselytising and converting many to Christianity. After experiencing what he believed to be a revelation from God calling him into ministry, he began to conduct outreaches from village to village, before establishing his church in a store in Benin City.

By 1971, he had established churches all over Nigeria and Ghana. Known for his boldness, power and prosperitybased preaching, as well as an enormous faith in the supernatural, he was instrumental to the strong wave of revival in Christianity and marked conversions from animism that occurred between the 1970s and 1990s in Nige-

ria. He is regarded by Christians foes as the father of Pentecostalism in Nigeria, and was the founding President of the Pentecostal Fellowship of Nigeria (PFN).

Many prominent Nigerian pastors like Ayo Oritsejafor (Current PFN President), David Oyedepo, Felix Omobude, Fred Addo and Chris Oyakhilome were his proteges.

Ministry growth

The headquarters of his ministry, Faith Miracle Center, is a cathedral that seats up to 10,000 people. Church of God Mission has branches the world over, from Europe to Africa to Asia to America. With his main task being evangelism, he launched Idahosa World Outreach television ministry (IWO TV), which was a broadcast reaching a potential viewing audience of 50 million people.

He is reported to have been used by God in performing many miracles, in30

He was known for many notable quotes including "my God is not a poor God", "your attitude determines your altitude", "it is more risky, not to take a risk", "I am a possibilitarian", "A big head without a big brain is a big load to the neck","If your faith says yes, God cannot say no", amongst others. Many of his messages on faith, miracles and prosperity remain a classic among Pentecostals.

He had strong links with international gospel ministers like Billy Graham, T.L. Osborn, Kenneth Hagin, Benny Hinn, Reinhard Bonnke, Morris Cerullo, Oral Roberts, amongst others; and took the gospel to 145 nations in his lifetime. At the time of his death in 1998, he was reputed as having preached to more whites than any black man, and to more blacks than any white man.

His desire to meet the needs of the total man led him to establish several other arms of the ministry apart from the church. They include the Faith Mediplex, All Nations for Christ Bible Institute, Word of Faith Group of Schools and Benson Idahosa University which is currently under the leadership of his son, Rev. F.E.B. Idahosa. His wife, Margaret Idahosa is the current presiding bishop of the church.

Mercy, Mercy

By Lea Bates

Mat 9:10 “Now it happened, as Jesus sat at the table in the house, that behold, many tax collectors and sinners came and sat down with Him and His disciples. 11 And when the Pharisees saw it, they said to His disciples, "Why does your Teacher eat with tax collectors and sinners?" 12 When Jesus heard that, He said to them, "Those who are well have no need of a physician, but those who are sick.

13 But go and learn what this means: 'I DESIRE MERCY AND NOT SACRIFICE.' For I did not come to call the righteous, but sinners, to repentance."

J

esus had no problem sitting in the home of a man whom the people of his time considered to be bad people. Tax collectors then were like the thieves of their hard earned money.

And the company these tax collectors kept…well, they maintained an unworthy reputation. These are the ones that Jesus chose to ‘hang out’ with. Why? It’s because these people needed Him to show them a better way. They needed a Savior to rescue them from their corrupt lives. They needed mercy.

When visiting a local church recently I found it interesting how happy the people seemed and it appeared they fellowshipped well together. The worship was great and the preacher gave a good message on bringing out the welcome mat and inviting the ‘unchurched’ into our lives and being a witness to them. Notice I didn’t say ‘witness’ to them, but be a witness to them by the love of Jesus that lives within us. However, there was one thing I noticed that didn’t happen…not a single person came to offer the hand of fellowship to me. Not a ONE! Now I’m well matured in my faith and know not to be offended by this, and it seemed that the message taught by the pastor should have hit home with most of these saints. I visited this church twice and both times no one offered a friendly ‘hello’ or ‘welcome’.

There was such a sweet move of the Spirit at the end of the service and the Holy Spirit moved upon me to give a Word to the pastor. So upon leaving I

shared this Word with him which he received openly.

“I visited this church twice and both times no one offered a friendly ‘hello’ or ‘welcome’” Now I don’t want to lose the purpose of this message which is when we ‘hang out’ with like minded people all time what benefit is that to the Kingdom of God? Yes, we are to gather together for encouragement and teaching for the strengthening of our Spirit man. We are mostly called to be salt and light to this world. We are called to bring the Kingdom of God that is inside of us to the world. How can we do this when we only like to ‘hang out’ with those who agree with our beliefs? Where two or more are gathered together there He is in the midst. Why is this; because a greater power of the Holy Spirit is released. Is this for our benefit? Of course not! It’s so the power of God can be transfered to those whose faith is weak or may not know Him. Because after you are that witness…that salt and light…the power of the Holy Spirit 31

can do His job…Remember you may plant a seed, or you may water (with the Word), but God gives the increase.

This is not written to degrade or condemn Christians, but a little conviction is good for the soul. For, like Paul says, we should be living according to the Spirit, not according to the flesh. To quote a scripture given by the pastor at this church and my interpretation of his message, I’d like to share: Rev 22:17 And the Spirit and the bride say, "Come!" And let him who hears say, "Come!" And let him who thirsts come. Whoever desires, let him take the water of life freely.

Jesus never placed a restriction on the people of Israel who wanted to come and hear his message. Instead He said “come.” He didn’t tell them once they came and believed that they had to abide by specific rules and guidelines. He just said “come.” In order to heal the sick he had to be among them.

In order to bring the Kingdom of God to others we have to say “come.” In order to get the Word to them we have to say ”come”…and not just come…but WELCOME when they show up at the door of our church. It doesn’t stop there…we need to invite them into our lives and share the heart of our Father God with them.

“Yes, we’ve tried this before and it didn’t work.” Then why did you stop. Did you fast and pray for them? Jesus never gave up! Even hanging on the cross He managed to invite a sinner into the Kingdom with him. We have no excuse. When we are at our judgment day will He say “well done my good and faithful servant?” Or will we be cast into the lake of fire because we enjoyed the fellowship of our brother more than we enjoyed sharing that love with another seemingly less deserving?

I write this to tell you that true fasting is helping those less fortunate (Isa 58:611). The healthy don’t need a doctor…Those in prison do…those who are hungry, poor, and weary do (Mat 25). The longer we put off our great commission the harder the heart is to win over (for an offended person is harder to win than a strong city (Pro 18:19)).

One final note: Jesus offered mercy. His sacrifice on the cross was the ultimate act of mercy for our sins. The Old Testament offered acts of sacrifice that required effort through the works of man.

As they offered these sacrifices for their sin God showed them mercy. However, it was all though their works.

Jesus came offering a new way though repentance of our sins. He became the ultimate sacrifice, once and for all, so that we no longer needed to offer up a physical sacrifice. This was God’s ultimate act of mercy, to send His only Son. MERCY! We think by going to church on Sunday and giving our tithes is the sacrifice required to remain holy unto God…But where is the MERCY? Mat 9:13 But go and learn what this means: 'I DESIRE MERCY AND NOT SACRIFICE.' For I did not come to call the righteous, but sinners, to repentance."

Mercy is shown when we put out the welcome mat in our lives and in our church. When we show the love of God to those less fortunate and we become that light to them. Mercy!

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The Elijah Principle

By Dallas Carter

I

“God utilizes what I call the Elijah Principle with those He loves as His program for sustaining them and exalting them in due time.”

n 1 Kings 18 Elijah has a contest with the false prophets at Mt Carmel.

Elijah would call upon God and the false prophets would call upon Baal.

The God who answers by fire is the true God of Israel.

The deck is horrendously stacked against Elijah. He is outnumbered 850 to 1. The false prophets are given most of the day to do their thing. When it is Elijah's turn, God tells Elijah to further stack the deck against his own self.

Elijah drowns the sacrifice with water.

There is no possible way for Elijah to win this contest unless his God is God. God then answers powerfully.

What happened to Elijah is the pattern for the saints. There is an initial call to faith. After a ‘honeymoon’ season, the Lord will stack the deck against His own people for a season, so that He may be glorified through the victory of the saints. God uses the suffering and triumph of the saints to prove His mighty power to an unbelieving world. If you feel like the deck is royally stacked against you, then it may be that God is bestowing upon you the same love He has given the great saints of old.

We must through perseverance and tribulations enter the Kingdom of God. Enduring trials produces hope. Our assurance that hope is justified is that God loves us and has put His love into our hearts by the Holy Spirit. Because God loves and has enabled us to love, we can hope for God to manifest deliverance with an expectation that God will come through for us.

“Therefore, having been justified by

faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ, through whom also we have access by faith into this grace in which we stand, and rejoice in hope of the glory of God. And not only that, but we also glory in tribulations, knowing that tribulation produces perseverance, and perseverance, character; and character, hope. Now hope does not disappoint, because the love of God has been poured out in our hearts by the Holy Spirit who was given to us.” Romans 5:1-5

initial steps of faith towards the goal before the storm hits.

“My brethren, count it all joy when you fall into various trials, knowing that the testing of your faith produces patience.

But let patience have its perfect work, that you may be perfect and complete, lacking nothing.” James 1:2-4

3. The Victory

The reason that tribulations produce hope is that God pours His love into our hearts. Our assurance that God has poured His love into our heart is that He is treating us like the great saints.

When one studies the lives of the saints in the scriptures, a clear pattern commonly emerges as they walk towards victory. There are three stages as they fight the good fight of faith.

There is the initial move of faith followed by a season of trials in the wilderness. At the end of this season the child of God reaches the turning point where God brings the victory.

1. The Initial Call

The walk of faith begins when God reveals his vision to His child. Sometimes this call goes out in the midst of pre-existing trials. Other times it is immediately followed by trials. Usually there is a 'honeymoon ' period where there are 33

2. The Trial Season

The initial call is followed by trials, tribulations, opposition, and Satanic attacks. Sometimes this can last for years. Much of the history of the saints involves God's people waiting while enduring tribulations. These tribulations serve both a corrective purpose as well as the context through which God's power is demonstrated.

After the season of tribulation, there comes a turning point where God brings the victory. Below are several saints whose lives followed this pattern. There are several examples of these three stages in both the Scripture and in subsequent church history.

Joseph

Initial Call

God gave Joseph a dream that he would rule over his brothers.

Tribulation

Joseph was sold by his brothers into slavery and for 13 years became slave and prisoner in Egypt. His leadership experiences as a slave and prisoner prepared him to become Prime Minister of Egypt.

Victory

Joseph became Prime Minister when he both interpreted pharaoh’s dreams and gave wise counsel to pharaoh.

Moses

Initial Call

Moses saved from death in order to be Israel's deliverer. When Moses was a baby, his parents hid him for three months. When they could no longer hide him, they placed him in a basket.

He grew up in pharaoh’s house.

Because Saul was jealous of David, he pursued and sought to kill him. David lived for a number of years as a fugitive. During this time he softened his enemies and acquired skills that would benefit him as king.

Tribulation

Victory

Victory

Jesus Christ

After killing one of the pharaoh’s taskmasters, Moses fled into the wilderness and lived as a shepherd for 40 years.

God called him back to Egypt to deliver the Israelites. Through great signs and wonders performed by Moses, God delivered Israel from Egyptian bondage.

Ruth

Initial Call

Determined to follow Naomi, Ruth makes profession of faith in the God of Naomi. “ For wherever you go, I will go; And wherever you lodge, I will lodge; Your people shall be my people, And your God, my God. Where you die, I will die, And there will I be buried. The LORD do so to me, and more also, If anything but death parts you and me.” was Ruth’s good confession.

Tribulation

Ruth left her home land and heritage to live as a beggar in a strange land.

Naomi and Ruth arrive back in Israel at the end of a famine. The famine devastated the house of Naomi. She lost her husband and both her sons. The only thing Naomi had not lost was her daughter-in-law Ruth and her own life.

Ruth took care of Naomi by gleaning wheat in the fields of Boaz.

Victory

She married Boaz and become mother to both the Royal House of David and the Messiah.

David

Initial Call

Initial Call

Jesus Christ was chosen by God to be Savior of the world.

Tribulation

Jesus left the glory of heaven to be clothed in human flesh. He also suffered fierce opposition as He did mighty works of God. He eventually suffered an agonizing death on the cross.

Victory

His death on the cross conquered sin and Satan's power. He conquered death by Resurrection from the dead.

Early Church Initial Call

The Church was chosen to preach the gospel of Jesus Christ to the world.

Tribulation

Christians suffered tremendous persecution at the hands of Jews and the Roman government for 300 years.

Christianity is unique among the major world religions in that it was the only one to suffer multiple generations of

Tribulation

In 1384, Wycliffe was burned at the stake. His followers, the Lollards, were driven out of England. The Lollards went to Bohemia (now the Czech Republic) where they helped John Hus start a reformation in Bohemia. After Hus’ death, the Hussite wars were fought until 1431. The forces of Reformation won in Bohemia, but the remainder of Europe was still in bondage.

Victory

On October 31, 1517, Martin Luther nailed his Ninety-Five Thesis on the door of the church in Wittenberg. This caused a chain of events that led to a political paradigm shift. Those who revered the Bible as the infallible constitution of the faith and the written revelation of the gospel could now both be salt and light to the culture of the “West” and support a large, global missionary movement.

End Time Revival Initial Call

persecution in its developmental stage.

While charismatic empowerment of the Holy Spirit has been manifest throughout church history, at the start of the twentieth century, a large scale awakening began in the church to seek the baptism of the Holy Spirit. In 1906, God poured out His Spirit in a revival at Azusa Street. This revival jump started the largest move of the supernatural since the book of Acts.

Victory

Tribulation

“This storm must do its work in demolishing the old man-made structure so that the New Wave of God’s work, and the new ministries that it will produce, can emerge”

David was anointed as God's choice for king. He began his career by killing Goliath and performed exemplary duty as a warrior.

God gave David such great success as a warrior that the Israelites were saying ‘Saul has killed his thousands, and David his tens of thousands.” (1 Sam 18:6-8)

Tribulation

When Saul died the House of David became stronger while the House of Saul became weaker. Finally the elders of Israel crowned David King of Israel.

The Church that overcame Rome eventually fell into backsliding in the same manner that Israel had previously done. By the end of the medieval period, there was very little about what came to be called the Roman Catholic Church that bore any resemblance to Christ’s life and teachings. Human conventions had replaced the Scripture and the anointing of the Holy Spirit as the government of the church.

It was in this context that God raised up John Wycliffe to call the church back to Scripture. Wycliffe’s followers were called Lollards.

The growth and triumph of the Church displaced the pagan culture of Rome.

The Church in Reformation Initial Call

34

The main issue that has arisen against this move of God is the clash against the very thing that cooled down the first revival: the replacement of the rule of the Word and the Spirit with human institutions. This can take several

forms. It can be that of institutional authority rejecting or otherwise desiring to limit the flow of the charismata or the recognition of the apostolic and prophetic offices; it can also be self-appointed prophets who heed neither the correction of Scripture, the witness of the Lord’s, nor the witness of others who have the witness of God. They are like those lawless relativists, doing “whatever is right in their own eyes” rather than following the commands of the Lord (Deut 12:8).

Victory

In order for God’s church to shine in all of her glory, much of the existing manmade structures that frame the church must be tossed, and new structures instituted that more accurately mirror the New Testament church. The Lord Jesus instructs us that no one puts new wine into old wineskins or new cloth onto an old garment (Matthew 9:16-17, Mark 2:21-22, Luke 5:36-39). This is because the fermentation produced by the new wine will destroy the old wineskin and shrinkage of the new cloth will tear it from the old. Jesus is not thinking primarily about wine or textiles when He said this. He is saying that the old religious structures cannot contain the new work of God. Just as Elijah stacked the deck against himself and put both the Lord and Baal to the test at God’s command, so God will stack the deck against the church.

He gives her supernatural power to endure persecution and trial; when the time comes for a showdown between the church and the hostile cultural forces, He gives her the victory. In Jesus’ parable of the two houses, one built on sand and the other built upon the rock, it was the storm that revealed the house that was built upon the rock. A great social, political, and economic storm is coming. In fact, it has already begun.

This storm must do its work in demolishing the old man-made structure so that the New Wave of God’s work, and the new ministries that it will produce, can emerge.

Quotes

Authors Unknown

“Give me a candle and a Bible, and shut me up in a dark dungeon, and I will tell you what the whole world is doing” "For adult education nothing beats children" "A man should be like tea; his real strength appearing when he gets in hot water” "Some people will believe anything if it's whispered to them."

"To a friend's house, the road is never long."

"There is no pillow so soft as a clear conscience."

"GRACE-------God's Riches At Christ's Expense."

"You have become a mature person when keeping a secret gives you more satisfaction than passing it along."

"It often shows a fine command of language to say nothing."

"The devil comes where the money is; where it is not he comes twice."

"The atheist can't find God for the same reason that a thief can't find a police officer."

"How to trap an atheist: Serve him a fine meal, then ask him if he believes there is a cook."

"He came to pay a debt He did not owe, because we owed a debt we could not pay."

“If the call of God is on your life but you feel marginalized by church as usual - hang in there. The conditions are ripe; the Lord will soon raise you up, if you do not give up” 35

TL & DAISY OSBORN

www.osborn.org

Pioneers in Global Mass Evangelism with Signs & Wonders

T.L. and Daisy Osborn has made an unprecedented impact on the world.

Together with their daughter Dr. LaDonna Osborn, they have probably reached and led more unreached souls to Christ, and may have witnessed more great healing miracles, that any other family in history.

A

fter giving his life to Christ when 12 years of age, Tommy Lee Osborn (known as TL) dedicated his life to helping people find Jesus. At 17, he met his future wife, Daisy, and knew that this was the lady he was going to share his life with. After marrying at 19, he and Daisy moved to Portland, Oregon, to establish a new church and shortly afterwards, enthused by Christ's commission to the disciples to "go into all the world, and preach the gospel to every creature", they went to India as missionaries. Little did they know that this trip was to be a major turning point in their lives.

Missions failure in India

Their time in India was discouraging and they returned a year later to the

USA feeling that they had failed. Subsequently, they acknowledged that they were unprepared to cope with ancient religions and had not understood Christ's miracle power.

The Hindus politely accepted Christ as another good god to worship, but it did not make an impact on their lives as there was no supernatural confirmation of the preaching. The Muslims loved the teachings of Jesus and admired Him as a prophet and teacher, but challenged TL's authority for claiming that Jesus Christ is God's Son or that God had raised Him from the dead. Without any way of proving these crucial facts, TL and Daisy returned home, in agony of heart but determined to find an answer to their 36

dilemma.

Healings and Miracles - the Gospel Key Back in Portland, Oregon, TL and Daisy attended a gospel campaign where they witnessed not only hundreds coming to Christ, but also for the first time, amazing instantaneous healing miracles. This was the proof they had been

Their time in India was discouraging and they returned a year later to the USA feeling that they had failed.

looking for and they remembered Jesus' response to the Jewish leaders who asked if He was the Christ, "the works [or miracles] that I do in the Father's name bear witness of me" (John 10:24). They became convinced that healing and miracles would provide the key to taking the gospel to "the heathen masses everywhere dying without Christ".

of Lucknow, TL and Daisy got their chance to fulfil their dream and return to the Hindus and Muslims in India, but this time with the miracle power of the

indigenous churches as a follow up to his massive crusades. In 1958, he began a programme of "co-evangelism", essentially supporting native evangelists who used his films and distributed his literature. Typically, he supported a native missionary for only one year, training him or her to build self-supporting congregations, as wells as supplying vans, loudspeakers and other equipment. The Osborns reported in 1971 that these missionaries carried the gospel into nearly fifty thousand villages and areas, and that over 400 churches were planted per year. In 1992, the Osborns estimated that they had trained and supported more than 30,000 indigenous preachers.

They became convinced that healing and miracles would provide the key to taking the gospel to "the heathen masses everywhere dying without Christ

Not having the money to return to India, they were invited to the island of Jamaica where during 13 weeks of ministry, thousands of blind, deaf and crippled people were miracuously healed and over 9000 people received Jesus Christ as Saviour. Encouraged by other evangelists and by Pentecostal denominational

gospel. Sixty thousand people attended the crusade, and TL proclaimed to the

masses that Jesus is the Son of God, raised from the dead. A young, agnostic student on the edge of the crowd, who was a fanatical member of a religious political party that had vowed to drive Christianity from India, suddenly fell to the ground weeping. As TL preached about Jesus, the Lord appeared right in front of this arrogant student, who declared to the multitude present that what TL was preaching was the truth. Thousands received Christ and hundreds of blind, lepers, deaf mutes, cripples and diseased were healed.

As TL preached about Jesus, the Lord appeared right in front of this arrogant student, who declared to the multitude present that what TL was preaching was the truth. Thousands received Christ and hundreds of blind, lepers, deaf mutes, cripples and diseased were healed. leaders, TL conducted a series of impressive crusades around the world and thousands of healings and miracles were reported.

Eventually, 14 years after their unsuccessful visit to the Indian university city

Indigenous Church Planting

Convinced that the natives would be the best missionaries ('...they speak the language, they don't need a furlough, they don't need food, they don't get sick'), in 1953, TL formed the Association for Native Evangelism to encourage the establishment of 37

The Osborns continued to take the power of God's word to all nations throughout the following decades. As they preached and taught, God confirmed the word with signs following.

Their books and tracts have been published in 132 languages, while their famous docu-miracle crusade films, videos and audio cassettes have been translated into 67 languages and distributed throughout the world. Several of TL's books have become textbooks in Bible schools around the world.

After Daisy's death in 1995, TL was devastated by the loss of his wife and co-worker of almost 54 years. However, now in his 80's, TL continuesto travel the worldorganising evangelistic crusades andtraining pastors.Having evangelised in 'non-Christian' nations for more than half a centuryit is no wonder that the Osborns are said to have preached to more people, and witnessed more healing miracles, than any other couple in history!

Sources:

The Century of the Holy Spirit, 100 Years of Pentecostal and Charismatic Renewal, 19012001, Vinson Synan, pgs. 332-333 www.michreidministries.org

False Profits of God: Overturning the Moneychangers’ Table

By Jack Wellman

R

arely do I get angry, but even Jesus got angry once when He overturned the moneychangers table in the Temple. There are still modern day moneychangers, and they use God to rake in multiple millions of dollars. “Call in today and you will receive a ten-fold miracle on your offering…today, if you sow a thousand dollar seed, you can expect a financial miracle. If you don’t sow this seed, then you don’t have faith in God, and you are not trusting in God.” Their “Camp Meetings” are nothing more than fundraisers. They spend over 90% of their time on the programs begging money from viewers. [They] sell “blessed handkerchiefs”, begs for your money, and makes God out to be a quid pro quo God. How can giving to get match what Paul says about giving; to give with a cheerful heart (2 Cor.9:7) and that we should give according to, our faith? No! According “to what each man has decided in his heart” and not “under compulsion”. But many TV evangelists, not all certainly, are compelling you to give “seeds of faith” in order that you would receive.

This is not “out of a cheerful heart, but a quid pro quo in relation to the giver and God. God does not bless us if we are giving to get.

promises of favor from God. But if you mix error with truth, like a few drops of poison in spring water, it renders it a deadly concoction. These are gospels all right, false gospels.

You will never, ever hear them read Proverbs 30:8, which says, "Give me neither poverty nor riches, but give me

their wake, they leave shattered lives of widows, the poor, desperate, and those who are on their last straw. They leave them destitute, angry and bitter at God for not fulfilling His part of the promise.

Paul was very angry at them and exposed them in Titus 1:11, telling Titus of those, "Whose mouths must be stopped, who subvert whole houses, teaching things which they ought not, for filthy lucre's sake." Filthy lucre is another way of saying dirty money. He insisted that these are those "whose mouths must be stopped”. The "prosperity or health and wealth gospels" contradict the very Word of God. Satan himself can appear as an angel of light and even 1% of error negates the integrity of the entire message.

They may quote scripture, and appear to be firmly grounded theologically and biblically, to the basic principles and articles of faith in the Word of God, and the Holy Bible, but the devil likes to mix error with truth, as during Jesus 40 days in the wilderness during His temptation.

“The truth is that a lot of TV evangelists care more about raking in the money than they do about their viewers salvation”

TV evangelists have promised financial breakthroughs and miracles from God, but they depended upon the viewer sending in their “seeds of faith“. He preaches some doctrinal truth, but mixes it with promises that he cannot deliver. He brokers your money for

only my daily bread“. Otherwise, I might have too much and disown you and say 'Who is the Lord?'". Ecclesiastes 5:13 says, “I have seen a grievous evil under the sun: wealth hoarded to the harm of its owner.”

Promising riches is not how God works.

The Apostle Paul talked about those who preach the Gospel for money. In 38

The truth is that a lot of TV evangelists care more about raking in the money than they do about their viewers salvation. Few things make me mad.

Anyone that knows me knows that I don’t often get angry, but I am indignant over the abuse of Christian’s generosity. He is taking advantage of so many people in their desperate hope of getting out of debt, with promises he can’t deliver, telling people they can get their homes paid off or out of mortgage. It is nothing less than stealing the widow’s mite, robbing hope, and making God out to be a quid pro quo God.

Making Sense of

Marriage and Divorce

by Lucas Miles www.oasnet.org

Let me start by stating that in writing this I am not trying to create a law for our church, and neither am I trying to state an opposing argument to the teachings of others on the subject. Instead, I’m responding to a need.

D

ivorce is epidemic. I’ve heard statistics of anywhere between 35 to 50% of marriages end in divorce (though the exact figure is actually harder to calculate than one might think.) In addition, this article is not intended to bring condemnation on you, regardless of your past decisions or the situation with which you are currently in. Paul states in 1 Corinthians 7:17 that “each one should retain the place in life that the Lord assigned to him and to which God has called him.” This means that you shouldn’t abandon your marriage or change your status simply because of new information. Instead, keep seeking the Lord and make the best of your situation. The grace of God is sufficient for your circumstance.

With that being said, my audience is specifically Christians considering divorce, Christians who have gone through a divorce in the past, and believers that are considering entering into a relationship with another believer who was divorced in the past. I want to encourage you to read and stay with the article all the way through, I truly believe that the Word is good news for the hurting.

TO THE DIVORCED AND THOSE CONSIDERING DIVORCE

In Malachi 2:16, God clearly says, “I hate divorce.” I think this is important to point out right from the beginning.

God is not for divorce. It isn’t the best option. If you are considering divorce, I believe that you should do whatever you can to reconcile your marriage.

Most at this point say, “I’ve tried that and it didn’t work!” Perhaps you won’t like what I have to say next. There are circumstances where scripture permits divorce, which we’ll discuss shortly, but never does scripture permit divorce for the following reasons.

1.) Because you aren’t happy. It isn’t

the job of your spouse to make you happy. Happiness is a choice; even in prison, Paul was able to operate in the joy of the Lord. Seek out pastoral help to gain insight and principles in order to positively affect your marriage and restore joy in your relationship.

2.) Because you fell in love with some-

one else. According to scripture, this is called adultery and it’s one of the greatest enemies to marriage. Every single one of us has to confront evil desires that try to draw us away from our mate. James admonishes us to “resist the devil, and he will flee from you.”

(4:7) Proverbs 27:20 states, “Death and Destruction are never satisfied, and neither are the eyes of man.” If you just allow yourself to follow every single feeling or attraction that you have, you’ll always be blown around like the wind. If you leave this relationship, because you “fell out of love”, you’ll leave the next one the same way.

Love is a choice and marriage is a commitment to choose to love your spouse, even when it’s hard.

3.) Because it’s challenging or difficult.

People seem to have this misconception that the problems in their marriage 39

are the result of being with the wrong person. This isn’t the case, regardless of God’s will, that person became the right person the moment you said, “I do”. Our difficulties stem from our self centeredness. Proverbs 13:10 in the KJV states that “only by pride cometh contention.” This means that pride is the cause of the contention and strife in your relationship. This shouldn’t condemn you; instead this understanding should encourage you and equip you with the power that you need to end strive forever in your marriage. Get it at the root, partner with your spouse to end self centeredness in both of you.

(If this does offend you, it is probably a good indication of where the source of the pride is coming from.)

4.) When your spouse wants to stay

married to you. This is assuming that your spouse isn’t or wasn’t unfaithful and that they aren’t potentially harmful to you physically. 1 Corinthians 7:12-13 says, “If any brother has a wife who is not a believer and she is willing to live with him, he must not divorce her.

And if a woman has a husband who is not a believer and he is willing to live

with her, she must not divorce him.”

If your mate, even if they aren’t a believer, is willing to work with you and live with you, you shouldn’t leave them or divorce them. Obviously there are cases when the situation is unsafe due to substance abuse or violent abusive tendencies. In these situations, it might be necessary to separate for the sake of safety, but still I believe God’s best would be to pursue your mate’s emotional well-being and to seek reconciliation and healing. Divorce in these situations should be an absolute last resort. Under the Old Covenant, in Deuteronomy 24:1-4, the law gives instructions on divorce and remarriage.

It says, “If a man marries a woman who becomes displeasing to him because he finds something indecent about her, and he writes her a certificate of divorce, gives it to her and sends her from his house, and if after she leaves his house she becomes the wife of another man, and her second husband dislikes her and writes her a certificate of divorce, gives it to her and sends her from his house, or if he dies, then her first husband, who divorced her, is not allowed to marry her again after she has been defiled.” Jesus added to this in Matthew 19:8, “Moses permitted you to divorce your wives because your hearts were hard. But it was not this way from the beginning. I tell you that anyone who divorces his wife, except for marital unfaithfulness, and marries another woman commits adultery.”

Jesus’ teaching was so strong on this topic that it caused his disciples to say (in verse 10), “If this is the situation between a husband and wife, it is better not to marry.” Jesus’ disciples thought if the rules are this tough, it’s better to never get married!

Regarding this, John MacArthur states, “The rabbis had taken these laws and broadened them to permit divorce for virtually any reason. Under the rabbinical laws, if a wife displeased her husband in any way, he was entitled to divorce her. Jesus stated that this was never the purpose of Moses’ Law. In fact, Jesus teaching on divorce was given specifically to refute the rabbinical loopholes.” Jesus strategically used the law to expose the sinfulness of the self-righteous Jews of his day. As

Paul says, in 1st Timothy 1:8-9, “We know that the law is good if one uses it properly. We also know that law is made not for the righteous but for lawbreakers and rebels…” Jesus took the Law to the extreme and used it to expose those that were trying to use the Mosaic Law to promote their own selfishness and agenda. The teaching of Jesus stopped them in their tracks.

Paul later clarifies the doctrine of the church regarding marriage and divorce in 1St Corinthians 7:10, “To the married I give this command (not I, but the Lord): A wife must not separate from her husband. But if she does, she must remain unmarried or else be reconciled to her husband. And a husband must not divorce his wife.” Some might be surprised to find that the commands for marriage and divorce are actually stricter under the New Covenant, but at the same time, grace abounds. Paul essentially states that divorce isn’t permissible (except for marital unfaithfulness), but that if you DO get a divorce, you should remain unmarried. In this passage, God speaks against divorce and then in the same breathe speaks love and hope for those that find themselves caught in the wake of it. But it’s only when combined with 7:8-9 that we see the

sion. It is so hard to make blanket statements about this though, because situations do vary considerably. Even in writing this, I’m well aware that someone might try to twist certain liberties or permissions to their favour to do what they want to do. At the end of the day, I can’t be responsible for that.

My intention is to speak to those that are trying to do the right thing, to follow God’s word, and to break free from the guilt and condemnation associated with their past. If you are married and considering divorce, seek solid biblical counsel. Remember, it took time and effort to create the hurts in your relationship and in the same way, it’ll take time and effort to bring healing and to regain intimacy. Don’t give up early, don’t rush the process. Give it time and healing will come. God is faithful!

DIVORCE AND REMARRIAGE

First off, if you haven’t yet, read the section above, as I believe it will give some biblical insight into the nature of divorce and God’s perspective on the issue. Beyond this, it’s important to note that divorce typically (almost always) is the result of two people’s shortcomings and failings and not just one party. At times, when one party has an affair or files for divorce first, they typically are seen as the “bad guy” (or girl). But in divorce, everyone loses, and no one leaves unscathed.

And really no one really knows what goes on inside of a relationship between two people and we need to be careful of making quick judgment calls as to fault, etc. As the saying goes, it does take two to tango. Often times one’s behaviour is simply a response to the others behaviour. You treated me like this, therefore, I’ll do this and so on it goes. As marriage counsellor Emerson Eggerich calls it, they enter the “crazy cycle”, spiralling downward until someone eventually can’t take it anymore and the relationship is inevitably dissolved. We need to be honest with ourselves and with those that you are in relationship. If you’re divorced, it’s okay to take ownership of your short comings and your mistakes in the relationships. You’re human – and we all make mistakes. Some mistakes have greater impact and consequences in our lives, but as Romans tells us, “all

“Some of you might ask, so where is God’s grace in all of this? Obviously, as with anything, it is ever present and is sufficient towards us in all ways!” full picture of this grace. The King James Version puts it this way, “I say therefore to the unmarried and widows, It is good for them if they abide even as I. But if they cannot contain, let them marry: for it is better to marry than to burn.” Paul says that if you’re unmarried or a widow, that it’s best to remain that way, but if you cannot, it is much better to marry than to be bogged down by feelings of lust, loneliness, and dissatisfaction. The word for “unmarried” in the Greek, means simply that – unmarried. It’s different than the word for a virgin, and doesn’t seem to take into account the person’s history or past. Essentially, Paul is stating that regardless of your past, it is better to marry, than burn with lust and pas40

have sinned and fallen short of the glory of God.” Take ownership and learn from the mistakes of your past.

In fact, simply blaming the entirety of your divorce on your ex does little to help your new husband or wife. They would be much better off knowing realistically what caused the problems in the relationship. If they really love you, they’ll want to understand and work with you through these struggles or past tendencies. Except in extreme cases, there are most likely things that both parties could have done differently to salvage the relationship. The exception would be in extremely abusive relationships, either physically or emotionally, where one party is being victimized. As tragic as these situations are, many of them (note not all) could have been avoided all together, by not rushing into a relationship without taking time to really know the other person and their past. In no way though does this excuse the abusive person from their behaviour, but should serve as a warning as to the danger of rushing into relationships or just naively assuming that “once we get married they’ll change”. In entering marriage, you should assume that the person will never change and in fact, their problems are likely to get worse.

After all, while dating we are on our best behaviour. Often times, I’m asked if as a Christian, it’s okay to marry someone who has been divorced, (Earlier I dealt with if it’s okay as a divorce Christian to get remarried which in some ways is the same answer.) Paul writes in 1 Corinthians 7:10 (NIV), “To the married I give this command (not I, but the Lord): A wife must not separate from her husband. But if she does, she must remain unmarried or else be reconciled from her husband. And a husband must not divorce his wife.” For obvious reasons this teaching isn’t very popular. Paul starts off in this passage and tells the church, as a charge from God, that husband and wives should not separate from

each other. This is God’s best. Marriage is supposed to be a picture of God’s love towards us. He never leaves us nor forsakes us. Unfortunately, in today’s world, many have ignored this charge or been unable to live under it.

But Paul (and the Lord) anticipates this, and states, “But if she does”. And then he goes on to give instruction that if someone does divorce, that she must remain unmarried or else be reconciled to her husband. I personally think that it’s important to point out that these instructions were given to Christians within the church. Personally, I believe that if divorce or remarriage happened prior to a person coming to Christ, then Paul’s instruction aren’t applicable. It is also important to note that Paul was not writing to the person whose spouse divorced them, but rather to the Christian person who filed for divorce and decided to leave. If they are leaving for reasons other than physical abuse or marital unfaithfulness, then they should remain unmarried. Marriage should be treated with the highest level of respect and not abandoned lightly.

This charge should make someone considering leaving their marriage for superficial reasons think twice and should be a motivation to try to make it work. Unfortunately, many ignore this and leave anyway.

Throughout scripture, marriage is used as the closet analogy of Christ’s relationship with the church. Scripture tells us that even when we are unfaithful, that He will remain faithful to us. We would do well to learn from Christ as to how to love our spouse and have a successful marriage.

God’s Grace in Marriage and Divorce

Some of you might ask, so where is God’s grace in all of this? Obviously, as with anything, it is ever present and is sufficient towards us in all ways! First off, if this is the first time you’ve heard any of this teaching or you’ve recently became a Christian, or you’ve been di-

vorced before and are now remarried, engaged to be married, or are wanting to get remarried someday, I don’t believe Paul’s words are meant to condemn you or to restrict you from enjoying your life as a Christian. Beyond all of this, the Bible teaches that “where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is freedom.” Are you divorced and later became remarried? Stay as you are, there is grace for you. Did your spouse divorce you? You are free to remarry.

Paul writes in 1 Corinthians 7:15, “A believing man or woman is not bound in such circumstance.” As a Christian, did you divorce your spouse for reasons other than abuse or their unfaithfulness? Repent and realize your mistake, God’s grace is sufficient for you.

The best case scenario would be to restore your failed marriage (assuming they haven’t yet remarried). If you divorced your spouse prior to becoming a Christian, you are not bound to your previous life, God’s grace is sufficient for you. You are free to marry. Are you considering marrying someone who is divorced? If, as a Christian, they divorced their spouse for reasons other than what scripture provides, how do you know that they will not do the same to you? This is not a situation to enter into lightly. Seek the Lord for wisdom in what you should do. As I think about this, really the only person who might be offended by this teaching is the believer who is currently thinking of divorcing their spouse for ungodly reasons. And for that, should you not be offended? If that is you, repent, change your heart and seek counsel on how to restore your marriage. But if you do get divorced, I tell you the same as Paul states, you are not to get remarried; for you are making that choice now with full knowledge and with rebellion towards the truth. As James reminds us in 4:6, “But he gives us more grace. That is why scripture says: “God opposes the proud but gives grace to the humble.”

Lucas Miles is a sought after writer, speaker, consultant, and pastor. He has traveled to over 16 countries ministering the message of God’s goodness with people all around the world. He currently resides as the President of the Oasis Network For Churches, a radical grace based church planting and resourcing organization, as well serves as the Senior Pastor of Oasis Granger, which he

and his wife, Krissy, planted in 2004. He is also a monthly contributor for Family Magazine of Michiana, sharing with readers about issues of marriage and personal relationships. Lucas is the Founder of the North American Grace Association. He commonly shares on TV, in churches, universities, and conferences throughout the United States and abroad. Lucas has been featured on The Harvest Show, Encounter with Peter Youngren, Impact TV with Dr. Jim Richards, The James Peter Show, Pulse 96.9FM, Searching for Grace with Mick Mooney, and 100 Huntley Street. He lives with his wife, Krissy, of 10 years, in Granger, IN. Together, they share a passion to take the message of Jesus Christ to the world.

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Religitics Iraqi Christians ‘living in fear’ It’s been more than a year since an attack on a church in Baghdad left 58 Christians dead, but Christians in the Iraqi capital still fear for their lives, says one church leader.

Fr Amir Jaje, Superior of the Dominican Order in Baghdad, told Aid to the Church in Need: “Living in Iraq means living in fear.

There’s no feeling safe and during the last two or three weeks the situation has got worse, because of tensions among political parties.”

Despite police protection outside churches, congregations still feel anxious and fear infiltration by extremists, he says.

Extremists were behind the horrific attack on Our Lady of Salvation church in Baghdad in October last year. The 58 victims included Fr Jaje’s cousin, Fr Wasim Sabieh.

A Mass was held to mark the one year anniversary of the attack and although members of the congregation came to

pay their respects, they were fearful that something might happen.

“And I believe we will not lose this hope.”

"They were scared because every time there’s political tension, the extremists exploit it to cause violence and spread their message," he said.

Such is the degree of uncertainty that many people are choosing to leave Iraq rather than staying to see what happens.

Iraq faces an uncertain time as US troops prepare to withdraw completely from the country by December 31, turning over peacekeeping responsibilities to Iraqi security forces.

“The next five or six years are going to be crucial to determine if Christians will stay in the country,” he said.

Despite the need for stability, political parties have long been at odds over who should head the government.

A new national security body was sup-

posed to help heal the bitter rivalry between supporters of Nouri al-Maliki and rival Ayad Allawi’s Iraqiya bloc but it failed to get off the ground.

Now there are concerns that the political stalemate will tip Iraq towards civil war.

Fr Jaje warned that in times of political uncertainty, minorities “suffer the worst consequences”.

Many of those who already left headed to Europe, the USA, or neighbouring countries like Syria and Lebanon.

Some moved to northern Iraq, which has been relatively safer for Iraqi Christians. However many of them have returned, says Fr Jaje, because they cannot find work or adjust to the Kurdish language.

Estimates vary, but it is believed that the number of Christians living in Iraq has fallen from around 1.5 million prior to the 2003 US-led invasion to less than 500,000 today.

Fr Jaje’s order has set up a fund to support families in financial difficulty and there are plans to launch projects to help people find work and a place to live.

“If people can barely survive, how can we ask them to stay in Iraq?” he said.

Article by Christian Today

Despite the fear and uncertainty, Fr Jaje said Christians in Iraq had not fallen into despair.

“Our hope is like a small candle still burning in a dark tunnel,” he said.

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Send comments and suggestions to:

Email:nextwave@icof.net

Persecution Watch forcible conversions. The activists informed the Harehally police station.

Pastor beaten up, forced to stop worship by villagers in Raipur, Chhattisgarh A mob of about 200 Hindu radicals disrupted a worship service and attacked Pastor Naresh Sahu on November 6th at about 11 am in Parsada village, Raipur, Chhattisgarh.

As per reports received from Rev. Akhilesh Edgar EFI assistant Sectary Coordinator, while the Sunday worship service was being conducted, a large group of Hindu fundamentalist gathered in front of the house of pastor Sahu and forcibly stopped the worship service. The miscreants verbally abused the pastor and later dragged him out of his house and beat him up brutally.

The mob then tore the Bibles, destroyed all the church materials and threw it into a nearby pond.

EFI spoke to Inspector Anup, Police incharge of Abhanpur Police Station who informed us that the pastor was sent to Abhanpur Hospital for treatment by the police officials and a complaint has been filed by both the parties. Pastor Naresh filed complaint against Komal Sahu, Dinesh Sahu, Laltu Sahu, Manglu Nisad, Nathu Nisad and Hira Sahu.

Later, Pastor Naresh met the former Chief Minister of Chhattisgarh Shri Ajit Jogi and submitted a letter stating all the happenings.

However, with the intervention of Shri Ajit Jogi, police went to the village and issued a notice to both the parties to resolve the rising dispute.

5 Pastors Arrested in Pandariya town, Kawardha in Chhattisgarh

Three pastors belonging to the Grace Church of God Welfare Society along with two missionaries were falsely accused of forcible conversion and were arrested by the Kukdhur police on November 22nd in Pandariya town, Kawardha in Chhattisgarh.

Mr. T. Daniel, founder and Secretary of Grace Church of God Welfare Society, told EFI that a mob of around 25 Hindu radicals led by one Raghu Pathak along

The sub-inspector of police Mr.Venkatesh and other officers arrived and took the believers along with the 4 year old child to the police station for questioning. Police charged the Christians with deliberate acts intended to insult religious feelings under section 295-A of the Indian Penal Code.

After detaining the innocent Christians overnight, they were produced before the Magistrate on Sunday. with the Block officer Uttam Singh reached the venue at about 6 pm where the worship service was about to be conducted.

The fundamentalist disrupted the service and accused the pastor Jivan Tigga (57), Leku Sahu and Madhav and missionaries Santosh and Itwari Lal of forcible conversions.

Later, the police came at the venue and arrested the pastors under section 295A of the Indian Penal Code (IPC).

Presently, the pastors have been released on bail.

5 Christians and a child arrested and detained in Hassan, Karnataka

On November 12, five Christians along with a 4 year old child were detained in the in Belur , Krishnarajnagar , Karnataka.

The incident occurred on Saturday at about 2 pm when sister Mani, along with Ms. Gangamma, Ms. Padmavathy and her 4 year old child, Mr. Raju and Mr. Varun Chakravarthy went to Belur to attend a prayer meeting.

After the prayer meeting, they were returning to Krishnarajnagar and were waiting for the Bus at the Belur Bus Stand. Suddenly, a group of around 10 Bajrang Dal activists stopped the Christians and started asking them questions and assaulted Raju and Varun and alleged them to be involved in 44

The Sub Inspector informed EFI that Ms. Mani, Ms. Gangamma and Padmavathy, who was with her 4-year-old child, were released on bail the following day. Later, Raju and Varun have been sent to Hassan Jail and were released on bail on November 16.

AN APPEAL TO WRITE TO AUTHORITIES

As concerned people, kindly write to the Chief Minister of Chhattisgarh and Karnataka appealing to her to safe guard the rights of the minority communities and to give protection to churches against attacks and to take immediate action against the perpetrators of violence.

Shri D V Sadananda Gowda

Chief Minister of Karnataka Email: cm@kar.nic.in (O) Tel: (080) 22253414 ; 22253424 (O) Fax: (080) 22353115

Dr. Raman Singh

Chief Minister of Chhattisgarh Chief Minister Niwas, Raipur Email: cm@cg.nic.in (O) Tel: (0771) 2221000 ; 2221001 ; 2331001 (O) Fax: (0771) 2221306 (R) Tel: (0771) 233100

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As a safety precaution we advise that you do not mention ICOF or The Next Wave should you decide to make contact with above authorities.

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nt Special Eve

Restoration Assembly March 8th -10th 2012 Birmingham Alabama Host: Apostle C. Filesa RobertsBarber WWW.RESTORATIONASSEMBLY.ORG

ICOF US SYNOD MID ATLANTIC REGIONAL Historic Fredricksburg, VA July 13th - 14th 2012 Host: Bishop-Elect Shawn Davies

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Prayer Meeting

ICOF US SYNOD

Pastor Rebecca Goins of the ICOF US Synod leads a weekly prayer meeting via Skype. This meeting is held live every Tuesday 10.00 AM EST For more information: Email: rgoins@icof.net Skype: rebecca_goins22

Quotes “No doubt all history in the last resort must be held by Christians to be a story with a divine plot.”

C.S. Lewis

Apostle Leonard D. Barber

“I have lived a long time, sir, and the longer I live the more convincing proofs I see of this truth - that God governs in the affairs of men.”

Benjamin Franklin

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ROUNDTABLE withDr. Robert Straube ONLINE

Dr. Robert Straube, PhD, President ICOFCSU. Dr. Straube also serves as President of Christian Multiversity, Fivefold Apostle and Chief of Staff for ICOF President Bernie L. Wade.

A new forum I would like to highlight and introduce is the newly formed Presidents’ Roundtable; a group of Christian leaders involved in higher educational leadership. The Presidents’ Roundtable is a monthly get-together of men and women who collaborate to further advance Biblical education systems and structures, endeavor to find solutions to the challenges they are facing, and offer cutting edge, innovative ideas to better serve their students, staff and community.

This is the forum where educational leaders can help one another rise above the obstacles they may be encountering and offer a different perspective, or a new twist.

Sign-up is now in progress for the Presidents’ Roundtable, hosted by Dr. Robert Straube at chancellor@icof.net. Once we register those professionals who desire to participate, we will announce the date, time and on-line location for the forum.

Available as e-book or paperback

Join the Team We are always in need of volunteers for marketing, graphics and editorial posts. Email Us. 48

Humor

NOAH IN THE 21ST CENTURY

And we thought we had problems! If Noah had lived in the United States in the last ten years, the story may have gone something like this:

And the Lord spoke to Noah and said, "In one year, I am going to make it rain and cover the whole earth with water until all flesh is destroyed. But I want you to save the righteous people and two of every kind of living thing on earth. Therefore, I am commanding you to build an Ark." In fear and trembling, Noah took the plans and agreed to build the ark. "Remember," said the Lord, "you must complete the Ark and bring everything aboard in one year."

Exactly one year later, fierce storm clouds covered the earth and all the seas of the earth went into a tumult.

The Lord saw that Noah was sitting in his front yard weeping. "Noah!" He shouted. "Where is the Ark?" "Lord, please forgive me," cried Noah. "I did my best, but there were big problems."

"First, I had to get a permit for construction, and your plans did not meet the building codes. I had to hire an engineering firm and redraw the plans.

Then I got into a fight with OSHA over whether or not the Ark needed a sprinkler system and approved floatation de-

vices. Then, my neighbor objected, claiming I was violating zoning ordinances by building the Ark in my front yard, so I had to get a variance from the city planning commission."

"Then, I had problems getting enough wood for the Ark because there was a ban on cutting trees to protect the Spotted Owl. I finally convinced the U.S. Forest Service that I really needed the wood to save the owls. However, the Fish and Wildlife Service won't let me take the 2 owls. The carpenters formed a union and went on strike. I had to negotiate a settlement with the National Labor Relations Board before anyone would pick up a saw or hammer. Now, I have 16 carpenters on the Ark, but still no owls."

"When I started rounding up the other animals, an animal rights group sued me. They objected to me taking only two of each kind aboard. This suit is pending. Meanwhile, the EPA notified me that I could not complete the Ark without filing an environmental impact statement on your proposed flood.

They didn't take very kindly to the idea that they had no jurisdiction over the conduct of the Creator of the Universe.

Then, the Army Corps of Engineers demanded a map of the proposed flood

plain. I sent them a globe."

"Right now, I am trying to resolve a complaint filed with the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission that I am practicing discrimination by not taking atheists aboard. The IRS has seized my assets, claiming that I'm building the Ark in preparation to flee the country to avoid paying taxes. I just got a notice from the state that I owe them some kind of user tax and failed to register the Ark as a 'recreational water craft.' And finally, the ACLU got the courts to issue an injunction against further construction of the Ark, saying that since God is flooding the earth, it's a religious event and therefore unconstitutional. I really don't think I can finish the Ark for another five or six years."

Noah waited.

The sky began to clear, the sun began to shine, and the seas began to calm. A rainbow arched across the sky.

Noah looked up hopefully, "You mean you're not going to destroy the earth, Lord?"

"No," He said sadly. "I don't have to.

The government already has."

- AUTHOR UNKNOWN -

PRACTICALITY VS. RELIGION During a recent ecumenical gathering, a secretary rushed in shouting, "The building is on fire!!!"

The METHODISTS gathered in the corner and prayed.

The BAPTISTS cried, "Where is the holy water?"

The QUAKERS quietly praised God for the blessings that fire brings.

The LUTHERANS posted a notice on the door declaring the fire was evil.

The ROMAN CATHOLICS passed the plate to cover the damage.

The JEWS posted symbols on the doors hoping the fire would pass.

The CONGREGATIONALISTS shouted, "Every man for himself!"

The FUNDAMENTALISTS proclaimed, "It's the vengeance of God!" The EPISCOPALIANS formed a procession and marched out.

The CHRISTIAN SCIENTISTS concluded that there was no fire.

The PRESBYTERIANS appointed a chairperson who was to appoint a committee to look into the matter and submit a written report.

The SECRETARY grabbed the fire extinguisher and put the fire out.

- AUTHOR UNKNOWN 49