The Next Wave Magazine March 2012 by Life Network

The Voice of Global Apostolic Reformation

MARCH 2012

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

Holiness holiness Kenneth Hagginâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Forgotten Warning

Inside: Authoritarianism Don't Kill Your Church Stop Condemning Yourself

Paying your Pastor p31 - 34

Editorial Heart transformation verses behaviour modification Performance based Christianity is soaked deep in the minds of the majority of Christians. They believe how much God uses them in specific gifts they consider special is dependent on how much they pray, fast and live holy. The gifts and callings of God are without repentance. They operate purely by grace and are unearned. The concept of undiluted grace is alien to the Christian mind. The religious mind is unable to differentiate between self righteousness and the righteousness that stems from the fruit of the Spirit. Self righteousness is based on self effort. By your own effort you do righteous acts. Sincere people can convince themselves that these acts are done by dependency on the Holy Spirit, while simultaneously emphasizing self effort.

forts and even with good motives like wanting to please God. But true works that are a fruit of Spirit occur sometimes without you knowing, effortlessly. He does it. Good works, even with good intentions, are works of the flesh.

The Law was weak through the flesh. It had no power to make man good; it could only condemn him (Rom. 8:3). Christ did not come to show us how to live. He came to live in and through us. The New Covenant does not show us how to live. It shows us how Christ lives in us. Yet, many Christians have aspirations to live perfect lives by their will power. I hope God speaks to you through this issue of The Next Wave.

James Peter Jandu, Editor

You can do good works by human ef-

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 Holiness

1-3

Forgotten Warning

5-6

Icononclasts

8 -9

Stop Condemning Yourself

11 - 14

The Pentecostals at Funeral

14 - 15

Charismatic Reformation

18 - 29

Eternal Dimension Don't Kill Your Church

21 25 - 26

Fury & Embarrassment

Authoritarianism

28 - 30

Paying your Pastor

31 - 34

Worshippers for Hire Religitics

36 38 - 39

Persecution Watch

Humor

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NEXT 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 1890â&#x20AC;&#x2122;s and early 1900â&#x20AC;&#x2122;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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HOLINESS by Ryan Rufus

Living a holy life should never be defined as "living without sin". In fact sin has nothing to do with holiness at all! We have been programmed to think that it does, but that programming needs to be undone. The religious world has made holiness mean "not sinning", and they have made that the most important issue for the church today. The religious spirit across the world is trying to put pressure on leaders to preach more on holiness and not sinning and it seems so virtuous, yet it is a demonic deception. Sadly many are blindly falling prey to it.

here are some things concerning this issue in the body of Christ that really need to be broken down. Namely the lie that says, "If you sin then you are unholy and if you don't sin then you are holy." That right there is the Ten Commandments! What is the first thing you think of when you hear the words “be holy”? You think “stop sinning” right? If that is the first thing we think of when someone says to “be holy”, then it means our minds have been programmed by the law to define what holiness is. Holiness has got nothing to do with sinning or not sinning. If that is what we think, then we think that we are the cause of our holiness. There is only one person who is the cause of our holiness and his name is Jesus Christ. And if you are in him, then you are holy. You don't have to try and be holy or get holy, you are holy!

“We have been made holy through the sacrifice of the body of Jesus Christ once for all.” - HEBREWS 10:10 (NIV) It is amazing that this is in the Bible! You have been made holy once and for all. God was holy long before sin ever existed. In fact God's holiness could not be referenced to sin at all. Sin wasn't around. If we limit the holiness of God to the mere absence of sin then we are limiting his awesome holiness. God's holiness is far greater than just the ab-

sence of sin. What is holiness then? Holiness is who God is. God is holy. Here’s the thing: if you are in Him then you are holy!

SEPARATION FROM GOD IS UNHOLINESS! We were all born into the sin of the first Adam; and because of that we were made sinners (Romans 5:19). Now it was the sin of Adam and our state of sin that separated us from God. It wasn't our sin that was unholy; it was our separation from God that was unholy. A state of separation from God is a state of unholiness. Then Jesus came and offered the once-for-all sacrifice that permanently removes all of our sins and makes us blameless before the Father. He made us righteous and blameless and because of that we were able to come into God. And it is the coming into God that makes us holy! People confuse holiness and blamelessness. We mustn't confuse the two. Blamelessness is the removing of our sins. Holiness is the coming into God. “He chose us in Him before the creation of the world to be holy and blameless in His sight.” - EPHESIANS 1:4 (NIV) God made us blameless by making us righteous, and he made us holy by bringing us into himself.

HOLINESS IS NOT ABOUT WHAT YOU DO! Holiness is not about what you do, it is about where you are. Where you are will affect what you do. So the question is, “Where are you?” If you want to understand what holiness is then you need to understand where you are. Well, the Bible tells us exactly where we are in the book of Ephesians. “God raised us up with Christ (That is being born again) and seated us with Him in heavenly realms in Christ Jesus.” - EPHESIANS 2:6 (NIV) That's where you are! You are seated in the heavenly realms in Christ Jesus. That is your heavenly position. What else is true about your heavenly position? - You've been blessed in the heavenly realms with every spiritual blessing. “Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ who has blessed us with every spiritual blessing that is in Christ Jesus.” - EPHESIANS 1:3 (NIV) God cannot bless you with anymore in the heavenly realm for He has already fully blessed you in Christ Jesus. - You have been given fullness in Christ.

“In Christ all the fullness of the Deity lives in bodily form and you have been given fullness in Christ.” - COLOSSIANS 2:9,10 (NIV) Some translations say, “You have been made complete in Christ.” That means you can't receive anymore fullness in your heavenly position in Christ. It's easy to read over that and miss it or just simply not believe it. Do you believe it? You need to believe that. You need to see where you are. I'm not talking about your flesh or your soul but your spirit that has been made alive with Christ and seated with Christ in the heavenly realms in fullness. Think of what the fullness of Christ means. That means you don't have to try and achieve anymore righteousness or achieve anymore perfection because you already have his perfect righteousness. That means 100% righteousness and 100% perfection. You've got Christ's 100% obedience, love, faith and authority, health, riches, victory, passion etc. That is your heavenly position in Christ.

WHAT EXACTLY IS HOLY LIVING? Living holy is not about living without sin. Living holy is about living from your eternal heavenly position in Christ Jesus! That’s true holy living. The Greek word for “holiness” is the same word for “sanctification” and it means two things: Firstly it means separation or separated or separate; secondly it refers to the life that flows out of someone who has been so separated. So to become holy is to be separated from your old life of sin in Adam and to be brought into your heavenly position in Christ. Holy living is the life that flows out of that place.

DOES THAT HAPPEN AUTOMATICALLY? No it doesn't. It has the potential to flow out of that place but if you don't see that place and have a revelation about that place, then you will live your life from this natural earthly place. What I call your “current earthly condition”. But we're not called to live from our current earthly condition. We're called to live in our current earthly condition from our eternal heavenly position.

LET’S DRIVE IT HOME! WHAT HOLINESS IS

To live holy is to live from your eternal heavenly position. To live unholy is to live from your current earthly condition. It has got nothing to do with sinning. It has got to do with position. It has got to do with where you are living from. Sin is not unholiness; it's the byproduct of unholiness. Or rather it is the byproduct of not living from our eternal heavenly position. If you were to live 100% from your eternal heavenly position you would never sin while in your current condition.

THE RELIGIOUS WORLD MAKES HOLINESS ALL ABOUT NOT SINNING! They make holiness about what you have got to do and what you have got to change. Holiness has become a standard that can be measured by the amount of sin you do or don't do. It is all about behavior modification. Forget about behavior modification. Forget about trying to change and just see your heavenly position. The more you see your heavenly position the more that position will flow through your current condition.

WHAT’S THE MOST IMPORTANT ISSUE? The religious world makes holiness the most important issue. I believe holiness is the most important issue but not the way the religious world has defined it as living without sin. “God wants you living holy” they say, and “God wants you living without sin!” Actually God's priority is not to get you to sin less. God's priority is that you live holy according to the biblical definition of living from your position in him. We have got to separate the concept of sin from holiness and see heaven. When you define holiness as living without sin, people automatically think that if they stop sinning then they are holy. That gets their focus on themselves, on their flesh and on their human efforts. It makes them think that not sinning is the cause of their holiness. When we realize that holiness is simply living from that place where you are seated in Jesus and his fullness, it will get your eyes off yourself and onto him, who he is in you and who you are in him. The more you see that, the more it will flow through you here on earth. The more you see your position, the more you will live from that position, and the more you live from that position the more you 2

will actually overcome sin. More importantly, it will cause you to see heaven come to earth through your life and more and more you will do the works Jesus did, and greater. God did not leave us on earth to see how much sin we could overcome. He left us on earth to see how much of heaven he could bring to earth through us! The religious world says, “Produce fruit!” Grace and truth says, “Get rooted and grounded in the love of Christ and you will see the fullness of Christ that is in your heavenly position manifesting through your earthly condition.” “That Christ may dwell in your hearts by faith; that ye, being rooted and grounded in love… might be filled with all the fullness of God.” - EPHESIANS 3:17–19 The more you see by faith your heavenly position, the more your current condition gets rooted in the heavenly realms and the fruit of being rooted up there will show down here. You don't even have to try to make it manifest. You won't be able to stop it from manifesting. Religion pulls on the leaves and branches of a tree to make it grow. Forget trying to do that. Just make sure the roots are grounded in the right place and feed them and the tree will grow and produce fruit. Get rooted and grounded by revelation in your position in Christ and the fruit of heaven will show up in you on earth! If you don't see that holiness is about living from your position and who you really are, then when you read scriptures about holiness, you will assume that all they are talking about is you not sinning. When in actual fact, they are trying to say that you must live by faith out of your position in Christ and not get caught up in activity aimed at achieving a position in Christ. Bill Johnson says that our destiny is to go to heaven but our assignment is to bring heaven to earth. My version of that is that we have already achieved our destiny because we are already seated in heavenly places and now the life we live, we live from heaven to earth, bringing heaven with us. You could say the more you live from the heavens, the more the heavens will

show up in your life. It is not bad to live from the heavens. Don't mock people who are always in the heavens and living from the heavens. You need to live more from the heavens. You need to be more "holy". That is the actual appropriate way to say that. When you hear that you don't think, “Me, myself, what I must do, my sin.” You think, “Him and what he has done and how awesome he is.” As a consequence of that, faith erupts in your heart to lay hold of the things that are yours in Jesus Christ.

FINAL THOUGHT The more you find out about your position in heaven, the more you find out about your potential on earth. You have the potential for total victory over sin. You have the potential to walk in divine health. You have the potential to walk with God in the glory realm twenty-four hours a day, the potential for great wealth and to finance nations, to continuously hear the voice of God, to raise the dead, to do the works Jesus did; and all that God has planned for you to do. I don't preach on faith. I preach those things that produce faith. Similarly, when it comes to sanctification, I don’t preach sanctification. I preach those things that cause sanctification, namely your position in Christ. We don’t need to preach obedience to the church, but rather the things that empower obedience! The church preaches too much about who we aren't. In other words they keep telling us we're sinners, filthy, disgusting, incomplete, not deserving of God’s blessings, unworthy, guilty, fallen short of God, displeasing to God, powerless, poor, sick and open to the devil. No wonder the church ends up living in these things. The church needs to hear who we really are. Sons of God, 100% the righteousness of God in Christ Jesus, perfect, complete, seated in the heavenly places, blessed with every blessing, holy, pleasing to the Father, accepted in the Beloved, more than conquerors, unable to be separated from God’s love etc! That is our true identity. To agree with that is holy thinking!

Living holy is not about living without sin. Living holy is about living from your eternal heavenly position in Christ Jesus! That’s true holy living. The Greek word for “holiness” is the same word for “sanctification” and it means two things: Firstly it means separation or separated or separate; secondly it refers to the life that flows out of someone who has been so separated. So to become holy is to be separated from your old life of sin in Adam and to be brought into your heavenly position in Christ. Holy living is the life that flows out of that place. 3

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Kenneth Hagin’s

Forgotten Warning By J. Lee Grady

Charismatic Bible teacher Kenneth Hagin Sr. is considered the father of the so-called prosperity gospel. The folksy, self-trained “Dad Hagin” started a grassroots movement in Oklahoma that produced a Bible college and a crop of famous preachers including Kenneth Copeland, Jerry Savelle, Charles Capps, Jesse DuPlantis, Creflo Dollar, and dozens of others—all of whom teach that Christians who give generously should expect financial rewards on this side of heaven. Hagin taught that God was not glorified by poverty and that preachers do not have to be poor. But before he died in 2003 and left his Rhema Bible Training Center in the hands of his son, Kenneth Hagin Jr., he summoned many of his colleagues to Tulsa to rebuke them for distorting his message. He was not happy that some of his followers were manipulating the Bible to support what he viewed as greed and selfish indulgence. Those who were close to Hagin Sr. say he was passionate about correcting these abuses before he died. In fact, he

Here are a few of the points Hagin made in The Midas Touch: 1. Financial prosperity is not a sign of God’s blessing. Hagin wrote: “If wealth alone were a sign of spirituality, then drug traffickers and crime bosses would be spiritual giants. Material wealth can be connected to the blessings of God or it can be totally disconnected from the blessings of God.”

wrote a brutally honest book to address his concerns. The Midas Touch was published in 2000, a year after the infamous Tulsa meeting. Many Word-Faith ministers ignored the book. But in light of the recent contro-

Hagin taught that God was not glorified by poverty and that preachers do not have to be poor. versy over prosperity doctrines, it might be a good idea to dust it off and read it again.

2. People should never give in order to get. Hagin was critical of those who “try to make the offering plate some kind of heavenly vending machine.” He denounced those who link giving to getting, especially those who give cars to get new cars or who give suits to get new suits. He wrote: “There is no spiritual formula to sow a Ford and reap a Mercedes.” 3. It is not biblical to “name your seed” in an offering. Hagin was horrified by this practice, which was popularized in faith conferences during the 1980s. Faith preachers sometimes tell donors that when they give in an offering they should claim a specific benefit to get a blessing in return. Hagin rejected this idea and said that focusing on what you are going to receive “corrupts the very attitude of our giving nature.” 4. The “hundredfold return” is not a bib-

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lical concept. Hagin did the math and figured out that if this bizarre notion were true, “we would have Christians walking around with not billions or trillions of dollars, but quadrillions of dollars!” He rejected the popular teaching that a believer should claim a specific monetary payback rate. 5. Preachers who claim to have a “debt-breaking” anointing should not be trusted. Hagin was perplexed by ministers who promise “supernatural debt cancellation” to those who give in certain offerings. He wrote in The Midas Touch: “There is not one bit of Scripture I know about that validates such a practice. I’m afraid it is simply a scheme to raise money for the preacher, and ultimately it can turn out to be dangerous and destructive for all involved.” (Many evangelists who appear on Christian television today use this bogus claim. Usually they insist that the miraculous debt cancellation will occur only if a person “gives right now,” as if the anointing for this miracle suddenly evaporates after the prime time viewing hour. This manipulative claim is more akin to witchcraft than Christian belief.) Hagin condemned other harebrained gimmicks designed to trick audiences into emptying their wallets. He was especially incensed when a preacher told his radio listeners that he would take their prayer requests to Jesus’ empty tomb in Jerusalem and pray over them there—if donors included a special love gift. “What that radio preacher really wanted was more people to send in offerings,” Hagin wrote. Thanks to the recent resurgence in bizarre donation schemes promoted by American charismatic’s, the prosperity gospel is back under the nation’s microscope. It’s time to revisit Hagin’s concerns and find a biblical balance. Hagin told his followers: “Overemphasizing or adding to what the Bible actually teaches invariably does more harm than good.” If the man who pioneered the modern concept of biblical prosperity blew the whistle on his own movement, wouldn’t it make sense for us to listen to his admonition? J. Lee Grady was the former editor of Charisma magazine.

It is not biblical to “name your seed” in an offering. Hagin was horrified by this practice, which was popularized in faith conferences during the 1980s. Faith preachers sometimes tell donors that when they give in an offering they should claim a specific benefit to get a blessing in return. Hagin rejected this idea and said that focusing on what you are going to receive “corrupts the very attitude of our giving nature.” 6

â&#x20AC;&#x153;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.â&#x20AC;? Dr. Bernie L. Wade, President International Circle of Faith

"ICONOCLASTSâ&#x20AC;? Extracts by Robert I Holmes "Where, O where is the prophet? Where are the incandescent ones fresh from the holy place? Where is Moses to plead in fasting before the holiness of the Lord?...the one with a terrible earnestness, the one totally otherworldly." - Leonard Ravenhill. Ravenhill's words are reminiscent of a podcast I was listening to on my way to Sydney... It was a communication from the Banff Leadership Centre in Toronto Canada titled "Iconoclasts" outlining the role of men and women in organizations who shake things up. They gave this definition of iconoclast: The breaker or destroyer of images or idols set up for veneration. A person who attacks cherished beliefs, traditions, institutions and error. You might be familiar with its synonym: Curmudgeon.

split the Red Sea - whose enemies were swallowed by the sand - who saw God and lived - of whom God said, "Moses is my friend"! This is the iconoclast. This is the prophet. This is Jesus all the way through his ministry. And where is the spirit of Moses in the church today? Where is the nature and character of Christ amongst Christian today? There are a number of facets to the prophetic that should be reflected in our lives including: being a forerunner; dealing with isolation; holding God's opinion above men's; going against the flow; dealing with rejection; being a recoverer and; driving for balance by being out of balance.

This idea, this concept of shaking the house, shattering the idols, attacking cherished beliefs is very much the life blood of Christianity, of early Christians and indeed, draws from their long heritage as recipients of faith from Israel. Peter, in describing his fellow believers said they were "sons of the prophets" (Acts 3:25) - for Peter faith meant being like the prophets of old.

1. Forerunning Prophetic people are forerunners. They come into things first. God deals with the church before he deals with the world (ref) and he deals with natural things before spiritual things (ref). Prophetic people in the church are even further ahead and as a result are quite out of step with the mainstream. They are often in the opposite phase. Happy when everyone else is sad, sad when everyone else is happy.

Enter Moses There are many iconoclasts in church history, some as far back as Moses in the Old Testament. He, looking forward as far as Peter was looking back, said he wished "that all God's people were prophets and that the Lord would pour his spirit upon them!" (Numbers 11:29). Remember that Scripture defines Moses himself as a prophet (Deut. 34:10, Luke 24:27), and Moses prophesied of a time when one "likened unto Moses" would arise - Jesus himself (Acts 7:37).

2. Dealing with isolation Bring prophetic very often means having an unpopular message, and results in fierce isolation. You have to have a thick skin to say the unpopular thing. You might be a solitary figure rebuking a corrupt king; the one who rats out sin in the camp. The one who cares about what God cares about. However just because we are isolated does not mean we isolate ourselves. We seek out the brethren, we want companions. We resist being a loose cannon or a law unto ourselves.

So who is this man - this prophet after whom we are sons? Moses was the man: - who confronted Pharaoh - who

3. Holding God's opinion above men's If we face heaven, and we care about 8

heaven's opinion and perspective on things we will care more about God's opinion than peoples. We will seek to experience heaven's favor and not curry the favor of men. We will desire heaven's stamp of approval even at the expense of men's favoritism. 4. Going against the flow Have you noticed that God has a very different set of priorities to us? He values integrity whilst the world pushes for sensuality; he desires honesty when the world wants duplicity; he aims for longevity when the world demands expediency. Prophetic people even find themselves going against the flow in church - and sadly sometimes even going against the prophetic flow!... 5. Dealing with rejection Being out of step, being isolated, and being a lone voice comes with rejection too. People do not just take kindly to your obstinate passion for truth and purpose, they buck against it. The donkey kicks against the goad, the horse bolts when spurred. So too people rebuke and rail against those who are prophetic... However, we do not imbue the spirit of rejection. We do not walk around with a sour face, expectant of rejection - wishing it upon ourselves and provoking it from others. Rather we understand it is part of the call, a necessary companion on the journey. After all we are followers of Jesus: a man despised and rejected, a man of sorrows, acquainted with grief (Isaiah 53:3). Instead, Jesus came into situations expectant of finding the Kingdom at work, and his Father at work, with work for him to do there (John 5:17). 6. Being a recoverer "The function of the prophet has almost always been that of recovery." - T Austin Sparks

The prophetic person is not a maintainer; they come in to repair what is broken. Recovery is required after an accident or injury - people need rescue and decisive action is needed for triage. Recovery is needed after a loss or fall - lost things need to be found, people adrift at sea need to be rescued. Recovery is needed after a mop up campaign. The troops have gone through and the land needs to be restored. As a result, when all is well, prophetic people are quiet.

Prophetic people are forerunners. They come into things first. God deals with the

7. Driving for balance "Prophets were not made for the status quo; they were made to bring things back to the middle. This means they stand for the extreme, to bring the church back to where she should be." -Brian Medway. If the church gets imbalanced, or has forgotten a truth the prophet pushes back to recover it. They take an extreme view of stance, to bring the church back to centre. Which is why it seems that their message is unbalanced; because of necessity it is. But this contains a dilemma for us.

church before he deals with the world and he deals with natural things before spiritual things.

Once an issue has been championed and accepted the church must move on, lest she camp in that imbalanced position. Nothing gets done when things stay the same. Movement is required - things grow by getting out of balance - but nothing remains if it stays unstable.

Prophetic people in the church

We quickly become false if we camp at and insist on an extreme.

are even further ahead and as a

Conclusion This is the church, as sons of the prophets. This is the Christian following Jesus the prophet. They are: -An iconoclast: standing for truth; standing against tradition. -A forerunner: out of step and out of season. -Solitary: but not a loner or loose cannon. -Rejected: but without a spirit of rejection. -A recoverer: to bring things back to wholeness. -Unbalanced: extreme but not staying out there.

result are quite out of step with the mainstream. They are often in the opposite phase. 9

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Stop Condemning Yourself by David Wilkerson

feel so ashamed of myself when I think back over my early ministry - because I condemned so many sincere people. I meant well, and often my zeal was honest and well-meaning. But how many people I brought under terrible condemnation because they didn't conform to my ideas of holiness!

Years ago I preached against make-up on ladies, I preached against short dresses. I condemned everything that was not on my "legitimate" list. I have preached some very powerful sermons in the past, condemning homosexuals, divorcees, drinkers and compromisers. I am still deeply committed to the idea that ministers must cry out against the inroads of sin and compromise in the lives of Christians. I still don't like to see Christian women painted up like streetwalkers. I still don't like mini-dresses. I believe, more than ever, that God hates

divorce. I am still committed to the idea that God will not wink at any sin or compromise of any kind. But lately - God has been urging me to quit condemning people who have failed, and instead preach to them a message of love and reconciliation. Why? Because the church today is filled with Christians who are burdened down with mountains of guilt and condemnation. They don't need more preaching about judgment and fear - they are already filled with enough fear and anxiety. They don't need to hear a preacher tell them how mad God is with them. They are already too much afraid of God's wrath. They need to hear the message John preached "For God sent not his Son into the world to condemn the world; but that the world through him might be saved" (John 3:17). 11

Jesus said to an adulterous woman, "Neither do I condemn thee - Go and sin no more." Now why can't I, and all my fellow ministers, preach that same kind of loving message to the multiplied thousands who today live in fear of adultery? Why do we still condemn divorced Christians who remarry - when they have truly repented and have determined to sin no more in that manner? Recently a ten-year-old lad stopped me after a crusade and begged me to hear his story. He was hysterical. "My Mom and Dad got divorced two years ago. Mom is a good Christian, and she married a nice Christian man. I live with Mom and my stepdad now, and I love them a whole lot. But my Mom is always sad, and she cries a lot - because a minister told her she was living in sin.

Is my Mom going to hell because she got divorced and remarried another divorced man? I'm all confused, because they're both such good Christians." I told that boy what I want to tell the whole world. "If she divorced because of her own adultery and remarried - she is living in adultery. God hates adultery. But, if she has repented, God forgives her, and she starts all over like a newborn Christian. She is not living in sin when it is under the blood of Christ and forgiven. She can begin a new life without guilt or condemnation. If Jesus forgives murder, thievery lying, stealing, etc. - He also forgives adultery."

- and alcoholics? Will condemning them accomplish any good? No! A thousand times no! Christ did not come to condemn these sinners, but to rescue them in love. God hates homosexual acts, but he does not despise people who do not live up to masculine or feminine roles. Last week, a lovely 19-year-old nurse stopped me after a crusade. Tearfully, she sobbed out a pitiful confession "Mr. Wilkerson, I'm a lesbian. I feel so dirty and unclean. The church where I used to attend asked me to never re-

Thanks for your message of hope and love." Reader of this message - are you living now under condemnation? Have you sinned against the Lord - have you grieved the Holy Spirit in your life? Are you waging a losing battle with an overpowering temptation? All you need do is search God's Word, and you will discover a God of mercy, love and endless compassion. David said:

It amazes me that we ministers are so willing to go to Africa to preach forgiveness to "the heathen" - but so unwilling to preach forgiveness and reconciliation to Christians at home.

It amazes me that we ministers are so willing to go to Africa to preach forgiveness to "the heathen" - but so unwilling to preach forgiveness and reconciliation to Christians at home. One minister complained to me about all the divorced, broken, troubled people in his new assignment. I thought, "My brother, you ought to be thankful God put you in such a fertile field. Those are the people who need your help the most. They need a man of God to show them how to begin all over anew.

I am a happily married man, and God helping me, Gwen and I will always be together till death do us part. And I despise divorce with a passion. But it troubles me that the church is willing to "write off" all those who have made a mistake. The church offers comfort and solace to all those who are "the innocent victims." The wife who was cheated on. The husband whose wife walked out on him. All the children hurt in the separations. But what about all the "perpetrators" the sinners, the ones who wronged some innocent loved one? If one out of every three marriages now ends in divorce, that means that millions of husbands and wives are "The guilty party." I'm not willing to give up on even the guilty ones. The thief Christ forgave at Calvary was not an innocent victim. No! He was a perpetrator - he was the criminal. But in his sin he turned to Christ in faith. He was forgiven and taken with Christ to glory. What about homosexuals and lesbians

turn. The minister said he couldn't take a chance of my seducing others in his congregation. I feel like suicide is my only way out. I live in total fear and condemnation. Must I kill myself to find peace?" She kept backing away from me as if she was too unclean to be in my presence. I asked her if she still loved Jesus. "Oh, yes," She replied. "Every waking hour, my heart cries out to Him. I love Christ with everything in me - but I'm bound by this terrible habit." How beautiful it was to see her face light up when I told her how much God loved her - even in her struggles. I told her, "Don't ever give yourself over to your sin. God draws a line right where you are. Any momentum toward Him is accounted as righteousness. Any move back across that line, away from Him, is sin. If we draw near to Him, He draws near to us. Keep your spiritual momentum! Keep loving Jesus - even though you still do not have total victory. Accept His daily forgiveness. Live one day at a time! Be convinced Jesus loves sinners - so He must love you, too!" She smiled a smile of relief and said, "Mr. Wilkerson, you are the first minister who ever offered me a ray of hope. Deep in my heart I know He still loves me - and I know He will give me a deliverance from this bondage. But I have been so condemned by everybody. 12

"If thou, Lord, shouldest mark iniquities, O Lord, who shall stand? But there is forgiveness with thee, that thou mayest be feared" (Psalm 130:34).

A distraught woman who had come to my office sobbed, "Mr. Wilkerson, once God cured me of alcoholism. But recently I got discouraged and went back to drink. Now I can't stop. I've failed the Lord so badly that all I can do now is give up. After all He did for me, to think how I've failed Him. It's no use - I'll just never make it." I'm convinced there are more spiritual failures than many of us realize. And there is a demonic strategy to build such failures into walls to keep the defeated ones far from God. But we don't need to let the devil turn our temporary defeats into a permanent hell. I believe there are literally millions of people like the young sailor who came to see me. With tears in his eyes he said, "My Dad is a minister, but I've failed him so terribly. I'm so weak, I'm afraid I'll never serve the Lord like I should. I'm so easily led into sin." Confessions like these are tragic, but I have great encouragement in the realization that some of the greatest men and women of the Bible had times of failure and defeat. Would you consider Moses a failure? Hardly! He was to Israel what Washington and Lincoln together were to America - and much more. But look closely at the great lawgiver's life. His career began with a murder, followed by forty years hiding from justice.

Moses was a man of fear and unbelief. When God called him to lead the Israelites out of slavery, he pleaded, "I am not eloquent...I am slow of speech...send...by the hand of him whom thou wilt send" (Exodus 4:10, 13). This angered God (4:14). All his life, Moses longed to enter the Promised Land, but his failures kept him out. Even so, God compares Moses' faithfulness to Christ's in Hebrews 3:1, 2. His failures did not keep Moses out of God's Hall of Champions. We usually think of Jacob as the great prayer warrior who wrestled with the angel of the Lord and prevailed. Jacob was given a vision of heaven with angels ascending and descending. Yet this man's life was filled with glaring failures, and Scripture does not hide any of them. As a youth Jacob deceived his blind father to steal his brother's inheritance. Married, he despised his wife Leah while he nursed a great secret love for her sister Rachel. He did not accept his responsibility as a husband. After the birth of each manchild, Leah kept saying, "Now this time my husband will be joined unto me" (Genesis 29:34). But the fact was - Jacob hated her. Here was a man caught in a web of trickery, graft, theft, unfaithfulness and polygamy. Nevertheless, we still worship the God of Abraham, of Isaac and of Jacob. King David, singer of psalms and mighty warrior, delighted in the law of the Lord and posed as the righteous man who would not stand among sinners. Yet, how shocking are the weaknesses of this great man. Taking Bathsheba from her husband Uriah, he sent that unsuspecting man to death at the front lines of his army. The prophet Nathan declared this double sin gave great occasion to the enemies of the Lord to blaspheme. Picture the great king standing by the casket of his dead illegitimate child, a stolen wife at his side and a world filled with enemies who cursed God because of his notorious sins. David stands there a total failure. Yet, God called David a man after His own heart (1 Samuel 13:14). He blessed the murderer Moses and the schemer Jacob, too, because these men learned how to profit from their failures and go on to

victory.

always after a failure that a man does his greatest work for God.

If you are discouraged by your failures, I have good news for you. No one is closer to the Kingdom of God than the man or woman or young person who can look defeat in the eye, learn to face it, and move on to a life of peace and victory. Here is the program to do this. 1. Don't be afraid of failure. This seems like an automatic reaction. When Adam sinned, he tried to hide from God. When Peter had denied Christ, he was afraid to face Him. When Jonah refused to preach to Nineveh, his fear drove him into the ocean to flee from the presence of the Lord. But God has shown me a truth that has helped me many times: Something much worse than failure is the fear that goes with it. Adam, Jonah and Peter ran away from God not because they had lost their love for Him, but because they were afraid He was too angry with them to understand. Satan uses such fear to make people think there is no use trying. That old "accuser of the brethren" waits like a vulture for you to fail in some way. Then he uses every lie in hell to make you give up, convincing you that God is too holy or you are too sinful to come back. Or he makes you afraid you are not perfect enough, or tells you that you will never rise above your failure. It took forty years to get the fear out of Moses and to make him usable in God's program. Meanwhile, God's plan of deliverance had to be delayed for nearly half a century while one man learned to face his failure. If Moses or Jacob or David had resigned himself to failure, we might never have heard of these men again. Yet, Moses rose up again to become one of God's greatest heroes. Jacob faced his sins, was reunited with the brother he had cheated, and reached new heights of victory. David ran into the house of God, laid hold of the horns of the altar, found forgiveness and peace and returned to his finest hour. Jonah retraced his steps, did what he had refused at first to do and brought a whole city-state to repentance and deliverance. Peter rose out of the ashes of denial to lead a church to Pentecost. 2. Despite failure, keep moving on. It is 13

Twenty years ago I sat in my little car, weeping - a terrible failure, I thought. I had been unceremoniously dumped from a courtroom after I thought I was led by God to witness to seven teen-age murderers. I had seen my picture in the tabloids over the caption, "BIBLE WAVING PREACHER INTERRUPTS MURDER TRIAL." My attempt to obey God and to help those young hoodlums looked as though it was ending in horrible failure. I shudder to think of how much blessing I would have missed if I had given up in that dark hour. How glad I am today that God taught me to face my failure and go on to His next step for me. I know of two outstanding men of God both of whom had ministered to thousands of people - who fell into the sin that David committed with Bathsheba. One minister decided that he could not go on. Today he drinks and curses the Christ he once preached about. The other man repented and started all over. He now heads an international missions program that reaches thousands for Christ. His failure has been left behind. He keeps moving forward. In my work with narcotic addicts and incorrigibles, I have observed that the majority of those who return to their old habits become stronger than all the others when they face their failures and return to the Lord. They have a special awareness of the power of Satan, a total rejection of confidence in the flesh. 3. Despite failure, continue to worship. There was only one way for Moses to stay in victory, because he had a disposition like so many of us today. He continually communed with the Lord, "...face to face, as a man speaketh unto his friend" (Exodus 33:11). Moses maintained that close friendship with God. I believe the secret of holiness is very simple: Stay close to Jesus. Keep looking into His face until you become like the image you behold. One evening a hysterical woman stopped me on the street and blurted out a terrible confession. Clutching my sleeve so hard I thought she would tear it, she said, "Mr. Wilkerson, I am facing the darkest hour of my life. I don't know which way to turn. My husband has left me, and it's all my fault. When I think of how I failed God and my family, it is al-

most impossible for me to sleep at night. What in the world am I going to do?" I was moved to tell her, "My friend, lift up your hands, right now on this street corner, and begin to worship the Lord. Tell Him that you know you are a failure, but you still love Him so. Then go home and get on your knees. Don't ask God for a thing - just lift up your heart and your hands and worship Him." I left that lady standing on the street corner with her hands raised to heaven, tears rolling down her cheeks, praising the Lord and already tasting the victory that was beginning to surge back into her life. Now, let me talk about your failure. Is there trouble in your home? Has some despised habit gripped your life so hard you can't seem to break it? Are you tormented in mind or spirit? Has God told you to do something you have failed to do? Are you out of the will of God? Are you hounded by memories of what you were at one time? Or by visions of what you can be? Then worship the Lord in the midst of your failure! Praise Him! Exalt Him! All this may sound like an oversimplification, but the way past failure is simple enough for children, fools and Ph.D.'s to follow successfully. Christ says, "Him that cometh to me I will in no wise cast out" (John 6:37). "Come unto me, all ye (failures) that labour and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest" (Matthew 12:28). Don't be afraid of failure. Keep going on in spite of it. Worship God until victory comes. The hardest part of faith is the last half hour. Keep going, and you will yet face your finest hour.

The Pentecostals At The Church Of Christ Funeral By Martyn Ballestero The funeral chapel was jammed with about 30 Pentecostals and nearly 100 Church of Christ members. Evidently this funeral was considered important. Six Church of Christ pastors were in attendance and each one spoke. No Pentecostal preacher had been invited to speak; yet several of us came anyway. I sat close to the back with my brother-inlaw Pastor Nathan Yandris and my sister Ramona. The large framed picture sitting on the closed casket was one of a beautiful middle-aged woman named Phyllis. She had a look of professionalism and class about her. Her brown hair was cut shoulder length. It appeared her makeup had been professionally applied for the photo, and her jewelry looked very expensive. The front row contained a grieving husband and beside him, his redheaded son and daughter-in-law. The son appeared to be the only child. No others sat near, leaving the guests to assume the mourners were alone in this crowd. The Church of Christ preachers spoke one by one, and each said comforting things that I am sure helped. The final speaker did a superb job, actually. One could tell this was not his first funeral. At the conclusion of his homily, the minister announced, “It is the wishes of the family that those who wish to say a few words about our beloved sister, should have an opportunity to say a public goodbye. He then walked to the front row and sat down. One at a time, six middle-aged women walked to the podium and spoke sweet words about the loss of their friend. All of them mentioned that they had met Phyllis at either AA or Al-Anon. They spoke of her friendship, of her church activities, her help with their lives, and her struggle with addictions and theirs. After the last one sat down, there was a 14

moment of quietness as all waited for someone else to stand. No one did. Turning around and giving the crowd a swift appraising look, the redheaded son clutched a new Bible as he stepped to the small podium. His 25 years seemed much older. He was poised. He held the Bible in his left hand up close to his heart. With a voice that never broke, he thanked everyone for coming. He thanked the ministers that spoke and he thanked his mother’s pastor as well. With a smile to the women that had come to the front to speak, he thanked them as cherished friends. That is where his story began! “Almost 6 weeks ago, I first heard that my mom had cancer. The doctor said that it was terminal and inoperable. I was shattered. Then they said she only had a few days to live. I was an immediate basket case. “My mom was young, she was beautiful too,” He said, pointing at her picture. “I went home that night and sat on my front porch. I was drinking a beer and smoking a cigarette, and was crying my heart out, when this man saw me and stopped.” (He pointed at a large black man on the 2nd row.) “He asked me if I was alright. I told him no. “When he came up to the porch I told him the news about my mom. He spoke comforting words to me and asked if he could pray for me. I said yes and he did. I felt something I had never felt before. “Then he sat down beside me and taught me what he called a short Home Bible Study. He showed me about Acts 2:38. He said that I needed to repent, and get baptized in Jesus name and that the Lord would give me the Holy Ghost. He said that Jesus would be my comforter. “I prayed right there on my porch and asked Jesus to forgive me of my sins. I told him I wanted to be baptized the

Bible way, so he took me to his church, Apostolic Tabernacle, and the pastor came over and baptized me in Jesus name. When I came up out of the water, I was speaking in tongues. I got the Holy Ghost just like they did in the Bible!” He said, as he raised and then waved his Bible. The Pentecostals responded with much noise and many of us stood and clapped our hands. The Church of Christ crowd went silent. “I was thrilled! I had never been so happy in my life! That night I prayed that God would help me to share this with my mom. I knew she had to have this before she died. “I prayed that God would help me find a way to speak to her. I knew she was wrapped up in her Church. She had been a lifetime member, and had always been involved in one department or another. “The first thing the next morning, I prayed before I went over to mom’s house. When I got there, I was surprised to see a Bible lying open on the kitchen table.” “I asked mom what the Bible was there for, and she said that she was close to dying and didn’t feel saved. She said she was looking for more than what she had. “I said mom, you been a member of the Church of Christ for 45 years.” She said, “That’s right, but I’m not ready to meet God. I need more!” (He turned to the Church of Christ pastor and said, “Sorry sir!”) The redheaded new convert was filled with Holy Ghost enthusiasm as he told his story. His eyes were red rimmed and watering. I said, “Mom, let me tell you what had happened to me last night. I told her the whole story. About the beer, the Bible study, the baptism and the Holy Ghost. “Mom started crying and said son, ‘Tell me what he told you.’ I sat down with her and showed her the same scriptures in Acts that my new friend had told me. “She got down and began to repent like

the Bible said to. When she finished, she said that she couldn’t leave the house to go to church. She was too weak and was attached to an oxygen tank. “Mom said, maybe we could fill her big Jacuzzi tub up and baptize her in that. Dad helped me and I baptized my mom in Jesus name. She came up out of the water speaking in tongues just like I did. I was so happy, I shouted all over the room.” (All of us Pentecostals are now on our feet, with our hands in the air, worshipping!) “My dad said, ‘Baptize me too!’ So I did and he got the Holy Ghost too” “I sure did!” Came a strong voiced reply from the front row. The dad had his hand in the air. The Pentecostal’s worship was so overwhelming that even some of the church of Christ people started crying by now. They all knew that a man with an experience is never at the mercies of a man with an argument. The worship of the small group of saints roared in the ears of opposition. For several minutes it went on. It felt unstoppable. “All of you Church of Christ members need this Holy Ghost, he went on. “It will do for you what AA can’t. It will do for you what Al-Anon can’t. You need to be baptized in Jesus name to be saved. You need the Holy Ghost speaking with other tongues to be saved. If you want to see my mom in heaven, then obey Acts 2:38. When he walked back to his place, the crowd stood and gave him a standing ovation. The Goodness of the Lord has allowed me to labor in His Vineyard for over 51 years as pastor and evangelist. As an Evangelist, I miss my beautiful wife every day I'm away from her. Even after preaching 948 revivals, 349 Conferences & 67 Camp Meetings... it doesn't get easier being apart. If she lives to be a 100, I want to live to be a 100 minus 1 day, so I never have to live without her!

quote Symptoms you may be suffering from a religious behavior management disorder: 1. You feel spiritual pressure to be a good Christian, rather than confidence that you are able to live from your new and supernaturally-strong heart. 2. The message you’re hearing from church leadership is chiefly about avoiding sin, rather than indulging the goodness of your new heart. 3. Fear of not living up to God’s or others’ expectations is stronger than your sense of God’s delight in you. 4. Spiritual heaviness. 5. You're constantly being asked by leadership to be more committed. 6. Every message is about getting you to do something, or to stop doing something. 7. The leadership is more concerned with managing people's sin, than releasing a new life that is now within them.

www.martynballestero.com 15

-Ted Nelson

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QUOTES “Religion has perfected the art of creating an external set of rules and regulations and impose them on people to make them change.Real change can only be accomplished on the inside by God's grace. Change the heart, change the man.” “Here's an example of religion gone to seed: those preach against everything that you can imagine including devil’s food cake and deviled eggs just because it had the word “devil” in it; and you could not drink Coca-Cola for two reasons. Because you drink it from a bottle and other beverages such as beer are also in a bottle, you must shun the appearance of evil. Also, because it was shaped like a woman, it might cause you to lust. Believe it or not, they are out there, and they breed!” “I am convinced that many, who no longer attend church and think that they have rejected God, have really not rejected Him at all. They have rejected religion and they should.” Ted Nelson

WHAT IS CHARISMATIC

REFORMATION? Bishop B. Wade

plete Apostolic Reformation – returning to the Apostle’s doctrine and distancing ourselves from all pseudo movements of the Spirit of God. When Moses and Aaron were opposed by the magicians Jannes and Jambres it took the demonstration and power of the Holy Ghost. It will take the same today!

ecently, I read an article by my friend J. Lee Grady titled, IT’S (PAST) TIME for A CHARISMATIC REFORMATION. Good title and a good article. However, it raised a number of questions in my mind. In his article, Grady offers that Charismatic’s need to reform their theology. While this is true, the elephant in the room is that Charismatic’s really have no stated theology. Leading me to wonder: What Theology? Or could we say whose theology? Would they reform the theology of Charismatic greats like Kulhman and Hinn; or just the immorality of Charismatic’s like Haggard, Hinn, White and Long?

The catalyst for the growth and status of the Charismatic movement was the Roman Catholic Church agenda to bring the wayward Protestant’s home. With membership and income declining the Vatican needed to make inroads in Protestant strongholds. Vatican II established the agenda and then embraced the Charismatic movement as one vehicle to accomplish the goal. Almost immediately they made it very clear that speaking in tongues was not necessary and sent out numerous emissaries to enact their agenda. This ‘theological position’ of the Charismatic movement separated them from the Apostolic Reformation and subsequent Pentecostal movement since these were tenets of both. This left the Charismatic movement with no real theological position prompting opponents to rightly call their theology – SLOPPY AGAPE! The Charismatic movement has never been a Reformation. Previous Reformation efforts were in direct opposition to religious systems; primarily Roman Catholic Church. Unlike Reformers John Wycliffe and Martin Luther who

stood in opposition to the excesses and abuses of the Roman Church, Charismatic leaders embraced the excesses and took materialism to new heights. Charismatic leaders not only did not oppose the Roman Church but some, like Kathryn Kuhlman, operated with the full imprimatur of the Vatican. Because of the Catholic influence on the Charismatic movement, claiming to be Pentecostal while NOT speaking in tongues became fashionable. The Biblical instruction on salvation was abandoned in favor of this new wave of Glossolalia and everyone seemed to want to get in on the act; even Hustler Publisher Larry Flynt was ‘born again’ under the new Charismatic system. Following the Catholic imprimatur the Charismatic movement deemphasized the Lordship of Jesus Christ which had been forefront in the Apostolic Faith movement half a century before. Grady calls for a movement that was birthed in the same manner as Ishmael to return to the Bible. While returning to the Bible is certainly the answer, one cannot return to where they have not been. Thus, what is needed is not a Charismatic Reformation but a com18

I join Grady in calling for “Personal responsibility”. It is time for those who will be the people of God to out the charlatans. The false prophets (or profits) need to be held to the test of a true prophet given to us by Moses. I join Grady in calling for “Expose the Creeps”. Quit pretending that these ‘clowns’ are legitimate or relevant because they have a TV program, a following, or money. Like the World, Charismatic’s give their heroes ‘rock star’ status making it ok for them to be dishonest, unfaithful to their spouses (involved in affairs), communicate with spirit guides (and other attributes of Spiritualism), homosexuals, and a plethora of sins that go unchecked in their religious clubs that call themselves churches. Silence is approval. IF these things are not tolerated then where is the outcry? Where are the true prophets!? Where are those who are speaking to the body about correction and turning from sin? Why do all the Charismatic prophets sound like those hired by the King during Maciah’s day? Should we not cry, “WHERE IS THE GOD OF ELIJAH!” We need a call to return to purity, carefulness, prayer and holiness that have been the earmarks of every true movement of God. The Charismatic movement was birthed in the mind of men not on their knees. These thought that they could do what the generations before then had done (Wales and Azusa

Street Revivals) without any of the work! NO REAL MOVE OF GOD HAS EVER HAPPENED WITHOUT PRAYER! What we were giving in place of the genuine that God has for us was an Ishmael that was designed by men. IS REFORMATION NEEDED! YES!

some leaders are calling for people to leave their churches. The religious country clubs called churches are offended that the Prophets of God would call the people out of their comfort zone. I call for the leaders to hold themselves and then others to a higher

Following the Catholic imprimatur the Charismatic movement deemphasized the Lordship of Jesus Christ which had been forefront in the Apostolic Faith movement half a century before. We need dedicated men and women of God who will pray and fast until God changes them, their family, their city and their country to replace the manipulations offered by the counterfeit revivalists. Let’s return to the Apostles doctrine. There is no substitute. The Apostles taught clearly that all believers should REPENT, BE BAPTISED, AND RECEIVE THE HOLY SPIRIT. They offered no substitute, excuse or alternative and made it clear that those who did should be cursed! When dissent troubled the church because of Judaisers, the Apostles met in Jerusalem and agreed that (1) they would teach against those things offered to idols, (2) not to eat that which had its blood in it and (3) to avoid sexual perversion. It is time for us to take a stand. The preachers who are committing adultery and worshipping all manner of idols step down and humble themselves and repent. Homosexuals have NO PLACE in the ministry. Un-repented sin of any kind has no place in the leadership of the Body of Christ.

standard. If your church, reformation, or movement will not require leaders to hold to Biblical standards then SAY GOODBYE! You cannot tolerate sin. First you hate sin, then you tolerate sin and then you embrace sin. We have tolerated far too much for far too long. We are like the Laodecian Church – RICH AND INCREASED WITH GOODS AND HAVE NEED OF NOTHING. Let’s be honest, (like Lot) the people of God have for so long pitched their tents toward the World - that we need a cleansing. Like Jeremiah we need to fall on our faces and admit to God, “We have sinned against you Lord and you alone.” Enough is enough! This reformation, this next wave, will begin with repentance. Let us begin the journey together. Like Jacob of old, call for repentance in your family, your ministry, your town, and more. Together, let’s remind God that we have sinned against Him. Let’s humble ourselves and pray, God has already promised He will hear from heaven.

“The moralist would argue that to take one's self from under Law and to place one's self under free grace could lead only to a life of sin, but Paul proves that the reverse is true.” James Peter

There has to be a call for purity. Those who hate the law of God and then lie and cheat are NOT leaders. In Africa, 19

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!

Eternal Dimension by Paul Sherrill www.gloryrevolution.org www.holyghostoutpouring.org

Quotes Watchman Nee:

• The Early Church had an “eternal-sense” about them and eternity was their consciousness…The absence of the consciousness of eternity in the Church disfigures it as being the Church… • Paul not only found this eternal dimension; he also dwelt in it… You and I must “now” restore the Apostolic Dimension into the present NOW and for that reason we are here! What is the Apostolic Dimension? • The Apostolic Dimension is the realm that the Leaders of the early church lived and ministered from. The Apostolic Dimension is simply the Eternal Realm… **Eternal means: Unchangeable, without beginning or end, existing at all times without change. **Realm means: A royal jurisdiction or extent of government; the realm of Kingly government It's time that the Church in America enter into the Apostolic Dimension. If you say you are an Apostle and are not ministering from the Eternal Realm you are an not an Apostle. An Apostle is not someone who pulls rank on ewes, lamb or sheep and preach them out of their money.

Let the Church say... AMen! **Webster's 1828 Dictionary

“Grace means that God does something for me; law means that I do something for God. God has certain holy and righteous demands which he places upon me: that is law. Now if law means that God requires something of me for their fulfillment, then deliverance from law means he no longer requires that from me, but himself provides it.” “So we can say, reverently, that God never gave us the Law to keep: he gave us the Law to break! He well knew that we could not keep it.” “It does not matter what your personal deficiency, or whether it be a hundred and one different things, God has always one sufficient answer, His Son Jesus Christ, and he is the answer to every need.” “Many Christians endeavor to drive themselves by will-power, and then think the Christian life a most exhausting and bitter one.” “Let me tell you, You have died! You are done with! You are ruled out! The self you loathe is on the Cross in Christ. And ‘he that is dead is freed from sin’ (Rom 6:7). This is the Gospel for Christians. Our crucifixion can never be made effective by will or by effort, but only by accepting what the Lord Jesus did on the Cross.”

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 "The law works fear and wrath; grace works hope and mercy." Martin Luther

"Grace is the free,

undeserved goodness and favor of God to mankind." Matthew Henry

www.icof.net

Quotes Jacob was a cheater, Peter had a temper, David had an affair, Noah got drunk, Jonah ran from God, Paul was a murderer, Gideon was insecure, Miriam was a gossiper, Martha was a worrier, Thomas was a doubter, Sara was impatient, Elijah was moody, Moses stuttered, Zaccheus was short, Abraham was old, and Lazarus was dead.... God doesn't call the qualified, He qualifies the CALLED! A "work in progress" to be finished by Christ Jesus our Lord.

“Most preachers today mix the old and new covenant to produce another gospel. When Jesus was here on earth He confronted the religious spirit, works mentality – not against sinners. Grace infuriates the religious mind. It strips them of credit.” JPJ

“The law detects, grace alone conquers sin.” Saint Augustine of Hippo (354-430)

“We're all stumbling towards the light with varying degrees of grace at any Time” given moment.” -Bo Lozoff 23

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 THREE

Pastor, Don’t Kill your Church! By James Peter Jandu

www.jamespeterministries.com

VERY generation has needed local churches that can facilitate growth. I now want to write about a naked boy in the Bible running down the street. Read to the end to discover why...

My good wife once met a Christian in the North of England. This dear Christian boasted about how much their church was ‘doing’ ‘for’ the Lord. My wife asked her, ‘Are you on Facebook?” The response was, “Oh, I don’t have time for Facebook! Too much to do for the Lord!” (Months later, the person was on Facebook!) In fact they were doing so much that she said her and her husband have separated because he does not yearn to do as much as her for the Lord and so they cannot live together! I know her Pastor. He is keen to win the whole world to the Lord. I can just image him using the innocent people in the congregation to build his own minikingdom and while claiming it is ‘for the Lord.’ God help the people if they do not respond in complete obedience. The less the church responds in ‘obedience’ the more determined the Pastor becomes. The preaching becomes harder and tougher - messages obviously ‘from the Lord’ who is apparently displeased – today...and the next, actually always. God dame it! It seems God is in a permanent bad mood! In ‘their’ efforts they are not only killing themselves, but killing the very church God had trusted them with, if it is a genuine church in the first place. I am sure some Pastors would never wish to be treated the way they behave towards others. Now the surprising irony - the

congregation truly believes their Pastor is the nicest and easiest pastor. Poor sheep, they had no idea what the Pastors hidden agenda is….How do I know? I have been that Pastor. Jesus stated HE will build HIS church. Not YOU will build HIS church. Nor He will build YOUR church. You should not therefore pressure people to evangelise others. The LORD added to the church such as should be saved. Not YOU added to the church. Pressuring the members to preach the gospel to relatives, friends and associates is not the way. Evangelism is a natural spiritual process initiated and motivated by God from start to finish. We work with Him, He is the boss. He does not require your motivational control techniques, tricks and gimmicks to guarantee the world will be evangelized. I am familiar with all the condemning soul winning sermons in the book. In fact I invented some that were not even in the book! I knew how to ‘get’ people to evangelise. Pastors are under pressure to have a numerically growing congregation, so they in turn pressure their congregation to evangelize so they can have bums on seats. The Pastor dreams of standing before a congregation packed from front to back, side to side and floor to ceiling, instead he gazes across the hall and can barely see Sister Tight Fist at the back looking like she has just eaten twenty lemons and Brother I-can’t-be-bothered seated in the front with a face that reads, “Try and make me if you can!” It disappoints the Pastor to see the same tired faces and propels him to adopt any and every gimmick he can to secure the obedience and loyalty he so craves. 25

A congregation should never be pressured to give financially. God loves a cheerful giver, not one that is pressured to give. When I used to Pastor I eventually stopped collecting tithes and offerings during the service. I know you’re shocked! What was the result? People gave more willingly than they did under pressure! I knew all the sermons to get money out of people ‘for the Lord.’ Pastor, I know there are people that believe in “one Lord, one Faith and one dollar” but leave them to God. Don’t torture the others, because of these people, with begging sermons disguised as opportunities to be blessed. Pastor if you have a genuine ministry God will supply the needs for what He wants to do. All you need is one Word from God. You know where this is heading, yes you guessed it...the fishing all night incident. The disciples fished all night and caught no fish. One word from Jesus and they caught more than they could handle. Get the picture? Busy, busy, busy! Everybody is busy! No time to hear what God has to say. Shall I talk about the broken marriages I have dealt with because one or both were so busy with the Church ‘for the Lord’ that they had no time to enjoy each other and are now separated and divorced. Like the preacher I heard on TV boasting how he has a great wife who allows him to go about preaching and hardly gets to see him! He needs a slap on is sanctified face! Don’t worry he can be really spiritual and turn the other cheek and I will slap that side too! God’s Word will search deep and divide between what is from your soul (mind)

and spirit (where he dwells and speaks) to really expose your motives. Now for the naked man… “Have you come out with swords and clubs to arrest me as though I were a thief? Day after day I was with you in the Temple teaching, and you did not arrest me. But let the scriptures be fulfilled.” All of them deserted him and fled. A young man was following him, wearing nothing but a linen cloth. They caught hold of him, but he left the linen [cloth] and ran off naked.” (Mark 14:48-52) Who was this man? Let’s investigate. In verses 14:51-52, Mark tells us that “A young man was present who was wearing nothing but a sindon. The company caught hold of him, but he left the sindon and ran away naked.” A ‘sindon’ was a linen cloth used for clothing or burial. The word is used on four occasions in the Christian Testament: in the three synoptic gospels it is used to describe the cloth in which the dead body of Jesus was wrapped for burial. Interestingly, next to the Garden of Gethsemane was a grave yard. We can confidently presume then that while Jesus was praying the boy was raised from the dead, heard the noise of the soldiers and went to see what was happening and the rest is…hilarious! What is my point? Jesus raised the dead with no effort and with all our efforts we end up dead! “Labour to enter in the rest of the Lord” is the instruction of scripture. In Bible days it took one sermon to reach three thousand people. Today it takes us three thousand sermons to influence one person! Let your people live life. We are human BE-ings not human DO-ings. Church gatherings were instituted for man…not man for church gatherings. Chill out with your people Pastor…and the Lord will do the rest! Enjoy them don’t endure them. Don’t think you have to give your life for the Church. Jesus has already done that. God does not want us to give Him our life…He came to give us HIS Life (John 10:10). The people in your church have a life. They want to shop, play in the park, enjoy their family and just enjoy their

life. They want to breathe the air God gave them. Their life cannot revolve around your egotistic vision. If the life is being drained out from them is there not something wrong? How can unhappy individuals assist you well? Not only do they have to face the challenges others do, they have to also deal with praying hours, fasting days, evangelising, church services, crusades and conferences and so much more. Don’t suffocate them. Do they really need your permission to go on holiday? Do they need your permission to miss church one Sunday so the family can have a weekend away? I can understand those employed by the church or involved in leadership roles needing notify the Pastor of any plans for a holiday, but the average attendee should not be so controlled. Often Pastors see other churches growing and are eager to have the same results. Tragically, in many cases, they are running ahead of God. They then cage the members in an effort to grow the church. An eagle caged does not look right. It does not feel right. It wants to spread its wings and fly high…and so do the people in your church. Your focus should not be numerical growth. It should be the growth of the individual person. Make them successful in every area of their life. Do you really want to fight, lose sleep and worry over a member that does not even desire to attend your church? Just so you can have extra people…? Often these people are extra baggage that will hold you back. Let them go. When I was a Pastor and someone did not like the church I helped them find a church. In fact I would announce from the pulpit that if anyone wanted to find another church we would assist them. They should not have to give financially, come to church or like you for you to give your best to them and to be accepted. These are people not robots. Treat them like real people with real issues. They have jobs, kids and they too have to deal with traffic jams on the way to church! I know. I really, really know how that they frequently do not appreciate the effort you put into the church. That does not mean you have to kill them. You keep your end of the deal and allow God to deal with them!

Quotes “Do you really want to fight, lose sleep and worry over a member that does not even desire to attend your church?”

“A congregation should never be pressured to give financially. God loves a cheerful giver, not one that is pressured to give.”

Florida Pastor Causes Fury

& Embarrassment By Peter Youngren

knew Terry Jones 15 years ago. At the time, he was pastor of a large church in Germany; and for a couple of years, he invited me as the guest speaker for their summer convention. He was a pretty radical man back then. I didn’t feel entirely comfortable, and when he invited me for a third time, I didn’t go. Still, I never expected Terry Jones to cause so much fury. This week, just about every news site in the world has reported on his “Burn the Koran” day, scheduled for September 11th. Jones claims to want to honor those who died nine years ago, and send a warning to radical Islam at the same time. According to an ABC report, Jones’ church in Gainesville, Florida, had about thirty worshippers last Sunday, but size is no deterrent, as even the president is paying attention. White House spokesman, Robert Gibbs, said that the anti-Islamic protest could endanger the lives of American soldiers. His words were echoed by General David Petraeus, who stated that images of a burning Koran would incite violence around the world. Similar condemnations were issued by the US embassy in Kabul, the NATO Secretary General, and the US State Department, who went a step further, “This is inconsistent with American values. In fact, these actions themselves are un-American.”

Hopefully, by the time you read this article Jones will have stepped back from his reckless behavior. General Petraeus stated that the Koran burning could potentially damage relations between the West and the Islamic world, much like the photographs showing the abuse of Muslim inmates at Abu Graib prison did four years ago. My guess is that if any-

thing could sway Jones, it would be a word from the military. Jones appeals to his constitutional rights and certainly any citizen of a free country is able to buy a book and burn it, if he so desires. Constitutional rights aside, Jones currently carries a holster with a .40 caliber pistol—just in case. His bank has demanded an immediate repayment of the $140,000.00 balance on the church’s mortgage; and the church’s property insurance has been cancelled. Jones certainly has painted himself in a corner by stating that he believes Jesus would have joined in the Koran-burning project. My concern is not Terry Jones. He is an extremist, and most people would not want to be associated with his inflammatory rhetoric. To me he is an embarrassment. Still, I suspect that he has more silent supporters than one might expect. Why are many of those who follow the Prince of Peace so quick to attack and condemn? It’s not just Christians fighting Muslims, but Christians fight other Christians, shoot their wounded, all the while, beating their breasts in self-righteousness. Last night Grace TV aired “Confessions of a former Muslim-hater.” My guest described how he got caught up in a militant type of Christianity where one feels free to condemn and hate. There is no reason to belittle the grave differences between Islam and Christianity, but maybe we should also look at what we have in common. The Koran has much to say about Jesus; he was born of a virgin, he is the Word of God, the Messiah, and he will be held in honor in this world and the world hereafter. Astonishingly, the Koran also depicts Jesus as the only sinless prophet. Islam’s holy 27

Terry Jones

book refers to Jesus ninety-seven times, even more than the prophet Mohammed is mentioned. King Solomon wrote, “Any fool can start a quarrel.” Terry Jones is a good example. Just speak evil of others, and soon you’ll have a fight on your hand. Solomon continues, “A wise person makes friends.” Whether Jones goes ahead with his Koran burning day or not, make no mistake, his proposed action doesn’t represent Jesus. Two thousand years ago, Jesus exemplified the principle Solomon had articulated. Jesus befriended Jews, Samaritans and Romans equally. Maybe it’s time for Muslims, Christians and Terry Jones to take another look at Jesus. For a more complete teaching on how to see Muslims come to Christ, please order Peter’s bestselling book, My Muslim Friends, at www.peteryoungren.org/store 3

Authoritarianism in the Church: Be Not Deceived by Lea Bates

n an authoritarian environment, people tend to submit, follow and trust those in leadership (government or church, for example). The Encyclopedia Britannica defines authoritarianism as “principle of blind submission to authority, as opposed to individual freedom of thought and action.” One might think the Authoritarian is the one in the wrong, but when it comes to authoritarianism in the church, both the authoritarian and the one in submission are blind. Authoritarianism is similar to legalism, but not totally. Legalism is defined as a “strict, literal or excessive conformity to the law or a religious or moral code; the institutionalized legalism that restricts free choice.”

Aggression is implied when one falls out of submission (or as Charismatic sects put it, “from under cover”) or is not part of their sect (in this case other denominations). Here’s an interesting description of Authoritarianism: “It can be concluded that aggression is authoritarian when: it is accompanied by the belief that proper authority approves it or that it will help preserve such authority; when it is predisposed to control the behavior of others through punishment.” In the case of the church it is expected of the church member to be in total agreement with leadership. Of course, we should be in agreement with leadership, but we should also have the freedom to speak our minds when dealing with matters that affect us or are not scriptural. When a person does not agree and addresses an issue, or if they exercise their free right to speak out and leadership does not agree, then the member is corrected. Repentance may be allowed, but it will be at

that will be revealed: Shepherd the flock of God which is among you, serving as overseers, not by compulsion but willingly, not for dishonest gain but eagerly; nor as being lords over those entrusted to you, but being examples to the flock.”

the member’s expense, not leadership. The lesson implied here for the member is that they must be in total agreement with leadership, period. We are expected to submit, follow and trust them — no questions asked. Just to add a little balance here and not sound like one who speaks as a fool (Proverbs 29:4), we must have authority in the church. Hebrews 13:17 reminds us that we should obey those who rule over us, and be submissive, for they watch over our souls. Without authority we’d be disorganized and following every wind and doctrine that comes our way (Ephesians 4:14). Sheep without a shepherd do not know which direction to go. Our pastors and elders work very hard and put up with a lot of flak from others and deserve respect for the position they hold. Their labor for the Lord is performed out of love for their flock (1 Thessalonians 5:12-13). 1Peter 5:1-3: The elders who are among you I exhort, I who am a fellow elder and a witness of the sufferings of Christ, and also a partaker of the glory 28

Pastors must remain balanced and not be tempted to “build their own kingdom” at the cost of their sheep as well. Paul dealt with this in 2 Corinthians 11:20-21 when he referenced how the leaders were taking advantage of the congregation and they (the people) tolerated it. People these things should not be! Who’s the bigger fool, the leader or the sheep who tolerate it?

My Personal Encounter with Authoritarianism I would like to share my testimony of how easy it is for elders in a church to take advantage of the servanthood of their flock. I was a member of a church for 10 years and financial administrator for six. I was a member in good standing and was well respected among my fellow church members. I love serving the Lord and I love the body of Christ. However, during the 10 years there I experienced things that I was naive to and never saw that the enemy had me in his sights of deception. I too was much abused in the area of servant hood. I taught children’s church for three years. Then I started the women’s jail ministry in the area and quickly rose to gain favor of those in the judicial circuit. I soon became certified to be a volunteer minister in the prison system. I was active in the prison and jail ministry for 4 years before I was asked by my pastor and his wife to help them open, or-

ganize, and run a drug and alcohol regeneration center for women. I ran the center under their authority. It was not a good experience from the beginning since I had no experience in the management of such a center, but I was certainly able to pastor the women and I loved what I did in that respect. However, as money became tight with the center I started getting fewer and fewer paychecks. My husband kept telling me that I was being taken advantage of and I just couldn’t see it. I worked long hours as it was a seven day a week job. I would discuss the matter of finances and the problems it and the long hours were causing at home with the pastor and his wife and never got solid scriptural advice, so I formed my own opinions according to the Word and being a ‘faithful doer of His Word’ and it almost got me a divorce. When my husband finally had enough he was on his way out the door. I prayed to God and He asked me, “Which is more important, your relationship with Me or this Ministry?” I said, “My relationship with you, Lord.” So He replied, “Then you’ve got to set this down.” So I went into the pastor’s office and resigned because I knew that I had allowed the ministry to take its place above God. What I also didn’t realize was that I was being abused, as my time and money was being taken advantage of by the church. The pastor had already lost his compassion for the ministry because of the stress it applied to their lives (mine didn’t matter) and his wife didn’t want to let it go. It didn’t matter to me anymore; I had to be obedient to the Lord. We closed the center four weeks later because there was no one who wanted to take it over. To shorten this testimony a little I left the church a little over a year after this happened. Why; because the Lord began to reveal to me the truth of authoritarianism. As I saw other people’s time and talents being taken advantage of in the same way as mine were, I started to put the pieces together. I referenced scripture and saw that we were not to be slaves to our church, but unto righteousness (Romans 6:16). If

we are a slave to what masters us, then those who submit to the type of authority that commands your abilities at the cost of your family life, or your spiritual life, then we are not building the Kingdom of God, but the kingdom of man. The onus is in the fool who allows his face to be slapped and he keeps on taking it. One must take a stand and walk away. So where did the authoritarianism come in for me? When I resigned from the church; when I knew it was time to leave, I first resigned from my financial administrator position stating it was time to “retire.” The pastor knew one day I would leave this position so there were no hard feelings (yet). Next, I slowly became less and less involved in leadership. This did not set well with the pastor’s wife as she felt that “with my position in the church” that I should be at ALL functions. It was expected of all leadership to attend all functions and to be at all church services. They were expected to be available when needed – even if it meant teaching children’s church at the last minute. If one dared to voice their opinion they were told it would be dealt with and it either never was, or they were belittled in a leadership meeting. This happened to me when I told the pastor that although I submitted to teaching a class for children’s church, I knew I wasn’t

because there were no other volunteers. In her eyes we were at her disposal to use as she saw fit. It appeared that we were not slaves unto righteousness, but slaves at the hands of the church. The final step was resignation from the church in which I wrote a letter to the pastor resigning. I was called to meet with the pastor. I came to the meeting totally unsuspecting of what was about to happen; I was met by the pastor, his wife, the elder, and three other people of the church. I was told I was the leaven of the church and that they were there as witnesses against me. I was shocked as my letter was dissected and every part where I identified a problem and backed it up with scripture, and said it in love was chastised. I did not know that I would be confronted with this or I would have brought someone with me as a witness. I was horrified! An hour and a half later I finally stated I had to leave. Believe me, he was in no way finished with me yet either, but perhaps he felt he got his point across. I left that day and never went back again.

Church Authoritarianism in Action Perhaps I should pause now and bring you up to date on how this type of church structure came to be. During the Pentecostal/Charismatic movement of the 70’s and 80’s the development of the Discipleship (Shepherding) Movement came into being. This movement was founded by five men who believed that heretical teaching in the church was necessary to keep the flock in order. I Corinthians 7:23 tells us that we are called to be “Sons of God, not slaves of men.” This teaching is the opposite.

Unquestionable obedience to leadership was expected, and if one did question leadership, it was considered rebellion and insubordination. called to do it on a regular basis. He told me he would take care of it. It never was dealt with and the next leadership meeting harsh words came out of the pastor’s wife’s mouth stating that even if she and (she named another unsuspecting person in the room) were to come off the stage to go do it (teach the class), then she would do it. Her face was red with anger as she stated that we should be expected to step in 29

Their philosophy taught their flock not to trust their own judgment or ability to hear from the Lord, but to console with their “leaders” over all matters. These leaders led them to believe that their (the leaders) abilities far surpassed those of their “dumb sheep,” leaving their flock to console them on all matters in their lives. Unquestionable obedience to leadership was expected, and if one did question leadership, it was

“There comes a time in your life when you walk away from all the drama and people who create it. You surround yourself with people who make you laugh. Forget the bad and focus on the good. Love the people who treat you right and pray for the ones who don’t. Life is too short to be anything but happy. Falling down is a part of life, getting back up is faith.” — Author Unknown. considered rebellion and insubordination. It was a performance-based approval system that kept the flock under works and submission to authority. This movement has since dissolved, however, its memory lingers. People under a church covering where authoritarianism is active are typically unaware of the structure the enemy has placed there. That is, until the scales are removed and they see the need to move on. Just like sin, as long as we are in it, it doesn’t affect us (at least that’s the appearance). When we are ready to remove the sin, then the devil throws all the stops to get us to not hear the truth. In the case of Authoritarianism, the emphasis is placed on submission to authority within the church and failure to do so will result in a punishment by God (or the authoritarian). This type of belief wants the believer to think that they must submit to all matters within the church regardless of the reason. There is no freedom to speak out. Should one speak out against matters, it usually results in an exit from the membership/congregation. Bitter words are spoken and the member is left with emotional scars and confusion thinking they were the result of the parting of ways. This violates God’s law of liberty defining that grace covers the obedient (James 1:25; 2:12). From my own experience I have witnessed many congregation members leave our church for various reasons.

However, in their attempt to leave, ill words were spoken over them therefore causing curses to fall upon unsuspecting ones who were not spiritually sound. Or the ill words spoken repeatedly caused damaging effects long after their leaving. These words spoken are like “they came out from under cover, no wonder those things happened to them,” or “well they shouldn’t have left. Had they just submitted to the authority in the house they wouldn’t be miserable right now.” This is a lie straight from the pit of hell and is a snare of the devil. God covers us with His grace when we are obedient, He doesn’t allow the enemy to come after us like this. Furthermore, if we are submitting to His voice, He will protect us (Psalms 91). For those who belong to other denominations and congregations (if they are not in agreement with the beliefs of the authoritarian church) then they are not part of the Kingdom of God. They are not part of their sect. People, we need to realize that God is not on anybody’s side – we are on His side! We are all fighting the good fight of faith together. But some churches act as if there is a battle going on as to who God is really for. One of the first things the Lord taught me after leaving this authoritarian church was that there are Holy Spirit filled people in ALL churches and there are struggling people in all His churches. A church is a hospital for sinners, and we’ve all fallen short of His Glory. There will be no walls partitioning the denominations when we get to 30

heaven, and if we continue to carry on with pride in the church we’re going to be left behind. I’m here to tell you that many people in third-world countries have more faith than people in the Western World. Don’t Be Afraid to Speak Out This message is for those who are afraid to speak out or, heaven forbid, leave. Trust me when I say God’s grace WILL cover you. The departure will be bittersweet, but whom the Son sets free is free indeed! The enemy will fight you tooth and nail. Your mind will be a battlefield of right and wrong, but you must stand on the Word of God and know this…He will be your vindicator and your judge. No one else can do this! As for me, I am free from my past and the Lord has given me the freedom to speak His Word freely and with grace. I speak of this as my testimony, not from hurt, as He has healed me and I have established forgiveness to those involved. God’s Word tells us He doesn’t desire for even the wicked to perish. We all are in need of our Savior. We are not the judge, He is. It is better for us to forgive, heal and move on offering love up to all. About Lea Bates Pastor Lea Bates dedicated her life to the ministry of the Lord in 2000. In 2004, Lea answered the call to begin a women's jail/prison ministry, and in 2007 was one of the founders of a drug and alcohol regeneration center for women. Pastor Bates currently writes devotions, poems and lessons and is also working on a book.

PAYING YOUR PASTOR (1 Timothy 5:17- ) By Stephan Cole

hree small boys were bragging about their dads. The first boy said, "My dad writes a few short lines on paper, calls it a poem, sends it away, and gets $25 for it." "Well, my dad," said the second boy, "makes dots on paper, calls it a song, sends it away, and gets $100 for it." "That's nothing," declared the third boy. "My dad writes a sermon on sheets of paper gets up in the pulpit and gives it, and it takes four men to bring in the money!" Our text for today deals with the subject of pastors and pay. I confess it's not easy for me to preach on these verses for a couple of reasons: First, money is never easy to talk about. It hits about as close to home as you can get. Many people have the notion that the church is always pleading for money, and so whenever the subject comes up, they grab their wallets and put up their defenses.

But if you've come to this church for any length of time, you know that we do not emphasize money. My normal method is to preach consecutively through a portion of Scripture. If money is in the text I come to, I preach on it. But if anything, we probably under-emphasize it. We don't have fund raising campaigns or stewardship drives. We don't solicit pledges or approach individuals for donations. I believe that God's people need to know what God's Word says about money (and it has much to say). I believe you need to be informed as to where we're at financially as a church family. Then, as you respond to the Lordship of Christ, He will enable you to be good stewards of the money He has entrusted to you. I agree with Hudson Taylor's familiar statement: God's work done in God's way will not lack God's means of support.

Another reason this is a ticklish text for me to preach is that it deals with the subject of a pastor's salary, and I am a pastor! I resemble these remarks! Sadly, the public scandals of recent years, exposing TV preachers who live in luxury by exploiting people have given the subject of pastors and pay a black eye. So any time a pastor talks about money, especially as it relates to his pay, people think he's crossing a line he shouldn't cross. I'm glad that we hit these verses just after I got a raise, so that no one can accuse me of using a sermon to hint about my personal needs. I'm not teaching on this text because it needs to be applied in my case. I'm teaching on it because it's a part of God's Word, and we all need to understand and obey God's Word. My understanding of the New Testament is that Christian workers should be careful not to make their own needs known, except to God in prayer, and that God, who hears in 31

secret, will meet their needs as they trust in Him. I realize that this goes against the way the modern church goes about fundraising. While I don't condemn others who hold to differing views, I believe you can build a biblical case for Christian workers mentioning others' needs, but not their own. If you're interested, I'd be glad to loan you my master's thesis which deals with this subject. I don't want my comments to be taken in any way as a hint of need on my part. With Paul I can say, "I have received everything in full and have an abundance ...." (Phil. 4:18). But we do need to understand what God's Word teaches about supporting those who labor in the gospel. Paul is saying ... Churches should make sure that pastors who work hard in leading and feeding are highly respected and well-paid. To understand these verses, we need to keep in mind the historical situation in

Ephesus where Timothy was ministering. Some of the elders had fallen into false teaching and were leading some of the flock astray. Paul wanted to affirm the office and ministry of the leaders who were doing their job well by encouraging the church to continue supporting such men financially (5:1718); but also to give some guidelines for the correction and, if necessary, censure, of those who were in sin (5:19-25). We need to probe four areas to understand Paul's teaching in 5:1718: (1) The definition of "elders"; (2) the deportment of elders; (3) the duties of elders; (4) the duty of the church. 1. We need to define "elders." The terms "elder, "overseer," and "pastor" are used interchangeably in the New Testament to refer to the same office or leadership position in the church (Acts 20:17, 28; Titus 1:5, 7; 1 Pet. 5:14). "Elder" focuses on the character of the man, that he is spiritually mature. "Overseer" (1 Tim. 3:1, 2) looks at the task, which is to superintend or watch over God's church. "Pastor" means "shepherd" and looks at the task from the common picture of the church being God's flock of sheep. The terms are always used in the plural for local churches. There is never to be a one-man ruler over a church or a single man to do the work of shepherding. Unless it's a very small flock, the task is simply too much for one man, even if he works at it full time. Since the early church met in homes scattered around a city, it may be that a single elder was over each house church, but when the church in a particular city is referred to in the New Testament, it always refers to the elders (plural) of the church (singular), such as Ephesus (Acts 20:17) or Philippi (Phil. 1:1). Some elders (or pastors) may be paid so they can devote their full attention to the work of shepherding and teaching God's flock, whereas other elders support themselves by other work. While the paid elders may have greater influence and responsibilities due to their ability to give more time to the work, or due to their training, or to their knowledge of Scripture, no elder is the head of the church. Jesus Christ is the living head of His church, and the elders collectively oversee Christ's church as they learn to seek His mind and to submit to one another and work in harmony under the authority of God's Word.

2. We need to understand the deportment of elders. As we saw in 3:1-7, elders are appointed to their office by virtue of their spiritual maturity and godly character, not because they went to seminary or because they're popular, likeable men, or for any other reason. Seminary training is helpful if a man is going to devote himself full-time to teaching God's Word, but it must be accompanied by spiritual maturity or he may "fall into reproach and the snare of the devil" (3:7). If a man is going to be supported financially in ministry, he needs to be "free from the love of money" (3:3), so that he doesn't fall into the trap of using ministry to get rich. Since an undisciplined man can waste a lot of time in the ministry, Paul mentions (5:17) that he must "work hard" at preaching and teaching. The biblical support he adds of the ox threshing and the laborer reinforce the condition that an elder who is supported must not be lazy. I have known men in ministry who use their time in a sloppy fashion. If they were employees of a secular company, they would be fired. I'm not talking about over-work, which is another sin many pastors fall into. But a pastor needs to be conscientious about working hard, since he is doing the Lord's work. A pastor had three young men installing insulation in the attic of his church building. He sat down with them to eat lunch and one of the men, having noticed that the pastor had spent his morning reading, asked about his duties. "Do you have a job besides serving as pastor of this church?" he asked. When the pastor replied that this was his only employment, the worker asked, "Well, Reverend, could you work if you wanted to?" (Reader's Digest [2/87]). I've often been asked whether I do this full time, and when I answer yes, have been asked, "What else do you do?" I guess people think, "A pastor's pay isn't very good, but the hours are great--just Sunday mornings!" But believe me, there aren't enough hours in the week to do the things demanded by shepherding a church this size. But even so, a man must not be lazy, because you have to determine your own schedule, so it's possible to become sloppy with your time. Paul had already given the same re32

quirements about hard work and freedom from the love of money to the Ephesian elders: "I have coveted no one's silver or gold or clothes. You yourselves know that these hands ministered to my own needs and to the men who were with me. In everything I showed you that by working hard in this manner you must help the weak and remember the words of the Lord Jesus, that He Himself said, 'It is more blessed to give than to receive'" (Acts 20:33-35). So elders, especially those who are supported financially, must conduct themselves in a godly manner, being on guard against laziness and greed. 3. We need to understand the duties of elders. We could come up with more categories, but here Paul gives two broad duties of elders or pastors, leading ("rule") and feeding ("preaching and teaching"). A. Elders must lead God's flock. "Rule" (NASB), "direct the affairs of the church" (NIV). The Greek word is only used six times in the New Testament in this sense. It means literally, "to stand before" and thus has the meaning of "lead," "manage," or "superintend." It is used in Romans 12:8 to refer to the spiritual gift of leadership. In 1 Timothy 3:4, 5, it refers to the elder (and in 3:12 to the deacon) who "manages his own household well." In 3:5 management is compared to "taking care of" the church of God. That word is the same word used of the Good Samaritan (Luke 10:34-35) who took care of the injured man. Thus "to rule" has the nuance of assuming responsibility for the care of those under his leadership, as a good husband and father is to do for his family. Thus one major task of elders is that of "ruling" in the sense of overseeing or shepherding the church. It does not mean to "lord it over" people (1 Pet. 5:3), but rather to care for people, to guard them from error, to admonish them, and to help each one grow to maturity and fruitfulness in Christ. Note that this is a skill that a man can grow in. Some elders "rule well." It's not an easy task, so each man needs to work at it. In Romans 12:8 Paul says that the person with this gift should exercise it "with diligence." In 1 Thessalonians 5:12, it is translated "have charge over you in the Lord" and is also linked

with diligent labor. That means that even if you're gifted, leadership doesn't happen effortlessly. The church doesn't run on autopilot. It involves diligent work to lead well. Things need to be dealt with. It's always more of a hassle to take the initiative to correct situations that are off-course. It's easier to procrastinate and let things slide. So, one of the major duties of elders is to be diligent to rule well, to do the hard work necessary to take care of God's flock. B. Elders must feed God's flock. Paul singles out elders who "work hard at preaching and teaching." Not all elders are going to have the gift of teaching, although all should be able to teach (1 Tim. 3:2) in the sense of sitting down with someone and explaining the basic Christian truths. But some will be gifted in teaching and they should work hard at it. And it is hard work! Preaching involves about 9/10 perspiration and 1/10 inspiration. It takes time to study, pray, and think in order to be accurate, clear and interesting, and to apply it practically. I average about 15 hours to prepare a sermon I've never preached before, and 8-12 hours to rework a sermon I've already preached. I can't just dust off an old sermon and give it again. I need to get back into the text and allow it to speak to my heart in a fresh way and to think about how the people I'm speaking to need it applied. Before a man can preach properly, he must allow the Word to preach to him. As John Calvin said, "It would be better for the preacher to break his neck going into the pulpit than for him not to be the first to follow God." It would be impossible to devote adequate time to that task plus be involved in oversight of the church and hold down a full-time outside job. Thus Paul instructs the church to support the elders who work hard at preaching and teaching. I don't see a major distinction between "preaching" and "teaching." The words here are literally, "in word and teaching." Some people have told me that I'm a teacher, not a preacher, because I don't yell and shout at people in a preachy voice. But the Greek word for "preach" means "to proclaim as a herald" who announced the message of the king. In that sense, preaching means to set forth the authoritative word of the King.

Teaching is setting forth and explaining the truths of the Bible. I agree with Martyn Lloyd-Jones, who said, "The greatest need in the Church today is to restore this authority to the pulpit" (Preaching & Preachers [Zondervan], p. 159). As I've said before, God's Word doesn't give us helpful hints for happy living. The man who speaks for God had better not waffle! God's people desperately need a sure word from God on how to live in this evil world. We live in a day when preaching, especially doctrinal preaching that sets forth the great truths of Scripture in a systematic fashion, is viewed as out-oftouch with where our TV-oriented culture is at. Sermons keep getting shorter and shorter, and sometimes are replaced by drama and story-telling. But Paul clearly elevates the need of the church for strong leadership and for solid preaching by directing that those who labor in these ministries receive double honor. That leads to ... 4. We need to understand the duty of the church: To give such men "double honor." There is some debate over what Paul means by this term. Clearly, verse 18, which explains ("for") verse 17, shows that Paul is referring primarily to pay. Some take "double" literally and say that these elders should be paid twice what the widows (5:3) or the non-teaching elders were paid. I understand "double" to mean "ample" (Theodoret, a fifth century theologian explains it by a Greek word meaning "more" or "greater"). The Greek word, "honor" can mean either honor or pay or both (as we saw last week; see 5:3; 6:1). So Paul is directing that elders who work hard at preaching and teaching should be highly respected and well-paid. Honor and pay are related. A Newsweek cover story a few years ago [9/24/84] on American school teachers dealt, in part, with the problem that teachers in our country are not respected. It stated, "One reason for the disrespect, of course, is money." If we underpay someone, we don't respect him. You can shrug off free advice, but if you pay a counselor $100 an hour, you're more likely to respect and follow what he tells you. Many churches expect their pastors to survive on a subsistence salary, but then, to their detriment, they don't respect either the man or his message. 33

Paul supports his point from two Scriptures: Deuteronomy 25:4, which commands that oxen should not be muzzled when they are threshing; and, Luke 10:7, Jesus' words about the worker being worthy of his wages. (Note that Paul put Luke's gospel on a par with Old Testament Scripture.) The Scripture comparing pastors to un-muzzled oxen may not seem too complimentary. But as Paul argues in First Corinthians 9:9-11, it's an argument from the lesser to the greater. If God showed concern for oxen to be "paid" for their work, doesn't He care much more for those who labor in the gospel? They have a right to receive a decent wage for their work. Charles Spurgeon once had the officers of a small country church ask him to recommend a pastor for them. But the salary they were prepared to pay was so small that he wrote back to them, "The only individual I know, who could exist on such a stipend, is the angel Gabriel. He would need neither cash nor clothes; and he could come down from heaven every Sunday morning, and go back at night, so I advise you to invite him" (Autobiography [Banner of Truth], 2:108). Grace Church, pastored by John MacArthur, is often asked to recommend pastoral candidates from among the young men who are trained there. When they send out a man to candidate, they also often send some of their elders to talk to the leaders in the prospective church. On one occasion a few years ago, a church was offering the new pastor $12,000 a year, which was not adequate for his needs. The elders from Grace Church dismissed the pastor for a few minutes and then told the elders, "Each of you get out a piece of paper and write down your annual salary." The average came out to $24,000. They said, "Start him at $24,000." To their credit, they did it! That isn't necessarily the way to determine a pastor's salary, but our text does show that a pastor's salary should not show disrespect for the man or his office. Wayne Grudem observed, "Scripture doesn't caution us against paying our ministers too much, but it does caution against paying them too little" (Leadership [Spring, 1981], p. 67). Someone once pointed out to baseball great, Babe Ruth, that he made more money than President Hoover, and

asked whether Ruth thought he deserved to make more than the president. The Babe replied, "Why not? I had a better year than he did." I heard Bill Yaeger, a veteran pastor, say, "Remember, it's the Catholics who take a vow of poverty. But we're Protestants!" Conclusion Please remember what I said at the beginning of this message: I am amply supplied and content. I am not asking you to apply this message to me. But I would ask you to ask yourself, "Is my giving to this church pleasing to the Lord?" As I've taught before, giving 10 percent is not the New Testament standard. Neither is it biblical to view 10 percent as belonging to God and 90 percent as yours to spend as you please. The New Testament teaching is, God owns it all. We merely manage it for Him. We are to give generously (2 Cor. 8 & 9), as God has prospered us (1 Cor. 16:2). We all just finished doing our taxes. If you didn't give enough to make it worth your while to fill out Schedule A, you're not giving generously to God's work. We have just adopted a new church budget that is lower than last year's budget, but still requires an increase in giving over last year's giving to meet it. We still owe over $40,000 on the house next door. If we could pay it off, it would free up both that house and the one across the street for ministry. In addition, there are many improvements that could be made on our facilities if funds were available. Also, we are at a size where we could probably use another full-time staff pastor. But we can't do any of these extra things if we fall short of our bare-bones budget. Increases in giving don't come out of the air. They are the result of God's people trusting Him by increasing their giving and then doing it regularly and faithfully as unto Him. I do not know what anyone except me gives to this church, so I have no one in particular in mind. I just ask you to go before the Lord and evaluate whether He is pleased with your giving. The late radio Bible teacher, J. Vernon McGee, used to admonish his radio audience by saying, "Friends, if you go into a restaurant and eat their food, you pay the bill. But some of you are being fed by this ministry and aren't paying." My job is to work hard to lead and to feed you. Some of you may need to ask whether you're paying your tab! 34

â&#x20AC;&#x153;David says the same thing when he speaks of the blessedness of the man to whom God

credits righteousness

apart from worksâ&#x20AC;? Roman 4:6 35

Husband & Wife A husband and wife didn't really love each other. The man was very demanding, so much so that he prepared a list of rules and regulations for his wife to follow. He insisted that she read them over every day and obey them to the letter. Among other things, his "do's and don'ts" indicated such details as what time she had to get up in the morning, when his breakfast should be served, and how the housework should be done. After several long years, the husband died. As time passed, the woman fell in love with another man, one who dearly loved her. Soon they were married. This husband did everything he could to make his new wife happy, continually showering her with tokens of his appreciation. One day as he was cleaning house, she found tucked away in a drawer the list of commands her first husband had drawn up for her. As she looked it over, it dawned on her that even though her present husband hadn't given her any kind of list, she was doing everything her first husband's list required anyway. She realized she was so devoted to this man that her deepest desire was to please him out of love, not obligation. Unknown.

Worshipers for hire boost Sunday excitement RAND RAPIDS — On Saturday night Jim Kendall swivels on his bar stool at the Belly Up Tavern, snuffs out his cigarette and says, “Gotta go, guys. I’m gigging tomorrow.” The next morning at 10 a.m. Kendall, dressed in ironed Dockers and a Polo shirt, sings with gusto in the third row at Neighborhood Christian Center. “Praise God!” he shouts, lifting his hands and prompting others to chime in with “amen” and “glory.” His infectious enthusiasm is just what the pastor ordered. Kendall isn’t a Christian, but he and hundreds of other people across the U.S. are getting paid as much as $12 an hour by temp placement agencies to pretend to be exuberant worshipers. “Praise decoy work is great,” says one worshiper for hire who has lent his skills to more than 50 church services. He doesn’t mind sitting through services, and considers the praise movements “good stretching exercise, like Tai Chi.” In the past five years, the worshiper-forhire industry has flourished as pastors try to goose the energy level in dwindling churches. Temp agencies train decoys to clap, laugh and make affirmative noises during the sermon.

Most prized is the ability to appear authentically engaged, but not overly so. “It’s a subtle art,” says William Talbot, 67, who has temped as a worshiper since his retirement nest egg petered out. Talbot, a Jew by birth, says he writes grocery lists and the week’s tasks while pretending to take sermon notes. Pastors hire worshipers for various reasons, but most often to avoid the humiliation of empty pews. “I did it to encourage the flock,” says a pastor who wished not to give his name. “Membership had slipped so instead of dropping a service, this gave us an interim solution until the staff and I figured out what to do.” The worshipers for hire so enlivened his church that he hired them on a semipermanent basis. Decoy crews rotate so the church’s real members don’t become suspicious. Back at the Belly Up on Sunday afternoon, Kendall is proud of his morning praise performance, and says he’ll ask his agency for a raise based on his improved emulation of sincere worship. “I’d like to make a side career of it,” he says, finishing his beer. •

Religitics THE HOPE OF THE

CHRISTIAN RIGHT For over 30 years America’s Christian Conservatives have sought political solutions to the moral decay that plaques the American society. In the 1970’s, angered by the blatant rejection of prayer in school and the Supreme Courts violation of States rights by legislating from the bench, conservatives thought they had found the answer in the ‘Born Again’ Southern Baptist Jimmy Carter. However, Carter’s pro abortion stance and his ultraliberal wife grated on Conservatives. Conservatives rallied together in unprecedented numbers creating conservative PAC’s like Moral Majority. These they hoped would restore the soul that America politicians seemed glad to sell to the Devil. American’s rallied behind a former California Governor, Ronald Reagan who made no bones about embracing the Christian right. When faced with the impasse of endorsements by groups that would not endorse politicians he made the famous overture, “I endorse you!” to cheering crowds. Reagan would give the Conservative Christians something to hope for and with a strong pro conservative Republican platform. Yet, in spite of winning a landslide second term Conservatives were sold out when it really counted. There was no more progress made on issues like abortion in the Reagan years than there was under Carter, and when Reagan had opportunity to correct the liberal court that had given American

such decisions he opted for a left wing appointee in Sandra Day O’Connor. By the 1990’s these events (and many others) helped to create a strong division between Christians and Democrats. Many Conservative Christians claimed those who voted for Bill Clinton (or perhaps any Democrat) were not really Christians. Frustrated Conservatives groaned through the embarrassments brought to the White House during the Clinton years, but Clinton was not alone as scandal and embarrassment came from Conservative champions as well. Newt Gingerich Speaker of the House and architect of the Contract with America resigned under pressure. In the 1990’s Conservative Christians felt like they had again found their champion. Like Jimmy Carter, the ‘Born Again’ George Bush seemed to be the answer. Under the impetus of the Conservative Christian right George W. Bush would serve 8 years in a presidency earmarked with compromise. However, two points of light gave hope to Conservatives; the appointments of Chief Justice Roberts and Justice Alito to the US Supreme court. With the departure of Bush, Conservatives had no champion and many black Conservative Christians rallied behind an ill fated Obama Presidency. Today, with the American economy in the worst shape in its more than 200 year his37

tory, Christian Conservatives once again seek a champion. However the reality is that even the most promising champions have failed to deliver. Former Al Gore and Jimmy Carter supporters Rick Perry and Michele Bachman are among the hopefuls. The 2012 quest for the White House has been marred by sellouts. Bachman left her Wisconsin Lutheran church because they believe the Pope is the AntiChrist and Bachman needs Catholic voters more than she needs to stick to her beliefs. Rick Perry and Newt Gingerich have attempted to redefine the Mormon Cult (yes the same Mormon’s who killed settlers and looted their wagon trains when they were going west) into a Christian group. While Rick Perry embraces Mormon’s, Newt Gingerich fires a Tea Party supporter who simply told the truth about Mormons. In the end, American’s were forced to choose between a Mormon (Mitt Romney), someone who is seeking to redefine Christianity (Gingerich, Perry or Bachman), or a man who doesn’t seem to really know what he believes (Obama).

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The Palestinian Authority Exposed Ambassador (ret.) Yoram Ettinger, "Second Thought” "Israel Hayom” newsletter, December 23, 2011

Abu Mazen's December 20, 2011 public embrace of Amna Muna – a ruthless Palestinian terrorist –exposes Abu Mazen's authentic ideology. Notwithstanding Abu Mazen's moderate demeanor, the televised session with Amna Muna, and other Palestinian terrorists, was consistent with Abu Mazen's own K-12 hate-education system, which heralds terrorism, in general, and suicide bombing, in particular. It is compatible with the monthly allowances paid by Abu Mazen's administration to families of suicide bombers and imprisoned terrorists; with his naming of streets, squares and sport tournaments after terrorists; with his 50 years track record as Arafat's top confidant and deputy; with his holocaust denial Ph.D. thesis at Moscow University; with his involvement in the 1972 Munich Massacre of eleven Israeli Olympians; with his active support of the 1990 Saddam Hussein's invasion of Kuwait; with his betrayal of Syria's Hafiz Assad, Jordan's King Hussein, Lebanon's government and Kuwait's Sheikh Sabah; with his stewardship of PLO-Communist Bloc ties and his KGB training. While Western policy-makers and public opinion molders assume that Abu Mazen has renounced terrorism and violence, the "Good Cop” accords enhances the legitimacy of Amna Muna, whom fellow female terrorists named "the Ramallah Satan” for her sadistic virulence, biting and pouring boiling wax and oil on the face of those who dared challenge her. Abu Mazen is true to his roots from the 1950s, in Egypt, where he was a key operative of the Muslim Brotherhood , which fervently believes in a divinely-ordained Islamic domination of the globe, religiously and territorially. Abu Mazen refers to terrorists and suicide bombers – who intentionally and systematically murder, maim and intimidate civilians as "freedom fighters.” In fact, Abu Mazen's engagement with terrorism is in line with Islamic history

since the murder of Muhammad's successors: Umar ibn al-Khattab was stabbed to death at a mosque in Medina in 644 AD; Uthman ibn Affan was assassinated in 656 AD; Ali ibn Abi Talib was slain in 661 AD outside a mosque in Kufa. Most contemporary Muslim regimes rise to power through violence and terrorism, rule through state-sponsored terrorism and lose power to elements, which are more skillful with tools of violence. In 1829, John Quincy Adams, the 6th US President, wrote: "The precept of the Koran is perpetual war against all who deny that Mohammad is the prophet of God.” While most Muslims are not terrorists, most contemporary terrorists are Muslims, haunting Muslim societies, and increasingly exporting Islamic terrorism all over the globe: the USA, India, Britain, Russia, Australia, Holland, Argentina, Sri Lanka, Israel, Thailand, Columbia, Spain, France, etc. The Abu Mazen/Arafat regime, which has dominated the Palestinian Authority since its establishment in 1993, has indoctrinated an entire generation with terrorist-driven hate-education and incitement via PA-controlled schools, mosques and media. For instance, the Palestinian Authority curriculum and incitement machine include the following excerpts from the Quran: "Jews and disbelievers [defined as Christians in 5/73] are the most vehement in hatred for the Muslims (Quran 5/82);” Jews are damned (Quran 5/64); "Believers, take not Jews and Christians for your friends. They are but friends and protectors to each other (Qur'an 5/51);” Jews are children of monkeys and pigs (Quran 5/60); Jews are murderers of prophets (Quran 2/91); Jews falsified the Holy Scriptures (Quran 1/7); Jews must pay head tax while humiliated (Quran 9/29); Killing Jews is a prerequisite for Latter Days (Hadith-tradition). The Abu Mazen education system has entrenched the idolization of martyrdom/suicide bombing and terrorism. Thus, a significant segment of the pop38

ulation believes that Paradise is awaiting Shahids, who are killed while conducting Jihad ("Holy War”) against Jews; that Shahids will be rewarded, in sickness, poverty, humiliation and predicament-free Paradise, by 72 beautiful dark-eyed virgins, by the potency of 100 males, by jewel-platted beds, by commutation of all sins, by ushering 70 friends and relatives to Paradise, by becoming celebrities among their peers and by benefitting from eternal youth. Former First Lady, Laura Bush boldly expressed, in a 2002 interview with The El Paso Time, the typical Western attitude toward Palestinian mothers: "Can I empathize with a mother who sends her child out to kill herself and others? No!" Terror-driven education and the disregard and abuse of human rights – brainwashing people to terrorism and suicide bombing - have been the root cause of Islamic terrorism since the 7th century. It has been the core of 14 centuries of raging intra-Islamic conflicts, and the crux of the Arab-Israeli conflict. The focus on Road Maps, Quartet Initiative, UN resolutions, sweeping Israeli concessions (e.g. importing the PLO from terrorists camps in Yemen to the gates of Jerusalem and Tel Aviv), and US pressure for further concessions, have not produced peace. They have diverted attention away from the heart of the matter: state-sponsored terror-oriented education. They have fueled the fire of terrorism, which was dramatically lower before Oslo. The pursuit of durable peace on one hand and hate-education on the other hand constitutes an oxymoron, which has haunted all peace initiatives since Oslo. The pursuit of durable peace – and not a delusional, ceremonial peace process – mandates the uprooting of hate education and incitement as a prerequisite to any negotiation. Ambassador (ret.) Yoram Ettinger, "Second Thought: US-Israel Initiative" www.TheEttingerReport.com

Persecution Watch Christians Assaulted and Arrested in INDIA Pastor Titus and believers arrested in Madhya Pradesh Christmas strike called by Tribal Outfit - An Appeal to the Authorities Ten Christians, including six women arrested on Friday evening, 16 December, in Jalahalli, a village in Bhadravathi, Shimoga District of Karnataka after they were falsely accused of forcibly converting Hindus to Christianity. The group of believers was repeatedly invited to have a prayer meeting in a new convert Venkatesh’s home, and while at the prayer meeting, they were attacked by a mob allegedly belonging to the Hindu fundamentalists groups, who threatened them and also injured some of the believers. The Christian have been identified as Pastor Sagar Guntur, elders Prabhudas, Solomon Babu, Alwyn, Salomi, Deborah and Jaya. One Christian identified as George was declared as absconding by the police. The lawyers for the Christians informed EFI that the Christians were taken into police custody and eight Christians were later released on bail. Pastor Titus and believers arrested in Madhya Pradesh A pastor of the Indian Pentecostal Church, identified as Titus and few other Christians were arrested after being charged under Section 3 and 4 of the Madhya Pradesh Freedom of Religion Act after a complaint was registered against them by local villagers in the Sendwa in Badhwani District of Madhya Pradesh on December 2, 2011. While they were in the Police Station about 20 men from radical Hindu organisation barged into the police station demanding arrest of the pastor.

Pastor Titus and the other Christians were released, after bail was posted by local Christians on their behalf. The police also seized the vehicle they were using along with some CD’s and Bibles. Christmas strike called by Tribal Outfit The Kui Samaj Seva Samity (Kui social service society) have called for the shut down in Kandhamal district of Orissa during December 24-27 to protest what it said was government neglecting the district while allocating welfare funds. According to media reports, quoted the strike call Bipra Charan Nayak, convener of the Survivors’ Associations of Communal Violence as saying, “has caused panic among Christians who are planning to celebrate Christmas after four years.” The same tribal outfit had called for a similar strike in December 2007 that led to killing of five Christians in the Christmas week. Hundreds of houses were also torched. The district saw antiChristian violence again in August 2008 that killed more than 90 people and rendered some 50,000 people homeless. The EFI Legal Aid office too has shut down for the dates of the shutdown owing the possibility of violence targeting Christian workers in the region. Christian groups including the EFI have written to the local administration seeking their urgent intervention to ensure that there is no violence in the district. An Appeal to write to Authorities As concerned people, kindly write to the 39

Chief Ministers of Odisha, Madhya Pradesh and Karnataka appealing to them 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 Shri Shivraj Singh Chouhan Chief Minister of Madhya Pradesh (O) Tel: (0755) 2441581 ; 2441033 (O) Fax: (0755) 2441781 (R) Tel: (0755) 2442231 ; 2442241 (R) Fax: (0755) 2540501 Email: cm@mp.nic.in Shri Navin Patnaik Chief Minister of Odisha Naveen Nivas, Aerodrome Road, P.O. Bhubaneswar Distt. Khurda, Pin - 751 001 (Orissa) Email: cmo@ori.nic.in (O) Tel: (0674) 2531100 ; 2531500 (O) Fax: (0674) 2535100 (R) Tel: (0674) 2590299 ; 2591099

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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

Bible Verses “It is better to live alone in the desert than with a crabby, complaining wife.” Proverbs 21:19 (New Living Translation)

“A quarrelsome wife is as annoying as constant dripping on a rainy day. Stopping her complaints is like trying to stop the wind or trying to hold something with greased hands.” Proverbs 27:15-16 (New Living Translation)

Apostle Leonard D. Barber

One time, Jesus was asked to leave town-- for killing all the pigs! Matthew 8:28-34 (New International Version)

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.

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Humor A Forester and a Lawyer A forester and a lawyer were in car accident and showed up at the pearly gates together. St. Peter greets them at the pearly gates and takes them to the homeswhere they will spend all of eternity. They get into St. Peter's holy vehicle and head on down a gold road, which turns into a platinum road, which turns onto an even grander road paved with diamonds, to a huge mansion where St. Peter turns to the lawyer and says, here is your home for the rest of eternity, enjoy! And if there is anything you need, just let me know. Then St. Peter took the forester to his home, back down the diamond studded boulevard, down the platinum highway, down the street of gold, down an avenue of silver, along a stone alley and down an unpaved footpath to a shack. St Peter says "Here you go" and goes to leave when the forester says "Waitaminute!, how come the lawyer gets the big mansion and I get this shack?" St. Peter says: "Well, Foresters are a dime a dozen here, we have never had a lawyer before."

Miss Charlene Mason sang "I will not pass this way again," giving obvious pleasure to the congregation.

Bald Men Good news from Leviticus â&#x20AC;Ś â&#x20AC;&#x153;When a man has lost his hair and is bald, he is clean.â&#x20AC;? Leviticus 13:40, NIV 44