Got Clones??????

I'd gone through so much other stuff
That walking down the aisle was tough
But now I know it's not enough
I want to be a clone

I asked the Lord into my heart
They said that was the way to start
But now you've got to play the part
I want to be a clone

                     (Chorus)

Be a clone and kiss conviction goodnight
Cloneliness is next to Godliness, right?
I'm grateful that they show the way
'Cause I could never know the way
To serve him on my own
I want to be a clone

They told me that I'd fall away
Unless I followed what they say
Who needs the Bible anyway?
I want to be a clone

Their language it was new to me
But Christianese got through to me
Now I can speak it fluently
I want to be a clone

          (Bridge)

Send in the clones

Ah, I kind of wanted to tell my friends and people about it, you know?

What?
You're still a babe
You have to grow
Give it twenty years or so
'Cause if you want to be one of his
Got to act like one of us

-----Chorus-----

So now I see the whole design
My church is an assembly line
The parts are there, I'm feeling fine
I want to be a clone

I've learned enough to stay afloat
But not so much I rock the boat
I'm glad they shoved it down my throat
I want to be a clone

Everybody must get cloned

Steve Taylor, from "I Want To Be A Clone" (1983, Sparrow Records)

This blog started out on a totally different subject, but as often happens, The Lord lead me in a different direction..............

I first heard this song when I was 13 years old. Like most 13 year olds, I was just trying to figure out where I belonged in the world. Of course when I was 13, "social media" meant listening to music with your friends, and if someone asked you about "facebook" you were likely to cover your head for fear of being hit in the face with a book (yes the "old fashioned" ones with pages and everything :) )

Being a teenager is hard but when you add the fact that your Grandparents are Pastors, your Parents and a lot of other family members are Ministers, and the family members that are not actually in the Ministry still attend and/or work in various capacities in the Church,  it's kind of a double whammy. On top of all this, you get (or got to hear then anyway), that even Christian Rock music will "send you to hell", its a wonder that I am writing this from the desk of my own Church office.......

Anyway, I heard this song at a Christian Bookstore (they had listening stations so you could hear the music before you bought it), and I instantly identified with what Mr. Taylor was saying. The denomination I was raised in told you exactly how to worship The Lord, and if you didn't do it their way, you were on a one way road to hell.

This  is the same thing that the pharisee's did to Jesus. He did not fit in with them, they considered Him a rebel because He did not conform to their way of doing things. But did He let that stop Him? NO. He did what His Father called Him to do, and if that meant that he went against the religious authorities of His time, that was just too bad. He had a job to do and He did it, and THAT is why we are here today........

The Apostle Paul says in Philippians 2:12-13

¹² Wherefore, my beloved, as ye have always obeyed, not as in my presence only, but now much more in my absence, work out your own salvation with fear and trembling.
¹³ For it is God which worketh in you both to will and to do of his good pleasure.

These verses make it very clear to anyone who reads their Bible that your Salvation is just that, it is YOURS. No two people will have the exact same relationship with The Lord, because no two people are exactly the same. Are there fundamental or core beliefs that one must hold in order to be a Christian? Of course. What are they? Again we turn to the Scripture:

John 3:16


For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life.


Galatians 5:14
For all the law is fulfilled in one word, even in this; Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself

That my friends is it in a nutshell. If you believe in Jesus Christ, his Birth, Death and Resurrection, and you love your neighbor (even those who do not love you back), then you are a Christian. I know people will want to argue that you cant do this or you cant do that, and yes,  there are things that a Christian should not do, but this again comes back to working out your own Salvation. What is right or wrong for one person will be different than what is right or wrong for another. There are exceptions of course like murder, theft, etc, but that should go without saying. What I am talking about here is the small things that can vary from one denomination to another........

1 Corinthians 10:23

All things are lawful for me, but all things are not expedient: all things are lawful for me, but all things edify not.

1 Corinthians 6:12

All things are lawful unto me, but all things are not expedient: all things are lawful for me, but I will not be brought under the power of any.

There are many examples of this, and we could spend all day listing them, but we wont. Probably the most common examples of this (and the only two I will list) are Alcohol and Tattoos. 

In some denominations both are taboo. In others both are fine. It all comes down to following the lead of The Holy Spirit in your life, and letting The Lord have control. If you do this, He will guide you and you will no longer want to do those things that would keep you from moving deeper and deeper into His presence.

Just remember my friends. We are not clones. we are not supposed to be. Just as all of the Disciples had different personalities and talents, so do we. If someone is trying to make you a clone, run, and run fast.......

God Bless!!

Pastor Brian 

I want to be a clone-Steve Taylor, Courtesy of Youtube

_______________________________________________________________________

”Online Christian Ordination- become a Wedding Officiant and so much more”

Start your own Church or Ministry. We can help you. 

We are a REAL CHURCH that hold’s regular services at a physical location as well as online.

Don’t be mislead, if you are looking for Ordination as a Non-Denominational Christian Minister, but do not want to be Ordained by a Church that only exists in cyber space,  click on the link below.

Get Ordained

_______________________________________________________________________

Sunday 07/15/12 Sermon- Dont Look, Just Leap......

The server that hosts the Pacific Life Church website is down for maintenance today, so I am posting todays Sermon here and also on wordpress. Once the server comes back up, I will also post it (as normal) at the Pacific Life Church Home Page. Until then, God bless you all!!

Pastor Brian




 The Impala
__________________________________
Pastor Brian Linebarger

The African impala can jump to a height of over 10 feet and cover a distance of greater than 30 feet. Yet these magnificent creatures can be kept in an enclosure in any zoo with a 3-foot wall. The animals will not jump if they cannot see where their feet will fall.

Like an Impala in a zoo, Christians and people in general can find themselves in their own enclosures when they forget to have faith.  And what is faith?

Hebrews 11 provides perhaps the best explanation of this. Read the entire chapter, you will find much strength & wisdom there. For our purposes today, we will only use verse 1, which sums up in a nutshell what faith is:

Hebrews 11:1 (NLT)
 Faith is the confidence that what we hope for will actually happen; it gives us assurance about things we cannot see.

Like the Impala, Christians can forget that we have evidence of the things we don’t see. We know, by faith, that we will have firm ground on the other side of that little wall. We know that God will be there and guide us to a perfect landing. Sometimes we may not land where we thought we were going to, but we can be assured that the place where we do land is where God wants us to. By faith we can get out of that enclosure that keeps us penned in and move forward towards the place that God wants us to be.

Every person in the world puts faith in something every moment of their lives. If you are sitting at home, you have faith that the guy who built it was properly trained, & knew where to place the boards that hold up the roof and how to properly nail them so that they will be strong. When you get behind the wheel of your car, you are putting your faith in people you don’t know that they will follow the rules of the road, that they will not have had to much to drink before they drive. When you go to work you are putting your faith not only in the builders of the office/store/whatever building you work in, but also in the hope that your company will not be the next one to file for bankruptcy & that there will be enough money in the bank so that you will be able to cash your paycheck…..

There are many other examples, but I will close with this question: You have to put your faith in something, no matter who you are. So would you rather put your faith in the creation or in the Creator?

God bless!!!


 Faith is the ability to trust what we cannot see, and with faith we are freed from the flimsy enclosures of life that only fear allows to entrap us. - John Emmons 


_________________________________________________________________________________

”Online Christian Ordination- become a Wedding Officiant and so much more”

Start your own Church or Ministry. We can help you. 

We are a REAL CHURCH that hold’s regular services at a physical location as well as online.

Don’t be mislead, if you are looking for Ordination as a Non-Denominational Christian Minister, but do not want to be Ordained by a Church that only exists in cyber space,  click on the link below.

Get Ordained

_________________________________________________________________________________

Angels Around Us............

Wanted to share portions of a sermon I preached some time back on Angels. Hope you enjoy.


A young girl went to her friend’s house and she ended up staying longer than planned, and had to walk home alone. She wasn't afraid because it was a small COMMUNITY and she lived only a few blocks away. As she walked along under the bike trail Diane asked God to keep her safe from harm and danger. When she reached the alley, which was a shortcut to her house, she decided to take it. However, halfway down the alley she noticed a man standing at the end as though he were waiting for her. She became uneasy and began to pray, asking for God's protection. Instantly a comforting feeling of quietness and security wrapped round her, she felt as though someone was walking with her. When she reached the end of the alley, she walked right past the man and arrived home safely. 
The following day, she read in the newspaper that a young girl had been raped in the same alley just twenty minutes after she had been there. Feeling overwhelmed by this tragedy and the fact that it could have been her, she began to weep. Thanking the Lord for her safety and to help this young woman, she decided to go to the police station. She felt she could recognize the man, so she told them her story. 
The police asked her if she would be willing to look at a lineup to see if she could identify him. She agreed and immediately pointed out the man she had seen in the alley the night before. When the man was told he had been identified, he immediately broke down and confessed. The officer thanked the young girl for her bravery and asked if there was anything they could do for her. She asked if they would ask the man one question. 
She was curious as to why he had not attacked her. When the policeman asked him, he answered, 'Because she wasn't alone. She had two tall men walking on either side of her.  

Just like the girl in the story, we are never alone. God always provides  protection & deliverance for His children. That is not to say that we will not have to endure some things, or even endure tragedy sometimes, but we can know that God will protect us in our time of need.

Throughout the Bible we see that God protects and delivers His children. All the way from Genesis to The Revelation. Many times, God uses Angels to help and protect us. Other times, He uses people. We know from the accounts in the synoptic Gospels that Angels were sent to minister to Jesus after his temptation in the wilderness.

  God still uses Angels today, to keep us safe, to protect us from harm, as well as using just ordinary people.

Have a great weekend my friends, and may The Lord Of All Creation keep you in His loving arms.

Pastor Brian




_________________________________________________________________________________

 ”Online Christian Ordination- become a Wedding Officiant and so much more”

Start your own Church or Ministry. We can help you. 

We are a REAL CHURCH that hold’s regular services at a physical location as well as online.

Don’t be mislead, if you are looking for Ordination as a Non-Denominational Christian Minister, but do not want to be Ordained by a Church that only exists in cyber space,  click on the link below.

Get Ordained

_________________________________________________________________________________

Pastors Without Portfolio, The Work Of A Chaplain....

Our series on demonology will continue soon. Today I present to you this topic that is near and dear to my heart and should be near and dear to the heart of every Minister......
Pastor Brian


On any given day if you were to go to a Hospital or Hospice facility, you would see them. Walking the corridors with a smile and a kind word. People seek them out for advice. When a loved one is near passing or about to go into surgery they are called in. Are we talking about Doctors? Nurses maybe?  No, we are talking about Chaplains..........

The role of Chaplain is not an easy branch of Ministry, but it is a vital one. Chaplains perform most of the duties that a Pastor would, but many times the people that they serve they have never met before. Most times it is a volunteer position, so you must be willing to do this work without expectation of any compensation. You also may be called in to serve a person who is of a different denomination than you are, and you must be willing to lay aside your denomination and serve the people in need until a Minister from their own Church or denomination can get there.

In my time as an Emergency Response Chaplain, I have served the entire spectrum from Catholic to Pentecostal and everyone in between. When a person is about to meet The One who created them, denominations dont really seem to matter, what does matter is that there is a person of God there with them.

Many times the Chaplain is called in when people are going through some of the toughest times in their lives. It is a 24 hours a day, 7 day a week, 365 day a year Ministry.

As a Chaplain you must be willing to listen, you must have a thick skin, and you must be prepared to answer the tough questions when it comes to 'Why is this happening to me".  As I said, it is a tough branch of Ministry, but a vital and needed one.

Here in the US, there is a shortage of Ministers willing to take on this role, and yet being a Chaplain is the very definition of helping others.  The shortage is even more acute in Hospitals that are located in Urban areas. In these Hospitals, they are desperate for anyone who is willing to take on this role, while Hospitals in more affluent areas many times have a waiting list...... This my friends SHOULD NOT BE.

The Lord tells us in Matthew 10:8, freely ye have received, freely give. So what is Jesus telling us? If you read a little further in Matthew 10, you will find the answer.....

I have heard other Ministers bragging about how they can "clear $500.00 or more by providing communion to people in nursing homes and Hospitals". THIS IS WRONG. These same Ministers say that they consider communion, praying for/anointing the sick and dying to be Sacraments, so why then would you charge for them??

As Christians, you are already authorized by The Lord to perform these duties, but most time the Hospitals want you to be Ordained and/or have an authorization from your Church to serve as a Chaplain. If you are Ordained through Pacific Life Church, you are authorized by the Church to serve in this capacity by virtue of your Ordination with us. It should also be mentioned that if you are Ordained by Pacific Life Church, you are Ordained by a "brick and mortar" Church, not a Church that exists solely in cyberspace (this is important to a lot of Hospitals). We will work with you and help you complete anything that you may need in order to serve. This can range from verification of your Ordination, a letter of good standing (included when you order your Ordination Credential, Photo ID Cards, filling out/Notarizing any paperwork required by the facility that you are going to work with, whatever it takes, we will help you get it done so that you can serve these people who are in need. We will also be offering a Certificate Course in Chaplaincy very soon through our Minster Training Center.

The Lord is calling, will you answer?

Pastor Brian

Matthew 25:34-40 (KJV)

 Then shall the King say unto them on his right hand, Come, ye blessed of my Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world:
 For I was an hungred, and ye gave me meat: I was thirsty, and ye gave me drink: I was a stranger, and ye took me in:
 Naked, and ye clothed me: I was sick, and ye visited me: I was in prison, and ye came unto me.

Then shall the righteous answer him, saying, Lord, when saw we thee an hungred, and fed thee? or thirsty, and gave thee drink?
 When saw we thee a stranger, and took thee in? or naked, and clothed thee?
 Or when saw we thee sick, or in prison, and came unto thee?
 And the King shall answer and say unto them, Verily I say unto you, Inasmuch as ye have done it unto one of the least of these my brethren, ye have done it unto me.



_________________________________________________________________________________

”Online Christian Ordination- become a Wedding Officiant and so much more”

Start your own Church or Ministry. We can help you. 

We are a REAL CHURCH that hold’s regular services at a physical location as well as online.

Don’t be mislead, if you are looking for Ordination as a Non-Denominational Christian Minister, but do not want to be Ordained by a Church that only exists in cyber space,  click on the link below.

 Get Ordained

_________________________________________________________________________________