Are you looking for the living among the dead?, Easter 2013

Are you looking for Christ among the dead?

Imagine if you will…. Go back 2000+ years ago. You have spent 3 years following a man who preached some pretty radical ideas. He told you that you could come to God without need of a priest. He told you to love one another the same as you love yourself. You have given up your own life to follow him, you believed He  was the long awaited Messiah…. And yet two days ago, you watched as the authorities of the time executed him in the most humiliating way possible…… you watched him breath his last, you watched as his body was taken and laid in a tomb…..

What would you be feeling? Sorrow of course. Maybe even a little betrayed? Now them imagine you are a female follower…. You are not allowed to be in the room with the men who are talking about what to do next…  what do you do? Well you do the only thing you can. After resting on the Sabbath (Saturday), you go to the tomb first thing in the morning with the spices and fragrances to anoint the body. But what you find there is not what you expect……

Luke 24:1-3

Now upon the first day of the week, very early in the morning, they came unto the sepulchre, bringing the spices which they had prepared, and certain others with them.

 And they found the stone rolled away from the sepulchre.

 And they entered in, and found not the body of the Lord Jesus.

Imagine how these women felt. These women, including His mother, not only see the stone that had covered the tomb rolled away, but when they went in his body was not there.  Imagine the confusion, the anger…  Thinking that someone could not even leave Him alone once they had killed him. The had to further humiliate Him be desecrating His body….

But what happens next is the cornerstone of our Faith……..

Luke 24:4-5

 4 And it came to pass, as they were much perplexed thereabout, behold, two men stood by them in shining garments:

5 And as they were afraid, and bowed down their faces to the earth, they said unto them, Why seek ye the living among the dead?

This question is one that we need to ask ourselves today. Are we still looking for a dead body when we go to Church? Are we still seeking the living among the dead?

My friends Jesus Christ IS NOT hanging on a cross. He is alive and well and living at the right hand of the Father and also living within us… Just like the Disciples, we sometimes forget that fact. When the Angels asked the women this question and they had no answer they had to remind them….

Luke 24:6

He is not here, but is risen: remember how he spake unto you when he was yet in Galilee,

When the Angels told them what had happen they remembered what Jesus told them and ran back to the other Disciples and told them that it had come to pass. What happened? They didn’t believe them of course… Peter ran down to see what was going on but still didn’t believe. Even after seeing the burial clothes laying there and the tomb empty he was still trying to figure out what happened….

Luke 24:7

Then arose Peter, and ran unto the sepulchre; and stooping down, he beheld the linen clothes laid by themselves, and departed, wondering in himself at that which was come to pass.

It wasn’t until Jesus appeared in to them that they finally believed……

Luke 24:36

And as they thus spake, Jesus himself stood in the midst of them, and saith unto them, Peace be unto you.

Today we celebrate the rising of The Lord from the dead. My friends He is no longer hanging on that cross…. He is alive and well. That cross is nothing but pieces of wood that I am sure have rotted away. It served it purpose and is no longer needed. Just as the veil is no longer needed…..

Yes we use the symbol of the cross to show our Faith, but that piece of wood has no power. Because He is no longer on it..

this sermon over the airwaves, don’t go expecting Jesus to be hanging on the cross. Go expecting Him to be risen and in all of His Glory….. 

I leave you with the wonderful song “Arise My Love” by Newsong.  Listen to the words and let the power of the Risen Lord flow in………..

God Bless you all and Happy Easter.

Pastor Brian  

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KY2w0cmFW2A

Are You A Casual Christian?...........

In the Church today,  you have many people who claim to be Christians, and yet they don’t have the first clue what being a Christian is all about. They claim to represent Jesus on this earth and yet they have never truly met Him. You even have “Ministers” who follow this same path…..

There are 2 types of people who do this. There are casual Christians, and there are Sunday Christians…..

Lets look at a casual Christian first…….

The word casual is an adjective and a noun (and I thought those English classes would never come in handy J )..   The dictionary meaning for both the adjective & noun casual is:

Adjective

Relaxed and unconcerned.

Noun

A person who does something irregularly

When used as a noun, it describes those who go to Church on Easter & Christmas or for some life event such as a wedding or funeral, but otherwise wont step foot inside. Most times these people consider and will even call themselves “cradle Christians”…..  They have the erroneous belief that because they were born,  raised and baptized into whatever denomination they identify with, that is all they need, and that they can ride the coattails of their parents or others into heaven. There is no personal sacrifice or commitment to the Faith.

When used as an adjective, it describes those who go to Church every Sunday, but are relaxed and unconcerned about their Faith. They may even pay Tithes, teach Sunday School, and some even claim the title Reverend/Pastor/Minister/Bishop/Whatever, but they do so out of obligation or to make a living, and not out of gratefulness for the sacrifice that The Lord made for them.

 I have some news for them though, no matter how you use this word,  it does not work that way and is not something that you want describing your Faith.  You want your Faith to be a Verb…. Something that describes and denotes ACTION…..  Being a Christian is something you DO not something you are.

Matthew 7:16 (paraphrased)

  Ye shall know them by their fruits.

Many people throw this phrase around casually not knowing what it really means. The process of producing fruit is a lot of work. Any farmer or even a person who grows a garden in their home will tell you this. You cannot just throw seeds into dirt and ignore it hoping that in a few months good fruit will appear…. You must tend to the field watching for weeds that would pop up and choke your fruit, you must provide water and fertilizer. Farmers work from dawn to dusk to be sure that their crop produces good fruit that is desirable to the people……. That is exactly what we must do as Christians. We sow our seeds by telling people about the Gospel, but that is not enough. We must tend those seeds carefully to make sure that they grow strong and produce.

Jesus talked about casual and Sunday Christians in Matthews Gospel:

Matthew 7:21-23

21 Not every one that saith unto me, Lord, Lord, shall enter into the kingdom of heaven; but he that doeth the will of my Father which is in heaven.

22 Many will say to me in that day, Lord, Lord, have we not prophesied in thy name? and in thy name have cast out devils? and in thy name done many wonderful works?

23 And then will I profess unto them, I never knew you: depart from me, ye that work iniquity.

Not a pretty picture……..

My friends today I tell you that you must live your life totally and completely sold out to The Lord. You must be a Christian 24 hours a day 7 days a week. The lost and dying world out there needs to see the light of The Lord shining through you at all times. Even those who don’t know The Lord should be able to see Him in you without asking.  You must be what The Lord told us we are in Matthews Gospel:

Matthew 5:14

14 Ye are the light of the world. A city that is set on an hill cannot be hid.

Are you putting yourself in chains?

We are going to continue on in the book of Galatians this week. This book is a road map for the pure Gospel of Jesus, the Gospel Of Grace that was given to Paul. As we study this book we will see a problem that still exists today………..

Galatians 1:6

6 I marvel that ye are so soon removed from him that called you into the grace of Christ unto another gospel:

When you study this book you will notice right off that Paul does not spend a lot of time on pleasantries… He writes a couple lines of greeting, but then get right into the subject of this letter. This shows that he was very concerned about what he was hearing from this Church that he had founded.

In our verse above the Greek word that is translated as “soon removed” is metatithesthe. In context, it means “ a deserter in the military or a turncoat”. By using this word we can assume that Paul was not only upset at what was going on, but was also broken hearted.  Paul was shocked that those in the Galatian Church would drop what he had taught them so quick. That they would listen to another person who was changing things was just unfathomable to Paul.

It is important to point out here that the people who were doing this DID NOT deny the facts of the gospel- that Jesus died and rose again.  What they denied was that The Lords sacrifice was adequate....

 Sound familiar? The teachings that these people were bringing in to the Galatian Church were that a person is saved by faith plus keeping the law, and that the believer is sanctified and enabled to live a holy life by faith plus keeping the law. My friends this is a total and complete lie.

 The Grace Of God IS sufficient for Salvation. You do not need to keep the law, to follow a set of rules, regulations or rituals in order to be saved.

Dr. J. Vernon McGee made this statement in regards to this teaching:

"This is one of the oldest heresies known, and it is still with us today.  It is adding

something to the gospel of grace; it is doing something rather than simply believing something. It

is faith plus something rather than faith plus nothing.  Every cult and 'ism' has something for you

to do in order to be saved."

Now think about Dr. McGee’s statement for a minute….. What he said is true. I have studied religions extensively, and I can tell you that each one that departs from the true Gospel adds things. We are of course told NOT to do this. From the Old Testament to the New, we are warned not to add things to the Gospel….

You will notice that the other “Gospel” that these people were trying to get the Galatian Church to believe was not really another Gospel at all, it was a PERVERSION of the Gospel Of Jesus.

Galatians 1:7

7 Which is not another; but there be some that trouble you, and would pervert the gospel of Christ.

These people used a tactic that is still used today. They take just enough of the Gospel as told by our Lord and then they add their own things into it so that it sounds plausible to those who are looking for a quick fix…..

 Do this, do that, give this, give that and you are saved. Why do they do this? Because by adding things in and by making it so you have to participate in a ritual or do a certain thing in order to be saved they can keep control of you. By making these rituals and telling you they are “mandatory” or that they are an “obligation”, they can withhold Salvation from you if you run afoul of their rules….

 When they do this they change the Gospel from what it truly is, a message (Good News) of FREEDOM, into the bad news of bondage. They do exactly the opposite of what the Gospel of Jesus is for, and that is to set people free from the bondage of the law.

 If a bunch of legalism, rituals and other mumbo jumbo could have saved us, then there was no reason for Jesus to suffer and die as He did. By adding this junk to the Gospel of Jesus, they make His sacrifice worthless……

We have to stay true to the Gospel of Jesus Christ. Paul tells us in the next verse:

Galatians 1:8

8 But though we, or an angel from heaven, preach any other gospel unto you than that which we have preached unto you, let him be accursed.

My friends, the Gospel message is the message of the death, burial and resurrection of Jesus Christ. Period.

 If you believe in that, and accept Him as your personal Savior that is all you need to do. Everything else is nothing but man made rules.

If we look in the book of Acts, where Paul and Silas were in prison and after praying and praising The Lord, they were set free by and earthquake, the jailer asked them what he needed to do to be saved. What was Paul’s reply?

Acts 16:31

 31 And they said, Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ, and thou shalt be saved, and thy house.

Cant get much clearer than that…….

My prayer for you to take away from this message today is to stay true to the pure Gospel of Jesus Christ. There are way to many Churches and denominations that  do not preach to the pure gospel of grace alone for salvation. 

  They try to bring us under the law.  Some teach dietary restrictions, some teach certain days must be observed.  Others will try to say certain church affiliations are necessary to gain salvation. Still others will tell you that you have to follow their rules to the T in order to be saved…….

  They do this through not only through pressure, but also through misguided education of those who are new to The Faith. There are denominations out there that require you to take classes on their rules and regulations in order to become a member of their Church.

  These new converts are not grounded in the pure gospel and do not know any better, but if they pick up their Bibles and read them they will see that all these rituals, traditions, whatever you want to call them are nothing but a bunch of man made rules designed to keep these young ones in Christ under their thumbs.

 They do this to build their membership rolls and by building their membership rolls, they fatten their bottom lines through giving. Their purpose is to keep you in bondage, but the purpose of Christ is to set you free.

 If you are a new Christian and you see the Church you are attending in this message, my advice to you is to run and run fast. Find a Church that preaches the true Gospel of Freedom in Christ. A person who is in bondage will not grow, but a person who if free in Christ will have no limit as to what He will do with your life……….

God Bless You Alll!!!

Pastor Brian

Millionaire Jesus????

The Prosperity “Gospel”

I have written sermons and done an audio series on this subject before, but while reading through Paul’s letter to Timothy this morning, I read some  verse’s that,  although I have read  before, the true meaning of this them did not strike me until now…. This is a great reason why everyone (even those of us whose career it is to preach the Word Of God) should actually read it with an open mind and no pre-conceived notions beforehand or agenda (like writing a sermon) beforehand. Instead we should just read the Bible for the pure JOY of reading it…

ON to our topic though………………..

The verses I ran across in my opinion shoots a HUGE whole in those who preach this prosperity “gospel” and also in those who pervert the Gospel Of Jesus Christ to line their pockets.

1 Timothy 5:5-9

5 Perverse disputings of men of corrupt minds, and destitute of the truth, supposing that gain is godliness: from such withdraw thyself.

6 But godliness with contentment is great gain.

7 For we brought nothing into this world, and it is certain we can carry nothing out.

8 And having food and raiment let us be therewith content.

9 But they that will be rich fall into temptation and a snare, and into many foolish and hurtful lusts, which drown men in destruction and perdition.

From the context of this letter, its seems that Timothy was dealing with some people who came into the Church that Paul had left him to oversee preaching that God wanted people to be wealthy.  The Apostle has some pretty strong words to describe these people (Verse 5).  The fact is my friends is that this kind of trash is nothing more than idolatry. These “Ministers” are making a mockery of our Faith for their own gain, and are collecting millions of dollars doing it. They come in, tell you to empty your wallet and trust that God will fill it back up as if by magic….. No work required….. It saddens me and it angers me when I see this thing going on.

While researching this blog, I listen to several videos of these “Preachers” taking about this subject. The worst one I saw was a man who was preaching in front of a large crowd, and instead of glorifying God in his “sermon”, he spent 45 minutes talking about the material possessions that he had. Everything from a Rolls Royce for him to luxury cars for his children to a $16,000.00 (no that is not a typo) DOG…..  Not once was giving to those less fortunate mentioned, not once was feeding the hungry mentioned, nothing. The only thing that was mentioned was that if you brought your money and gave it to them then God would bless you…. This is not only wrong on many levels, it is a PERVERSION of the Gospel.

Yes we are told to give, and if you are attending a Church you should give to that Church.  If you are attending a revival and The Lord lays it on your heart to give of the resources that He has entrusted you with then do it, but do not give expecting to get.

Jesus addresses this in Luke’s Gospel:

Luke 6:35
But love ye your enemies, and do good, and lend, hoping for nothing again; and your reward shall be great, and ye shall be the children of the Highest: for he is kind unto the unthankful and to the evil

Even some who do not identify with totally with this perversion of the Gospel still in some ways are influenced by it. I was told by the leader of an online Christian Church that I should DEMAND tithes and donations from those who I provide a “service” to.  Serving the poor and those in need is not conducive to this type of “theology”, and it goes against EVERYTHING that I stand for.  By demanding money from those who have nothing or by demanding that people give money to get a blessing, these false prophets are trying to one up the promise of our Lord:

Luke 6:37

Give, and it shall be given unto you; good measure, pressed down, and shaken together, and running over, shall men give into your bosom. For with the same measure that ye mete withal it shall be measured to you again.

This verse is Jesus telling us that if we give, then HE will cause people to give unto us. He DID NOT say to give and you will get a Mercedes….  Paul reinforces this teaching by telling us in our Verses above that we need to be happy with what we have. If we have food and clothing then be content.  Paul also mentions it again in his letter to the Philippian Church:

Philippians 4:11-13

11 Not that I speak in respect of want: for I have learned, in whatsoever state I am, therewith to be content.

12 I know both how to be abased, and I know how to abound: everywhere and in all things I am instructed both to be full and to be hungry, both to abound and to suffer need.

13 I can do all things through Christ which strengtheneth me.

Notice the key words here are in verse 13, doing all things THROUGH CHRIST. Not through some preacher selling you some kind of program. My friends, these people are not true Ministers, they are motivational speakers who use our Faith to get rich.

You may ask me why it is a bad thing to have nice clothes or a nice car or a big house.  It isn’t. IF GOD HAS CHOSEN TO GIVE YOU THESE THINGS then rejoice in His blessings. The problem comes in when you get caught up in this mess and obtaining things becomes the primary focus instead of telling people that God sent His only son that whosoever believeth in him shall not perish but have everlasting life. And from the videos I have watched and even from the meetings from these type of preachers I have personally attended, I can tell you that the focus is not on God supplying our needs, it is on (as one of these guys so “eloquently” put it, “releasing the money”.  

A final thought on this, and perhaps the worst thing of all. Some (in fact most) of these prosperity preachers say that poverty is a curse and that Jesus himself was rich because He could not have been cursed…. This goes against the teachings of Jesus… If He was rich then why did He have Peter catch a fish with a coin in its mouth to pay the temple tax? I mean come on folks, even if the treasurer (Judas) who held the common money bag for the Ministry was not with them at that point, it stands to reason that they would not have been walking around broke. I do not know any person who is rich or even well off that does not have SOME money with them at all times for expenses like that.  Why did he have to use the upper room of another person’s house to celebrate the Passover when he could have paid for a room at an inn? There are many other examples, but I will stop here. The fact is my friends that The Lord DOES want you to be blessed, but this does not justify pursuing material things at all costs.

I have included a link to one of the many videos I watched while researching this blog. I think you will be shocked when you view it…..

Get That Money???

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Be A Light In The Darkness...........

A candle is a small thing, but one candle can light another. When it does this,  it’s own light increases, and the original candle does not loose anything by giving its light to another……

And a candle, no matter what its size, provides light no matter how deep the darkness is around it. As Christians, we are called to be like a candle,  not only shining our own light in a world of darkness, but also giving that light to another who needs it.

When you are a Christian, and you truly have Christ living within you, you will be full of light. You will never again be in darkness because He provides light for your path and for the path of others. Jesus tell us in John’s Gospel:

John 8:12

 Then spake Jesus again unto them, saying, I am the light of the world: he that followeth me shall not walk in darkness, but shall have the light of life.

Candles come in all different shapes, sizes and colors, and each one has a purpose. There are candles meant to light a whole room, there are candles that relax you, there are big candles, small candles, long and skinny candles, short and fat candles and  on… BUT all candles, no matter their shape or size all share the same traits.

They give light where there is darkness.

A candle that is not lit is just a piece of wax. The sole reason that a candle exists is to give off light. Now I know that there are “decorative” candles that people put in their homes because they like the shape or the color, but that candle never fulfills its true purpose until it is lit and starts burning. Paul talks about this in his second letter to the Church at Corinth:

2 Corinthians 4:6
For God, who commanded the light to shine out of darkness, hath shined in our hearts, to give the light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ.

Think about that for a moment…. The Creator of all things, the One who commanded light to be created is shining in our hearts. We then have an obligation to make sure that this light that is the Gospel of Jesus Christ shines bright in our lives and gives light to all who we would encounter.  How do we do this? By making sure that we are a shining example of the light of Christ. Once a candle is lit, it needs to be put in a place or on a candle stick so that the maximum amount of light is given off and can be seen by all. We cant just hide that candle… If we do, it is nothing but a waste. Jesus tells us this in Luke’s Gospel:

Luke 11:33

No man, when he hath lighted a candle, putteth it in a secret place, neither under a bushel, but on a candlestick, that they which come in may see the light.

Way too many people whose lives have been lit by the light of Christ are putting their candle in a secret place. They let their light shine on Sunday’s and Wednesdays when they go to Church and are around other Christians, but when they leave the building, they put that light away.  The only way that people know they are Christians is if they see them walking into a Church building. Otherwise you could never tell by the way they live their lives.

 Why is this? Because they put that light in a secret place…. This my friends should not be. We must let that light burn bright. From the front pew of the Church to the daily grind of our jobs. If we do not show that light that The Lord has caused to burn within us, we are not doing anyone any good.  

Think for a moment about a lighthouse that would guide a ship into a safe harbor. When lighthouses first came into being, the light that came from them was little more than a huge candle (although made of wood and other materials instead of wax, but the principle was and still is, the same). A light was burned and reflected onto the water so that the ships captains would see where the rocks were and not run aground. As the old story goes:

A battleship lookout noted a light in the distance on a dark, foggy night. After noting the light’s coordinates, the captain recognized his ship was on a collision course with the light. The captain instructed, "Signal the ship: We are on a collision course, advise you change course 20 degrees."

 The return signal countered, "Advisable for you to change course 20 degrees."

The captain signaled, "I’m the captain of this vessel, change your course 20 degrees."

The response from the light was, "I’m a seaman second class, you’d better change your course 20 degrees."

By this time the captain was furious. His signal curtly ordered, "I’m a battleship, this is the captain speaking. Change course 20 degrees, this is an order"

 The reply: "I’m the lighthouse and if you do not change your course, you are headed for a shallow reef that will sink your ship”.

How many people do we know today that are in our lives who are like the stubborn captain? Family, friends, co workers? All headed for the rocks of destruction. WE, who have the Light Of The World shining through us, must stand steadfast and let that light shine so that those we come in contact with will not crash on those rock, but instead will be guided safely into the harbor that is the love of Christ. Like the stubborn captain, they may argue, the may refuse to change their course, but if we stand firm, if we keep showing them the light, it will make a difference……

In closing today, I want to share a couple things about candles and how we need to aspire to make our lives like a candle. 

A candle, being made of wax is mold able. It can be shaped into any form that the person doing the molding want it to be. So must our lives be. We must let The Lord mold our lives into whatever shape He wants them to be. Not all shapes will be the same and they shouldn’t be, but each shape will have its specific purpose.

Also, as I mentioned before, candles are just pieces of wax. In order to be used properly, they must be lit. But before they can be lit, they must have something inside them, something that can not be removed and that carries the flame.  In a candle it  is a wick, in our lives, it is Jesus Christ.  So get out there, find some darkness, and light it up with your candle.  There is a world in darkness that is waiting for the light and we, as Disciples of Christ are called to be that light….

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Whose Church Is This Anyway...........

A mother looked out a window and saw Johnny playing church with their three kittens. He had them lined up and was preaching to them. The mother turned around to do some work.

A while later she heard meowing and scratching on the door. She went to the window and saw Johnny was BAPTIZING the kittens. She opened the window and said, "Johnny, stop that! You’ll drown those kittens.

Johnny looked at her and said with much conviction in his voice: "They shoulda had thought about that before they joined MY church."

This story, although funny, shows a real problem in the Church today. Now when I say “The Church”, I am talking about the ENTIRE body of believers from every Denomination. From Catholic to Pentecostal…

And yet, even though we are all walking the same road and believe in the same Lord, we tend to forget who the Church belongs to….

 Like little Johnny in our story above, we do things and tell people who come into our Church doors that they must do things because it is OUR Church and that is just how it is. 

  Maybe because of tradition that has been taught and handed down for generations, maybe because we have a very charismatic (in the physical sense not the denominational sense) Pastor who teaches things that way and people follow them to a fault, or for whatever reason, the fact is that many people think just like little Johnny and forget that the Church is not ours, it belongs to Jesus. The Church is HIS Bride and like any good husband or fiancé, He will not put up with another usurping HIS place……….

As I spoke about in last weeks sermon there are an estimated 30,000+ Christian Denominations active today, each one conducting their Worship services a little differently, and yet they all Worship the same God.

 

Here is a question; have you ever seen a person, maybe a co-worker that you do not know all that well, that has a cross on their desk or some other Christian symbol near them. You strike up a conversation and usually the first thing you ask (because you see the symbol) is “Are you a Christian?”. What answer do you get? When this has happened to me, I normally get answers such as “I am Catholic” or “I am Pentecostal, Baptist, Methodist, Lutheran, whatever”…… My point is that they did not answer your question. Instead of saying “Yes I am”, they instead told you what Denomination they claim.

The biggest problem facing The Church today is this sort of thing. These Denominations claiming that they are the only way. They claim that if you do not do things their way then you are not truly saved…. My friends nothing could be further from the truth.

If we turn to Pauls letter to the Ephesians, we will see that he lays it out. This is what we called in my teenage years “straight up talk”:

 Ephesians 4:2-6

2 With all lowliness and meekness, with longsuffering, forbearing one another in love;

3 Endeavouring to keep the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace.

4 There is one body, and one Spirit, even as ye are called in one hope of your calling;

5 One Lord, one faith, one baptism,

6 One God and Father of all, who is above all, and through all, and in you all.

When this Epistle was written, it was to address a newly formed, multi-cultural Church. There were some problems that were arising in this Church because new converts were separating themselves from others IN THE SAME CHURCH based on their culture.

If we look at the Church today, it is plain to see that most have forgotten or choose to ignore verses 2-3…

2- With all lowliness and meekness, with longsuffering, forbearing one another in love

Way too many Pastors/Leaders and even members of Churches today are not practicing lowliness and meekness. Instead, we see their faces plastered on billboards, their pictures displayed as soon as you walk into the Church, and even printed material that tells you how to be a Christian (from their perspective, not from a Biblical perspective).  That is not lowliness, that is self-promotion…..

If we look at the word meekness, we will see that it is an even stronger warning to the Church. In the English language today, meekness has become something of an insult. People equate being meek with being week. But if we look at the original Greek word that was used we find a whole different meaning…

In the original Greek, the word translated as meekness is “prautes”, and its meaning is "openness to God and man."  In the context then that Paul used it in this letter,  it implies a determined effort toward a conciliatory attitude,  involving tolerance and flexibility towards our fellow man, and a readiness to accept the Word and the will of God.

  So if we apply that to the universal Church, it means that even though we may not agree with some of the things that people do in their Worship services and we may do things differently, as long as they hold to the core belief of the Christian Faith, they are still or Brothers and Sisters in Christ and we should not be fighting with them. What is the core belief? That is easy as it is probably the most quoted and memorized 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.

You will notice that it does not say “whosoever believeth in him AND speaks in tongues, whosoever believeth in him AND recites the Lords Prayer, whosoever believeth in him AND ANTHYING….” No, it says WHOSOEVER BELIEVETH IN HIM SHOULD NOT PERISH.

In a nutshell my friends that is the whole message. If you believe in Jesus and what He has done for us, then everything else is man-made doctrine and dogma that has nothing to do with the core message.

So instead of getting hung up on all these man made things that people try and tell you that you must do or follow, we need to get back to the basics of the Scripture above, and strive to do as we were instructed to do in Verses 3-6 of our text;

3 Endeavouring to keep the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace.

4 There is one body, and one Spirit, even as ye are called in one hope of your calling;

5 One Lord, one faith, one baptism,

6 One God and Father of all, who is above all, and through all, and in you all.

God Bless you all and I ask today that you go in peace with a new found love for our Christian Brothers and Sisters.

God Bless You All

Pastor Brian

Not Against Us? Then you are for us.......

In the world today, it is estimated that there are between 30-35 Thousand Christian Denominations. While most of these hold the same core beliefs, they go about things in different ways.

 Some have set liturgical Worship, others freeform. Some dress in robes, others in suits and some very casual….. (I am guilty of this one, as I have been known to preach in shorts and a T-Shirt, and about the only time I wear a robe is when performing a wedding).

 Some view Communion/The Lords Supper/The Eucharist as central to the service while others only do it on special occasions. Then there is the whole Transubstantiation/Memorial debate (which is an entire sermon unto itself).

 The way things are done in Church and the reasons they are done that way are as varied as the members themselves….. Some are based on their interpretation of the Bible, others based on long held  Tradition’s.

No matter where you stand on these  or other Dogma issues, what we will be talking about today is the “my way or the highway” mentality, and why this is wrong and goes against the teachings of Our Lord…….

People, even those who were closest to Jesus when He walked this earth, have always bickered over this type of thing, and in the years since then it has not gotten much better. In fact it has, if anything, gotten worse, and has caused mass killings, crusades against others, witch hunts, you name it….. as we look at Luke’s Gospel we will see the start…….

Luke 9:49-50

49 And John answered and said, Master, we saw one casting out devils in thy name; and we forbad him, because he followeth not with us.

50 And Jesus said unto him, Forbid him not: for he that is not against us is for us.

The last portion of Verse 50 is the most important and profound statement that Jesus makes on the subject, and one that if we truly follow His teachings, should put the whole denominational debate and in-fighting to rest.

 If we look at what was going on before and after Jesus made this statement, and the context in which He made it, we will see that even though He was right there, some of the disciples thought that they were the only true Christians, and that everyone who claimed the name of Christ had to follow them,  or they could not be Christians. 

 Even His disciples, who had traveled with Jesus, spent a lot of time in His presence, and knew Him better than anyone on the earth, and should have known what He stood for,  still argued and fought over positions of power……

Luke 9:46

46 Then there arose a reasoning among them, which of them should be greatest.

 This Verse from the King James Version, is kind of watered down. If you look at the original Greek passage, “a reasoning” means an argument. In fact, the first part of the Verse translates to “satan taking possession of them and thoughts coming to their mind”. We can assume from the context of the Verse that the Disciples were talking about this when they thought Jesus was out of ear shot…. But, He knew their thoughts.

Luke 9:47

47 And Jesus, perceiving the thought of their heart, took a child, and set him by him,

So he takes a child and gives the child the place of honor next to Him. This is significant because children were seen as unimportant at that time. I am sure that their parents loved them, and they wanted to see them grow into adults, but the fact is, children were considered to be little more than their parents property. Kind of like the old saying that “children should be seen and not heard”.  But Jesus tells his most trusted advisors, the ones who he spent the most time with and who he trusted to carry on His message this:

Luke 9:48

48 And said unto them, Whosoever shall receive this child in my name receiveth me: and whosoever shall receive me receiveth him that sent me: for he that is least among you all, the same shall be great.

In this way, Jesus gently but firmly rebukes His Disciples by doing something totally out of character for a normal adult in Biblical times, let alone a Rabbi or teacher. He gives a child, who according to the customs of the time, should not even be close to Him, a place of Honor, and tries to show them that if they would be great, they must become the least of all. The message though doesn’t sink in as we see further on in Lukes Gospel:

Luke 18:15-17

 15 And they brought unto him also infants, that he would touch them: but when his disciples saw it, they rebuked them.

16 But Jesus called them unto him, and said, Suffer little children to come unto me, and forbid them not: for of such is the kingdom of God.

17 Verily I say unto you, Whosoever shall not receive the kingdom of God as a little child shall in no wise enter therein.

Again here we have Jesus breaking with protocol and tradition of the culture and the religious people of his time by taking children and giving them a place of honor next to him. Why? Because a child believes what they are told without question. A child trusts those family members who are older than them without question and without asking for proof…. That is why we must receive the Kingdom of God like a child.

Now back to our original verses:

We can safely assume that the person who was casting out these demons was a true follower of Jesus (not like the seven sons of one Sceva mentioned in Acts 19). We don’t know anymore about this person than what is written, but we do know he followed The Lord and believed in Him, otherwise he would not have had the authority to cast the demons out. And yet John tells Jesus that he forbade him to cast out the demons and to call upon the name of Jesus because he did not follow along with them (or in modern terms was not part of their fellowship)… Sound familiar?

 This is what a lot of Churches do today. They claim that if you are not in communion with them, then you have no authority, you are not a real Minister, etc. etc. Don’t these people READ the Bible that they claim to know so much about? I guess not, because if they did, they would understand that even though you may follow a different path, as long as you believe in Jesus, and call upon His name, you are a Disciple of Christ.

So no matter what label you choose to wear as a Christian, be it Catholic, Pentecostal, Baptist, Lutheran, whatever, we still serve THE SAME LORD and we will all end up with Him at the end of our days on this earth.

My prayer today is that Christians, no matter what denomination they claim, will come together and build the Kingdom Of God. Lets lay aside our petty little differences and focus on what is important….  Only in this way will we ever be able to reach a lost and dying world with the message of Christ.

God Bless You All

Pastor Brian

A Charlie Brown Christmas, 4th Sunday Of Advent 2012

In our final Sunday Sermon before Christmas, we are going to look at a beloved animated Christmas special, A Charlie Brown Christmas.

Most of you I am sure have seen this special on television or on video. A stressed, depressed and over-burdened Charlie Brown, after seeing everyone around him obsessed with the commercial aspect of Christmas, (even his own dog Snoopy), and even after trying to get more involved in Christmas and being made fun of for buying a small but real Christmas tree instead of the “shiny aluminum one” that they told him to,  finally asks in frustration,  “Isn’t there anyone who knows what Christmas is all about?”

Linus tells Charlie Brown that he knows what Christmas is all about and responds by reading him the following verses:

Luke 2:8-14

8 And there were in the same country shepherds abiding in the field, keeping watch over their flock by night.

9 And, lo, the angel of the Lord came upon them, and the glory of the Lord shone round about them: and they were sore afraid.

10 And the angel said unto them, Fear not: for, behold, I bring you good tidings of great joy, which shall be to all people.

11 For unto you is born this day in the city of David a Saviour, which is Christ the Lord.

12 And this shall be a sign unto you; Ye shall find the babe wrapped in swaddling clothes, lying in a manger.

13 And suddenly there was with the angel a multitude of the heavenly host praising God, and saying,

14 Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace, good will toward men.

Sometimes today, it is easy to feel like Charlie Brown….. We are now only 2 days away from Christmas, and yet some stores have had Christmas decorations and merchandise on their shelves since mid-October. We have been bombarded by department store sales ads in our mailboxes, newspapers, TV screens and online since about that same time. Stores now are in the final push with some of them reducing the Christmas aisles to only a couple and already starting to put Valentines day merchandise out.  For those of us who celebrate Christmas for what it is, the birth of our Lord and our Savior Jesus Christ, it can get depressing to see Christmas ushered in and out so fast….

Maybe we NEED a Charlie Brown Christmas…. A Christmas where even though there may be gifts, that is not our primary focus.  Our primary focus being instead the gift that was given by God Almighty to all of mankind, that gift that was no adorned with ribbons or bow, but instead was wrapped in swaddling clothes, and was born in a manger.

If we look at the rest of our verses for today, we will find out who the first people other than Joseph & Mary, were to receive this gift, and why we can learn a lot from them……

Luke 2:15-17

15 And it came to pass, as the angels were gone away from them into heaven, the shepherds said one to another, Let us now go even unto Bethlehem, and see this thing which is come to pass, which the Lord hath made known unto us.

16 And they came with haste, and found Mary, and Joseph, and the babe lying in a manger.

17 And when they had seen it, they made known abroad the saying which was told them concerning this child.

Now why is it significant that the angels appeared to these shepherds? Because it set the tone for the life and the Ministry of Jesus. These men were the lowest people on the social ladder. They would not have been educated, most likely they could not read or write. They worked weeks at a time camping out in the fields while tending the sheep existing on what they could gather or possibly hunt from the land. They were expected to lay down their lives if it came to that to protect the flocks that they were charged with guarding, and yet they were paid next to nothing. And yet it was to these men who lived on the fringe of society that God in His wisdom announced the birth of the Savior to. And what did they do upon hearing the news? They went straight to Bethlehem and found Jesus and when they had seen Him, they told anyone and everyone who would listen what the angels had told them and that the Messiah was now born. These unlearned, rough men became the first evangelists of Jesus Christ!!

It has always been that way…. Even in the Old Testament, when God chose another shepherd who was just a boy to be King, it is those of low estate who will listen and be more receptive to the word of God. Kind of like Charlie Brown in the film, a person who is imperfect, who is not confident in himself understands and accepts the message of God. The message that Unto Us A Child Is Born…. And because of that willing acceptance and belief, people like that are often called to carry the message of Christ.

In Closing today, I just want to share a couple of things. When this TV special was released on December 9^th, 1965, it was released right in the middle of the “God is dead” phase. When academics and “enlightened” people said that they needed no God. Even the TV network execs did not want Peanuts creator Charles Shultz to include the Christmas Story from Luke in the special. They assumed that the audience would not want to sit through a reading from the Bible. Mr. Shultz, a devout Christian steadfastly refused and the scene from Luke was left in. Much to the surprise of the TV execs, 50% of TV sets in the United States tuned in to watch that special, it won an Emmy and a Peabody award, and even the critics in “enlightened” New York wrote that Linus telling the Christmas Story from Luke was the highlight of the season.

So my friends, I ask you today, on this last Sunday before Christmas, as we know that the wait for our Savior and Lord is almost over, to take a break from the hustle and bustle. Put down the shopping bags, the TV remotes, whatever it is that is occupying your life at this time and pick up your Bible. Read the 2^nd Chapter of Luke and really let its meaning get into your heart.

Maybe a Charlie Brown Christmas isn’t such a bad thing after all………..

God Bless you all & Merry Christmas!!

Pastor Brian 

A Christmas Carol, 2nd Sunday Of Advent, 2012.....

 Today we are going to look at another Christmas classic and see what lessons we can learn. In A Christmas Carol by Charles Dickens, there are many characters central to the story, but we will look at the most important two. Those of   Bob Cratchit, and of course Scrooge.  This work has resonated with people the world over so much so that the name Scrooge is used not just at Christmas but all through the year to define a person who hoards money or possessions and ignores the needs of those less fortunate that are all around him.

 Ebenezer Scrooge of course is the  unhappy, miserly old man whose reaction to Christmas was “Bah! Humbug.” To him, Christmas was a scandal, because it was only “a time for finding yourself a year older and not an hour richer.” Bob Cratchit on the other hand is the polar opposite who finds joy in Christmas simply because it is when the birth of Our Lord is celebrated.

So first let us look at Scrooge……

Leaving aside the way he treats Cratchit, we see from the story that Scrooge is concerned with nothing other than how much money he can put in his pocket. Even when given the chance to give a little money to the poor, he throws the gentlemen who are collecting for the poor out of his office with this piece of advice:

 “Are there no prisons? 
 And the union workhouses - are they still in operation?” 

When those who are attempting to collect money for the poor answer yes, scrooge replies:

 Oh, from what you said at first I was afraid that something had happened to stop them in their useful course. I'm very glad to hear it. 

 When the men persist and even assume that Scrooge will want to donate something but not give his name, he finally lays his feeling on the table:

Since you ask me what I wish sir, that is my answer. I help to support the establishments I have named; those who are badly off must go there. 

The prison Scrooge is talking about would be a debtors prison and the union workhouses were places where people could go to receive food and shelter BUT they were expected to perform manual labor, families were split up (only children under age 2 could stay with their parents, and spouses could not stay together), and the food was so poor and so lacking that there are recorded historical accounts of people fighting over bones that they were tasked with grinding into fertilizer so that they could suck out the marrow first……. In short, these were not nice places to be.  So it is no wonder then that when Scrooge said this,  the men collecting for the poor replied:

 Many can't go there, and some would rather die.

If we are to truly follow Christ, we must not be like this. We must not hoard money and refuse to help those in need. Jesus tells us to help those who are less fortunate than we are


Luke 14:12-14
12 Then said he also to him that bade him, When thou makest a dinner or a supper, call not thy friends, nor thy brethren, neither thy kinsmen, nor thy rich neighbours; lest they also bid thee again, and a recompence be made thee.

13 But when thou makest a feast, call the poor, the maimed, the lame, the blind:

14 And thou shalt be blessed; for they cannot recompense thee: for thou shalt be recompensed at the resurrection of the just.


Matthew 10:8-10

8 Heal the sick, cleanse the lepers, raise the dead, cast out devils: freely ye have received, freely give.

9 Provide neither gold, nor silver, nor brass in your purses,

10 Nor scrip for your journey, neither two coats, neither shoes, nor yet staves: for the workman is worthy of his meat.

It’s a pretty good bet that Scrooge would never have invited the poor to a dinner (even if he spent the money to put one on). It is also a pretty safe bet that he would not have gone anywhere without money and that he would not freely give to anyone….

 Sadly there are so many people today who claim to be Christians who feel the same way…. If you to tell them that they were acting like Scrooge, they would strongly disagree, and yet these same people form cliques in the Church, they keep their money to themselves, when they see someone who is down and out they just assume that there is “someplace” they can go to get help (workhouse?), or some one will give them something… .As long as it doesn’t upset their little world and their perception of what Church should be, and as long as they can keep their wallets in their pockets or purses,  they are content to sit behind their rose colored stained glass windows.  This is the type of person who James The Just was referring to in his letter to the tribes….


James 2:15-16
15 If a brother or sister be naked, and destitute of daily food,

16 And one of you say unto them, Depart in peace, be ye warmed and filled; notwithstanding ye give them not those things which are needful to the body; what doth it profit?

If we look at Bob Cratchit, we see a totally different person. Here you have a person who has little, and is mistreated by Scrooge, underpaid, overworked, etc…. And yet, he does not let it dampen his Christmas Spirit. In short, Cratchit has learned to be grateful for who The Lord has given him.  Bob Cratchit is a great example of what Paul writes in his letter to the Philippians:

Philippians 4:11-12
11 Not that I speak in respect of want: for I have learned, in whatsoever state I am, therewith to be content.

12 I know both how to be abased, and I know how to abound: every where and in all things I am instructed both to be full and to be hungry, both to abound and to suffer need.

Even in the face of opposition from his family, Bob is still grateful for what he has and even honors Scrooge with a toast on Christmas day (much to his wife’s displeasure).

Now we know that Scrooge is visited by 3 spirits (ghosts) that finally bring about a change in him, but I cant help but think that once his heart was softened by these visits, that maybe, just maybe Scrooge thought back to the witness of his clerk Bob Cratchit who, no matter what was thrown his way, persevered and kept the Faith.

So as we continue on through the Christmas Season, and while we wait for the greatest blessing of all time, that most Holy of days when The Creator of all things humbled himself and became human so that He could redeem us all, please do not forget those who have less than we do. Take time to pause from our celebrations and gift buying, and the hustle and bustle of this blessed Season and share some of what The Lord has given to us with those who do not have what we do. After all, we are celebrating the greatest gift ever given to man, so why then would we not give a gift to someone in need. Just as the wise men brought their gifts which enabled that small and blessed family to flee to a foreign land and thwarted the plan of the devil working through an evil king to attempt to stop our redemption, we should do the same. By giving something to those in need. No matter if it is some food, a warm coat, a pair of shoes or just a kind smile, we are emulating what these wise men did. Because when we do give to those in need, we are giving a gift to that small baby who would become the redeemer of the world………

Matthew 25:35-40
35 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:

36 Naked, and ye clothed me: I was sick, and ye visited me: I was in prison, and ye came unto me.

37 Then shall the righteous answer him, saying, Lord, when saw we thee an hungred, and fed thee? or thirsty, and gave thee drink?

38 When saw we thee a stranger, and took thee in? or naked, and clothed thee?

39 Or when saw we thee sick, or in prison, and came unto thee?

40 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. 

Behave Like A Leader Should..........

Today I want to address something that has been on my heart for quite some time. This topic may make some people uncomfortable, it may make some people mad, but it WILL help people and that my friends is the whole point......

I am going to talk to you today about Pastoral bullying. 

There has been much said lately and many new laws enacted that outlaw bullying. Gone are the days when a bully in a school yard could call another child names, or beat them up for their lunch money etc. This is a good thing and I am 100% behind it. There is however a problem in the Church, and that problem is a Pastor or a leader who bullies those who seek advice from them.

This problem usually starts when there is a disagreement between the leader and a person within their Church or organization. Below are a couple of responses to people taken directly from the public Facebook page of the leader of a "Christian" organization that were in response to a couple others there who did not see things the exact same way that he did. 

 "Take your so called faith in Christ and his teachings and stick it"

"______ (name redacted) you can stick it too because the only reason you opt for Obama is because Obama says yes to homosexuals and marriage"

I wish I could say that I was shocked by this behavior, but sadly, I am not. This person has a history of abusing those who do not agree with him, and those who have the courage to leave his so called "church" are subjected to even worse. They have lies spread about them, they are told that they are "mentally unstable", they are defamed and slandered all because they would no longer subject themselves to the perversion of the teachings of Jesus that this person perpetuates. This is an all too common problem and behavior like this is indicative of a cult. 

Now I understand being passionate about your Faith, and even defending it when it is under attack, but by responding the way that is outlined above, you are doing the devil's work for him. It should also be pointed out that the conversations that lead to the above statements were not from a person attacking the Christian Faith, they were from other Christians who disagreed with this bully. 

This person is the poster boy for what Jesus was talking about in Matthew 23:

²⁵ Woe unto you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! for ye make clean the outside of the cup and of the platter, but within they are full of extortion and excess.
²⁶ Thou blind Pharisee, cleanse first that which is within the cup and platter, that the outside of them may be clean also.
²⁷ Woe unto you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! for ye are like unto whited sepulchres, which indeed appear beautiful outward, but are within full of dead men's bones, and of all uncleanness.
²⁸ Even so ye also outwardly appear righteous unto men, but within ye are full of hypocrisy and iniquity.

This type of behavior is not limited to cyber space. This goes on in Churches across the world on a daily basis. 

My friends, we must stand up to this type of thing no matter where we see it. If you are a part of an organization/Church that employs these type of tactics, I urge you to get out. Find a Bible believing Church where that Pastor and the people will accept you with love,  and will listen to what you have to say.  

Yes it is a Pastor's/Leaders job to guide those who the Lord has placed in their care, and sometimes that guidance can include discipline. But that discipline should be done in love and humility, not in a spirit of anger.   And before anyone brings it up, the type of anger shown above is not righteous anger such as Jesus showed when clearing the Temple of the money changers or when looking around at the pharisee;s when they were trying to trap him for healing a man on the Sabbath. What was said above is anger that is a tool of the devil, as will accomplish nothing except to destroy and divide........

God Bless you all and please lift this person up in prayer. Their name is not important, because the Lord already knows who it is.....

Pastor Brian

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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.

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Terms Of Endearment?

The 23rd chapter of Mathews Gospel is a very rich chapter, and one that every Christian, especially those who are in or aspire to leadership should not only read but memorize and apply to our daily lives. Today we are going to look at the first few verses of this chapter, and I encourage you all to read it for yourself and really try to apply it.

Many times, Jesus did not mince words. Yes He spoke in parables a lot, but there were other times when he spoke plain and did not care if those who He was speaking to or about were offended.  We have to learn to do the same. To emulate The Lord in everything. There is a place for parables but there also comes a time that you must stand up and speak up.

In our Chapter today, Jesus did just that……

Matthew 23:5-8 (KJV)
5But all their works they do for to be seen of men: they make broad their phylacteries, and enlarge the borders of their garments,
6 And love the uppermost rooms at feasts, and the chief seats in the synagogues,
7 And greetings in the markets, and to be called of men, Rabbi, Rabbi.
8 But be not ye called Rabbi: for one is your Master, even Christ; and all ye are brethren.

BAM……. Right between the eyes with this one. There are so many people today who claim to be Ministers and yet they fit this description. Anything and everything they do they make sure that everyone knows about it. Jesus tells us here they make “broad their phylacteries”. Phylacteries are small boxes that contained scriptures and were worn (and still are in some cases) by those of the Jewish Faith during weekday morning prayers. Of course the bigger the box the more devout they would seem… They also “enlarge the borders of their garments”. This is referring to the robes that the Pharisees would wear that denoted their status.  

Now, there is nothing wrong with wearing nice clothing, and there is nothing wrong with showing respect to those who The Lord has put in a position of authority over you. These verses when taken in context, are dealing with those in the positions who let it go to their heads.

Verse 5: those who help those in need and then brag about it anywhere they can, and those who HAVE to have the most elaborate vestments, or the most expensive suits.

Verse 6: those who insist on special treatment because of the office they are in.

Verse 7: those who go out of their way when in public to make sure that those around them know that they are important, and those who insist on being called “reverend”, “bishop”, “most reverend”, etc.

Verse 8 is the one that is probably the hardest one for a lot of Ministers to deal with and is the one that is often ignored.  This is a clear prohibition by The Lord against using religious titles for your own vanity.


What do I mean by that? I mean that if you use a religious title no matter if it is Pastor, Bishop, Apostle, Deacon, Evangelist, etc in order to “set yourself apart” from other Christians then you are going against the Word Of Our Lord.  The same thing goes for wearing special clothing, vestments, etc.
What it all comes down to my friends is, like so many other things, intent.

If you use a title solely as a designation of the office that The Lord has placed you in for the purpose of letting people know that they can come to you when they need help (for example a Physician putting Doctor on his business card) then there is nothing wrong with using that title. If on the other hand you are using that title in order to get special treatment, because you think you deserve to be “set apart”, or you think that you are better than others because you have a Degree hanging on your wall,  then you have a problem and a big problem at that…………………

God Bless!!


John 13:4-5
4 He riseth from supper, and laid aside his garments; and took a towel, and girded himself.
5 After that he poureth water into a bason, and began to wash the disciples' feet, and to wipe them with the towel wherewith he was girded.

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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.

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Give 6 2012................

The Give 6 Project 2012


Think about it….. $6.00 doesn’t buy much. If you do not pack your own lunch, then chances are you will spend more than that just on your midday meal today.  You will spend more than that if you buy a cup of coffee more than 4times a MONTH, and are just buying from a gas station or convenience store, NOT a large coffee shop chain).

I am challenging everyone to bring a sack lunch just 1 day a week or to forego that cup of coffee 4 times this month (in most places you can buy a refillable travel mug for a few dollars and you even get your first cup free J ). Then take the money you would have spent on these items and donate them to help our food bank.

Here at Pacific Life Church, we are very adept at turning a small amount of money into a large amount of food for a hungry family.  In fact, because of our agreements with grocery stores and other food distributors, we can take your $6.00 and turn it into enough food for a hungry family for a week. Your money will not be wasted, and I can assure you that no one here drives around in a luxury car or lives in a million dollar home…….

Our goal from now until the end of the year is to provide  food for 1000 families as well as special Thanksgiving and Christmas dinners for them.

Please help us help others. That $6.00 will go along way no matter if you can donate it every week, every month, or even one time. IT WILL HELP!!!

As a special thank you gift to those who make a donation of $24.00 or more (either all at once or through weekly $6.00 increments) we will send you this beautiful Christmas ornament. Crafted of wood in elegant marquise shape,   this work of art beautifully displays the true story of Christmas, the birth of Christ.

Please check out the link below for all the information and to help us help others.

To get things started, Pastor Brian will donate all personal honorariums from Weddings, Funerals, Speaking Engagements etc that he receives from 09/07/12 through the end of the year,  directly to this project.

God Bless!!!

Pastor Brian & Staff

The Give Six Project, 2012

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”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

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Killing With The Law, Sunday Sermon, 8/26/12

2 Corinthians 3:5-6 (NKJV)

 5 Not that we are sufficient of ourselves to think of anything as being from ourselves, but our sufficiency is from God, 6 who also made us sufficient as ministers of the new covenant, not of the letter but of the Spirit; for the letter kills, but the Spirit gives life.

Here we have Paul laying it out for us. In black and white we are told that our Ministry (and EVERY Christian has a Ministry) comes straight from God and not through anything we do or any amount of initials we can put after our name, and also tells us that we are to be Ministers of the New Covenant (The New Testament), not of the law (The Old Testament). This is due to the power and influence of the Holy Spirit on our lives.

And yet so many Christians, both ministers and lay people use verses from the Old Testament to condemn people. Most commonly, these verses are used  to support peoples opinions on modern social issues. They hand pick, and the only ones used are the ones that support their agendas while the others are discarded.

 They use selected verses from many books in the Old Testament to support their condemning views on everything from  a man wearing his hair long to people being gay. And yet, after the service, they go out and enjoy a meal of steak and lobster or a pork roast, both of which are also forbidden by Leviticus.

Of course the standard response I get is from Matthew 5:17, where Jesus says that he didn’t come to destroy the law but to fulfill it. This is a very good response, but what the Lord was talking about is that He had come to fulfill the law by sacrificing himself as the last sacrifice for man. So yes, He came to fulfill the law and He did!! He fulfilled the law when he said “It Is Finished”. At the exact moment he died, the law was fulfilled and the grace flowed in.  The veil that separated us from God was torn in two and we could see god for the first time!! We could have a relationship with him that we could not have before.

I do understand that those who do this are sincere in their beliefs, and I certainly am not bashing the Old Testament (following the 10 Commandments to the letter will definitely make you a fine, upstanding citizen), but I am,  and will continue to,  speaking out against those who use a small portion of the scripture, taken out of context, to bash anyone and everyone who does not agree with them. Sadly, it is usually these nut jobs that get the most press and give all Christians a bad name…..

In this letter written to the Church at Corinth, during a time that the Corinth Church was getting bound up in legalism and some were even questioning whether or not Paul was an Apostle of Jesus,  Paul tells us that God has made us Ministers of the Spirit not the letter. The letter of the law kills, but the Spirit saves (gives life). At a time now when a lot of Churches are becoming just like the Corinth Church was at the time of Paul’s letter, we must remember that we are to be led by the Holy Spirit in what we do. We are free from the Mosaic law because of the price that Jesus paid on the cross. We no longer have to see God through a veil, we can come into a full and complete relationship with Him, because the veil was not only lifted, it was torn in half when he died…..

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The Need In Front Of Your Eyes......

My youngest son met a girl (we will call her Suzy, to protect the privacy of her & her family), some years ago in Elementary school.  They became fast friends, both sharing a love of video games, pizza & other things preteen & teen.  Suzy would come over every day after school & would stay with us for weeks on end during summer vacation. We would even take her along on trips to Disneyland, Pismo Beach, etc. I came to view her as just another of my kids.

Over the years my wife & I met & became friends with her parents (mainly the mother, because her father worked a lot).  I thought how great it was that we had found another couple who have been married 20+ years, and of all my sons’ friends, Suzy & himself were the only ones who had both parents in the home.

Over the years I noticed that Suzy ate as much as my son (who is a bottomless pit). She is something of a tomboy, so I didn’t think much about it.  Just thinking to myself that when she hit’s the teen years, she would become more conscious of it, and I prayed that she would not fall prey to the many eating disorders that can affect young girls at that age (thank God that she has not fallen prey to them).

One day  I came home and Suzy & my son were in the kitchen, both making sandwiches that even Dagwood would have been proud of. She hadn’t been to the house in a few days, and I jokingly told her “looks like you haven’t eaten in a week”,  she looked up at me and with the innocence of a child (even though she is now 12), said, “well I have only had 2 packages of Top Ramen in the last 2 days”. I was thunderstruck, but played it off.  Things now fell into place, and I suspected that the reason she always ate so much when she was at my house was because she did not have anything to eat at hers.

When her mom came to pick her up later that night, my suspicions were confirmed. I went out of the house to talk to Suzy’s mother before she came inside to get her. I told Lily (again, name changed), what Suzy had said, & ask her if it was true & what was going on. Lily broke down that day & in tears told me that she & her husband had not eaten anything in 2 days because they were saving what little food they had for the kids.

I told her to come inside, and I packed up several bags with food and loaded them into her car before Suzy or anyone else could see. Walking them out to the car, Suzy saw the bags of food and was very happy, but wanted to know where it came from. I spoke up before Lily could & said “well, looks like your mom went shopping”.

Throughout the time we had been friends, Lily knew that we have a food bank. But embarrassment & pride kept her from asking.  In talking to Lily after that day, I found out that she gets food from other food banks, but never wanted to ask us.  I have thought many times since then, what could I have done better? What are the signs I could have recognized? How many times had Suzy gone to bed hungry, when I had stores of food ready to be given away in my house & garage?

Since the day that their little secret came out, they are doing better, but still have to ask for food sometimes. Now they have no problem asking, and I am more than happy to give.

I say all this not to bring praise or accolades on myself (the praise belongs to God for allowing me to be able to minister in this way), but to make a point. There can be need all around you, even in places where you would not think to look. We as Ministers of Christ, must be able to look for and recognize that need, and stand ready to meet it. Yes there is a lot of need in the world and even in our own cities/towns,  but there is also need that is right in front of you.  A lot of Ministers want to minister to the World, and that can be a fine goal, but you need to start in your own yard………

Matthew 25:40
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

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