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

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 

Its A Wonderful Life, 1st Sunday Of Advent, 2012

The classic Christmas film “It’s A Wonderful Life” is beloved the world over. It somehow manages to do something that most filmmakers today are not capable of, kind of a “lost art” if you will. What this film does is take us back to a simpler time. A time where God was honored, where children still prayed in school, when The Bible was a textbook, where most everybody young or old honored Jesus and knew without a doubt that He was there and strived to live as if he was standing right next to you.  Even most of those who “strayed from the path” knew that God was still there and admitted such in public. As we go through the next four Sundays, we will be using this film along with some other literary works to illustrate how even though these films and books were made or written for entertainment, they can and should teach us a lesson on how to live……


We come into the film during the last dinner that George Bailey and his father will ever have together. Georges Father (Peter) had spent his life laboring away at a small building and loan (what we would call today a credit union). They had more lax rules for lending to people who wanted to buy a home, and generally were more involved with their customers. Peter Bailey was a good man and was hoping that his eldest son would one day take over this business. George of course, wants more out of life. He wants to travel and have adventure. He does not see himself sitting in that small business in that small town for the rest of his life. But sometimes The Lord has other plans for you even if they are not your plans……

If we turn in our Bibles and look at Joseph when he finds out that Mary is pregnant, even though they were not married, we will see a prime example of this.

Matthew 1:18-20
 18 Now the birth of Jesus Christ was on this wise: When as his mother Mary was espoused to Joseph, before they came together, she was found with child of the Holy Ghost.

19 Then Joseph her husband, being a just man, and not willing to make her a public example, was minded to put her away privily.

20 But while he thought on these things, behold, the angel of the Lord appeared unto him in a dream, saying, Joseph, thou son of David, fear not to take unto thee Mary thy wife: for that which is conceived in her is of the Holy Ghost.

Just as George Baileys life changed when his Father died in our film, so did Josephs life change when he found out that Mary was pregnant.

There are two schools of thought on how Joseph felt after getting the news. One is that he thought Mary had been unfaithful to him, the other is that she had told him what happened and he was blown away by it. Either way, the fact is that he pondered or considered all that had been presented to him and also pondered what to do about it. Now according to the law, Joseph could have had Mary stoned to death for being unfaithful, but he did not want to do that. Why? Because as the Scripture tells us, he was a just man. I am sure that (if he did believe that she had been unfaithful to him) he was very sad and probably angry, but still his love and devotion to her would not allow him to make a public spectacle of her and see her die because of a mistake. On the other hand, if he did believe Mary and believed that she was pregnant through an act of God, he was probably a bit overwhelmed and feeling unworthy to be the earthly Father of the Son Of God……

Either way, we see that he had determined to send her away privately so that she could avoid a public scandal at best and death at worst. Even if it meant that he would have to endure some shame or ridicule, so be it. His love for Mary and  his devotion to God would not allow him to subject this young girl to that.

But then God sends an angel and tells Joseph not to be afraid and that the child is in fact the Son Of God. Can you imagine how overwhelmed that Joseph must have been?  What thoughts must have been going through his mind? That he was to be the earthly Father of Gods Son? I don’t know about you, but I think I might have passed out…….. But what does Joseph do?

Matthew 1:24

24 Then Joseph being raised from sleep did as the angel of the Lord had bidden him, and took unto him his wife:


  So Joseph gets up from bed and takes Mary into his home so that everyone around them would think that the marriage had already taken place. In Biblical times a couple that were engaged were not considered married until the husband took the wife into his home to live with him. Of course it was assumed that the couple would have sexual relations and that the wife would bear children. So by Josephs act of obedience to God, even though I am sure this was not what he had planned for his life, the way was set for the Savior to be born and for the world to be redeemed…..


As you start this Christmas Season, and things get busier and busier as the big day approaches, do not forget to take time out and reflect on the real reason for the season…….

The Guest Room, Sunday Sermon, 09/09/12......

Mark 14:12-15
12 Now on the first day of Unleavened Bread, when they killed the Passover lamb, His disciples said to Him, “Where do You want us to go and prepare, that You may eat the Passover?” 
13 And He sent out two of His disciples and said to them, “Go into the city, and a man will meet you carrying a pitcher of water; follow him. 14 Wherever he goes in, say to the master of the house, ‘The Teacher says, “Where is the guest room in which I may eat the Passover with My disciples?”’ 15 Then he will show you a large upper room, furnished and prepared; there make ready for us




These verses are, of course, detailing the events leading up to the Last Supper (The Passover Feast). Most everyone knows the story of the Last Supper and the events that transpired during it, so our focus today is not going to be on The Last Supper itself, rather we are going to look at how Jesus got to the upper room, and how we can apply this to real life……..


It is evident from many scriptures in the synoptic Gospels that in addition to helping Jesus teach and being sent on missions, the Disciples were also charged with taking care of the day to day needs of Jesus himself and the ministry as a whole.  We still see this even today where most traveling Evangelists (specially the ones who have a large following) have a team of people that support them during the meetings as well as go ahead of the Evangelist into the next city/town where they will be holding a meeting to make sure everything is in order so that when the Evangelist gets there, he or she can concentrate on delivering the message.


So it was with Jesus and the Disciples. We see them in 12 coming to Jesus for instructions as to where they should go to celebrate Passover. Having no set home or even a set “base of operations” for any period of time, they bounced around from place to place wherever Jesus was lead by The Father to go and preach. Jesus’ answer to them when they ask about preparing a place for the Passover is to go into a city, meet a man carrying a pitcher of water, follow him and when you see his house, ask him where is your spare room so that The Master (Jesus) and his disciples can celebrate the Passover.


We are not told anything about the man who let them use his room, the Bible does not record anything about him other than the fact that he would be carrying a pitcher of water. SO then what is so significant about this man? Why am I devoting an entire sermon to him? Because of his REACTION.


When the Disciples came to him and followed him home, Jesus was very precise in his instructions. He told the Disciples to ask him where is your spare room so that the master (Jesus) can celebrate the Passover there. Again, we don’t know who this man was, whether he followed Jesus or the Pharisee’s, nothing….Now this man could have reacted in a lot of different ways. Two guys that he doesn’t know follow him home and say hey, where is your guestroom, we are gonna celebrate the holiday there. In todays world he might have called the cops and reported them for stalking….. The room was already set up for the celebration, so it is not to far of a stretch to think that the homeowner may have had plans to use it himself for his celebration. He could have said uh no, I don’t think so, I was gonna use that myself. Or he could have said, who is your master? Who are you? But he does not do either of these things, instead he shows them to the room, says here it is, you are welcome to it, and that was that.


What we can learn from this man is to be ready to receive The Lord without asking questions, or without making excuses. Sometimes, in fact a lot of times, the Lord just shows up, or sends his disciples with a message telling you to do something. As with the man here in these verses, no choice is given, just an offer…. Could this man have refused? Of course, God gave us all free will. Had he refused, they would have went elsewhere to celebrate. So it is with us… At some point Jesus will send His messengers to you with an offer. A chance to do something for Him. How will you react? When they come to your door, will you show them the upper room, inviting them in without question, even if you had other plans, or will you turn them away and tell them that you have other plans for that room (portion of your life)?


 No matter whether it is The Lord wanting to work in a different way in your life, or something as simple as putting up the guest Preacher that is coming to your church this weekend, I urge you to show Him the upper room and tell him “it’s all yours, use it as you will”. If you do this, you will be blessed beyond measure. God will do great things with what you give him. You may have to change your plans a bit, but the reward will far outweigh any little problems you may have to deal with…..

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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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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Christians & Secular Media.........

This can be a hot button topic for some people in the church. Can you be a Christian and still enjoy secular music, books, etc?  I am not talking about pornography, I am talking about mainstream music and books.

First a little background. I was raised in a Pentecostal church. My entire family have been Pentecostal ministers. When my Grandfather would preach a sermon that had something to do with his life, he would start with the phrase “I am going to tell on myself”. So I guess that’s what I am doing here, I am telling on myself. I am sharing some things that I enjoy in my life that some people  would consider a sin.

1) Movies.  When I was young, movies were taboo with a lot of the Church. In fact, when I told one of the elders in the church that my best friend and I had went to see Star Wars, his response was “if Jesus came back while you were watching that movie, do you think he would come into the theater and look for you? My answer was yes. If god is omnipresent  as we know He is, He was already there…. (he didn’t like that answer a great deal). Are there movies that a Christian should not watch (especially a Christian who is a babe in Christ)? Of course. But again, The Lord created all forms of entertainment, and films are no different.

2) Music. All music began as praise to God. Yes there is some music that contains lyrics that are  ungodly, and some are even satanic, but by far and large, the beat, harmony & melody of any form of music can be seen as praise to God. Music can move you to happiness or tears

3) Books. The written word is powerful. It can change you view of the world. Books are something that should never be overlooked.

4) Television. Much like movies,  television is a form of entertainment. It can calm the mind, challenge beliefs, and encourage you.

Taking these four forms of media, I will go into each of them in turn.

Movies- Yes, there are some movies that are not appropriate for all ages. This is a given,. However, as mature, adult Christians, It is my firm belief that we can decide for ourselves if a movie is something that we want to watch or if it suits our personal taste. I myself am a HUGE Disney fan, and I love all Disney movies. I also enjoy action & horror movies. that is my personal taste. Its not for everyone, but I am not everyone, nor do I try to push my personal taste on everyone.  The thing I find interesting is that 30 years ago (and still to this day) some Christians preach against going to movies, and yet, you have some of the largest Christian organizations in the world making and releasing movies into theaters.

Music- This is probably the most controversial media related subject in the church today. There are so many forms and genres of music that it is hard to know where to begin.  Again, telling on myself, I have been a fan of Ozzy Osbourne since I was 10 years old.  I love his voice, I love the beat I just love his music in general. Does this mean you will only see Ozzy on my play list? NO.  Ozzy sits on my play list comfortably next to The Second Chapter Of Acts, Sweet Comfort Band,  And even Bill Gaither. Are there Genres of music I do not like? Of course. Screamo  and rap come to mind, but, I do not condemn those who enjoy that type of music, its just not my thing. I was told by my 15 year old daughter that I was too old to understand it.  The point I making here is that you should not condemn a particular artists due to the fact they are not a Christian artist. Rather, judge the content of the music, what are they saying, and are you strong enough in the Lord to listen to this music without being influenced by it.

Books- Again, this can be a controversial topic. Of course the first set of books that come to mind is the Harry Potter series. Personally I thoroughly enjoyed each of these books. The characters “grew up” before my eyes. Yes they deal with witchcraft, and Jo Rowling (the author) has been condemned, slandered & persecuted by some Churches. There have even been Harry Potter book burnings….  But if you look at CS Lewis & the Narnia series (Mr. Lewis was an open Christian), you will see that they deal with the same thing. There are even churches who burn Bibles that are not King James Version….  My point is that as a Christian, you should be strong enough in your faith & know by the Spirit Of Discernment what you can & can not read. This is something that is between you & God.   I personally have read well over 1000 books that run the  spectrum from Theology to Harry Potter,  & can say that I have not been influenced by any of them (except the Bible).


Television- It was called “hellavision” when I was young, and the cable service HBO (Home Box Office) was called “hells box office”. Here again we have a form of media that was largely taboo 30 years ago. My cousins (who attended a “oneness” Pentecostal Church, were not allowed to own TV sets (they did anyway, and it was amusing to watch them hide the TV’s when the Pastor would visit), and yet we have this form of media reaching across the globe spreading the Word through any Pastors/Preachers/Evangelists (I am not going to get into the “televangelist” thing, as that is an entirely different subject.


We will not get into the internet in this sermon, as that is an entire topic unto itself.

In conclusion, I will say that forms of the media imitate life. There is good & bad all around you. Also, the Church has always condemned that which it did not understand or that which is a new concept. It is hard to imagine in our minds that a few hundred years ago, those who thought the world was round were seen as “of the devil”.

You must know within yourself (by the leading of the Spirit) what is for you & what is not.  Of course, there are forms of media that I would not recommend to anyone (pornography for example), but like it or not it is a part of the world we live in, and at some point you will be exposed to this…..  Be lead by the Spirit & know what is for you & what is not.  If something is not for you, leave it alone. If you are young in the faith and you think a TV Show or a Book will turn you away from God, leave it alone and pray for strength. The Lord will show you what is right for you. It may not be the same thing that is right for me, but that does not give me the right to condemn anyone. In fact, judging or condemning people is in direct violation of Gods Word. Remember Paul’s words to the church Philippi:

Philippians 2:12
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.

God Bless!!

Pastor Brian

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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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The Victims Fault????

Normally I tend to stay away from things that are perceived to be political etc, but I have been bombarded with requests for a statement on the Chic-Fil-A flap. Again I had NO INTENTION of making such a statement, but after reading a post on FaceBook, in regards to LGBT Youth Suicide and how it was the fault of LGBT parents, I feel compelled to respond.....

The statement, made on the FaceBook page of a Christian "Church" is as follows (verbatim):

Homosexual parents or to the parents who permit their children to become and/or practice the homosexual lifestyle, remember we live in a predominantly Christian country. You need to think what you are putting your child through. Parenthood is not about selfishness or sexual desires that go against the teachings of the Holy Bible, it is about what is in the best interest of that child. I want you to remember what I say to you here today and remember it well when you get paid a visit or receive a phone call informing you your child has committed suicide.

I was flabbergasted when I read this. How could ANYONE blame the tragedy that is suicide, especially when the person writing this is supposed to be a Pastor/Bishop/whatever label you want to call them, on the victim. It is beyond my considerable power of comprehension.

As a Pastor I have counseled many people of all ages who were considering suicide. This tragedy knows no boundaries. You find this tragedy in all classes, creeds, sexual orientations etc.

The sad fact is that LGBT people (especially youth) are driven to this point by people saying things like this. This is cyber bullying plain and simple. This person may not have singled out a particular person (as is the case with most bullies), but they have in one post bullied the entire LGBT community, and blamed the suicide of LGBT youth on the parents. You do not permit your child to become homosexual, they are born that way or they are not. I can only conclude from this post that this person believes that if your child turns out to be gay that you have some how failed? Or maybe they are advocating the North Carolina Pastors way of "beating the Gay" out of your child.....  I dont know what they were thinking when they posted this, but if they keep it up they might as well just join up with the westboro people, because this philosophy would fit right in..........

Pastor Brian

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
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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 


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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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Voices From Hell Part 2, Figures From Hell........

Some types of demons and how they operate

Intro to Demonology, part 2.…………

In this part of the series, we will look at what demons are, what powers they have and do not have, and how they operate in human lives.

A demon is a disembodied spirit who are always on the look out for a home. They find this home in a human, a building or piece of land or even in an animal. They can not find a home in inanimate objects (think “Chucky”, the doll from those movies.). They were once Angels, created by God, but they chose to rebel and align themselves with satan. Pride got the better of them. Their heavenly form is beautiful (as are all angels), but that is not usually how they appear in this realm (although they can).

In order for them to come into this realm, they must be given a doorway. There are various types, some that seem very innocent, but are anything but. Communicating with “the dead” (necromancy), Ouija boards, symbols, tarot cards, “psychic mediums” and the like are just a few of the doorways that when opened give the demon access to a person or property.

Once that door is open, the demon can appear in our realm as shadows, mists, orbs, and other things. They can sometimes look human, but can not truly replicate the human form, that is to say they can not become human. You may have heard of “shadow people”, these are demons that appear in human shape, but are completely black almost like living darkness. Demons can also appear in the form of an animal and again, like the human form, it will not be a perfect replica, it will be a shadow.

A couple things to note about demons; when they do appear in this realm it is only temporary, because they can not create anything. They can only take the shape of something that already exists, and even this will only last for a short period of time. This is why they seek to possess a person or an animal, because that is a permanent home for them (until they are forced out by the power of Jesus Christ). Demons will also appear to a person who they are tormenting in a form that the person recognizes and is very frightened of, because that is one of the ways it will break down your defenses is by fear. For example, if a demon were to appear as a kitten, most people would laugh it off and some would try to give it a bowl of milk. But if you are afraid of kittens (yes some people and entire cultures are), then it is plausible that that little ball of fur at your door could be more than it seems. It is though much more likely that it would appear as a big cat, a snake, a large dog, anything that makes you afraid. Once it appears that way and makes you afraid, then it can work on making you give yourself over to fear. Fear is the devils number one tactic because it is the opposite of Faith. Fear will bring bondage (Romans 8:15), and when you are in bondage, you are open to oppression and possession.

Another tactic that a demon will use is to appeal to your vanity and/or pride. We are warned many, many times in the Bible against pride and vanity. Pride and vanity caused the fall of man (Genesis 3), and has destroyed (with the help of demonic influence), many people and Ministries. There is nothing wrong with feeing proud of your children, your family, friends or even yourself for a job well done (say graduating from High School/College, or a promotion in your job etc), as long as it is done in the knowledge that The Lord was a key factor in these things. It is when you start to think that you can do things on your own, when you desire to be like God that things go bad. Frank Peretti, Author of “This Present Darkness” said it better than I can:

“whatever shape, whatever form it takes to win a person’s confidence and appeal to his vanity, that’s the form they take. And they tell the deluded seeker of truth whatever he or she wants to hear until they finally have that person in their complete control.”

Again my friends, this is just an introduction to the subject, and is meant to equip you against the most common types of demons. A complete study of this subject would fill several books and still not be complete. In the next blog, we will look at how to combat these spirits and keep them away from you. Until then, guard your hearts my friends.

Pastor Brian

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Voices From Hell, Part 1- Can You Speak With The Dead?

An intro into Demonology-Part 1, Opening Doors..........

This blog is a little bit more serious than those I normally write. In fact, your very life could hang in the balance of these words…… No I am not joking, no this is not a lead up to a cute story, this is deadly serious business.

I have been asked many times to write something on Demonology.  I have never done so for a couple reasons,

1) This is a topic that is not for everyone.
2) Some people, who are not where they should be in Christ may get the wrong impression and try to handle things that they are not ready to handle.

So why I am writing this now? Well there is a disturbing trend lately that I have noticed, and to remain silent on this issue any longer would be an error on my part.

What trend is this? The trend of so called “Christian” Organizations and/or Churches allowing  and even promoting the use of mediums in their services, on their websites, and pod casts or radio broadcasts, you get the idea. My friends, speaking with the dead is one thing and one thing only, and that thing is called
Necromancy.

Now the word necromancy may conjure up in your mind visions of an furtive looking figure in a robe chanting incantations while black candles burn, and that can be the case…… But if they all looked like that would they ever have a chance to get anywhere near a Christian Church/Organization? Of course not. But the devil is the father of lies, and this case is no exception. Today’s necromancers are all packaged up, in the form of professional looking men and women who ply their trade in the above mentioned places, some of them even going so far as to be Ordained into the Ministry.   Some “Christian” leaders claim the power that these people have “could not be evil”, others see it as entertainment. My friends, just as a Ouija board is not a game (even though it is made by a toy company), neither is talking to the dead. It is evil, pure and simple, and can open doors that should not be open.  It grieves my heart greatly to see people who claim to follow Christ falling in line with those people who practice this form of witchcraft all to get better ratings, make more money or for reasons that totally escape me………

Lets look at a little background on this…………..

When I said it was witchcraft, it was not a misprint. Below is an excerpt from a satanic church website that gives the definition of necromancy:

Necromancy

Summoning, Contacting and Communicating with the dead

Here is another taken from a screen shot of a Wicca site:

You are here: Witchcraft Spells » Magick » Black Magick » Necromancy

I have purposely NOT included either of these websites because I DO NOT want anyone to go to these sites trying to research these matters and get sucked in. If you really want to know, contact me. After a chat and some background info, I will be more than happy to give you the information if you are strong in The Lord and have a need for it.



So who are they really talking to when they talk to the dead?  They are talking to a familiar spirit also known as a demon………….

These demons do not know the future, but they do know the past. They are intimately familiar (hence the name), with your family. That is how they can give information to the medium that is then relayed to you. Remember, evil spirits exist in the spirit realm just as Angels do. They are eternal beings, so they can recall things from the past about your departed love ones.  Normally these beings must leave you alone IF you are covered by the Blood OF Jesus. When you turn your life over to Him, you are covered, you have a hedge around you just as Job did. But, by seeking these people out to try and talk to the dead, you are taking a spiritual weed whacker to your hedge and cutting it down giving the devil and demons free access to you and your mind, and in some cases your body. This is what I mean when I say it opens doors that should not be open. Doors to the spirit realm should NEVER be opened.

Think of it this way. If someone knocked on the door to your home, and you opened it, you have, by the act of opening that door, given that person access to your home. For good or bad, they can now get inside of your home because you opened the door to them. It is much the same with your Spiritual home. When you open the door, the demon will barge in and take over, and unlike even the most pushy door to door salesman, who although you may have to tell him a few times, will finally leave when you insist you are not interested in what they are offering, the demon will not leave until it is thrown out by the power and authority given to us by Jesus. Why? Because you are giving place to the devil by opening that door (Ephesians 4:27), and once you give him place he will not leave unless forced to. Yes even if you are a Christian, and go to Church every time the lights are on,  by giving place to the devil (or a demon whose power comes from the devil), they will attach themselves to you. You may not be possessed in the sense that we understand that word, but you will have an evil spirit attached to you never the less.

Bottom line my friends is don’t play around with this type of thing. It is BAD NEWS…..

In the next blog we will look at some information about demons and how they operate. Until then, guard your hearts my friends.


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