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 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???

 _________________________________________________________________________________

Online Christian Ordination

Start A Church or Ministry

Perform Weddings

Go On The Mission Fields

Preach The Gospel As An Evangelist

and so much more.......

Do not be deceived. Trust your Ordination to a Church that does not exist solely in Cyberspace.

Get Ordained

_________________________________________________________________________________

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

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

_________________________________________________________________________________

”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

_________________________________________________________________________________

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…..

_________________________________________________________________________________

”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

_________________________________________________________________________________

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

_________________________________________________________________________________

Paint By Numbers............

A manmade theological system is to biblical Christianity what paint-by-numbers is to art. Reducing beauty to a formula.- Author Unknown*

I don’t know who wrote that simple sentence, but I do know I would love to shake their hand.
This is so true. People love to create systems. Systems that run your life, systems that run your business, systems that run your Spiritual life. it’s the last one that will get you into trouble………….
Now I have no problem with being organized, and as a Pastor, I understand better than most the need for some type of structure in a Church environment. Otherwise you end up with chaos. As anyone who has been following recent news lately can see, that is the big problem with the occupy folks. Now I am not going to offer an opinion on occupy or even talk about them other than to point them out as an example of what happens when you have a group with a common purpose/goal/ideal, but with no defined leadership or organization. So you need some type of structure and accountability in a Church setting just as you do in a business setting. The problem comes in when you let that organization or structure replace Biblical teaching and instruction. When your denominational guidelines or system get’s to the point that instead of providing the Bible based Church structure in accord with the teachings of Jesus, and also the Apostles, a structure that serves only to serve, and to complement that which is based on BIBLICAL TRUTH, you have a big problem.

Hebrews 12:2 tells us who is not only the Founder of our Faith but also the Perfecter. The one who started it and finished it.

looking to Jesus, the founder and perfecter of our faith, who for the joy that was set before him endured the cross, despising the shame, and is seated at the right hand of the throne of God. (ESV)

With The God Of All Creation being the one who founded and FINISHED our Faith, why would we need some kind of man-made doctrines/traditions/whatever……. All we need is Him. All we need is The Bible, Sola Scriptura & Faith, Sola Fide. Anything else that crosses that line from structure to doctrine is just like our author says above. Or to put it a different way, replacing the Mona Lisa with something drawn from a kit you bought at Wal-Mart, it may look good to you, and it may even please some people, but it’s not going to stand the test of time…………
*unknown author quote used  as per the “Fair Use” provisions of Title 17, U.S.C

_________________________________________________________________________________

”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

_________________________________________________________________________________

Do You Judge A Book By Its Cover???

His name is Bill. He has wild hair, wears a T-shirt with holes in it, jeans and no shoes. This was literally his wardrobe for his entire four years of college. He is brilliant. Kind of esoteric and very, very bright.
He became a Christian while attending college. Across the street from the campus is a well-dressed, very conservative church. They want to develop a ministry to the students, but are not sure how to go about it.
One day Bill decides to go there. He walks in with no shoes, jeans, his T-shirt, and wild hair. The service has already started and so Bill starts down the aisle looking for a seat. The church is completely packed and he can’t find a seat. By now people are really looking a bit uncomfortable, but no one says anything. Bill gets closer and closer and closer to the pulpit and when he realizes there are no seats, he just squats down right on the carpet. (Although perfectly acceptable behavior at a college fellowship, trust me, this had never happened in this church before!)
By now the people are really uptight, and the tension in the air is thick. About this time, the minister realizes that from way at the back of the church, a deacon is slowly making his way toward Bill. Now the deacon is in his eighties, has silver-gray hair, and a three-piece suit. A godly man, very elegant, very dignified, very courtly. He walks with a cane and as he starts walking toward this boy, everyone is saying to themselves, You can’t blame him for what he’s going to do. How can you expect a man of his age and of his background to understand some college kid on the floor?
It takes a long time for the man to reach the boy. The church is utterly silent except for the clicking of the man’s cane. All eyes are focused on him. You can’t even hear anyone breathing. The people are thinking. The minister can’t even preach the sermon until the deacon does what he has to do. And now they see this elderly man drop his cane on the floor. With great difficulty he lowers himself and sits down next to Bill and worships with him so he won’t be alone.
Everyone chokes up with emotion. When the minister gains control he says, “What I’m about to preach, you will never remember. What you have just seen, you will never forget……..

Be careful how you live. You may be the only Bible some people will ever read.” –author unknown

While looking for something to write on today, some “eloquent flowing words, that would touch your soul and challenge your mind“, I came across this simple story. and it struck a nerve with me. Why? Because I have been every person in this story. I have been “Bill”, young, full of zeal, and ready to save the world. My hair long, my clothes not “suitable Church attire”, my actions totally out of what you would normally expect in a Church.

I have been the congregation, looking at someone that is different than me, that may follow The Lord in a different way, wondering when the bouncer was going to come and remove him so that we could get on with the service and the way things are always done.

I have been the Deacon, where my actions were unexpected, and I embraced a person, even if those around me did not approve……

But the most powerful line from this story, one that I want everyone reading or listening to this devotional today to take away and apply to your lives is the last one. This line is a challenge to every Christian. Look at your life and how you live it, then search the scripture and look at how Jesus lived. If you find any discrepancies, change the things in YOU so that they match up to the things in HIM. We are His representatives on earth, we must live as He did, we must tell all the Good News without exception. We must break out of our comfortable rut and reach out to a lonely and dying world. We do not know who we may touch, who is looking at us, who may have been sent to us to hear about Jesus and salvation because their time may be short on this earth. Do you want to stand before God on your day of judgment and have no answer when He asks you why you didn’t let that teenager with the black clothes and long hair sit in your church? I certainly don’t, and if you do, then friend, you need to hit your knees and stay there until there is a change in your heart………

Just in case you are wondering where I am in the story now….. I am the natural progression, I am now Pastor Bill, who’s hair (what isn’t falling out) still falls well below his shoulders, who has been known to show up to preach wearing shorts and a t-shirt, and who tries his best everyday to look past a persons appearance and meet them at the point of their need. I sometimes fail, but by the Grace Of God, I get back up and try again…….

A Reluctant Leader..........

 “It is a curious thing……. those who are best suited to power are those who have never sought it. Those who, like you, have leadership thrust upon them, and take up the mantle because they must, and find to their own surprise that they wear it well.”- J.K Rowling from Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows.............

*****Note*****- I am fully aware that using a quote from a book that is deemed controversial in a lot of Churches will not sit well with some people. However, this quote is very truthful and has been proved throughout history.

During a conversation with a fellow blogger, this quote resonated with me and I think is very applicable to some things that are going on in the Church today.

What am I talking about? I am talking about  people in the Church  who  actively seek power,  whether it be a position as Senior Pastor or the head Janitor,  regardless of whether or not they are called by The Lord to that position. These people, when they attain that position that they have so coveted will do anything and everything to stay in power, and will remove any person who they view as a threat to their position.

This is not a new problem.... People are always seeking power and the money that comes along with it, but I think the modern day Church is unique in that many of them see their Churches as a business rather than a calling from God, and they seek to bring in as much money as they can while ruling their Church with an iron hand.

The Pharisees were like this. They enjoyed the power, authority and income that their position gave them. Jesus was a threat to this and they sought to kill him for it (not knowing of course that they were fulfilling prophecy by doing so). 1300 or so years after the Pharisees (at least as we know them) were gone, the institutional Church of the day kept up the persecution by executing those brave souls who dared to take the Bible out of the hands of those in power and translate it into the language of the common man. This blog is not about Bible history, although I encourage everyone to read about the actual cost of that Bible you now have. A great link can be found here: English Bible History, but I do point out that these men were reluctant leaders. They did not have an ambition to start a revolution, they did not seek power, rather they saw a need or a wrong and they did everything they could, most times paying with their very lives, to fill that need and answer that call.

Back to our topic........

Those with the ambition to lead often find that that ambition turns into their main focus. They pursue that goal of leadership regardless of what The Lord wants. The drive to attain that position of power becomes their idol, and they worship that idol with everything that is in them. This my friends is why the ambition to lead is dangerous. Ignoring the lead of The Holy Spirit, these people press on to their goals. They will knock down, attempt to discredit, lie, cheat or slander anyone who get in their way. Their god becomes one of gold not one of Spirit. They go off on their crusade chasing not only a 6 figure salary, but more importantly, the power that comes with the position that they hope to attain. Is it any wonder that so many big name Pastors have fallen away? That so many scandals have rocked the Church?

AW Tozer said it better than I can:

"A true and safe leader is likely to be one who has no desire to lead, but is forced into a position by the inward pressure of the Holy Spirit and the press of [circumstances]…There was hardly a great leader from Paul to the present day but was drafted by the Holy Spirit for the task, and commissioned by the Lord to fill a position he had little heart for…The man who is ambitious to lead is disqualified as a leader."

Contrary to the model of leadership that has bled over from the corporate world into the Church world, the model that flashes credentials and long resumes, the model of leadership that we were taught by Jesus tells us to come to Him and ask Who Am I? So that He can answer us and say you are not, but I AM.........

God Bless you all

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

_________________________________________________________________________________

Statement Regarding LGBT People & The Church......

 I have been trying to stay above the whole Chick-Fil-A flap and the ensuing debate over LGBT Christians, even though I have been bombarded with requests for a statement. I made one statement in regards to a Church blaming LGBT teen suicide victims and their parents stating that it was somehow their fault. That statement can be found here:http://devotions4reallife.wordpress.com/2012/08/07/the-victims-fault/ .  It was my hope that this would suffice….. However due to some recent events I must now make the statement that follows in the hopes that this will once and for all put this matter to rest……

Pastor Brian


There has been a lot of bickering among Christians lately in regards to Marriage Equality and the question of whether or not a person who is a member of the LGBT community can be a Christian. There is pressure to choose a side, and this issue has the potential to divide the Church even further than it already is….

My friends division within the Church is a tool of the devil plain and simple. If he can divide the body of Christ and make them fight over trivial matters than he has won. Jesus himself told us that “if a house be divided against itself, that house cannot stand“. the devil knows this and seeks to divide and conquer wherever he can, and is, sadly, doing pretty well at dividing The Lords house.

The most popular Scripture’s that are used to do this come from the book of Leviticus, specifically Leviticus 18:22 & Leviticus 20:13. These people take Scriptures from this book that was given by God as instructions on how Priests were to live prior to the coming of Jesus, outlining the way animal sacrifices were to be done for the atonement of sins, dietary laws, and a host of other things  out of context and use them to justify their hatred.  Again, these instructions were given prior to the death of Jesus.  Leviticus also contains all sorts of rituals that are no longer followed, prohibitions against eating shellfish, cooking a steak on the some stove or grill that has ever cooked a pig, eating bacon, etc, etc…..  James in his letter to the 12 tribes had this to say: “For whosoever shall keep the whole law, and yet offend in one point, he is guilty of all” (James 2:10).  So that person who spends time bashing people for being members of the LGBT community and then goes out and enjoys their ham dinner or their steak and lobster is just as guilty as they think the LGBT person is. Also you wont see anyone going into the Holy Of Holies once a year to atone for the sins of the people. Why? Because Jesus did this for us once and for all time when He died on the cross. When Jesus said “It Is Finished”, that meant that the law was no longer needed. This is further evidenced by the fact that the veil covering the Holy Of Holies was torn in half.

The fact is that people trying to justify themselves and condemn others by using the law is not a new thing. Paul wrote in his letter to the Galatian Church:   I do not frustrate the grace of God: for if righteousness come by the law, then Christ is dead in vain. (Galatians 2:21). 

We could go on and argue this until The Lord returns, but there would be no point, and I refuse to do it. My response then to all of those who are condemning people with the law and/or judging people is this:  Until there is not one hungry person left in the world, until there is not one person that is in need we should not be spending our precious time arguing about this or any other trivial issue. Instead we should be about The Fathers business of providing hope and help to a lost and dying world. Get out from behind your stained glass windows and get out into the street and do something.

Pastor Brian Linebarger, 08/15/2012

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

_________________________________________________________________________________

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

_________________________________________________________________________________

”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

_________________________________________________________________________________

Got Clones??????

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

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

                     (Chorus)

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

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

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

          (Bridge)

Send in the clones

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

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

-----Chorus-----

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

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

Everybody must get cloned

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

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

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

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

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

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

The Apostle Paul says in Philippians 2:12-13

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

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

John 3:16


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


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

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

1 Corinthians 10:23

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

1 Corinthians 6:12

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

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

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

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

God Bless!!

Pastor Brian 

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

_______________________________________________________________________

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

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

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

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

Get Ordained

_______________________________________________________________________

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

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


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

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

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

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

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

Pastor Brian




_________________________________________________________________________________

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

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

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

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

Get Ordained

_________________________________________________________________________________