Millionaire Jesus????

The Prosperity “Gospel”

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

ON to our topic though………………..

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

1 Timothy 5:5-9

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

6 But godliness with contentment is great gain.

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

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

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

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

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

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

Jesus addresses this in Luke’s Gospel:

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

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

Luke 6:37

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

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

Philippians 4:11-13

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Get That Money???

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Start A Church or Ministry

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

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

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

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

John 8:12

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

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

They give light where there is darkness.

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

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

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

Luke 11:33

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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 Online Christian Ordination 

Become A Wedding Minister, Start A Church and So Much More

Dont settle for less. When seeking Ordination as a Christian Minister, you want to choose a Church that holds actual services at an actual location, not a Church that exists solely online and holds their “services” via the Internet.

Ordination is free, and for life. Click on the link below for all the information

http://pacificlifechurch.webs.com/wanttobecomeordained.htm

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Fathers Day............

Romans 8:14-16

New Living Translation (NLT)

¹⁴ For all who are led by the Spirit of God are children of God.
¹⁵ So you have not received a spirit that makes you fearful slaves. Instead, you received God’s Spirit when he adopted you as his own children. Now we call him, “Abba, Father."
 ¹⁶ For his Spirit joins with our spirit to affirm that we are God’s children.


This Sunday here in the US, we celebrate Fathers Day. Fathers day is also celebrated in many other Countries but not always on the same day as The United States. The point is that just like Mothers Day, there is a day to celebrate Fathers, and it should be considered a Holy Day.


Fathers have always played a very important role in the lives of their Children. It falls to them to teach the Child the "way of the World" once they reach a certain age. A Fathers love can never waiver. No matter what you have done, you can always count on a Father to be there for you with love, compassion, understanding and when needed, discipline. 


Of course the most famous Father is history would be Joseph. He was chosen and charged with the upbringing of the Son Of God. Knowing full well that he had nothing to do biologically with the creation of This Child, he stepped up without question raising Jesus as if He was his own son. 


It would have fallen to Joseph to teach Jesus how things work in the world, to teach Him a trade and to provide for Him.


There is also the Father in Luke 15, the story of the prodigal son. Most people have read it or know about it, so I wont reprint it here, but just as that Father in the story see's his son coming from a long way off and throws a party for him. He knew that the son had wasted his inheritance, but it did not matter. What mattered was that the son had come back.  


So it is with us. No matter what we have done, or how we have sinned, when our Heavenly Father see's us coming back, He rejoices. He takes us in as his own and through His Holy Spirit, we can cry out ABBA.


The word abba is an affectionate term used for a father. It is something that a favored child would call their father.  Its equivalent in English would be “daddy”.

SO no matter what you have planned this Sunday, or even if you have nothing planned, dont forget that we always have our Heavenly Father. He is always there for us come what may.......

Happy Fathers Day to all you Dad's out there. Enjoy your day.


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.

http://pacificlifechurch.webs.com/wanttobecomeordained.htm

Online Ordination............

There has been many stories in the news lately about celebrities obtaining Ordination online so that they could perform a wedding.  Some people think it’s fine, some people think it is wrong. Others go so far as to question the validity of Ordinations performed by online churches (other than theirs of course).

We have offered Ordination since our inception, but have just recently began publicizing it, and allowing people to begin the process online.  We waited until The Lord said go to start doing this, and it is still a growing, living thing (just as your Faith should be). Had we done otherwise, I do not believe we would have gotten very far.

Since we began offering people the chance to begin the Ordination process online, we have received a lot of e-mails with questions about it (and a few damning us to hell, making threats, etc  ). In this blog, I will do my best to answer the most frequent questions regarding the Ordination process.  Please do note that we are MINISTERS, not LAWYERS. We can not nor will we give you legal advice in regards to your specific situation . We will provide general guidelines, and facts as we have uncovered them and as they have been presented to us,  but we STRONGLY urge you to contact the proper authorities in your area and/or a competent Attorney of your choosing should you have questions about your Ordination and/or the validity of performing Weddings in your area.

1) The Legalities of Online Ordination

In 1974, The United States District Court for the Eastern District validated “mail-order” Ordinations in a case brought by The Universal Life Church against the United States (Universal Life Church, Inc. V United States of America, Case Number Civ. No. 1954)
In part, the final ruling in this case stated:

“Certainly the ordination of ministers and the chartering of churches are accepted activities of religious organizations… The fact that the plaintiff distributed ministers’ credentials and Honorary Doctor of Divinity certificates is of no moment. Such activity may be analogized to mass conversions at a typical revival or religious crusade.”

Further, the court went on to say (and this is perhaps the most applicable portion of this case:

“Neither this Court, nor any branch of this Government, will consider the merits or fallacies of a religion. Nor will the Court compare the beliefs, dogmas, and practices of a newly organized religion with those of an older, more established religion. Nor will the Court praise or condemn a religion, however excellent or fanatical or preposterous it may seem. WERE THE COURT TO DO SO, IT WOULD IMPINGE UPON THE GUARANTEES OF THE FIRST AMENDMENT.”

So the process of Ordaining those who ask is firmly established in case law by this case. And although the Universal Life Church is not (nor have they ever claimed to be) a Christian Church, The Lord did use them to establish the practice of Ordaining people in this manner, and all Churches that offer Ordination online or through the mail owe them a debt of gratitude.

2) Why Online Ordination?

By far the most common reason a person seeks Ordination outside of going to a Seminary or Bible College is to perform a Wedding. There are other reasons as well, and these reasons are as unique as the individuals who seek Ordination.

If you want a friend or family member to officiate your Wedding, chances are that person is not going to want to spend the time and money to go to Bible College and jump through all the other hoops in order to be able to do it for you. There has been a trend over the past years away from traditional Church Weddings and towards more intimate and personal ceremonies. Mostly gone are the days when a bride promised to obey while repeating vows that were 100 years old (or more). As with most things, the institutional Church has been slow to embrace this trend and as a result Online Ordination and the Ministers that it creates have stepped up to fill that need.

Wedding laws vary, but in most States/Counties you do not need much. You do have to register in some States/Counties, and some require a Letter Of Good Standing. In parts of Nevada & New York, these letters must be Notarized.  We provide all this along with membership in our Church.

Some Ministers also want to start a Church/Ministry or other Religious Organization. Along with being a Wedding Officiant, your Ordination will also allow you to do these things, again without spending years in a Seminary or Bible College.

Dont get me wrong, I am all for education and training. I myself have an earned Theology Degree (D. Th.). But the fact is that many people finally answer The Lords call later in their lives, and spending 4-8 years in a Seminary or Bible College is not practical. There are also the denominational guidelines to think about. Some denominations do not allow women to be Ordained or be a Pastor, others have such strict guidelines about who they will Ordain,  that Jesus himself would not have qualified for their Seminary program. Again, this is where we (and other Churches that Ordain online) come in and fill a need. 

3) Who should I be Ordained by? There are so many websites now that will Ordain people…

You are correct. There are a lot of websites that offer Ordination. Everything from The Church Of The Flying Spaghetti Monster to Conservative Christian Fellowships. We suggest that you take some time, look through the website and find out which one is the right fit for you. If you have read this far into this blog, I am going to assume you are pretty serious about Ordination, so I will not discuss the satire “Churches”.  The others (including ours) can be broken down into 3 categories.

1) Ordination/Marriage Ministries-  These are Ministries that exist primarily for the function of Ordaining you to perform a wedding.  They are sometimes referred by their critics as “Ordination Mills”.  These Ministries generally do not hold any services,  or (most times)  have a physical address. They are there to Ordain you and that is about it.

If you are getting Ordained to perform a wedding for friends or family, and you have no intention of going any further in the Ministry than that, this may be the type of Ordination for you.

2) Interfaith Churches- These Churches accept all Faiths. They may or may not hold services (most times they dont). They will generally ordain you into whatever faith you choose to follow. These Organizations even “Ordain” atheists .

If you want to follow a certain Faith, but do not want to jump through the hoops of said Faith to obtain Ordination, this is probably your place.

3) Non-Denominational Christian Churches- These Churches (this is where our church fits in) Ordain people within the Christian Faith. They may or may not hold services at a physical location (most do in one form or another), but they generally have a creed and a statement of beliefs. Most of these meet some or all of the “14 points” as established by the IRS* to meet the “essence of legal authority”. Also, most of these Churches provide training of some sort to those seeking Ordination, and may require some work on your part (such as an essay or thesis) in order to become Ordained.

If your purpose in seeking Ordination is to start a Christian Ministry, this is the type you want to go with.  

Those are the basics of Online Ordination. If you would like to know more, please visit us at the link below.

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, but do not want to be Ordained by a Church that only exists in cyber space, click on the link below.

http://pacificlifechurch.webs.com/wanttobecomeordained.htm