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

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

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

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

John 8:12

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

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

They give light where there is darkness.

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

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

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

Luke 11:33

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

 

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

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

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

 Ephesians 4:2-6

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

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

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

5 One Lord, one faith, one baptism,

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

John 3:16
For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life.

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

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

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

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

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

5 One Lord, one faith, one baptism,

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

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

God Bless You All

Pastor Brian

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.

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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…….

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.

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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




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Meet Jesus Before You Try And Represent Him.... A Tuesday Random Thought.......

There is a disturbing trend lately here in cyberspace, I should clarify that there are a lot of disturbing things in cyberspace, but the one I am focusing on are so called "Christian Churches" or "Religious Organizations" who claim to represent and follow Jesus here on this earth, but from their actions and the way they act, it is painfully obvious that they have never even met Him.....


Now, I am no one's judge, nor do I want to be, but we are warned in the Scriptures about this type of thing....

Matthew 7:15-20

King James Version (KJV)

15 Beware of false prophets, which come to you in sheep's clothing, but inwardly they are ravening wolves.

16 Ye shall know them by their fruits. Do men gather grapes of thorns, or figs of thistles?

17 Even so every good tree bringeth forth good fruit; but a corrupt tree bringeth forth evil fruit.

18 A good tree cannot bring forth evil fruit, neither can a corrupt tree bring forth good fruit.

19 Every tree that bringeth not forth good fruit is hewn down, and cast into the fire.

20 Wherefore by their fruits ye shall know them.

This is Jesus himself warning us that there would be false prophets who would come in among us looking holy, and claiming the name of Christ and yet they have no fruit. And if you dare to question where there fruit is, they turn into the ravening wolves that Jesus was speaking of, going on the attack against you, spreading lies, twisting things you have said, and so forth, but dont worry if you run into one of them because we also have this promise:

Isaiah 54:17

New King James Version (NKJV)

17 No weapon formed against you shall prosper,

And every tongue which rises against you in judgment

You shall condemn.

This is the heritage of the servants of the Lord,

And their righteousness is from Me,”

Says the Lord.

This is not a new problem. It was recorded in Acts 19 that 7 sons of a Chief Priest who did not truly know Jesus attempted to cast out an evil spirit. It didnt work out to well for them:

Acts 19:13-16

13 Then certain of the vagabond Jews, exorcists, took upon them to call over them which had evil spirits the name of the Lord Jesus, saying, We adjure you by Jesus whom Paul preacheth.

14 And there were seven sons of one Sceva, a Jew, and chief of the priests, which did so.

15 And the evil spirit answered and said, Jesus I know, and Paul I know; but who are ye?

16 And the man in whom the evil spirit was leaped on them, and overcame them, and prevailed against them, so that they fled out of that house naked and wounded.

So we see here that although these men knew the name of Jesus, and even tried to invoke His name while trying to cast out the evil spirit, they ended up beaten, wounded and naked. Why? Because even that evil spirit knew that these people had no authority to call upon the name of Jesus.  Anyone can try and call upon the name of Jesus, but if you do not truly know Him, if you have not accepted Him into your heart and let Him take over your life, they you are doing nothing but blowing a lot of hot air, and you are headed for major trouble.

The point here my friends is not to judge anyone, but to point out that just because someone says they are a Christian Church or Organization does not mean it is true.  The old saying "Actions Speak Louder Than Words" applies to this situation, and if you are involved with someone who talks a good game, but doesnt follow it up with their actions, run as fast as you can. You will be much better off because with people like this, things always end up bad for you.....

God Bless!!

Pastor Brian

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God Loves YOU...............

Happy Saturday everyone.

Just a quick note today to let you know that God Loves YOU...

Yes You, who thinks you couldnt possibly be loved by anyone

Yes You, who bears the scars from your past

You in the suit, You wearing rags, You living in the mansion or You living in the street..........

Yes God Loves YOU. He doesnt care about what you have or have not accomplished in life, He doesnt care what you have or have not done.

He just Loves YOU, and He wants YOU to be with Him forever.....

John 3:16

King James Version (KJV)

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.

Romans 5:8

King James Version (KJV)

⁸ But God commendeth his love toward us, in that, while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us.

So not matter what you do today just keep this simple fact in mind...... 

If you want to know more about Gods Love for you visit us at: 

Pacific Life Church

We would be happy to help in any way we can......

God Bless You All!!!

Pastor Brian & The Ministers & Staff of Pacific Life Church


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

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

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

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

Get Ordained

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