Jeremiah 3:15-17 - The blog of pastor.ctj

What exactly does it mean?

2012-01-24T14:01:00.005-05:00

Give glory to the Lord your God before He brings darkness, before your feet stumble on the mountains at dusk. You wait for light, but He brings darkest gloom and makes thick darkness. But if you will not listen, my innermost being will weep in secret because of your pride. My eyes will overflow with tears, for the Lord’s flock has been taken captive. - Jeremiah 3:16-17 (HCSB)

In the past 2 weeks, I have seen:

a) A 'Prominent Evangelical Pastor’ announce that Mormonism isChristianity.

b) Another 'Prominent Evangelical Pastor’ stand in the pulpit ofa major Roman Catholic Cathedral as part of what was billed by the host as a‘prayer for Christian Unity’. This same pastor having told his congregants thathe and a major Mormon apologist and public figure are ‘in communion’

c) Yet another 'Prominent Evangelical Pastor’ in introducing aOneness Pentecostal preacher to his church and pulpit, refer to him as ‘TheGreatest preacher of our time”, and say that “Every preacher who has anything tosay, rips off” said preacher.

All of which has caused me to ask:

What exactly does itmean to be a Christian?

How does the Bible define it?

Have centuries longdoctrinal standards now been erased?

Is this even an important discussion tohave?

What exactly does itmean to be a Christian?

How has the most exclusive (and only true) religious systembecome so diluted today that systems and beliefs that from the beginning havebeen discredited, deemed heretical, and outside (and I mean well outside) of the pale oforthodoxy are now ‘correct’ and orthodox?

Over the next few weeks/months this blog will be devoted tothe uncovering and discussion of doctrinal positions of major movements. It issure to offend some people, and I am sure that the positions that I take willbe far from popular, but I am learning that one of the things that a disciplemust do, in order to be like His Master, is stand where His master stood, speakwhat His Master spoke, and if necessary become a man of sorrows, acquaintedwith grief.*

Do I think I have all the answers? No, but I know the Bible does

Do I think that I am better than anyone else? No, because, like David, I know my transgressions, and my sin is ever before me**, and I know that it is by the Grace of God alone that I stand.

I encourage you reader, at any time, to comment, rant, expound, sermonize, do whatever, but there is one main rule, and one minor rule: The major rule is, You MUST come from the scripture. Your opinion, though valid in certain instances, is, in this instance, of no value. Why? Because souls are at stake, and neither your opinion nor mine has ever, or will ever save a soul... The minor rule is, that personal insults are unnecessary, and will be deleted.

May God Have Mercy on us all....

* Isaiah 53:3b

** Psalm 51:3

A debate on tithing. A worthwhile listen...

2011-12-27T18:05:00.005-05:00

Blessings all

For those of you who are still thinking about the tithe:
Here is a set of links to a debate between Dr. Russell Earl Kelly and Pastor Mike Kola Ewuosho.
Sponsored by Revelation TV Debates...
No comment from me, though I would like to hear what you all think...

Part 1:

Part 2:

Part 3:

Part 4:

Part 5:

Part 6:

Part 7:

Lisa C. Pemberton 1964-2011

2011-12-05T08:11:00.001-05:00

Lisa C. Pemberton

Obituary

On Wednesday November 23^rd,2011 at 2:27 pm, at Brooklyn Hospital in Brooklyn, New York,

Lisa Christine Pemberton entered into the presence of the Lord.

Lisawas born August 5^th, 1964 in Brooklyn, New York, to the late Reubenand Bertie, the third of their four children, and only daughter. She graduated from South Shore High School in1981, and went on to John Jay College of Criminal Justice, graduating in 1985.

Lisa joined the Kings County (Brooklyn) District Attorney’sOffice in 1986, rising to a supervisory paralegal position, and was employedthere until her passing.

Lisa loved to laugh and make jokes, and it was always ajoyous occasion when she was around. She was also a gifted singer with abeautiful voice. She sang throughout her life, in various choirs and ensembles,often as a soloist.

Lisa was born again and was baptized into the fellowship ofthe Sixth Avenue Baptist Church in Brooklyn, NY, as a child. She remained amember of that fellowship for decades, serving in many capacities including asa Trustee, Sunday School teacher, Church Treasurer, and Worship Leader. Inlater years, she worshiped at Calvary Baptist Church in Manhattan and TheRepairer's Fellowship.

She worked at Sunshine Acres Camp as a young adult, andremained a strong supporter of that ministry for the rest of her life.

Throughout her life, Lisa had a great and ever growing faithand love for God, which was clear to everyone who knew her.

Lisa leaves to cherish her loving memory her daughterNicole, her brothers, Reuben (Buddy), Patrick, and Paul, sisters in lawChristine and Mary, nephew PJ, aunts Constance and Madeline, uncle Cyril, firstcousins Sharon, Laura, Tod, Camille, Craig, best friends Maria, Elsie, andVeronica (aka the Fresca Squad), her church family, wonderful and alwayssupportive DA’s Office Colleagues, loving relatives and a host of friends toonumerous to mention.

Smile, you know who you are…

Psalm 139 (HCSB)

LORD,You have searched me and known me. Youknow when I sit down and when I stand up; You understand my thoughts from faraway. Youobserve my travels and my rest; You are aware of all my ways. Beforea word is on my tongue, You know all about it, LORD.

Youhave encircled me; You have placed Your hand on me.

This extraordinary knowledge is beyond me. It is lofty; I am unable to reachit. Where can I go to escape YourSpirit? Where can I flee from Your presence? If I go up to heaven, You arethere; if I make my bed in Sheol, You are there. If I live at the eastern horizonor settle at the western limits, even there Your hand will lead me; Your righthand will hold on to me.

^{IfI say, “Surely the darkness will hide me, and the light around me will be night.”Eventhe darkness is not dark to You. The night shines like the day; darkness andlight are alike to You.}

For it was You who created my inwardparts; You knit me together in my mother’s womb.

I will praise You because I have been remarkably and wonderfully made. Yourworks are wonderful, and I know this very well. My bones were not hidden from Youwhen I was made in secret, when I was formed in the depths of the earth. Youreyes saw me when I was formless; all my days were written in Your book andplanned before a single one of them began.

God,how difficult Your thoughts are for me to comprehend; how vast their sum is!

^{IfI counted them, they would outnumber the grains of sand; when I wake up, I amstill with You.}

Search me, God, and know my heart;test me and know my concerns. See if there is any offensive way in me; lead mein the everlasting way.

The following is the text of the eulogy for my cousin Lisa as I had originally prepared to deliver it . At the service, it was about 90% verbatim from the following text:

Like many of you, I am standing here with a weight in my chest,and a tear in my eye. Part of me reallydid not want to do this, in fact when Buddy first asked me, I offered up anexcuse… But then Lisa made me an offer I couldn’t refuse, better yet, she gaveme instructions… and here I am.

Why do I say that? Well on Sunday October 30th, Lisa calledeveryone together and announced that she was ready to go home.

She was notafraid, nor was she ‘resigned’ to her fate,

She was at peace, quite clear aboutit, and quite ready. She said to me, (in the midst of giving me her instructions)‘I want to just close my eyes, and go to sleep, and wake up in the arms ofJesus’.

Last Wednesday, she got her desire. Glory to God.

For those of us who are believers, we live at times like this inthe paradox of grief and joy. We haveJoy in the knowledge and assurance that we will see our loved one again and thefact that they are with the Father is a comfort even amidst the pain ofimmediate loss.

In this we see the truth of the word of God, in that we do notgrieve as them that have no hope for indeed because of Christ we will see ourloved ones who have died in Him again. The truth of Psalm 116:15 is my comfort today...Preciousin the sight of the LORD is the death of his saints.

However without Christ we will never see them again. Ever…

When it comes to death, there is no if, there is only when, andthere is never ‘too soon’. There is not a moment too soon. The Bible is clearon that. As we just heard it read, and we read the words ourselves:

I will praise You because I have beenremarkably and wonderfully made. Your works are wonderful, and I know this verywell. My bones were not hidden from Youwhen I was made in secret, when I was formed in the depths of the earth. Your eyes saw me when I was formless; all mydays were written in Your book and planned before a single one of them began.

So,the number is already written, The onus is then on us tocontrol what we can.

What can we control? The quality of our days, the waythat they are lived, what we do with our days, how our time is spent, and withwhom…

How we Live, How we Love, these are thethings that are within our control, and they are the true measure of who we areas people.

We used to sing a song as kids, ‘We are onein the Spirit, we are one in the Lord’ Remember that? It is a song taken fromJesus’ statement to his disciples, as recorded in the gospel of John. He saidto them

“I give you a new command: Love oneanother. Just as I have loved you, you must also love one another. By this allpeople will know that you are My disciples, if you have love for one another.”

This is the mark, this is what identifies us as Christ’sdisciples.

Our ability to LOVE one another.

In an age and culture that seeks to define Christians andChristianity by a vast number of criteria: from doctrine to denomination, todogma: From practices and public pronouncements, even to politicalaffiliation, we need to see how Jesusdefines us. Simply, Our ability toLOVE one another.

But this is a two way enterprise. One of the things that we donot seem to realize beloved, is that the ability to RECEIVE LOVE is asimportant as the ability to GIVE love. Youcannot LOVE on your own terms. You cannot set the parameters andacceptability of Love.

You cannot love only when and whom you find it advantageousto…

That said, You cannot truly love others until you Love yourself,and you cannot love yourself, until you Love God, and you cannot Love God untilyou are born again, and He places that ability and desire within you, byreplacing your heart of stone with a heart of flesh…

You cannot be born again until you understand the cross, and..

You never reallyunderstand the cross until the truth of it takes your breath away and itbecomes the most important thing in your life,

and even then, you’re at a loss…

Your sin, for His Mercy …

Your depravity and wickedness, for His Love and forgiveness…

Your brokenness, and pain for His Peace and reconciliation…

Such an uneven exchange…

It isonly when you come to understand this, that His Grace truly becomes ‘Amazing’

There are those of you in this room tonight, who believe and announce that you are Christians, butwhen it comes to your relationship with the Lord, you do not participate fully,as though your life in Christ is a coat, a garment to be shed when the weatherchanges, and not the core of your very existence. It is that same shallowself-serving religion that I knew so well… That I practiced so well…

But God is not a convenience; your brothers and sisters are nota convenience.

God is all, and your brethren arepriority. When asked quite directly whatwas the greatest commandment, Jesus was succinct. He said that it is that weshould Love The Lord Our God with ALL Heart, Soul, mind, and strength

That is an all encompassing Love. Physical, Emotional andSpiritual.

It is complete.

You can't love partially. It is not Love. If your words and your actions don't match, if your actions are loving, but your heart isn't in it, If your words are loving, but your actions aren't... It's incomplete. It's not Love...

But that was not all, He commanded that welove our neighbor as ourselves…

Yes, Sometimes it ismessy, and sometimes it hurts (like right now). Sometimes it is scary, it israrely easy, and sometimes, (like right now) it is not fun at all…

But it is not a suggestion, it is a command, that you shouldlove the Lord your God with All your heart, Your mind, your soul and strength,and Love your neighbor as yourself…

This is how we must live. This is what we must understand.

This is what we MUST do.

When we live this way, whenwe LOVE this way, there are noregrets, no ‘what if’s’, no ‘shoulda-woulda-couldas’, no ‘if onlys’ , because you do all youcan, and then you DO ALL YOU CAN.

You do all you can, and then you DO ALL YOUCAN.

To the family, MY family. I offer only this: REACHOUT, and HOLD ON

In this room right now are sources of support and comfort foryou, as you navigate the coming days... As we continue adjusting to therealities of life without Lisa...

There are some of you here who are able to remember such a time.I cannot, for as long as I can remember, I’ve had my cousin Lisa. But I takecomfort tonight, even in the midst of the tears that because of Jesus Christ,our time of separation will be relatively short, when measured against the factthat we will be together in Glory for the rest of God’s Life...

We will be together in Glory for the rest of God’s Life...

Glory to Hisname!

So I say to you first, REACH OUT, donot be embarrassed. Do not be ashamed. Do not think that you have to ‘Bestrong’, or ‘Handle it’, or worst of all, ‘suffer in silence’.

This is a stupid, unrealistic, destructive, unbiblical andunwise mindset to have.

Weare social beings, created in the image of a social being. Itis by design that we reach out to one another. Indeed we must in order tosurvive.

So make use of those whom you can trust, be vulnerable with,share your heart.

If there is no one, perhaps it is time for a change in the waythat you are thinking, and in the way that you are living...

Scripture says that you have an enemy who goes about like a roaringlion seeking whom he may devour, but as everyone knows, hunters seek out thosethat have become separated from the herd. They are the easiest prey... So stayclose, because there are those of us who can and will be strong for you whenyou are weak. So REACH OUT!

Second, and finally, I say HOLDON

Hold On to the rich collection of memories and experiences, Holdon to Lisa’s smile, her laugh, her wit, her strength, her courage, her LOVE.

The time for regret is past, what’s done is done, and cannot beundone. The time for reconciliation and healing is now... Let us use ourenergies not to dwell on the past, but to apply to making right now all that itcan be.

Family, HOLD ON to one another.

I saythis especially to the Pemberton men...

You three who I love and admire so much, for the wonderfulthings that I see in you, and the rich contributions that each of you have madein my life...

Holdon tothe good memories, let go of the bad ones, Holdon to one another, and HOLD ONto the LORD. You will be better for it,and so will your wives and your children.

…and the peace of God which passes all understanding, will guardyour hearts and minds through Christ Jesus. Amen...

In lieu of flowers, contributions may be made towardthe education of Lisa’s daughter, Nicole, payable to ‘The Lisa C. Pemberton Trust’ and sent c/o Taylor, 36Park Place, Brooklyn NY 11217.

I dream of a Reformed 'Black' Church II

2011-11-08T00:40:00.002-05:00

In His seminal work: 'On being Black and Reformed', Anthony Carter (Pastor of East Point Church in East Point Ga.) discusses the compatibility of African-American people and Reformed Theology.

In one chapter he makes the case, noting that African-American theology, like Reformed Theology, is Experiential, Historical and Biblical. This got me thinking about what issues I have with 'church today' and I saw it clearly.
We (so-called Black Christians) have placed too much weight on the wrong end of the stick. What I mean is that we (in the so-called Black Church) have by and large, given supremacy to our experiences and culture, and we mistakenly interpret the Bible through this lens. (While this is true of many believers of different ethnicities, I am dealing specifically with the 'black church' at the moment)

It is, in my estimation, a kind of culturo-experiential eisegesis which does a disservice to our flocks, and more importantly dishonors the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit.

Until this practice is ceased, we can never be whole, we can never truly acheive, never really become...

As long as our beliefs are shaped by our feelings and not by the Word of the Living God, as long as our experiences carry more weight and legitimacy than the scriptures when it comes to our theology, we'll continue to be 'ever learning but never coming into the knowledge of the truth'

Here's a simple chart to make it clear... In order of importance:

Right	Wrong
Bible	Experience
History	History
Experience	Bible

I have a dream...

Justin Peters: A call for discernment

2011-11-04T22:12:00.000-04:00

God Bless Justin Peters...
Here family, is his amazing seminar on the Word Of Faith Movement. It is a MUST SEE for all of you who thing that your loved ones (or even you yourselves) are or have been deceived by this false, dangerous and heretical doctrine.

A Call for Discernment Session 1 - Dangerous Doctrine

A Call for Discernment Session 2 - Mangled Manifestations

A Call for Discernment Session 3 - The Hurt of Healing

Kenneth Copeland, Gloria Copeland, Jesse Duplantis, Fred Price, John Hagee, Benny Hinn and the crew... All wolves...

The same but Changed

2011-11-04T21:50:00.000-04:00

Please note that there will be one 30 second ad in the the beginning of the video, then it will play without interruption after.

What leaves is not what enters, no matter how it looks...

In other words: Sometimes things are the same, but Changed

Example 1: Faith vs. Flesh

Israel: What left Egypt was called Israel, but it was entirely different than what entered Canaan, though it was still called Israel.

Say unto them, As truly as I live, saith the LORD, as ye have spoken in mine ears, so will I do to you: Your carcases shall fall in this wilderness; and all that were numbered of you, according to your whole number, from twenty years old and upward, which have murmured against me, Doubtless ye shall not come into the land, concerning which I sware to make you dwell therein, save Caleb the son of Jephunneh, and Joshua the son of Nun. - (Num 14:28-30)

Why just them?
Take a look at the following Chapters:
Numbers 13: the sending of the spies
Numbers 14: The competing testimonies

It was Israel in name only, everything had changed, and the old things had passed away, behold…
All things had become new...
Who survived to enter in to the Promised land? According to Numbers 13
Most of the spies had no faith, and the people believed their testimony and perished with them
Joshua and Caleb were the only ones who had Faith, so they lived…
Why? Because without faith, it is Impossible to please God, and as Joshua 1 says
the promises made to Moses were granted to Joshua because of HIs Faith.
So what entered into the Promised Land was in fact Israel, but though the same, it was changed

Example 2: Flesh and blood vs. Flesh and Bone
Jesus: The one who dies on the cross, wasn’t the same one who rose:

Flesh and blood (also symbolizing weakness and temporality)
For the life of the flesh is in the blood; and I have given it to you upon the altar to make atonement for your souls: for it is the blood that maketh atonement by reason of the life. - (Lev 17:11)
So, the blood is the life of the flesh, and the blood covers sin,
It is the antidote to the law of sin and death…
So, a life had to be given, and blood (the life) shed, for the covering/remission of sin.

Flesh and Bone (also symbolizing strength and permanence
(Reread Romans 1:1-5)
And as they spake these things, he himself stood in the midst of them, and saith unto them, Peace be unto you. But they were terrified and affrighted, and supposed that they beheld a spirit. And he said unto them, Why are ye troubled? and wherefore do questionings arise in your heart? See my hands and my feet, that it is I myself: handle me, and see; for a spirit hath not flesh and bones, as ye behold me having. And when he had said this, he showed them his hands and his feet. - (Luk 24:36-40)
His life was given, His blood was shed, for the remission of Sin…
And he took a cup, and gave thanks, and gave to them, saying, Drink ye all of it; for this is my blood of the covenant, which is poured out for many unto remission of sins. - (Mat 26:27-28)

He was the same, but changed…

Was the last man Adam like the first?
And Jehovah God caused a deep sleep to fall upon the man, and he slept; and he took one of his ribs, and closed up the flesh instead thereof: and the rib, which Jehovah God had taken from the man, made he a woman, and brought her unto the man. And the man said, This is now bone of my bones, and flesh of my flesh: she shall be called Woman, because she was taken out of Man. Therefore shall a man leave his father and his mother, and shall cleave unto his wife: and they shall be one flesh. And they were both naked, the man and his wife, and were not ashamed. - (Gen 2:21-25)
How did Adam and Eve come to Life? By the Spirit!
And Jehovah God formed man of the dust of the ground, and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life; and man became a living soul. And Jehovah God planted a garden eastward, in Eden; and there he put the man whom he had formed. - (Gen 2:7-8)

What do we see here? Why doesn’t Adam say flesh and Blood?
Because there is no sin… Prefall, the life of a man is the Spirit, not the blood...
Eve, being one (Echad) with Adam has his very life, the same spirit.
And once Jesus died, and His blood was shed for sin, once and for all,
His new life and ours, is in/by the Spirit
For the Law of the Spirit of Life in Christ has made me free from the Law of sin and death – Romans 8:2

Example 3: The Old Man vs. The New Creature
Us: Like Israel, the only thing that survives the transition is faith (Joshua and Caleb)

What left Egypt was Israel, though it all died except what? Faith! and what entered into Canaan was Israel, and it entered, led by Faith. Led by Faith!

Like Jesus, when we are born again, it is by the Spirit
Romans 8:1-14 The law of the Spirit, the Life in the Spirit, 15-17 The adoption into the family

For it is the love of Christ which is moving us; because we are of the opinion that if one was put to death for all, then all have undergone death; And that he underwent death for all, so that the living might no longer be living to themselves, but to him who underwent death for them and came back from the dead. For this reason, from this time forward we have knowledge of no man after the flesh: even if we have had knowledge of Christ after the flesh, we have no longer any such knowledge. So if any man is in Christ, he is in a new world: the old things have come to an end; they have truly become new.
(2Co 5:14-17 BBE)
We are the same, but changed…

A brief (and ongoing) study on the doctrine of election...

2011-10-07T15:02:00.000-04:00

Blessings family,
The following pages are the result of a conversation which occurred during our church’s Bible Study one evening in March of 2011.
It is an elucidation of our understanding of the doctrine of election, its distinctives and how we should (if at all) approach this in terms of our testimony, and the sharing of the Gospel.

Please be advised that i tend to use the names YHWH, for the Father God, and Yahshuah for Jesus.

Why isn’t our testimony enough?
First let me say that your testimony does not equal the Gospel.
While your testimony can be used as a toll in the sharing of your faith, and as a part of the overall evangelistic endeavor, it cannot be used in place of, or even as a supplement to, the Gospel message.
This is because of the following problem: The weight of one person’s experience in a qualitative sense is the same as that of any other person’s. Put bluntly, 5 pounds of gold weighs just as much as 5 pounds of dung. So then the differentiating factor is not the weight, but the content.

The value is in the content.
Scripture declares that the Gospel is, ‘… the power of God unto salvation’ (Romans 1:16b). Therefore it is neither our cleverness, nor is it our testimony, it is THE GOSPEL that saves, nothing more, nothing less.

Herein is this importance of doctrine; in order to tell it, you must know it. In order to give it, you must first have a hold of it. It is for this reason, that we must study the Word, knowing not only chapter and verse, but context and reason, as best we can, to the Glory of GOD.

I offer the following as a study guide for some, and a refresher for others, and it is my prayer and belief that you will due your due diligence to be like the Bereans, and go to the Word on every matter. Where/if I am in error, please correct me. I by no means want to make mistakes with the text just to be ‘right’. Where you have disagreements, ‘come and let us reason together’

Though I do not expect this to be the final statement on the topic (I am by no means that deluded) I would like to lay out for you, in definitive terms, what the doctrine of election is, why it is in fact, the Biblical truth, and why it is perhaps the most important doctrine for believers.

A Biblical understanding of election brings clarity to our understanding of God’s sovereignty, the truth of sin, and affects the very understanding and presentation of the Gospel.

Please be advised that the following:
1 - Is Not exhaustive, and is at best a simplistic overview. I encourage you to DO YOUR OWN DUE DILIGENCE, and seek these things out for yourself.
2 - Is Limited to my current, up to the minute knowledge and understanding of the subject. Though I knew everything when I was younger, I find that I no longer do…
3 - Contains references to works by those whose knowledge on the subject far surpasses my own.
4 – Is arranged such that, most importantly, you will need your Bible.

If you don’t have it, go get it… I’ll wait right here…

Ok, You’re back? Good, let’s get to it.

First, a Word of Prayer:
Father,we thank you for this day, and for the opportunity to study your Word. May this time of study be fruitful, be edifying, and may we grow closer to you and to your truth as we journey into your word together. We bless you, we Praise you, Honor you, and Thank You in advance for what you will reveal to us by Your Spirit through Your Word. In Yahshuah’s name we pray, Amen. Amen…

So, A definition: What is election?

Professor Mark Rathel, Associate Professor of Theology at The Baptist College of Florida says:
“First, what does the biblical terminology of election mean? The verb “elect” (eklegomai in Greek) means, “to chose out for oneself.” The verb implies a selection of some out of a larger group. For example, out of a larger group of men, the early church chose the first deacons (Acts 6:5). The New Testament frequently used the adjective “elect or chosen” (eklektos) to refer to God’s people—the elect (Rom. 8:33; Col. 3:12; Titus 1:1; 1 Pet. 1:1).”

Dr. John MacArthur, Senior Pastor of Grace Community Church, and President of Master’s College says:
“In the broad sense, election refers to the fact that God chooses (or elects) to do everything that He does in whatever way He best sees fit. When He acts, He does so only because He willfully and independently chooses to act. According to His own nature, predetermined plan, and good pleasure, He decides to do whatever He desires, without pressure or constraint from any outside influence.”

Why is this even important?

The Doctrine of Election is about choice... Whose Choice is it who ‘comes to faith’?

This is an important doctrine to understand, because most people in our churches today, believe that they come to faith by their own choice, that when they are presented with the Gospel, they make a decision to ‘accept Jesus into their hearts.’ But is this Biblical?
Additionally, the idea that the Godhead could be the one who determines who gets saved or not, is abhorrent because this means then, that there are those whom the Godhead chooses not to save. But is this a correct perspective? Hopefully, this study will begin to address that.

The acceptance of the doctrine of election, involves our understanding of 2 things:
I - God’s Sovereignty and Holiness, and
II -Our sin, and its crippling/destructive/deadly effects on us.
These two facts are the stumbling blocks to election that trip many people up, but they are as irrefutable as any truth can be.

Ia - The Sovereignty of God
According to Theopedia:
The Sovereignty of God is the biblical teaching that all things are under God's rule and control, and that nothing happens without His direction or permission. God works not just some things but all things according to the counsel of His own will (see Eph. 1:11). His purposes are all-inclusive and never thwarted (see Isa. 46:11); nothing takes Him by surprise. The sovereignty of God is not merely that God has the power and right to govern all things, but that He does so, always and without exception. In other words, God is not merely sovereign de jure (in principle), but sovereign de facto (in practice).

I believe that on the surface, this is something that all believers believe, especially when it works in our favor. Phrases like ‘He made a way out of no way’ pervade our modern church lexicon of speech, and we exult in the fact that our God is all knowing, all-powerful, and without peer, as the following VERY incomplete list shows: YHWH is Omniscient, Ps 139:1-6, 13-16, Job 38:1-4, Omnipotent, Gen 1:1, John 1:1-5, Isaiah 40:15-17, Omnipresent, Psalm 139:15-16.

We happily agree with, and declare this truth, that Our GOD is all those things, that is, until His will and plan conflicts with our own, then there’s a problem…
When that happens, we tend to, with Abraham as our model, bargain with God, as though we can change His mind, forgetting that permission connotes neither agreement nor successful negotiation… This is where Abraham erred, or better yet we err, if we believe even for a moment that the conversation in Genesis 18 was a ‘win’ for Abraham.
This is after all, the One who said: “I make known the end from the beginning, from ancient times, what is still to come. I say: My purpose will stand, and I will do all that I please. - Isaiah 46:10”
It is interesting that we deride atheists for their stance that YHWH is, by declaring His sovereignty, somehow insecure, that this so called ‘insecurity’ is manifested in things like His ‘need to be Worshipped’. I have heard this vain and pointless argument many times, but there is an inherent honesty in it that is refreshing. They steadfastly refuse to acknowledge God in any way, and we who are advised to acknowledge Him in ALL of our ways, only do so when there is convenience and/or need.

Just so we are clear, YHWH makes statements about His Sovereignty throughout the Scriptures: He alone is God. "The Lord he is God; there is none else besides him." "He is God in heaven above, and upon the earth beneath: there is none else" (Deut. 4:35, 39). "Hear, O Israel: the Lord our God is one Lord" (Deut. 6:4). "See now that I, even I, am he, and there is no god with me" (Deut. 32:39). "Thou art the God, even thou alone, of all the kingdoms of the earth" (2 Kings 19:15). "By the word of the Lord were the heavens made; and all the host of them by the breath of his mouth" (Ps. 33:6). "For he spake, and it was done; he commanded, and it stood fast" (vs. 9).
There is no doubt, there is no question. YHWH is, as the old song goes ‘ God all by Himself, He don’t need nobody else’

Ib - The Holiness of God

For this, I will defer to R.C. Sproul
From his well known teaching 'The Holiness of God'

II - We are, in and of ourselves, because of sin, unable to come to God on our own.

This is the hardest thing for people to acknowledge, but in fact it is the truth as the Bible declares it. Quoting Dr. MacArthur again:
“God must save, choose, regenerate &, justify us, because we are neither willing nor able to do it for ourselves.”

To understand this, we must take into consideration the very nature of man.

What is in man’s heart? What is man’s nature?
The Prophet Jeremiah says:
The heart is deceitful above all things, and desperately wicked: who can know it? - Jeremiah 17:9
The Apostle Paul declares that:
“Therefore, just as through one man sin entered into the world, and death through sin, and so death spread to all men, because all sinned” - Romans 5:12 NASB

The implication here of course is that man is not a sinner because he sins, man sins because he is a sinner. This becomes then, a question of nature, not action.

Our society (and the church) tends to judge people by their actions first. This is understandable, but counter Biblical. As we recently read, Samuel is admonished by the Father to look past the external to the internal, because that’s where the truth is (1 Samuel 16:7b)
So what then is in man’s heart?
Jesus said that what enters a man’s heart doesn’t defile him, rather what comes out of his heart. Mark records the following: (Please turn to and read Mark 7: 14-23)

So according to Jesus, man’s very nature contains, evil thoughts, adulteries, fornications, murders, Thefts, covetousness, wickedness, deceit, lasciviousness, an evil eye, blasphemy, pride, and foolishness….

Even at the very beginning of the Scriptures, we find this truth: (Please turn to and read Genesis 6:5-8, 17-22 )

What do we know about grace? That it is unmerited favor… So Noah was like the rest of men: Every imagination of the thoughts of his heart was only evil, continually. So already we are seeing in verses 18-20 an example of YHWH’s Sovereignty and election.

Inspired by God, the Prophet Isaiah declared this reality:
Nevertheless, we are all as an unclean thing and all our righteousness are as filthy rags; and we all do fade as a leaf; and our iniquities, like the wind, have taken us away. - Isaiah 64:6

David, the man after God’s own heart says:
The LORD looked down from heaven upon the children of men, to see if there were any that did understand, and seek God. 3 They are all gone aside, they are all together become filthy: there is none that doeth good, no, not one. - Psalm 14:2-3
And…
Hear my prayer, O LORD, give ear to my supplications: in thy faithfulness answer me, and in thy righteousness. 2 And enter not into judgment with thy servant: for in thy sight shall no man living be justified. - Psalms 143:1-2

And it wasn’t just the OT writers who understood this:
Paul had a LOT to say about the condition of man’s hearts, and the need for sovereign intervention. (More about Paul later) For example, (turn to Romans 3:9-18, 22-23)

So Paul concludes with “…for all have sinned, and come short of the glory of God”

So, if the Bible is true, (and we know that it is) then we can see what the nature of man’s heart is. That said, how can we believe that any person, who by very nature is full of evil thoughts, adulteries, fornications, murders, thefts, covetousness, wickedness, deceit, lasciviousness, an evil eye, blasphemy, pride, foolishness, whose heart is deceitful above all things, and desperately wicked, and whose every imagination is only evil continually, could possibly choose God?

How can men (and women) who cannot understand, do not seek after God, are all gone out of the way, have become unprofitable, and do not do good, whose throats are open graves, have lying tongues, with snake’s venom underneath them, whose mouths are full of cursing and bitterness, and whose feet are swift to shed blood, whose ways are destruction and misery, do not know the way of peace and do not fear God,
actually Choose Him?

So what is the conclusion?

Therefore if the scripture is true, and we know that it is, where can we find that we, of our own volition, in this fallen state, can choose God? Instead what we find, is that God, in HIS infinite grace, mercy and Love, has in fact chosen us. He has chosen us, given us the faith to believe, and by the blood of His son, calls us righteous: Therefore it is fallacious to think that we can choose God. We are in and of ourselves, not able. He chooses us..
HE,
..who hath saved us, and called us with an holy calling, not according to our works, but according to his own purpose and grace, which was given us in Christ Jesus before the world began; But is now made manifest by the appearing of our Saviour Jesus Christ, who hath abolished death, and hath brought life and immortality to light through the gospel. — 2 Timothy 1:9, 10

So I hear you skeptics saying ‘Ok, But what did JESUS say?’ Glad you asked that…
Jesus was clear that man cannot come to God on his own; God selects who will come.
(Let’s turn to John 6:36-44)

Notice that verse 44 says: No man can come to me, except the Father which hath sent me draw him: and I will raise him up at the last day.
There are those of you who have a real tender perception of what this means, like the old hymn ‘softly and tenderly, Jesus is calling’, but that presupposes that we need only a gentle nudge.

Concerning the word ‘draw’ in verse 44…
From the website “Hebrew for Christians”, we get this:
God loves us with "an everlasting love" (i.e., ahavat olam: אַהֲבַת עוֹלָם) and draws us to Himself in chesed (חֶסֶד, i.e., His faithful love and kindness). As it is written: אַהֲבַת עוֹלָם אֲהַבְתִּיךְ עַל־כֵּן מְשַׁכְתִּיךְ חָסֶד / "I love you with an everlasting love; therefore in chesed I draw you to me" (Jer. 31:3). Note that the word translated "I draw you" comes from the Hebrew word mashakh (מָשַׁךְ), meaning to "seize" or "drag away" (the ancient Greek translation used the verb helko (ἕλκω) to express the same idea). As Yeshua said, "No one is able to come to me unless he is "dragged away” by the Father (John 6:44). God's chesed seizes us, takes us captive, and leads us to the Savior... Spiritual rebirth is a divine act, "not of blood nor of the will of the flesh nor of the will of man, but of God" (John 1:13). God is always preeminent.

The Apostle Paul understood this ‘dragging’, having experienced it in a physical sense as well as the Spiritual sense, in his encounter with Yahshuah on the road to Damascus (see Acts
Paul consistently referred to him self as ‘doulos’, meaning a slave to Christ, having a good understanding of God’s sovereignty, His Sin, and God’s Grace. (This same understanding is so wonderfully described by Isaiah when he has the sudden devastating realization that he writes of in chapter 6 of his book. A realization that we all must come to… More about that another time)
Paul was the embodiment of the person that Yahshuah describes in the parable as one who was forgiven much’
(In the future we will take the time to study Paul’s use of his testimony for examples of how testimonies should be used in evangelism)
But right now, let’s turn to his profound words in Ephesians 2:4-10 and see what he says…
Finished? Did you notice that keying in on verses 8-9 as we normally do, can cause us to miss the rest of the passage. In context He is saying essentially that we are nothing without YHWH, all that we have is because of YHWH and Yahshuah, and we have absolutely no reason to glory in our accomplishments. In fact, the word ‘grace’ in the greek is ‘charis’, which means ‘a gift one receives without any merit of his own’ Humbling to say the least.
He does a great job of laying the case out here too:
(turn to Romans 5:1-21)…
I’ll wait here until you’re finished reading it…`

Ok, let me add a bit of my own testimony here:
Those of you who are unsettled, uncomfortable and frankly upset about what this means, and the implications of this doctrine, please take heart. I wrestled with it for quite some time (as I have said, I was for the first 46 years of my life, one who espoused the belief that we choose God) I can no longer doubt the veracity of the doctrine, as I examine the scriptures.
I know today that Biblical election is Christocentric. Jesus is the Elect One (Lk. 9:35; 1 Pet. 1:20) and the election of believers is “In Christ” or “through Christ” (Eph. 1:3-14). God elects “in love” and “in the Beloved” (Eph. 1:4, 6).

As a United Methodist, I grew up a believer in Prevenient grace, which is, as wikipedia defines it:
“..divine grace which precedes human decision. It exists prior to and without reference to anything humans may have done. As humans are corrupted by the effects of sin, prevenient grace allows persons to engage their God-given free will to choose the salvation offered by God in Jesus Christ or to reject that salvific offer. Whereas Augustine held that prevenient grace cannot be resisted, Wesleyan Arminians believe that it enables, but does not ensure, personal acceptance of the gift of salvation.”

Meaning then, that the choice is man’s, not YHWH’s and I do not see the Bible supporting this.

Romans 8:29 says that ‘For whom he did foreknow, he also did predestinate to be conformed to the image of his Son, that he might be the firstborn among many brethren’. According to the doctrine of prevenient grace, God knew what we were going to do before we did it, but that we make the decision according to the free will that He gives us.
But is that the case?Let’s take a moment to read In context (Turn to Romans 8: 28-33)

(As a side note, It’s funny to me how in the church today, we Love verses 28, and 31, but 29 and 30 give us trouble…)

For me, I take that 29-30 from the opposite point of view, to wit: He predestined us. He made the determination before the foundation of the world, in His sovereignty, and by His grace. We had no choice in the decision. How else then can Jesus, when praying his priestly prayer in John 17, say this? (turn to John 17: 6-10)?

Did the Apostles choose to be apostles? Clearly not. God selected them before hand. In fact Jesus tells them that straight.
15 Henceforth I call you not servants; for the servant knoweth not what his lord doeth: but I have called you friends; for all things that I have heard of my Father I have made known unto you. 16 Ye have not chosen me, but I have chosen you, and ordained you, that ye should go and bring forth fruit, and that your fruit should remain: that whatsoever ye shall ask of the Father in my name, he may give it you. - John 15:15-16

In His letter to the Roman believers, Paul says: (turn to Romans 3:21-26)

(Another side note, it is interesting to note that Paul is not saying that God is the justifier of all men, as some in the church world (Rob Bell, Carlton Pearson, etc.) would have you believe, rather specifically, He is the justifier of him which believeth in Jesus.)

Opposing views:

Now there are of course, those who do not agree with this doctrine, in fact there are those who are so vehemently opposed that they refer to those to adhere to it as heretics, or non Christians. We discussed prevenient grace moments ago, and that is the stance that most Christians today, seem to take.
Let me be clear: I do not believe that people who believe in prevenient grace are not saved or are hell bound. I believe that one can land on either side of this discussion (or none at all) and still be saved.
The importance for me is that what you believe shapes your methods, as we have discussed, therefore your interactions with YHWH, with Yahshuah, and with your brethren, will be shaped/colored by this.

The most common complaints that I am aware of are listed below:

1. A Loving God would not send people to Hell, after all God is Love.

John 3:16 is commonly quoted in support of this contention.
"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"
Let’s quickly dispense with this one. In the preceding material, we have made the case for the nature of man being sinful, and wicked, If this is man’s very nature, then God needn’t ‘SEND’ anyone to Hell, we are all already going. Therefore the more logical conclusion is that God, in His mercy chose some not to go, according to His sovereign grace, and decision. As Ephesians 2: So beautifully says:
Like the rest, we were by nature objects of wrath. But because of his great love for us, God, who is rich in mercy, made us alive with Christ even when we were dead in transgressions--it is by grace you have been saved. (3-5, NIV)
For by grace are ye saved through faith, and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God ,not by works, lest any man should boast. (8-9 KJV)

(Yet another side note: There are some who hold to the doctrine of election argue that God gives us the faith to believe. For I say, through the grace given unto me, to every man that is among you, not to think of himself more highly than he ought to think; but to think soberly, according as God hath dealt to every man the measure of faith. -Rom 12:3
So the ‘whosever’ who believe can only do so because God wills it…)

2. It is not fair!

Fairness, in and of itself, is not a concept that the Bible speaks of in reference to YHWH, therefore it is not a concept that can be applied to YHWH. What we see instead relating to YHWH is Sovereignty, Righteousness, Holiness, Grace and Mercy. Here’s a good example:
Let’s go back to Romans 9:19-23

3. There are refuting Scriptures!

There is a long list, to be sure, here are a few that are commonly used…

"The Lord is not slack concerning his promise, as some men count slackness; but is longsuffering to us-ward, not willing that any should perish but that all should come to repentance" (2 Peter 3:9).

"And he is the propitiation for our sins: and not for ours only, but also for the sins of the whole world" (1 John 2:2).

"And the times of this ignorance God winked at; but now commandeth all men every where to repent" (Acts 17:30).

"For this is good and acceptable in the sight of God our Savior; Who will have all men to be saved, and to come unto the knowledge of the truth" "Who (speaking of Christ) gave himself a ransom for all, to be testified in due time" (1 Timothy 2:4,6).

Let’s take first, 2 Peter 3:9
What is the context of 2 Peter 3:9? It is found in verses 1 through 8, and
From these verses we must ask, Who are the ‘dear friends’ that Peter is writing to?
The answer is found in 1 Peter 1. Which says:
Peter, an apostle of Jesus Christ, To God’s elect, exiles scattered throughout the provinces of Pontus, Galatia, Cappadocia, Asia and Bithynia, 2 who have been chosen according to the foreknowledge of God the Father, through the sanctifying work of the Spirit, to be obedient to Jesus Christ and sprinkled with his blood: Grace and peace be yours in abundance.

Next, let’s look at 1 John 2:2
Rather than re-inventing the wheel, I will defer to Pastors John Sampson & Phil Johnson. Says Sampson:
…we approach the First Epistle of John, and remember that it is a letter written to a primarily Jewish audience. So in 1 John 2:2, as in the rest of the letter, we have the Apostle John, a Jew, writing primarily to fellow Jewish believers in the Messiah. He writes of Jesus Christ being "the propitiation for our sins; and not for ours only, but also for the whole world." It is possible that the word "world" here refers to every person on planet earth, but in my estimation, not very likely, because of the fact that we have a Jew, writing to fellow Jews. I think it is far more likely that John is here declaring that Christ died not only for our sins (the sins of Jewish people), but for also for those of the whole world (the sins of Gentiles throughout the world).

Indeed, as God allows us to gain a glimpse into the future, Revelation 5:9 reveals the song of the throngs of heaven as they sing to the Lamb upon His throne, "And they sang a new song, saying, "Worthy are You to take the scroll and to open its seals, for You were slain, and by Your blood You ransomed people for God from every tribe and language and people and nation." Notice that it does not say that He ransomed everybody in every tribe, etc., but that He ransomed people for God from every tribe, tongue, people and nation.

Yet at least at first glance, 1 John 2:2 seems to strongly deny this idea that Jesus' death was designed for a particular people. The verse states, "He is the propitiation for our sins, and not for ours only but also for the sins of the whole world."
‘In John's Gospel, chapter 11, verses 51-52, John wrote these words, "he prophesied that Jesus would die for the nation, and not for the nation only, but also to gather into one the children of God who are scattered abroad."When we see this in chart form, the parallel with 1 John 2:2 is easy understood: Dr. Phil Johnson (who provided this helpful chart) writes, "There is little doubt that this is how John's initial audience would have understood this expression. "The whole world" means "people of all kinds, including Jews, Gentiles, Greeks, Romans, and whatnot" as opposed to "ours only" i.e., the Jewish nation. What the apostle John is saying in the John 11 passage is particularly significant: Christ died so that he might gather "the children of God" the elect, from the whole world."
I believe therefore that rather than undermining the case for Christ's death for His elect sheep, 1 John 2:2 actually affirms it. When we understand the verse in its Johannine context (the writings of the Apostle John) then the correct interpretation becomes very clear.
Looking at Acts 17:30 in context, we see that Paul is in the middle of a sermon, he does not, (nor should we expect him to) say, ‘Those of you who are elect, repent.’ Why? Because he has no idea who the elect are, (Yahshuah made it clear in Matthew 13 that the wheat and tare grow together, and the fish in the net get caught together until the day of separation) so the call to repentance is made, and those who will respond (the elect) will respond.

Last (on this list) but certainly not all, 1 Timothy 2:4,6
I will defer to Rev. Samson again:
… we must remember that the word "all" always has a context. It can sometimes mean all people everywhere - many times it does - but it sometimes means "all" in the sense of "all kinds" or "all classes, types" of people or at other times it refers to all within a certain type or class.. For instance, we do the same thing in our English language when a school teacher in a classroom may ask the question, "are we ALL here?" or "is EVERYONE here?" She is not asking if everyone on planet earth is in the classroom, but because of the context in which the question is framed (the school teacher's classroom) we understand she is referring to all within a certain class or type - in this case, all the students signed up for the class.
I believe 1 Tim 2:4 is speaking of all in this sense of "all types." What is my biblical basis for saying this? The context. Let’s read the passage:

1 Timothy 2:1-4 First of all, then, I urge that supplications, prayers, intercessions, and thanksgivings be made for all people, 2 for kings and all who are in high positions, that we may lead a peaceful and quiet life, godly and dignified in every way. 3 This is good, and it is pleasing in the sight of God our Savior, 4 who desires all people to be saved and to come to the knowledge of the truth.

Who are the "all people" of verse 1? I believe the "all people" of verse 1 are the same "all people" of verse 4, as the subject matter does not change in any way at all in the intervening verses.
When Paul wrote "First of all, then, I urge that supplications, prayers, intercessions, and thanksgivings be made for all people.." was he asking Timothy to get the equivalent of the local phone book and starting with the alphas and going all the way through to the omegas (the Greek alphabet) make supplication, pray, intercede and make thanksgiving for each individual in the city... or more than that, the whole world?

I don't think so. Why do I say this? Because Paul qualifies verse 1 with verse 2 when he speaks of "kings" (kings are types of people) and "those in high positions" (again "those in high positions" are types of people).

4. There are 3 groups of people: the elect, the unsaved, and those who are not elect, but make the choice, and in choosing themselves, get saved.

This supposition has no Biblical basis that I can find whatsoever.

So, custumarily, a closing paragraph goes here, one in which I sum up the doctrine once again, and let you know that our possible disagreement over this by no means breaks our fellowship, and that for your own edification you should take the time to study what information that has been presented, not taking it ‘blindly’ because Pastor Cyril said, ( all the while knowing that you won’t do that),reminding you all of my deep love for you and my desire that you grow in faith and grace, as we journey together, and sprinkling in a clever witticism or two for levity. But I will say none of that...

Instead I would only ask family, that you prayerfully consider what is in these pages, and that in doing so, you will by your submission to the Spirit and the Word, come to an understanding that blesses the Lord, and edifies the rest of us.

Peace & Love
Pastor CTJ

References (some are referenced in the preceding piece, some not, but all are useful) :

Abrams, Cooper - Is Calvinism or Arminianism Biblical?
A Biblical Explanation of the Doctrine of Election (This piece is very much anti-election, and is a good read)
http://www.bible-truth.org/election.htm

MacArthur, John – What Is the Doctrine of Election?
http://www.gty.org/Resources/Articles/A331_What-Is-the-Doctrine-of-Election?

Grudem, Wayne – Systematic Theology. Excerpted here:
http://www.monergism.com/thethreshold/articles/onsite/misunderstandings.html

Calveau, Jean (John Calvin)
http://www.the-highway.com/Doctrine_of_Election.html

Samson, John
http://www.reformationtheology.com/2007/11/understanding_1_john_22.php

http://www.reformationtheology.com/2009/04/understanding_1_timothy_24_by.php

I dream of a Reformed 'Black' Church...

2011-10-06T20:50:00.002-04:00

In response to a post that I posted by Pastor Thabiti Anyabwile titled 'Can the African American Church be Reformed? ' A brother made the following comment:
"I agree, however what is the alternative while we wait for the reformation. I'm reminded of the question, If we evolved from apes and monkeys then why do we still have apes and monkeys? My point is if broke and busted saints have been faithfully tithing for years, why do we still have broke and busted saints?"

Here was my response:

My brother, I think that the answer is as profound and complicated as it is simple: Scrap it. Get rid of the entire diseased system, and start again. Will this happen? Probably not, because it is too lucrative for too many cats, but imagine the following scenario: My source scriptures are: Mark 4:3-9, Ephesians 1, and Acts 17:16-34

Here's how it goes down...

We preachers begin to teach Reformed, Orthodox Theology from the pulpits, we begin to tell the truth about the Sovereignty/Holiness/Dominion/Purpose of God, the truth about sin, about the nature of man, and...

The people get offended, some/many/most leave, offended in part because for too many years, we have preached 'easy believism', and have made no demands on the people other than a tithe, regular attendance, occasional Bible reading and a vague sense of 'Love' for a God that remains distant, misunderstood, and only seen through the lens of the denomination or the leader.

But they are offended primarily because they are challenged, and come to the realization that they are in fact probably not saved, and do not like the God of the Bible all that much, because they find out that it's HIS world, not theirs, and they exist for HIS Glory and pleasure, not the other way around. This is a God that they abhor, and will not serve. (These are the goats, aka the tares...)

Then there are those who get past the initial affront, and continue to come, drawn perhaps by the newness, perhaps by tradition and the rut of practice, some perhaps because of something deeper. Some of these will stay for a while then go, others will remain...

What's left are the sheep, the ones who long for God, and to know Him better. It is this group that Jesus calls, who hear HIS voice and follow, leaving/forsaking all. THIS is the church, the Ekklesia, the ones for whom Jesus came in the first place. Those whom the Bible calls 'The Elect', those who know that it was neither their choice, nor their goodness, merely God's Sovereign Grace that allowed them to hear and respond to the Gospel, and be born again...

THEN we'll see The real Church.
Not black, white, yellow, or anything else, just Redeemed.

Wouldn't that be Great?

Thabiti or T.D. what do 'we' folk prefer?

2011-10-06T12:29:00.012-04:00

Blessings all Recently, on my Facebook page, I posted a piece by Pastor Thabiti Anyabwile which concerned the appearance of TD Jakes in ‘The Elephant Room’ conversations. (Read the piece here)
I must also admit to a certain amount of disappointment that to date, only ONE of my many black Christian FB friends have commented on it.

Why is that, fam?

It is my prayer that when I post a thing, dialog will ensue, and the Biblical prescription for successful exchange between brethren will take place, ie: God is glorified, and the brethren are edified.
It is never my intention to cause division among brethren. I want to be clear on that.
One of the biggest problems, as I see this is that for many ‘Black Christians’ TD Jakes is a model to be emulated ( Let me be clear that I HATE the idea that the body of Christ which Jesus declares is ONE, should be divided/categorized along ethnic lines, so I do not like the idea of a ‘black church’, or ‘chinese church’ or white church’), as are Fred Price, Noel Jones, Creflo Dollar & even now after all the mess, Eddie Long. Why? Because of their perceived ‘success’, that’s why.

The fact is that ‘we' (black folks)'’ tend to look at successful black folk and applaud them, no matter what they have become successful in, even if it is the most God hating enterprise. But what is success, and how do we measure it? By the Bible? By our own feelings? Is it subjective? Is it objective?

This is something that I wrestle with. On the one hand are my desires, my wants, my felt needs. On the other is the Word of God, that to which I have sworn allegiance, knowing that I am merely a property that he has purchased. Yes the price paid was great, but not because of my value. As any capitalist can tell you, the priced is based on the value of the object to the buyer. Not the object itself… This is why gasoline costs as much as milk, and diamonds (which serve no real purpose in the general population) are so outrageously expensive.

Sometimes, the urge to do that which is expedient, rubs hard against the desire to do that which is righteous, and I feel torn. The expedient thing will benefit me in the short term, possibly even improve my standard of living, and allow me to live a more 'comfortable' life. But what about the long term cost?

But I digress. As for Jakes, Jones, Price and Long (just to name a few). the problem is that all of these men are heretics, in that they espouse and promote doctrines which we know to be unorthodox and heretical, but when that is said… Look out! People pull out the touch not, judge not, misapplication of scripture instead of doing their own due diligence to refute what has been claimed.

Why is that, fam?

Could it be the paucity of orthodoxy, stemming from a general absence of systematic exegetical teaching coming from ‘our’ pulpits? Meaning that we are so busy being entertained with decontextualized verses and clever preaching that we do not even know what the basics of the faith we claim to espouse even are? Why aren’t ‘black preachers’ like Anyabwile, Baucham, and Carter, as well known as these others?
Do we prefer a charismatic speaker, who makes us feel good, (even if they are telling lies), and a song and a dance to sound line upon line teaching? What is it?

Can someone help me out here?

Somebody?

Anybody?

How did I miss this? Guess I was caught up w/ MJJ... Not

2011-09-29T12:50:00.000-04:00

So the Pope (leader of over 1 BILLION Roman Catholics, called for a new world order. One world government on 7/7/09... Yes he did.
The Pope is calling for NWO...
In his papal encyclical titled "caritas in veritate" or Charity in Truth
the so called SUPREME PONTIFF
You can read this massive document in its entirety here, Or you can read some excerpts here

Here is the quote which I find the most telling, perhaps you will too:

"To manage the global economy; to revive economies hit by the crisis; to avoid any deterioration of the present crisis and the greater imbalances that would result; to bring about integral and timely disarmament, food security and peace; to guarantee the protection of the environment and to regulate migration: for all this, there is urgent need of a true world political authority, as my predecessor Blessed John XXIII indicated some years ago.

Such an authority would need to be regulated by law, to observe consistently the principles of subsidiary and solidarity, to seek to establish the common good, and to make a commitment to securing authentic integral human development inspired by the values of charity in truth.

Furthermore, such an authority would need to be universally recognized and to be vested with the effective power to ensure security for all, regard for justice, and respect for rights.

Obviously it would have to have the authority to ensure compliance with its decisions from all parties, and also with the coordinated measures adopted in various international forums. Without this, despite the great progress accomplished in various sectors, international law would risk being conditioned by the balance of power among the strongest nations."

Here is an excellent breakdown by a man monikered on Youtube, TheForerunner777 ... Yes he does mangle a few words, but he's right.

Jerry Jack 1962 - 2011

2011-08-22T15:13:00.005-04:00


Jerry Jack 1962-2011

The following is the text of the eulogy for my cousin as I had originally prepared to deliver it . At the actual service, there was some editing due to the fact that so many people expressed similar sentiments, which only attested to the type of man that Jerry was...

This is always a strange time, the time right after the passing of a loved one. It is a transitional place, not for the departed one, but for us. Kind of like the first couple of weeks in the New Year, when you write the wrong year down, it is a time of adjustment…
It is that time when we use was and is interchangeably when we speak of our loved one.
“She is, I mean was…”
We’ve all done it.

I heard it the other night, as I had the pleasure, the honor of listening to Toni, Jene, Lona and Terry talk about Jerry, the is’ and was’ flowing together in a conversation that became a frenzy, a whirlwind of Love.

Love For Jerry, for who he was, and Who he is…

I want to share the frenzy of Love as best I can with you all…

I listened as they described Jerry’s love for His Family, His love for his community.
How he loved building community, building bridges, between people, divided by generation, ethnicity, culture. Because of this love he moved between groups of people effortlessly...

Jerry: a people person, with a magnetic personality and that famous smile, once you were in, you were in forever.

Jerry: Selfless, generous... Doing what was right, because it was right, and for no other reason…, (we’re going to come back to that) his ability to find good in everyone, he could always find something beautiful wonderful and pure in everyone. As such he was quick to forgive, and he didn’t look down on anyone. (We’re going to come back to that too).

This is the reason that he excelled in his art, his craft. You see, what He saw was colored by what was in his mind, and that was conditioned by what was in is heart. He saw beauty, he saw potential, he saw adventure, he saw possibilities, in every person and every thing…

Because of the way that He saw his craft, his goals, there was a seriousness that he approached them with, If there was anything that he couldn’t take, it was mediocrity.

This is because mediocrity stifles potential, wastes energy and kills creativity…

Jerry. Non conformist, trend setter, life of the party, who’s also a loving husband, a soulmate, a devoted father, and the primary caregiver for his parents. It seems almost paradoxical, and yet makes perfect sense, because that’s Jerry.

And probably because of the way that he saw the world, he understood that we are all, much like diamonds.
We have many facets, each reflecting the light its own way, but all beautiful in their own right, provided we take the time to polish them. Many times people just concentrate on one facet and give that all of the attention, never realizing that it is only when the whole diamond is polished that it truly shines.

The scriptures record Jesus as saying that you either do what you do so that people will be impressed with you, or you do what you do because it’s right. If you do it to be recognized, you’ll get that from people, and it’ll be short lived, but if you do it because it’s right, you’ll get recognition from God, and that is eternal. Jerry did what was right because it was right…

The scriptures also record Jesus as saying that how you treat the very least of the society would have eternal implications for you. Jesus didn’t look down on anyone because he knew that just as much time went into making each person, so no one was greater than the other.

You see, there are no extra people.

In our society we gauge people’s importance by their accomplishments, their talents, their circles and their achievements. But God looks at our hearts.
Jesus also said that if one wanted to be considered great in the Kingdom of God, they achieved greatness by serving their brethren.

Clearly, as I listen to the words spoken tonight, this was something that Jerry lived out.

If I may, I’d to read to you a portion of an old letter, that a man named Paul wrote to a church that he has started, when they were getting a bit out of hand. He wrote to them about how to handle their business, how to run the church, and about how to treat one another. He said:

What if I could speak all languages of humans and of angels? If I did not love others, I would be nothing more than a noisy gong or a clanging cymbal.

What if I could prophesy and understand all secrets and all knowledge? And what if I had faith that moved mountains? I would be nothing, unless I loved others.

What if I gave away all that I owned and let myself be burned alive? I would gain nothing, unless I loved others.

Love is kind and patient, never jealous, boastful, proud, or rude. Love isn't selfish or quick tempered. It doesn't keep a record of wrongs that others do.
Love rejoices in the truth, but not in evil. Love is always supportive, loyal, hopeful, and trusting. Love never fails!

Our talents skills, abilities, all the things that men take pride in will cease…
All that we know will be forgotten. We don't know everything, and even what we do know is incomplete.
But what is perfect will someday appear, and what isn't perfect will then disappear.
When we were children, we thought and reasoned as children do. But when we grew up, we quit our childish ways. Now all we can see of God is like a cloudy picture in a mirror.

Later we will see him face to face. We don't know everything, but then we will, just as God completely understands us. For now there are Faith, hope, and love. But of these three, the greatest is love. – (1st Corinthians 13:1-13)

That word love, in the original language is Agape. It is a word that I heard during the frenzy, used to describe the love that Jerry had for people…

Bottom line, the most important one to know is GOD,
and the most important thing that we can do is to LOVE.

You see family, Jerry is loved, because Jerry Loved.
He is cared for because he cared, and he will be missed because, because He’s Jerry!

When people die, when they leave us, we automatically begin to think of the things that they did, what they are known for, what they will be remembered for, and we begin think about their legacy…

What is a Legacy? A legacy is something left by an individual, usually, but not always, after death or the end of a career. Legacy can also refer to a part of history and describe what one generation leaves to the next.

Jerry’s legacy wasn’t the pictures he took, it is the impact on each of you here.

His legacy sits before you here, Jene’, JahKari and JahKiya,

His legacy is the Agape that you have each experienced. I have heard it in the words spoken tonight, seen it in the eyes, the faces, and in the nods of assent.

Jesus said that only what is done for God will last.
What does that mean in terms that are applicable here?

Firstly: Who you know matters, especially when it comes to forever, more importantly who knows you…

Secondly: Consider it the compiling of a portfolio. A collection of our life’s work.
There will be a final exhibition, a retrospective, if you will. Jerry’s portfolio is complete, you are still compiling yours. What will last? The things that you do for God.

What will stand the test of time? Pictures fade, the edges yellow, the colors fade, the lines blur and soften, as our memories do…

But what we do for God will last, stand the test of time.

What things are those?
Love, joy, peace, grace, care, charity, kindness, service, selflessness, and mercy. Those are the things that the Scriptures say will last, you know that innately to be true as well.
You, when you take the time to look at the world, know that this is not all there is, and this is not enough. What will you leave here? What is your legacy?
All the things that you are amassing which society says are the proofs of a life well lived are in fact pointless and short lived, chaff to be burned…

What will you leave here? What is your legacy?
Jerry’s portfolio is complete, yours is still being compiled. What will it say? And when the final gallery showing takes place, what will the main critic say? At the end of the day,
His is the ONLY opinion that matters…

Amen.

Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? shall tribulation, or anguish, or persecution, or famine, or nakedness, or peril, or sword? Even as it is written, For thy sake we are killed all the day long; We were accounted as sheep for the slaughter. Nay, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him that loved us. For I am persuaded, that neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor principalities, nor things present, nor things to come, nor powers, nor height, nor depth, nor any other creature, shall be able to separate us from the love of God, which is in Christ Jesus our Lord. - (Romans 8:35-39)

Jerry's work is on display on his website: Jerry Jack Photography

An open letter to those who think I am too hard...

2011-08-12T12:55:00.000-04:00

and feel led to send me notes cautioning me…

Thanks for taking the time to write me, I REALLY appreciate it.
I am considering your comments, and would like to take a couple of moments to write you back.

My Facebook comments are purposely general, in hopes that people will consider, and possibly initiate conversation (as you have done, which is another reason that I am pleased.)
As a rule, I do not use FB for anything other than social use, I am careful not to be too inflammatory.

My blog however, is a different story. On my blog, (which is tailored to a specific audience) and on the Black Preaching Network site before I quit that, (BPN, which is more peer to peer interaction)) I am definitely confrontational, especially on issues of doctrine, practice and ministry focus. I believe that 2 Tim 2:15 is a mandate for all of us.
I do this in personal conversations and communications as well. As a Pastor/Teacher/colleague/brother in Christ, it is my duty, responsibility and obligation.

I have come to understand that most of the Evangelical church today follows a mega-focused, seeker-sensitive, humanistic-leaning, prosperity-preaching, personality-driven model, and I am not in agreement with that at all.
My mandate from the Lord is to ‘build the people, not the building’. Being prayerful, honest, caring, and scripturally honest and accurate is a big part of that.

This I believe is in keeping with the teachings of Jesus. Matthew 23 is a great example. When confronting those who claimed to be teachers/priests, etcetera, Jesus minced no words. Neither should we.

There are a growing number of us who God is raising up to speak/sing/preach in a prophetic voice to this country and the world at large, and the message is repent. Do a 180, and return to your first love and work.

As to your question re: whether I have looked back on previous things I have taught and believed, and seen that my understanding has changed, the answer is absolutely YES.

A good example of this is my understanding of Romans 12:2:
And be not conformed to this world: but be ye transformed by the renewing of your mind, that ye may prove what is that good, and acceptable, and perfect, will of God. (KJV)

I was taught, believed, and I myself taught others, that there were three levels of God’s will, the good the acceptable and the perfect. This was clearly an errant teaching in that there is but one will of God, and it is good, acceptable and perfect.

We must be vigilant to study and rightly divide the word. Not enough of us are, and even a cursory listen at preachers today bears that contention out. This is why we continue to pray and study, LOL…

Nobody was/is born perfect except Yahshuah, so I know I have my share of issues, without question.

Many times, the beam in my eye becomes a good teaching tool.

That does not mean that we are silent on the issues. We must still stand and cry out.
Recently, I taught on Matthew 7:1, which everyone, even the unsaved know and are quick to shout out. The problem is, for the most part we take it out of context. Contrary to the current popular interpretation, we are to speak, preach, cry out to the church and to the culture that truth is absolute, that right is right and wrong is wrong, and as my Mom says, call a spade a spade.

Family, we live in a time where 60-70% of our youth leave the church after their freshman year of College and do not return. Why? For one, we have failed to instill in them a Biblical worldview, because many of us do not have one ourselves. Simply put, there is not much of a difference between the secular humanist doctrines, and that which presents itself as ‘christianity’ today. A quick look at the statistics on marriage & divorce point that out very clearly.

This is an age very similar to Isaiah’s, in that truth has fallen in the street, and righteousness stands afar off and cannot enter (Isaiah 59:14), and we do not understand that we are the standard that the Spirit of the Lord raises up when the enemy comes in like a flood (Isaiah 59:19). This is why, in the church today, some of our top preachers believe a different gospel and we do not question them. We do not know the Word ourselves, so we discern see the differences.

Ok, I am gonna stop before your eyes drop out from all this reading. When you can, please write back, as I would like to continue this conversation.

Thanks again, fam

Love & Blessings
C

14 days ago, I went back 27 years

2011-07-19T00:27:00.007-04:00

So folks have been asking, so I'll put it out there. 40 odd days ago, my wife and I began to walk in the mornings. Those of you who have been following the journey have been keeping up with our updates, and encouraging us. It means more than you know...

14 days ago, I went back 27 years. What does that mean? in the 80's, I was a vegetarian, following a set of religious beliefs that I now know where erroneous. While I have not picked the beliefs back up, I have returned to the diet.

My daughter joined me 7 days ago. We are waiting on my wife.

What do I mean by vegetarian? If it is capable of independent movement, be it walking, running, swimming, flying or crawling, (or has the potential to) I do not eat it.

Yes, I who have been know to have 'a bowl of bacon', no longer touch the stuff.

Additionally, I now avoid processed food as much as I can, with the basic rule of thumb that if I cannot recognize what it grew out of the ground as, I won't eat it.

The goal of this? To be better at 50 then I was at 40, or even 30.

I take several medications each day, meds that could, according to my Dr. ALL BE STOPPED, if I were to lose weight. Instread I was gaining. One morning, about a year ago, I was walking to the train station, stepped up on the curb, and when my foot came down I could feel the additional weight. I thought to myself, as I had many times before... 'Well, it's time to adjust. Another 10 pounds are on here'
In that moment, I heard a voice saying

'Don't adjust, change.'

I knew who it was.

The same one who told me that I was going to marry my wife, by having it come out of my mouth as I was about to sleep with another woman.

Can you say awkward?

The same one who, when I tried to argue over the death of my son, even as I held his little lifeless body , pulled rank on me.

I said: Why me?
He said 'Why Not You?

(In that moment, the foolish notion that somehow because I went to church, and did the 'Christian-like' things, I was exempt from trouble, was demolished completely. Yet another reason that I HATE the health/wealth/prosperity teaching...)

I said, 'But Lord it's my son'
He said, Well, how do you think I felt when it was My Son?

(That one crushed me, because His son went through what He did, partially because of me, so what could I say. I wrote a song years ago titled 'my name was on the nail', so I knew right what He was alluding to, ever so firmly but lovingly)

So I knew who was talking...

I heard Him, I agreed with Him, but I did nothing.

Mental assent without physical obedience is still sin, family...

But back to the change: Let me be clear, I hold to the Biblical view that man has dominion over all things, so I am not equating myself with cow, pig, goat, trout or chicken, but I am choosing to have and exercise dominion over myself.

In our Bible study tonight, I said that the smartest thing that we can do is obey God. It gives him glory, blesses us, and benefits the body of Christ.
That is my calling.
To obey God, not matter how difficult, inconvenient, uncomfortable or problematic it may be sometimes.
I can do no less than my best, for the one who gave His best for me.

Phase III is on the horizon too...
More about this as we go along.

Blessings all,
C

CJ Mahaney "Gods up", and mans down...

2011-07-13T17:11:00.003-04:00

It was announced on July 6, that CJ Mahaney (at right) is taking a leave of absence from Sovereign Grace Ministries (SGM).
For those of you who do not know who this man is, I suggest that you ‘Google’ him. I will wait for you to come back…

Ok, you’re back? All right.
So, CJ is taking a leave from his position as President of SGM.

According to Charisma magazine:
In a blog post on SGM's website, Mahaney says pastors and leaders within Sovereign Grace have made charges against him and other leaders over the last few years, and he is taking a leave of absence “in order to give time to considering these charges, examine my heart and receive the appropriate help from others.”

Click Here to read the Charisma magazine article in full…

It goes on to say:

"Mahaney says the charges, which have been difficult to read, “are not related to any immorality or financial impropriety, but this doesn’t minimize their serious nature, which include various expressions of pride, unentreatability, deceit, sinful judgment and hypocrisy.”

When I first read the headline and first paragraph, my initial response was 'OH NO'. I am, you see, a CJ Mahaney ‘fan’ (fan is not an appropriate word, but it is the closest one to what I ‘feel’. I admire the brother, his work, his passion for Christ, and his consistency.)
But after my initial response, my response became ‘Praise God’… Why? Because CJ Mahaney, is like David, a man after God’s own heart. Unlike Eddie Long, who has yet to repent, CJ has shown once again that the cause of Christ is first. Anything that stands of the way of that, even if it is me, has to move.Too many of us forget this...
In our society, one is admired if they 'man up', but in the Bible, hence in 'real life' (Yes, the Bible way is real life, our society's ways are a fraud.)one 'Gods up'

CJ has chosen to 'God up, and man down', and I applaud him, and give glory to the most High God...

Consider this:

“For the past five years or so I have become increasingly aware of certain deficiencies in my leadership that have contributed to deficiencies in Sovereign Grace Ministries’ structure and governance, the lack of a clear and consistent process of conflict resolution and pastoral evaluation, and the number of former Sovereign Grace pastors who are offended with me/SGM,”

or this:
“My friends, though my soul can be easily overwhelmed as I contemplate my sin and its effects on others, I am also resolved to examine my heart, address the past, and play my role in preparing SGM for a future of planting and serving churches,”
Click Here to read CJ’s statement as it appears on the SGM blog

Those are the words of a man who is seeking God, examining himself, and is determined not to stand in the way of the Gospel.
Once again, CJ Mahaney has become a positive example for me.

Starting today, I endeavor to pray daily for CJ, and the SGM family of churches, and I will leave it at that. Why? Because unlike the others who I have chronicled on this blog, who have shown no regard for God, or the sheep of His pasture, CJ Mahaney, when confronted with his sin, has sought to be reconciled unto God, and to his brethren.
I will close with the closing of the letter that SGM put out on this issue:

”We realize there is much to process here, and much of it is disconcerting. Our theology serves us well in times like this: God is clearly at work in C.J., in our own lives, and in SGM. Our desire is to embrace all that he has for us in this season, knowing he is working for our good, however difficult that may be. To those in the SGM family of churches, our commitment is that we will, by God’s grace, seek to walk as humbly, wisely, and transparently as possible during this season, and to seek to serve and care for Sovereign Grace churches in whatever way we can. We covet your prayers, and we cherish our partnership with you now more than ever.“
- Dave, on behalf of the Sovereign Grace Ministries board
Click here to read it in full…

Sin and Forgiveness: My (final?) public thoughts on the Eddie Long mess (Part One)

2011-06-08T16:53:00.022-04:00

It is true that I pastor a house or simple church, but in my travels, I have spent many years in the ‘traditional’ denominational system, and in the Mega-Church.
During my Mega-church time, the pastor began to teach what he called ‘principles’. At first I was impressed by this new thing, thinking it to be innovative, clever, and full of wisdom. But subtly, almost imperceptibly, they began to supplant what they were intended to supplement. The scripture
(Please note that I will be dealing with this in a later blog post)

I do however remember two of the principles, which are apropos in this moment:

1) Error increases with distance and
2) Success reinforces error

What do these things mean, you ask?
Consider the following:
1), the further that you are away from an object, a concept, an event or a truth, the harder it is to properly discern just what it is/was. Perception is skewed by things that create distance, like time, and actual space (distance). This increases the potential for and probability of error exponentially, as the distance increases.

2), if you do something and it works out for you, you'll do it again. This is true whether the thing is positive or negative, right or wrong. In fact you'll be more apt to repeat it with even less consideration and planning. This is especially true if one measures success pragmatically (what works, or is expedient) as opposed to what is right or righteous...
A wonderful example of this type of thinking can be found in the Gospel of John, the 11th Chapter:
45 Then many of the Jews which came to Mary, and had seen the things which Jesus did, believed on him. 46 But some of them went their ways to the Pharisees, and told them what things Jesus had done. 47 Then gathered the chief priests and the Pharisees a council, and said, What do we? for this man does many miracles. 48 If we let him thus alone, all men will believe on him: and the Romans shall come and take away both our place and nation. 49 And one of them, named Caiaphas, being the high priest that same year, said to them, You know nothing at all, 50 Nor consider that it is expedient for us, that one man should die for the people, and that the whole nation perish not. - John 11:45-50
Nor can we forget the classic example which took place at man’s beginning – (Genesis 3:1-6)

What does this have to do with the Bishop? Well, as I have oft-said, Bishop Long drifted into aberration long ago, and few if any in the 'church community' chastened, or corrected him when his theology changed, his doctrine slipped, and he drifted into error, dragging thousands down with him. I believe that this is primarily because it appeared that he was having success. But a review of his doctrines over the past few years, in retrospect shows a clear departure from orthodoxy. (I will not in this post recount the many statements that were made over the years, they are readily available on the internet, and elsewhere in this blog.)

For this reason, the most recent debacle is almost a moot point, in that it (or something much like it ) had to be expected, it was a foregone conclusion, an inevitability, but it must be asked; Where were the people that were supposed to speak truth to him? Where were his ‘friends’??? Where was the Nathan to his David?

Probably cast aside years ago, or summarily ignored.

(Please note that I am by NO means equating Pastors with Kings. Pastors are little more than the sheepdogs in the pen that help the master pasture the sheep, the reference merely helps to illustrate the point. Please see 2 Samuel 12:1-15)

I guarantee you that Bishop was hearing 'You are the man' from all the enabling wolf-pups around him, but it was for all the wrong reasons...

He, as so many powerful (and powerfully deluded) men tend to, surrounded himself with 'yes men' and enablers, hoping to hide his sin. It is arrogant, ignorant, and an act of treason against the Father and His Kingdom.

(Before you accuse me of being presumptuous or throwing stones, consider that SOMEONE other than those young men, knew of the Bishop’s ‘proclivities’. That big a secret required a team of individuals to manage it for sure, and make no mistake they are ALL guilty as well, which in itself is ANOTHER reason to settle)

But now the cat is out of the bag, and confidentiality agreement or not, the sins have come to light…

Consider this, from Steven Strang, Editor of Charisma Magazine. In an article published June 1 2011:

“In 2006, I heard rumors about Bishop Long allegedly being involved in homosexuality. Long had built a great church in Atlanta. We once featured him on the cover of Charisma and his influence went far beyond Atlanta. I had great respect for him and published one of his books.
Since he was speaking at a large expo we were sponsoring a few weeks later, I felt I needed to talk to him. I tried repeatedly to make an appointment to warn him that there were rumors and to ask if they were true. He refused to talk to me and cancelled the speaking engagement. Saddened, I just quietly took his book out of print and withdrew any support we had given him.” The complete article is here

Was Strang the only one who had heard the ‘whisperings’? I doubt it. He is several levels removed from the Bishop. It must be assumed then, that many in his ‘peer group’ heard too, but did nothing. We can all sit back and present numerous theories as to why this is the case, I believe that it is akin to GM not warning Chrysler about potential safety hazards (not that Chrysler would listen. It is, after all, all about the money. But this is ministry, you say. Really? Not so much... The more sheeple in the pens, the more wool in the barn baby, and you know we gotta keep warm...

For you who are his defenders: Many of you decried and excoriated the Roman Catholic church, for its deliberate and systematic cover-up of the institutional pedophilia which it practices, and the subsequent lawsuits when this centuries old practice came to light, yet you defend Bishop Long. It smacks of hypocrisy. And it smacks LOUD.

But you are right. We do not KNOW that he did ANYTHING wrong. This is true.
At best, a good PR person, (which the Bernice King announcement makes clear that New Birth does NOT have, by the way) could easily spin this thus: Due to the fact that there was no finding of wrongdoing (there was no trial), there is no issue, and no statement be made.
Needless to say, I would disagree.

What DO we know?
1) 4 Young men, (barely over the ‘legal age of sexual consent, which kept this from becoming a CRIMINAL trial) sued BISHOP Eddie Long alleging, (among other things) sexual coercion
2) BISHOP Long vowed publicly that he was ‘gonna fight this thing’, and made his famous ‘5 rocks’ statement
3) It was announced that the parties involved were seeking mediation
4) It was announced that a settlement has been reached
5) To date (as of this writing) there has been no statement from the Bishop concerning this at all. Of course he can hide behind the terms of the confidentiality agreement and claim that he is unable to discuss it, but this is neither Wall Street, nor Hollywood, it is ‘the church’ and the key to resolution/restoration is confession and repentance.

Consider this from Roland Martin of CNN, published June 4, 2011
“He is someone who thousands follow, and they should hear the truth, and nothing but the truth, from Long. Not his lawyer, not his spokesman, not his wife -- him! He should have never decided on a private mediation; Long should have demanded that everything be discussed in public.
If you are truly innocent of such heinous allegations, you don't go behind closed doors. You defend yourself publicly and shame those who try to muddy your name and derail your ministry.
Long has utterly failed even his own preaching. He has stood in the pulpit and demanded accountability of others, but clearly believes a different set of rules applies to him.
After his refusal to address the issue publicly, openly and truthfully, I don't see how any pastor could participate in a conference with Long on the rostrum. I don't see how any gospel musician could go to his church and stand in the pulpit with him to sell their CDs. As a churchgoing man, there is no way I could sit under the spiritual leadership of any pastor who was unwilling to stand before his congregation and address the issue head on.”
The complete article is here

But enough about Eddie Long… It’s really about …

SIN
The real issue here is SIN, specifically how SIN is dealt with in the body of Christ.

Let us be clear, sin is a fatal disease, there is no recovering from it, it is 100% fatal.
How do we handle disease when it strikes our bodies? We use every method and means available to us to get rid of it. We spare no expense, we will search far and wide for a cure, and we will exhaust every possibility, yet when sin is present in the body of Christ, we say ‘Judge Not’.
Why is this? Is it because the rest of the statement is true? Judge not, that ye be not judged. For with what judgment ye judge, ye shall be judged: and with what measure ye mete, it shall be measured to you again. - Matt 7:1-2

Are we afraid of the measure that shall be measured to us again?
Do we say judge not because ‘All have sinned and fallen short’ so this is somehow OK? SIN is somehow legitimized because it is a common condition? This is expedience over righteousness, pragmatism over Holiness, but it is still just as true today as the day it was written:
Be not deceived; God is not mocked: for whatsoever a man soweth, that shall he also reap. - Galatians 6:7

SIN destroys Fellowship,
SIN destroys Community,
SIN destroys Safety,
SIN destroys Peace,
SIN destroys Life!

SIN keeps us from GOD! and a body out of communication with its head is DEAD.
So, we must confront SIN, call the brother/sister to repentance, and if they do not, put the OUT of the fellowship. THAT is what the Bible says. Put the SIN out of the fellowship. The situation described in 1st Corinthians 5 is as serious (and as deadly) as the situation involving Achan, described in Joshua 7. Time and time again the scripture is clear that the direct result/consequence/wages of SIN is DEATH: Spiritual, Emotional, Relational, Physical DEATH!

Does this imply that no one sins? Obviously not, but the message is clear: Unrepentant sin festers, pollutes, and infects other parts of the body, much like cancer spreading from a diseased organ,. It must be excised, if the body is to survive. It is after all, better to enter in, missing a part, and then be left outside the kingdom physically whole. (Mark 9:43-47)
If they repent, restore them. (2 Corinthians 2:5-11)

We have allowed the world to impose their sinful lack of understanding on us, and as a result respond in the way that we think they need to see in order to placate them.
This is, in my view, largely because of the current popularity of Neo-Arminianism, which because it says that man chooses God, by extension necessitating that we make Jesus, the Bible and Christianity acceptable to men, so that they will ‘accept Jesus’ and be saved. Any honest reading of the text belies this quickly, but that is another story for another time.

The palatable/acceptable Jesus (Jesus lite) is no Jesus at all, and any relationship based on sentiment and not truth is doomed to fail. Ask anyone who’s ever ‘fallen out of love’…

Part Two: FORGIVENESS (Reconciliation Restoration and Trust)
Coming soon…

Lord Have Mercy

2011-05-30T20:00:00.002-04:00

Too many people these days, naming and claiming, and too few people kneeling and pleading...
'Lord Have Mercy On Me'

By Michael W. Smith
Jesus, I've forgotten the words that You have spoken
Promises that burned within my heart have now grown dim
With a doubting heart I follow the paths of earthly wisdom
Forgive me for my unbelief
Renew the fire again

Chorus
Lord have mercy
Christ have mercy
Lord have mercy on me
Repeat

I have built an altar where I worship things of men
I have taken journeys that have drawn me far from You
Now I am returning to Your mercies ever flowing
Pardon my transgressions
Help me love You again

Repeat Chorus

I have longed to know You and Your tender mercies
Like a river of forgiveness ever flowing without end
I bow my heart before You in the goodness of Your presence
Your grace forever shining
Like a beacon in the night

Gil Scott-Heron

2011-05-28T13:48:00.004-04:00

April 1, 1949 - May 27, 2011

From His website:
"...an American poet, musician, and author known primarily for his late 1960s and early 1970s work as a spoken word soul performer and his collaborative work with musician Brian Jackson. His collaborative efforts with Jackson featured a musical fusion of jazz, blues and soul music, as well as lyrical content concerning social and political issues of the time, delivered in both rapping and melismatic vocal styles by Scott-Heron. The music of these albums, most notably Pieces of a Man and Winter in America in the early 1970s, influenced and helped engender later African-American music genres such as hip hop and neo soul. Scott-Heron’s recording work is often associated with black militant activism and has received much critical acclaim for one of his most well-known compositions “The Revolution Will Not Be Televised”.

The Revolution will not be televised

Home is where the hatred is

The Bottle

I'm new here

"Turn around, turn around, turn around. You may come full circle, and be new here again." - Gil Scott-Heron

Religious People, I can't take them...

2011-05-22T10:58:00.003-04:00

A strange title for a blog post from a Pastor to be sure, but an accurate one. I find that the more deeply one studies the scriptures, the more seriously one takes what they read, and the more determined one becomes in the application of the Word of God in their daily lives, the more friction occurs with others of supposedly ‘like faith’. This was initially surprising to me, but I have now come to accept it for what it is, and more importantly I see that once again, Yahshuah/Jesus was quite right in his assessment of the religious world.

In America today, we are surrounded by ‘religion’. There are religions of all sorts, shapes, practices, and beliefs, and unfortunately much of it claims to be ‘Christian’. Am I of the belief that anyone is 100% correct, no. I would never make such a statement, it is far too naïve.

However, it is clear that far too many people in the ‘the church’ rely on the teachings of the men and women under whom they sit, and do not spend nearly enough time reading/studying the scriptures for themselves. When they do, too often, it is through the lens of the teacher/denomination/system to which they adhere, and folly ensues. The recent Harold Camping debacle is just the latest in a string going back to the beginning of what is now called ‘Christianity’. The Bible warns of it, explicitly, implicitly, but we will not listen. This is because we have decided that the warnings therein (if we read them) are either for ‘them’, not ‘us’, or not applicable today, or (insert your reason here).

But my heart is heavy today. Not for the Campingites (The Elect among them will find their way, they will hear His call, and the goats will fall away), not even for the woman who attacked me today, because I questioned the statement of a prominent Bishop, by holding it up to the scripture, (the exchange was actually catalytic, and I am grateful to God for it) but for the body at large.

Those of us who are called to Pastor must understand that this is our gift, not our rank. This must never leave our minds. Our gift from God to be used, as Ephesians 4 says:
For the training of the saints as servants in the church, for the building up of the body of Christ: Till we all come to the harmony of the faith, and of the knowledge of the Son of God, to full growth, to the full measure of Christ: So that we may be no longer children, sent this way and that, turned about by every wind of teaching, by the twisting and tricks of men, by the deceits of error; But saying true words in love, may come to full growth in him, who is the head, even Christ; Through whom all the body, being rightly formed and united together, by the full working of every part, is increased to the building up of itself in love. - (Ephesians 4:12-16)

We (Pastors) as John MacArthur so aptly puts it, are ‘the stewards of the house of God’. Too often however, we believe however, that we are Kings, and that they whom we are called to serve should instead serve us. As such we allow the people to elevate us far above our station, and allow our gifts to be what people place their faith in, and not the Lord of Creation. We forget that it is Yahshuah/Jesus who is building HIS church, we are merely stewards (servants) in the House.

But because many of us walk around with our ostentatious trappings, golden cups, and armor bearers, instead of pails of fresh water and food for the sheep, they wander about in confusion. I see it every day, and if you care to think about it honestly, so do you.
Many, though they have ‘walked with the Lord’ for many years, have never eaten solid food, instead are so accustomed to milk, that anything solid is ‘hard’, anything honest is ‘unloving’ and any time sin is confronted it is considered ‘judging’. This is proof to me that we Pastors are failing the sheep. Badly.

If you are a Pastor, I earnestly plead with you to take a minute (or 60) to think about the way that you shepherd the flock. Are you standing in the way of Christ in the lives of your congregants, even inadvertently? Do they come to your church because of your personality? The way that you turn a phrase? Your charisma? Your facility? The choir? Please know that these are not things that will sustain them, and ultimately, any time that which is supposed to reflect the sun, blocks it, and eclipse happens, and looking at an eclipse will blind you.

Let us not ever be responsible for blinded sheep, brethren…

Dancin' with Wolves 4

2011-05-18T22:43:00.006-04:00

The Pimp Chronicles, Episode Four
Blogger's note:
I recently came across the journal of 'The Right Reverend Riley R. Robinson'
Prophet, Pastor and Presiding Prelate of the
True Anointing Church, Kentucky (TAC KY)

May 17 2011

So I came across a guidebook, on how to keep control of the flock. You can't have them sheep wanderin', you know.
Anyway, here's a tip for y'all who wanna make sure that they don't get outta line...

The formula for Spiritual Character Assassination
And congregational control
– By Roscoe D. Levygne

In leadership, control is key. The Sheep must be led, and it is the responsibility of the shepherd to show them the error of their ways, while lovingly correcting them. The rod corrects, while the staff guides.(Psalm 23) There comes a time though, where one sheep has to be made an example of, in order to keep the others in line. Inevitably, you will be challenged. When this happens, the following strategy should be deployed in order to have the victory and remain in control.

1) Isolate: Have the discussion in a forum where the other party cannot defend themselves or challenge you. This works best when the other person(s):
a. is not present
b. is unable to respond
c. has spoken first in the forum

2) Pontificate: Use your leverage: Use your leadership position, either in a direct or implied fashion. Your position always adds weight to your words and position.

3) Obfuscate: Use scripture to bolster your position. Well placed scriptural reference always cements your argument, and is the best way to divert attention from a weak argument.

4) Alienate: The person has now become different, by virtue of their disagreement with you. He/she/they is now no longer as we are. Say this mournfully, somberly. Tears are great for this step.

5) Denigrate: Imply that the other person has satanic involvement. This automatically assures that your listeners associate your position with God.

6) Amputate: If thine eye offend thee, pluck it out – Mark 9:47a. The offending party must be treated as a cancer, and removed, at least publicly. It must be announced quickly. Unequivocally.

7) Eradicate: Dismiss opposition as uninformed. This must be done swiftly, and benevolently.

8) Elevate: Raise yourself above the other person(s) Make sure to say, after explaining your position, that you still love the other person(s). Imply that if there is repentance, there is a chance of restoration.

9) Invocate: Request prayer for the other person(s). Entreat those in attendance to earnestly seek God on behalf of the fallen one(s).

10) Placate: Close in prayer, naming others who you think may disagree with or question you. Positive or negative mention still work, though positive makes you appear even more godly, and mature in your ability to stand above.

11) Sedate: If and when possible, bolster your position with music or a timely prophecy. This works EXTREMELY well, and lessens the possibility of dissent. A song about sin works best, sung in a mournful tone. A prophecy that includes wheat and tare is most effective. Conviction leads to introspection, which takes the mind (and focus) off of you.

Oprah's last show...

2011-05-09T23:19:00.003-04:00

I heard today that the Oprah show will end soon, and as I began to ponder it, a dream sequence began...

In the middle of her last show, after a particularly touching montage of the 25+ years she has hosted...

She stands, center stage, surrounded by those who owe her their careers and her favorite guests and suddenly, without warning...

Pulls off her face and hair revealing mottled, scaly flesh and gnarled horns, and she spreads her leathery wings, and opens her gaping maw to bear her long rotting flesh-flecked fangs, utters a deep throaty growl, announces herself to be:

Orpaoh (Or-Pah-oh ) the reaper of souls,

That which up to now has been known as Gail begins its slow descent from the ceiling where it has been poised upside down since the show began. In its natural state it is Luthu, spawn of Orpaoh the reaper...

Orpaoh hisses for silence amid the terrified screams of the audience, who are only then beginning to realize in horror, that this is not some TV trick, and that something truly evil stands in their midst... As Luthu's murky yellow eyes scan the audience, it's tail flicks back and forth almost as though it has a mind of its own.

In the face of this terror some in the audience have become incontinent, the smell of human waste mingles with the scent of terror, and Orpaoh smiles, if you can call it a smile, its double rows of fangs glistening in the camera light as it drools fetid puddles onto the floor...

With its tail, it motions to the side of the stage, and a heretofore unseen panel slides away revealing a wild eyed, bound and gagged Steadman Graham trussed on a table like a feast-ready bird... The terror in his eyes says all that his lips cannot say through the bloody gag, and people begin to scream..

Quiet!, Luthu bellows, voice hoarse and harsh, and to make a point, the tail whips out, neatly decapitating a blond first row audience member. The bloody spray and twitching body bring everyone to a hush, even as quiet as the noiseless moving mouth of the freshly severed head.. It is clear to see in her eyes, that at the last, she is aware of what has happened...

At the sight of the wordlessly moving mouth and the blood splattered blond hair, Orpaoh begins to laugh. An obscene guttural bellow that causes her wings to vibrate… “3 hours at the salon shot to hell.” it hisses, and suddenly there is the sound of chuckling in the room that is, if hyenas could chuckle…

Like a wet dog shakes out its coat, Suze Orman and Nate Berkus shake themselves shedding their skin in big flakes that fall like rain onto the horrified onlookers, revealing mangy bristling fur, and green glowing eyes..

Iyanla VanZant , who has been curled up in a ball rocking and moaning “Jesus, Jesus” can only sigh deeply and despairingly, as she is set upon by the two beasts. She offers almost no resistance as they begin to feast on her wantonly…

Ekhart Tolle and Shirly MacClaine hold eachother tightly declaring that this cannot be happening, even as a monstrosity turns its heads towards them. Vaguely familiar is this two-headed thing, its faces smiling the benign smile of the deceiver. Its heads are almost beautiful, but the body… It is the stuff of nightmares. Skeletal, with open sores and suppurating foul smelling wounds, It is misshapen but deceptively quick, and in what seems like an instant, it is upon them.
The face of Deepak Choprah looks into Ekhart Tolle’s, and as Eckhart begins to scream, his throat is torn out. Shirley manages ‘But I am G… the ‘od’ never makes it out of her mouth as Joel Osteen tears off her bottom jaw with his famous teeth… Dripping gore, both heads settle in to devour their prey..

Dr. Phil jumps up, shouting “Oh Hell naw, HELL NAW!!!!”, and begins to run for the exit. He gets 5 steps before being impaled on the tail of Orpaoh, who hisses “I brought you in and I can take you out!” before guffawing with that terrible laugh, and flinging him 8 rows deep into the audience. His face a mask of wide-eyed disbelief, Dr. Phil's last breath escapes his lips…

Momentarily distracted by Dr. Phil, Orpaoh seems to lose her hypnotic grip on the audience. Like roaches in the sudden glare of the light, they begin to run everywhere at once, trampling one another in their panic. Orpaoh does not pursue, there is no need, for the doors are locked. Their 2-inch thick steel cannot be breached. There is no place to go. Luthu and Orpaoh turn their attention to Steadman, and slowly, almost delicately, and with much flourish, begin to tear him apart, bit by bit... Feeding eachother as couples do, talons crossed, seemingly oblivious to the excruciating pain and muffled screams of the writhing man in front of them…

After what seems an eternity, he is dead. Like finicky cats, having now lost interest in the thing that they have tortured, they fling what is left of him to Suze and Nate who set about cracking his bones, and cackling while the lick the marrow out…

All the while the cameras are running, because it is Orpaoh’s minions who ‘man’ them, they have been waiting to feed, impatient, but obedient… Orpaoh bids them wait no more.. Her unholy horde sets upon her shocked and horrified audience in a flurry of talons, fangs, rent flesh and gore...

Now, THAT would be a finale...

Linda Bryant 1954-2011

2011-01-31T13:18:00.010-05:00

Our dear sister Linda, departed this life January 20, 2011. She is missed, but we trust God. Below is a video montage, set to Linda singing.
After that her Eulogy, as delivered by her Pastor, Rev. Cyril T. Jermin...

God's Grace: The Root and the Proof of Love...

Psalm 95:3-7
3 For the LORD is the great God, And the great King above all gods.
4 In His hand are the deep places of the earth; The heights of the hills are His also.
5 The sea is His, for He made it; And His hands formed the dry land.
6 Oh come, let us worship and bow down; Let us kneel before the LORD our Maker.
7 For He is our God, And we are the people of His pasture, And the sheep of His hand.

1 John 3:1-3
1 Behold what manner of love the Father has bestowed on us, that we should be called children of God! Therefore the world does not know us, because it did not know Him. Beloved, now we are children of God; and it has not yet been revealed what we shall be, but we know that when He is revealed, we shall be like Him, for we shall see Him as He is. And everyone who has this hope in Him purifies himself, just as He is pure.

As Christians, when we have to deal with death, we are Caught in the paradox that exists between the idea of an eternity w/Christ, which is very appealing, and the reality of the fact that we must die in order to get there. Going from stress, strife and struggle to Peace, Joy and Rest is appealing, but the door we’ve got to pass through, well that’s another story...
Probably one of the reasons that people hope for the rapture.

Everybody wants to go to heaven but nobody wants to die.

This is a statement that is true on both a physical and Spiritual level.
In order to get to heaven you do have to die.
Twice in fact.
Once to your will, your old life, and your sin,
As one of my heroes, Dietrich Bonhoeffer famously said:

"When Christ calls a man, He bids him come and die."

and there is the once that brings the rest of us to occasions like this one.

When I considered what to talk about tonight, I knew that I had to talk about Love.
Indeed, Love is the reason that we are here. Love for Linda.
But I knew also, that it is impossible to speak of Love without first speaking of Grace. Specifically, GOD’s Grace, For the reality is that GOD’s Grace is the Root OF, and the reason FOR what we understand and experience as Love.

Without understanding GOD’s Grace, it is impossible to speak accurately of Love, because it cannot be understood in its proper context. Without understanding GOD’s grace, what we understand of love is merely experiential, carnal, and temporal.
It is infatuations and flowery words, ethereal concepts and a definition that says that love is an uncontrollable emotion, something that we fall helplessly in and out of..

But the BIBLE says that Love is an act of the will, in that it is a command…
In His Gospel, John records Jesus saying the following:

A new commandment I give unto you, That ye love one another; as I have loved you, that ye also love one another. By this shall all men know that ye are my disciples, if ye have love one to another. - John 13:34-35

But we must, in order to TRULY understand Love, and obey the command to do it, first understand God’s Grace…

But What is Grace? Why that’s Christianity 101:
Grace is ‘unmerited favor’

Pastor David Reagan puts it like this:
Grace is God doing good for us, and affording blessing to us that we do not deserve.
In the Bible, grace and mercy go hand in hand.
Mercy is God withholding judgment or evil that we deserve;
Grace is God giving us blessing or good that we do not deserve.
Because of God's mercy, we do not receive the judgment of God against our sins; because of God's grace, we receive eternal life and a promise of heaven though we do not deserve them. Both mercy and grace come to us though the Lord Jesus Christ.

But is that all? No. There is yet another meaning:
“Grace can also be defined as God's sufficiency or God's fullness in the life of the believer. God told Paul, "My grace is sufficient for thee: for my strength is made perfect in weakness" (2 Cor 12:9)
That is, the grace of God in Paul enabled him and empowered him in his weakness.
Another verse states, "And God is able to make all grace abound toward you; that ye, always having all sufficiency in all things, may abound to every good work" (2 Cor 9:8)

God's grace working in us supplies the sufficiency whereby we may abound to every good work.
Grace, says Reagan, is "God's enoughness."
By this he means that God is enough for us no matter what the situation we face.

Now with those definitions in mind, let’s go back to what John records Jesus saying:

A new commandment I give unto you, That ye love one another; as I have loved you, that ye also love one another. By this shall all men know that ye are my disciples, if ye have love one to another. - John 13:34-35

Notice that He did not say that your Love of the Father would identify you as a disciple. Notice that He did not say that Love for HIM would identify you as a disciple. He was specific. It is our love for ONE ANOTHER that identifies us as His disciples to the world.

It is this LOVE that is your badge of identification, not your church, or your Pastor, or your denomination or your clothes. Not the music that you listen to, or your tithe, how many tracts you give out, the catchy slogan on your desk, or your clever bumper sticker.

It is how you LOVE your brother and sister. No more, no less…

There is something unique and intentional about the way that Christians Love. This is because of whose we are, and this is how HE LOVES. Uniquely and intentionally… The cross is the proof of this . The single most unique, well known and intentional act of LOVE in human history.

And the truth of His words is seen so clearly when you read Acts Chapter 2 which says of the early church that:

…all that believed were together, and had all things common; And sold their possessions and goods, and parted them to all men, as every man had need. And they, continuing daily with one accord in the temple, and breaking bread from house to house, did eat their meat with gladness and singleness of heart, Praising God, and having favour with all the people. And the Lord added to the church daily such as should be saved. - (Acts 2:44-47)

This is repeated in Acts 4,

And the multitude of them that believed were of one heart and of one soul: neither said any of them that ought of the things which he possessed was his own; but they had all things common. And with great power gave the apostles witness of the resurrection of the Lord Jesus: and great grace was upon them all. Neither was there any among them that lacked: for as many as were possessors of lands or houses sold them, and brought the prices of the things that were sold, And laid them down at the apostles' feet: and distribution was made unto every man according as he had need. - (Acts 4:32-35)`

In these passages, you see Love in Action; Love for God, and Love for one another. Unique and Intentional LOVE. Why did they do it this way?

Because they all knew that they were recipients of a great grace, forgiven a debt that they could never possibly repay, bought with a price so great that they could never hope to cover it.
They knew that there was nothing special about them at all, save the Grace of God that had saved and made them one with eachother. This understanding framed and defined their LOVE. Their unique and intentional LOVE…

Linda was loving, and all of you can attest to that.
Quick with a smile, a kind word, an encouraging word, she was good with that.
It was just her. She could find a way to make you laugh even in the worst of times, and situations…

During the course of our time together, our relationship evolved.
For 10 years I was Linda’s choir director, for 2 years her Worship Leader, and for the last 3 years, I was her Pastor. She was in fact, the first of the Fellowship members to call me Pastor Cyril, which she later shortened to Pasa Cee, then to P.C. That was our pattern.
I had nicknamed her Qwaa, which was short for Dinquanisha, which she got because of these big earrings she used to wear…

If you knew Linda, and she loved you, you had a nickname. It signified your special place in her heart…
A unique and intentional LOVE…

This is how Jesus commands us to Love: Selflessly, sacrificially, allowing ourselves to be open, vulnerable, honest, naked and unashamed with our brethren, trusting that they will do the same with us, and have our best interest at heart, and we have theirs.
We are to be a safe place for one another

But for many of us, we can’t risk that. Cannot risk being vulnerable, or open.
There is too much at stake, too much to lose. Our carefully crafted images, our reputations, our safety and such…

Others of us don’t want the responsibility, the weight of care for someone else. It is difficult, costs too much in terms of time and energy, and emotion…

This is because we do not truly understand God’s Grace.
We forget that all that we have, we have because it was given to us, as Paul puts it in
1 Cor 4:7:

For who made you better than your brother? or what have you that has not been given to you? but if it has been given to you, what cause have you for pride, as if it had not been given to you?

Sadly, many of you in here tonight, live this way, with fellow church members who are supposed to be your brethren, some of you even with your spouses, and in doing so, not only do you deprive yourself and others, (especially your spouse) of a deeper more Christ-filled life and fellowship, in fact, you sin.

I know because that is how I used to live; In a superficial, way which satisfied my shallow, self-serving religion.
But I have found that there are benefits to submission to God’s will. I have found that daring to love and be loved the way God ordained it, has made my life real, and rich, and full.

It is the difference between having LIFE and LIFE more abundantly…

Often, we cannot see past God’s salvation to God’s provision.

Linda used to always say, ‘God is my Father, He’s got to take care of me’, and this was and is the truth.

What we do not understand is that one of the main assets, and means of provision that He provides us with is EACHOTHER!

More Often than not, WE are the very riches in Glory that He uses by Christ Jesus to supply eachother’s needs.

This is so clearly exemplified in the passages from Acts that we read earlier.

Yes, you are saved, if you have repented of your sin, and trust in the atoning death of Jesus on the cross, and know that it is by HIS grace through faith, and that not of yourself, that it is the gift of God. Yes, you believe and have received righteousness unto justification, but where is the ‘more abundantly’ that Jesus speaks of in John 10:10?

In the three plus years that Jesus worked on, with, and later through, His disciples, He took them from independence to dependence to interdependence, and this was what the church should be: A body of interdependent persons, focused on the concept of living life in community to the glory of God, and the benefit of one another. It is in this that we experience the abundance.

This is what I believe that the Bible teaches. This means that we are to actively engage God and each other as best we can; giving access to one another in intimate ways, striving to do our best to love and give grace to one another as it has been extended to us…

This is the mark, the Love that identifies us as Christ’s disciples.

We must accept and cling to the grace to trust and truly acknowledge the Father in all our ways, if we want our paths directed by Him. If we want to truly experience life more abundantly, we must deny our very selves, with all of our delusions of supremacy, and submit them to Him in full, even if it means our lives. It is that dying that we spoke of earlier. So must we all, because there is only one God, and we are not Him. (*)

One of the things that we do not seem to realize beloved, is that the ability to RECEIVE LOVE is as important as the ability to GIVE love. You cannot LOVE on your own terms. You cannot love only when and whom you find it advantageous to…

You cannot love others until you Love yourself, and you cannot love yourself, until you Love God, and you cannot Love God until you are born again, and He places that ability and desire within you, by replacing your heart of stone with a heart of flesh…

You cannot be born again until you understand the cross, and..
You never really understand the cross until it takes your breath away and becomes the most important thing in your life,(**) and even then, you’re at a loss…

There are those of you in this room tonight, who believe that you are saved, but when it comes to your relationship with the Lord, you do not participate fully, as though your life in Christ is a coat, a garment to be shed when the weather changes, and not the core of your very existence. It is that same shallow self-serving religion that I knew so well…

But God is not a convenience; your brothers and sisters are not a convenience.
God is all, and your brethren are priority.

Yes, Sometimes it is messy, and sometimes it hurts (like right now). Sometimes it is scary, it is rarely easy, and sometimes, (like right now) it is not fun at all…
But it is not a suggestion, it is a command, that you should love the Lord your God with All your heart, Your mind, your soul and strength, and Love your neighbor as yourself…

This is how we must live. This is what we must understand.
This is what we MUST do.
When we live this way, when we LOVE this way, there are no regrets, no ‘what if’s’, no ‘shoulda-woulda-couldas’, no ‘if onlys’ , because you do all you can, and then you DO ALL YOU CAN.

When you look around you, do you see disciples?
When you look in the mirror, does a disciple return your gaze?
How can you tell?

Grace is the ROOT,
Grace is the REASON,
LOVE is the FRUIT
LOVE is the PROOF
Amen…

(*) - Thanks to Brother Steven Fortt
(**) - Thanks to Brother JM Vergara
God used both of these men (and Pastor Jeffrey Wicker) to minister to me through their words as I prepared the eulogy.

Dancin' with Wolves 3

2011-01-12T14:22:00.005-05:00

The Pimp Chronicles, Episode Three
Blogger's note:
I recently came across the journal of 'The Right Reverend Riley R. Robinson'
Prophet, Pastor and Presiding Prelate of the
True Anointing Church, Kentucky (TAC KY)

Jan 10 2011

The Holee Ghose moved TO-DAY, I’ll tell you!
My topic was ‘Buryin’ Bones’
I preached from 1 Sam 31: 11-13

11 Now when the inhabitants of Jabesh Gilead heard what the Philistines had done to Saul, 12 all the valiant men arose and traveled all night, and took the body of Saul and the bodies of his sons from the wall of Beth Shan; and they came to Jabesh and burned them there. 13 Then they took their bones and buried them under the tamarisk tree at Jabesh, and fasted seven days.

I told them that we got to bury the bones of the old man, and take up the new one.
I told them that, just like Saul, their disobedience to God is keeping them back. In fact, it’s killing them. I said...
“What’s the remedy? What the cure? Obedience! What does God want? Obedience in all your ways, especially in the handling of your finances. After all, If you wanna be blessed, give God the Best, and He’ll take care of the rest.”

I called for a 7 day consecration fast, and I put up a little tree in front of the pulpit. Everybody had to bury their Saul at the foot of the tree. I told them:“Whatever that sin is, that disobedience, write it down, and put it under the tree. In order for you see God work, you got to bury it! “ Then I said...
"Next week, we’re going to Break the fast, and break through to the Blessing! Oh Shondalabandala HEYYY!!!!"
(You know that got em going..)

So next Sunday, after service, we’re going to have a brunch, everybody has got to bring a pot for pot luck, but the only ones who can eat are the ones who bring the ‘Sacrificial 77’ (that is, the $77 sacrificial offering) It’s only right. I told them don’t waste God’s time or mine comin to me privately to say they can’t pay it, everyone know s that God helps those who help theyselves, and The Bible says that the wealth of the wicked is laid up for the righteous.
So the ones who can’t come up with the $77, it’s proof that they ain’t right.

I sure do hope old Sister Reed bakes them yams…
Her wig is dusty and her dentures don’t fit, but man can she cook a yam!

Dancin' with Wolves 2

2011-01-03T23:10:00.010-05:00

The Pimp Chronicles, Episode Two
Blogger's note: I recently came across the journal of
'The Right Reverend Riley R. Robinson'
Prophet, Pastor and Presiding Prelate of the
True Anointing Church, Kentucky (TAC KY)

Date: Sunday Jan 2, 2011
Feelin good today! Yessah!
Service went well, how can I tell? Well,
Nobody came down for the altar call, but the plate sho' looked good today.
But then again it always does the 1st Sunday of the month.
Folks getting their checks and all.
I hit ‘em with both barrels today. My title was:

‘Recover it all!:7 steps to heaven in 2011’

Had the worship leader sing Hezekiah Walker’s ‘Faithful is our God’ for Praise and Worship,
“I'm reaping the harvest God promised me. Take back what the devil stole from me.
And I rejoice today, for I shall recover it all…”
Then again for ‘special music’ before the message.
“I'm reaping the harvest God promised me. Take back what the devil stole from me. And I rejoice today, for I shall recover it all…”

Had them hollerin’ in the place, Yessah!

My source text was 1 Samuel 30:1-20.
I told them that we are just like David, people after God’s own heart, and this chapter shows David losin’ everything, then getting’ it all back.
Everything that the devil stole from you, it’s time. 2011 is the time, to take it all back… Hallelu!

Took two offerings today, the normal one, right after Praise and worship (always good to get ‘em while they’re emotional) then a second one after …

I told them about the ‘First of the year, firstfruits’ offering, about how God is waitin to bless them with the blessin of Abel, got it from Genesis 4:1-7, concentratin’ on verse 4: And Abel, he also brought of the firstlings of his flock and of the fat thereof. And the LORD had respect unto Abel and to his offering:

Well that brought down the house.
Everybody wants God to respect them...
And you know, the bigger the offering, the more respect you get… Yessah, Yeaasah!

Keep preachin’ like I did today, and I think it might be time to start savin’ for the jet… ;)

Dancin' with Wolves 1 or...

2011-01-01T19:23:00.012-05:00

The Pimp Chronicles, Episode One
Blogger's note:
I recently came across the journal of 'The Right Reverend Riley R. Robinson'
Prophet, Pastor and Presiding Prelate of the
True Anointing Church, Kentucky (TAC KY)

It appears that last Sunday wasn't a good day for the church, at least not by the looks of the collection plate... The following are the Rev.'s notes...

Date:12/27/2010
Wow... Tithin' is down... Folk spent too much Christmas shoppin'...
Let’s see… Need some quick cash… Think man, think…

AAAAHHH That’s it! We’ll have a ‘Revival’, or maybe a ‘Conference’…
Yeah, yeah, ‘Conference’ it is!

Ok, need a catchy title… um… think.. think… gotta have ‘breakthrough’ in it somewhere, or ‘manifest’ or ‘season’… or ‘Destiny’, yeah hmmm. How ‘bout …

Season of manifesting breakthrough to destiny…

Wait… not ‘spiritual’ enough… Gotta add ‘anointed’ or anointing in there someplace… so um…

The Season of Manifesting Anointing: Break Through To Destiny!!
We'll call it BTD ‘11 for short!

YES! That’s it… BTD '11 Like that... It'll stick in their minds like my hand in their pockets, yessah, Yessah!

Now… who to book…

Need some Profits, so I need to call some ‘Prophets’, hehehe...
One or two Apostles to decree and declare…
and a couple a Psalmists… Let’s see, who should we get…

Lemme turn on TBN, THAT’s where the anointment is…

It's 'gon be 'heaven in eleven', baby! Yes it is...

Questions and answers...

2010-12-14T09:57:00.002-05:00

A recent song lyric...
I

What is truth? Where does it start and where does it end, my friend?

What is life to you? Is it who you are or just the things you do?

What is wisdom? Does it come from inside or up above?

Most importantly, how do you define love?

B1

Is love a person, is love a thing?

Will we ever really understand, until we stand before the King.

Is it a feeling, is it of God, and why is it so hard? To love?

Is truth a concrete thing, is love a feeling?

Does it change with circumstances, like leaves in the wind?

Why do we struggle, why should we care?

How much pain should we have to bear, to Love?

II

Father Yahweh, why do I fit into your plan?

What do I mean to you? Wretched sinful man that I am?

Lord Yahshuah, you could have stayed on your throne above.

But what you did for me, truly you define Love.

B2

So love’s a person, and love’s a thing?

And this I’ll never really understand, until I stand before you my King.

More than a feeling, for Love is Yah! The Great I AM, the Almighty God!

Truth is a concrete thing, more than a feeling!

It doesn’t change with circumstances, like leaves in the wind.

Truth is forever, For Truth is Yah! The Way the Truth, and Life,

That’s what you Are…

Oh, Love... Is...

Yahweh!

© 2010 CT Jermin

The Clubdate Singer Speaks Chapter 8

2010-11-02T12:03:00.003-04:00

Chapter 8: "The Conflict”
Early 2004
(Please note the date of this writing. Much has changed since, but it reflects the state of mind I was in at that time)

Though this series of essays is autobiographical, I and my situation are by no means unique...

Saturday night:
I stand behind the microphone, in the crowded, dimly lit club, singing songs that make your body move.
I am the lead singer.

Sunday Morning:
I stand behind the microphone in the crowded, brightly lit church, singing songs that make your spirit soar.
I am the Worship leader.

Saturday night,
It's the booze, the beat and the lyrics that take you to another level.

Sunday morning:
It's the Holy Ghost, the lyrics and the beat, that take you to a Higher place.

Saturday night:
I am exhorting the party-goers, appealing to their basest desires and proclivities. "If you're sexy, throw your hands up, come on! Let me see ya shake what your Mama gave ya! Girl you better WORK that!"

Sunday morning:
I am exhorting the congregation, appealing to their most sacred sensibilities. The cadence is similar, but the words are a world away...
"Lift those hands if you Love Him! Come On family! Give God some Praise in His House! He's WORTHY!"

Saturday night:
Women in various stages of sobriety and undress, moved by my voice, make passes at me. Sometimes they hug and kiss me. I politely decline.

Sunday morning:
women in their Sunday best, moved by my voice, make veiled (sometimes not so veiled) passes at me. Sometimes they hug and kiss me.
I politely introduce them to my wife.

Saturday night:
The oldies range from Cole Porter to Sinatra to Sam Cook to Aretha Franklin to the Temptations. We sing them all.

Sunday morning:
The oldies range from Charles Wesley to James Cleveland to Sam Cook to Aretha Franklin to Andrae Crouch. We sing them all.

Saturday night:
I have to have my finger on the pulse of the party, to make sure that the song selection keeps the party's flow going.

Sunday morning:
I have to be receptive to the move of the Spirit, to make sure that the song selection keeps the Service's flow going.

By now you're probably calling me a hypocrite. I can almost hear the accusatory tone in your voice, as you say: "You can't serve two masters. You can't play for the devil Saturday night, and play for the Lord on Sunday morning". On the surface, yes that could be argued. But look at it this way:

Saturday night is my job.

Sunday morning is my calling, and for me, and many like me, the calling doesn't pay.

At least not monetarily.

What then do we do? Are we being duplicitous, hypocritical? Are we frauds, fakes?

Or could it be that we the unfortunate products of a grim reality:
Most of us cannot ever expect to support our families or pay our bills working in the church. This is but one half of the actual problem. The other half has to do with tastes in music, and musical expression. That is an essay for another time.

Most of the musicians I know that are in this situation would gladly stop doing this kind of work, if they church would pay them what they're worth. The fact is, though, that this doesn't happen very often. Most of us end up working in bands to make ends meet.

Here are but a few examples:

In my band, there are:
An associate Pastor of a large NYC Baptist church
A former choir director and lead singer in one of the top gospel choirs in New York
A multi-instrumentalist who juggles the band with church music commitments
and me.

In my best friend's band there is:

An ordained minister
A 3rd year seminary student
2 others who are musicians in their churches.

Why does this happen, you might ask. The problem stems from the age old black church philosophy. It is an HONOR to serve the Lord. That should be enough for you. Your reward will come later. Back in the day, when everyone lived on the plantation, it was cool because you had no bills. Actually it wasn't 'cool' per se, but you know what I mean.

As society changed, and churches sprang up in urban industrialized cities, this 'convenient doctrine' took root and spread, bolstered by numerous scripture, attesting to God's supernatural ability to provide for those that are doing His work, and the fact that folks were still poor, just trying to make it. There was no money to pay the musicians, and if there was, usually it was the organist.

In those days, it was still almost acceptable. I will go as far as to say that I still can understand this in smaller churches. However, in the age of the 'Mega-Church', this is not acceptable at all. I have seen musicians that asked for compensation, shunned thereafter, or in my case, character assassinated.

It's funny to me because everyone seems to miss this little verse:
As the scripture says, “You shall not muzzle an ox while it is treading out the grain," and, "The laborer deserves to be paid." - 1st Timothy Chapter 5 verse 18

The local church attitude also has repercussions within the recording industry, and the concert halls. Gospel music doesn't sell as well as secular music, and this is not for want of listeners. Gospel music listeners just don't buy CD's, and they continually attempt to undercut performers when it comes to their fees. I have seen it, and I have experienced it. Is it any wonder then that the artists end up doing what they do?

I wonder how the preachers would feel if the same logic is applied to their salaries and offerings, and people stop putting anything in the plates as they go by. I am convinced though, that this will probably never happen.

But I am a 'never say never' kind of guy, so I will hold out hope that someday things will be different, and guys like me won't have to straddle both sides of the fence, as it were.

Until then, it is what it is, and I can fully understand the choices that people like:
Sam Cooke, Aretha Franklin, Lou Rawls, Whitney Houston, Otis Redding, The Isley Brothers, Bobby Womack, Patti Labelle
and too many others to name had to make.
So I will keep on singing my songs, and supporting my family.
Call it what you will, but I believe that it's ok with God...

The Clubdate Singer Speaks: Chapter 10

2010-10-29T22:20:00.005-04:00

Chapter 10: Pleasant reverie
Disclaimer: The following story is an actual event, as all of the vignettes in the 'Clubdate Singer Speaks' series are. For 8 years, I was a member of one of the top Orchestras in the nation. Though it was an enjoyable time, it was also at times, quite painful. I took to writing initially to assuage my distress, and this is one of those times when the pen (or keyboard) proved to be a healing tool. I have considered publishing this series, and would appreciate your thoughts...

The Soho Penthouse*, April 2004
(* Not the real name of the venue)

I heard her before I saw her. I was around the wall, in the shadows by the elevator. I had just come through the freight entrance into the lobby, and she was coming into the lobby through the main entrance. From the sound, I knew what I would see before I laid eyes on her. I was not far off.
Hard walking, unaccustomed to high-heeled shoes, fairly unattractive bottle blond in a black dress that should have stayed on the hanger in the store.

She walked into the lobby, asked a general question to no-one in particular, though there were two people standing there: a Black man (the security agent ) and a Hispanic woman (the coat check clerk). No pleasantries, ‘no excuse me’, only a clipped and agitated, ‘Which way is the elevator?’
The man answered, and before he could finish his sentence she was off, without a thank you', or even an acknowledgment that someone had spoken to her, stomping in those shoes, in my direction…

She got to the elevator before I did, and slammed herself through the still-opening door. As she pressed the button and turned her back, I got on. I know that I startled her, because she was in the midst of primping in the floor to ceiling mirror that took up the entire back wall of the elevator.

Momentarily caught off guard, she managed one those well-practiced ‘Hi big black man, I’m attempting to appear relaxed though you frighten me’ smiles, to which I replied with the equally phony and well-used ‘ Relax little white woman, I’m a nice one and won’t hurt you’ smiles. I may have said something, I can’t remember, because if anything it was reflex. Empty words to make her comfortable, though I didn’t mean it.

My smile did the trick, she relaxed, and as she did, I saw her attitude towards me change. I went from big threatening monster, to barely-existent. Part of the elevator wall, or worse, almost like dog filth on a shoe. I watched it happen, and it was unbelievable. She turned back to the mirror, and resumed primping (as though it would help).

For a moment, (and this she’ll never know), she was in real danger. I wanted to become the very stereotype she feared, and slap her once. Hard enough to leave a clear imprint of my hand across the smug face, hard enough to draw blood from those tightly pursed lips. I had DMX playing in my head, and she almost made me lose my mind up in there….

But it would have been drama. I would have been arrested, lost my gig, wife bailing me out, loss of the respect of my peers, court dates, trial, and then jail.

Slapping her wasn’t worth all of that. Though I did think about it for a few precious, (deliciously decadent like chocolate truffles and a good aged Port,) seconds…

The elevator door opened, and she pushed past me brusquely, not looking back. I smiled, and meant it this time, as I rubbed my right hand in my left palm, savoring the tingling feeling…

The Clubdate Singer Speaks: Chapter 9

2010-10-16T15:03:00.001-04:00

Chapter 09: "Oseh Shalom"
New York City Subway - November 2005

So, I was on my way to rehearsal one night, riding the L train. I took the train going in the opposite direction, and got off at 6th avenue to catch the train going my way (easier to board when you get on earlier).

As I'm standing on the platform, I see/hear musicians.
Two Elderly Jewish men playing traditional Jewish songs (on violin and accordion).

As they were finishing ‘Oseh Shalom’ (He who makes peace), I put a dollar in the violin case, and the accordion player thanked me. My train was pulling in, and I felt a little like singing so I did. I sang the last line of ‘Oseh Shalom’, and as they began ‘Shalom Aleichem’ (Peace be with you!) I went right with them.

The accordion player's eyes nearly exploded out of his head, as he jumped up, and we stood on the platform singing (loud) together :
"Havenu Shalom Aleichem, Havenu Shalom Aleichem,
Havenu Shalom Aleichem, Havenu Shalom shalom, shalom Aleichem!"

As we were coming to the close of the chorus, I stepped onto the train, we shook hands, and exchanged blessings. His smile warmed my heart.
I didn't even mind the surprised stares of my fellow passengers.

Oseh Shalom bim'romav
Hu ya'aseh shalom aleinu
V'al kol yisrael
V'imru imru amen!

"May He who makes peace in the heavens,
grant peace to us and to all our people;
and let us say amen"

.... Only in New York

Timeline of the Eddie Long 8 am statement...

2010-09-26T09:54:00.007-04:00

6:45 am - I log on into the Stream of New Birth Missionary Baptist, to hear what Bishop Long is going to say. Yes service starts at 8, but in case the stream runs out of bandwidth, I want to be in…

8:05 - The stream begins a little late, and opens into a fiery passionate song of Praise. There is passion, and power in the song. There is a lot of hope, and a lot of worry in the room. It is tangible.. The Worship Leader is defiant, pumped up

8:14 - “You are the everlasting God, you’re the defender of the weak. Nothing is impossible for you, you hold my world in your hands. “The focus has turned to God, and the people pour out their hearts, and their hopes. But then the focus shifts from God, back to man, as they declare “Our god is this… Our God is that… and if our God is for us, then who could ever stop us, and if our God is with us, that what can stand against us”

8:18 – My Wife says… I wonder if anyone is considering the possibility that this is of God. (the situation). We recall the post 9/11 need that we felt in the room of our then church. People flooded the place, looking for ‘something’, looking for God that to let them know that it would be all right. That HE would make it all right…

8:20 - Praise and Worship is over. Another comes up to pray, and declares that God is King, and Lord. High and Lifted up. He says that today is about nothing else but God’s glory, not about a man, and people go wild. He quotes from Isaiah 6, and then says that 'we’re not here to spectate.' People go wild again… he prays that God would have His way.

8:24 - He calls Bishop Long ‘The set Apostle’ of this house, and prays that God would perfect the things that concern him. The crowd goes wild again. The man declares that New Birth is on a journey, and that today marks the end of 21 days of fasting.
He then instructs the people to repeat after him, and declares breakage of debt, quoting Joel 2:25, and it becomes all about finances. It would appear that after 21 days of fasting, one would seek God’s instruction but this is the way of the house, speaking and declaring… 2 cor 8:9, is then taken out of context. People declare that they will believe the profits and prosper, . Then more scripture is twisted, Prooftexting galore, grabbed from Old and New Testament.

8:26 - Now another elder ‘Harris’ gets ready to confess healing and health. New thinking brings health… and it continues… he rebukes and casts out spirits of cancer, diabetes, HBP , lupus Alzheimer's, and much more “I loose myself of all heart attacks rooted in fear. Bone disease is rooted in jealousy and envy.”
8:30 - People have taken their seats, time for the choir anthem. ‘Let everything that has breath. Praise HIM’

8:35 – A special announcement. Video of a hospice in South Africa. Bishop Long is there, promising to help.

8:38 – The woman who runs the hospice, flown in from South Africa, comes up, but says nothing. Literally. Not sure why they flew her in, or what she was supposed to say. She seems too overcome to speak.

8:40 - Bernice King comes up to take up the offering. Quotes Malachi indirectly. Says that your money is your seed, that money comes from trees, and says that we have to shift our thinking. So give, expecting a harvest. It may not be money, but it could be favor, health, advancement and promotion, better relationship in your family. Declare over your seed… Father in the name of Jesus Hold it in faith, sow it in obedience, return into our lives and into your bloodline, releasing generation in our bloodline. Offering song: Faithful is our God I rejoice today, for I have recovered it all…
Personally, I am nauseous…

8:53 - The choir is still singing. … 'He did it Suddenly…'

8:57 - all of a sudden, the volume in the room increases. I have a feeling it is not for God. I am right… It is William Murphy, and he gives scriptural context to the song as he takes them back in to the song. He did it… Suddenly… His reference, the woman with the issue of blood. Then he says, ‘Lose your mind for 30 seconds. Somebody open your mouth and shabanda.’ Bishop long walks up in the midst…

9:00 - The shouts for God, turn into shouts for Bishop, as he and Vanessa take the pulpit… Then he escorts her away, comes back alone, the crowd goes wild… He puts on his glasses…Takes them back off, and acknowledges the Love in the room… Turns and faces the choir and musicians. He exhorts the band, and the band sets the mood. He is clearly drawing strength in the moment

9:04 – He begins ”Good morning New Birth, and good morning to all our other guests. (The crowd goes wild). And I would be remiss not to say good morning to the world. You may be seated in the presence of the Lord. I would like to remind folks that we are here at 8 Every Sunday morning, Ere Sunday morning, and I’ll be here next week. (crowd goes wild) First of all let me think you on behalf of my wife & family, for love and support, Humbled by love . I realize that many have been waiting on me to say something, and I have to do… (crowd goes wild…) My first responsibility, was to my family, and uh, (applause) and then my next responsibility is not to address the world before I address my family, New Birth. (crowd goes wild) Someone shouts out ‘Love you Dad’, Long responds ‘Love you son’. Because I am pastor I want to talk to you for a moment , make a statement. Picks up I-Pad (PRIDE AND ARROGANCE are all over the stage emanating from him. It is awesome in its terror) I cannot type verbatim any longer, as I watch the spectacle unfold…
Extremely difficult time for me and my family, extremely difficult time for you, b/c many have called you, asked you questions. You ain't never got this many phone calls in your life. It is a time when you see the veil drop and see whose with you. (crowd goes wild) As a pastor I wanna make this statement, etc… Thanks sons daughters, pastors, etc. (Manipulation, smugness and control. He is in his element now for sure. His confidence is rising)

9:09 – Says that his message today is: How to handle painful and difficult situations… Sermon comes from - Ps 34:19 – many are the afflictions of the righteous. I’ll speak to my family first then tell the rest of you what you came to hear. (Crowd goes wild) (ANGER AND DEFIANCE, SMUGNESS)

9:16 - How to handle a painful situation: You can curse it, nurse it, rehearse it or reverse it . (I am saying it along with him, knowing what the next word will be. Guess I do have some ‘preacha’ in me…smh) Quotes Psalm 23. Speaks of Power: Prayer, Outreach, Worship, Encouragement, and Resolve

THEN IT HAPPENS: The Statement…

9:21 - I have never portrayed myself as a perfect man, but I am not the man portrayed on the television. (Crowd goes wild)..By the counsel of my lawyers, I am not going to try this case in the media, it will be tried in the courts of justice. It’s the only place that I’m gonna get justice. That and the courts of God. I’ve been accused, I’m under attack. I’m not a perfect man, but this thing, I’m gonna fight. I feel like David against Goliath, but I’ve got 5 rocks, and I ain’t thrown one yet… Slams mic down, ala Rakim, and walks off the stage… (Crowd goes wild…)

9:23 – Choir stars singing. God is an awesome God…

9:29 – My Wife says: Comparing yourself to David is dangerous. … because David did some awful things. Elder comes up, and says. “We stand behind our pastor. There’s a period at the end of that sentence”. He then offers..

9:30 - An altar call for people who want either salvation of church membership… no one comes up... (Wife and I are appalled)

9:31 - Band playing horn vamp from Jungle Boogie by Kool and the Gang… seems apropos. It’s a jungle…

He didn't say, 'I didn't do it.' Why not?
Just a simple.'I didn't do it.' Why not?
His obvious lack of a denial is something lost on the thronging, hungry mass of sheeple who hang on his every word, but do not HEAR what he says. How sad. This is going to be a mess…

Don’t talk about it, pray about it…

2010-09-25T22:25:00.008-04:00

Um… in this case, NO
We are in an army, but it is not the US military.
In that army, they say don’t ask don’t tell.
In this army, we are to cry aloud and spare not. (Isaiah 58:1)
Make a loud cry, do not be quiet, let your voice be sounding like a horn, and make clear to my people their evil doings, and to the family of Jacob their sins.

Though they make prayer to me every day, and take pleasure in the knowledge of my ways: like a nation which has done righteousness, and has not given up the rules of their God, they make requests to me for the right orders, it is their delight to come near to God.

They say, Why have we kept ourselves from food, and you do not see it? why have we kept ourselves from pleasure, and you take no note of it? If, in the days when you keep from food, you take the chance to do your business, and get in your debts; If keeping from food makes you quickly angry, ready for fighting and giving blows with evil hands; your holy days are not such as to make your voice come to my ears on high.

Have I given orders for such a day as this? a day for keeping yourselves from pleasure? is it only a question of the bent head, of putting on haircloth, and being seated in the dust? is this what seems to you a holy day, well-pleasing to the Lord? Is not this the holy day for which I have given orders: to let loose those who have wrongly been made prisoners, to undo the bands of the yoke, and to let the crushed go free, and every yoke be broken? Is it not to give your bread to those in need, and to let the poor who have no resting-place come into your house? to put a robe on the unclothed one when you see him, and not to keep your eyes shut for fear of seeing his flesh?

Then will light be shining on you like the morning, and your wounds will quickly be well: and your righteousness will go before you, and the glory of the Lord will come after you. Then at the sound of your voice, the Lord will give an answer; at your cry he will say, Here am I. If you take away from among you the yoke, the putting out of the finger of shame, and the evil word; And if you give your bread to those in need of it, so that the troubled one may have his desire; then you will have light in the dark, and your night will be as the full light of the sun: - Isaiah 58:1-10 BBE

While the media and internet is abuzz with the latest allegations against a very prominent Megachurch Pastor, the church world is rife with pseudo-apologists rushing to defend him, even as now 4 different accusers have come forth alleging the same thing.

I hearken back to Paul’s admonition to Timothy so many years ago:
Against an elder receive not an accusation, but before two or three witnesses. Them that sin rebuke before all, that others also may fear. - 1 Timothy 5:19-20

But we will not believe what we will not believe. This man is not the first, nor will he be the last. Sexual sin is the bane of the preacher. It is one of the three tools that Lucifer uses to lead men (and women) astray The other two are the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life (1 John 2: 16)

Have no love for the world or for the things which are in the world. If any man has love for the world, the love of the Father is not in him. Because everything in the world, the desire of the flesh, the desire of the eyes, and the pride of life, is not of the Father but of the world. And the world and its desires is coming to an end: but he who does God's pleasure is living for ever. - 1 John 2:15-17

There is a centuries long list. Here are just a few recent ones:

James Cleveland left a musical legacy, and a legacy of sexual deviance that is the stuff of Legend. Some were touched by his music, some were touched by the HIV he gave them...

George Rekers, 40 years in the ministry, co-founder of the Family Research Council got caught with a male ‘escort’ after a 10 day sex junket to Italy earlier this year.

Earl Paulk, who was having sex and fathering children with members of his congregation, most famously his own brother’s wife. Even now, after his death, the investigations and trials continue.

Ted Haggard, meth and a male escort… Nuff said.

Pastor Ronald Paige who was murdered in his home in April of 2008. His 21 year old killer confessed and told the reason why. The pastor was attempting to forcibly rape him. What’s more, the pastor has a long history of molesting teen boys at his church. Six other victims quickly came forward and made statements to police.

James Bell, Jr, a COGIC pastor who sexually abused a young boy and most likely infected him with HIV. Bell was arrested Dec. 30 2008 after he went to the Shelby County Detention Center and spoke with police. An arrest citation said Bell told police he is HIV positive and had unprotected sex with a 15-year-old. The citation said Bell did not tell the juvenile he was carrying the virus. State police said Bell told them he had sex with the minor “on multiple occasions” in 2007. The then 47-year-old Bell is pastor of Refuge Temple Church of God in Christ in Shelby County.

Terry Hornbuckle, pastor of Arlington's Agape Christian Fellowship who called himself "Bishop," was convicted of drugging and raping three women, two of them former members of his Arlington megachurch. He is now serving 15 years in a Texas prison.

And the list goes on and on…

But we in the church are busy saying, don’t talk about it, pray about it…
But we MUST talk about it…
What of the voiceless, silent victims... What about the wounded scattered sheep?

So since this latest scandal broke, I have been asked for my thoughts and opinions regarding this. My answer is not a simple one. I mean, it is on a broad level, but the issues that have arisen for me in the wake of this sordid and salacious situation go the heart of what it means to be a Christian, what it means to be a Pastor, and what it means to live a Christ honoring life…

So, in no order are the big issues”
1) What should he do?
2) What should We (fellow believers) do?
3) Why has this happened?

Staring from the bottom up: The question is Why has this happened?
One word. Pride.

How much better is it to get wisdom than gold! and to get understanding rather to be chosen than silver! The highway of the upright is to depart from evil: he that keepeth his way preserveth his soul. Pride goeth before destruction, and an haughty spirit before a fall. Better it is to be of an humble spirit with the lowly, than to divide the spoil with the proud. - Proverbs 16:16-19

Am I accusing the accused of being prideful? YES.

(There is an excellent discourse on the dangers of pride to be found here: www.afighttothedeath.blogspot.com , the date of the entry is Sept 23.
Do you Want or need proof? Here is a rather famous Quote of his:

"I DEAL with the White House. I DEAL with Tony Blair. I DEAL with presidents around this world. I pastor a multimillion-dollar congregation. You've got to put me on a DIFFERENT SCALE than the 'LITTLE BLACK PREACHER' sitting over there that's supposed to be just getting by..."

Aside from the unfortunate current business, another line of questions really should be asked:
Were not the abundant doctrinal issues more telling years ago?
Why are we even talking about this sex scandal now?
Why wasn’t NBMBC empty YEARS ago?
Why is this even important now?

Because the words that Paul wrote to Timothy, some 1900 years ago, as just as true now as they were then...

“For the time will come when they will not endure sound doctrine; but after their own lusts shall they heap to themselves teachers, having itching ears; 4And they shall turn away their ears from the truth, and shall be turned unto fables”. - 2 Timothy 4:3-4

Why haven’t we, as Bible believing Christians, challenged, repudiated and done away with the various heretical doctrines that have plagued the church? Why have preachers like this man and others, been allowed to grow fat and rich like slugs on the backs of the sheeple that fill their pews and their coffers?

Why? Because they make us feel good. They appeal to our flesh…

But this is not the way of Yashuah the Christ.
He said this:
"... The Son of man must suffer many things, and be rejected of the elders and chief priests and scribes, and be slain, and be raised the third day. And he said to them all, If any man will come after me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross daily, and follow me. For whosoever will save his life shall lose it: but whosoever will lose his life for my sake, the same shall save it. For what is a man advantaged, if he gain the whole world, and lose himself, or be cast away? - Luke 9:22-25

But that is the way of the modern day pseudo-christian heretic. Bottom line, that church should never have gotten ‘mega’ and no one should know his name. But the sheeple do…
What do I mean?

Well, here are some quotes from the accused, espousing the ‘Little god’ heresy of the word/faith movement.
Exhibit a:
"Tarry here in Jerusalem until the Spirit comes and you shall be my what? Come on, what is it? Say it! Witnesses! Do you know what witnesses means? Translated in the original language says, 'You shall be my duplicates.' See, we miss what evangelism is and what being saved is. And what being gods are. We walk around and be Him! Little Him's." - (Bishop Eddie Long, "You are Mighty," tape from his ministry)

This one is particularly egregious, because the word he translates as 'duplicates' in the Greek is 'Marturus' from which we get the word martyr
So what Yahshuah was really saying is: You shall be my martyrs… See the Luke 9 verses above. Yahshuah was consistent.

Exhibit b:
"That's the reason why when you look in the mirror and you ought to say, 'Good morning God.' Now, I ain't talking about your flesh. I ain't talking about you. But inside of you there is a piece of God. And if you don't recognize that you'll call yourself wretched..."

"My whole objective in life is to be His image, His duplicate, His witness and to show folk what He look like because, before nobody seen Him. Somebody say, 'I want to see God.' Here He is, look at me!"
(Bishop Eddie Long, "God Is After Himself," Tape from his ministry)

Or what of these interesting statements, which clearly put man’s opinion before the Word:
"You gotta hear this! You gotta hear this! Any body that gets an answer as soon as you pray, God doesn't trust you anymore. Because, you can't wait and still be sanctified."

"We're in a mature meeting and I don't have to read a scripture first. Can I mess with you and make you mad at me? A scripture introduced me and a scripture came up. Y'all, You gotta understand that. It is time that the body of Christ comes into the recognition and revelation that you are a scripture. You don't think you went through all that hell being processed that somebody couldn't read God by looking at you? Do you not realize that when you show up God shows up? Do you not realize that your walk and your talk is the living word?"
(Bishop Eddie Long, "Dominion Camp Meeting 2004," TBN, July 6, 2004)

There is Much more here (if you can stomach it):

Why is there so much sexual imagery in his preaching?
Why have we never commented on this before?

“We go to church buildings that still have a mortgage. Which means the bank owns God’s house. Which means that we go and make love to God in a house that Satan owns!” (make Love i.e. Have SEX with God?) I mean after all, this is a man who has preached that God took a uterus out of Adam to make Eve, (2008),
Worse yet, he has said that God’s word is his Sperm,… (This particular one was made famous by Comedy Central in their ‘Godstuff’ series

But we don’t say anything, don’t speak out against them, but RUSH headlong to defend them when they are caught with their pants down.
But we are supposed to be silent, don't talk, just pray...
NOT! It is the veil of silence that these controlling heretics hide behind. Browbeating the sheep with false, scripture-twisting doctrines, like the judge not/touch not, and others.
If you would like to be sure that I am coming from the scripture, I ask that you read the following earlier posts from this blog:
The Lie of 'Judge Not Part One
The Lie of 'Judge Not Part Two

But the question must be asked..
How do these heretical doctrines spread?
Like this:

The snail is you dear Christian
The worm is the heresy
The bird is your preacher/televangelist.

Notice the themes of deception, mind control, sacrifice, parasitic behavior, mindless obedience and lust?
A final admonition
1 John 5:20-21 (AMP) 20 - And we [have seen and] know [positively] that the Son of God has [actually] come to this world and has given us understanding and insight [progressively] to perceive (recognize) and come to know better and more clearly Him Who is true; and we are in Him Who is true--in His Son Jesus Christ (the Messiah). This [Man] is the true God and Life eternal.
21 - Little children, keep yourselves from idols (false gods)--[from anything and everything that would occupy the place in your heart due to God, from any sort of substitute for Him that would take first place in your life]. Amen (so let it be).

So, that’s it for now. A lot depends on what the Bishop does tomorrow. That will determine what gets written in this blog next. At least about this hot mess...
Next up, we'll deal with the pew problem: IDOLATRY
Peace & Blessings...
pastor.ctj

Can two walk together, except they be agreed? - (Amos 3:3)

2010-09-14T10:08:00.004-04:00

I grew up United Methodist. A member of the United Methodist Church (UMC) In much the same way as I grew up a democrat. Meaning that I did what my parents did, and that seemed right to me. Growing up, it meant social justice, civil rights, a sense of community, a place to express my gift, and a bunch of other things. As I got older, I realized that there was something BIG missing: Repentance. There was NEVER a call to repent, personally.
We read ritual prayers which said it, we heard constantly about being a good person, and loving the Lord. We sang hymns about God’s great Love, our sin, and Jesus' great sacrifice, and occasionally about the brokenness of repentance. The classic hymn ‘How Great thou art’, has this amazing verse which says:
‘and when I think, that God his son not sparing, sent him to die, I scarce can take it in. That on the cross, my burden gladly bearing, he bled and died to take away my sin.'
We would sing that every so often. (Today, I can barely hold back the tears when I dwell on those words too long...)

We were told time and again of the experience that John Wesley and His brother Charles (the founders of Methodism) had at the church at Aldersgate in 1792, but I do not recall being told that we should seek the same experience (repentance and submission)

At 19, I attended a service at another church which impacted me tremendously. I guess I came to understand that for all my church going, and church singing, and Sunday school teaching, I was estranged from, and in fact was not even in relationship with God. I went up for the altar call for those who wanted to accept the sacrifice of Jesus for their sins, and submit themselves for him, to be Lord of their lives. Things were somewhat different after that. I started to read the scriptures more carefully and critically, I started to listen to the sermons much more analytically, and compare the doctrine that I was being taught with the Bible. The doctrine began to fall woefully short.
Somewhere in my 20’s, I realized (at least subconsciously) that I was a Christian, not a United Methodist, and as such, because two cannot walk together unless they are in agreement, I had to leave. That was 1988.

In 2005 I went back as a volunteer to the church that I grew up in. I felt that I could affect some change, by introducing the people to a more intimate form of Worship; personal , and deep, which would translate into a more meaningful relationship with God, and change in their lives.
But I had forgotten the scriptural admonition, which had caused me to leave in the first place:

Can two walk together, except they be agreed? - (Amos 3:3)

This became painfully obvious when a new Pastor came in 2008.

Why am I writing all this down now? Well, for two reasons:

1) The recent Glenn Beck ‘restoring honor’ rally. Thousands of ‘christians’ running to DC, because a Mormon says words like God, Jesus, Faith Honor and America. Standing with Mr. Beck, even as he bears the standard of Beelzebub. Even as he preaches the false doctrines of Lucifer.

Can two walk together, except they be agreed? - (Amos 3:3)

But I had an advantage over the mindless unthinking hoards on the mall in DC. Actually 2. The first is that I read the Bible, and the second is that I have been dealing with this for a while. Case in point is the second event:

2) I attended an ordination service recently. My cousin was ordained an Elder in the UMC. This makes now four close relatives that are UMC Reverends, (2 aunts, an uncle, and a cousin). I sat there, impressed by the ritual (at least parts of it) and was in fact in agreement with much of what was said (The sermon by Bishop xxx in particular) but I kept seeing, as I looked at the sea of white robes, the words of Jesus: “ Woe unto you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! for ye are like unto whited sepulchres, which indeed appear beautiful outward, but are within full of dead men's bones, and of all uncleanness. Even so ye also outwardly appear righteous unto men, but within ye are full of hypocrisy and iniquity. - (Mat 23:27-28)”
So even as I heard the familiar words, the familiar passages, and felt familiar emotions, I was reminded that what is familiar is not often what is righteous, and that my feelings are not evidence of the truth.
I have wrestled with this for a while. So much so that I wrote a letter to a brother in April, responding to a request of his. The text follows. I pray that as you read it, it will speak to you…

04/17/10 -

My brother:

Let me begin by apologizing for not getting back to you in a timely fashion regarding your request. There were/are several reasons for it, which I will try to explain below. I ask that you be patient with what may amount to some rambling, as I speak my heart.
In the past few months, I have been undergoing a rather radical change in (and a redefinition of) my understanding of what it means to be a ‘Christian’. It has been challenging, disquieting and on some level depressing. I believe, you see, in the ‘purposed narrowing’ of our lives, which happens through spiritual, through external, and through deliberate internal means to conform to a Biblical standard of behavior, belief and associated action. That is a process that is reforming my life.
When Rev. xxx called me in Early 2005, and asked me to help with the ministry, I thought that it was a good idea, and I believe that at first it was making some change, but after a while I no longer saw it, and it became increasingly difficult for me to sit through things that were obviously heretical (and in fact, by leading Worship I was tacitly agreeing with them) .
My conversation with Rev. zzz basically nailed the coffin shut… Here are some samples.
When we began the Repairer’s Fellowship in 2007, it wasn’t clear what it was supposed to be other than a house-church, and base of operations for a teaching ministry.
Though I have learned, and am still learning to expect YHWH to exceed my expectations on a regular basis, I didn’t expect to be challenged the way that I have been over the past few months.
The Dilemma:
In 2009, as part of a study on the ‘Prosperity Gospel’, I began a study of the doctrine of tithing, and quickly realized that it was in fact fallacious, and not applicable to the church (the results of my study are here: Examining the Tithe .
I spoke to Pastors, ministers and other clergy about this, and essentially the honest ones agreed. This troubled me, for though there was agreement, there was no change planned in any of those who acknowledged the veracity of my points. Have we become like the church leaders of Yahshuah’s day, making decisions not based in truth, but socio-political, and economic expedience? (John Chapters 11 & 12) Increasingly I believe that to be so, and it is distressing to say the least. One of my mottos is: ‘Righteousness before Political Correctness, Holiness before Convenience & The Word of God before our Opinions’. Even when it’s painful, that’s the way I’m trying to live, and minister.
The next question for me was, ‘How does the church support itself?’
The subsequent study led to what I call ‘The Doctrine of All’, which was based on Mark 12:29-31, and 2 Corinthians 8:1-5 & Matthew 25:31-40 (I will send you the study if you’d like).
This led to an even more basic truth, which is what YHWH’s plan for church growth is found in Acts 2:42-47, namely, Study the Word, Live the Word, Love YHWH, Love your neighbor, and YHWH will add to the number of those being saved. Why do we not teach/practice this? Is it, once again, a question of expedience? So I decided that this was the direction we had to go.
So the question became: WHAT DOES THIS LOOK LIKE IN REAL LIFE? Conceptually it all made sense, in fact, it made so much sense, that it made everything else look like foolishness. But how do I make the concept a reality? How do I get the life on the pages into the hearts of the people? Is that even my job?
I have long been a critic of the money focus that I see in many churches. As a Pastor, I understand that generally the current mindset, and current gauges of success are namely the bigger your church (literal numbers, and building size) the more successful you are. That prevailing belief led me to write my senior thesis paper on growth strategies within the Mega, Traditional and House church models.
By the end of my study, I came to a couple of disquieting conclusions:
1) The church in America is in fact NOT growing, for the most part, we are merely shifting sheep from one pen to another, and the statistics bear that out.
2) The current strategies are in fact counter-Biblical, and deeply flawed. Yahshuah commanded Peter to Grow Big Sheep, not build big pens to hold them (John 21). By seeking to ‘impress and excite’ the sheep instead of feeding/disciple them, we are creating a nation that is as spiritually bloated and malnourished as our physical bodies are (well not you, LOL).
3) This strategy is essentially playing right into the hands of the enemy, because the sheep are malnourished and weak, and when adversity comes, they are easily defeated.
4) Our American sense of ‘Rugged Individualism’, which is as American as Mom and Apple pie, is in fact not Christian, and this mindset has crept its way into the church. Of course our cover phrase is ‘a personal relationship with God’. Fact being though that Christianity’ is lived out in community, unless you happen to be on a deserted island. Otherwise, the expression of the commands in Mark 12 can ONLY happen in community.
So what to do?
In our congregation/fellowship, I began (in earnest) to focus on the idea of Christ in community, meaning that our lives are interdependent. We have been working through a series on the process of moving from Dependence to Independence to Interdependence. It was (and at times still is) a depressing enterprise. I am constantly reminded that I cannot expect to do in a few months what it took Yahshuah 3 years to do (and even then the results were not 100%), but I didn’t expect the kind of passive resistance that we have seen. For example:
We have a member who has a weekend only job. He is struggling financially. We have another member who is struggling physically, and as such has to take cabs to work every day, it costs her $10 per trip, sometimes $100/week if she takes cabs home too. I suggested that since he is home all day, he could take her to work in the morning, she could pay him $8.50 per trip, saving her money, helping him financially, and keeping the money ‘in the family’. They both thought about it, and rejected the idea. I was floored!
Another example:
We do not teach tithing, but we do teach cooperation. We expect that our members will contribute to our services, whether financially, or with food, or with help in the day to day, week to week, running of the ministry. We meet in our home, and very rarely does anyone offer to come by early and help clean, or aside from one or two does anyone offer to help with dishes, etc. Why? Because we have trained people that ‘church’ is time to ‘get’ not ‘give’ and even then ‘giving’ is a single function, money.
So now I am ‘Floored and depressed’, because I believe brother, that if the idea of true community cannot be understood and implemented in the church, especially in a small group setting, then the whole thing (‘Christianity’) falls down.
What then?
As I reached a point of near despair, the Holy Spirit asked me, ‘If nobody had listened to Yahshuah, would He still have been right?’
This has helped me tremendously, and we will continue, and I understand that the process will be slow, at least for now…
That said, what does any of this have to do with Xxxxx?
The things that I saw/heard/experienced during my most recent time at Xxxxx further cemented my belief that the current church system must change dramatically or die. Xxxxx is as you know, a church which is dying, and the current strategies will not save it. Unless there is a paradigm shift, a shift that returns to the foundational simplicity of the church. We must return to a mindset and practice where the Pastors are indeed shepherds, and not career journeymen, or empire-building motivational speakers.
Systemically, we must get to a place where the members are dependent upon YHWH, independent of the prevailing trappings of ‘religion’ and interdependent upon one another. Without such a return, we may as well just pack it in…
If I am not seeing this thing correctly brother, please help me see it in a different light. Looking forward to hearing from you soon..
Much Love to you, Bro.
C
To date I have received no answer…
Can two walk together, except they be agreed? - (Amos 3:3)

The Manhattan Rhythm Machine @ the 2004 RNC

2010-08-14T20:12:00.012-04:00

Day 1 "Ain't no Stoppin us now"
Yours truly, Lead vocal and Percussion...

Good Times, featuring the Texas Delegates (the audio improves)

Day 2: This will be (an everlasting love) - Lead Vocal, Kim Summerson
September - Lead Vocal , Me

missiongroove.blogspot.com

More music from The Manhattan Rhythm Machine @ the 2004 RNC

2010-08-14T15:15:00.007-04:00

Day 3:
'Soul with a Capital S' Lead vocal: Me
'Soul Man' Lead Vocal: Bobby Lewis & yours truly

More Day 3: Gimme Some Lovin'(Lead Vocal me) ,
I feel good (Lead Vocal Bobby Lewis and I)

Get Down Tonight

Day 4: Stevie Wonder's 'Another Star'

Jump Jive and Wail (Bobby Lewis lead)

3 Deuces by Marcus Miller

2010-08-09T17:45:00.001-04:00

2 words... Poogie Bell...

RIP Walter Hawkins, & Sugar Minott

2010-07-12T13:51:00.002-04:00

July 11, 2010 marked the passing of two musical giants:
Gospel Music Legend, Walter Hawkins, and Reggae Superstar Sugar Minott...

What is this? - Walter Hawkins & Family
(Featuring Lynette Hawkins, and Tremaine Hawkins)

Rough Ole Life - Sugar Minott

Don Nori Sr. Says...

2010-06-05T13:11:00.003-04:00

and I agree...

So what do we do with this one????

2010-05-05T23:08:00.004-04:00

So the new salacious story involves George Rekers, one of the founders of the FRC, and the gay male escort, on a 10 day junket together…

George A. Rekers, Ph.D., is Professor of Neuropsychiatry and Behavioral Science, Research Director for Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, and Chairman of Faculty in Psychology at the University of South Carolina School of Medicine in Columbia, S.C. He has authored nine books, over 120 academic journal articles, and numerous book chapters. He is the editor of the Handbook of Child and Adolescent Sexual Problems (Lexington/Jossey-Bass/Simon & Schuster, 1995)

According to the ACLU Website
As of 10/4/2004
George Rekers Fact Sheet
Dr. George A. Rekers is the state's expert witness in Howard v. Child Welfare Agency Review Board, in which the Lesbian and Gay Rights Project at the American Civil Liberties Union represents three prospective foster parents in challenging a law that bars gay people and people in households with gay family members from foster parenting.
• Rekers is one of the founders of the Family Research Council, a notoriously anti-gay group.
• Rekers relies on the discredited research of Paul Cameron, an anti-gay ""researcher"" who was kicked out of the American Psychological Association for misrepresenting the research regarding homosexuality.
• Rekers has suggested that gays are unsuitable to serve as foster parents because they're at higher risk for AIDS and other sexually-transmitted disease, ignoring the fact that there is a physical examination required of all foster parent applicants in Arkansas that would weed out any applicants with health conditions that could jeopardize a foster child.
• Rekers says that children are best served when raised by both a mother and a father, but doesn't favor excluding single heterosexual single women from fostering.
• Rekers is an ordained minister in the southern Baptist convention. He has strong religious beliefs about homosexuality and the role of men and women, including the belief that married women should be submissive to their husband's leadership in the home.
• Rekers practices ""conversion therapy,"" the attempt to ""cure"" people of being gay.
• Rekers has said he favors pulling children from long-term placements with gay foster parents if the opportunity arises to place them in homes headed by straight parents even though, as he acknowledges, research shows such transitions are traumatic for children.

Well this story appeared in the Miami New Times:
"The pictures on the Rentboy.com profile show a shirtless young man with delicate features, guileless eyes, and sun-kissed, hairless skin. The profile touts his "smooth, sweet, tight ---" and "perfectly built 8 inch ------" and explains he is "sensual," "wild," and "up for anything" — as long you ask first. And as long as you pay.
On April 13, the "rent boy" (whom we'll call Lucien) arrived at Miami International Airport on Iberian Airlines Flight 6123, after a ten-day, fully subsidized trip to Europe. He was soon followed out of customs by an old man with an atavistic mustache and a desperate blond comb-over, pushing an overburdened baggage cart.
That man was George Alan Rekers, of North Miami — the callboy's client and, as it happens, one of America's most prominent anti-gay activists. Rekers, a Baptist minister who is a leading scholar for the Christian right, left the terminal with his gay escort, looking a bit discomfited when a picture of the two was snapped with a hot-pink digital camera.
Reached by New Times before a trip to Bermuda, Rekers said he learned Lucien was a prostitute only midway through their vacation. "I had surgery," Rekers said, "and I can't lift luggage. That's why I hired him." (Medical problems didn't stop him from pushing the tottering baggage cart through MIA.)

Yet Rekers wouldn't deny he met his slender, blond escort at Rentboy.com — which features homepage images of men in bondage and grainy videos of crotch-rubbing twinks — and Lucien confirmed it.

At the small western Miami townhome he shares with a roommate, a nervous Lucien expressed surprise when we told him that Rekers denied knowing about his line of work from the beginning. "He should've been able to tell you that," he said, fidgeting and fixing his eyes on his knees. "But that's up to him."

For decades, George Alan Rekers has been a general in the culture wars, though his work has often been behind the scenes. In 1983, he and James Dobson, America's best-known homophobe, formed the Family Research Council, a D.C.-based, rabidly Christian, and vehemently anti-gay lobbying group that has become a standard-bearer of the nation's extreme right wing. Its annual Values Summit is considered a litmus test for Republican presidential hopefuls, and Sean Hannity and Ann Coulter have spoken there. (The Family Research Council would not comment about Rekers's Euro-trip.)
He has also influenced American government, serving in advisory roles with Congress, the White House, and the Department of Health and Human Services and testifying as a state's witness in favor of Florida's gay adoption ban. A former research fellow at Harvard University and a distinguished professor of neuropsychiatry at the University of South Carolina, Rekers has published papers and books by the hundreds, with titles like Who Am I? Lord and Growing Up Straight: What Families Should Know About Homosexuality.
"While he keeps a low public profile, his fingerprints are on almost every anti-gay effort to demean and dehumanize LGBT people," says Wayne Besen, a gay rights advocate in New York City and the executive director of Truth Wins Out, which investigates the anti-gay movement. "His work is ubiquitously cited by lobby groups that work to deny equality to LGBT Americans. Rekers has caused a great deal of harm to gay and lesbian individuals."
Rekers is a board member of the National Association for Research & Therapy of Homosexuality (NARTH), an organization that systematically attempts to turn gay people straight. And the Huffington Post recently singled out Rekers as a member of the American College of Pediatricians — an official-sounding outfit in Gainesville that purveys lurid, youth-directed literature accusing gays of en masse coprophilia. (In an email, the college's Lisa Hawkins wrote, "ACPeds feels privileged to have a scholar of Dr. Rekers' stature affiliated with our organization. I am sure you will find Prof. Rekers to be an immaculate clinician/scholar, and a warm human being.")
Rekers lectures worldwide, from Europe to the Middle East, on teen sexuality. Yet during his ten-day sojourn with Lucien to London and Madrid, he had no lectures scheduled. Both men deny having sex on the trip, and emails exchanged between the two before their jaunt are cautiously worded.

"I'd like to propose another trip to Rome, Italy, for a week or more," Rekers wrote in an email dated March 21 obtained by New Times. "This is so exciting to have a nice Travel Assistant and traveling companion! Wow! I'm so glad I met you."
"I called and talked to the reservation guy in London and reserved a room with two twin beds," Rekers wrote on March 26.

"Now that I'm packed, tomorrow I'll work on completing my income tax return," Rekers wrote two days later. "Not fun... But I'll just remind myself that the fun trip is coming soon."
In his interview with New Times, Lucien didn't want to impugn his client, but he made it clear they met through Rentboy.com, which is the only website on which he advertises his services. Neither Google nor any other search engine picks up individual Rentboy.com profiles, any more than they pick up individual profiles on eHarmony or Match.com. You cannot just happen upon one.
To arrive at Lucien's site, Rekers must have accepted Rentboy.com's terms of use, thereby acknowledging he was not offended by graphic sexual material. He then would have been transported to a front page covered with images of naked, tumescent men busily sodomizing each other.

Then Rekers must have performed a search. Did he want a "rentboy," a "sugar daddy," or a "masseur"? In what country? And what city? If Rekers searched for a rent boy in Miami, he would have found approximately 80 likely candidates. He must have scrolled down the first page, past the shirtless bears and desperate ex-models, and on to page 2. There, at last, was Lucien.

As a favor to Rekers, Lucien recently removed any wanton sexual descriptors from his Rentboy profile. Though he does admit Rekers "likes younger guys to hang out with," Lucien is protective of his erstwhile client. He describes Rekers primarily as a family man — one whose passion for oppressing homosexuals is dwarfed by his desire to help children. "You don't understand how much this guy honestly cares about taking care of kids," he says.

Indeed, much of Rekers's activism over the past three decades — beginning with his 1983 book, Shaping Your Child's Sexual Identity — has been devoted to improving children's lives by educating them, protecting them from their own budding sexualities, and keeping them safe from gay adoptions — as he did by testifying as an expert witness in favor of gay adoption bans in both Arkansas and Florida.

Well, it's a good thing Rekers isn't gay himself. Lucien tells us that Rekers frequently takes in foster children and that four years ago he adopted a 16-year-old boy. We found the boy, who is now Lucien's age, on Facebook. He declined to be interviewed.

UGH!!!!
What ever happened to put off the very appearance of evil?

Dr. Rekers has issued a statement
Which says:
A recent article in an alternative newspaper cleverly gave false impressions of inappropriate behavior because of its misleading innuendo, incorrectly implying that Professor George Rekers used the Rentboy website to hire a prostitute to accompany him on a recent trip. Contrary to Internet stories based on this slanderous article, following medical advice Professor George Rekers requires an assistant to lift his luggage in his travels because of an ongoing condition following surgery. His family, local friends, and even another university professor colleague have offered to accompany him on trips to assist him in his travel. Dr. Rekers found his recent travel assistant by interviewing different people who might be able to help, and did not even find out about his travel assistant’s Internet advertisements offering prostitution activity until after the trip was in progress. There was nothing inappropriate with this relationship. Professor Rekers was not involved in any illegal or sexual behavior with his travel assistant.

The Clubdate Singer speaks Chapter 14

2010-04-20T16:49:00.005-04:00

‘Inhalation’ (assimilation) 2002

The bride appears from an outer chamber. As she enters the ballroom, half of the guests gasp and watch in awe as she seems to glide across the room: a vision in brightly colored, ornately decorated silks.
The other half of the room nods appreciatively, their approval more subdued, but infinitely more important to her, as this is her family, and she is about to perform the ’Paeback’ a portion of the traditional Korean marriage rite.

It is the introduction ceremony of the bride (to the groom's family) at the wedding.
Women swirl around her, making sure that everything is just right. They have all been in this position before, and the sight of her seems to invigorate them, even the elderly women present seem to glow. I am convinced that pure Joy is the secret to eternal youth. The old women prove it to me as I watch them attend to her…

Her new husband enters from the other side of the room, dressed in traditional Korean attire as well. He seems slightly uncomfortable, self-conscious, and the garments seem ill-fitting on one so tall. (This is by no means a perpetuation of any stereotype, merely the facts as they were presented.) I feel strangely gratified, seeing the tall ungainly white man in the Korean clothes. Why? Because he is, out of love for his bride, and respect for her culture, making an honest gesture, a sincere gesture. His seriousness is evident. His reverence is moving. It touched us all.

So many times on clubdates*, you see the underbelly, the ugliness of the familial and social dynamic. Normally, by the time we see the families, the ceremony is long done, the drinking has begun, and any semblance of decorum is swiftly fading. It’s our job to ‘keep it going’, ‘make the party hot’. Rarely do we get to see this part of the day. It is a blessing.

As they knelt, beginning the ceremony, the task fell to the bride’s brother to translate, and to explain the various elements of the ritual.

He sauntered up to the microphone, looking smug, almost angry. It seemed strange, but in fact it was a harbinger of what was to come. In his Perry Ellis tux and patent leather shoes, swaying, slightly drunk, he proceeded to make a mockery of the entire ceremony. From his sister’s attire, to her obviously traditional makeup, to the women that attended to her, to the groom, nothing and no-one was spared. It was ugly, and his mean-spirited ‘jokes’ made it worse.

The groom’s family and the other guests grew increasingly uncomfortable, as did the band. His family was furious, and at the end of the ceremony, some of them walked out. The band was in the hallway and we watched them as they left, speaking in hushed fervent tones, shocked and hurt. Not one of us could speak Korean, but we all understood.

Later, as I watched him, some things became clear.
I believe that this was a result of 4 things in combination:
1) His need to impress/identify with the white people that were in attendance
2) His long simmering animosity towards his sister
3) His own self-loathing. (Culturally and otherwise)
4) Alcohol

His vengefulness almost ruined the evening, (clearly it ruined the ceremony) and it was a disgrace to behold. The bride was very upset, and didn’t seem to enjoy the rest of the party. We played our tails off, and the ‘Soul circle’* was a great ice-breaker. I got the 2 families to interact on the dance-floor in a way that they had not in the church, or at dinner. Once again music displays its power to break down walls and unite. Thank God for music.

His behavior really struck me, because I understood it, just as I understood him. In elementary school is where I first began to see it, feel it, understand it. The reality is that no matter how hard you try to fit in, you really never can. No matter how hard you try to be like ‘them’ you can’t. Your skin gives you away every time. (It took years before I was at peace with it) I think for the bride’s brother, the sight of his new brother in law, taking on his culture and being appreciated for the attempt, was a comfort, an appreciation that he had never experienced, a grace he was never allowed, and to be honest, being ‘exotic’ gets stale fast…

I thought of this piece today after watching this video. I enjoyed it and hope that you will too.

A discussion with a dear sister.

2010-04-17T19:30:00.005-04:00

Shortly after the death of Michael Jackson I got an email from a sister who was upset about some of the comments that I made on my Facebook page, and she decided to take me to task for them. The following is my response to her...
I think that it pretty clearly elucidates my position on matters of faith, and the so called 'church' in America.
...The sister passed away suddenly shortly after, so we never got to finish this exchange...

My dear Sister,
I would like to address some of the things that you brought up in the thread, and want to do so outside of it, in the interest of time and space. Please indulge me.
I am looking forward (with anticipation) already to your response, and I haven't even sent it yet...
I was enjoying the thread, but couldn’t weigh-in as I would have liked, for reasons that you will soon see.

As for being so 'deep’: I sincerely hope that you were referring to me. I take it as a compliment. Thank you, truly.
All around me I see shallow ‘saints’, so to be considered 'deep' is a blessing. Yes I know how you meant it, and am aware that it was not complimentary

I hope to get to where Rev. A.M.is, in that I treasure the call of God so much that I will leave all that is familiar,(home, family, friends, culture, language)and move to a foreign country, knowing no one, to learn the language and the culture, so that I can preach the Gospel, and be effective for God?

Is that being " so heavenly minded we end up being "no earthly good"?

As for being confrontational, again I hope that you were referring to me, and again I thank you. Sincerely.

The fact is that the so-called church in America is dying, my sister, and it is not for lack of 'love' or 'tolerance' or 'political correctness’.

It is in fact because we no longer speak the truth in love. The American church is fast becoming a powerless, self-absorbed shell, a walking corpse.
(and I have the statistics to prove it, lol)

We placate, cajole and fondle, seeking to be seen as 'loving and nice' because 'Jesus is love'. We teach a watered-down comfortable Gospel or no Gospel at all, to make Christianity palatable, accessible and socially relevant. Forgetting that YHWH is HOLY and RIGHTEOUS and we will all give an account.

The most loving thing that we can do for someone else is to share the Gospel.
The Most loving thing that we can tell people is lead them through the Romans Road.

But we don't... Why?

We Pastors have done awful job of teaching the flock the truth of the Gospel, we have not equipped the saints, and as a result, are responsible for much of what is seen around us in America.

Because we have striven to be celebrities ourselves, we feed into the idolatrous culture that America is. We have failed. Because we ourselves have bought into the world’s measures of success, we have made allowances for unrighteousness, no longer hear from God, but know all of the right formulas for church growth… So we feed the sheep on dry brown grass...

As a result, we have a massive amount of skinny malnourished and poorly taught sheep crowding into huge pens Sunday after Sunday to be entertained.
Adam is aware of that, as am I, and we are doing all that we can to fight against it, and I know that we are not alone. It is like salmon swimming against the stream.

Yahshuah wanted and trained big strong tough sheep, and that's what he trained.
They were 'deep', and they were honest, like their Master.
They told the truth at great personal cost, and died for it, like their Master.
Why are we not like them?
Our Master is the same one, is He not?

But we love this verse don't we:

Galatians 2:20 “I have been crucified with Christ. It is no longer I who live, but Christ who lives in me. And the life I now live in the flesh I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me.”

One of the things that I have been talking to my group about is the idea of 'reputational martyrdom'. We may not be killed physically anymore, but the truth of Mark 8:35 - “For whosoever will save his life shall lose it; but whosoever shall lose his life for my sake and the gospel's, the same shall save it.” remains.

It is only when we are no longer afraid to 'die' to our reputations, carefully crafted images, and comfortable social situations, that we really become his disciples, and scripture bears that out...

But we won't do that, because it's uncomfortable. We are so good at doing ‘church’ and being religious, but so bad at being Christians.

This is why people like Brother A.X., who grew up in the church are so cynical and antagonistic to God and to the Gospel. He saw all the religious mish-mosh, but never saw Jesus...

He is a friend, and has been for many years. What kind of friend would I be if I didn't tell him that odds are he'll spend eternity in hell, unless he repents? I told him so, in love and with great care. He thanked me for my honesty.
I had to get past wondering or caring if he'd be so offended that he'd never speak to me again, or think of me as a religious zealot, or bigot. The truth is more important that our feelings, My sister.

This is why groups like the Westboro Baptist church can spring up, saying the most hateful atrocious things in the name of God, and they get air time.
If we were doing what we should be doing, they'd have no members and get no attention, but the sorry fact is that much of what they say is true, and because it's packaged in with the vitriol that they spew, it all gets disregarded. How sad. So when we say the same things that they say (those things that are correct) what happens? Labels and epithets.. But why should we have it any different. They pulled Yahshuah's beard out of his face. (Isaiah 50:6)

Concerning Michael Jackson,
It is sad that a Muslim wrote one of the clearest assessments of the world’s fascination with Michael Jackson’s life and death that I have seen:
It is here
Here is an excerpt:
... as I contemplate the loss of Michael, truly a giant figure in global "pop" culture, there is a second Qur'anic truth that resonates with me: that there is no deity worthy of worship but the One Lord of Creation. And how true these words must be for those of us who believe in God, yet live embedded in a culture where the mass adulation that society pours out on athletes and performers approaches -- and frequently crosses into -- the territory of idolatry.

Michael Jackson, for all of his obvious troubles and even moral ambiguities, was truly an "idol" for millions. His phenomenal talent as a child leading the legendary Jackson Five had grown, over the years, into entertainment legend that equaled that of Elvis Presley and the Beatles.

Our culture looked beyond his fixation with self-mutilation and his fascination with children, brushing them off as nothing more that the eccentricities of genius. And when, as it was reported, his $20 million annual income could not pay for his extreme spending habits, our culture brushed it off, and seemed prepared to pour more money into his gigantic pockets of self-indulgence, feeding his appetites and those of the army of sycophants who feed off of him.

But now, when the music has died, the world must confront a deeper question: Who, or what, do we actually worship? And what is the nature of our relationship with God if the objects of our adoration are nothing more than false deities?

Michael Jackson, I believe, was a mirror held up before society, and one that yielded a reflection of the shape and form of modern idol worship. I think of how frequently I hear the word "idol" used in the context of our celebration of mega-athletes and entertainers, and how we collectively allow them to hover just above the moral judgments that we reserve for lesser mortals.

But don't misunderstand me. I'm not complaining about Michael Jackson's phenomenal talents. Or his fame, or his money. In the final analysis (in the words of another dead icon, Tupac Shakur) only God can judge him. But collectively, we can, and we must, judge ourselves for the celebrity worship that permeates modern culture, and ignores the need to give real help to our "famous," but very human, brothers and sisters when they spin out of control.

I will miss Michael Jackson, too. I send my condolences to his family and loved ones.

But I must remind myself, and everyone, that the worship of celebrity, any celebrity, is both false and utterly destructive to the objects of worship and to those who bow down before them.

Let us honor great talent, but save worship for the Almighty God alone.

This person is so right that I'm angry. Where are the Christians saying this? Instead we get 'professed Christians' like Magic Johnson...
Anyway, before I go THERE again...

The facts are, that the tree is known by its fruit. Michael was a gifted musician, a humanitarian, and all that good stuff, he gave millions to charity, and that is awesome, but he was probably not saved.
You watched the memorial, what about the promoter saying that MJ was working on the whole ‘Coexist’ and ‘One truth’ business? What of that?
I say again, MJ was probably not saved.

The encounter that he had with the Crouches I think tells the real story. Michael went to them like Simon (not Peter) went to Peter in Acts 8:14-21...

According to Andrae Crouch's spokesman:

"...Andrae and Sandra did in fact visit with Michael Jackson two times, once at the recording studio, and once at his home in the last two months, as recently as three weeks ago, asking for prayer concerning the anointing of the Holy Spirit, and how he could make his music more ‘spiritual’. So Andrae and Sandra explained to him about the anointing and about Jesus. He wanted to know what makes your hands go up, and makes you ‘come out of yourself,’ and what gives a ‘spirituality’ to the music? He then requested to hear his favorite song that he loves and wanted them to sing to him, so they…joined hands and sang together, and he said, ‘it was beautiful.’ He first heard it in New York, and loved it and wanted it on tape. He had the engineer tape the song sang to him by Andrae and Sandra. He definitely had an encounter with them."

As to whether or not the legendary singer had prayed to receive Christ, through his spokesman Crouch responded…

"He did NOT reject Jesus or the prayer when (we) prayed, and gladly joined in prayer. He usually doesn’t touch anybody, but he touched them, and held their hands in a circle as they sang and prayed. There was NO actual ‘sinners prayer’ however, but they did talk and pray about Jesus and the anointing of the Holy Spirit."

Read more here

Compare that to the scripture:

When the apostles in Jerusalem heard that Samaria had accepted the word of God, they sent Peter and John to them. When they arrived, they prayed for them that they might receive the Holy Spirit, because the Holy Spirit had not yet come upon any of them; they had simply been baptized into the name of the Lord Jesus. Then Peter and John placed their hands on them, and they received the Holy Spirit.

When Simon saw that the Spirit was given at the laying on of the apostles' hands, he offered them money and said, "Give me also this ability so that everyone on whom I lay my hands may receive the Holy Spirit."

Peter answered: "May your money perish with you, because you thought you could buy the gift of God with money! You have no part or share in this ministry, because your heart is not right before God. – Acts 8:14-21 (NIV)

Very similar isn't it?

The facts are that MJ grew up Jehovah's Witness, and then later in life embraced Islam. But Christians are running around saying 'R.I.P.' when we know what the fate of those who know not the Christ is.

In all probability he is not resting, and not in peace.

But when that is said, there will be private assent (meaning that some will agree but fear or reprisal will not say it publicly), but public attack.

To prove my point, I may well post that on Facebook, and you watch the number of 'Christians' who will attack me, all of them using the 'Judge not' line.

Isaiah had it so right when he wrote these words:

9 Therefore is judgment far from us, neither doth justice overtake us: we wait for light, but behold obscurity; for brightness, but we walk in darkness. 10 We grope for the wall like the blind, and we grope as if we had no eyes: we stumble at noon day as in the night; we are in desolate places as dead men. 11 We roar all like bears, and mourn sore like doves: we look for judgment, but there is none; for salvation, but it is far off from us. 12 For our transgressions are multiplied before thee, and our sins testify against us: for our transgressions are with us; and as for our iniquities, we know them; 13 In transgressing and lying against the LORD, and departing away from our God, speaking oppression and revolt, conceiving and uttering from the heart words of falsehood. 14 And judgment is turned away backward, and justice standeth afar off: for truth is fallen in the street, and equity cannot enter. - Isaiah 59:9-14

And this is particularly egregious because we (the church) are supposed to be the pillar and ground for the truth, (1 Tim 3:15) meaning that we are the support and foundation of the truth. But we have so completely bought the lie of 'judge not', that we have become spineless and lacking conviction.

You mention being so 'deep' that we end up offending. Isn't that the point?
Is not the Gospel an offense?
If the scripture says that the heart of man is deceitful and desperately wicked, who can know it? -Jeremiah 17:9 In fact the 'God's Word' translation puts it like this: "The human mind is the most deceitful of all things. It is incurable. No one can understand how deceitful it is.

Couple that with the truth of 1 Corinthians 1: 18 which says that "..the preaching of the cross is to them that perish foolishness; but unto us which are saved it is the power of God."

And it is easy to see that there is no other response but offense. Why should we try not to offend, when the very nature, core of our faith is offensive?

Dr. Ken Motto puts it like this:
Many who preach about love, have no idea what biblical love teaches.
(2 John 1:6 KJV) And this is love that we walk after his commandments. This is the commandment, that, as ye have heard from the beginning, ye should walk in it.
The true definition of biblical love is that we walk according to the Commandments of God, which means a person cannot truly love God unless they are saved.

Many people look at the following verse and immediately think that when we speak the Gospel to someone, we must do it with some type of shaky voice and wimpy approach. (Eph 4:15 KJV) But speaking the truth in love, may grow up into him in all things, which is the head, even Christ:

This verse is teaching us that when we speak to someone about the Gospel, it is to be done in Christian love, which is according to the truths of Scripture as we saw in 2 John 1:6.

Nowhere in the Bible do we find that for the sake of some phony love, are we to compromise the Gospel so we will not offend the listening party by bringing truth. That is one of the worst lies that Satan has ever gotten the believer to believe.

There must be a zero tolerance of compromise when bringing the true Gospel to someone. The true uncompromising Gospel is what sent many early Christians to the Coliseum. In the Middle Ages, the Roman Catholic Institution murdered millions who brought the true Gospel.

(Luke 6:26 KJV) Woe unto you, when all men shall speak well of you! For so did their fathers to the false prophets.

From: http://www.scionofzion.com/offense.htm
(This article is not for the faint hearted. He gets quite strong, and you may be offended)

Ok, let me stop here.
My sister, I hope that you will consider both my words and the spirit in which they are written. I make no apologies for the zeal that I have for God, His Word, and His people. I pray that you will see that for what it is. Truth spoken in Love.
Peace & Blessings,
CTJ

The Cludate Singer speaks Chapter 13

2010-04-17T15:13:00.005-04:00

The following is part 13 of my Series 'The Clubdate Singer Speaks'

Chapter 13: Transformations… 10/15/04

Thank God for Viagra……..
Yeah, I know where your mind is right now, but it ain’t like that.

A brother is perfectly capable, thank you.

What I mean to say, is that I want to thank all those older gentlemen who are using the 'little blue pill'.

Right On y’all!

You see, I played the Waldorf this week, a party that Pfizer threw to thank its 25 year employees. They have hired us for the past couple of years to play the party.

Why is this of any interest to you? Well, if you’re reading this, you’re at the very least interested in my travails as the Clubdate/Wedding singer, and this is an interesting story, which sums it up in a microcosm.

Here we go:

I left my job at Major Urban University and tried to hail a cab.
I fully expected to be waiting for a while, as the stereotype is in fact true… Black men can’t get cabs in NYC. I have vivid recollections of the test that Fox News did a couple of years ago. New York City cabs driving by Danny Glover to pick up a white man who just happened to be a convicted murderer. Even when Danny stood there with a baby in his arms, they drove past him to pick up the white man. Finally in the worst indignity, they dressed the white man as a clown. Sure enough, a cab drove past Danny Glover, to pick up a convicted murderer dressed as a clown…

Anyway, I stood on the corner and waited…

Believe it or not, the first available cab stopped for me!!!

Transformation Number One:
As we rode uptown, I changed out of my casual shirt, and put on my tuxedo shirt, jacket and tie. Can’t forget the shades, baby..
The cab driver watched this transformation with raised eyebrows, as we chit-chatted on the way uptown. When we reached the Hotel, he pulled in front, the bellman opened the door, and out I stepped. People stared, wondering who I was, as I casually tipped the bellman, and strolled into the Waldorf.

Transformation Number Two:
My cool didn’t last long as I struggled in the door with my bags.
A man held the door for me as I got in, then asked me….
Where he could pick his bags up so that he could spare me the effort of having
To get them for him……

From casual guy to celebrity to porter in 30 minutes….

Real Healthcare 101 Lesson Two. Section a.

2010-03-23T14:16:00.010-04:00

Thanks for coming back to class today, everyone. Today's class lecture is titled:
FOOD by any other name….

I am old. I know this because when I was growing up, I could read a food label and understand it. Now I cannot.
I know that it is not because of my eyesight. I was at the Ophthalmologist just last month, and got the newest of the new fangled triple action , almost X-ray vision, bi-focals, which in addition to being just FIERCE, let in 32 times more oxygen than my old new-fangled’ contacts did.
My eyesight is better than ever. So it must be something else…

It is…
Sometime, somewhere, they switched languages and definitions on me.
It’s like the whole men are from Mars, women are from Venus thing. We use the same words, but they don’t mean the same things…
Case in point: FOOD

A simple word, this… FOOD. One syllable, easy to pronounce, in fact, it was my nephew’s first word. (This was little surprise to us, being that his dad's a chef). But what does it mean?? It depends on who you ask…

For me growing up, FOOD had a root organic origin, which means things that grew out of the ground, or things that ate things that grew out of the ground. Apparently, this is an old paradigm. Today FOOD means:

Things that may or may not have a root organic origin, are harvested not by a manure covered farmer, but a lab-coated Pharmacist who has only seen farms on TV. In fact, what you think of when you hear the word FARM is another one. Today, ‘Farms’ are really feedlots. Massive, offal smelling (not a mis-spelling) areas where animals stand around waiting to die, while they eat and excrete… (poop)

When things that grow out of the ground are used, they are turned into unpronounceable, non-nutritious things that harm your body, and the things that eat things that grow out of the ground now are fed things that they never naturally eat (including, other things that eat things, and each other)

Am I not making sense? Actually I am, but like the labels on the stuff that is called FOOD, you have to really read closely…

So the problem is that I have to learn, at my old age, a new language, AND NOBODY TOLD ME. I have been speaking the wrong language for God knows how long, and nobody told me… sad. This is like the whole
‘Rosetta Stone total immersion system’. You learn the new language by having to speak it immediately.

I had never heard of, for example ‘Copper Gluconate’ until yesterday, though it appears that it has been used in ‘FOODs’ that people eat for quite some time now. Copper Gluconate is then, in this new language structure, FOOD
Copper Gluconate is ’Acceptable’ for use according to the Food & Drug Administration (FDA), whose mission statement says in Part:
The FDA is responsible for protecting the public health by assuring the safety, efficacy, and security of human and veterinary drugs, biological products, medical devices, our nation’s food supply, cosmetics, and products that emit radiation.

The FDA is also responsible for advancing the public health by helping to speed innovations that make medicines and foods more effective, safer, and more affordable; and helping the public get the accurate, science-based information they need to use medicines and foods to improve their health.

Now That’s some lofty and beautiful prose, but check this out…

According to the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (US EPA) Toxics Release Inventory programs, this same Copper Gluconate is Toxic. Toxic as in poisonous
The EPA mission statement says:
EPA leads the nation's environmental science, research, education and assessment efforts. The mission of the Environmental Protection Agency is to protect human health and the environment. Since 1970, EPA has been working for a cleaner, healthier environment for the American people.

So um… is there some disharmony here?? Is somebody lying?? Am I having linguistic issues again??

In Canada: Copper Gluconate is classified as expected to be toxic or harmful, suspected to be an environmental toxin and be persistent or bioaccumulative (meaning that it builds up in the body, and is not expelled).So, in essence, you consume it, and it does not leave your body… It is a FOOD by any other name….that stays in your body, poisoning you, and builds up… You cannot expel it…
This sounds NOTHING like FOOD to me.
But then again, I cannot understand this new language. But I am learning…

Here’s another one for you: What’s in ‘Hamburger’?

Simple: Lean Ground beef, spices, and maybe some breadcrumbs. Right? Um… not so much

Try up to 100 different cows (primarily used up dairy cows) E-Coli , beef trim and other meat parts, such as heart muscle and weasand meat (the smooth muscular lining which surrounds the oesophagus from the larynx to the paunch) and the cow’s own feces (poop)...
A USDA study found that 78.6% of the tested ground beef contained microbes that are spread primarily by fecal matter.

A study by Charles Gerba, a microbiologist at the University of Arizona, found that due to beef and poultry contamination, the average American sink contains more fecal matter than the average American toilet. According to Gerba, “you’d be better off eating a carrot stick that fell in your toilet than one that fell in your sink.”

Surely feces can’t be FOOD. Can it?

Well, according to the FDA it is. Consider this. Arsenic (yes the deadly poison) is apparently Ok to eat. Therefore it too is FOOD:
Smelters produce arsenic dust, which is made into a chicken feed supplement. Chickens excrete (poop) most of the arsenic, and their poop is then fed to cows, which are then slaughtered, and sold to/bought by/prepared by and for/fed to humans.
Some of the arsenic is bioaccumulated (there’s that word again) by the cows. But what is not, is pooped out, and eventually leeches into the water supply…
According to an LA Times article:
Farmers feed 1 million to 2 million tons of poultry litter to their cattle annually, according to FDA estimates.
Using the litter -- which includes feces, spilled chicken feed, feathers and poultry farm detritus -- increases the risk of cows becoming infected with bovine spongiform encephalopathy, or mad cow disease, said Michael Hansen, a senior scientist at Consumers Union.
That's because the spilled chicken feed and the feces contain tissue from ruminants -- cows and sheep, among other mammals. The disease is transmitted through feeding ruminant remains (cow/sheep corpses) to cattle.
http://articles.latimes.com/2009/oct/31/business/fi-feed31

So, a quick glossary to help you learn this new language…
Copper Gluconate, Arsenic, Feces, feathers, all are FOOD

That’s about enough for today class, I’m not feeling too well….
We’ll continue with this section on our next class…
Cough. Gag, wheeze… um. I just threw up in the back of my throat… excuse meeee……..

Real Healthcare 101 Lesson One

2010-03-23T07:12:00.007-04:00

Health Care 101 – Lesson One
Today we begin a new series of as yet undetermined length, in which we will take a look at my overly simplistic views on American healthcare...
Let's listen in, the class is about to start....

Hello Class. Let me just say this from the start:
The entire health care debate is a farce, a fraud and a smokescreen. I have listened for weeks and months, (up until we shut our TV off) listened to so called ‘experts and pundits’ rant, bloviate, pontificate, and more. I have heard so much rhetoric, some factual, most just outright lies from both sides that it sickens me.

I have read blogs and Facebook posts stating that the healthcare bill is, (depending on whose post I’m reading, either the end of America as we know it, or a new day for a great country').
You’re all hoodwinked. The ‘poli-tricksters’, like Steel Pulse famously said, are ‘drinking human blood’, with ‘concrete hearts that can hold no love’. Here is a video of the song, for those who are uninitiated..

You wanna talk health care? You REALLY wanna talk Healthcare???

Then let’s talk tobacco…

According to the American Cancer Society:
Tobacco use is responsible for nearly 1 in 5 deaths in the United States. Because cigarette smoking and tobacco use are acquired behaviors -- activities that people choose to do -- smoking is the most preventable cause of death in our society.
Each year about 443,600 people in the United States die from illnesses related to tobacco use. Link here:
www.cancer.org/docroot/PED/content/PED_10_2X_Cigarette_Smoking.asp

That’s about 8531 people per week, 1219 per day, roughly 50 per hour (In the time it takes you to read this post, 4 people will die)

Smoking cigarettes kills more Americans than alcohol, car accidents, suicide, AIDS, homicide, and illegal drugs combined. Based on data collected from 1995 to 1999, the CDC estimated that adult male smokers lost an average of 13.2 years of life and female smokers lost 14.5 years of life because of smoking. Not to mention the often HORRIFIC ways that smokers die when tobacco kills them…

So with a killer like this on the loose, one would think that the FIRST order of business for this Pro-healthcare President and this caring congress, would be to ban tobacco, right?
WRONG! Why not?
Money. Plain and simple, You smokers are worth more dying than healthy…

In 2007 (the most recent year with totals)According to the NY Times and others: The individual states received over $19,000,000,000 in tax revenues from tobacco sales.
The federal Government received some $7,000,000,000 in revenues from tobacco.
http://www.nytimes.com/2008/08/31/weekinreview/31saul.html

So $26 Billion in tax revenue, not to mention that: The tobacco lobby spent nearly $22 million on capital hill in 2007, and $25 million in 2008 according to
http://www.opensecrets.org/news/2009/03/tobacco-lobby-lights-up-debate.html

So, the late Michael Jackson said it best:
‘All I wanna say is that, they don’t really care about us’

443,000 people are going to die this year, 443,600 people with families, spouses, children, grand-children, colleagues, etc. People who will be grieved, missed, and longed for. 443,600 suffer and die, and they don't care. Consider these people sacrificed so that the Government can make money, and the tobacco companies can make money, and the hospitals can make money, and the pharmaceutical companies can make money, the insurance companies can make money, and on and on it goes. There is absolutely No impetus on the part of any of these players to ban this lethal substance, which has, since you stated reading killed 3 people.

There are those of you who will point to the economic boost that tobacco gives teh economy by keeping people employed, yadda yadda. The fact is that, like customer service at Citibank, Nike Soccer balls, and Kathie Lee's clothing line, tobacco is outsourced:
"In the 1950s there were more than 500,000 small family tobacco farms. Today there are fewer than 85,000, with a drop of more than 100,000 just since 1980. Purchases of U.S.-grown tobacco leaf are down, farming costs are up, prices are not keeping up with inflation, and grower profits have shrunk steadily.

The reduced purchases of U.S.-grown tobacco leaf have little to do with the gradual smoking declines in the United States. Instead, they are tied almost entirely to the decisions of the U.S. cigarette companies to manufacture more of their products overseas and to use more foreign-grown tobacco in the cigarettes that they make both here and abroad. Since 1980, the U.S. share of worldwide tobacco exports has been cut almost in half. Although American manufacturers are now selling more cigarettes than ever before, from 1997 to 1999 the U.S. cigarette companies reduced their purchases of American tobacco leaf for domestic cigarette manufacturing by roughly 35 percent." - source: http://www.tobaccofreekids.org/reports/falsefriends/executive_summary.shtml

Where is the outrage? Where is the hue and cry? You want to rally around a cause? Fight for 'change that you can believe in'? Wanna have tea or coffee at a party? Here’s the galvanizing moment…
But it’ll NEVER happen. Why? Because you believe what they tell you to…

Wake up folks…

Next: Health Care 101 Lesson Two: Agribusiness and the factory farms

Rodent Redux

2010-03-16T15:07:00.003-04:00

So, some 4 months after the death of the second of the two original immigrants (Brownie and Cream, the hamsters RIP) we have a new one, at least he is new to us. You know, like the BMW commercial, he’s certified pre-owned. Aquilla (his given name, but I will here after refer to him as ‘Fred’) was a gift from a family in our homeschool group. They had to give Fred up because their new kitten was terrorizing him. On the surface, it already appears that Fred and I have a lot in common. We are both male, mammals, approaching middle age, are fathers, and have hairy chins. Actually that’s about all we have in common. He arrived yesterday.
I kinda kept my distance, since he was a bit jittery, what with being in a new place and all. But today, early this morning, I went into my daughter’s room, a piece of carrot in hand, and introduced myself. We took a moment to cautiously check eachother out, then he took the carrot. So far so good…
It’s actually kind of good having another guy in the house. The last two rodents were female, and Harold the fish didn’t live long enough for us to bond, so…
We’ll see how this thing plays itself out. Stay tuned…
Oh, why Fred? Simple, I just love the way James Brown calls Fred Wesley out in
The J.B.’s 1973 classic “Doing it to death”, and then Fred gets COMPLETELY Funky with his solo…
Check it out here:

Now I don’t think that this Fred will be quite that funky, though I did see that his turds are quite a bit bigger than the hamsters’ were…

Holy Holograms! | Out of Ur | Conversations for Ministry Leaders

2010-03-10T10:21:00.001-05:00

This makes me very sad. In fact I am almost in tears...
Soon the so-called 'shepherd' will no longer even need to see/hear/touch the sheep. Sadder still is the fact that the sheep will accept this 'innovation' with joy...

Holy Holograms! | Out of Ur | Conversations for Ministry Leaders

What do you think?

Moving past a tenth, to all... part 1

2010-03-04T11:33:00.007-05:00

If the tithe is wrong, then what is the correct doctrine when it comes to giving for the Christian?

"The Doctrine of ALL"

The doctrine of all is born out of the following verses:
²⁸ One of the scribes came and heard them arguing, and recognizing that He had answered them well, asked Him, “What commandment is the foremost of all?” ²⁹ Jesus answered, “The foremost is, ‘HEAR, O ISRAEL! THE LORD OUR GOD IS ONE LORD; ³⁰ AND YOU SHALL LOVE THE LORD YOUR GOD WITH ALL YOUR HEART, AND WITH ALL YOUR SOUL, AND WITH ALL YOUR MIND, AND WITH ALL YOUR STRENGTH.’ ³¹ The second is this, ‘YOU SHALL LOVE YOUR NEIGHBOR AS YOURSELF.’ There is no other commandment greater than these.”. - Mark 12:28-31 (NASB)

This verse points to the core premise of the doctrine of all:

1) God is not first, He is the center. God is not first, He is all!!.
2) There is to be unity in the body of Christ

Read - Acts 2:41-47

Notice in the passage that the mindset of the believers was one of unity

2 Corinthians 8:5 - “This they did, not as we hoped, but even beyond that, first they gave their own selves to the Lord, and to us, by the will of God”

In context:
Moreover, brethren, we make known to you the grace of God which hath been given in the churches of Macedonia; how that in much proof of affliction the abundance of their joy and their deep poverty abounded unto the riches of their liberality. For according to their power, I bear witness, yea and beyond their power, they gave of their own accord, beseeching us with much entreaty in regard of this grace and the fellowship in the ministering to the saints: and this, not as we had hoped, but first they gave their own selves to the Lord, and to us through the will of God. - 2 Corinthians 8:1-5

The thing to notice here, is that the giving of the Macedonian churches was inspired by their fealty/allegiance to God first, which was exhibited in part by their generosity…

Or consider 2nd Corinthians 9:6-8, which says: But this I say, He that soweth sparingly shall reap also sparingly; and he that soweth bountifully shall reap also bountifully. Let each man do according as he hath purposed in his heart: not grudgingly, or of necessity: for God loveth a cheerful giver. And God is able to make all grace abound unto you; that ye, having always all sufficiency in everything, may abound unto every good work:

Verse 7 says again: Let each man do according as he hath purposed in his heart: not grudgingly, or of necessity: for God loveth a cheerful giver.

Matt 6:21 - For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.

Where your treasure is, your heart is, and vice versa. Where your heart is, your treasure is...

Let’s consider two examples of heart issues when it comes to finances:

The first is found in Luke Chapter 18

Luke 18:18-30

A certain ruler asked him, "Good teacher, what must I do to inherit eternal life?"
"Why do you call me good?" Jesus answered. "No one is good -- except God alone. You know the commandments: 'Do not commit adultery, do not murder, do not steal, do not give false testimony, honor your father and mother. All these I have kept since I was a boy," he said.
When Jesus heard this, he said to him, "You still lack one thing. Sell everything you have and give to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven. Then come, follow me." When he heard this, he became very sad, because he was a man of great wealth. Jesus looked at him and said, "How hard it is for the rich to enter the kingdom of God!
Indeed, it is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than for a rich man to enter the kingdom of God." Those who heard this asked, "Who then can be saved?" Jesus replied, "What is impossible with men is possible with God."
Peter said to him, "We have left all we had to follow you!" "I tell you the truth," Jesus said to them, "no one who has left home or wife or brothers or parents or children for the sake of the kingdom of God will fail to receive many times as much in this age and, in the age to come, eternal life."

So in essence, because Jesus requires all, the young man went away sad.
He was unable to deal with the implications of all.
Peter on the other hand, and the other disciples, had dealt with the implications, and because of this were promised true abundance.

The second is found in Acts 5: Ananias and spouse (please read verses 1-10)
The issue for them was not giving, for the reality is that they could have easily brought a portion and given it. As we discussed earlier 2 Corinthians 9:7 says Let each man do according as he hath purposed in his heart: not grudgingly, or of necessity: for God loveth a cheerful giver.
So the amount wasn’t the problem. Their lying was.

The book of Luke records this:
Luke 6:32-38 (N ASB)

32"If you love those who love you, what credit is that to you? For even sinners love those who love them. 33"If you do good to those who do good to you, what credit is that to you? For even sinners do the same. 34"If you lend to those from whom you expect to receive, what credit is that to you? Even sinners lend to sinners in order to receive back the same amount.
35"But love your enemies, and do good, and lend, expecting nothing in return; and your reward will be great, and you will be sons of (E)the Most High; for He Himself is kind to ungrateful and evil men. 36"Be merciful, just as your Father is merciful.
37"Do not judge, and you will not be judged; and do not condemn, and you will not be condemned; pardon, and you will be pardoned.
38"Give, and it will be given to you. They will pour into your lap a good measure--pressed down, shaken together, and running over. For by your standard of measure it will be measured to you in return."

So what are these passages pointing to?
1) Giving all, is a mindset, which originates in the heart.
2) It is inspired by Love for God, and is not percentage or amount dependant. Do I mean literally sell everything and give it to the church? No, the point is here that we have a mindset which counts nothing of greater importance than the Lord.
3) Where you heart is… If you love God, you will treasure the things of God, and the work of God

In practical terms, what does that look like?
Matthew 25 speaks of The Sheep and the Goats

31"When the Son of Man comes in his glory, and all the angels with him, he will sit on his throne in heavenly glory. 32 All the nations will be gathered before him, and he will separate the people one from another as a shepherd separates the sheep from the goats. 33 He will put the sheep on his right and the goats on his left. 34"Then the King will say to those on his right, 'Come, you who are blessed by my Father; take your inheritance, the kingdom prepared for you since the creation of the world. 35 For I was hungry and you gave me something to eat, I was thirsty and you gave me something to drink, I was a stranger and you invited me in, 36 I needed clothes and you clothed me, I was sick and you looked after me, I was in prison and you came to visit me.' 37"Then the righteous will answer him, 'Lord, when did we see you hungry and feed you, or thirsty and give you something to drink? 38 When did we see you a stranger and invite you in, or needing clothes and clothe you? 39 When did we see you sick or in prison and go to visit you?' 40 "The King will reply, 'I tell you the truth, whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers of mine, you did for me.'

Whether anticipated or addressed in the spur of the moment, meeting the needs of our brethren, is how we serve each other, and serve God.
Notice that The sheep, did without being asked, did without looking to see who it was, or looking for applause/adulation. They did it because it was the right thing to do.
No guilt, no cajoling, no fear mongering necessary. This is the point to which we must come, where loving/sharing/giving/caring are natural and done almost without thinking, because we are motivated by Love for God and for one another...

February 15th rant...

2010-02-15T22:39:00.003-05:00

Be ye therefore followers of God, as dear children; And walk in love, as Christ also hath loved us, and hath given himself for us an offering and a sacrifice to God for a sweetsmelling savour. But fornication, and all uncleanness, or covetousness, let it not be once named among you, as becometh saints; Neither filthiness, nor foolish talking, nor jesting, which are not convenient: but rather giving of thanks.
For this ye know, that no whoremonger, nor unclean person, nor covetous man, who is an idolater, hath any inheritance in the kingdom of Christ and of God. Let no man deceive you with vain words: for because of these things cometh the wrath of God upon the children of disobedience. Be not ye therefore partakers with them.
For ye were sometimes darkness, but now are ye light in the Lord: walk as children of light: (For the fruit of the Spirit is in all goodness and righteousness and truth;) Proving what is acceptable unto the Lord. And have no fellowship with the unfruitful works of darkness, but rather reprove them. (Ephesians 5:1-11)

What does it mean to have no fellowship with the unfruitful works of darkness?

At what point must we, as Christians, take an honest unblinking look at ourselves and the things which we allow and indulge in, and excise those things which do not please God?

How can we follow the instructions of the scripture to be in, but not of the world?

Where is the line?

Here in America, we are bombarded 24/7 with ‘information’ It arrives in many different forms, via many different media, and encompasses every possible topic, subject and perspective.

Is this a good thing?

Many would argue that it is but a sign of the times, that the ease of access to information is helpful and helps to propel the human race forward. I would argue that it is not only problematic, but is destructive.

The Prophet Daniel wrote so long ago,
But thou, O Daniel, shut up the words, and seal the book, even to the time of the end: many shall run to and fro, and knowledge shall be increased. (Daniel 12:4)

So I wonder if this is part of what Daniel saw. The abundance of information, the access to it, has made people better informed than at any other time in the history of man.

The question is: About what?

We can easily get information about the eating habits and sexual proclivities of so-called celebrities with but a few keystrokes. We can access the most detestable, filthy and morally bankrupt behaviors complete with sound and video, delivered right into our homes via TV, Internet, cell phone, Iphone, media player and any other means that you can think of.

This is indeed the information age, and this is indeed information, it is indeed knowledge.

But what purpose does it serve?

Many years after Daniel, Paul wrote that
There are, it may be, so many kinds of voices in the world, and no kind is without signification. (1 Corinthians 14:10)

This is true. But how often do we stop to think about the information that we receive its purpose, its function, its impact on us (on our children) and the worldview, agenda or beliefs of its purveyors?

All of us are guilty of this. The issue is, how do we change???

By becoming more diligent about what we take in to our bodies and minds. It all ties together, you see…

Beloved, believe not every spirit, but prove the spirits, whether they are of God; because many false prophets are gone out into the world. (1 John 4:1)

Clearly, we live in an increasingly Godless nation, and many would argue that this is a good thing.
I for one, disagree. In fact, I believe that the Prophet Amos’ words are in fact coming to pass…

Amos 8:11-12 Behold, the days are coming, says the Lord God, when I will send a famine in the land, not a famine of bread, nor a thirst for water, but [a famine] for hearing the words of the Lord. 12 And [the people] shall wander from sea to sea and from the north even to the east; they shall run to and fro to seek the word of the Lord [inquiring for and requiring it as one requires food], but shall not find it. AMP

The first thing that I hear you thinking is that this cannot be applied because we have more preachers than ever in our country.
There are over 331,000 Churches in America, and there are all kinds of religious broadcasts on the web, and TV, etc.

But the question here must be raised:
Why are we in the state that we are in?

With 331,000 Churches, and the median church size at 75, this means that about 25 million people in this country go to church. According to the census as of June of 2008, there were 304 million people in America I would think that if each one obeyed that great commission and just shared the Gospel with 13 people, the entire nation would be personally evangelized.

But what do we really believe, we church goers?

Why do we not see it as a problem to bring the abhorrent and ungodly into our homes? Do we conveniently skip past Ephesians 5, because it doesn’t suit our tastes? We are, after all, in an age with more variety than at other time in human history.

Recently I shared the story of the Dad that I encountered in the video game store. He bought one of the most violent video games ever for him and his 8 or 9 year old son to play. As they walked excitedly to the counter, I looked at the back of his jacket proudly proclaiming his Christianity and his fealty to Jesus Christ.

I was struck by the incongruence of the scene, and then I began to wonder about the acts of hypocrisy and double mindedness that I commit on a daily basis.
I know many Christians who have no problem with Oprah or Maury, John Mayer or Jay-Z, Lady Gaga or Beyonce. I know Christians who watch and enjoy television shows which espouse and promote worldviews antithetical to the Gospel, and have no problem with that. I know Christians who frequent websites which promote things that I can’t mention here, and as Romans 1 says:

Who, though they have knowledge of the law of God, that the fate of those who do these things is death, not only go on doing these things themselves, but give approval to those who do them. (Romans 1:32)

What happened to:
“Be not ye therefore partakers with them. For ye were sometimes darkness, but now are ye light in the Lord: walk as children of light” ?

Is it because we pastors haven’t done our jobs?
Is it because the message of the Gospel is invalid in this modern world?
Is it because the tide of muck is too thick, swift and strong, and we cannot swim against it?
Is it because the Bible is antiquated and time-locked, therefore it is merely a historical/quasi-mythological storybook?

Or is it because we no longer know what it means to be Christian?

"Surely you can question my policies without questioning my faith..."

2010-02-05T23:54:00.007-05:00

Can we, Mr. President??

Ok dear reader, please watch the video, then let's talk...
The President said: "Surely you can question my policies without questioning my faith," paused a few seconds then added "or for that matter, my citizenship."
So, on the surface, aside from the dig at the so called 'birthers' (people who do not believe that he is a citizen, and is disqualified from the Presidency because he was not born in the USA) that was a very interesting statement. More importantly, it was an erroneous, albeit a clever statement.
Scripture is quite clear that the mouth speaks the content of the heart (Matthew 12:34), and
Proverbs Chapter 23 verse 7 says, “As a man thinketh in his heart, so is he.” ...
So the fact is, that we MUST, once we see you policies, question your faith, Mr. President.
Clever, but no pass...

Another story from the annals of 'The Clubdate Singer'

2010-01-28T15:25:00.002-05:00

Chapter 7: "Soul Sister, White Sugar* "
*With apologies to Sam & Dave

Summer 2003

She had the sweetest smile on her face, even as the most ridiculous words came out of her mouth. The band was hot, so was the night. Maybe that's why she drank a little too much. Actually I hope she was drunk. I don't blame her really, in fact I wasn't offended. She meant well. Really.

"You know, I was black in a past life. I know because I have rhythm, and I like soul food. My friends are always teasing me because I like ribs and chitlins"
- YES, SHE REALLY SAID THIS, VERBATIM. You can't make this stuff up. She wasn't done yet.
"You know, for a black guy with earrings in both ears, you do a mean Sinatra."

I know that you want to know what I was doing or saying during this...
Well, because I'm a black man in America, I have mastered the art of the innocuous non-threatening bemused glance, and the benign smile. But it is not enough sometimes, therefore I'm learning to:

a- Shut down certain parts of me in order to function
(I thought I had this down, but I am finding that it is NOT like riding a bike. You must keep at it in order to keep your skills fresh)
b- Take certain people and things at face value.
(This is an EXTREMELY useful and necessary skill)

Soul Sister said a couple of other things that escape me now. Really, it was a rather pleasant conversation. I didn't once get the impression that she was insincere, in fact I honestly believe that Soul Sister meant every word she said...

By the way, I've decided that I am in love with Damali Ayo, the incredible artist behind www.rent-a-negro.com. In fact, I want her to hire me as an East Coast rep.

So Ms. Ayo, if you ever need a well-educated, well-spoken negro, with considerable on-site white-accessibility training, to represent the company here on the Atlantic side, please let me know....

Christmas with MBHS (lessons in classism)

2010-01-10T19:31:00.004-05:00

The following occurred several years ago...
Please note that MBHS is an acronym for Major Black Hollywood Star. I have not put her name in because she is globally recognizable, and I do not want to get into any drama. But it is all true….

It began innocently enough. My friend LG called me one evening and asked if I’d be interested in going to sing at MBHS’s house for her Christmas party. We were going to be part of a 6 person a Capella group, singing traditional Gospel songs and Spirituals for MBHS, her friends, family and guests. I was very excited about the prospect, so needless to say I jumped at the chance. At the time, I was thinking only about what I considered to be the possibilities. The possibility of being ‘discovered’. The possibility of future business. The possibility of networking. After all, there had to be industry people there. I was bound to meet somebody.

As the event drew closer I got more details, and with the details came a creeping trepidation. First I found out that we were not going to rehearse. Then I found out that there was no set repertoire. Then I found out that the other singers really didn’t really sing Gospel music. Three very serious issues, and the event was only days away.

My trepidation grew into outright fear the day of the event, because I had a cold and had done a gig the night before. It had just about killed my voice. My normally sultry Baritone was gone, and in its place, a raspy growl. To complicate things, I couldn’t get too much volume either. I figured that I could deal with that because we would have microphones, so it wouldn’t be that bad.

Well, the day finally arrived. It was a cold, wet, dreary ugly day. LG came to pick me up, and off we went. The drive to (Gated community New York) was long, but because we were both excited, it went quickly.

We drove up to the gate, and the guard let us in, instructing us to park in the parking lot and wait. As it turned out, there was a van waiting. We quickly parked and ran to catch it. There were about 8 other people in the van, all visibly rich.

The van drove up a long winding road for what seemed to be 2 or 3 miles. Arriving at yet another gate, we were buzzed in. There before us was a beautiful mansion, with a full size merry-go-round in the front yard: and there on the front steps resplendent in white, was MBHS herself. Her arms spread wide, and smiling her famous smile, she welcomed us. Her joy was infectious, and we were all taken in by it. We all exited the van, and walked towards her, towards that smile. The smile almost made you forget how cold and dreary the day was. Though it had begun to rain, we hardly felt it, as we basked in the warmth of the smile.

As we all reached her, she greeted her guests warmly, then turned towards me. Still smiling she said “You’re one of the singers aren’t you honey?” With a Cheshire grin I proudly said ‘Yes I am’
The smile didn’t change as she said “Well, you need to go in over there”, pointing to her left. My gaze moved from the smile to her neck, her shoulder, down the beautiful white linen sleeve to the craggy finger, pointing at the 'Servants entrance’.
A wave of shame, embarrassment and shock washed over me, as I turned and headed to the little side door that opened to the basement. I didn’t turn around for fear that the others were laughing.

I guess it was presumptuousness on my part, to expect that I could walk in the front door of the woman’s house, but I didn’t know that I could not. After all, I see that all the time on my gigs. I am used to being treated poorly, experiencing the racism that comes with this line of work. But I thought that MBHS would treat me differently, because if anybody understands, she does. Or so I thought. I learned that day, that classism is just as potent a poison, and possibly more hurtful.
Needless to say, for me the day went downhill from there. We were told not to address the guests directly, and not to speak unless spoken to first. I was furious, but did my job. We all did. So well in fact, that we were the hit of the party. The guests loved us, and by the end of the party, MBHS came and thanked us for making her party a success. She took us into her kitchen, and served us some of the (now leftover) hors d'oeuvres. We even took pictures with her. The other singers were very happy, but I left that day, sicker than ever, feverish, achy and
sick of heart...

The Lie of "Judge Not" Part II

2010-01-03T23:26:00.003-05:00

By Pastor CT Jermin

(Note: If you have not read Part 1 You can click here)

The following is a transcript from the December 31st edition of my show on blogtalkradio.com called 'A New Day For You'

The Conundrum:
1) We are waging a Spiritual War, against unseen enemies
Ephesians 6:12 - For we wrestle not against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this world, against spiritual wickedness in high places.)

2) The War has physical manifestations and ramifications
James 1:14-15 - 14 But every man is tempted, when he is drawn away of his own lust, and enticed. 15 Then when lust hath conceived, it bringeth forth sin: and sin, when it is finished, bringeth forth death

3) But we fight With Spiritual weapons
2 Corinthians 10:3-5 - 3 For though we walk in the flesh, we do not war after the flesh: 4 (For the weapons of our warfare are not carnal, but mighty through God to the pulling down of strong holds;) 5 Casting down imaginations, and every high thing that exalteth itself against the knowledge of God, and bringing into captivity every thought to the obedience of Christ;

4) So the only thing that is tangible to us is our Faith in Him, and the result of the fight win or lose.
Ephesians 6:10-11 10 - Finally, my brethren, be strong in the Lord, and in the power of his might. 11 Put on the whole armour of God, that ye may be able to stand against the wiles of the devil.)
2 Peter 1: 3 - 8 According as his divine power hath given unto us all things that pertain unto life and godliness, through the knowledge of him that hath called us to glory and virtue: 4 Whereby are given unto us exceeding great and precious promises: that by these ye might be partakers of the divine nature, having escaped the corruption that is in the world through lust. 5 ¶And beside this, giving all diligence, add to your faith virtue; and to virtue knowledge; 6 And to knowledge temperance; and to temperance patience; and to patience godliness; 7 And to godliness brotherly kindness; and to brotherly kindness charity. 8 For if these things be in you, and abound, they make you that ye shall neither be barren nor unfruitful in the knowledge of our Lord YAHshuah Christ.

The Lie of Judge Not Part II

I continue to be both saddened and amused by well meaning Christians who think that it is somehow harsh, judgmental, unkind or unloving to "name call" the so called ‘shepherds’ who preach an aberrant, heretical ‘gospel’ in the name of YAHshuah, and fleece the flock. I am provocative and confrontational to be sure, and this is purposely, and (purposefully) done. I am not the first, nor will I be the last. In fact, there is a LONG history of this in the Church, beginning with the Master himself. Let’s take a moment to examine the words of Yahshuah, and wonder aloud to know one in particular, how his words would be treated today…

Mat 23:27-28 Woe unto you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! for ye are like unto whited sepulchres, which indeed appear beautiful outward, but are within full of dead men's bones, and of all uncleanness. (28) Even so ye also outwardly appear righteous unto men, but within ye are full of hypocrisy and iniquity.

In these verses, Yahshuah calls the religious leaders of his day, hypocrites, and graves. Keep in mind that the name Pharisee in its Hebrew form means separatists, or the separated ones. They were also known as chasidim, which means loyal to God, or loved of God -

By today’s standards, this seems pretty mild, but to those who heard it, it was the highest insult. Why?

1) The Word hypocrite in Hebrew is חנף
Pronounced chânêph, which means soiled with sin. In essence he was calling them unclean. In the 23rd chapter of Matthew alone, he uses this term 8 times (More about this below…)
Additionally, the Jews were familiar with the words of the prophet Isaiah who said:

Isa 33:10-17 Now will I rise, saith the LORD; now will I be exalted; now will I lift up myself. (11) Ye shall conceive chaff, ye shall bring forth stubble: your breath, as fire, shall devour you. (12) And the people shall be as the burnings of lime: as thorns cut up shall they be burned in the fire. (13) Hear, ye that are far off, what I have done; and, ye that are near, acknowledge my might. (14) The sinners in Zion are afraid; fearfulness hath surprised the hypocrites. Who among us shall dwell with the devouring fire? who among us shall dwell with everlasting burnings? (15) He that walketh righteously, and speaketh uprightly; he that despiseth the gain of oppressions, that shaketh his hands from holding of bribes, that stoppeth his ears from hearing of blood, and shutteth his eyes from seeing evil; (16) He shall dwell on high: his place of defence shall be the munitions of rocks: bread shall be given him; his waters shall be sure. (17) Thine eyes shall see the king in his beauty: they shall behold the land that is very far off.

And the book of Job, which says:

Job 15:34-35 For the congregation of hypocrites shall be desolate, and fire shall consume the tabernacles of bribery. (35) They conceive mischief, and bring forth vanity, and their belly prepareth deceit.

So Yahshuah is saying that the ‘loved of God’ are unclean, desolate (without offspring or heir), and doomed to death…
No wonder they wanted to kill him.

2) Because corpses were unclean and anyone touching a body was unclean. Hence graves were particularly unclean, and no law abiding Jew would even touch a grave, because they would be unclean for 7 days. The scripture is here, and verse 13 is of special interest:

Num 19:11-16 He that toucheth the dead body of any man shall be unclean seven days. (12) He shall purify himself with it on the third day, and on the seventh day he shall be clean: but if he purify not himself the third day, then the seventh day he shall not be clean. (13) Whosoever toucheth the dead body of any man that is dead, and purifieth not himself, defileth the tabernacle of the LORD; and that soul shall be cut off from Israel: because the water of separation was not sprinkled upon him, he shall be unclean; his uncleanness is yet upon him. (14) This is the law, when a man dieth in a tent: all that come into the tent, and all that is in the tent, shall be unclean seven days. (15) And every open vessel, which hath no covering bound upon it, is unclean. (16) And whosoever toucheth one that is slain with a sword in the open fields, or a dead body, or a bone of a man, or a grave, shall be unclean seven days.

So, in short, Yahshuah was telling them that not only are they unclean, but that they, the ‘loved of God’ in fact shall be cut off from Israel, and their uncleanness is on them… In essence, he said ‘Y’all are beyond redemption, you alone are to blame for it, and you’re goin ta HELL’…No wonder they wanted to kill him.

Mat 23:29-32 Woe unto you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! because ye build the tombs of the prophets, and garnish the sepulchres of the righteous, (30) And say, If we had been in the days of our fathers, we would not have been partakers with them in the blood of the prophets. (31) Wherefore ye be witnesses unto yourselves, that ye are the children of them which killed the prophets. (32) Fill ye up then the measure of your fathers.

In these verses, Yahshuah calls them (in addition to hypocrites), murderers. This HAD to be troubling to the Pharisees, who knew the 10 commandments contain this ominous phrase…

Exo 20:5b …I the LORD thy God am a jealous God, visiting the iniquity of the fathers upon the children unto the third and fourth generation of them that hate me;

Is it any wonder that they wanted to kill him?

Or how about this gem:

Mat 12:30-37 He that is not with me, is against me: and he that gathereth not with me, scattereth. (31) Therefore I say to you: Every sin and blasphemy shall be forgiven men, but the blasphemy of the Spirit shall not be forgiven. (32) And whosoever shall speak a word against the Son of man, it shall be forgiven him: but he that shall speak against the Holy Ghost, it shall not be forgiven him neither in this world, nor in the world to come. (33) Either make the tree good and its fruit good: or make the tree evil, and its fruit evil. For by the fruit the tree is known. (34) O generation of vipers, how can you speak good things, whereas you are evil? for out of the abundance of the heart the mouth speaketh. (35) A good man out of a good treasure bringeth forth good things: and an evil man out of an evil treasure bringeth forth evil things. (36) But I say unto you, that every idle word that men shall speak, they shall render an account for it in the day of judgment. (37) For by thy words thou shalt be justified, and by thy words thou shalt be condemned.

In this passage, he is once again pointing to Himself as the only good shepherd, calling the religious leaders evil, bearers of bad fruit, scatterers not gatherers, and vipers.
Here’s the symbolism, when people would go out to gather firewood to cook, keep warm, whatever, they would put the sticks in bundles. Small poisonous snakes (vipers) would often hide in the bundles, and because they were hard to see, would bite, and sometimes kill the unsuspecting person. So they who claimed to know and be Loved by God, were in fact scatterers of the sheep, blasphemers against the Spirit of God, and murderous snakes…
Would you be yelling
Touch not, Judge Not at Yahshuah?

So now, here we are, some 2000 years later, with many of those in prominence within the so-called church, calling themselves Bishop/Prophet, Master Prophet, Archbishop, Prophetess, Overseer, and on and on. They proclaim themselves to be ‘God’s anointed’, and they and their minions threaten ‘damnation and penalty’ if you speak against them.
Isn’t this the same thing? Those proclaiming themselves to be God’s beloved. What would Yahshuah say about them?

And by the way, Who is God’s anointed????

1Jn 2:24-27 Let that therefore abide in you, which ye have heard from the beginning. If that which ye have heard from the beginning shall remain in you, ye also shall continue in the Son, and in the Father. (25) And this is the promise that he hath promised us, even eternal life. (26) These things have I written unto you concerning them that seduce you. (27) But the anointing which ye have received of him abideth in you, and ye need not that any man teach you: but as the same anointing teacheth you of all things, and is truth, and is no lie, and even as it hath taught you, ye shall abide in him.

YOU ARE GOD’S ANOINTED!!! Understand what I am saying dear one...
YOU ARE GOD’S ANOINTED!!!

And have you ever asked yourself where, when these people are caught, is the repentance?

Fathering children outside of their marriages, affairs with parishioners, molesting children, fathering children with their brother’s wives, stealing money, teaching heresy, promoting greed, beating their spouses, multiple marriages, endorsing Hip- Hop culture, appearing on profanity and misogyny laden rap albums, cursing in the pulpit, say they’re 'keeping it real', promoting idolatry, equating material wealth with blessing, putting people under yokes of bondage, lying, flat out pimping the sheep…

and you beloveds, when these things are brought up, jump up and scream, 'Touch not', 'judge not', 'don’t put your mouth on', and the rest of that.

Well what about this scripture?
2 Corinthians 7:8-13
8 "Even if I caused you sorrow by my letter, I do not regret it. Though I did regret it I see that my letter hurt you, but only for a little while 9 yet now I am happy, not because you were made sorry, but because your sorrow led you to repentance. For you became sorrowful as God intended and so were not harmed in any way by us. 10 Godly sorrow brings repentance that leads to salvation and leaves no regret, but worldly sorrow brings death. 11 See what this godly sorrow has produced in you: what earnestness, what eagerness to clear yourselves, what indignation, what alarm, what longing, what concern, what readiness to see justice done. At every point you have proved yourselves to be innocent in this matter. 12 So even though I wrote to you, it was not on account of the one who did the wrong or of the injured party, but rather that before God you could see for yourselves how devoted to us you are. 13 By all this we are encouraged.

Verse 10 says that 10 Godly sorrow brings repentance that leads to salvation and leaves no regret, but worldly sorrow brings death, and verse 11 lists 7 results of Godly sorrow:
1) Earnestness,
2) Eagerness to clear themselves
3) Indignation
4) Alarm
5) Longing
6) Concern
7) Readiness to see justice done.

Do you see those things? Of course you don’t…
But you’re screaming touch not, not realizing that YOU ARE GOD’S ANOINTED, and these folk are touching you, your children, and your wallet!!! Wake up People, PLEASE!
please....

Just in case you missed Part 1 You can click here

The Lie of "Judge Not" Part I

2010-01-02T22:34:00.005-05:00

By Pastor CT Jermin
The following is a transcript from the December 10, 2009 edition of my show on blogtalkradio.com called 'A New Day For You'

We are egalitarian when it comes to truth, but elitist when it comes to people, and it should be the other way around"
– Dr. Ken Boa

Many who preach about love, have no idea what biblical love teaches.
- Dr. Ken Motto

My son, preserve sound judgment and discernment, do not let them out of your sight;
- King Solomon - Prov. 3:21

Before you continue, I believe that there is something that you should know about me:
I am intolerant.
I am bigoted, judgmental, and Pharisaic. I am ‘deep’, unyielding, and without love. How do I know? I’ve been told/called this on the internet so it must be true. Most often, I am called this by well-meaning Christians who ‘warn me in love’ when I make comments about false doctrine, bad theology, or point out issues involving Pastors, preachers, Prophets and prophetesses and other ‘Christertainers’.

What I usually get is along the lines of:
‘Brother, be careful when you ‘put your mouth on’ xxx, you know the Bible says touch not God’s anointed…’ or
‘Who are you to judge xxx, you are wrong! Only God can judge, and the Bible says Judge not.’

So where did this mindset come from? When did we abdicate our God-Ordained moral responsibility, and stop being the light on the hill, the pillar (support) and ground (foundation) for the truth?

Let’s take a moment and look the scriptures that the ‘judge not’ ‘touch not’ proponents like to use to support their contentions:
Let’s take touch not first. As you can see from our reading of Psalm 105, the context of this verse is
In reference to the treatment of the Hebrew children in the wilderness, and is COMPLETELY out of context in its modern pseudo-apologetic use. The same is true for 1st Samuel 24.
The Lord’s anointed were the Kings and Priesthood, none of which we have today,
Instead we have today a better covenant, and we are all Priests…

Now as for Judge not
Matthew 7:1 & Luke 6:37
Judge not, that ye be not judged. (Matthew 7:1)

Judge not, and ye shall not be judged: condemn not, and ye shall not be condemned: forgive, and ye shall be forgiven: (Luke 6:37)

Remember now family, we are totally against prooftexting, which is, as you remember
according to wikipedia,
“the practice of using decontextualised quotations from a document (often, but not always, a book of the Bible) to establish a proposition."

Why do we have a problem with this? Because often times, the passage or document, when read as a whole, may not in fact support the proposition.
We dealt with this issue when we talked about the fallacy of the tithe doctrine in November.

Or in short, text without context is PREtext

So what’s the context of Matthew 7:1, and Luke 6:37
At Galilee, the Decapolis, Jerusalem, Judea and the region across the Jordan, Jesus was talking to the multitudes gathered there after hearing of His message and of His healings to beseech them to not become like the pharisees and hypocrites who think they are above sin.

* Jesus' use of "hypocrite" in this verse is "hupokrites" {hoop-ok-ree-tace'} meaning an actor, stage player, a dissembler, pretender.

Now, I would ask, is this a threat or promise? It depends on how you choose to look at it.
For us, is it a promise.

1) What does it mean to judge?
In today’s parlance, it means not to say anything about someone’s lifestyle, behavior, conduct of beliefs…
This is contrary to scripture, in that Jesus (and we are to be conformed into His image according to Romans 8:29) did a lot of what we would call ‘judging’ today
Calling folks Vipers: Matt 3:7, 12:34, 23:33, Luke 3:7
Concentrate on Matt 23: Blind, fools, vipers, sepulchers, etc…
Was Jesus being a hypocrite when he said in John 7 that we should judge?
John 7:24 Judge not according to the appearance, but judge righteous judgment.

Or what about Paul’s letters, where we find things like:?
1Cor. 6:2-3 Do you not know that the saints [the saved; Christians] will judge the world? And if you are to judge the world, are you not competent to judge trivial cases? Do you not know that we will judge angels? How much more the things of this life!
Or this
I give praise to my God at every memory of you, And in all my prayers for you all, making my request with joy, Because of your help in giving the good news from the first day till now; For I am certain of this very thing, that he by whom the good work was started in you will make it complete till the day of Jesus Christ: So it is right for me to take thought for you all in this way, because I have you in my heart; for in my chains, and in my arguments before the judges in support of the good news, making clear that it is true, you all have your part with me in grace. For God is my witness, how my love goes out to you all in the loving mercies of Christ Jesus. And my prayer is that you may be increased more and more in knowledge and experience; So that you may give your approval to the best things; that you may be true and without wrongdoing till the day of Christ; Being full of the fruits of righteousness, which are through Jesus Christ, to the glory and praise of God.
(Philippians 1:3-11)

2 instances: Paul has judged (made a decision) about them in verse 7, and then he encourages them to judge/ or discern in verse 10

2) Are we afraid to speak out for fear of being judged in return?

Another way that Christ’s suffering helps us is that Christ, by embracing the human condition and experiencing the hardships, weaknesses and temptations of human life, became the perfect candidate to help us along the way.

“For we do not have a high priest who is unable to sympathize with our weaknesses, but we have one who in every respect has been tested as we are, yet without sin” (Hebrews 4:15).

This is good news for us struggling sinners. Sometimes, we are tempted to despair, like Judas, thinking that our Lord, Jesus will not understand and forgive us after we have betrayed him once again. But he will understand and he will forgive if, like Peter, we refuse to give up. “Let us therefore approach the throne of grace with boldness, so that we may receive mercy and find grace to help in time of need” (Hebrews 4:16)

The promise God made to Jeremiah:

Jer 1:17-19
(17) Thou therefore gird up thy loins, and arise, and speak unto them all that I command thee: be not dismayed at their faces, lest I confound thee before them.
(18) For, behold, I have made thee this day a defenced city, and an iron pillar, and brasen walls against the whole land, against the kings of Judah, against the princes thereof, against the priests thereof, and against the people of the land.
(19) And they shall fight against thee; but they shall not prevail against thee; for I am with thee, saith the LORD, to deliver thee.

Is exceeded by the promise Jesus made to His disciples
(which includes us):

Mat 28:18-20
(18) And Jesus came and spake unto them, saying, All power is given unto me in heaven and in earth.
(19) Go ye therefore, and teach all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost:
(20) Teaching them to observe all things whatsoever I have commanded you: and, lo, I am with you alway, even unto the end of the world. Amen.

• The Pew Forum survey: Christians believe Jesus was/is a liar? According to The Pew Forum on Religion and Public Life

2009 - According to the poll, 22 percent of Christians, for example, say they believe in reincarnation – that people will be reborn in this world again and again. Twenty-three percent, meanwhile, believe in astrology. And 15 percent have consulted a fortuneteller or a psychic.

Not surprising, however, is Pew’s observation that white evangelical Protestants consistently express lower levels of acceptance of both Eastern beliefs (reincarnation, yoga) and New Age beliefs (spiritual energy in physical things and astrology).

Roughly one-in-ten white evangelicals, for example, believes in reincarnation, compared with 24 percent among mainline Protestants, 25 percent among both white Catholics and those unaffiliated with any religion, and 29 percent among black Protestants.

2007 - last year surveyed 35,000 Americans, and found that 70% of respondents agreed with the statement "Many religions can lead to eternal life." Even more remarkable was the fact that 57% of Evangelical Christians were willing to accept that theirs might not be the only path to salvation, since most Christians historically have embraced the words of Jesus, in the Gospel of John, that "no one comes to the Father except through me." Even as mainline churches had become more tolerant, the exclusivity of Christianity's path to heaven has long been one of the Evangelicals' fundamental tenets. The new poll suggests a major shift, at least in the pews.

Now for the question: Are their many ways to get to Heaven?
First off we cannot base our beliefs on the way we feel of what others think or say.

The scriptures say that GOD is right and every man is a liar. Just because some said something doesn't mean it is true. Just because the majority goes with it doesn't mean it is right. The majority of the world thought the world was flat at one time, and they were wrong.

In Romans 3:4 the scripture says
Romans 3:4 God forbid: yea, let God be true, but EVERY MAN A LIAR; as it is written, That thou mightest be justified in thy sayings, and mightest overcome when thou art judged.

John 14:1-11
(1) Let not your heart be troubled: believe in God, believe also in me.
(2) In my Father's house are many mansions; if it were not so, I would have told you; for I go to prepare a place for you.
(3) And if I go and prepare a place for you, I come again, and will receive you unto myself; that where I am, there ye may be also.
(4) And whither I go, ye know the way.
(5) Thomas saith unto him, Lord, we know not whither thou goest; how know we the way?
(6) Jesus saith unto him, I am the way, and the truth, and the life: no one cometh unto the Father, but by me.
(7) If ye had known me, ye would have known my Father also: from henceforth ye know him, and have seen him.

• Contrary to the beliefs of some: Jesus identifies himself as deity several times, so He is more than just a prophet, or sage, or guide…

(8) Philip saith unto him, Lord, show us the Father, and it sufficeth us.
(9) Jesus saith unto him, Have I been so long time with you, and dost thou not know me, Philip? he that hath seen me hath seen the Father; how sayest thou, Show us the Father?
(10) Believest thou not that I am in the Father, and the Father in me? the words that I say unto you I speak not from myself: but the Father abiding in me doeth his works.
(11) Believe me that I am in the Father, and the Father in me: or else believe me for the very works' sake.

Joh 10:24-33
(24) Then came the Jews round about him, and said unto him, How long dost thou make us to doubt? If thou be the Christ, tell us plainly.
(25) Jesus answered them, I told you, and ye believed not: the works that I do in my Father's name, they bear witness of me.
(26) But ye believe not, because ye are not of my sheep, as I said unto you.
(27) My sheep hear my voice, and I know them, and they follow me:
(28) And I give unto them eternal life; and they shall never perish, neither shall any man pluck them out of my hand.
(29) My Father, which gave them me, is greater than all; and no man is able to pluck them out of my Father's hand.
(30) I and my Father are one.
(31) Then the Jews took up stones again to stone him.
(32) Jesus answered them, Many good works have I shewed you from my Father; for which of those works do ye stone me?
(33) The Jews answered him, saying, For a good work we stone thee not; but for blasphemy; and because that thou, being a man, makest thyself God.
John 17:1-17
(v.17 - Thy Word is truth, I am the truth john 14:6,

He is the Word, John 1:1, and the Word is God)

The fact is that the so-called church in America is dying, brethren, and it is not for lack of 'love' or 'tolerance' or 'political correctness’.
It is in fact because we no longer speak the truth in love. The American church is fast becoming a powerless, self-absorbed shell, a walking corpse.
(and I have the statistics to prove it, lol)

We placate, cajole and fondle, seeking to be seen as 'loving and nice' because 'Jesus is love'. We teach a watered-down comfortable Gospel or no Gospel at all, to make Christianity palatable, accessible and socially relevant. Forgetting that GOD is HOLY and RIGHTEOUS and we will all give an account.

The most loving thing that we can do for someone else is to share the Gospel.
The Most loving thing that we can tell people is lead them through the Romans Road.

But we don't... Why?

Because we’re not judging…

We Pastors have done awful job of teaching the flock the truth of the Gospel, we have not equipped the saints, and as a result, are responsible for much of what is seen around us in America.

Because we have striven to be celebrities ourselves, we feed into the idolatrous culture that America is. We have failed. Because we ourselves have bought into the world’s measures of success, we have made allowances for unrighteousness, no longer hear from God, but know all of the right formulas for church growth… So we feed the sheep on dry brown grass
As a result, we have a massive amount of skinny malnourished and poorly taught sheep crowding into huge pens Sunday after Sunday to be entertained.
Those of us that are aware of it are doing all that we can to fight against it, but it is like salmon swimming against the stream.

Jesus wanted and planned for big strong tough sheep, and that's what he trained.
They were 'deep', and they were honest, like their Master.
They told the truth at great personal cost, and died for it, like their Master.
Why are we not like them?
Our Master is the same one, is He not?

But we love this verse don't we:
Galatians 2:20 “I have been crucified with Christ. It is no longer I who live, but Christ who lives in me. And the life I now live in the flesh I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me.”

One of the things that I have been talking to my group about is the idea of 'reputational martyrdom'. We may not be killed physically anymore, but the truth of Mark 8:35 - “For whosoever will save his life shall lose it; but whosoever shall lose his life for my sake and the gospel's, the same shall save it.” remains
It is only when we are no longer afraid to 'die' to our reputations, carefully crafted images, and comfortable social situations, that we really become his disciples, and scripture bears that out...

But we won't do that, because it's uncomfortable. We are so good at doing ‘church’ and being religious, but so bad at being Christians.
This is why groups like the Westboro Baptist church can spring up, saying the most hateful atrocious things in the name of God, and they get air time.

If we were doing what we should be doing, they'd have no members and get no attention, but the sorry fact is that much of what they say is true, and because it's packaged in with the vitriol that they spew, it all gets disregarded. How sad.

So when we say the same things that they say (those things that are correct) what happens? Labels and epithets.. But why should we have it any different. They pulled Jesus beard out of his face. (Isaiah 50:6)

Hmmm...
It's not over,
Here is a link to Part II

Why are you Pro-Choice? I'd like to know...

2009-12-09T18:38:00.001-05:00

What if I told you that in the words of Malcolm X,
"I say and I say it again, you've been had. You've been took. You've been hoodwinked, bamboozled, led astray, run amok."

What would you say then? Would you change your mind?

Hear what Bernard Nathanson, MD last surviving founding member of NARAL has to say about his part in your bamboozling:

“We persuaded the media that the cause of permissive abortion was a liberal, enlightened, sophisticated one. Knowing that if a true poll were taken, we would be soundly defeated, we simply fabricated the results of fictional polls. We announced to the media that we had taken polls and that 60 percent of Americans were in favor of permissive abortion. This is the tactic of the self-fulfilling lie. Few people care to be in the minority. We aroused enough sympathy to sell our program of permissive abortion by fabricating the number of illegal abortions done annually in the U.S. The actual figure was approaching 100,000, but the figure we gave to the media repeatedly was 1 million.

“Repeating the big lie often enough convinces the public. The number of women dying from illegal abortions was around 200-250 annually. The figure we constantly fed to the media was 10,000. These false figures rook root in the consciousness of Americans, convincing many that we needed to crack the abortion law.

“Another myth we fed to the public through the media was that legalizing abortion would only mean that the abortions taking place i1legally would then be done legally. In fact, of course, abortion is now being used as a primary method of birth control in the U.S. and the annual number of abortions has increased by 1,500 percent since legalization.”
“I remember laughing when we made those slogans up [about abortion]. . . . We were looking for some sexy, catchy slogans to capture public opinion. They were very cynical slogans then, just as all of these slogans today are very, very cynical.”
“At the end of the two years that I was the director [of the Center for Reproductive and Sexual Health in Manhattan], we had done 60,000 abortions. [During my life] I myself, with my own hands, have done 5,000 abortions. I have supervised another 10,000 that residents have done under my direction. So I have 75,000 abortions in my life. Those are pretty good credentials to speak on the subject of abortion.”

- Bernard Nathanson, last surviving founding member of NARAL
http://www.aboutabortions.com/Confess.html

Hear him talk about what he's done to YOU
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1xfEoqGeliA

More than 50 MILLION abortions (killings) later, he knows he was wrong...

Now that you know that you've been victimized, what will you do?

Geno Young - Honeydew

2009-11-27T18:30:00.002-05:00

Dedicated to my Love, T.

I see you brother...

2009-11-24T17:23:00.006-05:00

A poem that I wrote last night on the way home from school.

I see you brother...

Standing on the platform spittin' lyrics at nobody,
as your head nods in time and agreement.

I see you brother...

Violence, hatred, profanity, misogyny, and death flow from your
lips
like
rain...
a reflection of what's on your mind.

I see you brother...

Lookin' at the sister to your left like so much meat
as you place her in the porno you're filming in your mind..
Your smile gives you away. Damn.

I see you brother...

Do YOU see you?