Stand Firm (Part Three)

(Still in Ephesians 6)

Now think about this—membership into any entity means when you join—you agree to abide by the rules and policies. What makes you think a church should operate any differently? If you’re not a member—don’t expect to sing in the choir, serve on the usher board or to hold any other office or position in a church. If you’re not financially supporting the church “as a member” don’t expect to have any say-so in what the church does with the resources they have. When I read some of the asinine comments people make about “what a church or pastor should do” I know they are not supporting members anywhere. In fact, for those who claim to be Believers—I wonder if they even know what it means to be in relationship with God—not just the church or a religion.

And speaking of “religion” and how every negative comment regards it—get over it. Religious people seldom have a relationship with God. They are religious out of tradition, not knowledge—they don’t have a clue. I can tell from some of the comments being made that there are a number of people who say they have been turned off religion because of the actions of the pastor who cancelled the funeral. Good for them—they didn’t need religion to start with—they need Jesus. If all they’re seeking is religious involvement, they might as well not attend any church and they certainly need not condemn others who do not support their beliefs.

Another point of contention—for me. Why is it that every time a Believer says something is sin—everyone wants to jump down their throats? If you don’t want to believe a certain behavior or lifestyle is sin—whoopee! You don’t have to believe, but stop trying to tell us what we believe is wrong and expecting us to change our beliefs for you. You don’t have a heaven or hell for us, so why should we care what you believe? If you have a right to believe what you want to believe—so do we do—and I’m not suing anyone to make that point. The court systems should be ashamed of themselves for getting caught up in Satan’s web and deliberating promoting ungodliness. You can think what you want of this statement—in the end—God will judge its merits and everything else we do or say.

Finally, I must end this rant. I applaud every pastor and believing Christian who stands firm on the foundational beliefs of the Bible. The bible—regardless of version or translation—as long as the “intent of the Word is not compromised” is our foundation for what we believe. If people want to believe a stone has power—so be it. If people want to believe that a snake has power—so be it. If people want to believe that “any mortal being” has power—so be it. Believe whatever you want, but get off the backs of those who stand firm in their belief that God is right and every man a liar. So pastors—stand your ground and preach The Word—living The Word so all may see The Word come to life and be a standard by which God will judge us all. After all—these people did not call you to lead people to Christ—you owe them nothing, but your allegiance is to God and Him alone.

This message has been brought to you by one who not only understands the Written Word of God, but also has a relationship with Him and is not about to play doormat to those who want to step all over Believing Christians. God and God alone shall judge us all! Hallelujah to our Risen Savior! I approve this message!

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Stand Firm! (Part Two)

(Still in Ephesians 6)

In spite of what most believe—where there is documentation that supports the foundational belief of a church (statements of faith) those foundational principles trump the opinions of those who know nothing about the bible.

Let’s deal with some facts about “church foundations.” Within the church’s constitution, a plan of action or procedures should be established. Within that plan—the role of the pastor, deacons, trustees, and whoever else is listed should be outlined. If a church “chooses” to make an exception—they are within their rights. And speaking of rights—every church has a right—a spiritual and moral obligation—to exercise biblical principles (unless they are a cult) without being influenced by those who think “being politically correct” is a mandate from God.

The same people who protest church beliefs about “just about anything” and claim justification for their beliefs because “certain words don’t appear” in the bible should be just as prone to censure about “political correctness” since it is a recent phrase used to justify sin and living ungodly by those who want to live ungodly lives.

As much as I’d like to see everyone saved and have the hope of eternal life—I cannot force anyone to believe Jesus is the best thing that ever happened to the world. People can and do believe what they want, but please, please, please—stop trying to get those who do believe to swallow the lies—which we know are influenced by Satan.

Getting back to churches—with membership—like anywhere else—there are privileges. Most churches have established protocols to handle weddings, funerals, baptisms, child dedications, counselling, and just about everything else. For people who are not members of a church—why are they expecting any privileges from the church? Attending a church is not the same as being an active, participating member of the church.

 

Part Three posted tomorrow!

Stand Firm!

“Stand your ground, putting on the belt of truth and the body armor of God’s righteousness.” (Ephesians 6:13 NLT).

Very recently, a pastor of a church in Florida cancelled doing a funeral and the comments made inspired this commentary. It would appear that the masses making very negative statements about the pastor and Christianity are born out of a lack of knowledge about how God expects all to live. When the family of the deceased (a gay man) requested the funeral to be held at the church, they apparently forgot to inform the pastor of the man’s lifestyle and when the pastor discovered it in the media, he made a decision to stand on the principles of God’s Word and now most feel justified in attacking him and his beliefs. Some of the comments appear to have been made from little to no knowledge of the circumstances when one commenter posted, “I bet he (the pastor) didn’t have a problem taking his money every week.” My question is, “Was the deceased a member of the church or was it just “his family” who were members?

What does it mean to be a member of a church? Well, for some that answer would vary and for some—who attend regularly—they just go to be going. Most churches—whether part of a larger institution or they are independent—have by-law and a constitution by which the church is run. Granted, there are many churches who make exceptions in various situations, but that by no means should nullify the original intent of those by-laws whatever they are. And most certainly, having by-laws in place should not be a recent to make a spectacle of a pastor.
I don’t know about most of the Christian community, but I am really tired of the church being made out to be a monster simply because most of us have principles—based on the bible and tend to live our lives accordingly. For those who don’t have a clue—live your life any way you want, but when you die—go the funeral home and leave the churches out of the equation that negates life in Christ Jesus.

Not too long ago, a similar incident surfaced and had people embroiled in judgment against Marvin Winans. That scenario—the church’s refusal to dedicate a child who had been born out of wedlock brought out the worst in non-believers and even had me questioning what some of the so-called believers had to say. Very simply put—the media failed to say whether the woman in question was a member of the church (they simply stated she attended), and then failed to ask the woman why she refused the “private dedication service” that was offered. Of course, the general public seldom gets “accurate information from all parties involved,” we only get what the media wants to publish. I don’t which is worse—sensationalism hounds or those who are “so upset” with the pastors.

 

Part Two posted tomorrow!

Read, Expect, Pray!

“Understand this, my dear brothers and sisters: You must all be quick to listen, slow to speak, and slow to get angry.” (James 1:19 NLT).

Cancelled Funeral

For the next three days, I have scheduled a commentary on a recent event in which a pastor has been “demonized” because of a decision to cancel a funeral in Florida. The deceased–it was discovered–was a gay man, married to another man–which is opposition to the church’s beliefs and policies and that information was withheld from the pastor when they originally agreed to allow the funeral to be held in the church. Don’t judge a matter so quickly that you forget to get all the information! An opinion–without facts to support or document–is just that, an opinion and we all have one. However, in order to not promote ignorance of the role of the church and its leadership, I encourage everyone who usually reads my blog posts to read them in their entirety, expect to have feelings ignited, but pray before you determine anything about me or what I’ve said.  Meditate on The Word, Seek God, and know Truth from Him–not me.

If you feel as though I’m ranting, you’re probably right–but ranting with the intent to inform and negate all the negativity about pastors who actually attempt to do the right thing according to The Word of God, not political correctness or the influence of those who choose to live ungodly lives.

Just as I am encouraging pastors to stand firm in their belief in The Word and to live according to it, I am standing firm in the belief in The Word and in how God wants me to live. If anyone wants to live contrary to The Word–that’s their business and they will have to deal with the consequences–as will I. However, I will not compromise my beliefs simply to make others “feel” better about themselves. I am not a doormat and I will not act like one when it comes to standing on The Word.

Here’s a newsflash–God is not interested in our “feelings;” He’s interested in whether or not we’re living according to His Word and no one, absolutely no one can convince me to live contrary to God’s Word. Living for Him–is a choice–like everything else we do and I choose Jesus over all the “warm fuzzies” from being politically correct by people who don’t know God.

If there are some who think I’m wrong–they’re entitled to think whatever they wish–I’ll await God’s judgment for being on His side rather than theirs!

Love to love you–but I’ll stand firm on The Word!