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Archive for the ‘Church & Society’ Category

Freedom of Religion-D-AB

29 Sep

When Hitler moved against the Jews, some churches spoke out but were attacked by politicians for doing so, as liberal politicians are doing today. Many churches chose to remain silent, as many are doing today. While many people talk about how many Jews died as the result, nothing is said about the Christians who were imprisoned and even killed because they spoke out against the extermination of the Jews. We say it won’t happen here but it already is. We don’t hear about it because the press is not reporting it. Liberal politicians are demonizing Christians just as Hitler did the Jews. Christians are being jailed and churches are being burned for speaking out against abortion and Gay privileges, as well as other government abuses. Our country was founded on Christian principles and Christian values spread as pastors preached the Word of God. However, recently liberal values have spread through our country because liberal politicians and media have been vocal about their values but the church has been silent about God’s values. We have the privilege of voting for candidates for political office but Christians cannot vote intelligently if they are not informed about issues and where candidates stand on them. Either the church speaks up now or it will be silenced for good.

 

 

Freedom of Religion-D-AA

29 Sep

I was asked by a well-known organization to notify local pastors that voter guides were available for the upcoming election and began calling pastors. A common answer I got was that they didn’t tell their people how to vote. The voter guides don’t tell you how to vote, they merely tell you what the candidate’s position is on various issues, so the real question is why they don’t want to do it. Is it fear that the government would harass them, is it fear that their people will not want them to, or is it merely because they don’t feel the church should influence society by encouraging their members to exercise their right to vote. The guides don’t tell you how to vote, so it isn’t endorsing any candidate so the government has no legitimate objection. The unions and other organizations freely distribute lists of who they want their members to vote for and the government doesn’t object. Churches are no different than other organizations, other than the fact that their position is not politically correct. It differs from the beliefs of those who are in power. When the government  denies churches their first Amendment rights, solely because they are Christian, then we have a very serious problem. Churches should be teaching Christian values and Christians will want representatives that will uphold Christian moral values, and there is nothing wrong with distributing information on the candidate’s positions on issues, it is public  information. Pastors should want their members to be informed so they can vote responsibly. Many pastors have been cowered into silence by liberal lies about the separation of church and State. The Constitution forbids the government from prohibiting the free exercise of religion and then follows with prohibiting it from restricting the freedom of speech. There is no exemption clause allowing the government to restrict the freedom of speech of pastors or churches. That is a fabrication of liberal politicians who believe they are not bound by the Constitution or federal law and can make their own laws. It is time the church stands up for  its God-given rights or it will lose them altogether.

 

 

Ninth Sunday of Pentecost-July 10

11 Jul

Personal Outreach  People today are surrounded with appeals. Many have learned to tune them out. As a result, advertising and promotions which have been effective in the past no longer move people. Years ago I was out of work and got hired by a telemarketing group to recruit volunteers for non-profit organizations like the Red Cross, the Cancer Society, and similar organizations. They had found that traditional advertising didn’t work as well as before and began hiring companies to contact individuals on a block looking for someone who would mail out appeals to their neighbors on the block, because people responded to a letter from a neighbor more readily than from an organization. Often when people see a letter is from an organization they don’t belong to, they will throw it away and not even open it. A letter from a neighbor will make them curious. The church has always been effective because of the relationships of members with those around them. That is even more important today as people become increasingly isolated emotionally. It has resulted in large numbers of people feeling lonely even in the middle of a crowd. Door-to-door canvasing is better than media campaigns but not nearly as effective as neighbors visiting neighbors. The vast number of people visiting a church today do so at the personal invitation of a friend or neighbor. However a single visit is not nearly as effective as when members build a relationship through ongoing contacts with their neighbors. Members need to build a personal relationship with their neighbors to gain credibility. It is easy to say you care about someone but talk is cheap. Continual visits show that you really do care about them and aren’t just out collecting people to fill the pews. Trust is in short supply because they see so many people, including churches that are just out for their money. It will often take several visits before they begin to see that you are sincere and that they can trust you. Once they begin to trust you, they will be more willing to listen to what you have to say.

 

Eighth Sunday of Pentecost-July 7

05 Jul

 Personal witness-The most effective way to reach those outside the church is through the personal witness of members. As members fellowship and interact with other believers, their lives are changed and they grow into the likeness of Christ and become the witness God desires. As members are changed, those around them will notice the difference and desire that kind of life. Unfortunately few church members today grow spiritually because the churches have drifted away from Christ and have become little more than social clubs. Members may attend church together for years and never get to know those around them. There is no close interaction of members with spiritual leaders to enable them to grow spiritually through watching spiritual leaders in action. There needs to be active mentoring of new members by those who are spiritually mature. Unfortunately, many church leaders are chosen for their business ability, not their spiritual maturity, so they do not provide good spiritual role models to follow. Up until the middle of the last century, the church was often the center of the community. It held Vacation Bible Schools, church dinners, and concerts where many in the community attended. However, few outside the church attend church activities today. If the church is to reach the lost, it must go where they are. In addition, church members must be trained to reach out to those around them and establish contacts that will enable them to recognize needs and respond to them. The early church attracted new members when unbelievers saw the love they had for each other and those around them, however the church today has isolated itself and does not provide opportunities for unbelievers to see that love.

 

Seventh Sunday of Pentecost-June 30

27 Jun

 Fishers of Men-Christ told His disciples, if they would follow Him, He would make them fishers of men. His admonition was not only for the disciples, but for all who would follow Him. The pastor has very few contacts outside the church, so he has little opportunity to draw people into the church. However, the members are in constant contact with unbelievers at work, at school, as they shop, and as they interact with their neighbors who have no contact with a church. If they are actively seeking God’s will for them, their lives will be changed and will differ drastically from those who still walk in the ways of the world. As those around us see the change that takes place in us, and how we differ from unbelievers, they will be led to seek the source of that difference. It will open an opportunity for members to invite them to church and show them the source that can make a difference in their life. The church is not a fortress to protect us from the world but a haven of rest in the daily fight. It is like a ship in the midst of a sea of drowning people and we are called to lead those struggling in the water to the ship. There are people dying all around  you and you may be the only one available to lead them to safety and eternal life.  

 

video-In the World, Not of it-study course-promo

21 Feb

 

Video-The Church That Transforms-Study Course Series-Promo

05 Dec

 

Video-Sermon-Salt and Light-

04 Dec

 

Freedom of Religion-B-V

26 Nov

We are in a cultural war between the forces of light and the forces of darkness. While liberals try to tell you that they just want equal time to express  their beliefs, it is a lie. While they tell you they want to take all religion out of the schools, that is also a lie. While their religion is not organized like Christianity or Islam, their beliefs are as much a religion as anyone else’s religion. They believe in a god, they believe that they are the god and supreme ruler of their universe. They have a belief in a reason for their existence and the existence of everything around them, they believe it all happened by accidental occurrences down through history.  They have a belief in what will happen when we die, they believe we will simply cease to exist. Their “religion” is very similar to the existential religions like Hinduism, Buddhism, and similar religions. They are seeking to replace your religion with theirs. In fact, the seeds of this religion began sprouting in America in the hippy years when the hippies rejected the materialist culture and adopted many Hindu and Buddhist practices. They were originally attracted to Socialism which they equated with Communism (no relation to what Russia and China claim to have which is merely Socialism in disguise). Many of our leaders today are Socialists that came out of the hippy movement and have close ties with Russia and China. They have  infiltrated the schools, the media, and the government to teach their religion and force you to accept it if you resist. The California State Assembly passed a resolution directing all religious leaders to promote homosexuality and the transgender lifestyle. While it is not legally binding, it shows how far the homosexual lobby is willing to go to promote its agenda. How long will it be before they pass a law requiring it? It is obviously a trial balloon sent up to see how much opposition there is before they push for a law.  There are other States waiting to see how it turns out before pushing their own attempts to stamp out all religions, except their own. They believe that they are god the all-knowing one, and know what is best for you and are seeking to make themselves the god who rules your universe as well as their own, just as Caesar and many other kings and rulers of the past have done.  The Bible says that in the last days, Satan will prowl like a roaring lion seeking who he may devour, seeking to turn even the elect, and all we have to do is look around to see that he has been very successful.

 

 

Schools & Education-1-AA

20 Oct

Ohio and other States are proposing legislation to outlaw the sexually explicit performances being conducted for children in schools and libraries. Laws in every State outlaw such performances for children but Gay Rights advocates say the laws don’t apply to them because they are homosexual performances, not performances of men and women. Therefore States are having to pass laws explicitly stating they apply to homosexual performances. Liberals feel laws don’t apply to them. Nowhere do the laws state they only relate to heterosexual performances. They are designed to protect children from adult content and apply to all adult content. It is the same argument abortion providers use to evade laws designed to protect women who get abortions. All States have laws protecting those who receive medical procedures such as licensing medical clinics and personnel, providing information on procedures so they can made informed decisions, and parental consent for minors. The argument that they don’t apply in the case of abortions is ridiculous. They apply to all medical procedures and abortions are medical procedures. They can claim the laws protecting the baby don’t apply because we don’t know when life begins but that is ridiculous because we now know when life begins and that has nothing to do with laws protecting the mother because the mother is legally recognized as a person. However, liberal judges and prosecutors refuse to prosecute offenders allowing children to be exposed to explicitly adult performances, just as they refuse to prosecute offenders who violate laws protecting women getting abortions. It is necessary to elect judges that uphold the law and prosecute offenders when they can and elect officials that will appoint judges that will uphold the law. States should not have to go through the cumbersome process of enacting new laws when the necessary laws are already on the books. It is time we begin prosecuting judges and prosecutors that refuse to uphold the law.