"Thou Shalt Not Kill"

   I think most of us who were part of a church at some time in our lives, have heard the 10 Commandments. 1. You shall have no other gods before me (God speaking to us), 2. You shall not make any graven images (God speaking to us about idolatry) 3. You shall not take God's name in vain (using His name as a cuss word or filler), 4. You are to keep the Sabbath Day holy (we are to keep one day for rest and spending time with God alone) 5. Honor your father and mother, 6. You shall not kill (murder), 7. You shall not commit adultery, 8. You shall not steal, 9. You shall not bear false witness (telling something untrue about something that is true), 10. You shall not covet.
   Some are easy to understand, yet some need a little explanation. All the commandments spring from the 2 commandments which tell us to 'love God with all our heart, soul, mind, and strength', and, 'love our neighbor (those around us) as ourselves.' If we truly did those, we could keep the 10 Commandments. The problem is that we don't have the desire or power to do that within ourselves. We can only do them if we are born again, new creatures in Christ.
  The commandment to not kill is explained further in the New Testament. Jesus said that when we are angry without cause, then we have committed murder of the heart. Proverbs has a lot to say about anger also. But there is a way that many murder today, that may not consider this as murder.
   I am blessed to go to a church which stands up against the practice of abortion. But, I think I am sheltered from what goes on in the real world today. If a person is an Atheist or Skeptic, it would make sense that he or she would believe abortion is ok, but when professing Christians have abortions, something is wrong. I am amazed at how many who have an abortion are encouraged by the church they attend to have the abortion. How can any Bible believing church say that having an abortion is ok, or that it is the right thing to do? Abortion is murder. It is not ok, no matter how many pastors say that it is.
  If you are a Christian (born again, new heart, new creation in Christ) and you are part of a church which says that abortions are ok or even recommended, could I ask you to consider leaving that kind of church? If the church doesn't get an issue like abortion right, what other issues are they missing?
  Sometimes, I think people are ignorant when they promote or have abortions, but sometimes they aren't. If you have studied in biology, the different phases of the fetus as it grows and develops, you would be in wonder of such a wonderful creation of God. You would not want to destroy it. If you are a normal person who loves your family and children, if you knew what actually took place during an abortion (and the 'doctors' are not going to tell you), you would not have the abortion. Period. No one in their right mind would do such a thing to their child, even a child who is not developed physically yet.
  I don't want to go into details of what happens in an abortion, but legally, the child has to be dead in the womb in order for a true abortion to take place. If the 'doctor' performs the abortion, and the child lives, after the birthing takes place, he/she cannot kill the baby then. So, you have to ask yourself this question: why is the baby considered non-human while in the womb, but human if outside the womb? How can location change a status. The real only difference is that a baby inside the womb is attached by an umbilical cord, but when the baby comes out, the cord is cut. A cord attached to the mother for life does not determine whether a baby is human or not. That would be similar to a person who gets injured and is on life support. If the life support is taken away, he will die. Does that make him non-human?
  The Bible talks about God knowing us while we are in the womb. Even if we are only a couple of weeks pregnant and take a pill to kill the baby with, it is still murder. But when the baby is older or more developed, it is harder to kill him or her, so the 'doctor' will go into the mother's womb and slice the baby up with a knife. Do you really want that to happen to your child? Not only will you have to live with that the rest of your life, but when you stand before God, you will be charged with murder.
   You might say, 'I don't have the means to take care of this baby. I already have 5 children to feed.'. I understand. Have you considered putting the baby up for adoption? Many who can't have children would love to adopt some. Not only will you be doing your baby a favor, but you will be helping out another family as well.
   Have you also considered having sexual relationships in marriage only? The Bible has a lot to say about sexual relationships outside of marriage, and God will judge those kinds of relationships. God can help you to have good relationships with others, but you will need to come to know Him first. You will have to let go of your 'rights' to yourself and those things that would keep you from turning to and trusting in God. You will need to trust in Jesus Christ as your Savior from sin. Jesus died to pay for all of your sins, even having an abortion. You must repent though, and turn from all sin. For more information on this, please go to http://thegospelconversation.blogspot.com  or  http://thecolorfulstory.blogspot.com. You could also go to http://test4gp.wordpress.com  for more help.

It's Now Illegal To Be Homeless - In South Carolina

  I haven't read the article yet, but, from the title I want to point out a couple of things.
http://truthia.com/its-now-illegal-to-be-homeless/#
   The issues go deeper than homelessness in America. There are different reasons why people end up homeless. Many are out of work and can't pay the bills. Others are handicapped or retarded and have no one to take them in. Still some are just displaced, meaning, they never were trained for anything during their childhood teenage years. This could be due to lack of parental direction or possibly rebellion on the part of the child. A large portion of the homeless are lazy and looking for another way to avoid going to work and will pay the price of being homeless to get their way. And then there are some who were abused as children, and as a result, they developed multiple personalities and at present are unable to work.
   One of the things I want to point out in the article is simply the fact that it is not only illegal to be homeless, but the authorities will ship the homeless into camps. This sounds very much like what happened in Germany in the 1940s. As you may recall, if you are old enough, Hitler wanted to have a pure race of people so he began the process of this by eliminating a whole nationality of people, along with a few others. There are s few videos depicting the horrible scenes of men, women, and children forced onto trains to go to their 'camps'. They were then made ready to go to the gas chambers. Over six million people died this way. Not only were the Jewish people affected, but anyone handicapped or with any kind of flaw was also sent off to these camps. It was too late to boot Hitler out of office, for the people, prior to his leadership, wanted a man like him to rule their country.
   Sadly, Hitler and the Holocaust are not taught in our schools today. Somebody does not want our children to learn about the horrors of the Holocaust. Why? Because if the students become aware of what happened, they would be able to detect the signs of a future Holocaust, should one come, and may take action against it wherever possible.
   The other reason why this concerns me is that there is always the problem of the homeless. Where do they go? Who is responsible for them? How can we best help these people?
  The church can step in and help. I have learned a lot from those who work at homeless shelters. We have a fantastic homeless shelter in our area which takes in homeless people and families, and trains people to work with jobs they are suited for. They work on helping those who are displaced. Also, the lazy ones get weeded out as they don't want to work. Most of all, they need the Gospel. They need to hear the Gospel and they need to receive ministry. There needs to be places available that can serve this way. They need to be involved in a local church.
   Give a man a fish, and you have fed him for a day. Teach a man how to fish, and you will help him be sustained for a lifetime. We don't want to give 'fish' every day to the homeless. There are times when it is appropriate to feed them. But they need to learn to be independent workers and they need to be incorporated into society where they fit.
   We need to pray for the freedom in our country to remain. We need for the government to decrease, and the power of the people to increase. We need for the church to step up and serve the homeless in whatever ways possible, and train them to have jobs and careers. We also need to provide places for those who are mentally ill, retarded, and handicapped. When this happens, society will benefit, and people will begin to thrive once again. This is why we need to 'Pray for the church and Pray for the country'.

Courtesy of 2011 United States Holocaust Memorial Museum 

I Now Pronounce You 'Husband and Husband'

   I imagine that we will be hearing some new strange phrases as life continues in the United States. If things progress the way they are going, we will see churches conduct weddings for homosexual people. It will be strange though, because we all know that something is wrong with this picture.
   God does have a lot to say in His word about sexual relationships and relationships in general. God puts a high value on marriage and keeping the marriage bed undefiled. (Hebrews 13). Paul gives instructions in the book of Ephesians on husband/wife relationships. Peter also has some insights he gives on this same topic.
   What is interesting though, is that there are no directives for male spouses to male spouses. There is no indication that males are to marry other males, or females are to marry other females. In fact, the Bible doesn't indicate anywhere that people have a certain sexual orientation that they were created to follow.
      We see in the first chapter of Romans where people who have turned their backs on God have become totally distorted. Another word is 'perverted' which means that 'turned from what is right' according to an internet dictionary. It has the connotation of being twisted. One of the results of turning our backs on God is to have abnormal desires. Homosexuality is named as one of those desires. But not everyone who is Gay is necessarily one who has turned their back on God and is in this perverted state because of doing so. Many Gay people have been violated sexually during their childhood. Some were traumatized by what happened to them, and they never were able to develop a normal, healthy understanding of sexuality. Yet others, really do not want to be Gay. If they could have gotten rid of the desire, they would have chosen to be straight.
   What has happened to make this Gay community in America so strong and defensive? One of the things that has happened is that the church does not understand the nature of the sinful temptation to homosexuality. Much of the church does not understand about original sin, nor does the church know how to help others who struggle with sin to be free from sin. Many hold a Pelgian view, which basically tells people to repent (which means to 'stop sinning') and expects people to stop whatever their obvious sins are (like homosexuality or stealing). Pelagians do not understand the sinful heart, which is underlying the behavior of the person. Nor does Pelagianism understand the struggle every person has with sin. Pelgians typically believe they are capable of keeping the commandments, and others are capable as well (after all, Jesus wouldn't tell us to obey the commandments if we weren't able to keep them, would He?) This whole belief system has wreaked havoc in the church, and in the church's ability to reach a lost and dying world.
   I see Pelagianism in many circles of Christians, although many of them would profess to be reformed. It is a belief that a person can stop sinning at will. He or she can choose to stop sinning. When a Gay person is desiring to turn to God, he or she may be told that their act must be cleaned up before they can come to God. But that is exactly the reason we turn to God. We turn to God because we cannot free ourselves from sin. Many are enslaved to sin. Yet, they are hindered so many times by the church, to come to God. They are accused of being unrepentant.
   How does this tie in with the Gay community? Like I said, many Gay people do not want to be Gay. But there is such a strong desire in them that they can't be free from. They need to find a church they can trust, who really will help them to be free from their bondage. If not, they will create their own religion to protect themselves from what they can't be free from. They will hang onto it.
   People don't change when you scold them for being bad. People don't change when you nag or make fun of them, with the hopes that the nagging or name calling with cause them to change. People will change when they see an alternative for what they have. It's like the 'lamb chop theory' that David Wilkerson's grandfather came up with. In his day, women used to come to the church meeting wearing ribbons in their hats. If they wanted to be saved, the pastor would cut the ribbons on the hat. A tract was also designed called, 'How do you think you can get to heaven with so many ribbons on your head?' But David Wilkerson's grandfather changed his mind about that. He gave the illustration of a dog running with a bone in its mouth. He explained that you don't take the bone out of the dog's mouth. You simply offer him a better bone, like a lamb chop. When he sees the lamb chop, he will gladly take that and drop the other bone.
   As we live out our lives, in the power of the Holy Spirit, overflowing with the love of God, we can properly minister to the Gay person. If we spend out time yelling Bible verses that say that God will punish them, and call them names, we will lose them. Any communication we would have with them will be gone. How can we minister the Gospel if we are making fun of people?
   Ministering to the Gay person is not going to be easy, but it will be worth it. It will take a long time to walk through the process of helping the person understand what the Scriptures say about immorality and we must be there when he or she is tempted to go back into it. The lying voices are strong and they will seek to persuade the Gay person to believe that God created him or her with those orientations and that he or she should live out those desires. God did not make the person that way. God is a God of order and He made people male and female. Only males marry females. God did not design any males to marry or have sexual relationships with males.
  It's really up to the church to 1. hold the standard of right and wrong, good and evil, and 2. minister the grace of God to those who are willing to repent and turn to God. Those who repent and trust in Jesus will begin the sanctification process, which will in turn help them to be freed from their sins.
   We can ignore people who need help. If we continue to ignore, or mistreat people because they are Gay, we can look forward to hearing statements like the one in the title of this message. But if we are willing to get on our knees, and look at our own hearts, and let God clean us up and change us, we can give this hope to others, and what happens in the church will ultimately affect what happens in society. Then we will no longer need to be concerned about being introduced to Mr. and Mr. John Doe, on their wedding day.

Contemplating Roe vs. Wade

   No doubt, there will be a lot of posts on this subject, which is a good thing. This is not just one more post, but I would like to add to what I have already written on this subject. There are those who made a decision to have an abortion, and now are suffering the consequences of their decision. Some were forced to have an abortion by a parent. Others had an abortion because of a boyfriend who threatened to leave if she didn't abort her baby. Still, others had an abortion because they honesty believed that they couldn't afford another child. What most of these women didn't understand (or those who forced them to have an abortion) was that having an abortion is not simply removing tissue from her body to prevent a baby from being born. The baby was already there. As soon as conception took place, a human being began its life. It is a fascinating process to watch and with new technology we can see pictures of this little person as he or she develops. But sadly, there are people who work at abortion clinics that are motivated by greed. They know what an unborn child looks like, but they will hide it from their customers because they want to be able to perform the abortion on the woman who doesn't want or can't afford to take care of her child.
     'Doctors' make a lot of money from performing abortions. They will not explain to you that they have to actually 'kill' your baby while the baby is still inside the mother's womb. There is a law that says that they cannot kill it after it is born. So, basically they are taking this same baby, and killing him or her, but while it is inside, not outside. What's the difference? It's still the same baby just in a different location. They also won't tell you that killing your baby will be painful to the child. The 'doctor' cuts the baby up with a sharp knife to kill him or her. They don't want you to know this because you might change your mind about having an abortion and they would lose the opportunity to make a lot of money.
   So, with this in mind, I will repost what I wrote on Facebook this morning. I believe many who are contemplating an abortion have no idea what they are about to do. Others who have had an abortion are beginning to feel the affects of what they have done. There is no sacred way to have an abortion because it is murder. But I am writing this to offer hope to those who have had an abortion or who have pressured a woman to have one. You might be the parent of a girl who got pregnant outside of marriage and pressured her to get an abortion. Keep in mind two things: 1. We are all going to stand before God in judgment on that Day and this will come up  2. It is not too late to repent. God can and will forgive those who are murderers when they repent and turn to Him.
     If you are one who has had an abortion, it's not too late to repent! Though your sin is serious before God, He can cleanse and forgive you of your sins, no matter how serious they are. If you are pregnant and contemplating an abortion, please realize that this is a serious sin before God. Murder is considered a felony, and, abortion is murdering (or having someone else murder) your child. The workers at the clinics and many politicians will tell you that they are just removing tissue, to make it look like your baby is just a piece of tissue. Your baby is a piece of tissue, being skillfully crafted by a Master Creator, with intricate details woven together to create a fully formed human being. You are a piece of tissue that has been woven together too, into a beautiful tapestry of a human body. Your baby will feel the sharp points of the doctor's knife as it is being sliced to death. Do you really want that for your child? Couldn't you consider giving birth and putting up the baby for adoption? There are people who can help you through all this. If not, this act will be in your conscience all the rest of your life. You will never be able to get away from it. And on that Final Day, when you stand before God and the books are opened, this event will be recorded. Choose life for your child

Workers at abortion clinics will
pray for you and tell you that
Jesus understands and you are
doing the right thing. 

before it is too late.

True History: Today in History - Roe vs. Wade - January 22, 1973...

True History: Today in History - Roe vs. Wade - January 22, 1973...:    Today is the 41st anniversary of an event that took place right here in America. It was a tragic event with horrible ramifications that w...



I am not going to write another blog on this today, but suffice it to say that this is one of the more serious things we need to be praying for in this country. I have to wonder where the church was in 1973 on this very day, when this decision was made to legalize abortion. If we were around and in the Supreme Court, would we have pointed out the deception that took place in court that day? We weren't in court that day, and now we see the harm that has resulted because of that decision. People will point out plausible reasons for having an abortion, but the fact of the matter is, it's still murder. The issue stems from the belief that an unborn child is not a human being. Yet, we find some type of life on Mars and get excited. But we murder human beings if they are an inconvenience to us. God says, 'You shall not murder'. If our American forefathers knew what was going on, they would turn over in their graves!

Absurd Situations Like This One Are Occurring More and More

   I am writing this to inform you of some things that are happening in our school systems that

 you might find unbelievable. There is one in particular that just happened. A first grade class 

in California, had an assignment from the teacher to bring in something to tell of your family's 

Christmas tradition. It looks like what we would call, 'Show and Tell' in my school days. A 

little girl brought in an ornament from her tree which was a star. Here are the words of the child as she was explaining the meaning of her ornament:"“Our Christmas tradition is to put a star on top of our tree,” the little girl said. “The star is named the Star of Bethlehem. The three kings followed the star to find baby Jesus, the Savior of the world.”
  Before she could say another word, the teacher intervened and stopped her from talking. Listen to the teacher's words, "‘Stop right there! Go take your seat,’”  How would you have liked to hear that from your teacher? The child was made to sit in her seat, and was not allowed to finish her presentation. 
  The story only gets worse. When the little girl's parents talked with the principal, the principal defended the teacher in her actions. The principal said that there was no way that little girl could finish her presentation. because it was to protect the other students from being offended. The principal continued and explained that the little girl was allowed to write about her beliefs in a journal, but she was not allowed to share her beliefs aloud to any other student.
   The man who wrote this article is Todd Starnes and he concludes with this statement: What happened inside that classroom is nothing short of un-American. I don’t know about you, but I’m getting tired of my tax dollars being used to pay the salaries of public school teachers who humiliate and bully Christian boys and girls.
  This is why we need to be praying for the church in America, and praying for our country. May God have mercy on us and restore our nation to the integrity it once had.

A Healthy Church Leads To A Healthy Country

 "Who is wise and understanding among you? By his good conduct let him show his works in the meekness of wisdom. But if you have bitter jealousy and selfish ambition in your hearts, do not boast and be false to the truth. This is not the wisdom that comes down from above, but is earthly, unspiritual, demonic.  For where jealousy and selfish ambition exist, there will be disorder and every vile practice.  But the wisdom from above is first pure, then peaceable, gentle, open to reason, full of mercy and good fruits, impartial and sincere. And a harvest of righteousness is sown in peace by those who make peace." James 3:13-18 ESV
   These words were penned around 2,000 years ago, and they still apply today. Human beings, being the way we are, have a tendency toward selfish ambition and pride. But in the church, this goes in disguise. We rarely see the impure motives in our own hearts, but we can see them usually in others.
  This teaching is so good and helpful for us today in the church. None of us is above this kind of temptation, and we really do need to guard against it in our lives. The Bible is very clear about God operating in peace and love, yet we still have this bent toward selfish ambition and pride, but it is just renamed. 
 I need to hear this as well as everyone else does, for it is so easy to fall into a trap. It is so easy to listen to the voice of the Enemy who would like us to believe that we have to 'warn' others about the bad people in our churches, especially church leaders who we disagree with. There are many in Christian leadership who are led by selfish ambition and do not appreciate others who are having effective ministries. We need to be careful if we are serving the Lord with the ministry and place of service He gave us, to not use this as a competition of some sort. 
   I am not going to talk about slander in this blog today, but suffice it to say that selfish ambition leads to slander if it goes unchecked, which can spread like gangrene. The Bible, and especially the book of James, has much to say about slander and its poison. It is a warning to Christians to not use their tongues in such a way.
   God wants His church to be healthy. Our words can bring health and healing or they can bring sickness and death. Wisdom from God is peaceable and open to reason. The church in America can be healthy and our words can make a big difference in that. Also, the Bible has a lot to say about how we are to treat one another. When the church in America is healthy, it will affect other areas in our country, such as government. The key to a healthy nation is a healthy church. And when the church is healthy, then it will be in a place to help other churches in other places. God will truly be glorified when that happens. That's why we need to 'pray for the church and pray for the country'.