November 27, 2008 (David Cloud, Fundamental Baptist Information Service, P.O. Box 610368, Port Huron, MI 48061, 866-295-4143, fbns@wayoflife.org; for instructions about subscribing and unsubscribing or changing addresses, see the information paragraph at the end of the article) -

The following is excerpted from the Way of Life Advanced Bible Studies Series on the book of Proverbs.

The Advanced Bible Studies Series is equivalent to a complete Bible College course. There are currently 19 volumes averaging 265 pages each. The subjects are Acts, Bible History and Geography, The Bible Version Issue, Defense of the Faith, First Corinthians, The Four Gospels, Genesis, Give Attendance to Doctrine, Hebrews, A History of the Churches from a Baptist Perspective, How to Study the Bible, Job, The New Testament Church, Pastoral Epistles, Proverbs, Psalms, Revelation, Romans, and Understanding Bible Prophecy.

We don’t believe that you will find better quality, more truly life-changing Bible courses from any other source. They are based strictly upon the King James Bible and the powerful word studies assist in the understanding of the KJV but never cast doubt upon it. They are thorough and comprehensive. They are very practical and have the objective of producing well-equipped Christian soldiers that have a solid understanding of the Bible. They stress holy and obedient Christian living and separation from worldliness and error, exalt evangelism and the New Testament church, and promote world missions. They emphasize the crucial differences between law and grace and positional and practical sanctification, and they continually fortify the student’s understanding of the life-changing doctrines such as justification, substitutionary atonement, and eternal security. The courses are non-Calvinistic and interpret Bible prophecy literally. The student will be prepared to stand against the wiles of the Devil and to refute the major theological heresies of our day.

One pastor said the books “are extremely helpful for any Christian, no matter where they are spiritually; the practical application is extremely helpful and edifying.”

Another user said, “These books are truly life changing. I don’t know anything like them.”

PROVERBS. ISBN 978-1-58318-109-6. The theme of this powerful book of the Bible is finding wisdom through the fear of the Lord, and we have titled the course “Wisdom for the Wise and Foolish,” because Proverbs can help the foolish become wise and the wise become wiser. It is one of the most practical books in the Bible. True godliness gets down to where we live our everyday lives and involves every activity and relationship. It is first of all a book for young people, being addressed to “my son” and “my children.” Youth is the best time to learn wisdom, and this is where Proverbs begins, but it is also a book for saints of all ages. The book of Proverbs contains more wisdom about human life and the operation of home, society, commerce, and government than all of this world’s secular colleges and universities combined. There is more sound information on child training in the little book of Proverbs than in all of the child psychology books that have ever been written. The breadth of Proverbs is amazing. It contains practical wisdom for every type and class of person, for the king and the subject, the simple and the prudent, the male and the female, the young and the old, the rich and the poor, the master and the servant, the wise and the foolish, the married and the unmarried, the husband and the wife, the parent and the child, the angry and the calm, the patient and the impatient, the sluggard and the diligent, the friend and the enemy, the sad and the joyful, the one who talks much and the one who talks little. The book of Proverbs is a mirror that shows us the condition of our hearts. This course contains four major sections: (1) an introduction to Proverbs, (2) a verse by verse study of Proverbs 1-9 and Proverbs 31, (3) studies of the major themes of Proverbs 10-30 (Anger, Child Discipline, Counsel, the Fool, Friendship, the Poor, Pride, the Sluggard, the Talebearer, the Tongue, and Wine), (4) and studies of many of the important individual proverbs. Regular size 7X8 paper binding, 284 pages, $19.95. (For large print or coil binding add $1 or $2 for both.) Order from Way of Life Literature at 866-395-4143.

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Proverbs 6:6-11; 10:4, 26; 12:24, 27; 15:19; 19:15, 24; 20:4, 13; 21:25-26; 22:13; 24:30-34; 26:13-16

The book of Proverbs warns frequently about the danger of the sluggard. It is one of the major themes of the book, because human nature tends toward this sin and it results in great and manifold evils. We all tend to be slothful by nature, especially in spiritual things, and we need frequent warnings against sloth.

1. THE CHARACTERISTICS OF THE SLUGGARD

a. The sluggard is slothful and not diligent; he does only what he has to do. He deals with a slack hand (Prov. 10:4). He hides his hand in his bosom (Prov. 19:24; 26:15). He does not even roast that which he takes in hunting (Prov. 12:27). Money, though earned by the sweat of his brow, simply slips through his fingers. On the spiritual side, the Christian sluggard gets baptized and joins the church but he doesn’t dig in with all his strength to serve the Lord. He deals in spiritual matters with a slack hand.

b. The sluggard is one who wastes time and opportunities and doesn’t plan ahead and work hard to fulfill wise objectives (Prov. 6:6-8). He is not self-motivated and diligent in the important issues of life, but he must have someone ruling over him and telling him what to do. When out from under this authority and when left to himself he puts off and neglects the important things.

The sluggard is exhorted to follow the example of the ant (Prov. 6:6-9). God has imparted wisdom to the little ant, and He is ready to impart much greater wisdom to the individual who loves God’s Word and wants to serve Him.

(1) The ant works without oversight. She doesn’t wait until someone tells her what to do and when to do it. She doesn’t have to have somebody standing over her at all times, encouraging her and exhorting her and guiding here. She is self-motivated and self-ruled. The Christian must also be self-motivated to serve Christ regardless of whether or not he has proper oversight and proper help. God has ordained that the church is the pillar and ground of the truth (1 Tim. 3:15) and the church is to be ruled by biblically-qualified pastor-elders (Titus 1:5-9) and teachers (Eph. 4:11-12; Rom. 12:7). But sometimes there is no proper church in an particular area and many times there are not qualified and godly and wise pastor-elders and teachers. Sometimes there is not as much spiritual fellowship as we would like. This is not an excuse for sloth. I must serve the Lord diligently regardless of the situation and regardless of whether I have proper spiritual oversight and help. I should read and study the Bible regardless of how many teachers I have and regardless of how good they are. I should walk in fellowship with Christ and pray effectively regardless of how much encouragement I get from others. I should try to win souls to Christ regardless of whether my church provides the right training and example.

(2) The ant works while there is opportunity. She goes about with a stedfast purpose to store up her food in the summer in preparation for winter. She knows that it will not always be summer. She looks ahead with discretion and lives in the present with the future in mind. The Bible often warns that this life is brief and what is done for Christ must be done now or it will be too late. The harvest will soon be finished, and we will not be able to turn back the clock. Childhood has its opportunities, but it is short. Youth has its opportunities, but it is short. Young adulthood has its opportunities, but it is short. Midlife has its opportunities, but it is short. Old age has its opportunities, but it is short.

(3) The ant works to do her part without regard to what others might be doing. Many professing Christians are “pew sitters” and little else. They are not zealous in learning the Bible and teaching others and trying to win souls to Christ. Some think that the work is being done by others, so why should they labor, but the Lord’s Harvest requires all hands and the body of Christ requires the participation of every member. A good question to ask myself is, “If the whole church were like me, what would the church be?” “The Christian world is busy, and there are thousands working: some preaching, some praying, some teaching, some writing; but not one can do thy work” (Thomas).

(4) The ant works without regard to her small size and seeming insignificance in the larger scheme of things. The ant doesn’t stop to think that she is too little to do much and that compared to an elephant her work is practically useless. Instead she gets right to work and accomplishes amazing things. Many professing Christians seem to think that since they don’t have great talents and abilities and opportunities that they should not do anything, but this is to despise what God has given them and to dishonor the God who has given it. The Bible exhorts us not to despise the day of small things (Zech. 4:10). The body of Christ requires the labor of every member, regardless of how seemingly feeble or insignificant (Rom. 12:5-9; 1 Cor. 12:12-27). Even a cup of cold water given in the name of a disciple of Christ will be rewarded (Mat. 10:41-42).

(5) The ant works because it is God’s will for her to work. And it is God’s will for all of His creatures to work, particularly those made in His own image. “Say not, God is good, and He will provide. He has provided for you richly, but He only grants the provision on condition of the right employment of your powers. There are great rewards for the saints, but only on the condition of being earned. There is a heaven of knowledge, but only for the student; there is a harvest of blessedness, but only to the diligent husbandman; there are scenes of triumph, but only to the victorious warrior” (David Thomas).

c. The sluggard uses many excuses to get out of work.

(1) Proverbs gives three examples of the sluggard’s excuse making:

He uses difficulty as an excuse (“The sluggard will not plow by reason of the cold,” Prov. 20:4). If it’s too cold or too hot or otherwise uncomfortable or too inconvenient or too difficult, he will find a way to bow out. The diligent man finds a way to work regardless of the circumstance, but not the sluggard. He is busier finding an excuse not to work than to find a way to accomplish the work.

He uses fear as an excuse (“The slothful man saith, There is a lion without, I shall be slain in the streets,” Prov. 22:13). Whenever a difficult project is considered there are always the sluggards who attempt to stop it through fear. “We can’t build that tunnel or that bridge; it might fall in.” “We can’t go across the sea in a ship; we might drown.” “We can’t build an airplane; we might crash.” The same thing happens in the spiritual realm. There are always naysayers who use fear to try to stop the progress of the Lord’s work. “We can’t support those missionaries; we might not have enough money.” “We can’t build that building; we might go bankrupt.” “We can’t preach in public; someone might not like it.” Through the years several people have tried to discourage me about building Way of Life Literature. One pastor said, “You won’t ever get support for a literature ministry.” I’m glad that I listened to God instead of these fear-mongers.

He uses lies as an excuse (“The slothful man saith, There is a lion in the way; a lion is in the streets,” Prov. 26:13). This is a mythical, lying excuse. There were no lions in the streets of Israel in Solomon’s day. That was just a pure lie or an extreme exaggeration to avoid work. In 1976 in Tracy City, Tennessee, my wife and I tried to witness to a man who was talking downtown, and he replied, “I can’t talk; a leopard is coming,” then took off. There were certainly no leopards in Tracy City that day! The sluggard is not above lying and exaggerating in his enthusiasm to escape work. He calls in sick at the slightest “pain” and stops working at the slightest inconvenience. He doesn’t get things done because he just “doesn’t feel like it.” The sluggard thinks success is 99% genius and 1% sweat, whereas it is more like 1% genius and 99% sweat. Success makes it own way through diligence and persistence. The same is true in the spiritual realm. We are saved by God’s grace without works, but we are unto good works (Eph. 2:8-10), and doing the will of God requires great dedication and diligence.

(2) By spiritual application the sluggard Christian uses many excuses to avoid serving the Lord. He doesn’t read his Bible because he doesn’t have the right study Bible or he needs glasses or he doesn’t have the right place to study or it’s too hot in his room to study or whatever. He uses excuses to avoid prayer and going to church and witnessing for Christ and tithing. He’s too busy; there are too many other things he has to do; it’s not convenient; it’s too far to walk or drive or take a bus; he doesn’t want to be a religious fanatic; he doesn’t know how to talk to people. The sluggard Christian will even use lying excuses to avoid doing what he knows he should be doing for the Lord.

d. The sluggard loves sleep (Prov. 20:13; 26:14). This can refer to actual sleeping or to just lazing about, “a little folding of the hands,” talking about things of no value, watching television, endlessly collecting rock CDs and MP3 files, playing video games, golfing, being consumed with professional sports, fishing, snowboarding, surfing the Internet, you name it. The sluggard is diligent toward folly but he is lazy toward wisdom.

e. The sluggard has many desires and plans and covets many things, but he will not work hard to attain these things and thus he is frustrated (Prov. 21:25-26). It’s not that the sluggard doesn’t have any ambition. He is going to do a lot of things whenever he finally gets around to it. He is going to have a lot of things one day. He hopes to win the lottery so he will have everything he wants to have and can do everything he would like to do. If he is a Christian he plans to start reading the Bible and having a daily devotional time; he thinks it would be nice to be a prayer warrior; he intends to get to church regularly. But “his hands refuse to labour” (Prov. 21:25). He desires; he covets; but he doesn’t carry through.

f. The sluggard is conceited and refuses to face the reality of what he is (Prov. 26:16). The sluggard could change, but he won’t listen to anyone. He really thinks he will change one day and that there is no hurry. In the mean time, he knows what he is doing and won’t listen to anyone who tries to correct him.

2. THE PAIN ASSOCIATED WITH THE SLUGGARD

a. Slothfulness casts into a deep sleep (Prov. 6:9-10; 19:15). It only takes a little sloth to start the individual on the path to poverty. Laziness produces more laziness. “Always, therefore, look at sloth, not as an infirmity, but as a sin, affecting the whole man, growing upon us with unperceived power. Allow it therefore no rest, no time to root itself. Resist it in all its forms--bodily, mental, spiritual: indulgence of sleep and appetite: self-pleasing in all its subtle and plausible workings. Live by rule. Have your time strictly arranged. Be employed in early work for God” (Bridges).

b. Slothfulness results in things not being maintained (Prov. 24:30-34). The sluggard’s field grows over. His automobile falls apart. His apartment or house deteriorates. His tools are rusty. His roof leaks. His hedge isn’t trimmed. Weeds have taken over his yard. His computer is slow because it has all sorts of viruses and old programs that haven’t been removed and outdated programs. His things are misplaced. His Bible is torn and broken because he hasn’t taken care of it.

c. Slothfulness brings one under tribute (Prov. 12:24). It is the diligent that beareth rule. The slothful employee doesn’t advance to become the boss. The slothful Christian doesn’t become a prayer warrior or a soul winner or a Sunday School teacher or a deacon or a church leader. He remains under tribute while the diligent advances.

d. Slothfulness brings one to poverty (Prov. 19:15; 20:4; 20:13; 24:33-34). The one that travelleth is the one who roams about with no settled job, the drifter; and the armed man is the armed robber. Thus the sluggard’s poverty comes unexpectedly as when a traveller arrives unannounced, and it comes with irresistible force as when one is robbed by an armed man.

(1) This warning is true in physical life as well as in spiritual. The individual who is not willing to work hard at a job and to plan ahead and stay on top of his obligations and pay his bills and keep things properly maintained will become poor. Likewise, the individual who is not willing to work hard in serving Christ, in prayer and Bible study and church life and evangelism will become spiritually poor and backslidden. If he is saved but lives a slothful spiritual life he will loss all the rewards, fruit, and honor that he could have obtained by serving Christ diligently (1 Cor. 3:13-15; 2 Tim. 4:8; 2 John 8). “Laziness brings ruin. Intellectual laziness brings intellectual ruin; commercial, brings commercial ruin; spiritual, spiritual ruin. This is a law” (Thomas).

(2) The Bible says that now is the time of Christ’s great harvest in all of the nations of the earth (Mat. 9:37-38; John 4:35-36; Acts 1:8). Each believer has been called to be a minister in this harvest (2 Cor. 5:17-21), and the son that sleepeth in harvest causeth shame to his Father (Prov. 10:5).

e. Slothfulness is frustrating to the sluggard (Prov. 15:19). It’s a hedge of thorns. Every way the sluggard turns he is pricked by the hedge that hems him in, the thorny hedge of his own sloth. He is frustrated because he can’t fulfill his objectives and because things are falling apart and because he can’t pay his bills and because he can’t seem to get ahead.

f. Slothfulness is frustrating to others (Prov. 10:26). The sluggard is not only frustrating to himself; he is frustrating to those who must depend on him. To send the sluggard on an errand or to depend on him to accomplish a task is like vinegar to the teeth. It is unpleasant because of its acidity and sourness. The sluggard is also like smoke to the eyes. The smoke burns and irritates. It is a very unpleasant experience to gargle vinegar or to get smoke in one’s eyes, and it is equally unpleasant to have to depend on a sluggard, because he doesn’t get the job done in a timely and satisfactory manner. The slothful servant is also frustrating to Christ and will be rewarded for his sloth (Mat. 25:26-28).

3. THE GREAT EVIL OF SLUGGARDISM

Sluggardism is not only painful; it is evil. It is as evil as active wasting (“He also that is slothful in his work is brother to him that is a great waster,” Prov. 18:9). The waster is one who spends his inheritance like the prodigal son described by Jesus in Luke 15:13. Both the sluggard and the waster are sinning before God, one by profligate living and the other by laziness and neglect. Both bring to poverty. When it comes to the Lord’s work, the sluggard wastes souls because all hands are required for the great work of world evangelism and getting the gospel to every person (Mark 16:15). Every believer has been appointed a minister in the work of reconciling men to God (2 Cor. 5:17-20). Yet the Christian who is slothful does no more for the furtherance of the Gospel than the waster.

REVIEW QUESTIONS

1-6. What are the six characteristics of the sluggard?
7. What creature does Proverbs use to challenge the sluggard?
8-10. What are three types of excuses that the sluggard uses?
11. Why does the desire of the slothful kill him?
12. The sluggard is wiser in his own ------- than seven men that can render a reason.
13. Laziness produces ---- --------.
14. What is a waster?

[Distributed by Way of Life Literature's Fundamental Baptist Information Service, an e-mail listing for Fundamental Baptists and other fundamentalist, Bible-believing Christians. OUR GOAL IN THIS PARTICULAR ASPECT OF OUR MINISTRY IS NOT DEVOTIONAL BUT IS TO PROVIDE INFORMATION TO ASSIST PREACHERS IN THE PROTECTION OF THE CHURCHES IN THIS APOSTATE HOUR. This material is sent only to those who personally subscribe to the list. If somehow you have subscribed unintentionally, following are the instructions for removal. The Fundamental Baptist Information Service mailing list is automated. To SUBSCRIBE or to UNSUBSCRIBE or to CHANGE ADDRESSES or to RE-SUBSCRIBE UNDER A NEW ADDRESS, go to http://www.wayoflife.org/fbis/subscribe.html. If you have any trouble with this, please let us know. And please be patient with us. We do not ignore any unsubscribe request, but we cannot always get to your request immediately as each person involved with maintaining the Way of Life web site does this only on a very part time basis and is busy with many other major activities, such as pastoring and missionary work. We take up a quarterly offering to fund this ministry, and those who use the materials are expected to participate (Galatians 6:6) if they can. Some of the articles are from O Timothy magazine, which is in its 25th year of publication. Way of Life publishes many helpful books. The catalog is located at the web site: http://wayoflife.org/catalog/catalog.htm Way of Life Literature, P.O. Box 610368, Port Huron, MI 48061. 866-295-4143, fbns@wayoflife.org. We do not solicit funds from those who do not agree with our preaching and who are not helped by these publications, but from those who are. OFFERINGS can be made at http://www.wayoflife.org/fbns/offering.html. PAYPAL offerings can be made to https://www.paypal.com/xclick/business=dcloud%40wayoflife.org]

“With anti-discrimination ordinances in place, there’s no way a policeman would arrest a woman for being shirtless, because she could say she’s not a woman, and under the ordinance, she gets to determine whether she’s female or not” (“Transgender Activists Remove Clothing in Public,” WorldNetDaily, June 17, 2008).

Already in some American cities the public nudity laws are overlooked during homosexual fests. This is happening in San Francisco, for example. There are acts not only of public nudity but also of public sex during the annual Folsom Street Fair and other “gay pride” festivals, and the police simply stand by and observe.

“Nude men engaged in multiple instances of public sex on a municipal street while police officers, on foot and bicycle, congregated nearby making no attempt to enforce public indecency regulations, according to a report on the latest homosexual-fest in San Francisco.

“The behavior was documented in photographs of an event called ‘Up Your Alley,’ which is sponsored by the same group that organizes the city’s fall ‘gay’-fest, the Folsom Street Fair, on which WND has reported.

“‘Consider how liberal government authorities like Mayor [Gavin] Newsom have corrupted the men in blue by stipulating that police not prosecute public nudity and indecency at homosexual festivals,’ said a report from Americans for Truth on the graphic activities documented at the event.

“‘What honor can there be in protecting the public practice of heinous perversions and nudity in the city's streets? The shame of pandering politicians is transferred to the cops who were intended to be guardians of the law and public order," said the organizer's chief, Peter LaBarbera” (“San Francisco Fest Features Public Sex with No Arrests,” WorldNetDaily, Aug. 7, 2008).

WHEN HOMOSEXUALITY IS FULLY LEGAL, YOU WON’T BE ABLE TO HAVE WOMEN ONLY PUBLIC RESTROOMS.

In June 2008 Gov. Bill Ritter of Colorado signed a law making it illegal to deny a person access to public accommodations, including restrooms and locker rooms, based on gender identity or even the “PERCEPTION” of gender identity (“Biblical Message Now Criminalized,” WorldNetDaily, June 12, 2008). James Dobson said: “Who would have believed that the Colorado state legislature and its governor would have made it fully legal for men to enter and use women’s restrooms and locker-room facilities without notice or explanation? Henceforth, every woman and little girl will have to fear that a predator, bisexual, cross-dresser or even a homosexual or heterosexual male might walk in and relieve himself in their presence.”

This type of thing is already happening in Massachusetts. Consider the public hearing at the State House on March 4, 2008. The hearing was of the Joint Committee of the Judiciary on the “transgender rights and hate crimes bill” and it was dominated by homosexual activists. MassResistance reported: “We watched as a parade of men dressed as women going into the State House ladies’ restroom, and women into the men’s room--while inside the hearing the activists were unusually honest about their belief that transgender ‘rights’ will trump the public’s comfort with their behavior” (“When the Wicked Seize a State,” http://www.sliceoflaodicea.com).

WHEN HOMOSEXUALITY IS FULLY LEGAL, YOU WON’T BE ABLE TO REFUSE TO PLACE CHILDREN WITH HOMOSEXUAL COUPLES.

“Catholic Charities in Massachusetts refused to place children with same-sex couples as required by Massachusetts law. After a legislative struggle--during which the Senate president said he could not support a bill ‘condoning discrimination.’ Catholic Charities pulled out of the adoption business in 2006” (“When Gay Rights and Religious Liberties Clash,” National Public Radio, June 13, 2008).

“A same-sex couple in California applied to Adoption Profiles, an Internet service in Arizona that matches adoptive parents with newborns. The couple’s application was denied based on the religious beliefs of the company’s owners. The couple sued in federal district court in San Francisco. The two sides settled after the adoption company said it will no longer do business in California” (National Public Radio, June 13, 2008).

WHEN HOMOSEXUALITY IS FULLY LEGAL, YOU WON’T BE ABLE TO STOP HOMOSEXUALS FROM HAVING PUBLIC SEX.

When the mayor of Fort Lauderdale, Florida, proposed in July 2007 that the city spend $250,000 on robotic toilets for the beach to curb homosexual sex in public restrooms and parks, homosexual activists were up in arms. (The doors of the toilets automatically open after a certain period.) The homosexuals accused Mayor Jim Naugle of “hatred” and demanded an apology.

In response he did apologize, but not to the homosexuals. He said: “I was not aware of how serious the problem was of the sexual activity that’s taking place in bathrooms and public places and parks in Broward County and particularly the city of Fort Lauderdale. I’ve been educated on that, and I want to apologize to the parents and the children of our community for not being aware of the problem. This to me is totally unacceptable. I don’t think that in the name of being inclusive or tolerant any of us in the community should tolerate this” (“Fort Lauderdale Mayor Criticized,” Florida Baptist Witness, Aug. 2, 2007).

This further enraged the homosexuals, and they held a rally at city hall. Matt Foreman of the National Gay and Lesbian Task Force called the mayor a “bigot” and said he should be “shunned everywhere he goes and not allowed at any gathering where decent people are.” City Commissioner Carlton Moore shouted, “We as a community must unite against hatred.”

Some public parks are listed on homosexual websites as recommended locations for immoral liaisons. In June 2008 Pennsylvania state park rangers arrested three men at such a park and accused them of lewd acts (“PA Park Rangers Crack Down,” OneNewsNow.com, June 18, 2008).

If homosexual activists get their way, and homosexuals are given license to act out their “lifestyle” as they please, the response given by the Fort Lauderdale mayor and the actions of the park rangers will be illegal.

CONCLUSION

In a nutshell, the thing that will be illegal when homosexuality is fully legal is Bible-believing Christianity, but none of this is surprising to the Bible believer. The Lord Jesus Christ likened the last days to Sodom and Gomorrah (Luke 17:28-30). And the apostle Paul prophesied:

“This know also, that in the last days perilous times shall come. For men shall be lovers of their own selves, covetous, boasters, proud, blasphemers, disobedient to parents, unthankful, unholy, Without natural affection, trucebreakers, false accusers, incontinent, fierce, despisers of those that are good, Traitors, heady, highminded, lovers of pleasures more than lovers of God; Having a form of godliness, but denying the power thereof: from such turn away” (2 Timothy 3:1-5).
We are not surprised at the wickedness that is sweeping across the world, but it is our responsibility to take a stand for God’s Word until Jesus comes.

If we take freedom of speech and religion for granted and do not use it to proclaim God’s Word, we don’t deserve it.

And no matter how evil the hour is, we must not despair. We have all of the glorious promises of a God that cannot lie.

“I exhort therefore, that, first of all, supplications, prayers, intercessions, and giving of thanks, be made for all men; For kings, and for all that are in authority; that we may lead a quiet and peaceable life in all godliness and honesty. For this is good and acceptable in the sight of God our Saviour; Who will have all men to be saved, and to come unto the knowledge of the truth” (1 Timothy 2:1-4).

[Distributed by Way of Life Literature's Fundamental Baptist Information Service, an e-mail listing for Fundamental Baptists and other fundamentalist, Bible-believing Christians. OUR GOAL IN THIS PARTICULAR ASPECT OF OUR MINISTRY IS NOT DEVOTIONAL BUT IS TO PROVIDE INFORMATION TO ASSIST PREACHERS IN THE PROTECTION OF THE CHURCHES IN THIS APOSTATE HOUR. This material is sent only to those who personally subscribe to the list. If somehow you have subscribed unintentionally, following are the instructions for removal. The Fundamental Baptist Information Service mailing list is automated. To SUBSCRIBE or to UNSUBSCRIBE or to CHANGE ADDRESSES or to RE-SUBSCRIBE UNDER A NEW ADDRESS, go to http://www.wayoflife.org/fbis/subscribe.html. If you have any trouble with this, please let us know. And please be patient with us. We do not ignore any unsubscribe request, but we cannot always get to your request immediately as each person involved with maintaining the Way of Life web site does this only on a very part time basis and is busy with many other major activities, such as pastoring and missionary work. We take up a quarterly offering to fund this ministry, and those who use the materials are expected to participate (Galatians 6:6) if they can. Some of the articles are from O Timothy magazine, which is in its 25th year of publication. Way of Life publishes many helpful books. The catalog is located at the web site: http://wayoflife.org/catalog/catalog.htm Way of Life Literature, P.O. Box 610368, Port Huron, MI 48061. 866-295-4143, fbns@wayoflife.org. We do not solicit funds from those who do not agree with our preaching and who are not helped by these publications, but from those who are. OFFERINGS can be made at http://www.wayoflife.org/fbns/offering.html. PAYPAL offerings can be made to https://www.paypal.com/xclick/business=dcloud%40wayoflife.org]

November 25, 2008 (David Cloud, Fundamental Baptist Information Service, P.O. Box 610368, Port Huron, MI 48061, 866-295-4143, fbns@wayoflife.org; for instructions about subscribing and unsubscribing or changing addresses, see the information paragraph at the end of the article) –

From time to time, I publish some of the goodies from my interesting mailbox, and many people have told me that they enjoy reading these things. Following are some items from the last couple of months:

THEY LIKE MY PREACHING

“I want to thank you for sending this timely well-written, thoughtful and very clear study on Biblical Repentance. I was so convicted and moved by the message that I knew it was exactly what I needed to hear. I was wrestling with this very topic just last night before I went to sleep and it when I awoke this morning the first thing I read was this message. I am convinced that this is an answer to prayer and God is using you to reach me. I feel very uplifted as well as deeply convicted. I cannot put into words how much this study has moved my very soul. Repentance is indeed a vital part of presenting a clear Gospel message and now I see clearly how to present it when attempting to reach souls for Christ. ... God bless you brother! And thank you for being a faithful servant to our Great God and our Saviour Jesus Christ.”

“I wanted you to know the article on ‘Why doesn’t John 3:16 and Acts 16:31 mention repentance’ was fantastic. I printed it off in order to show and share with others. I have a hard time explaining this to people and now with your help, I can do this even better. Thanks for your help.”

“Brother Cloud is a man you can trust and respect for his unashamed defense of the KJV. What I love is his teaching is not just a defense of the KJV, but a devotion to live according to its precepts. Some defend the KJV from pride and forget it must be applied to our daily lives. When you are exposed to these types it can be very discouraging. Separation is needed more today than perhaps ever.”

“I again I am writing you to tell you how much I like your work. I may not agree with 100% of it, but 99% I do. Keep up the good work. I wish the world, and especially the ‘church,’ would realize we are called to truth, to discernment by the Word of God. Truth is absolute. Approximately 1/3 of the New Testament is dealing with the heresies within the church at that time. We are called to correct and rebuke by the Scripture (2 Tim. 3:16). There are way too many that have a perverted ecumenical view that tolerance is love. That is blinding weight put on our shoulders by Satan. If I am to love others as I love myself, then just as I look after my own interest in regards to Heaven and Hell, and my desire for a close personal relationship with my Lord and Savior Jesus Christ and to do His will, then I should have as much the same concern for others in these regards. That is love. Thank God He is the Rock, the Cornerstone, and thank you for your leadership, keep feeding the Sheep!”

“G'day, I just want to say thank you for keeping the church up to date with what is going on in the world in these end times. My soul is greatly blessed and my spirit is refreshed with the truths and warnings from the O Timothy magazine we get here in Australia. I constantly examine myself and my ministry according to the Scriptures to make sure a ‘little leaven’ has not crept in. ... Thank you for standing for TRUTH in this great day of apostasy and providing guardrails for those who are travelling on the narrow way.”

“Keep up the good fight. As long as you are getting criticized and buffeted you can rest assure that you are doing what our Lord wants you to do. I am in total agreement with you and look forward to reading your books and other forms of information. Keep up the good fight, there are not many soldiers left standing.”

“I have been a Subscriber to the FBIS for many years and would like to say that, despite my not always agreeing with your position on some matters, I have always found the articles to be very informative and helpful and overall a tremendous blessing.”

“Bro Cloud, since I have come across your ministry. It is has been a blessing to me. You have enlightened me of things going on around me. I have just recently purchased your study materials and enjoy your sound counsel. You keep up God's work. I have not found any fault in your ministry, but balance.”

“I just wanted to send you a quick note and let you know I appreciate your ministry. I appreciate the fact that you are able to strongly rebuke error, but in e-mails like the one below [‘I Am Not Your Pastor’] you seem to have a very Christ-like spirit. That is a blessing. I am not a pastor, but I appreciate the warnings presented in your e-mails. I wouldn't want to unknowingly be involved in something that wasn't honoring to the Lord, and this part of your ministry helps me in that area. So I just wanted to take a minute and let you I'm grateful for the work you do in sending out these e-mails.”

“Your ministry is appreciated for its helps in this dark time.”

“Because of your courageous stance against the shifting sands of compromise and apostasy, (with the great help of being raised by a staunch Baptist pastor and mother) I am determined that for the rest of my life I will stand boldly for the truth and not keep silent in this outspokenly evil world. You are one those people who sparked my interest in many issues and they opened my eyes and made me become aware. Thank you Brother Cloud. May you continue to stand for Christ till the end!”

“May God continue to bless your ministry. I have been encouraged and strengthened in my walk with the Lord over the past several years by the Way of Life ministry. I pray that God will grace you with continued strength and wisdom as you serve him in this vital work during these troublesome days. To God be all the glory for what he is doing today and what he will do in the future days ahead.”

“Just a quick note to offer you my highest compliments and thanksgiving to the Lord Christ for your new book 'The Emerging Church.' It is indeed a very fine piece of research, scholarship, and spiritual discernment. We are once again in your debt for carrying out your labors so carefully. thoroughly, clearly, and in the best spirit of true Christian admonition.”

“I commend the sane and informed way that you answer opponents in the Bible version debate. You are firm, but kind. Factual, not factional. Above all, you maintain and exhibit a firm faith in the God of the Bible, the One who has revealed himself to us through His Written Word.”

“First of all, let me say that I thank the Lord Jesus Christ for you. This site has proved invaluable to me and my ministry. I have your way of life encyclopedia of the Bible and Christianity also. I refer to both on a weekly basis as I attempt to learn more and more about our Lord.”

“I am thankful for the way in which you refrain from taking a certain position because you are this or that kind of Independent Baptist. Instead, it is quite evident to me that you are doing everything in your power to live a according to God's Word. I highly respect your study and research of the Bible and it always encourages me to do my own.”

UNLESS I AM MISTAKEN, THESE DON’T LIKE MY PREACHING

“I just hear banging gongs & resounding cymbals after visiting your homepage.”

“I myself have been called to be a preacher, teacher, apostle, prophetess, in the healing ministry, jail ministry, singer and whatever else GOD sees fit for me to do. ... I will, however, be praying for you and the way you think. It is wrong! ... After all GOD says in HIS word to NOT TO TOUCH MY ANOINTED! So my friend I will pray for you and pray that you will have new revelations with GOD. New experiences and an open mind.”

“David W. Cloud's ignorance as to the teachings of the Roman Catholic Church is amazing. I pray that God may touch and heal your soul, and that the full splendor of TRUTH, only found in the one holy Roman Catholic Church, may eventually become known to you.”
“You anti-Holy Ghost Baptist who profess to know so much about the operation of the Spirit, know nothing. Yet you want to tell us how its done and how its done properly. God laughs at you.”

“I just feel that it would be best if you view Christianity not from your own perspective and assumptions (Fundamentalist dogma) but from a spirit of Grace that says Jesus is Lord but all else may in fact be up for debate. Be Well.”

“You are so dead spiritualy that you have to demean the power of God in the church today! If you don't like the song's don't hear them! It is so ridicoulous if the problem was because of the music we would be singing 2,000 year old song's!!!!!!!! Why don't you get a life !!!!!!!! You guy's are so dead spiritualy!!!!!”

“After reading through much on your site I have found that I am no longer fundamental and am a New Evangelical. I am also finding that many of those whom I have seen on the news as 'hateful' are fundamental baptists. In fact, a couple of my friends found some fundamental baptists in downtown Chicago a few weeks ago yelling on a bullhorn telling people they were going to hell, calling men gays and women lesbians who they had never met before. They were yelling at people telling complete strangers that their parents raised them improperly. What I am getting at here is that Christ gives two main commandments, To love God, and to love others as ourselves. The second follows the first, I acknowledge, but, yelling to complete strangers that they are going to hell is not loving and it is not what my Lord did in any text of the Holy Scriptures. He remarks often on Gehenna, I know. But, he does not act like many of the fundamental baptists I have heard of. You rant often about heretics, D.A. Carson, you say is a dangerous man, Billy Graham you think, is going to hell. Graham, I concede said something that I think is not fundamental, true, but more people are going to see our Lord face to face because of what he has done in his life, to deny that is to become like an osterich and duck your little head in the ground. What about D.L. Moody, was he a heretic too? I attend his namesake school Moody Bible Institute and I take great joy in sitting under several 'New Evangelical' (as you would say) professors. I have enjoyed greatly studying about the catholic fathers. And, I enjoy reading several of the works of many Roman Catholic mystics, who I learned to love from the works of A.W. Tozer (was he a bad man too?). ... What about Jonathan Edwards or John Owen as they are my favorites, oh, and St. Augustine? I am wondering how wrecked my soul will be before I see the Lord.”

“In your article about ‘george harrison dies,’ you are completely and utterly wrong about the teachings of Shri Guru Maharishi Mahesh Yogi. He was a great man, who taught millions about Hinduism, a beautiful religion, which leads to salvation.”

A LITTLE FARTHER OUT

“You guys really have an entire article where you call John Lennon evil. You are a complete joke. Lennon preached all the same things as Jesus Christ, but because he thought logically and pointed how hypocritical your religion is and how it prevents people from living together peacefully then he is ‘evil’. By the way your beliefs are based on a two-thousand mythological book. On top of that it has been edited and filtered so --------- like your organization can brainwash ignorant rednecks. Why don't you put your efforts towards something productive and progressive, rather than talking about the ‘evil legacy’ of a dead hippie. P.S. I don't have a problem with Jesus Christ (if he even existed), I just hate his followers.”

[Distributed by Way of Life Literature's Fundamental Baptist Information Service, an e-mail listing for Fundamental Baptists and other fundamentalist, Bible-believing Christians. OUR GOAL IN THIS PARTICULAR ASPECT OF OUR MINISTRY IS NOT DEVOTIONAL BUT IS TO PROVIDE INFORMATION TO ASSIST PREACHERS IN THE PROTECTION OF THE CHURCHES IN THIS APOSTATE HOUR. This material is sent only to those who personally subscribe to the list. If somehow you have subscribed unintentionally, following are the instructions for removal. The Fundamental Baptist Information Service mailing list is automated. To SUBSCRIBE or to UNSUBSCRIBE or to CHANGE ADDRESSES or to RE-SUBSCRIBE UNDER A NEW ADDRESS, go to http://www.wayoflife.org/fbis/subscribe.html. If you have any trouble with this, please let us know. And please be patient with us. We do not ignore any unsubscribe request, but we cannot always get to your request immediately as each person involved with maintaining the Way of Life web site does this only on a very part time basis and is busy with many other major activities, such as pastoring and missionary work. We take up a quarterly offering to fund this ministry, and those who use the materials are expected to participate (Galatians 6:6) if they can. Some of the articles are from O Timothy magazine, which is in its 25th year of publication. Way of Life publishes many helpful books. The catalog is located at the web site: http://wayoflife.org/catalog/catalog.htm Way of Life Literature, P.O. Box 610368, Port Huron, MI 48061. 866-295-4143, fbns@wayoflife.org. We do not solicit funds from those who do not agree with our preaching and who are not helped by these publications, but from those who are. OFFERINGS can be made at http://www.wayoflife.org/fbns/offering.html. PAYPAL offerings can be made to https://www.paypal.com/xclick/business=dcloud%40wayoflife.org]

PASTORS SHARE THEIR PROBLEMS AND CONCERNS

November 19, 2008 (David Cloud, Fundamental Baptist Information Service, P.O. Box 610368, Port Huron, MI 48061, 866-295-4143, fbns@wayoflife.org; for instructions about subscribing and unsubscribing or changing addresses, see the information paragraph at the end of the article) -

On July 24, 2008, I sent out an announcement to the Fundamental Baptist Information Service mailing list asking pastors to share with our readers their troubles and concerns. I said:

“I think it would be very helpful if we could put together a report that describes the problems pastors face. It would help pastors and it would help the people. If you are a pastor of a fundamentalist Baptist or Bible church I urge you to write and share your greatest problems and heartaches. It doesn’t have to be long. Just list them and perhaps give an illustration or two.”

In response we received the following informative statements:

1. Most church members do not attend or come very late to Sunday School.
2. Most church members do not come back for the Sunday afternoon service.
3. Most church members do not attend prayer meeting.
4. One of the greatest heartaches is for young men to promise God to be a pastor upon high school graduation, and then not fulfil it. I paid the tuition fee of one young man for one year (whom I trained singing, song leading, and preaching) because he said, ‘I want to be a pastor.’ But when he graduated, he did not enroll. Now he just stays in their home doing nothing. Another talented young man I supported (by giving allowance) for one year on his first year in Bible College. On his second year, he quit. One more young man gave a testimony of his desire to enroll in Bible school and be a pastor. Our church promised him support. When he graduated high school, he did not enroll Bible school but worked in a computer game station.
5. Although this is no longer the case in our church, one of the ‘greatest’ problems in the fundamental Baptist churches in our area is that pastors seem to be ‘expected’ to be poor and to sacrifice for the church members. Since the pastors are not to be hirelings, the churches don’t give them a salary. So the problem of pastors is how to communicate and educate their church members about this matter of support.
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I suppose my problem, or perhaps my heartache, is a seeming lack of understanding my church has of spiritual things, even those things I have taught on. For instance, we recently did a study of the book of Revelation; we spent about four months on it, going through it chapter by chapter, verse by verse. We do it in a somewhat informal setting, to allow for questions and further explanations in difficult areas, (which is, I guess, about all of it). To help, I illustrated many things to give a visual aspect for further understanding, as well as lots of hand-outs to take home, and so forth. At the end of the study, I decided to see how well the information sunk in, so I gave a 12 question quiz. Sadly, not one could even tell me how long the Great Tribulation period would be, with answers ranging from 10-1,000 years. My questions were very basic, nothing hard: Who are the 144,000? How long is the Millennial reign of Christ, (some got this one right)? What do the four horsemen represent? Things like this, that we went over and over.

Brother Cloud, some of these folks have been in church for 50 years! What are they doing when the teaching is going on? They come, they sit, they open their Bibles, but nothing seems to get in. Sometimes I wonder why I spend the time when no one hears or responds. Hence, my heartache. Can't even get them to read their Bibles on their own.
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Thanks for the opportunity to air the gripes, concerns and problems of being a pastor.

In addition to the problem of women's dress---rather, the lack of it, there is the unavailability of those who say, ‘I’m here to help,’ or ‘I'm behind you 100%.’

And the problem of being the last one to hear--‘I thought you already knew.’ If we’re not specifically told, just how are we to know? All too often the pastor is the last one to know of a problem or need in the community or in the lives of his people.

All in all, through some fifty-two years of ministry, I find the Lord has blessed me so much---in that I haven’t felt the problems many pastors experience. I’ve had my share of threats, but few of the problems I hear of.
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After 27 years of full-time ministry, the thing that troubles me the most is that I have come to the place where I know better than to trust anybody. Eventually, they all will turn on you, even if it is only for a short time, and even if they get right with you afterward. You cannot really rely on anyone. The only thing I trust everyone to do is to eventually betray my trust.
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There are several things that I find as problematic in ministry as I pastor an Independent, Fundamental Baptist Church. To name what has become the norm in the culture of this day and age, I would say, of course, worldliness in general creates many problems. The lack of knowledge of God’s Word and ways causes many heartaches and disagreements. The misunderstanding of the proper biblical definition of ‘forgiveness’ allows bitterness to become rampant in our churches. All of these are maladies which harm the bodies of Christ which seek to glorify Him and serve Him.

However, one of the biggest problems I have seen in my years of ministry is the response of church members as well as ‘Christians’ in general toward the authority of the local church and pastors in their lives. Now, I understand that churches and pastors realistically have only the level of respect and authority in the life of an individual which that person allows them. What grieves me is that many church going folk desire only a preacher or someone to take care of the business of the church while not allowing that man to be a shepherd in their life...not allowing him to watch over them...to protect them...to provide the spiritual food and direction they and their family needs.

I have found there are many who love to come to church. They apparently love the Lord. They will even love the pastor. However, they stop short of allowing the man of God to serve them by leading them in a biblical understanding of the Bible and an obedient walk with the Lord. They pretty much feel that they know their Bible...their doctrine...what is right and wrong...and so, ‘preacher, you just preach, teach, administrate...but leave the living to me.’

I am not proposing a heartless, legalistic, authoritative, power-mongering form of leadership. What I am suggesting is a biblical, spirit-filled, Christ-honoring, compassionate spiritual authority which the Bible commands the pastor to represent. I know there is a segment of pastors within the IFB ranks who have abused the pastorate. However, there is also a spirit of rebellion among the membership. It is not necessarily an open movement; yet, it is a very present problem in our churches which leaches the true power of the spirit from our assemblies because of undealt with sin and impure or unsurrendered lifestyles.
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Spiritual blindness ... related to modesty and many, many other issues.

And along with that lethargy -- just a general ho hum attitude toward spiritual things. Boredom toward the services and messages.

Youth ... a tremendous battle to keep our youth from either going into sin or leaving straight and narrow churches and going into more contemporary ones.

Music is an ongoing problem. My perception is that even in churches where the music is still good in the church, that families, and maybe especially the younger ones, are listening to CCM (and rock-n-roll) and they develop an appetite for it and eventually it shows up in our churches.

Pervasiveness of wickedness. I am often amazed at what God's people (and sometimes other pastors) talk of watching on television ... or even going to the Hollywood movie house.

I am distressed and dismayed over the lack of spiritual hunger and thirst, the lack of spiritual understanding of the times in which we live. How I long and pray for a true Holy Spirit revival among God's people.

Not to say that I am defeated, for I rejoice to serve a sovereign God!!!
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In our case we have a ‘Big Mouth’ woman who comes to business meetings held on Wednesday nights on a quarterly basis who has ideas she brings to the floor, and usually they're opposes to the pastor’s. On non-essential matters, those present usually side with her. I am convinced she calls others beforehand and tries to influence them for her causes. Ironically, she usually doesn't support the cause anyway!

For example, our church celebrated our anniversary this month. I and our deacons thought we should scale down the celebration and focus on other pressing matters. She influenced those present at the business meeting to go ‘gung ho’ for the anniversary. So, when our banquet time came, we had about 130 attendees, who paid $50.00 each, but she did not show up for the banquet which she pushed in the first place! I'm hoping others see her hypocrisy. To compound the matter, she NEVER comes to prayer meeting on Wed. nights, NEVER comes to Sunday School, nor does she EVER attend the Sunday PM meeting! She only comes Wednesday nights to the quarterly meeting. Anyway, I am at my wit's end and am praying for discernment regarding discipline and considering how to ban her from these meetings, although our constitution is vague.
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A pastor friend once said that the difference between the church member that loves you the most and the one that hates you the most is ...... 10 years.
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Here are some problems that I have encountered as a Pastor. I think most of these you have addressed at some point or another.

1. Lack of commitment to the local church. There seems to be a lack of commitment these days to the work of the local church. People will come to hear the preaching of the word BUT do NOT want to get involved in the work. They will NOT take the first step to commitment and that is joining the local church. We have two believers in our church that have been with us for over 6 years, they come almost every Sunday to the services but have not joined. There are some believers that come to church and love our stand against apostasy, the charismatic movement, worldliness, Calvinism, ecumenism and new evangelicalism. They ‘seem’ to be fundamentalist through and through but after months and months of coming to our church they still fail to join. As a pastor, I can’t put them in positions of teaching and service. The work of the ministry either doesn't get done or it gets "piled on" the faithful few.

2. Working instead of Coming to Church. Another problem that is becoming more prevalent is believers (notice I didn’t say lost folks) who work on Sunday and miss the church services. Many times they are NOT just missing one Sunday service but BOTH. Even worse as far as numbers are believers who miss the midweek service because of work. Although it is preached from the pulpit, these believers just can't seem to take steps of faith which would free up their Sundays and midweek so they could attend ALL the services of the church. I'm not against folks NOT attending some special Saturday fellowship or Monday night get together. I understand there must be some grace in this area. I'm not against someone having to work a shift because of some emergency. It’s the folks in the restaurant business, in retail business, in construction or in mining that are missing church. Some of these people take jobs without finding out if they will have to work Sundays or during the midweek service. BUT some take jobs knowing full well that they will have to work during the regular services of the church.

3. House Church Movement. Another problem pastors find is the house church movement. This seems to be more prevalent among homeschool families. People are so over protective of their families to the point that there is no church ‘good enough for them.’ So they decide to stay home and listen to tapes or watch videos.

4. Bitterness. This has to be one of the main problems in a church between active members. Satan has a way of taking away the effectiveness of a church and uses bitterness so often. I’ve heard of brothers who were mad at each other for years while trying to effectively serve in their church. Yet their service bore little fruit. They did get right in the end and had wonderful ministries to their church and to other churches as well. Bitterness against the pastor or pastor's wife takes a great toll on the church.

5. Lack of Willingness to follow church leadership. Another problem found in the church is a lack of willingness to follow church leadership. Many want to hear the preaching of the word BUT don’t want to fall under pastoral leadership. This may be the underlying reason people don't want to join the church. Practically, some of believers in the church have a radio preacher, TV preacher or even a video preacher as their pastor. Some people have a deceased preacher as their pastor. For example, in practice, some believers follow Jack Hyles, Vernon McGee, Lester Roloff , Charles Finney, Martin Lloyd Jones or A.W. Pink. I've had people in our church who could say NO wrong about some of these deceased preachers but would be constantly criticizing their own Pastor. These folks wouldn’t get behind the ministries of their local church and try to get their own pastor to pattern themselves after these deceased preachers. They are comparing their pastor to these preachers and when their own pastor comes short they fail to follow their own pastor’s leading.

NOTE: The problems that are of least concern are the problems with lost folks outside the church. A Pastor doesn't even loose a wink of sleep over these problems. I’ve had angry neighbors leave messages on my answering machine calling the church down. BUT these never amount to much and never hurt the church. The greatest problems are with believers in the church.
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We are a very small start-up church, but very active in personal evangelism in this city. Our greatest frustration is two-fold: 1. There are probably only about 25 Christians in this city/area of 250,000 who are active in Scriptural personal evangelism -- namely, preaching sin, judgment, repentance, the Gospel, and the new birth to include a changed life to serve the Lord Jesus Christ. 2. Multitudes are religiously lost, including many who profess a new birth, but whose lives profess their lost condition.

The two issues are coupled because most of the people to whom we preach the Gospel have no other Scriptural influence on them. Most Christians experience conversion after multiple evangelistic encounters, challenges, etc. (some say 7 or 8 serious encounters). In short, we'd like to do more reaping in the midst of sowing.
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Concerning my greatest problems, three top the list and these are in no specific order.

1. Young people that I and the Church have poured our hearts, time, prayers and resources into only to see them make a conscious decision to rebel against everything that they were taught when they reach the upper teen ages. Although they have heard the warnings against rebellion, they seem to want to find out for themselves and in the process cause themselves much pain and heartbreak.

2. Many parents of these teens that rebel continue to raise their other children in a way that will only promote rebellion in their lives. They don't seem to learn from the first child. Many moms and dads and grandparents in this Church are heartbroken because none of their children or grandchildren are serving the Lord.

3. Christians that are only 1 or 2 issue Christians and seem indifferent to other doctrinal matters. Some are very strong on standards but neglect soulwinning. They’ve memorized several verses on their pet doctrine and will amen when that 1 doctrine is preached on, but they neglect much of what they need to mature as a Christian.
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Thank you for asking for input concerning the problems we face as pastors. I will try to answer as best I can and I hope I understand what you are looking for.

1. When it comes to pastoring the church the problems that constantly are being dealt with are separation type issues. I believe the modesty issue is paramount and music. I have to walk guard and deal with these two more than any other. Liberalism and worldliness are always seeking a way in. I have found in church planting that people do not mind my preaching on those subjects, in fact, they will even ‘Amen’ the points of the message. But, when it comes to enforcing the standard taught from the Scriptures some really take offense.

Another issue is the taking up of offenses. People will misread a situation because they do not know all the facts and draw wrong conclusions. A pastor most of the time cannot defend his handling of the matter because it would mean giving up a confidence or sharing information that is not for public knowledge.

2. Someone said, ‘The person that gives me the most trouble is the one I shave in the morning.’ I have to say that probably I am the one I have to deal with the most. I want to walk with God and truly feed the flock and yet I feel stretched at times to be all that God wants me to be and feed the people on the best pasture possible.

3. I must say that I am privileged to be in ministry. I believe that a major part of my life is to deal with problems. It is a thrill to go to the Lord and find help and strength for myself and then be able to help others (2 Corinthians 1:3-5). To be able to see and pass on the sufficiency of Christ as found in the Word of God is truly an opportunity for which I thank God that He allows me to do.

Yes, there are many problems, but I would not trade the opportunity to serve Christ this way than any other work I could be engaged in.
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Certainly there are challenges involved with being a pastor. If I were to point to one problem, I would say that it is the lack of morality of many church members. I don’t mean that I have a church full of liars and thieves, but I have seen over the last few years that many Christians seem to have no morals at all. Below are a few examples:

Some believers have a problem with telling the truth. I have had people flat out lie to me as if they thought I could not see the truth. I once asked a family if they were coming to a special holiday service, and the answer was, ‘We like to stay in and have a quiet evening.’ It turns out that they went to an extended family outing which had already been planned. We learned about what happened because the children did not know enough to lie to me and told all about the party.

Some believers think that once they get mad at you and leave the church, they can renege on any obligations. I had a man once do that and decide that he did not have to repay a personal loan. It sounds an awful lot like stealing to me.

I have seen pastors show a lack of ethics as well. Whenever someone gets mad and leaves (and refuses to talk to me about what happened), his new pastor welcomes the whole family in without calling me for my side of what happened. In another case, the ex-pastor of my church took the side of the person mentioned above who took my money and ran (they were very close friends).

I have had people decide to skip church (and their responsibilities in certain activities) because they decided that a church day was a great day to make home improvements. There was no phone call to us; just a failure to show up, causing us to scramble to cover for them.

Please don't think that I am sour on Christianity because I do know some wonderful Christians, and it is still true that we serve a great God. The problem people are gone and ‘blessing’ some other church (or staying home watching TV).
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I’m an independent Baptist pastor from New Hampshire. I’ll list the top three problems that I have in the church.

1. Faithful SS, AM, PM, WED Church Attendance. I have dealt with this from the pulpit numerous times biblically. There is such a casual attitude about attending. If an event (i.e., child’s ball game, family reunion, big ball game) or inconvenience (i.e., tired from work, just got back YESTERDAY from vacation, headache) comes up there will be several families that are out. It is such a discouragement to me and other members of the body (even some who are guilty of it themselves are the ones who complain about ‘where is so and so?’ [I say ‘complain’ not concerned about the spiritual welfare of that one on purpose]).

2. Spiritual gifts. There is a great lack of knowledge of and naturally then exercising of one's spiritual gift in the body. Too many pew sitters. Sideline Christians. I have to take personal responsibility for the lack of knowledge (Eph. 4), and this will be a focus of my preaching in about three months.

3. Faithful MEN. We have a disproportionate number of faithful wives to faithful husbands. It rears its ugly head in every area: Leadership in the home, taking the lead in prayer, service in the church, etc. God give us faithful men. Men of convictions. Men of integrity. Men who can pray. Men who will stand with the Pastor. Men that I can invest my life and time in that will in turn do the same with other faithful men here in our church (2 Tim. 2:2).

With all of this being said, I do have several wonderful families that the above are not true of. The need for today is as old as the church. ‘Make disciples!’ I'm convinced that our churches are bursting with families that have been saved for many years and lived in rebellion against God and the Bible and just hop from one church to the next that they actually harm the church by destroying the spirit of a NT assembly. I am very careful about allowing ‘seasoned Christians’ from the area to join our church now as a result. I have determined now that I will not allow them to join (some exceptions) until they have proven themselves faithful over a six month period. I have a family of believers attending right now that have been faithful every Sunday morning for about nine months that want to join but I will not let them because they will not come on Sunday PM or Wed night or Sunday School. This has caused some in our church to be anxious and at times frustrated with me. But it’s the Lord's church not mine!
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I am a pastor in New Zealand and will soon be celebrating my 10th anniversary in the ministry. The church was started by a missionary from Australia approximately in 1990. As the congregation is small I have secular work as well as being pastor. We letter box, street preach, have all-age Sunday school, Morning Service, Evening Service, Prayer Meeting on Wednesday evenings, Advanced Bible Studies on alternate Thursday evenings, Young Peoples activity and Bible study every second week. All this makes us quite busy. We are, what would seem on the outside, an active church and the people like to have an active church but they themselves will only go to the activities if it suits them. Our congregation has gone from a median 24 in 1996 to a median 37 in 2002 to a median of 21 this year.

I will tell you why. It is because our church does not have enough people! When visitors come they might stay a while but leave because our numbers are too small. I ask them how are our numbers going to get any bigger when people leave because we do not have enough people? We are ‘between a rock and a hard place.’ We can't grow because we do not have enough people and we cannot get more people because we do not have enough people.

As you will no doubt know that if you are in a small church there is more expectation to put the hand to the plough, but people do not want that. They want the activities, but they want to be able to slip into a church service and not feel guilty about not doing anything. So they compromise on doctrine and charismaticism and go to another church. Christians today (generalising) do not want to work. This then leads to the work being left up to the pastor his family and a few faithful others. This is discouraging. I have just learnt that a US missionary-pastor in the next town has resigned from his church because of discouragement (he has been there for three years). This too is discouraging for me as we need contact to encourage each other and when they leave then where is the encouragement for me to continue on?

Over the years I have searched my heart and prayed about my discouragement, asking the question, ‘Is it me?’ The Lord led me to the conclusion, ‘Think of Noah! Only his family was saved. Only his family was present at the evening service only his family was present at the prayer meeting.’ Although we have been at that stage, praise the Lord we are not at that stage now, but we may one day get to that stage again if people get discouraged because our numbers are not growing.

I have told them that we do not want numbers for numbers sake we want numbers that are willing to serve the Lord with us. We want spiritual growth. But it is still discouraging.

But what can you expect in a time of history that we live in--lukewarmness is in the church? Romans 13:11, ‘And that, knowing the time, that now [it is] high time to awake out of sleep: for now [is] our salvation nearer than when we believed.’ But the church members continue to sleep on. It may sound like I’m feeling sorry for myself but that is not what is intended as we will continue to ‘earnestly contend for the faith.’
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I find as a pastor here in South Africa that as living in a sinful, complicated world becomes more difficult people tend to focus on ‘here and now solutions’. They focus entirely a) on their problem/s; b) on other people who are the cause of it or c) the ‘unfair’ society they live in. All this...as long as they do not have to hold themselves responsible and accountable (just like Adam and Eve in their blame-shifting). The MAIN problem these people have is the way they think and the influence of the humanistic, warped world around them make them think. In a world which becomes more and more bent on quick-fixes, they are solution orientated for selfish reasons (‘I don’t need all of this in my complicated life’) instead of the urge to solve things a) for the glory of the Lord and b) to be an effective witness in this world. The VITAL answer is: zooming in on the real solution with the right motives and to be willing to practice ‘owning up’ and recognising: I am at fault because of my sinful, unholy life; I need the Solution (spelled with a capital ‘S’), and His Name is Christ Jesus who is holy and commands me to crucify self, repent of my sins and to break with sin. This requires humbling myself, to be self-critical and attaining Christ’s love in my heart so that I will love and forgive (as Christ Himself did) and make right with others whom I have a problem with (Rom. 15:7).

If these pointers are not followed people are wasting precious time in the pastor's study. The answer is to SPEEDILY in counseling move to these. Things are not ‘talked’ right, but MADE right, and it starts here and now and at the foot of the cross.

[Distributed by Way of Life Literature's Fundamental Baptist Information Service, an e-mail listing for Fundamental Baptists and other fundamentalist, Bible-believing Christians. OUR GOAL IN THIS PARTICULAR ASPECT OF OUR MINISTRY IS NOT DEVOTIONAL BUT IS TO PROVIDE INFORMATION TO ASSIST PREACHERS IN THE PROTECTION OF THE CHURCHES IN THIS APOSTATE HOUR. This material is sent only to those who personally subscribe to the list. If somehow you have subscribed unintentionally, following are the instructions for removal. The Fundamental Baptist Information Service mailing list is automated. To SUBSCRIBE or to UNSUBSCRIBE or to CHANGE ADDRESSES or to RE-SUBSCRIBE UNDER A NEW ADDRESS, go to http://www.wayoflife.org/fbis/subscribe.html. If you have any trouble with this, please let us know. And please be patient with us. We do not ignore any unsubscribe request, but we cannot always get to your request immediately as each person involved with maintaining the Way of Life web site does this only on a very part time basis and is busy with many other major activities, such as pastoring and missionary work. We take up a quarterly offering to fund this ministry, and those who use the materials are expected to participate (Galatians 6:6) if they can. Some of the articles are from O Timothy magazine, which is in its 25th year of publication. Way of Life publishes many helpful books. The catalog is located at the web site: http://wayoflife.org/catalog/catalog.htm Way of Life Literature, P.O. Box 610368, Port Huron, MI 48061. 866-295-4143, fbns@wayoflife.org. We do not solicit funds from those who do not agree with our preaching and who are not helped by these publications, but from those who are. OFFERINGS can be made at http://www.wayoflife.org/fbns/offering.html. PAYPAL offerings can be made to https://www.paypal.com/xclick/business=dcloud%40wayoflife.org]

THE CATHOLIC MASS: A MYSTICAL POWERHOUSE

November 13, 2008 (David Cloud, Fundamental Baptist Information Service, P.O. Box 610368, Port Huron, MI 48061, 866-295-4143, fbns@wayoflife.org; for instructions about subscribing and unsubscribing or changing addresses, see the information paragraph at the end of the article) -

The following is excerpted from our new book Contemplative Mysticism: A Powerful Ecumenical Bond, which is available from Way of Life Literature. It can be ordered by phone or e-mail with a credit card, 866-295-4143, fbns@wayoflife.org
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The Mass or Eucharist is the highpoint of mysticism in the Roman Catholic Church. As we shall see in the chapter on “A Description of Roman Catholic Monasticism,” it was the very heart and soul of ancient Catholic monastic mysticism and it remains so today. The monks and nuns center their lives on the Mass.

What could be more mystical than touching God with your hands and taking Him into your very being by eating him in the form of a wafer? In the Mass the strangely-clothed, mysterious priest (ordained after the order of Melchisedec) pronounces words that mystically turn a wafer of unleavened bread into the very body of Jesus. The consecrated wafer, called a host (meaning victim) is eaten by the people.

On some occasions one larger host is placed in a gaudy metal holder called a monstrance to be worshipped (“adored”) as God. This is called Eucharistic adoration.

Eventually the host is placed in its own little tabernacle as the focus of worship between Masses. A lamp or a candle is lit to signify the fact that the consecrated host is present.

This highly mystical ritual is multisensory, involving touch (dipping the finger into holy water and touching the wafer), sight (the splendor of the church, the priestly garments, the instruments of the Mass), smell (incense), hearing (reading, chanting, bells), and taste (eating the wafer).

The Mass is even said to bring the participant into “divine union” like other forms of contemplative mysticism (Thomas à Kempis, The Imitation of Christ, book IV, chap. 15, 4, p. 210).

The Second Vatican Council reaffirmed the centrality of the Mass in Catholic life:

“The celebration of the Mass ... is the centre of the whole Christian life for the universal Church, the local Church and for each and every one of the faithful. For therein is the culminating action whereby God sanctifies the world in Christ and men worship the Father as they adore him through Christ the Son of God” (Vatican Council II: The Conciliar and Post Conciliar Documents, edited by Austin Flannery, 1975, “The Constitution on the Sacred Liturgy, General Instruction on the Roman Missal,” chap. 1, 1, p. 159).

The Catholic Mass is not a mere remembrance of Christ’s death; it is a re-sacrifice of Christ, and the consecrated host IS Christ. Consider statements from the authoritative Council of Trent, Second Vatican Council, and the New Catholic Catechism.

“There is, therefore, no room for doubt that all the faithful of Christ may, in accordance with a custom always received in the Catholic Church, give to this most holy sacrament in veneration the worship of latria, which is due to the true God” (The Canons and Decrees of the Council of Trent, translated by H. J. Schroeder, chap. v, “The Worship and Veneration to be Shown to This Most Holy Sacrament,” p. 76).

“The victim is one and the same: the same now offers through the ministry of priests, who then offered himself on the cross; only the manner of offering is different. And since in this divine sacrifice which is celebrated in the Mass, the same Christ who offered himself once in a bloody manner on the altar of the cross is contained and offered in an unbloody manner... this sacrifice is truly propitiatory” (Council of Trent, Doctrina de ss. Missae sacrificio, c. 2, quoted in Catechism of the Catholic Church, 1367).

“For in the sacrifice of the Mass Our Lord is immolated when ‘he begins to be present sacramentally as the spiritual food of the faithful under the appearances of bread and wine.’ … For in it Christ perpetuates in an unbloody manner the sacrifice offered on the cross, offering himself to the Father for the world’s salvation through the ministry of priests” (Vatican Council II: The Conciliar and Post Conciliar Documents, “The Constitution on the Sacred Liturgy,” Instruction on the Worship of the Eucharistic Mystery, Introduction, C 1,2, p. 108).

“The faithful should therefore strive to worship Christ our Lord in the Blessed Sacrament. ... Pastors [priests] should exhort them to this, and set them a good example. ... The place in a church or oratory where the Blessed Sacrament is reserved in the tabernacle should be truly prominent. It ought to be suitable for private prayer so that the faithful may easily and fruitfully, by private devotion also, continue to honour our Lord in this sacrament” (Vatican Council II: The Conciliar and Post Conciliar Documents, “The Constitution on the Sacred Liturgy,” Instruction on the Worship of the Eucharistic Mystery, Chap. 3, I B, p. 132).

“By the consecration the transubstantiation of the bread and wine into the Body and Blood of Christ is brought about. Under the consecrated species of bread and wine Christ himself, living and glorious, is present in a true, real and substantial manner: his Body and his Blood, with his soul and his divinity” (New Catholic Catechism, 1314).

“Because Christ himself is present in the sacrament of the altar he is to be honoured with the worship of adoration” (New Catholic Catechism, 1418).

“The sacrifice of Christ and the sacrifice of the Eucharist are one single sacrifice ... ‘In this divine sacrifice which is celebrated in the Mass, the same Christ who offered himself once in a bloody manner on the altar of the cross is contained and offered in an unbloody manner’” (New Catholic Catechism, 1367)

“In the liturgy of the Mass we express our faith in the real presence of Christ under the species of bread and wine by, among other ways, genuflecting or bowing deeply as a sign of adoration of the Lord. ... reserving the consecrated hosts with the utmost care, exposing them to the solemn veneration of the faithful, and carrying them in procession” (New Catholic Catechism, 1378).

The consecrated host is therefore worshipped as Christ.

It is obvious that the Mass is not a Scriptural practice. The apostle Paul, under divine inspiration, taught the churches the significance of the Lord’s Supper (1 Corinthians 11:17-34), and he did not say that it is a repetition of Christ’s sacrifice. It is not Christ becoming a piece of bread. It is not an occasion to eat Christ or partake of him “sacramentally.” It is a simple memorial meal, a time of remembrance and confession and worship.

“For I have received of the Lord that which also I delivered unto you, That the Lord Jesus the same night in which he was betrayed took bread: And when he had given thanks, he brake it, and said, Take, eat: this is my body, which is broken for you: this do IN REMEMBRANCE OF me. After the same manner also he took the cup, when he had supped, saying, This cup is the new testament in my blood: this do ye, as oft as ye drink it, IN REMEMBRANCE OF me” (1 Corinthians 11:23-25).

Paul said that he received this teaching directly from the Lord. It is authoritative. He is the divinely-chosen apostle of the Gentiles, and he praised the churches for keeping the ordinances as he delivered them (1 Corinthians 11:2).

Speaking for all of the Catholic nuns and priests that are quoted by Richard Foster and others in the contemplative movement, Mother Teresa said that her Jesus is the consecrated wafer of the Mass. In her speech at the Worldwide Retreat for Priests, October 1984, in the Paul VI Audience Hall at Vatican City, she made the following statements:

“At the word of a priest, THAT LITTLE PIECE OF BREAD BECOMES THE BODY OF CHRIST, the Bread of Life. Then you give this living Bread to us, so that we too might live and become holy” (Mother Teresa, cited in Be Holy: God’s First Call to Priests Today, edited by Tom Forrest, 1987, p. 108).

“I remember the time a few years back, when the president of Yeman asked us to send some of our sisters to his country. I told him that this was difficult because for so many years no chapel was allowed in Yemen for saying a public mass, and no one was allowed to function there publicly as a priest. I explained that I wanted to give them sisters, but the trouble was that, without a priest, without Jesus going with them, our sisters couldn’t go anywhere. It seems that the president of Yemen had some kind of a consultation, and the answer that came back to us was, ‘Yes, you can send a priest with the sisters!’ I was so struck with the thought that ONLY WHEN THE PRIEST IS THERE CAN WE HAVE OUR ALTAR AND OUR TABERNACLE AND OUR JESUS. ONLY THE PRIEST CAN PUT JESUS THERE FOR US. ... Jesus wants to go there, but we cannot bring him unless you first give him to us” (Mother Teresa, Be Holy, pp. 109, 111).

“One day she [a girl working in Calcutta] came, putting her arms around me, and saying, ‘I have found Jesus.’ ... ‘And just what were you doing when you found him?’ I asked. She answered that after 15 years she had finally gone to confession, and received Holy Communion from the hands of a priest. Her face was changed, and she was smiling. She was a different person because THAT PRIEST HAD GIVEN HER JESUS” (Mother Teresa, Be Holy, p. 74).

Some Catholics have charged me with misrepresenting their church, but surely the Second Vatican Council and the New Catholic Catechism and Mother Teresa are authentic voices. Mother Teresa plainly stated that her Jesus was the wafer of the Mass.

In the 1990s I visited a cloistered nunnery in Quebec. A pastor friend took me with him when he visited his aunt who had lived there for many decades. He and his wife wanted to show the nun their new baby. She wasn’t allowed to come out into the meeting room to see us; she had to stay behind a metal grill and talk to us from there. The nuns pray in shifts before the consecrated host in the chapel. That is their Jesus and the object of their prayers. At the entrance of the chapel there was a sign that said, “YOU ARE ENTERING TO ADORE THE JESUS-HOST.” Nuns were sitting in the chapel facing the host and praying their rosaries and saying their prayers to Mary and their “Our Fathers” and other repetitious mantras, vainly and sadly whiling away their lives in ascetic apostasy.

In the next chapter we will see that the Catholic saints, who are so exalted today by contemplatives, worshipped the Jesus-host of the Mass.

Many modern converts to Romanism mention the role that the Mass played in their conversion. There is doubtless a true occultic power in this ritual.

The Mass is a mystical powerhouse.
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This report is excerpted from our new book Contemplative Mysticism: A Powerful Ecumenical Bond, which is available from Way of Life Literature. It can be ordered by phone or e-mail with a credit card, 866-295-4143, fbns@wayoflife.org

[Distributed by Way of Life Literature's Fundamental Baptist Information Service, an e-mail listing for Fundamental Baptists and other fundamentalist, Bible-believing Christians. OUR GOAL IN THIS PARTICULAR ASPECT OF OUR MINISTRY IS NOT DEVOTIONAL BUT IS TO PROVIDE INFORMATION TO ASSIST PREACHERS IN THE PROTECTION OF THE CHURCHES IN THIS APOSTATE HOUR. This material is sent only to those who personally subscribe to the list. If somehow you have subscribed unintentionally, following are the instructions for removal. The Fundamental Baptist Information Service mailing list is automated. To SUBSCRIBE or to UNSUBSCRIBE or to CHANGE ADDRESSES or to RE-SUBSCRIBE UNDER A NEW ADDRESS, go to http://www.wayoflife.org/fbis/subscribe.html. If you have any trouble with this, please let us know. And please be patient with us. We do not ignore any unsubscribe request, but we cannot always get to your request immediately as each person involved with maintaining the Way of Life web site does this only on a very part time basis and is busy with many other major activities, such as pastoring and missionary work. We take up a quarterly offering to fund this ministry, and those who use the materials are expected to participate (Galatians 6:6) if they can. Some of the articles are from O Timothy magazine, which is in its 25th year of publication. Way of Life publishes many helpful books. The catalog is located at the web site: http://wayoflife.org/catalog/catalog.htm Way of Life Literature, P.O. Box 610368, Port Huron, MI 48061. 866-295-4143, fbns@wayoflife.org. We do not solicit funds from those who do not agree with our preaching and who are not helped by these publications, but from those who are. OFFERINGS can be made at http://www.wayoflife.org/fbns/offering.html. PAYPAL offerings can be made to https://www.paypal.com/xclick/business=dcloud%40wayoflife.org]

Updated November 6, 2008 (first published September 19, 2006) (David Cloud, Fundamental Baptist Information Service, P.O. Box 610368, Port Huron, MI 48061, 866-295-4143, fbns@wayoflife.org; for instructions about subscribing and unsubscribing or changing addresses, see the information paragraph at the end of the article) -

The Pentecostal-Charismatic movement holds to the premise that signs and wonders produce faith. John Wimber, former leader of the Vineyard churches, taught this. His books Power Evangelism and Power Healing are predicated upon this idea:

“Clearly the early Christians had an openness to the power of the Spirit, which resulted in signs and wonders and church growth. If we want to be like the early church, we too need to open to the Holy Spirit’s power” (Wimber, Power Evangelism, p. 31).

Wimber said, “Once you’ve healed a person, it’s very easy to lead them to Christ.” He promoted this false doctrine in the controversial course taught at Fuller Theological Seminary in the early 1980s, called “MC510, Signs, Wonders, and Church Growth.” Wimber claimed that evangelism, to be most effective, must be accompanied by miracles.

The idea that miracles produce faith is contrary to the teaching of the Bible.

FIRST, THIS FALSE DOCTRINE IGNORES THE EXAMPLE OF SCRIPTURE.

Most of those who saw God’s miracles upon Egypt and during the wilderness wanderings did not believe (Heb. 3:7-12). Most who witnessed Jesus Christ’s incomparable miracles did not believe (John 6:66). By the day of Pentecost, there were only 120 disciples in the upper room. Where were the thousands who had witnessed Christ’s miracles firsthand?

SECOND, THIS FALSE DOCTRINE CONFUSES THE PURPOSE OF THE MIRACLES OF CHRIST AND THE APOSTLES.

Christ’s miracles were not a pattern for believers to follow throughout the church age but were the signs of His Messiahship.

“How shall we escape, if we neglect so great salvation; which at the first began to be spoken by the Lord, and was confirmed unto us by them that heard him; God also bearing them witness, both with signs and wonders, and with divers miracles, and gifts of the Holy Ghost, according to his own will?” (Heb. 2:3-4).

“If I do not the works of my Father, believe me not. But if I do, though ye believe not me, believe the works: that ye may know, and believe, that the Father is in me, and I in him” (John 10:37-38).

Likewise, the miracles performed by the apostles were signs of their apostleship.

“Truly the signs of an apostle were wrought among you in all patience, in signs, and wonders, and mighty deeds” (2 Cor. 12:12).

The signs and wonders recorded in the book of Acts were done by the apostles (Acts 2:43; 3:6-8; 4:33; 5:12, 15; 9:40-41; 19:12; 28:3-5, 7-9). If any “ordinary” believer (meaning one who is not an apostle) could perform these miraculous wonders indiscriminately, the sign of an apostle would be rendered ineffective. If you tell me that you are meeting me at the airport and that I will recognize you because you will be wearing a red hat, the sign of the red hat would be destroyed if everyone in the airport wore the same hat.

When Dorcas died in Joppa, the believers there could not raise her from the dead. It was only when Peter the apostle came to Joppa from Lydda that Dorcas was raised up (Acts 9:36-43). It was the sign of an apostle.

THIRD, THIS FALSE DOCTRINE DENIES THE SUPREMACY OF AND PROPER SOURCE OF FAITH.

Faith does not come from miracles but from the Word of God itself.

“So then faith cometh by hearing, and hearing by the word of God” (Rom. 10:17).

Miracles can draw people’s attention, but miracles cannot give people faith. Faith only comes by hearing and believing God’s Word.

FOURTH, THIS FALSE DOCTRINE DENIES THE SUFFICIENCY OF THE BIBLE AND OF THE MIRACLES RECORDED THEREIN:

“And many other signs truly did Jesus in the presence of his disciples, which are not written in this book: But THESE ARE WRITTEN, THAT YE MIGHT BELIEVE that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God; and that believing ye might have life through his name” (John 20:29-31).

“All scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness: That the man of God may be perfect, throughly furnished unto all good works” (2 Tim. 3:16-17).

Since the Bible is able to make the man of God perfect, it is obvious that it is sufficient for faith and practice and that visions and voices and miracles are unnecessary. “But when that which is perfect is come, then that which is in part shall be done away” (1 Cor. 13:10).

FIFTH, THIS FALSE DOCTRINE DENIES THE PLAIN STATEMENTS OF SCRIPTURE ABOUT MIRACLES:

“But he answered and said unto them, An evil and adulterous generation seeketh after a sign; and there shall no sign be given to it, but the sign of the prophet Jonas” (Matt. 12:39).

“And he said, Nay, father Abraham: but if one went unto them from the dead, they will repent. And he said unto him, If they hear not Moses and the prophets, neither will they be persuaded, though one rose from the dead” (Luke 16:30-31).

“For we have not followed cunningly devised fables, when we made known unto you the power and coming of our Lord Jesus Christ, but were eyewitnesses of his majesty. For he received from God the Father honour and glory, when there came such a voice to him from the excellent glory, This is my beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased. And this voice which came from heaven we heard, when we were with him in the holy mount. WE HAVE ALSO A MORE SURE WORD OF PROPHECY; whereunto ye do well that ye take heed, as unto a light that shineth in a dark place, until the day dawn, and the day star arise in your hearts: Knowing this first, that no prophecy of the scripture is of any private interpretation. For the prophecy came not in old time by the will of man: but holy men of God spake as they were moved by the Holy Ghost” (2 Pet. 1:16-21).

These Bible passages destroy the doctrine that miracles produce faith and that Christians today must demonstrate apostolic signs and wonders. The apostle Peter experienced miracles far beyond anything imagined by today’s Charismatics, yet he did not exalt miracles; he exalted the Scriptures. He said the Bible is a more sure word than the most amazing religious experience.

The gospel does not have to be perpetually authenticated by signs and wonders. It is solidly established upon the greatest sign ever accomplished, the resurrection of Jesus Christ. Those who do not believe this sign as recorded in the Holy Scriptures will not believe any sign they see with their own eyes. That is what the Bible tells us.

[This article is excerpted from the book THE PENTECOSTAL-CHARISMATIC MOVEMENTS: THE HISTORY AND THE ERROR. I have been examining and re-examining the Pentecostal-Charismatic movements for more than three decades since I was led to Christ by a Pentecostal in 1973 and began to seek God’s will about tongues-speaking and the miraculous gifts of the early churches. I have built a large library of materials on this subject and have interviewed Pentecostals and Charismatics and attended their churches in many parts of the world. I have also attended large Charismatic conferences with press credentials. I have approached these studies with an open mind in the sense of having a commitment only to the truth and not to anyone’s tradition. I am a member of an independent Baptist church but Baptist doctrine and practice is not my authority; the Bible is. Each fresh evaluation of the Pentecostal-Charismatic movement has brought an increased conviction that it is unscriptural and dangerous. This book begins with my own experience with the Pentecostal movement. The next section deals with the history of the Pentecostal movement, beginning with a survey of miraculous signs from the second to the 18th centuries. We then examine the movements in the 19th century that led up to the creation of Pentecostalism and the outbreak of “tongues-speaking” at Charles Parham’s Bible school in Topeka, Kansas, in 1901, and at William Seymour’s Azusa Street Mission in Los Angeles in 1906. We examine some of the major Pentecostal denominations, the Latter Rain Covenent, the major Pentecostal healing evangelists, the Sharon Schools and the New Order of the Latter Rain, the Manifest Sons of God, the Word-Faith movement and its key leaders, the Charismatic Movement, the Roman Catholic Charismatic Renewal, the Pentecostal Prophets, the Third Wave, and the recent Pentecostal scandals. We conclude the historical section with a look at the Laughing Revival. In the last section of the book we deal with the theological errors of the Pentecostal-Charismatic movements (exalting experience over Scripture, emphasis on the miraculous, Messianic and apostolic miracles can be reproduced, the baptism of the Holy Spirit, the baptism of fire, exalting the Holy Spirit, tongues speaking is for today, sinless perfectionism, healing is guaranteed in the atonement, spirit slaying, spirit drunkenness, visions of Jesus, trips to heaven, women preachers, and ecumenism). The final section of the book answers the question: “Why are people deluded by Pentecostal-Charismatic error?” David and Tami Lee, former Pentecostals, after reviewing a section of the book said: “Very well done! We pray God will use it to open the eyes of many and to help keep many of His children out of such deception.” And Mary Keating, also a former Charismatic, said, “The book is excellent and I have no doubt whatever that the Lord is going to use it in a mighty way. Amen!!” 317 pages. $9.95. Way of Life Literature, P.O. Box 610368, Port Huron, MI 48061. 866-295-4143]

[Distributed by Way of Life Literature's Fundamental Baptist Information Service, an e-mail listing for Fundamental Baptists and other fundamentalist, Bible-believing Christians. OUR GOAL IN THIS PARTICULAR ASPECT OF OUR MINISTRY IS NOT DEVOTIONAL BUT IS TO PROVIDE INFORMATION TO ASSIST PREACHERS IN THE PROTECTION OF THE CHURCHES IN THIS APOSTATE HOUR. This material is sent only to those who personally subscribe to the list. If somehow you have subscribed unintentionally, following are the instructions for removal. The Fundamental Baptist Information Service mailing list is automated. To SUBSCRIBE or to UNSUBSCRIBE or to CHANGE ADDRESSES or to RE-SUBSCRIBE UNDER A NEW ADDRESS, go to http://www.wayoflife.org/fbis/subscribe.html. If you have any trouble with this, please let us know. And please be patient with us. We do not ignore any unsubscribe request, but we cannot always get to your request immediately as each person involved with maintaining the Way of Life web site does this only on a very part time basis and is busy with many other major activities, such as pastoring and missionary work. We take up a quarterly offering to fund this ministry, and those who use the materials are expected to participate (Galatians 6:6) if they can. Some of the articles are from O Timothy magazine, which is in its 25th year of publication. Way of Life publishes many helpful books. The catalog is located at the web site: http://wayoflife.org/catalog/catalog.htm Way of Life Literature, P.O. Box 610368, Port Huron, MI 48061. 866-295-4143, fbns@wayoflife.org. We do not solicit funds from those who do not agree with our preaching and who are not helped by these publications, but from those who are. OFFERINGS can be made at http://www.wayoflife.org/fbns/offering.html. PAYPAL offerings can be made to https://www.paypal.com/xclick/business=dcloud%40wayoflife.org]

PROPER DISCIPLINE OF THE CHILD

November 4, 2008 (Fundamental Baptist Information Service, P.O. Box 610368, Port Huron, MI 48061, 866-295-4143, fbns@wayoflife.org; for instructions about subscribing and unsubscribing or changing addresses, see the information paragraph at the end of the article) -

The following is by Dr. Terry Coomer. God has given Brother Coomer some special wisdom about the building a godly Christian life and family. He is the Pastor of Elwood Bible Baptist Church and the Director of For the Love of the Family Ministries. He holds Family Conferences in local churches. He may be contacted at For Love of the Family Ministries, P.O. Box 535, Elwood, IN 46036, 765-552-1973, tlcoomer@juno.com.

This is one part of a multiple part message. See Coomer’s web site for other parts -- www.fortheloveofthefamily.com.
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PROPER DISCIPLINE OF THE CHILD
By Terry Coomer

Proverbs 23:13-14 -- “Withhold not correction from the child: for if thou beatest him with the rod, he shall not die. Thou shalt beat him with the rod, and shalt deliver his soul from hell.”

We now move into a different section from where we have been, as we now move into the proper discipline of the child. I firmly believe that both parts are important, but I believe the first part is extremely important. The first part was our spiritual relationship and conveying our spiritual relationship with God to our children. Part of the training is the correct, godly, and Biblical discipline of our children.

The book of Proverbs mentions proper discipline five times. It is interesting to me that the book of Proverbs mentions communicating our spiritual relationship to the child twenty-five times. Many Christians have different ideas about the discipline of our children. We live in a very undisciplined society. The lack of discipline and spiritual communication is sending our society into major problems.

One of the areas that this lack of discipline shows up is in the peer influence of our children and allowing our children to make their own choices. What is happening today is the culture we are living in is rearing our children instead of the parents. The culture and peer influence rears our children because in many instances the parents are not there to rear them. Listen to me very carefully, if you desire to rear spiritual children, you have to make a decision in your life to be the main influence in your children's lives. Three of the most corrupting influences upon our children today are television, music, and friends. Do not be deceived folks; the devil wants the culture to rear our children. Do not underestimate the power of these influences. Many children will listen to their peers before they will listen to you, if you allow it to be that way. Again, you must make a decision to be the most important influence in the children's lives.

The Lord has blessed us with two wonderful daughters, Teresa and Jennifer, who have been trained by their parents to have a heart to serve God. They have been taught by their parents not to allow the influence of their peers to lead them into sin. Both daughters are preparing to serve the Lord on the mission field. At the time of this writing one has graduated from Bible College and married a godly young man. The other is in her second year of Bible College and will spend her summer on a foreign field because of her desire to see others come to know Christ as Savior. They are not interested in what the world has to offer. Why? Because they were taught and trained from the time they were small children that what God wants is more important than friends and peer influences.

My wife and I made a decision as young parents that my wife would stay home and become the most important influence in their lives (Titus 2:3-5). Their mother home schooled both of our daughters. They were not academic misfits. In fact, one of the girls scored in the top three percent in the country on the English portion of the ACT test. We heard all the talk about lack of socialization. Folks, those of you who know our daughters know they are not social morons. We made sure their socialization was godly. We made sure to guard their training and influences. Why did we do that? We know that the Bible tells us that Satan wants to destroy their lives.

1 Peter 5:8-9 -- "Be sober be vigilant because your adversary the devil, as a roaring lion, walketh about seeking whom he may devour: Whom resist steadfast in the faith, knowing that the same afflictions are accomplished in your brethren that are in the world."

As a Christian parent, you better understand these verses. I can hear someone say, "I bet their home was like a prison, they never had any fun." In fact, quite the contrary is true. Our children had a great time growing up. They learned to have the right kind of fun from their parents. Their mother taught them to enjoy proper music, not music that appeals to the flesh. She taught them to be godly young ladies as the Bible instructs in Titus 2. She taught them to dress as a godly young lady should. She taught them to cook, and we both taught them to be hard workers.

They were taught to do their best for God in whatever they did (1 Corinthians 10:31). My wife, Kim, was a huge godly influence in their lives because she committed herself to be there and to be the most important influence in their lives. Kim worked very hard and prayed much for their lives.

Parents today start out by allowing their children to make their own decisions. I have observed parents interacting with their children like this: The parent lays out the small child's clothes and the child says, "I do not want to wear that!" The parent says, "Honey, I am sorry I did not know you did not want to wear that. You do not have to wear that." The child and parent continue this dialogue throughout the child's life in almost every instance. Most parents do this today.

What happens is that the child grows up making his own choices, and when he gets to be eighteen he will not listen to a word you say because you have taught him from the time he was a little child not to listen to you. You have now opened his life up to be reared by his culture. His friends will be the most important influence in his life, fueled by television and music of the culture. He will become a spiritually undisciplined person who is lead by his emotions rather than by the Word of God. Unfortunately, most Christians fall into this category today and do not have a clue why their children have turned out the way they have. YOU MUST DETERMINE TO BE THE MOST IMPORTANT INFLUENCE IN THEIR LIVES.

However, you have to be a spiritual person to see the truth in what I am talking about here. I can again hear someone say, "I bet his girls do not have any friends." On the contrary they both became spiritual leaders in Bible College and have like-minded friends who desire to live for God. You see folks; we trained them to have a spiritual disciplined life as a child and protected their influences for God as small children and teens so that as they matured they would be able to make godly choices. Why, because they saw their parents make godly, disciplined choices.

A fifteen-year old is not mature enough to make choices on a life's mate and does not need to be put in situations where he or she might be tempted to do so. Parents, do not be stupid.

We very seldom allowed our children to spend a night away from home unless we really knew the spiritual life of the family they were with. We certainly would not allow them to spend the night with the unsaved or carnal Christians, which included extended members of our family.

We also told our daughters as they were growing up that there was no reason for them to consider dating. They had plenty of time when they went to college to start considering young men. They were also instructed as to what they needed to be looking for in young men who could possibly be their life's mate. Teenagers are not mature enough to make decisions that are as serious as this. They also should not be put in relationships and situations that would encourage them to be involved in the lusts of the flesh at an age where they need to concentrate on their relationship with God not the opposite sex. Most parents make serious errors here and believe their children will lack in social skills if they are not allowed to date. In fact, what happens is the parents are allowing the culture to rear their children and heartbreak can come out of social peer pressure (Galatians 6:7).

We were not going to be bullied or begged to make stupid spiritual decisions in light of 1 Peter 5:8-9. Again, we are to live disciplined lives, not weak, emotional, feeling-lead lives. Our decisions are to be made based on the Word of God not on a whim of feelings.

We communicated to our children as they were growing up that Jesus wants to reproduce His character in their lives and the devil wants to reproduce his character in them. To a Christian who has a relationship with the Lord, living for Christ and walking with Him is more important than whether or not he is a good ballplayer. Folks, I know the influence that peers have on your lives in sports, as I was a former professional baseball pitcher. The Christian life is a disciplined spiritual life. If you do not understand this principle, you will fail in the task of rearing your children to love and serve the Lord. The culture will rear your child if you allow it to do so and bring heartbreak to you and your home.

So, why do I have to take this position on a disciplined Christian life?

Psalm 51:5 -- "Behold, I was shapen in iniquity; and in sin did my mother conceive me."

Psalm 58:3 -- "The wicked are estranged from the womb: they go astray as soon as they be born, speaking lies."

A child is a sinner at birth. You never have to teach a child to do wrong. They will do so automatically. You have to teach them to do right. The will of the child must be dealt with while it is weak. The child must understand that he or she cannot live by their lusts alone.

Parents, discipline is a strong form of love that gives the child security. The child has to learn self-control.

Proverbs 13:24 -- "He that spareth his rod hateth his son: but he that loveth him chastenth him betimes."

The word here "betimes" means "early" in his life. Proper discipline of the child must start early. Babies have a will and they start to exercise it early. From the time they are babies we must let the children know they cannot have their own way. The Bible tells us to discipline early.

Proverbs 19:18 -- "Chasten thy son while there is hope and let not thy soul spare for his crying."

Did you notice the phrase "while there is still hope?" There will come a time for the spiritually ignorant or disobedient parent that there is no hope.

Proverbs 22:15 -- "Foolishness is bound in the heart of a child: but the rod of correction shall drive it from him."

In these two verses there is a prominent word, "rod." My understanding is the Hebrew word for rod is a branch or a stick or a staff. It is like the rod of a shepherd. The rod was a symbol of authority in the hands of a ruler. Basically folks, this deals with spanking and using an object to spank. On this Biblical basis, I never used my hand to discipline our children. I used a paddle as a symbol of authority. Parents we are to discipline early and the Bible tells us to discipline consistently and correctly. Obviously, we do not spank for every infraction. Sometimes there is verbal correction.

Let me give you a very important rule: A child should never be told more than once. If you are not careful here the child will develop a pattern with you. How far can we go before the parent will get this done?

A child must understand that parental authority is God's authority. Someone says, "Pastor, are you saying I should spank my child?" They will think I do not love them."

Proverbs 3:12 -- "For whom the Lord loveth he correcteth: even as a father the son in whom he delighteth."

The proper correction shows you love your child.

Let me give you another pattern to look for. As soon as you say, "I am going to spank you," the child says, "I am sorry." The child is not really sorry; he is a con artist! You need to make sure he knows and understands what is expected of him.

Another important rule is never discipline a child for failure to understand. Again, here some children can be con artists in this area.

Something that is very important is that we should discipline for attitude. When a child says "No" to you or makes a face, etc., proper discipline is in order. In this battle of the wills you may have to spank more than once. Remember I said spank not hit, slap, yell, cuss, pull their hair, get them on the floor and beat them, chase them around the house with a belt, or scream at them. God has given us the perfect place to spank. It has no bones that will break and has been provided by the Lord for the "rod of correction."

Parents who yell and scream all the time are only building a rebel. The child will hear you yell and scream and ignore you, and when he grows up he will never listen to a thing you tell him. I have talked to many parents who have disciplined in this manner and they firmly believe they are a disciplinarian. "You know, Pastor, my kids got it when they back-talked me; I hit them right in the mouth. I yelled and they listened." Sure they did, right up until the day they got out of your house. Now they live the way they want which does not include living for God. You did not train them, you browbeat them! They longed to get away from you.

Listen carefully, proper discipline of the child requires not disciplining in anger. When our children disobeyed, we calmly went into the bedroom and talked with them about their disobedience and spanked them on the area God has provided. We always told our children that we were displeased with their behavior and God was displeased. We then told them we loved them and wanted them to grow up to have good character and to be obedient to the Lord. We also told them that Jesus loved them and wanted them to have good character. We always hugged them and made sure they knew we loved them and that the discipline was for their own good.

Quite frankly, we really never had to spank either child after the fourth grade. We broke their will early. I will talk about this matter of breaking the will further in the next message.

I have talked to many criminals in jail. I always ask them a question: “Did your parents spank you when you were growing up?" The answer is surprising in many instances, but it is something for us to think about. Almost always, they will answer, “Dad or mom (they usually do not call them that) beat me when I needed it," or something similar. They always seem to have a smile on their face when they talk about it. Then I ask, "How did they spank you?" I get something like, "He chased me with the belt or he got me down and whomped me," etc. They never talk about a Biblical, godly form of discipline. Most people do not understand what proper discipline is.

Parents, I can hear someone say, "I will never spank my child!" Then you may be affecting that child's salvation.

Proverbs 23:13-14 -- "Withold not correction from the child: for if thou beatest him with the rod, he shall not die. Thou shalt beat him with the rod, and deliver his soul from hell."

Parents, this is a will matter. Remember, I said parental authority is God's authority. If a child will not submit to his parents, he will never submit to God. When we did spank our children, we did not allow them to scream, yell, or excessively cry. If they did, we spanked them until their wills were submissive. This may take several times. Many people in our culture now say spanking is child abuse. I agree there are people out there who do abuse their children. The lie of the devil and the greatest form of child abuse that has ever been put upon a society is putting children on drugs for their behavior. Many public school children are now on drugs for what has been called Attention Deficit Disorder.

I would agree that there is a great Attention Deficit Disorder in our society and it is on the part of the parents, not the children. Many of the children in our society are being put on drugs because the parents are not home and when they are home, they are too tired to give the child any attention. The child is banished to the back of the house, put in front of a television, or a video game. When discipline is brought forth it is in the form of yelling, screaming, hitting etc. The parent does not have the time or the energy to do any real parenting as God has commanded. Therefore, we put drugs in our children because we do not have time to deal with them. This is one of the great sins of our society and many Christians have bought into it.

The sadness is we have multitudes of children who will grow up never learning to obey as God has intended them to and they will always have an excuse for their poor behavior. The culture has given them a reason to be a rebel and to be disobedient. Their parents are off the hook because they have a child with a problem. Do I believe there are children with real mental problems out there? Yes there are but the percentage is very few. What we are experiencing now is a society that is extremely undisciplined and is dependent upon drugs for behavior rather than the Word of God.

Parent's let me finish this message with this important thought. I believe proper discipline of the child is important. I really do not believe it is as important as the first section we looked at. Your relationship to God and developing Junior's relationship to God is your most important task in rearing spiritual children. Listen carefully, if you have a spiritual relationship with God you will understand the importance of proper discipline and will seek God's will in the matter.

Folks, I can tell a lot about a person's relationship with God by the godly discipline in their life or the lack of spiritual discipline in their life. I can tell a lot about the spirituality of a church by looking at the Pastor's children and family. As a Pastor it is my responsibility before God to have a godly family, or I cannot teach anyone else what God's word says on the matter. It is my responsibility to develop in my wife and children a passion for the Lord. My testimony before God is important in this matter. This is an area where we cannot fool anyone. The Bible makes it plain it will come back to get us if we are not obedient to God in this matter. Something I have learned is this takes hard work. We cannot be lazy and slothful in this matter of spiritual training, which I believe is the most important matter we have outside of our salvation and our children's salvation.
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This article is by Dr. Terry Coomer. God has given Brother Coomer some special wisdom about the building a godly Christian life and family. He is the Pastor of Elwood Bible Baptist Church and the Director of For the Love of the Family Ministries. He holds Family Conferences in local churches. He may be contacted at For Love of the Family Ministries, P.O. Box 535, Elwood, IN 46036, 765-552-1973, tlcoomer@juno.com.

This is one part of a multiple part message. See Coomer’s web site for other parts -- www.fortheloveofthefamily.com.

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