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Fight The Good Fight
Fight the good fight of faith, lay hold on eternal life,
to which you were also called and have confessed the
good confession in the presence of many witnesses. 1
Timothy 6:12
My brethren, count it all joy when you fall into various
trials, knowing that the testing of your faith produces
patience. But let patience have its perfect work, that
you may be perfect and complete, lacking nothing. James
1:2-4
On Friday,
December 12, 2003; Washington Post reported that
"John W. Sidgmore, 52, a pioneer in the Washington
technology community and a former WorldCom Inc. chief
executive who played a key role in revealing the
long-distance giant's accounting fraud, died yesterday
of a sudden illness.
…Well known in the Washington area, Sidgmore gained
national prominence last year when he served as WorldCom
chief executive for eight months. During that time, he
spearheaded the company's efforts to cooperate with
federal investigations that uncovered $11 billion in
accounting fraud and ultimately led to the company's
financial collapse. WorldCom plans to emerge from
bankruptcy early next month.
…According to a statement released by his family,
Sidgmore died yesterday "due to complications associated
with kidney shutdown presumptively related to acute
pancreatitis." Pancreatitis is an inflammation of the
pancreas, an organ that produces insulin and controls
the body's metabolism. A family spokesman declined to
provide further details on the illness or identify the
hospital where Sidgmore was treated."
Sidgmore was tapped to lead WorldCom after its founder
and chief executive, Bernard J. Ebbers, was forced out
following revelations that he had borrowed more than
$400 million from the company to cover his personal
stock losses.
A few months early
the Associated Press reported about Bernard J. Ebbers:
Bernard Ebbers, a former milkman in Edmonton, Alberta,
Canada, was ousted in April 2002, at the age of 60,
owing Worldcom $400 million in loans. The 6-foot-4-inch
Canadian-born businessman, once one of the world's
richest men with a fortune of $1.4 billion, adopted the
town's ways. He attended shareholder meetings in jeans,
cowboy boots and a bolo tie, and started the sessions
with a prayer -- a sure winner in the heart of America's
Bible Belt.
The ousted chief executive of a giant telecommunications
company rocked with an accounting scandal told his
congregation on Sunday that he was innocent of
wrongdoing. Appearing at Easthaven Baptist Church in
Brookhaven, Miss., as usual to teach Sunday school and
attend the morning worship service, Bernard Ebbers made
his first public comments about WorldCom since the
disclosure of $3.8 billion in improper accounting last
week, "The Wall Street Journal" reported.
"I just want you to know you aren't going to church with
a crook," Ebbers addressed the congregation at the end
of the service. "This has been a strange week at
best...On Tuesday, I received a call telling me what was
happening [at WorldCom]...I don't know what all is going
to happen or what mistakes have been made."
The Securities and Exchange Commission has brought a
civil charge of fraud against the company, the "Journal"
said. WorldCom's planned accounting restatement is
already among the largest in U.S. history, six times as
large as that of Enron Corp.
"No one will find me to have knowingly committed fraud,"
he said, teary eyed, the "Journal" reported. "More than
anything else, I hope that my witness for Jesus Christ
will not be jeopardized." Ebbers declined further
comment after the congregation erupted in a standing
ovation.
According to the
Word of God, the Bible, fighting the good fight of faith
doesn’t mean suffering as a murderer, a thief, an
evildoer, or as a busybody in other people's matters (1
Peter 4:15). Fighting the good fight of faith means
having integrity! The bible tells us what a leader
should and should not do and Ebber doesn’t fit the bill:
A
bishop then must be blameless, the husband of one wife,
temperate, sober-minded, of good behavior, hospitable,
able to teach; not given to wine, not violent, not
greedy for money, but gentle, not quarrelsome, not
covetous; one who rules his own house well, having his
children in submission with all reverence (for if a man
does not know how to rule his own house, how will he
take care of the church of God?); not a novice, lest
being puffed up with pride he fall into the same
condemnation as the devil. 1 Timothy 3:2-6
Mrs. Clinton's Book
Recalls Lewinsky Saga
President Clinton lied to her about
the relationship
By CALVIN WOODWARD and SIOBHAN McDONOUGH
Associated Press Writers, June 3, 2003
WASHINGTON -- Hillary Rodham Clinton,
acknowledging tirades and tears over her husband's
affair with Monica Lewinsky, says President Clinton lied
to her about the relationship until the weekend before
he admitted as much to a grand jury.
The New York senator vividly describes her pain over the
betrayal in "Living History," her new memoir covering
her eight years in the White House. A copy of the book,
which goes on sale Tuesday, was obtained by The
Associated Press.
"The most difficult decisions I have made in my life
were to stay married to Bill and to run for the Senate
from New York," she writes.
She says she accepted her husband's story at first --
that he had befriended the White House intern when she
asked for job-hunting help, "had talked to her a few
times" -- and that the relationship had been horribly
misconstrued.
"For me, the Lewinsky imbroglio seemed like just another
vicious scandal manufactured by political opponents."
More than six months later, with the president preparing
to testify before a grand jury, Mrs. Clinton was still
adamant that her husband had done nothing wrong.
Then, on the morning of Saturday, Aug. 15, 1998, he woke
her up, paced at the bedside, and "told me for the first
time that the situation was much more serious than he
had previously acknowledged."
"He now realized he would have to testify that there had
been an inappropriate intimacy. He told me that what
happened between them had been brief and sporadic."
He was ashamed and knew she would be angry, she
recounts.
"I could hardly breathe. Gulping for air, I started
crying and yelling at him, 'What do you mean? What are
you saying? Why did you lie to me? I was furious and
getting more so by the second. He just stood there
saying over and over again, 'I'm sorry. I'm so sorry. I
was trying to protect you and Chelsea.'
Mrs. Clinton's 562-page book has been highly
anticipated. Simon & Schuster, expecting large sales,
ordered an extraordinary first printing of 1 million
copies.
The first lady-turned-senator was paid a $2.85 million
advance toward the $8 million book deal. Foreign rights
have already been sold in 16 countries. List price is
$8.
The publisher billed the book as a complete, candid
accounting of her years in the White House.
Mrs. Clinton said that up until that August morning when
her husband confessed, she believed he was being
railroaded and had merely been foolish by paying any
attention to Lewinsky. She was incredulous that he would
endanger their marriage and family.
"I was dumbfounded, heartbroken and outraged that I'd
believed him at all."
She said the president's eyes filled with tears when she
told him he would have to confess to their teenage
daughter as well.
She ultimately decided she still loved her husband,
although "as a wife, I wanted to wring Bill's neck."
She describes in bitter terms the months of chill
between them, never more painful than when they went to
Martha's Vineyard for vacation right after his
testimony.
"Buddy, the dog, came along to keep Bill company. He was
the only member of our family who was still willing to."
While on the island, she felt "nothing but profound
sadness, disappointment and unresolved anger. I could
barely speak to Bill, and when I did, it was a tirade. I
read. I walked on the beach. He slept downstairs. I
slept upstairs."
Bill Clinton who is a born again Southern Baptist can
take solace in the fact that Southern Baptist Evangelist
Billy Graham is also a liar and knows how to
conveniently forget things.
Billy Graham was very deceitful about his close
friendship with former president Nixon where he made
disparaging comments ago about Jews, which were
"inexcusable and indefensible and came out 30 years
later.
White House tapes from 1972 released recently disclosed
the evangelist agreeing with President Richard M. Nixon
that left-wing Jews dominate the American media.
"They're the ones putting out the pornographic stuff,"
Graham said on the tape, adding: "This stranglehold has
got to be broken or this country's going down the
drain."
Graham, now 83 and in frail health, had originally
denied ever stating anything disparaging about the Jews.
But since the release of the Nixon tales he has
apologized publicly twice for the comments.
Mr. Graham was forced to issue the apology after the
National Archives released more than 500 hours of tape
recordings that Nixon made of conversations in the White
House.
In one conversation in 1972 with Nixon, an old friend,
the Southern Baptist evangelist complained about what he
saw as Jewish domination of the news media. "You believe
that?" Nixon asked. "Yes, sir," Mr. Graham said. "Oh,
boy. So do I," Nixon continued. "I can't ever say that
but I believe it."
"No, but if you get elected a second time, then we might
be able to do something," Mr. Graham said. "This
stranglehold has got to be broken or this country's
going down the drain."
Mr. Graham, had previously denied making the comments
but with the release of the tapes two weeks ago the
preacher could no longer deny that it was his voice -
heavy with a North Carolina accent - that could be heard
making the comments.
The sad part about Billy Graham's refusal to accepreal
responsibility is his use of the phrase "Although I have
no memory of the occasion, I deeply regret comments I
apparently made in an Oval Office conversation with
President Nixon ... some 30 years ago."
Bill Clinton the former President of United States and a
great liar also used a similar phrase to avoid answering
questions asked of him during the Monica Lewinsky
scandal and would state " I don't recall." But God has a
perfect memory and he recalls all things and so do
others
Billy
Graham Hypocrisy And Satanic Jews
Barbara
Webb, Administrative Services. Billy Graham Evangelistic
Organization in response to the reporting of Billy Graham's
Hypocrisy And Satanic Jews on May 23, 2003 stated:
Subject:
Mr. Graham
Dear
Friend:
Mr.
Graham apologized in regard to the Nixon tapes which were
recently broadcast. Although Mr. Graham had no memory of what
he had said, he felt it was appropriate at this time to give an
apology. He does not actually feel about Jewish people in
the way the words were said. Mr. Graham has made many friends
over the years among the Jewish leaders and rabbis and has a
great respect for them.
Please
pray for Mr. Graham and our Association--that we will be truly
faithful and obedient to our Lord. May God bless you.
Sincerely,
A
response was sent to Barbara Webb on May 23,2003 which stated:
Dear
Barbara,
Thank
you for your reply concerning Billy Graham's memory lapse!
I
have an important question to which I would like to have an
answer does Dr. Billy Graham at 84 years of age still take a
100 percent salary as a employee and chairman of the Billy
Graham Evangelistic Organization and work less than 25 percent
of time?
The
sad part about Billy Graham's refusal to accept real
responsibility is his use of the phrase "Although I have
no memory of the occasion, I deeply regret comments I
apparently made in an Oval Office conversation with President
Nixon ... some 30 years ago." You will appreciate Bill
Clinton the former President of United States and a great liar
also used a similar phrase to avoid answering questions asked
of him during the Monica Lewinsky scandal and would state "
I don't recall." But God has a perfect memory and he
recalls all things and so do others.
Graham's
two faced hypocrisy also came out in a 1989 when a Graham memo
to Nixon was made public. It took the form of a secret letter
from Graham, dated April 15, 1969, drafted after Graham met in
Bangkok with missionaries from Vietnam. These men of God said
that if the peace talks in Paris were to fail, Nixon should
step up the war and bomb the dikes. Such an act, Graham wrote
excitedly, "could overnight destroy the economy of North
Vietnam".
Graham
lent his imprimatur to this recommendation. Thus the preacher
was advocating a policy to the US Commander in Chief that on
Nixon's own estimate would have killed a million people.
This
disclosure of Graham as an aspirant war criminal did not excite
any commotion when it became public in 1989, twenty years after
it was written.
Billy
Graham has raised up two sons Ned and Franklin who are as
deceitful as their father. Ned Graham, the son of Billy Graham,
Southern Baptist minister, president East Gates International,
a group that distributes Bibles in China told Christianity
Today in an interview that he had abused alcohol and spent an
"inappropriate amount of time" with two women on his
staff.
Grace
Community Church, Southern Baptist Convention, in Auburn,
Washington--which counted Ned Graham, his wife, and their two
sons as members established the fact that Ned Graham was an
adulterer, alcoholic, wife abuser, and drug user and revoked
Graham's ministerial credentials. It directed Graham to stop
using the title reverend.
Yet
in a style reminiscent of Jimmy Swaggart, who refused to be
defrocked by the Assembly of God denomination, Ned Graham left
that congregation for another church.
Most
of the staff and board members of East Gates International
resigned amid controversies. East Gates, in Sumner, Wash.,
withdrew its membership in the Evangelical Council for
Financial Accountability after Ned replaced the board members
with his sister Ruth Graham McIntyre, brother-in-law Stephan
Tchividjian, and business leader Peter Lowe.
Graham's
sister Gigi Tchividjian has joined the office staff and Ned
Graham continues as East Gates president. The ECFA the
self-policing organization Billy Graham helped start requires
that a majority of board members not be related by blood or
marriage, which is no longer the case for East Gates. Nepotism
is alive and well in Evangelical ministries?
A
December East Gates fund-raising letter included a note from
his father saying that "Ruth and I are proud of and
grateful to God for our son Ned." East Gates has
distributed 2 million Bibles to Christians in China, Billy
Graham said, encouraging Christians to "back this unique
and effective ministry."
It
is interesting to see the most famous "evangelist"
(some say) not being able to educate his children, especially
Ned. At the same time, having a bunch of so-called Christians
following the leadership of such wreckless person. Franklin
Graham wears jeans, boots, denim shirt, and leather jacket. He
was a teen rebel who drank, smoked, fought, and led police on
high-speed chases. He was kicked out of LeTourneau College. He
used to be a rebel and a 'bum' got religion and become more
sophisticated and formed "the Samaritan's Purse' so that
he can fly around the country and charge things to his
non-profit corporation. As a result his ministry, Samaritan's
Purse, had a run-in with the Evangelical Council for Financial
Accountability. The ECFA suspended Samaritan's Purse while it
looked into Franklin's (Graham) compensation and use of the
company plane.
Although
Billy Graham encourages religious leaders to be open about
their salaries and publish their finances none of the Grahams
reveal their total compensation nor release their personal
income tax as President Bush does and former President Clinton
has done. It's the law of the land that all non profit chairman
of corporations must reveal their total salary and that Billy,
Ned and Franklin do not to their donors speak volumes of their
hypocrisy?
Yes,
Jesus told us to beware of hypocrites like Dr. Billy Graham.
Editor's
Note - Barbara Webb nor Billy Graham Evangelistic
Organization did not reply about Billy Graham's salary
nor other matters stated.
President
Bush, Billy Graham & Jews!
The
Boston Globe reported "Some see Jewish shift toward GOP"
By Anne E. Kornblut, Globe Staff, 5/7/2003
WASHINGTON
-- The Jewish community responded enthusiastically when Senator
Joseph I. Lieberman joined the presidential ticket in 2000, a
move many saw as recognition of their long support for the
party of Franklin D. Roosevelt and John F. Kennedy. As they had
for every election in decades, Jewish voters overwhelmingly
cast their ballots for the Democrats.
But after a year
and a half of strong statements from President Bush about
fighting terrorism, along with his equally strong backing of
Prime Minister Ariel Sharon of Israel, some prominent analysts
in both parties say they detect a shift in the Jewish
community. For the first time in more than 20 years, one
Democratic pollster said he sensed an erosion of support from
Jewish activists that could affect the presidential race. And
according to researchers at B'nai Brith, younger Jewish
Americans seem more likely to lean Republican than their
parents.
(President.
G.W.) Bush faced deep distrust from the Jewish community when
he came to office, largely because of his past statements about
Judaism. In an infamous incident in 1990, Bush told his mother
he did not believe that Jews can get into heaven, prompting
Barbara Bush to call a close family friend, the Rev. Billy
Graham, to set her son straight. Graham reportedly told Bush
that such decisions are up to God, an answer that apparently
changed Bush's mind, but did not help his case among Jewish
voters when he ran for president. (Some see Jewish shift
toward GOP By Anne E. Kornblut, Globe Staff, 5/7/2003)
"I
have never talked publicly or privately about the Jewish
people, including conversations with President Nixon, except in
the most positive terms." (Rev. Billy Graham, in a
May 1994 statement denying H.R. Haldeman's claim in his
published diaries that Graham carried on about "satanic
Jews" in Nixon's presence. Quoted by David Firestone in
the March 17 New York Times.)
"I
go and I keep friends with [Abe] Rosenthal at the New York
Times and people of that sort, you know. And all—I mean,
not all the Jews, but a lot of the Jews are great friends of
mine, they swarm around me and are friendly to me because they
know that I'm friendly with Israel. But they don't know how I
really feel about what they are doing to this country. And I
have no power, no way to handle them, but I would stand up if
under proper circumstances." (Rev. Billy Graham, in
a transcript of an Oval Office conversation with Richard Nixon
from 1972 recently made public by the National Archives. Quoted
in Firestone's March 17 story and elsewhere.)
Washington
"is full of Jews," the president asserted. "Most
Jews are disloyal." He made exceptions for some of his top
aides, such as national security adviser Henry Kissinger, his
White House counsel, Leonard Garment, and one of his
speechwriters, William Safire, and then added:
"But,
Bob, generally speaking, you can't trust the bastards. They
turn on you. Am I wrong or right?"
Haldeman
agreed wholeheartedly. "Their whole orientation is against
you. In this administration, anyway. And they are smart. They
have the ability to do what they want to do--which is to hurt
us." (George Lardner's Washington Post article
talked about President Richard Nixon and the Jews.)
How
can the Jews in America trust a President who looks for advice
from Southern Baptist Evangelist Billy Graham who himself
is a liar and anti-Semitic and was a close friend of President
Richard Nixon, a Jew hater?
How
To Differentiate True Ones From False Ones?
Presumption
and sincerity are not a guarantee of anything including
salvation. Many fools have died for being false. Just because
a person says he is a true man of God doesn't make it so. Those
who remain alive when they lays hands on the sick are the true
ones! (Mark 16:16-20, Acts 19:11-17) Case in point is
that a 39-year-old Pentecostal minister became a victim of the
severe acute respiratory syndrome (SARS) outbreak that has
caused alarm in parts of Asia, after going to the hospital to
pray for someone with the condition reported the Charisma News
Service on April 7, 2003 whose publisher, Stephen Strang, and
Editor, Andre Butcher also supported the thieving Straders of
Carpenter's Home Church, Lakeland, Florida.
(http://www.christiannews.0catch.com/strader.htm
)
Simon
Loh died last week in Singapore, where concern over the
mysterious condition has prompted the closure of schools. The
pastor of Faith Assembly of God Church in Singapore, Loh
contracted SARS after going to pray for the hospitalized
daughter of a man who also died from the disease.
Churches
in Singapore are also considering canceling Sunday school
classes and youth meetings to try to prevent SARS spreading,
Assemblies of God (AG) News reported. The denomination's
Asia-Pacific regional director, Russell Turney, appealed for
prayer for pastors as they ministered to those affected.
"We
have four missionary families in Singapore," he told AG
News. "They are aware of the outbreak and [are] taking
precautions, but SARS is a very dangerous and very real health
threat."
The number of deaths in the region from
the pneumonia-like virus has risen to 100, Deutsche Welle,
German radio, reported. Worldwide, there are believed to be
2,800 suspected SARS cases.
When
for whatever reason God’s people sin and become
disobedient and in arrogance and pride don’t deal with
His rebuke, they pay a real price for their foolishness. Dr.
D.G.S. Dhinakaran of India, who has a real miracle ministry,
told the story recently:
Once
there was a man who was used mightily by the Lord. When he
prayed, mighty and great miracles happened in the name of the
Lord. As days went by, pride came into his heart. Gradually, he
lost the power of God. In course of time, he became a slave to
liquor. In the end, on a day when he was supposed to share the
Word of God, he got fully drunk and killed himself. What a
pity!
Jesus
said, "For whoever exalts himself will be humbled, and he
who humbles himself will be exalted" (Luke 14:11). When
you humble yourself, the Lord exalts you. No evil can come near
you. No problems, temptations, sorrow can touch you. Jesus will
dwell within you forever and will be your shield and fortress
to protect you.
God
Is Not Like Them!
Most
churches are only social clubs sharing the same opinions or
views and the criteria of membership is to be in complete
harmony or accord and have complete assent or agreement to
'doctrinal' matter.' But just because a group of people
agree about something doesn't make it right? Look at Korah,
Dathan and Abiram in Numbers 16 who with some of the children
of Israel, two hundred and fifty leaders of the congregation,
representatives of the congregation, men of renown rose up
before Moses and Aaron, and said to them, "You take too
much upon yourselves, for all the congregation is holy, every
one of them, and the LORD is among them. Why then do you exalt
yourselves above the assembly of the LORD?"
Korah
and his friends had a just cause and were in complete agreement
that Moses and Aaron where off the wall? But they were wrong
and what did the Lord do? He spoke to Moses and Aaron, saying,
"Separate yourselves from among this congregation, that I
may consume them in a moment." "Speak to the
congregation, saying, 'Get away from the tents of Korah,
Dathan, and Abiram.' “And Moses spoke to the
congregation, saying, "Depart now from the tents of these
wicked men! Touch nothing of theirs, lest you be consumed in
all their sins."
So
the wise ones got away from around the tents of Korah, Dathan,
and Abiram and the LORD created a new thing, and the earth
opened its mouth and swallowed them up with all that belonged
to them, and they went down alive into the pit, because by
their words and actions they had rejected the LORD. And a fire
came out from the LORD and consumed the two hundred and fifty
men who were offering incense.
Now the dumb sheep that
people are, they didn't appreciate the fact that there are some
people you are not to fight with or hurt and they foolishly
complained to Moses, “You have killed the people of the
LORD." The bible records
16:42
Now it happened, when the congregation had gathered against
Moses and Aaron, that they turned toward the tabernacle of
meeting; and suddenly the cloud covered it, and the glory of
the LORD appeared. 16:43 Then Moses and Aaron came before
the tabernacle of meeting. 16:44 And the LORD spoke to
Moses, saying, 16:45 "Get away from among this
congregation, that I may consume them in a moment." And
they fell on their faces. 16:46 So Moses said to Aaron,
"Take a censer and put fire in it from the altar, put
incense on it, and take it quickly to the congregation and make
atonement for them; for wrath has gone out from the LORD. The
plague has begun." 16:47 Then Aaron took it as Moses
commanded, and ran into the midst of the assembly; and already
the plague had begun among the people. So he put in the incense
and made atonement for the people. 16:48 And he stood
between the dead and the living; so the plague was
stopped. 16:49 Now those who died in the plague were
fourteen thousand seven hundred, besides those who died in the
Korah incident. 16:50 So Aaron returned to Moses at the door
of the tabernacle of meeting, for the plague had stopped.
Numbers
The moral of the story is that many
people in churches are fools. They think because they have
unanimity on a certain subject that God is for them and with
them! They rise up against true men of God and speak their mind
and move against them. But that is never the case. God is only
for His righteous anointed servants and all the rest can go to
hell as shown by Korah, Dathan and Abiram who never in their
wildest dreams expected to end up there?
Real
life is so different from the pie in the sky theology that many
Christians live by and ignore the fact that God never was and
never will be like them. And He doesn't like those who reject
His words but He rejects them. So they get their dessert and
eat it even if it's unpleasant just like Korah and his friends,
no matter what their dumb theology says!
Does
God Heal Today?
Phil
Maxwell of Simple Truth Ministries of Kansas City,
Missouri posted on his web site his testimony of God’s
complete restoration power in the area of health:
Brenda
and I have for years loosely followed the Levitical diet as far
as clean/unclean meats and cooking the fat out of meats. Our
reasons are not because we think ourselves under these laws,
but because we figure the Designer of our bodies knows what
works better than anyone. It's the same reasoning that prompts
us to use the oil and gas recommended by the manufacturers of
our cars.
A
little over two years ago, after steadily gaining weight and
getting out of shape for 20 years, the Lord moved in our lives
in many ways, including the rapid burning off of over 150 lbs
between the two of us. Aside from obesity, we've also been
healed of numerous other physical ailments like hypertension,
high blood sugar, persistent hives, migraines, and unstable
hormone balances (Brenda), plus, for me, a ruptured hernia,
back problems, constantly dislocated ribs, gum infections, torn
ligaments in both ankles, joint pains, persistent allergies,
asthma, and acid reflux (me). In other words, Yahshua did a
complete restoration of our health.
There
was no plan, no diet, no discipline involved in this, so when
people ask how we did it, all we can say is the Lord did it.
Since then, however, we have and are modifying our lifestyle to
much healthier ways in order to maintain the gift of a fresh
start God graciously gave us. We figure that He had reasons for
doing this that go beyond just making us feel better.
Particularly, we foresee times ahead that will be very
physically demanding on the saints and don't want to tempt God
by not even being able to withstand ordinary physical trials.
While
we hope for divine protection against poisons and diseases we
may be exposed to, we don't want to be so unhealthy that we
would fall prey to any little thing that comes along. While we
hope for angelic help should we have to take flight from the
lives we now enjoy, we'd like to at least be able to hike a
mile or two without suffering a heart attack or stroke. We
figure God will multiply the little we do to be prepared, but
don't want to come up short on our end.
In
contrast to those who try to make religious law out of health
related factors, we are not shackled by any such things. We do
what we can to care for the bodies Yahweh has given us in this
world, and don't worry about what we can't do. If we want a
little wine and a pepperoni pizza every now and then, we enjoy
it without any guilt. Still, we try to keep our eye on the
ball, which is that we have a course and purpose set before us,
and maintaining our physical health is a part of being wise
with what we've been given that we might bear fruit unto the
Lord. http://www.planetkc.com/stm/
No
matter what trial or circumstances we are going through we are
to look to Jesus who makes His glory shine in us, will give us
the victory in and over all things and make us more than
conquer. Yes, never a weakness that He does not feel, never a
sickness that He cannot heal; Moment by moment, in woe or in
weal, Jesus our Savior, abides with us still. And He is
the same yesterday, today and forever always interceding for
us. His word is true:
I
sought the LORD, and He heard me, And delivered me from all my
fears. They looked to Him and were radiant, And their
faces were not ashamed. This poor man cried out, and the
LORD heard him, And saved him out of all his troubles.
The angel of the LORD encamps all around those who fear Him,
And delivers them. Oh, taste and see that the LORD is
good; Blessed is the man who trusts in Him! Psalm 34:4-8
Therefore
we also, since we are surrounded by so great a cloud of
witnesses, let us lay aside every weight, and the sin which so
easily ensnares us, and let us run with endurance the race that
is set before us, looking unto Jesus, the author and finisher
of our faith, who for the joy that was set before Him endured
the cross, despising the shame, and has sat down at the right
hand of the throne of God. Hebrews 12:1-2
Strong
Delusion By Chuck Baldwin
When
people demonstrate a perpetual pattern of gullibility and even
willful compliance with evil, one must wonder what is really
the root cause of it all. Is it ignorance? Is it indifference?
Maybe it is personal ambition or the love of comfort. There is
another possibility: it could be divine delusion.
According
to the Scriptures, people who reject truth are destined to
receive "strong delusion." They will "believe a
lie."
I am reminded of what my good friend and
noted evangelist of many years, John Hull, recently told me. He
said, "Americans today love being lied to." Indeed
they do.
Thousands of politicians have made fortunes by
lying to people. Thousands of preachers and merchants are
guilty of the same thing. Americans are deluged with deception
on a daily basis. Deception has become more than an aberration
in the United States; it is an art form.
However, it
seems that the majority of the American people today are quite
content at being deceived. More than that, they seem to gladly
choose to be deceived. This is easily seen by the way most
people react to truth. It is rejected out of hand.
Beyond
that, messengers of truth are viciously and vehemently
repudiated and castigated. Truly, most professing Christians
and most Americans today have "heaped to themselves
teachers, having itching ears; and they have turned away their
ears from the truth, and have turned unto fables."
This
willingness to accept falsehood could be explained in part by
cowardice or convenience. However, such massive and universal
compliance suggests something much greater at work.
Could
it be that God Himself has sent a "strong delusion"
to America and especially to America's pulpits? Could it be
that Christians' willingness to accept, even practically
worship, a presidential administration as diabolically
deceptive as the current one signals "the time of
[America's] trouble"? It just could
be.
http://www.covenantnews.com/baldwin030131.htm
TALIBAN
RULE OF PURE ISLAM !!!
"Islamic
civilization is the most illiterate, most backward, most
unhealthy, most unenlightened, most deprived and weakest of all
the human race." President Pervez Musharraf
And
here are some of The Islamic laws (Sharia) which Christians,
Hindus & Jews lived under:
1-They
can not pass on the right of A Muslim but on the left 2-They
can not testify against Muslims in court of law. 3-They can
not ride a horse or a camel but only a donkey or a mule. 4-They
should wear special costumes to be identified ,when walking in
the streets 5-They should wear tag in their neck as prove
that they have paid their Taxes (Jizyah) 6-They can not own
any weapon to defend themselves. 7-They are not allowed to
defend themselves ,i.e .if they were beaten by a Muslim,but
they may try to cool him down 8-Religious celebrations in
Public are not allowed, crosses in Public and on Churches are
not allowed. 9-Their Houses and Shops should not be higher
than Muslims but may be lower. 10-Preaching their beliefs is
not allowed, touching The Koran or reading it , is
prohibited 11-They should pay yearly Jizyah (non Muslims
special taxes) ,these Taxes, should be paid in a festival,
Muslims should remind them ,that they are infidels, and slap
them on their necks as a reminder. 12-Their Jobs should not
be higher than Muslims ,but only in necessity, (i.e) if they
can not find Muslim to fill the Job 14-Children Of Muslims
are encouraged to threw stones on them, when they walk in the
streets 15-They are not allowed to build new churches or
restore the old one 16-A Muslim should not be Punished
(Executed) for killing Non-Muslims, 17-Any of these Laws
broken they are subject to slavery, Jail, Execution and their
wives will be taken as concubines, and their children as
slaves!
In
today's world, and even looking back about 500 years, one can
plainly see that by most measures, Islamic societies are
failures:
They
produce little. They are per capita world leaders in violent
crime, such as rape and murder (per recent UN report). They
are intolerant, by all measures of rights for minorities and
non-Muslims. They are mostly Totalitarian. They
participate little in the common endeavors of the rest of
humanity (Olympics, Nobel Prizes, books translated, cultural
exchanges, etc.) Illiteracy is common, especially among
women. And who else could throw away over ONE TRILLION
DOLLARS in oil revenue in 30 years? Islamic societies are
failures. THAT IS WHY they are involved in the vast majority of
world conflicts today. All others are to blame.
The
Hypocrisy of Phil Johnson
By G. M. Taylor
1JN
3:15 Whoever hates his brother is a murderer, and you know that
no murderer has eternal life abiding in him.
Phil
Johnson is the executive Director of Grace to You, a
Christian tape and radio ministry featuring the preaching
ministry of John MacArthur. Phil has been closely associated
with John MacArthur since 1981 and edits most of MacArthur's
major books. Phil is an elder at Grace Community Church in
Panorama City, CA, and has a web site where he appropriately
states “Theology from A Bunch of Dead Guys.”
Theologically, Phil is a committed Calvinist—with a
decidedly Baptistic bent.
On
his website Phil talks about the Creeds, The Church Fathers,
The Medieval Churchmen, The Heretics, The Eastern Orthodox, The
Catholics, The Reformers, The Puritans, The Anabaptists, the
Arminians, the Cultists, The Unorthodox, The Baptists, and The
Recent Stalwarts. But Phil Johnson is also a bigot who cannot
stand those who think for themselves. As a result Phil Johnson
has stated, "DARWIN FISH is a real person who has started
a dangerous cult that is no joke. He regularly labels
well-known Christian leaders 'false teachers' and publishes
diatribes against them. He emblazons a long list of men he
despises on practically everything he touches."
This
is a very common ploy amongst evangelical leadership to
character assassinate the messenger when you cannot disprove
the message, for even Phil admits that Darwin Fish is not
wrong about everything:
"
His published critiques of popular evangelical leaders contain
many valid points. It is true that we live in an age of people
with itching ears (2 Timothy 4:3-4). Much of the popular
preaching in so-called "evangelical" culture today is
either woefully shallow, bankrupt of solid biblical content, or
out-and-out heresy.
The
modern "evangelical movement" is by no means
synonymous with Christ's true church. My own annotated Web
links point out hundreds of fallacies that have gained
popularity in contemporary evangelical culture. Some of these,
according to the Bible, are damnable (1 John 2:2 . In
particular, we who love Christ are to have nothing to do with
those who preach a different gospel (by altering the message of
justification by faith or denying the centrality of God's
grace-Romans 4:4-5; Galatians 1:8-9), or those who set forth a
different Christ (by fatally corrupting the doctrine of the
incarnation, diminishing Christ's deity, or otherwise
redefining the Godhead-2 John 7-11; John 8:24; 1 John 2:22)."
http://www.gty.org/~phil/articles/dfishfaq.htm#4
& http://www.atruechurch.info/home.html
But
Phil admits the modern "evangelical movement" is by
no means synonymous with Christ's true church. In other words
it's a cult. At least in these words Phil is not a hypocrite!
Do
I have a right to have an opinion without being labeled cultish
or a demon? Yes!
So
my opinion is that Fundamental Christianity is very bigoted,
cultish and narrow minded besides being dead, anemic, impotent
and useless. They hate free thinkers and throw out of their
different groups those who think differently. They are always
fighting amongst themselves and very divisive. In other words
they don't even agree amongst themselves and are full of
splinter groups that think they are better than others or
the others are wrong. They are very controlling of their
members as evidenced by the number of web sites that talk about
spiritual abuse by Fundamentalist pastors.
What
irritates me the most about them is that they think that they
are the only ones who are Christians and have to right to speak
about Christianity? Give me a break, they might be fools but I
am not.
Only
brainless ones dead zombies belong to their groups. They hate
Darwin Fish because he is a free thinker but they cannot deny
anything that he has stated about Greg Laurie to be false. So
they character assassinate the messenger because they don't
like the message. This is a very typical ploy amongst
evangelicals who are a respecter of persons and show partiality
to their special ones. To me it doesn't change the fact they
are idiots or sons of hell about whom Jesus stated:
MT
23:15 "Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For
you travel land and sea to win one proselyte, and when he is
won, you make him twice as much a son of hell as yourselves.
Angry
With His Brother Without A Cause
Billy
Graham's anti Semitic feelings made public through a tape only
makes me praise and thank the God of Israel for not letting him
leave this world letting us believe he was a holy
man.
According to the Bible, it is impossible to love God
and not love the Jews. All I see in this is a just and good
God who exposed him according to his word. Jesus said whatever
we speak in secret will be shouted from the rooftops and Billy
Graham could claim Christianity all he wants, but what he said
was and is not God and God let him be seen for what he is, a
hypocrite and racist.
Do I forgive him? I must for Jesus,
but the damage is done and he will reap what he sowed because
he will go down in history for what he is, an evangelist who
hated Jews.
Sad, but true.
Barbara
Diez Brooke (http://www.voy.com/25852/325.html)
It appears that Billy
Graham was a liar and a hypocrite who covered up his hatred of
the Jews for over 30 years? We can probably state that Billy
Graham was angry with with his brother without a cause? Hence I
wonder whether the following applies to Him?
5:20
"For I say to you, that unless your righteousness exceeds
the righteousness of the scribes and Pharisees, you will by no
means enter the kingdom of heaven.
5:21
"You have heard that it was said to those of old, 'You
shall not murder, and whoever murders will be in danger of the
judgment.'
5:22
"But I say to you that whoever is angry with his brother
without a cause shall be in danger of the judgment. And whoever
says to his brother, 'Raca!' shall be in danger of the council.
But whoever says, 'You fool!' shall be in danger of hell fire.
5:23
"Therefore if you bring your gift to the altar, and there
remember that your brother has something against you,
5:24
"leave your gift there before the altar, and go your way.
First be reconciled to your brother, and then come and offer
your gift.
5:25
"Agree with your adversary quickly, while you are on the
way with him, lest your adversary deliver you to the judge, the
judge hand you over to the officer, and you be thrown into
prison.
5:26
"Assuredly, I say to you, you will by no means get out of
there till you have paid the last penny. Matthew
You
Cannot Trust Politicians!
By
John Davies
"For
there is nothing hidden which will not be revealed, nor has
anything been kept secret but that it should come to light. MK
4:22
At best times politics is a nasty business.
Here we see Southern Baptist Al Gore being on CNN talking about
how wonderful of a guy he is and how for the good of the party
he is not going to run for president. While the truth now
appears that a fellow Democratic Senator Kerry is
blackmailing him not to run unless he is want to be exposed for
doing what he does best -taking bribes, from the airline
industry!
You
cannot trust politicians at all, especially the religious
kind!
See
full story
at:
http://www.worldnetdaily.com/news/article.asp?ARTICLE_ID=30024
Lesbians
and lawyers liked more than evangelicals?
In
the 80's Jerry Falwell said there were 100 million
evangelicals. But Barna Research Group says that there are only
20 million Evangelicals now! What happened to the 80 million?
They became Lesbians and Lawyers? An obvious evolution on the
social scale!
(CNSNews.com)
- A California-based Christian marketing research company says
non-Christians in the United States view evangelical Christians
"somewhat more kindly than prostitutes, but with less
affection than lesbians and lawyers."
The BRG,
which analyzes cultural trends in Christianity, asked
non-Christian respondents to rank and compare their impressions
of evangelicals against eleven categories of people, including
military officers, ministers, born-again Christians, Democrats,
Republicans, real-estate agents, movie and TV performers,
lawyers, lesbians and prostitutes.
While evangelicals
received favorable marks from 22-percent of the non-Christians
polled, Barna noted that they received only a 5-percent higher
public approval rating than prostitutes did. He said almost
23-percent of respondents look more favorably upon lesbians and
lawyers than they do on evangelicals.
"This is most
likely a result of the thrashing evangelicals receive in the
media," Barna said. "It seems millions of
non-Christians have negative impressions of evangelicals, even
though they cannot define what an evangelical is, accurately
identify the perspectives of the group or identify even a
handful of people they know personally who are
evangelicals."
BRG's most recent profile of the
American evangelical population reveals that there are
approximately 15 to 20 million evangelical adults
nationwide.
BRG data also shows that four out of five
evangelicals are white and 58-percent are affiliated with the
Republican Party. Additionally, 59-percent of evangelicals
describe their political and social ideologies as "mostly
conservative" compared to 4-percent who identify
themselves as
liberals.
http://www.cnsnews.com/ViewCulture.asp?Page=\Culture\archive\200212\CUL20021213b.html
Ministries
Get 'F' for Financial Openness
By
Wally Duncaster
EPH
4:28 Let him who stole steal no longer, but rather let him
labor, working with his hands what is good, that he may have
something to give him who has need.
Several
large Evangelical ministries have demonstrated "poor
financial transparency," according to an organization that
gathers and analyzes the financial statements of Christian
nonprofits in order to help donors make wise giving decisions,
reported Charisma News.
Wall
Watchers' publication, "Transparency Watch," listed
Benny Hinn Ministries, Kenneth Hagin Ministries, Joyce Meyer's
Life in the Word and T.D. Jakes Ministries among those earning
a "transparency grade" of D or F.
Officials
with the independent Charlotte, N.C.-based ministry say grades
range from A to F and are based on the timeliness and quality
of ministries' responses to Wall Watchers' requests for
financial documents.
Besides
the charismatic-Pentecostal nonprofits, the 45 ministries which
also received D or F grades featured several evangelical
organizations, including Robert Schuller's Crystal Cathedral
Ministries, R.C. Sproul's Ligonier Ministries. Anne
Graham Lotz's AnGeL Ministries and Ned Graham's East Gates
Ministries International. (
More proof that the Graham's kids have no integrity)
Wall
Watchers President Chris Hempe said a ministry that receives a
poor transparency grade is not necessarily doing anything
wrong, but its refusal to provide useful information about its
finances should be considered "a red flag" to donors.
"Our standards make it easy for any ministry to receive a
high grade," Hempe said. "They simply need to send
quality financial statements in a timely fashion so that we can
make this information, and our analysis of it, available to
donors."
At
its ministrywatch.com Web site, Wall Watchers officials say 78
percent of the 475 organizations in the database have received
an A or B rating and 9 percent earned an F grade. The financial
watchdog tries to acquire financial information from each
ministry at least once a year.
http://www.religionnews.com/press02/PR111202C.html
And
the biggest hypocrite is Billy Graham. Although Billy Graham
encourages religious leaders to be open about their salaries
and publish their finances none of the Grahams reveal their
total compensation nor release their personal
income tax as President Bush does and former President Clinton
has done. It's the law of the land that all non profit chairman
of corporations must reveal their total compensation and that
Billy, Ned and Franklin do not speak volumes of their
hypocrisy.
President
Bill Clinton would make a great evangelist, Billy Graham told
U.S. News & World Report in a interview. Graham said he was
impressed with Clinton's charisma and 'with some of the things
he believes. ... From a biblical point of view, we should be
headed in the direction of goodness and righteousness, away
from crime and immorality,' Graham said, 'and towards one's
neighbors who are in need. I'm encouraged by the emphasis
President Clinton (a Southern Baptist) and Hillary are putting
on that.'
It's
a fact that Christianity Today founded by Billy Graham did not
report immediately on one of its own pastors Ollin Collins of
Harvest Baptist Church in Fort Worth, and Southwestern Baptist
Theological Seminary's board chairman. A man who resigned amid
sexual misconducts allegations when he was accused of having
sexual relationships with two women who sought counseling.
But
it did report about the adultery of a black man and a National
Baptist but not about the adultery of a white man and Southern
Baptist. An adultery that was more hideous and gross because
Collins raped unsuspecting trusting women, while Lyons
adulterous relationships were consensual. It has been said that
Lyons will go down in the history books as "Hugh Hefner of
the New Testament."
http://headlines.yahoo.com/Full_Coverage/US/Henry_Lyons
Now
concerning the fallen hero, the church had suspended Pastor
Collins with pay pending an investigation. He resigned from his
board position one day after a story in the Fort Worth
Star-Telegram reported the women's allegations and their intent
to sue. Southwestern is the world's largest evangelical
seminary, with 3,000 students on eight campuses.
But
of course neither the Seminary nor the Church did anything for
the real female victims but they did help and console the
aggressor? Just like Billy Graham stated about Bill
Clinton "I forgive him . . . because I know the frailty of
human nature, and especially a strong, vigorous young man like
he is. "He has such a tremendous personality that I think
the ladies just go wild over him." In other words it
was the fault of the victims not the victimizer?
In
any ministry trust is the operative word. It's up to a
ministry's board of directors to make sure the trust is
deserved. To help such boards and ministry leaders keep faith
with the Mrs. Moxleys of the Christian world-and to head off a
threatened government crackdown-the Evangelical Council for
Financial Accountability (ECFA) was formed 20 years ago. Member
organizations voluntarily subscribe to seven "standards of
responsible stewardship," including a 12-part fundraising
standard.
"By
law, [a ministry's] board of directors is responsible to
oversee management," said Brewster Kopp, president and
chairman of Stewardship Group, an organization that aids
Christian nonprofits. "There are many not-for-profit
organizations where the board is not doing what it should."
East
Gates was established in 1989 by Ruth Graham, journalist David
Aikman, Bible smuggler Doug Sutphen, and others. Ned Graham,
then 33 years old, became president in 1991. Under his
leadership, the organization had become financially viable.
East
Gates quietly resigned from the ECFA when the wife of East
Gates President Nelson E. "Ned" Graham, youngest son
of Billy and Ruth Graham, sued her husband for divorce.
East
Gates is located about an hour's drive southeast of Seattle,
below the snow-covered glacial fields of Mount Rainier. Its
post-office box address is Sumner; its street address is
Puyallup. The organization underwrites the production and
distribution of Bibles in China in cooperation with the
China Christian Council and Amity Printing Company. It has
built structures for 20 Chinese churches, according to Ned
Graham, or about five according to a former East Gates
executive. It has helped Chinese pastors to receive training in
Singapore, provided high-tech equipment to seminaries in China,
and sent money to flood-damaged churches. East
Gates bylaws require all board members and employees to be "in
a pattern of ... personal and corporate accountability."
They are "required to be members of and accountable to a
local church of their choosing." They are expected "to
put into their family life the time needed for the well being
of the family unit." Mr. Gordon cited "fraternization"
with a woman employee as another of Mr. Graham's bylaw
violations.
Even
though a President of an Evangelical Ministry must be
blameless, the husband of one wife, temperate, sober-minded, of
good behavior, hospitable, able to teach; not given to wine,
not violent, and not greedy for money, Ned Graham, the son of
Billy Graham, Southern Baptist minister, president East Gates
International, a group that distributes Bibles in China told
Christianity Today in an interview that he had abused alcohol
and spent an "inappropriate amount of time" with two
women on his staff.
Grace
Community Church, Southern Baptist Convention, in Auburn,
Washington--which counted Ned Graham, his wife, and their two
sons as members established the fact that Ned Graham was an
adulterer, alcoholic, wife abuser, and drug user and revoked
Graham's ministerial credentials. It directed Graham to stop
using the title reverend.
Yet
in a style reminiscent of Jimmy Swaggart, who refused to be
defrocked by the Assembly of God denomination, Ned Graham left
that congregation for another church.
Most
of the staff and board members of East Gates International
resigned amid controversies. East Gates, in Sumner, Wash.,
withdrew its membership in the Evangelical Council for
Financial Accountability after Ned replaced the board members
with his sister Ruth Graham McIntyre, brother-in-law Stephan
Tchividjian, and business leader Peter Lowe.
Graham's
sister Gigi Tchividjian has joined the office staff and Ned
Graham continues as East Gates president. The ECFA requires
that a majority of board members not be related by blood or
marriage, which is no longer the case for East Gates reported
Christianity Today. A December East Gates fund-raising letter
included a note from his father saying that "Ruth and I
are proud of and grateful to God for our son Ned." East
Gates has distributed 2 million Bibles to Christians in China,
Billy Graham said, encouraging Christians to "back this
unique and effective ministry."
Franklin
Graham wears jeans, boots, denim shirt, and leather jacket. He
was a teen rebel who drank, smoked, fought, and led police on
high-speed chases. He was kicked out of LeTourneau College. He
used to be a rebel and a 'bum' got religion and become more
sophisticated and formed "the Samaritan's Purse' so that
he can fly around the country and charge things to his
non-profit corporation. As a result his ministry, Samaritan's
Purse, had a run-in with the Evangelical Council for Financial
Accountability. The ECFA suspended Samaritan's Purse while it
looked into Franklin's (Graham) compensation and use of the
company plane.
They
are all hypocrites and thieves their lack of accountability by
their CEO's proves it. They are nothing but crooks and
con artists and their smooth words do not change this fact!
Otherwise hypocritical Baptist leader who preach integrity to
others would not hide their salaries but be honest and state
the "total compensation" of their five top employees,
including Billy, Ned and Franklin Graham!
TOUCH
NOT MINE ANOINTED?
By
John R. Anderson
One
of the most common errors found in Christianity today is that
particular persons, usually pastors or evangelists, are somehow
more "anointed" than the average Christian. This
teaching often coincides with a veiled threat in the form of
"touch not mine [the Lord's] anointed," (I Ch. 16:22,
Ps. 105:15).
The
term "anointing" means to "authorize, or set
apart, a person for a particular work or service,"
(Is.61:1). The New Testament is absolutely clear on whom the
anointing rests - ALL of Christ's disciples, who are God's very
own, set apart and commissioned for service (2 Cor. 1:21). The
New Testament does not support the notion of a "greater"
anointing based on "position" and such teaching has
its origin in a fundamental misunderstanding of the
relationship between the Old and New Testaments.
Proponents
of this error fail to use careful exegesis to discern the
difference between the Old Testament call of a "prophet,"
where the anointing rested on one man (Is. 61:1, I Sam.
26:9,11, 2 Sam. 22:51, 2 Chr. 6:42), and the New Testament call
of a "priesthood of believers" (I Pet. 2:5,9).
Certainly there are diversities of gifts, but the Spirit [or
anointing] remains the same (I Cor. 12). Benny Hinn, Kenneth
Copeland, Kenneth Hagin, and many others have long terrorized
God's people with "touch not mine anointed" nonsense
if anyone dared question them or their teaching. Anyone who has
a gift (all have gifts, 1 Cor. 12:7-11), has a ministry, and
anyone who has a ministry, has authority and is anointed.
It
is a sad situation in many churches today that "laity"
are content to sit on a pew week after week and assume the
opinions of professional clergymen are to be the final
authority. They find comfort in this approach because it is
safe. Preachers are content to keep it this way because it
secures their position in the church.
How
many times have believers been subjected to mishandled
scripture with an implicit or explicit "touch not God's
anointed" if any dared to question? This is in contrast to
the Biblical admonition to "try the spirits", (1 John
4:1). Fear is not of God and teaching which incorporates
psychological intimidation is corrupt and deceptive. One of the
easiest ways to determine what "spirit" motivates a
person "in authority" is to question them. A godly
man or woman will never be offended or become indignant if
someone dares to question them and compare what is said with
the Word of God. However, if one is motivated by an
"authoritarian" spirit of conceit or arrogance, the
questioner will soon know it. Peter warned the elders (pastors
and spiritual guides of the church) not to be domineering
[arrogant, dictatorial, overbearing] over the flock of God, but
to be patterns and models of Christian living (I Pet. 5:3,
AMPL.)
Many
prominent pastors and evangelists today make the claim that
because "souls" are being saved and "healings"
take place in their meetings, that this somehow validates their
ministry. While these things may be well and good, they are no
indication of "divine" sanction. A.A. Allen was a
drunkard, Jimmy Swaggart a whoremonger, Jim Bakker a thief,
Larry Lea a prevaricator, and Robert Tilton a charlatan - yet
ALL of these saw thousands saved and miracles take place in
their meetings. Because one is blessed with "prosperity"
and has a "following" of thousands, doesn't mean a
darn thing when it comes to integrity and godly sanction, for
"he maketh his sun to rise on the evil and on the good,
and sendeth rain on the just and on the unjust," (Matt.
5:45).
Twenty-six
years ago I experienced the greatest miracle of my life -
salvation and the baptism of the Holy Spirit. This experience
came in a Pentecostal "holiness" church where,
unbeknown to me at the time, the pastor was committing
adultery, one of the deacons (or "pillars" of the
church as they were called) visited a prostitute on a regular
basis, another deacon kept a large supply of porno magazines in
his home, and still another was a philanderer. This taught me
that just because God moves in a particular setting, it is no
indication that those who bear the message are "godly."
http://www.gospelassemblyfree.com/facts/anointed.htm
"Monument
Unto Myself" Builder
By Wang Fu
The
people had a vision at our little tiny garage church.
We
prayed for God to help us build a bigger church on more land.
God
blessed and provided enough for a new church structure.
Our
men built, with their own hands, a nice brick church on several
acres of property. The women prayed and cooked and did what we
could.
The
people were faithful and the Spirit of God was evident.
Things
were going great and the church was growing in numbers.
Pastor's
ego got inflated with this growth.
Pastor
exerted his right of Pastoral Authority. (WARNING)
HE
decided to build a Christian school even though there wasn't
enought money.
No
one in the church was consulted about HIS decision. After all,
HE WAS GOD'S MAN, or at least that's what he jammed down own
throats.
The
people gave and gave and gave...family silver, engagement
rings, heirlooms, kids' savings bonds, retirement money,
etc...anything that would bring cash from a bank, pawn shop or
jeweler.
At
every service there would be a collection of "stuff"
that one of the deacons would cull through and see what was
valuable enough to sell.
Still
didn't have enough money for the Christian school.
Pastor
decided to have a "bond" program and insisted that
all church members approach everyone they knew and sell the
bonds.
Outside
Marketing Special came in to show us how to corner friends,
family, dentist, doctors, co-workers, acquaintances, anyone we
remotely had any contact with to offer them this "rare
opportunity" to get in on the bottom floor.
Those
of us who declined were castigated and preached about from the
pulpit.
Bonds
were eventually sold and enough money was raised to start the
school.
Big
school annex was built.
Financial
need increased because of this huge undertaking.
Within
two years Pastor browbeat enough people out of the church that
financial problem were overwhelming and school was no more.
Pastor
blamed people for unfaithfulness and disobedience.
Eventually
Pastor walked out and left a big mess for the sheep.
Right
now we can ride by that same church building and school. It is
completely owned by other people and the original sheep are
scattered who knows where. So many people were hurt by this
whole mess. I feel blessed that my husband was spiritually
strong and this didn't make us bitter, but everyone was not so
fortunate.
Is
Your Pastor A Cult Leader?
By
George Watts
There
is an interesting article THE CULT LEADER IN A BAPTIST CHURCH
to which many can relate at
http://www.straightistheway.com/writings/cult_leader.html
"The
cult leader in a Baptist church is not interested in molding a
person's will so that they will want to yield it to Christ.
The cult leader wants to break the will of his listener.
This act comes straight from bewitching sorcery in which a
person is made more accessible not only to the leader but also
to demonic oppression. At the very least, one’s
sense of judgment goes awry after being broken under cult
leadership, tending to make one more malleable, gullible, and
leadable. "
Control
of the group through fear/intimidation/threats/dire warnings;
for example, that if you leave the group you are "out of
God's will for your life," you will experience tragedy, or
your children will go to Hell.
Once
upon a time I was a member of a Baptist church that had a cult
leader. It had 100 members in the beginning and by the time the
pastor was through it only had 2 members. The sad part was that
the association of Baptist Churches still supported the pastor
and saw nothing wrong with what he was doing.
This
week the Baptist press reported A recent statistic reported by
the Southern Baptist Convention reveals that 88 percent of
children who are raised in evangelical homes leave the church
at the age of 18 and never return.
http://www.sbcbaptistpress.org/bpnews.asp?ID=14445
To
me all this also explains why many Baptist Churches are
made up of uneducated married elderly woman who are used to
being abused by their husbands and put up with this kind of
garbage.
Baptist
Press reported on the results of a comprehensive "U.S.
Congregational Life Survey" conducted last year? The
survey found that in many ways Southern Baptist worshipers are
similar to those in other congregations. They are predominantly
female (60 percent), married (70 percent), with kids (44
percent), averaging 49 years of age (based on a minimum survey
age of 15). Incomes also are similar, although Southern
Baptists have fewer worshipers with an annual income of
$100,000 or more (11 percent versus 15 percent). Southern
Baptists also have a lower percentage of college graduates (30
percent to 41 percent). Southern Baptist congregations,
like congregations of most religious groups, tend to be small.
Blatant
Financial Corruption in Charismatic Churches
By
Lee Grady Charisma Magazine
We've
all seen him on television. The slick-haired evangelist in a
shiny gold suit who grabs a wireless microphone, points into
the camera and declares with feigned sincerity: "God is
telling me that if you will give a gift of $1000 tonight, He
will release your hundred-fold miracle."
Everybody
claps. Women swoon on the front row. The telephone lines light
up. And thousands of people start writing checks.
I
don't write a check because I am sick to my stomach. I change
the channel and whisper to God, What is happening to us?
Everywhere
I turn, blatant financial corruption is parading up and down
the aisles of charismatic churches in this country. The
prophets of profit are busy manipulating us--and the Bible--to
get bigger offerings. It seems they stoop to a lower level each
time they rob God's people. For the most part they go
unchallenged.
Consider,
for example, the pastor who encourages his congregation and TV
audiences to write checks "by faith" for amounts that
are not in their bank accounts. Excuse me? That's illegal.
Or
consider the preacher with the gated mansion and private plane
who teaches that a Christian can "buy" the Holy
Spirit's anointing with generous offerings. (Didn't Philip
rebuke a sorcerer for suggesting such blasphemy?)
And
then there's the guy on the endless Christian telethon who
tells people that if they will give a certain amount "in
the next 30 minutes", God will send a "special
blessing" to them--such as the salvation of a wayward
child. The same preacher regularly tells his audience that if
they give in certain offerings--to him of course--"God
says He will release you from all debts." (Warnings: This
is called "taking the Lord's Name in vain." Not a
good thing.)
Why
do we tolerate this stuff? While lawmakers are sending Enron
and WorldCom to the corporate woodshed for flagrant financial
abuse, we allow the same craziness to go on in god's house with
no questions asked. Many of us even applaud the money-changers
because we equate their self-centered message with a holy
gospel.
Jesus
is not clapping. In fact, He's gone to get his whip. When he
comes back to purify the charismatic church, tables will fly
across the room, and coins will scatter. Ministries propped up
by greed and goofy fund-raising gimmicks will go out of
business. He won't let us build His church on a rotten
foundation of spiritual fraud.
Please
don't misinterpret what I'm saying. Prosperity is biblical. But
it can't be bought simply by throwing money in an offering
plate or by giving to the most "anointed" preacher.
True
wealth, according to the Bible, comes in response to wisdom,
integrity, diligence, faithfulness and parental blessing, as
well as generosity. Preachers who suggest that you can "have
it all" just by giving in their offerings are
misrepresenting God, defrauding you and maligning the church's
reputation. And they will answer for it.
So
the next time somebody promises you a personal prophecy in
exchange for a $200 "love gift," don't participate in
his shenanigans.. vote with your feet, and get out of there
fast. And watch out for flying tables.
(Lee
Grady's "First Word" column from the October 2002
Charisma Magazine)
The
True State of America
By
John Davies
The
recent economic and religious scandals in America, be it
Catholic priests who are pedophiles, CEO of private and
religious organizations, or members of Congress, shows that
corruption seethes from every corner of the empire and
integrity is hard if not impossible to find. Foreign investors
are now realizing that America is not a place to invest in
because there is no integrity but only CEO who make themselves
rich at the expense of others, even if it means destroying the
corporation.
Investors
have been had by corporate leaders whose moral compasses were
confounded by greed. The execs' lack of conscience set back the
hopes and dreams of millions who believed the self-serving
pronouncements of a few culpable CEOs and their supporting cast
of co-conspirators -- bankers, stockbrokers, accountants, and
consultants.
But
corporate scandals will cost the United States economy billons
of dollars, could delay a stock market recovery by a year and
will produce a global loss of trust in the free market, said a
new study by a leading economic think tank
In
America many call themselves men of God but they are not. They
are perverted and corrupt and full of their own insolence,
infectious greed and lust for power. It eats at them from the
inside out until they will do anything to remain in power, even
if they are only a hollow shell of what they once were.
In
America we have many pastors, preachers and priests who are
portrayed as noble men of integrity but in reality are rapists,
liars and thieves be it Cardinal Bernard Law, Bernie Ebbers,
Dr. Henry J. Lyons, Rev. Jesse Jackson, or Billy Graham
Cardinal
Bernard Law of the Boston Archdiocese four months
ago agreed to a financial settlement with clergy sex
abuse victims and said it was "an important step in
reaching closure. " Victims who had suffered as a result
of sexual abuse defrocked priest John Geoghan were going to see
justice. But now the attorneys for the 86 alleged victims say
the archdiocese committed a "fraud on the court" by
backing out of the agreement because it was too expensive.
Attorney Garabedian said Law and other church leaders indicated
to the court and the public that the deal was final. But
attorneys for the archdiocese say in court papers that the
cardinal never authorized them to create a binding deal. In
other words Cardinal Bernal Law is a liar who plays around with
words just like President Bill Clinton did about his sexual
liaisons with Monica Lewinsky.
Cardinal
Bernard Law's own hypocritical words incriminate him: "Despite
the quantity of documents released and statements on the part
of some indicating they believe otherwise, before God I assure
you that my first knowledge of an allegation of sexual abuse
against this priest was in 1993. It was immediately acted upon,
and the authorization for him to serve as a priest in
California was rescinded." "I am profoundly
sorry ... that the inadequacy of past policies and flaws in
past decisions have contributed to this situation. I wish I
could undo the hurt and harm." I was guided "by
the insights and recommendations of those with a medical
competence which we did not have." The board did not
require cases of abuse of children by priests be reported to
public officials "because it was felt that doing so would
inhibit some victims from coming forward."
WorldCom's
former CEO Bernard Ebbers told his bible Sunday school class
that he was not a thief. President Nixon once stated " I
have earned every cent. And in all of my years in public life I
have never obstructed justice. People have got to know whether
or not their president is a crook. Well, I'm not a crook."
While Jim Bakker stated "I sorrowfully acknowledge that
seven years ago ... I was wickedly manipulated by treacherous
former friends and colleagues who victimized me with the aid of
a female confederate. They conspired to betray me into a sexual
encounter at a time of great stress in my marital life. ... I
was set up as part of a scheme to co-opt me and obtain some
advantage for themselves over me in connection with their hope
for position in the ministry."
So
Bernard Ebbers was not a crook but he proposed cutting by half
the budget of the company's internal audit unit before he
resigned earlier this year? WorldCom Inc.'s former chief
financial officer told company lawyers that then-chairman
Bernard Ebbers knew certain expenses were shifted to other
accounts in violation of accounting rules. Born again Bernard
Ebbers, the man who built the company into the second-largest
U.S. long-distance telephone company and the biggest carrier of
Internet traffic, has denied wrongdoing.
The
Rev. Henry J. Lyons one of the most influential black religious
leaders in the United States, overseeing one of the largest
church organizations of African-Americans, was sent to prison
to serve a 51/2-year sentence for racketeering and grand theft.
Lyons leadership of the nation's largest black church
organization dissolved in financial scandal, after his wife set
his downfall in motion by torching a home he had purchased with
another woman. Later Lyons filled for divorce from Deborah
Lyons stating that his 28-year marriage was irretrievably
broken. He claimed no assets and $7.8 million in debts,
including restitution payments.
Lyons
was convicted in February 1999 of swindling more than $4
million from companies that wanted to market life insurance,
credit cards and cemetery plots to his convention members.
Prosecutors said Lyons padded the convention's mailing list
with names randomly selected from phone books across the
country. Even a grand dragon of the Ku Klux Klan was on the
list. He pleaded guilty to federal charges of tax evasion,
fraudulent activities and lying to officials In his
sentencing, Judge Schaeffer had ordered Lyons to pay $2.5
million in restitution to the companies who bought his phony
mailing lists and to pay $97,000 for the cost of the state
probe into his dealings.
Lyons
troubles became public in July 1997 when his wife Deborah was
arrested for setting fire to a Tierra Verde home. The arson
triggered an investigation of Lyons, then president of the
National Baptist Convention USA, and his financial dealings
using the convention's name. Deborah had stayed at her
husband's side through the escalating scandal, praising him and
praying for him. His wife pleaded guilty to arson and served
probation.
Rev.
Jesse Jackson has never worked a day in his life in
the private sector, has a net personal worth of over 4 million
dollars and directly controls four non profit organizations. It
had been alleged that Rev. Jackson, a Baptist minister, has
been siphoning money from these organization to support his
wealth!
These
allegation of financial impropriety turned out to be true when
the media reported in January 2001 that using the ministry
funds over the course of seven years Pentecostal Jim Bakker
paid his lady friend only about one- half ($265,000) of what
Baptist Jackson admitted to paying his mistress in two years
($472,000) -- and about one-third of what the National Enquirer
reported Jackson has paid ($640,000).
Immediately
after he was forced to own up to the love child (the National
Enquirer had DNA evidence), Jackson pledged to withdraw from
public life to "revive my spirit and reconnect with my
family." For a few days, the airwaves were bristling with
accounts of the Rev. Jesse's Jackson's deep suffering and his
"trial of tears."
God's
grace worked fast: After taking the weekend off, Jesse Jackson
was back in action this week, just in time for a lucrative Wall
Street shakedown. It's not as if he had done something really
bad, like support a reduction in marginal tax rates.
The
woman whose out-of-wedlock child was fathered by Jesse Jackson
said that the civil rights leader dropped a possible
third run for the White House in 2000 partly because of the
scandal.
Karin
Stanford, a one-time aide in Jackson's Rainbow PUSH Coalition
Washington office, also said her relations with Jackson have
become strained since she took him to court to firm up child
support arrangements. Jackson, she said, has seen his now
2-year-old daughter only once in the past seven months.
We
have seen Rev. Jesse Jackson shake down
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