MINISTRY NOTES

Week of October 18,2009

Hi Everyone,

Medical care advances are good but sometimes have limits. With organ transplants once possible matches are made, the final match is usually determined by evaluations considering the health and/or age of the possible recipients. Recently in the news it mentioned that swine flu vaccine was available for people in what has been determined as "people in high-risk categories". If someone close to you dies from swine flu and was not considered in a "high-risk category" you may have undesirable feelings towards people who make those decisions. Sometimes money is helpful in decisions in the Medical Industry. Over 30 years ago, when my youngest son was only a few days old, the doctor recommended he be transferred to a Pediatric teaching Hospital because they were unsure how to treat him and didn't expect him to live. Then because our insurance was not well known, I received a call that they would not accept him at the hospital. Finally, several calls later they agreed to accept him and three weeks later he was released, after some of the time with round the clock MD care and then round the clock RN care. Our insurance was so good that it didn't cost us a penny. He is the son who graduated in May from Medical School and is now a MD. They never did determine what was wrong but he also had round the clock prayer support. We don't always know God's will in every situation but God doesn't ration His healing or require money. On the other hand, getting sin out of your life could be helpful for your healing (John 5:14).

Marriage Workshop Moment

To refresh what you have learned in our Workshop or entice you to experience our Workshop

"Remember, all marriages can be better, if you use what you learned."

One of the first things that is overlooked in marriages is having fun. Too busy, children, work etc. can crowd out fun time together. Have a weekly date night. So you enjoy it, be sure and have your weekly couples meeting before. This should help you get issues and problems out of the way so your time together on your date night can be more enjoyable. It can be as simple as a walk in the park or walking in the mall window-shopping. Do something different.

One suggestion Allen age 10 had for a good marriage: "you got to find someone who likes the same stuff. Like if you like sports, she should like that you like sports and she should keep the chips and dip coming."

I like Marathons and my wife likes to walk on a treadmill. We share by her going with me to out of town Marathons and she helps by driving me home, like from Memphis and Kansas City. After 26.2 miles, it is wonderful to have driving help. Our Marathon trips are like having a two-day date. There are many ways to share and have fun together.

Understanding the Message:

What I share in the message is what I believe God wants me to share. All the direct quotes from God are highlighted in royal purple. Of course the words of Jesus are in red. Rather than follow some made up doctrine, remember that Jesus said that every thing He said (Jn 12:49) and everything He did (Jn 14:31) comes from God. All teachings and all opinions should be supported by what we learn from God or Jesus.

Message:

Having Credibility

A few years ago there was a Sunday School class of preteens that included the teachers son. The teacher was overheard saying, "the Bible says, cleanliness is next to godliness". His intentions may have been good but he was not telling the truth. There is no such scripture in the Bible. When we tell something untrue, we compromise our credibility. Then if we say something that is true, like Jesus said He is"…the Son of God…"1, we may not be believed and not be given an opportunity to show the scripture in the Bible. People are not stupid and any Christian form Sunday School teachers to "big name" rich TV evangelist can cause people to turn away from God, when people discover they were told lies.

When I was a younger Christian, there was a world famous evangelist who had big meetings. When he started doing TV specials, I would watch him. I noticed he would say "God said", "Jesus said" and then for all the other scriptures say "the Bible said". As I grew as a Christian, I learned that often in support of saying "the Bible said" were religious doctrines that claimed every word in the Bible was "written by God" or "dictated by God" or "inspired by God". These doctrines support a popular expression where people call the Bible "God's word" or "the Word", etc.. Yes, the Bible contains God's words and Jesus' words and what other people said or wrote. In the Bible we read that that God wrote the Ten Commandments2. After Moses broke the original Ten Commandments, God dictated to Moses another set of the Ten Commandments when He said, "Write down these words…"3. These examples of God writing or telling someone what to write involved the Ten Commandments, not the whole Bible. We need to have credibility when talking about the Bible and believe the Bible the way it is written instead of following popular religious doctrines.

Another scripture that was from the writings of Paul and is frequently use to support the "inspired by God" doctrine is an uncertain translation. In 2 Timothy 3:16, you will notice the verb (is) is missing in the Greek as indicated by it being in italics in both the King James and the New King James translations. It could also read "Every scripture inspired by God is also useful for teaching, for reproof, for correction, and for training in righteousness,4" Religious doctrines on how to read the Bible are very wide spread in our society, thanks to the TV ministry industry. Yet, if we believe God inspired men what to write in the Bible, then we should believe the Bible the way it is written. In the Bible we read that Sara lied, the devil said, and Paul put down women5. It is an insult to God to say the words of Sarah or the devil or Paul are really God's words. If you choose to believe that God inspired it to be written correctly, then you must read it the way it is written. Or if you believe men of God who feared God wrote it, then you still must believe it the way it is written.

A popular religious doctrine (that may be woman made) claims that Jesus will come back secretly and take certain people with Him back to heaven. This doctrine is so popular that people have made millions with books and movies promoting it. A Pastor from a denominational Church in NE Texas asked me a few years ago where no one could hear, if there was more than one second coming. I knew he was he was referring to this secret coming doctrine and I assured him there was only one second coming. Unfortunately, many Pastors are at risk of losing their jobs from their denomination or board or etc., if they disagree with popular doctrines. I will never forget what one very religious woman told me when she angrily left our Church, "I don't care what is in the Bible, I know what I believe!" This secret coming doctrine is in conflict when Jesus said, "When the Son of Man comes, he will be seen by everyone. It will be like lightning flashing in the sky that can be seen everywhere.6" Also the secret coming doctrine conflicts with what Jesus and God revealed to John that, "…every eye will see Him…"7.

How do we understand what is written in the Bible that neither God nor Jesus said? Actually we can receive guidance from the Bible where it is written, "… they received the message with great eagerness and examined the Scriptures every day to see if what Paul said was true.8" Yes, on everything in the Bible and what every Pastor or Preacher or anyone says or writes, you should compare it with what God and Jesus say in your Bible to see if it is true. I try to make it easy for you by providing you the verses in the footnotes. Check me out.

Let's pray

"Hey God, help us to have credibility when we talk about You. Help us to be good witnesses by only speaking correctly when we share. Thank you for improving our credibility, in Jesus name, amen."

1. John 10:36

2. Exodus 32:16

3. Exodus 34:27 (NIV)

4. 2 Timothy 3:16 NRSV (check footnotes in other translations like the NASB)

5. Genesis 18:15; Matthew 4:3-9; 1 Timothy 2:11-12

6. Matthew 24:27 (ICB)

7. Revelations 1:7

8. Acts 17:11 (NIV)