Marriage Seminar

  I attended a marriage seminar on Sunday.  It was typical. There is a great deal of psychology in marriage but very little scripture for its basis.  I understand that, well, not really.  That is the way these are in Churches today.  They are a product to sell.  Why do I say this?
  A little back ground. I am divorced after 5 years of marriage, bad enough, re-married for 20 years.  Good you say.  I am now like this Jaguar.  Man what a ride.  Beautiful machine.  A wonderful thing to show off.  Imagine that if you looked on the other side there is a long scratch down the side.  I'm OK as long as you don't look to closely.  But you see, the leadership can not take a chance on someone possibly looking at the other side.  I am damaged goods. I can not be used.
  What does this have to do with the seminar?  These are geared to those without a divorce in their background.. I have yet to hear of someone that has been through a divorce, re-married, and is praised for there long, Godly marriage this second time around.  Never mind if there were legitimate reasons for the demise of the first marriage,  I am NEVER going to be without that long scratch on the other side.
  If the data is correct in the church, then 50% of the marriages are in divorces.  Is there no grace among the leaders of churches and seminar producers for those people? 

 You see,  I will never not have the scratch on the other side but I am still that beautiful machine through out.
Please consider this when you talk on longevity of marriage and say you almost went through a divorce but you worked it out.  You put yourself a notch above those like me.  I turn you off if you can not offer those that are like me that went through the divorce, re-married and have attained longevity.

Where have all the Pastors gone?

In a day and age in the church where the goal is to attract the un-churched ( un-saved), I wonder how a pastor can be a pastor and not and evangelist.  You see, the more un-saved you attract to your church the more preaching must be on salvation.  The result is that those that are saved and make up the true body of Christ are left with very little teaching or pastoring at a level to "feed the flock amongst you".  If your Pastor is teaching Holiness then the Un-saved get the idea that salvation is by works; not understanding that good works are the expectation of the regenerated.  If your pastor must always preach to the un-saved because that is his mission, to get lost people there to expose them to the gospel, then the flock is starving for something more than milk.
The best evangelistic tool is for saved people to live out the doctrine taught in the church out in the world.
We Are Starving
Allen

Leadership with a following

I hear a great deal today the word leadership.  What do they mean by this term?  If you look in Scripture, you will not see many uses of the term.  Yet, this is the most common word used in Christian Ministrial circles.  You see, for one to be a leader, he/she must have a following.  So is the main goal of these "leaders" to garner a following or do they really hope to lead.  In scripture, those that will lead should be servant first.  If you aspire to lead, you better know where you are going and it better line up with scripture.  Otherwise you are creating a cult.
One of the greatest dangers for leaders are their following which leads to pride.  (we count noses)
WE have worship leaders, youth leaders, choir leaders, small group leaders,etc....
Be careful that you do not let that title birth pride.

Qualified to serve?

Do you know that Abraham, Issac, Jacob, David nor Solomon would be qualified to serve as a deacon let alone a pastor in the New Testment church?  Heaven forbid they try to qualify in a "Southern" Baptist church.  You see, they all were not the husband of one wife.  Not to worry; the SBC is taking the name Southern out of it's name so we won't be Southern Baptist much longer.

Allen

ME'NE ME'NE TE'KEL UPHAR'SIN Daniel 5

ME'NE - God hath numbered thy kingdom and finished it.

TE'KEL - Thou are weighed in the balances and art found wanting.

PE'RES - Thy kingdom is divided and given to others.

Passage Daniel 5:23

23 But hast lifted up thyself against the Lord of heaven; and they have brought the vessels of his house before thee, and thou, and thy lords, thy wives, and thy concubines, have drunk wine in them; and thou hast praised the gods of silver, and gold, of brass, iron, wood, and stone, which see not, nor hear, nor know: and the God in whose hand thy breath is, and whose are all thy ways, hast thou not glorified:


23 But hast lifted up thyself against the Lord of heaven; and they have brought the vessels of his house ( Christian Members) before thee, and thou, and thy lords, thy wives, and thy concubines ( Staff and Pastors), have drunk wine in them; and thou hast praised the gods of silver, and gold, of brass, iron, wood, and stone, which see not, nor hear, nor know( Their own Idols of wealth and promenience): and the God in whose hand thy breath is, and whose are all thy ways, hast thou not glorified:

Is this a message to preachers of the churches today that use their position to the abuse of God's vessels for their on glory?

May their days be numbered, judged, and their "kingdom" taken from them

Allen

Conformity and Contmporary

  How many people do you suppose are truly saved inside a Church?  I dare say that the only ones are children or those others that have thought they were saved and realized they were not.  Where that leaves us is that the majority are saved outside the church (as it should be).  Those that join a church will join in, western culture, a church that most resembles their worldy lifestyle.  Contemporary churchs will afford these new Christians a venue to be Christian and Secular at the same time.  These will identify with the Worldly Culture easier and no non-conformity with the world is required since the world is condoned in the Church.  Best of both worlds. What a shame and sham.

Allen

SBC Resolution

WHEREAS, For the past fifty years wickedness and family collapse have been increasing rapidly, and at the same time we have seen that programs and strategies alone cannot revive lagging baptism rates or anemic discipleship;



Then go back 51 years ago and do those things again because they were working.  This progressive move we are taking in today's Church is doing more harm than good.

Allen