Thursday Evening Blog With Pastor Williams (February 2008)
Posted on February 7th, 2008 by TADCCBLOG
Pastor Williams will be active on this blog site THURSDAY from 8:30 to 9:30pm. Please suggest topics or questions for discussion.
Filed under: Discussion Topics, Live Blog on Thursday
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There is much discussion on the faith of the Presidential candidates this year. President George Bush narrow Presidential wins, the pundits believe were based on evangelicals turning out to vote. The two wins also help to set the tone for this year’s Presidential election. Every candidate has acknowledged a belief in something.
When you consider the variety of candidates this year; white, black, Muslim background, Mormons, then you understand how complex the election becomes when everyone says they believe in God. Logically we know that they all can not believe in the same God.
The question that needs to be answered is, does a person’s faith either qualify or disqualify him from the office of President. Many would say that the country’s founding fathers were Christian and therefore we should have Christian leaders leading a Christian nation.
However history tells a different story. Thomas Jefferson was a deist. George Washington believed “every person should worship to the dictate of their own conscience”.
Ten of the first 18 presidents were slave owners. Those who owned slaves: George Washington; Thomas Jefferson; James Madison; James Monroe; Andrew Jackson; John Tyler; James K. Polk; Zachary Taylor; Andrew Johnson and Ulysses S. Grant.
Dwight Eisenhower was raised a Jehovah’s Witness and continued as one until his run for public office.
On February 10, 1864 ministers gathered together to ask President Lincoln and Congress to pass an amended Preamble declaring the United States a Christian nation. Both the President and Congress did not follow through on such overtures.
There were four Unitarian Presidents; John Adams, John Quincy Adams, Millard Fillmore and William Taft. Unitarianism is just as cultic as Mormonism. Their belief is Adhering to strict monotheism, they maintain that Jesus was a great man and a prophet of God, perhaps even a supernatural being, but not God himself. Unitarians believe in the moral authority, but not necessarily the divinity, of Jesus. They do not pray to Jesus. These Unitarian Presidents belief structure is similar to what Muslims believe.
Therefore, we have had Presidents that were not Christians. We deceive ourselves to believe that we actually elect Presidents, and not Almight God, discounting what Daniel 4:17 says;
This matter is by the decree of the watchers, and the demand by the word of the holy ones: to the intent that the living may know that the most High ruleth in the kingdom of men, and giveth it to whomsoever he will, and setteth up over it the basest of men.
The problem with this is how is a cult identified. It is identified by the ruling/controlling political party. Consider the following verse.
Acts 24:5 For we have found this man a pestilent fellow, and a mover of sedition among all the Jews throughout the world, and a ringleader of the sect of the Nazarenes:
The word sect used above refers to the believers in Christ Jesus. The word sect used in this verse can also be used as heresy. Therefore the rulers of the Jews determined that Christians were heretics. This is one reason Catholicism is acceptable. President Kennedy’s tenure in office allowed the religion to go mainstream. If Mitt Romney were elected President, you can believe that Mormonism would possibly also become mainstreamed as Catholicism is.
President Bush taught us that a person will say anything to get elected Presidented. Doug Wead, a minister that tried to teach George Bush about the Christian faith expressed his disappointment at the President’s lack of interest in theology and the Bible. According to Wead, he used the evangelicals to be elected President.
This what the believers in Christ Jesus must be aware of. Do not judge a person by his words. Judge him by his fruit or actions.
Luke 6:43,44 For a good tree bringeth not forth corrupt fruit; neither doth a corrupt tree bring forth good fruit.
For every tree is known by his own fruit. For of thorns men do not gather figs, nor of a bramble bush gather they grapes
We as believers in Christ Jesus have Christ as leader and ruler.
It is interesting to see what the outcome is this year. Will it be a black, a woman, a Muslim, an atheist or even a Morman.
I think it is quite interesting that it has been forty years since Martin Luther King was assassinated after giving his Mountaintop speech. He made allusions to Moses going up on the Mountaintop but not entering the Promised Land. Israel too wandered in the wilderness for forty years. Will this election be culmination of forty years of wandering in the political process.
Who is the Muslim that is running for president?
It’s clear that you don’t like Mormans. But, I’m dense I guess – Are you saying Catholicism is wrong in some way, too?
Obama has stated that he is NOT a Muslim and the the emails circulating about him are malicious and false. So I am not quite sure who you are referring to as a Muslim in the race.
To both Ron and Shayala;
The question “will it be… a Muslim” speaks to the Muslim influence. The father, step-father and grandmother were Muslims. How much will these associations, if elected, impact his Presidency. The media loosely throws around the term born-again as though it uses comparisons based on the Word of God. If the media can so loosely mischaracterize unsaved people as being Christians, it can do the same for Muslims. This is already happening with the emails and other articles written on Obama. The question is will he resort to a teaching that he was surrounded by as a young person.
I believe in a born-again experience through faith in Christ Jesus that can radically change a man’s way of thinking. I also believe this born again experience will produce fruit accordingly. As of now Obama’s support for homosexuality and abortions do not speak to a relationship with Christ Jesus.
Notice, I did not say a Christian might become President. I am speaking to the influences, lifestyle the candidates have already protrayed. This means in view of God’s Holy Word all the candidates have misgivings when it comes to living by the Word of God. Our relationship with Christ Jesus must be more than slogans and news bites. This goes back to the original tone of the blog. Look closely at the character of a person in lieu of God’s Word when you say you are electing a Christian leader.
My understanding is that Obama was raised by his mother and maternal grandparents, and they were Church of Christ. I just do not think it is fair to characterize him as a Muslim just because the father who abandoned him was a Muslim and lived on an entirely different continent for the majority of Obama’s life. I agree that the fact that he states on his website and in his speeches that “I believe in the redemptive death and resurrection of Jesus Christ…” yet supports gay rights and abortion rights is somewhat contradictory, but many who profess “Christianity” seem to be on the same accord.
I feel strongly that Bush was elected on the strength of the so-called “evangelical” “conservative” vote, I am not convinced that his presidency has been in the best interest of Americans. Besides the last time I checked after 8 years of this, a woman can still freely obtain an abortion and more and more gays are gaining rights to marry and such. President Bush has not done enough to halt these things if you were to believe he were a true “evangelical Christian” which I do not.
As you pointed out above, the Presidents have come from a variety of different religious perspectives. Just because some distant relatives of Obama’s happened to be Muslim, does not mean that religion is going to take root here any more than the fact that Bill Clinton’s being raised by “evangelical” southern Baptists did anything to prevent us from suffering through the moral crisis of his impeachment hearings.
I believe that whether it is President Obama, Clinton, McCain, Huckabee or someone else entirely Christianity will go on in this country. I just do not see a whole lot of difference between the candidates, and I still have not made up my mind about who will receive my vote, but I am not going to count Obama out based on a lot of false attacks against the man.
I am pretty convinced that Huckabee is truly evangelical as he claims, he seems to walk the walk so to say, but some of his comments make me wonder whether he is experienced enough or smart enough to be president. I plan to vote on the person I feel can manage The USA most effectively while respecting and reaffirming what I feel are two of my most important rights, Freedom of Speech and Freedom of Religion, and I will worry about my own personal faith and that of my child.
To Vote or not to Vote…that is my question!!!
Wow! What fervency in all of your perspectives.
One thing I was taught early in life…there is a wrong way and there is a right way in everything we do! But only what we do for Christ Jesus will last. Proverbs 14:12 There is a way which seems right unto a man, but the end thereof are the ways of death. …render therefore unto Caesar the things which are Caesar’s; and unto God the things that are God’s. (Matt 22:21) Caesar represents the worldly systems and its principles. God, of course, represents the kingdom of heaven and its principles. I am a citizen of the kingdom of God. I am not commanded to render a vote. However because of the Civil Rights movement and all the sacrificing done on our behalf for equal rights, I vote. As a Christian I cannot vote for a candidate that favors killing innocent babies, all the evils of homosexuality and racism. What could I say when I stand before the Lord knowing I supported these evils (all in the name of ‘my’ voting rights). Romans 1:28-32 convicts me from do such a thing. In God’s eyes I would be a partaker of their evil if I vote for them. God is in control of everything!!! Do you believe that? Read your history. Sodom and Gomorrah and neighboring nations promoted homosexuality and are not around to tell it. The United States of America is not mentioned in the Bible. I wonder why? Could it be that this nation sold out to unrighteousness too? A nation under God? If this nation is a Christian nation, under God and it turns from the Word of God, then God’s wrath is inevitable! Proverbs 14:34 Righteousness exalteth a nation: but sin is a reproach to any people. Thank God for His Holy Spirit that keeps destruction at bay. But one day God’s mercy will cease. Be ready!
Presidential candidates lie to get in office. We all know that! It’s called politics. They are who they are. They are far from perfect. So my rule of thumb as a Christian when I vote, if what I render to Caesar contradicts the Word of God then I don’t render (vote). Let the world vote for their kind. God is in control of who will be the next president of the U.S.A. not man. As His ambassadors… represent the righteousness of Christ Jesus. Speak out against sin. Don’t condone it. Christians, if you can’t vote righteously then don’t vote at all. Seek God in prayer about it some more.
I profess that is states in the Bible that murder is wrong and that homosexuality is wrong, among many other sins that are wrong. I do not think I could ever knowingly vote for someone who is openly homosexual or has been an abortionist (i.e. someone who actually performs the act of abortion). Having said that, I know that in the past I have voted for sinners, I believe we all have. Anyone who voted for Clinton voted for an admitted adulterer and liar. Kerry was divorced and remarried. Our current President reportedly had an alcohol and substance abuse problem that nearly tore his marriage apart. I can only choose to vote for whom I feel will best manage our nation on all the issues. I will vote for someone on election day, blood was shed for me to have that right, but I am not yet sure for whom. Abortion is one of the issues I will consider in my vote, but it is on the list with other priorities when choosing the person whom will be our commander in chief. I am concerned about the war, the economy, health care, education, and helping people move themselves out of poverty. Who is going to keep us safe from the criminals ravaging our streets. I have many priorities, including the moral issues facing our country. Rather than basing my vote sole on whether a candidate denounces Roe v. Wade or not, I want to know what this candidate is going to do to help young women who find themselves in a desperate situation. I feel that Christians should put more focus on encouraging abstinence among young people and encouraging strengthening heterosexual marriage. While more than 50% of marriages as we know them today FAIL and end in divorce, I can even begin to worry about what Adam and Steve are up to behind closed doors, I will let God deal with them. We need to fix and strengthen ourselves before we can put so much focus on these other issues. About half of all children born today in this country are born out of wedlock, yes it even happens to nice Christian girls, and that is a problem. Why are we not teaching more of our young men to take responsibility, to value women. Why do young women these days not seem to value themselves, their own chastity. I feel that these issues are far bigger than any one candidate whom we can elect.
Anyway, back to my main point, if you wish to attack Obama based on his stand on abortion or gay rights, that is perfectly valid. But to attack him by claiming he is a Muslim when he is NOT in fact a Muslim takes away from the other points made which are good ones. If I do not vote for Obama, it will not be because he has a funny name or because his daddy was a Muslim.
I do not measure a Christian by how much they profess to hate gays or by how far they are willing to go, i.e. using dynamite or guns, to stop women from having abortions. I feel like Jesus was a compassionate man, he healed the sick, he feed the hungry, he forgave sinners, after saying go forth and sin no more. I would much rather Christians work to make sure that everyone has adequate health care, work to build a strong economy so that everyone who wants a job can take care of their families. Promote self esteem and family values among young people, by setting a good example and mentoring, and possible fostering or adopting needy children….Advocate tighter gun control, guns appropriate for hunting game should be protected under 2nd amendment, guns for hunting people i.e. all handguns, oozies, AK47s should be banned and destroyed. Get them off the streets. There are so many more things I can do, we can do to be better Christians. Lets not just get caught up on one or two issues and lose sight of the bigger picture.
The bigger picture is that God sets rulers in office. So whether we vote or not, God will have in office whom HE wants in office. We as Christians must be led by the Spirit of the Lord and the Bible and not our feelings or emotions. We’re only obligated to obey the Word of God. I agree with Shayala that Christians need to raise the standard….it’s not enough to talk about problems, but we must put some feet to our faith. I pray that we as Believers in Christ Jesus become one as Christ and His Father are one, so that we can work together to win souls into the kingdom. I pray that the mind be in us, which is in Christ Jesus. We’re worried and concerned about this and that and think that by someone someone into office, we’re that much safer or that things will get better. But safety is an illusion, we’re only safe in the loving arms of Christ Jesus.
Therefore, we must do the work that God has called us to…sharing the Gospel of Christ while meeting the needs of the people, i.e, taking care of the fatherless, visiting the widows, praying for the sick, feeding hungry, clothing the naked, etc….
During this election season be in prayer that the will of the Lord be done and pray that we don’t interfere with the Will of God.
To Ron,
Catholics believe in offering prayers to Mary and to the Saints.
“Neither is there salvation in any other: for there is none other name (Jesus) under heaven given among men, whereby we must be saved.” Acts 4:12
Catholics believe in the “Immaculate Conception” which teaches that Mary was born without sin.
Romans 3:23 For all have sinned, and come short of the glory of God;
Catholics teach the infallibility of the Pope and descendency from Peter.
The only person on earth infallible is Christ Jesus. History has shown that the Popes did not descend from Peter. The word Pope was the title given to the leaders of four different locations of Christendom. It was only in the fourth century that this title took on title as a leader of all of Christendom. The Orthordox, Egyptian and Assyrian churches rejected this leadership.
The following verse still speaks to the images and icons that permeate Catholic churches.
Exodus 20: 4 Thou shalt not make unto thee any graven image, or any likeness of any thing that is in heaven above, or that is in the earth beneath, or that is in the water under the earth:
5 Thou shalt not bow down thyself to them, nor serve them: for I the LORD thy God am a jealous God, visiting the iniquity of the fathers upon the children unto the third and fourth generation of them that hate me;
It is not just the Catholics but any denomination that swerves away from the truth. As believers we must be ever vigilant to make the Word of God is what’s taught and preached. Not denominational teachings purporting to be truths.
Titus 1:14 Not giving heed to Jewish fables, and commandments of men, that turn from the truth.
Shayala,
I would like to include that at The Assembly @ Durham Christian Center we are feeding the hungry, clothing the naked, counseling gang bangers, taking care of the fatherless, forgiving sins and preaching the Gospel of Christ Jesus. I think it is always bogus and insincere when it comes to homosexuality and abortions that people try to change the argument. Hurricane Katrina showed that it was the churches at the forefront of providing aid and help when the government could not. The church to a large extent is doing its job. And part of the job is cry out against sin. Not to try to lessen the sinfulness of sin. Yes we are proud of the resources God has given to us to do the things we have done.
It is because God through His Son Christ Jesus has so blessed us that we are crying out against not only the popular sins of the day such as homosexuality and abortions but other sins that have become acceptable such as adultery and fornication.
Yes a believer in Christ Jesus must be complete in all of his deliberations.
Hail Mary, full of grace.
The Lord is with thee.
Blessed art thou amongst women,
and blessed is the fruit of thy womb, Jesus.
Holy Mary, Mother of God,
pray for us sinners,
now and at the hour of our death.
Amen.
My mother used to say the above phrase, usually before or after The Lord’s Prayer. Do you believe my mother is in hell?
I highly recommend the following books to anyone who has questions concerning our next President of the United States. I also recommend deleting any of the untrue garbage that has been circulated via email about the man.
The Audacity of Hope: Thoughts on Reclaiming the American Dream by Barack Obama
Dreams from My Father: A Story of Race and Inheritance by Barack Obama
Ron,
I associated with a blind priest in the Catholic Church. His faith was genuine and sincere. Martin Luther, some say the founder of the reformation movement and John Calvin, never renounced Catholicism. These two are highly esteemed in the Prostestant churches because of their interpretation of scriptures.
What I am saying is that you can attend a Catholic Church and still understand and live the teachings of God’s Word. Afterall, Christ Jesus our Lord consistently pointed out to the Jews where they misinterpreted the scriptures, yet He remained Jewish.
Is is not the denomination that you belong to that makes you born again. Being born again and having accepted Christ as the Lead for your life and not a denomination or man determines where you spend eternity.
I cannot judge where a person is spending eternity, I can only repeat what the Bible says about truth and righteousness. God is the final judge. It is through living the Word of God that we know that we have eternal life.
We have partnered with Pastor Kumar, who is now in Bahrain, as we attempt to reach the World for Christ. It is a very ambitious plan but we believe that any efforts made on the behalf of Christ Jesus our Lord will be more than rewarded by our Heavenly Father.
It truly is a mystery that more people have not accepted Christ Jesus as Lord. History, miracles, changed lives and the filling of the Holy Spirit are testimonies to the fact that Christ is real.
Western Civilization is so based on the Christian faith that the majority of Western nations proclaim themselves as being predominantly Christian. The Bible has influenced our laws from the beginning of our country. In our constitution we mention a creator endowing us with certain inalienable rights and that we are all created equal. What other sacred Book states the equality of all men. Only the Bible makes this claim
Acts 17:26 And hath made of one blood all nations of men for to dwell on all the face of the earth, and hath determined the times before appointed, and the bounds of their habitation;
Adherents.com says the size of the Christian faith is 33% of the world’s population. All this resulted from 11 disciples that walked and talked with the Lord Jesus, the Son of God. Their lives were so drastically changed that were willing to loose their lives for the cause of spreading the name of Christ Jesus. Through their efforts 11 committed disciples has grown to over 2.1 billion people.
Why isn’t everyone saved when the evidence is so clear, the miracles so many and the lives changed so dramatic. Give Christ Jesus your heart. He is waiting on you.
Testimony To Resurrection From The Dead:
The Lazarus Factor: How Resurrections Trigger Conversions in India
This week I interviewed two people who were raised from the dead during an evangelistic meeting in the Indian state of Andhra Pradesh.
During my 26 years as a journalist I’ve interviewed some interesting people and heard some amazing stories. But this week set a new standard when I met two people in southern India who experienced biblical-style resurrection.
Six-year-old Jyothi Pothabathula looks like a typical girl from Andhra Pradesh, a state in southern India. She has wide brown eyes, mocha-colored skin, slick dark hair and a shy smile. When I asked her who brought her back to life when she was 2 years old, she demurely answered, “Jesus,” in her native Telugu language.
“In May 2004 we were coming to the evangelistic crusade on a bus when she collapsed,” Jyothi’s father, Suribabu, told me on Monday during a chat in my hotel room. The little girl had no history of illness, but she suddenly stopped breathing during the bumpy ride. The girl’s mother, Nagamani, said she began desperately praying for God to save her baby.
“Gomes believes God is displaying His power in India today in dramatic ways in order to draw Hindus to Jesus Christ.”
Suribabu and his wife were traveling to the town of Kakinada to attend an outreach festival sponsored by Harry Gomes, an evangelist based in the southern Indian city of Coimbatore. When the couple arrived at the event with Jyothi’s lifeless body in her father’s arms, someone urged them to push through the crowd to reach the stage where Gomes was praying for the sick.
They quickly carried the girl to the preacher. Immediately after he prayed for her, they said, Jyothi sat up and then began walking. The crowd erupted in applause.
“I know Jesus is a great God because he raised my daughter to life,” Suribabu said, wiping away tears. He was already a new Christian when the miracle occurred. His brother and two more of his Hindu family members converted to Jesus after they heard the story and saw the revived girl.
On Dec. 4 of last year, Mesheck Manepally, a 45-year-old shop owner, was attending one of Gomes’ meetings in Prathipadu, another city in Andhra Pradesh. His son, Varaprasad, said his father collapsed in the back of the crowd and began foaming at the mouth. Varaprasad was hysterical, but he managed to flag down an emergency vehicle so he could take his dad to a hospital.
When crusade organizers learned of the emergency and alerted Gomes, he interrupted his preaching, left the stage and walked to the side of the crowd—which had swelled to 100,000. By that time, Gomes said, Mesheck had no pulse and showed other signs of death including a dark pallor and stiffness of the body.
Gomes laid his hands on the man and prayed for his life to return. Within a few minutes, Mesheck sat up in the back of the vehicle with a dazed look on his face. “People started telling me, ‘You were dead and now you are alive!’” Mesheck said. “I was confused and I started crying. I was so thankful.”
Mesheck’s wife, Laxmi, said Hindus from her village came to visit her husband for 10 days after the incident. “They came to view him as a Lazarus,” she said. “The people were saying, ‘Their God is the true God.’”
Since medical documentation is not easily available in isolated rural areas of India, skeptics will argue that these miracles can’t be confirmed. Death certificates weren’t issued in either case, and no doctors were on hand to verify the facts. But Jyothi’s parents and Mesheck’s family say that doesn’t negate what they know is true. Neither the girl nor the man has had medical complications since they collapsed, their relatives said.
Gomes believes God is displaying His power in India today in dramatic ways in order to draw Hindus to Jesus Christ. He has witnessed five incidents of resurrection in his meetings since he began doing evangelistic crusades 14 years ago.
“Every time it happens it boosts the people’s faith,” Gomes said. “In the Bible we are told that the crowds came not just to see Jesus but to see Lazarus. As the word about these miracles spreads, everyone’s faith is elevated.”
J. Lee Grady is editor of Charisma. He visited the Indian cities of Patna, Warangal and Coimbatore during the last two weeks to interview church leaders for a cover story on the growth of Christianity in India. For more information on Harry Gomes’ ministry, go to harrygomes.com.
The financial markets started this year with heavy losses. The Federal Reserve, A U.S. banking system that consists of 12 federal reserve banks, with each one serving member banks in its own district acted in dramatic fashion to lower interest. The move to lower interest rates were unprecedented. The stock market’s losses and the easing of interest rates were precipitated by the subprime crisis. This crisis is a result of loan companies extending credit to people not qualified or unable to repay the loans.
How does a Christian respond during distress in the economy and financial markets? The Bible has answers.
Tools given by the Bible are meant to offset negative impacts from a worldly system that do not understand the grace and mercy of God.
Mt 6:33
But seek ye first the kingdom of God, and his righteousness; and all these things shall be added unto you.
Our pursuit should be of God and not material things. The economy and stock markets have shown us they can and will fail. The only surety that we have in life is the Heavenly Father through Christ Jesus our Lord. Seek means to to try to find or discover by searching or questioning. The same effort we put into trying to find the right job, house, school and investment we should put into asking questions and and searching for God.
1Ti 6:10
For the love of money is the root of all evil: which while some coveted after, they have erred from the faith, and pierced themselves through with many sorrows.
Why is money the root of all evil. Ecclesiastes 10:19 states that money answers to all things. The house we buy, the automobile we drive, the school we attend are all determined by money we have or lack. Therefore if these important things in our lives are associated with money, it stands to reasons that we would want more of it to acquire these things. This is where love can be negative. If your desire for money causes you to do the wrong thing or hurt people in order to get it, then you love it. Money is only a tool that we are to use in this life to acquire things in the right way. Its possession or pursuit of it should not dominate our lives. It is not surprising that people who love money the most suffer the most at the lost of it.
Your success is not determined by your wealth. Deuteronomy 8:18 says that the Lord your God is the One that gives you power to get wealth. What things you desire in life trust God to give them to you. If God gives it to you there are no negative associations. God through His Son Christ Jesus only gives good gifts to His children.
Pr 10:22
The blessing of the LORD, it maketh rich, and he addeth no sorrow with it
It is during troubled times that people tend to turn to God. If you are in financial distress, use this time to turn to the Person that can give you true wealth.