Unemployed Again

Once again I find myself unemployed. Dunbarton Corp in Dothan layed about 32 of us off because of lack of work. (So order some Slimfold doors and Redi-frame door frames) I left this time with my head high and trying to please the Lord. They informed us well in advance that they were going to do it. By seniority. When they called me in to give me the bad news, I told them that they were just doing their jobs and that I understood how hard it was. I have had to hire and fire many in my life. I asked them if I could pray with them and they consented. Afterwards I went to each Manager and supervisor that I had had and told them I appreciated the chance to work for them.When asked what I would do from my co-workers , I replied that I would do what I had did when I took the job. Trust God. The company could knock God off His throne.So here I am unemployed and trying to be lead by the Holy Spirit in my job hunt.I know this sounds really weird to you unbelievers, but if you have a better way, let me know. I've tried it all on my own and it did not work.That is the lesson that we as a nation will learn. No man or group can heal our land. Until we admit that we need God to pull us out of the mess we got ourselves into.I pray for you Mr. President, butYou can not bring real change,You can not bring real hope,Only the Lord Jesus can.Yes you made History, but it is not as big as the history Jesus Christ will make when He returns.

Miracle On The Hudson

The news reports of "Good Morning America" did reports and interviews on the landing of the plane in the Hudson River yesterday. The title of the coverage was, "Miracle On The Hudson". After all the interviews and reports. The conclusion was that thanks to the pilot (an ex-fighter pilot), plane attendants and heroic passengers, no one was lost. Truly the training of the crew and experience of 9/11 played a valuable part in the success of the rescue.
To say it was a miracle would be a misuse of the word. A "miracle" is something that can not be explained in human terms. Amazing as the incident was and wonderful that no one was drowned. The whole success could be explained as the heroic actions of everyone involved. Down to the boats that were ready to respond as soon as the plane hit the water. Miracle, no. If the plane had burst into flames and flew into a building instead of an expert pilot steering it into the water and all survived, that would have been a miracle.
Now I'm not belittling the actions of the heroes that took charge and saved the day. They deserve their credit for a great job done. But it was not a miracle.
Only the Lord God, Jesus does real miracles. And the vain use of the word has belittled it's meaning. I have expereinced miracles first hand. They do exsist. And a lot of God's workings may not be called a miracle. The fact that the harbor boats were right there within close ranage could be crideted to God's working, but not a miracle.
I beleive in the next couple of years we will re-dicover the meaning of this overused misunderstood work. MIRACLE

Being The Tew Testament Church Part 3: Being Added

“… and that same day there were added unto them about three thousand souls.”
Acts 2:41b

After those that heard Peter and believed in the massage he spoke, the messege of Christ crucified and risen, there were about 3,000 souls added to their number. It is interesting to see that the 3 thousand were called souls and not persons or bodies.
In manufacturing when we need an unskilled person to perform small tasks in order to keep regular employees doing their production work, we call on a “temp” agency to provide these persons. These persons are referred to as “warm bodies”. Now not all temp laborers are in this category. Most go on to prove them-selves and gain employment with the company that has contracted them. I have worked as a temp and after being proven reliable, gained a full time job. But those who do not push for a steady job and are just content them-selves to a pay-per-day get by day-by-day attitude moving from job-to-job are the “warm bodies” of the industry. They work to get what they can and move on.
The industry is looking for those who apply themselves and work for the betterment of them-selves and the company. Seeing that they are both hand-n-hand.
They want those who commit their whole soul or mind, emotions and intellect to the enterprise.
The adding to the Church is that same way. The Lord wishes to add those who will commit their whole soul to the Church. He wants those who will give mind, emotions and intellect to the growth of the Church. Committed to the growth of themselves and others. Seeing that they are all the same in His eyes. One cannot grow with out the other.
Disturbingly the Church as a whole is full of “warm bodies” that only come to fill their own needs. And when the group stops providing the fulfillment, they move on to the next group doing as little as possible for the most they can get. They go for the preaching until they think they have heard it all before. They go to put their kids in the nursery until some other kid makes theirs mad or the attendant doesn’t do like they want. They attend so they can put their teens in a youth group so the youth pastor can straighten out the mess they have made with their youth. And when he or she cannot do the impossible, they move on.
We need those the Lord has added to our number, committed to the full success of the New Testament Church. They will be givers that can also take a gift and use it for the glory of the Lord.
This is all a part of being the New Testament Church.

Being the new Testament Church Part 2: Baptisms

In continuation of my last post on “Being the New Testament Church” we are discussing Acts 2:41. After the new believers “believed in what Peter preached and then became baptized. The fact that the early New Testament (NT) believers were “baptized” can have many implications. According to which Christian discipline you are of the baptism mentioned could be “water baptism” or “the Baptism of the Holy Ghost”. Peter’s requirement for those asking “what they needed to do” mentions the “remission of sins” and “receiving the Holy Ghost”. This may be a little confusing so let’s take a look at the Biblical Baptism question.In the NT we first see John the Baptist performing this service. I have see programs on the TV that suggest that John got the practice of baptism from an earlier Jewish sec like the Essenes. This is debatable. The first baptism we are introduced to is a baptism in water by submersion. This has been called all through the New Testament as John’s baptism or the baptism of repentance. In three of the gospels Jesus is pictured as coming to John and being baptized and in all three accounts the Heavens opened up, a voice spoke and the Holy Spirit came down. This is one of those moments when the total God was present. God the Father, God the Son and God the Spirit all showed up for Jesus’ baptism. Now since this was a baptism of repentance why did Jesus need it unless He had sinned? In Matthew3:13 He answered this, “…it is fitting for us to fulfill all righteousness.” One Commentator said that He had to be baptized so that He could be identified with His people. This is true but in Galations 3:27 and Colossians 2:12, both show that baptism is a picture of us being buried with Christ and risen to new life with Him. We rise clean and we put on Christ. We forsake our nature and we take the nature and righteousness of Jesus. We no longer live but Christ lives in us (Galations 2:20). So there was a reason to for Him to submit to John’s baptism. We see that as the Holy Spirit entered Him at this moment things began to change. Jesus was introducing a new baptism that would come into effect after He fulfilled His purpose. Acts 10:37 states that the Holy Spirit anointed Jesus at John’s baptism of Him. At this point some may say, “the Bible states there is One Lord, One Faith and One Baptism.” Some say that there are more than one according to Hebrews 6:2 where it states that “baptisms” plural, is one of the elementary doctrines of Christ. Which is right? As we look at Ephesians 4:5 in context we see that Paul is speaking of the Body of church believers, also called the Body of Christ. So this one Baptism of believers must be a baptism into the church, because there are other baptisms mentioned in the scripture. Jesus called His death on the cross as a baptism as recorded in Luke 12:50.So, how do we know of which baptism Peter was speaking of I vs. 41? Let’s look at the Christian growth process as a whole. In Gen. 1:26 and 11;7. God reveals Himself as a plural Personage. By reading the revealed scriptures in the NT we see that God is in fact Father, Son and Holy Ghost. Now I do not agree with our brethren that say God was God the Father in the Old Testament times , God the Son in NT times and now is a God the Spirit at our present time. We have seen that all three were present at the baptism of Jesus the Man. Jesus said at least one time that he had to “go to the Father” and that He ascended to the right hand of the Father. And that He would send another comforter.Back to Christian growth as concerning baptisms. We being created in the image of God, which is body, soul and spirit like He is Father, Son and Holy Ghost. At the fall of mankind the spirit part of man died. Giving future humanity a dead spirit nature. At our conversion, our being born again, we received a live spirit able to worship and commune again with God. In the Christian Growth Process we deal with the past, present and future. We have been saved, we are being saved and we will be saved. That is why the bible says that Jesus is the same yesterday, today and forever (Heb. 13:8). When reading scripture we can see by reading the text within context if it is speaking of our past, present or future condition. I need to say here that the fallowing is my opinion and not to be taken as doctrine. I am an uneducated factory worker just trying to help you make some sense of this subject. I am not the final authority on the subject.With that said, let’s move on.John’s baptism was a baptism for repentance. It dealt with our past condition. An outward act reflecting an inward work. It shows that we are buried with Christ and risen with Him in life. That we are no longer subject to eternal death. I remember when I was a child baptized after walking the aisle and saying “the prayer”, it had no effect on my life. When I was converted as a teenager, I knew it was not right and that I needed to be baptized again. Nobody told me I needed to, I just knew. It was after this that I started to change. I started to understand the Bible. Christian principles were open to me. Concern for the lost became genuine.In Acts 19:3-4 we see another baptism. The Baptism of the Holy Ghost. This baptism is a baptism for the present condition of a believer. Just as John’s baptism was for the saving from the past, the Baptism of the Holy Spirit is for the saving of the present. Here I would like to say that the baptisms of and in themselves do nothing but (as said before) give outward show evidence of an inward work. John’s baptism was connected to the “saving of the Spirit”, the Baptism of the Holy Ghost is connected to the “saving of the soul”. Soul being the mind and emotions. It is a daily process with the Baptism as a starting point. Simply said, baptisms are just marks of a “new beginning” in a Christian’s growth in life with God. There is much debate as to the evidence of this baptism and when does a person receive it. Many believe that it comes when we are born again and some say it is a “second blessing” that comes separate. Whether separate or together, whether with out without evidence. No matter which way you swing, just get it. I know some who claim it and some who don’t that love the Lord and the same for ones that live worldly. One thing for sure, if you can argue about it, hold back fellowship or hate your brother over it, you do not have it.John had had spoken of Jesus coming to baptize us with the Holy Spirit and Fire. What is this Fire Baptism? (Mat. 3:11 and Luke 3:16) Many have tried to answer this and here is my try. Fire in the Bible has mostly been a symbol of purging. In Luke 3:16 were John says that Jesus will baptize with the Holy Spirit and Fire, the next verse speaks of wheat being purged from the chaff. The useless part of the wheat. In a Christian’s life there will come times of testing. Times of “New Beginnings” that serve to purge us of useless things in our lives that hinder our spiritual growth. These are baptisms of fire. I may add that if a person has not had the Baptism of Repentance and the Baptism of the Holy Ghost, things might not turn out that good. I once had a job that I had been employed at for fourteen and a half years. At the time I was consumed with preaching in group homes, jails and prisons. Ministry in the streets and concert outreaches. And quit full of myself. Then I found myself jobless. Having to start all over again. At this time I started doing “Internet Evangelism”. I found out quite quick that I did not know as much as I thought. Looking back at my job loss, I saw mistakes that I had made which lead up to my loss. I was completely humbled. This was a baptism of fire. I look back now, at this time ten years ago, and see my spiritual growth much higher and my usefulness to the kingdom increased. I’ve learned to “humble myself” instead of letting the Lord do it for me.This is the Baptism of Fire which will save us. (again, outward marks of an inward work) It is the daily dying of our flesh. Our ego. Anything that hinders our relationship to the Lord with the final climax as our bodily death. As Jesus pointed to His death as a baptism, so we will all enter into a baptism that will save our body. A baptism for the future. A new beginning with the Father.In Acts 2:41 the baptism Peter spoke of is one or all of the baptisms. Some say that we are to baptize in Jesus’ name only because nowhere in the book of Acts does it show anyone doing it. Jesus gives us the commission to “Go and teach all nations and baptize in the name of the Father, Son and Holy Spirit”, in Mat. 28:19. Could Jesus be telling us to go and baptize for the saving of all the person? Body, Soul and Spirit? The Baptism of John or Repentance for the saving of the Spirit and for being added to the Church. The Baptism of the Holy Ghost for the saving of the Soul, in the name of Jesus. The Holy Spirit teaching us of Jesus and renewing our mind. He Baptism of Fire for the salvation of our body. The Holy Spirit leading us through the fire baptisms of life. All the way to our bodily death and final union with God.Again, this is just an idea and an attempt to put baptisms in perspective. I’m not pushing my formula or anything else. The point is, baptism is a new beginning. The new believers in Acts 2:41 had to start all over again before they could be added to the Church. Then they could understand the Apostle’s teaching with revelation. Fellowship in true Christ-Like love, take part in the Body of Christ and pray effectively. They became New Testament Christians.Further Reading on baptisms:Mat. 3:6; 21:25Mark 1:4; 16:16Luke 3:12, 21; 7:29John 1:26; 3:5, 23Acts 2:38; 8:12, 38; 9:18; 10:48; 13:2416:15, 33; 18:8; 22:16Romans 6:3; 1 Cor. 12:13; 1 Peter 3:21

What is a New Testament Church?

Our pastor has been teaching lately on , "Being A New Testament Church". Many groups have used this title in their Church name and I will not sit in judgement as to whether they are or are not a NTC. One thing we have seen is that you can not have a NTC with out New Testament people. We have been studying in Acts 2:41-47
After Peter had preached and many decided to follow Jesus, they followed a certain pattern for growth.
1. They believed
2. They Baptized
3. They devoted time to learning the Apostles teachings
4. They had close fellowship together
5. They ate together daily and had communion
6. They prayed together.

I will discuss these as I can in different post.
First they believed after hearing Peter's preaching.
They had heard that Jesus rose from the dead. No one questioned the fact of the matter. Some chose not to believe, but many chose to do so. Belief starts from Heaven, comes down to man and then goes out. To really believe, one must have a revelation from the Lord. Just like when Jesus asked the disciples who they thought He was, Peter answered correctly and Jesus told him that man did not teach him this but it came from God the Father. Just as we will only get truth from the Bible or Preaching when the Lord reviles it to us. Then, like the early believers, we will not deny our faith for nothing. Not even to save our lives.

I will do baptisms next, after I have studied and prayed about it.

Brother Gary frith & Joe Green of America

I would like to announce that Brother Gary Frith from Grace Harvest Church (the church I attend) in Dothan, Al., USA will be in India this month.
Oct. 13-17 he and another Brother from Tn., Joe Green will be speaking at a Conference in Vishakapatnam, Mercy Mission.
And on the 20-24 they will be at the Holy Trinty Ministries Conference in Imphal.
If any of you can make it, tell them Wayne Brooks sent you.
Gary is interested in Gospel work in India that may not be sported by a large group.

Prayers for June 10th, 2008 From The Voice of the Martyrs

INDIA Pastor Beaten; Churches Attacked - VOM Sources On May 27, Pastor Rampal Kori was beaten by two Hindu militants in Rewa, Madhya Pradesh, India. According to The Voice of the Martyrs contacts, "The militants repeatedly struck the pastor, who was returning from prayer meetings, with an iron rod and accused him of forcibly converting villagers to Christianity. They also robbed him of 3000 Rupees (US $70). Pastor Kori sustained serious injuries that required stitches in his head." Meanwhile on May 26, in an unrelated incident, militants demolished a thatched church in the district of Adilabad, Andhra Pradesh. On June 1, another group attacked the Masihi Mandir Church in the district of Oriya Para, Chhattisgarh state, during a morning church service. VOM sources added, "At approximately 11:00 a.m., the militants barged into the church building and destroyed the facility's furniture. The attackers accused the believers present of forcibly converting people, and threatened them with dire consequences if they continued to worship Christ." Pray for healing for Pastor Kori. Ask God to strengthen the believers whose churches were attacked as they continue to stand in His grace. Psalm 37: 3-6