The SIN of Using Profanity, i.e. Cussing or Cursing

Is it wrong to cuss? That's an interesting question, especially when so many who claim to be Christians today do so time and again, oftentimes using profanity, words of anger, put downs, slanderous accusations, and hateful rhetoric.

What does the Bible say about such methods of speaking to, or maybe I should say speaking down, to others.

Well, the Bible has much to say on the subject, as a matter of fact. And it instructs us to abstain from such malicious practices. In other words, it is SIN to use profanity.

Let's look at some verses on this.

In 2 Timothy chapter two, we read:

14 Of these things put them in remembrance, charging them before the Lord that they strive not about words to no profit, but to the subverting of the hearers.

15 Study to shew thyself approved unto God, a workman that needeth not to be ashamed, rightly dividing the word of truth.

16 But shun profane and vain babblings: for they will increase unto more ungodliness.

Notice what this says. It tells to avoid "PROFANE babblings." What are profane babblings? Profanity!

We further read that we should not "strive" to use these profane words, as they are unprofitable. And we are told that if a person uses profanity he "will increase unto more ungodliness." In other words, the more you CUSS, the more CARNAL you will become!

As we continue reading the context of 2 Timothy chapter two, we come to verse 19, which states:

Nevertheless the foundation of God standeth sure, having this seal, The Lord knoweth them that are his. And, Let every one that nameth the name of Christ depart from iniquity.

This means that it is "INQUITY" or "SIN" to use profanity!

In Ephesians chapter four and verse 29 we read the following command to Christians:

Let no corrupt communication proceed out of your mouth, but that which is good to the use of edifying, that it may minister grace unto the hearers.

What are "corrupt communications?" Why they are profane things which come out of your mouth that are not used to edify, rather to destroy.

In the context of this verse, we read the following verses:

Ephesians 4:23 And be renewed in the spirit of your mind;

Ephesians 4:24 And that ye put on the new man, which after God is created in righteousness and true holiness.

Ephesians 4:25 Wherefore putting away lying, speak every man truth with his neighbour: for we are members one of another.

Ephesians 4:26 Be ye angry, and sin not: let not the sun go down upon your wrath:

Ephesians 4:27 Neither give place to the devil.

Notice that there is a contrast between "righteousness" and "wrath." And we are commanded not to lie, rather to speak the truth. We are further commanded not "SIN" while we are "angry." Why is this? Becuase those who use profanity usually do so out of ANGER, and being full of WRATH, they take out their rage on others. This too is SIN! And it's giving place to the Devil.

This is why we are commanded in Ephesians 4:31 to:

Let all bitterness, and wrath, and anger, and clamour, and evil speaking, be put away from you, with all malice:

Notice it's called "evil speaking." Why? Because cussing, or using profanity is EVIL! It is evil words coming out of an evil man's heart! And it's usually in bitterness, wrath, anger, clamour, or malice. But it not just the attitude that is evil, but the actual words as well.

In Colossians 3:8 we are further commanded:

But now ye also put off all these; anger, wrath, malice, blasphemy, filthy communication out of your mouth.

Notice God is against "filthy communication." This is the use of "dirty words." God does not like this, nor does he like people telling dirty jokes.

So how should a Christian speak? That's easy. The following verses tell us plainly:

1 Corinthians 15:33 Be not deceived: evil communications corrupt good manners.

Matthew 5:37 But let your communication be, Yea, yea; Nay, nay: for whatsoever is more than these cometh of evil.

Colossians 4:6 Let your speech be alway with grace, seasoned with salt, that ye may know how ye ought to answer every man.

Ephesians 4:15 But speaking the truth in love, may grow up into him in all things, which is the head, even Christ:

God wants us to speak with GRACE, not with ANGER. He wants us to speak in LOVE, not in HATE or WRATH. We are supposed to speak with scripture, not with harsh and painful words designed only to wound and damage.

Thus, allow me to reiterate. To use profanity is a SIN! It's wrong to cuss, whether it be in everyday speak or as a put down towards others. It's wrong to curse whether it be an object or a person. IT IS SIN!

The question then must be asked. Are you guilty of the sin of using profanity?

Focusing on Each Other Instead of Focusing on the Issue

I think probably the greatest tool that Satan has is to get people's eyes off of what's happening and getting people's eyes on one another.

As I watch American Politics, I see this is exactly what's happening today with the whole "debt" issue. Democrats are against Republicans and will not pass or sign anything they put out. Republicans are the same way. Thus, they only do what's best for their party. They focus on EACH OTHER instead of on the important ISSUE. They are not interested in what's right and what's best for the country. They are only intersested in themselves and furthering their political careers. Because of this, they are at a standstill, a deadlock, neither one wanting to give an inch, and neither one wanting to compromise with the other. Thus, Satan has won, as nothing can be done.

And who suffers for it? The American People.

Sadly, there is politics in the Church as well. And, all too often this politics mirrors the national politics in Washington. Just as politicians focus on one another rather than on the issue, so too Pastors, Missionaries, Evangelists, etc. focus on one another. And often, they are only interested in making themselves or their "camp" or "Bible College affiliation" look good, while lamblasting and putting down others. This is why there is so much bitter infighting among "Independent Baptist" Preachers. They don't get along, and it's because they focus on EACH OTHER rather than on the differences that supposedly divide them.

Instead of having Bible Studies and looking at truth, and discussing it, most Indies (what I call Independent Baptists) will not even crack open their Bibles and look at it with other ministers. They claim to be Bible Believers, but they refuse to have Bible Studies with others.

Instead they focus on the man himself. Once they find something they can use as an excuse to make someone they don't like look bad, or find a way to make them look not as spiritual as themselves, or somehow make them look stupid, then they can write that person off, and not even look at what that person is teaching. But what if that person has a good point?

The Independent Baptist's answer is: "So what! Who Cares!" And the person is blackballed and his doctrine, ideas, and words are not even looked at.

This is sad, but this is rampant in our churches today. Instead of unity in Christ and uniting around what the Scriptures teach, there is much dissention and division in Christian circles, and very little charity.

I speak from experience. This is what happened to me. I was part of a big Independent Baptist movement. But someone lied about me, and told people I was crazy and such. They said, "Bro. Breaker is against PRAYER all together!"

But that is simply not so. However, because they said it, and they focused on ME instead of on my teaching (which is nothing more than sound Bible Doctrine), I was blackballed and they told those within their group not to even listen to me at all. The focus was on ME, not on the scriptures.

Next, they told people things like, "Breaker has gone off the deep end!"

And finally, they LIED by saying that I called my old Pastor a "heretic." But I never said such a thing. Those were words that a person tried to put in my mouth that I never uttered.

Thus, the focus was on me, not on my teaching. I was a "crazy person" teaching false doctrine in their eyes, and I was ridiculed, mocked, and made fun of. But never once was what I was teaching looked at by any of them.

However, what I was teaching was nothing more than what I was taught from the Bible by the very man who turned against me! I went back and read his commentaries, his tracts, even a letter of his to my own father, and they all confirmed that what he once taught is what I'm teaching, and that I was not the one who changed.

The problem was that he and his croonies had changed and I had not. But I could not turn the focus on them. They would not allow it. If I tried to say, "You have changed your position," then I was labeled the crazy person who was speaking foolishly and the heretic that no one should listen to. They even attacked my credibility, and claimed I wasn't a Pastor, I never led anyone to the Lord, and I never started any Churches in Honduras.

That was fine with me. If they wanted to lie about me and discredit me, not problem. I know it's a lie and so does Jesus. But it does hurt some, especially since they were drawing a line and pushing me across it and telling others not to go along with me in anything.

Truly, I can't wait till the Judgment Seat of Christ, so that God will show them they were wrong.

But that's not important now. What is important is the issue itself.

The Issue once more is this, "Can a person be saved by prayer, and is it possible for a person to be tricked into trusting in their Prayer rather than trusting in Jesus Christ's shed blood alone for salvation?"

The answer is: "No on is saved by their prayer, and YES A PERSON CAN BE DECEIVED INTO THINKING THEIR PRAYER SAVES THEM!" This is exactly what happened to me. It also happened to my wife, and it's happened to many others.

In our day and age of "shallow soulwinning" in which a "soul winner" gives a person a presentation of only three or four verses from the Roman's road and then quickly pressures them to "Repeat a Prayer," it is common to see people tricked or deceived into thinking they are saved BY their prayer. That is they think the prayer itself is the SAVING MEDIUM.

This leads to a person eventually doubting whether they are saved or not, and the remedy for this by those same "soul winners" is for them to just "say the Prayer over again for ASSURANCE." Oftentimes, people pray the prayer over and over again night after night, HOPING they'll be saved because of it. But are they? Are they?

That's the issue, but nobody will touch it. Nobody wants to think that Churches are full of people like I was, who might have sincerely prayed a prayer, but have never been born again. It's because they are trusting in what they've DONE (their prayer), and not in what Jesus DID FOR THEM (in dying on the cross in their place for their sins.)

This "1-2-3, repeat after me" type of soulwinning often does more harm than good, as it does not give a clear presentation of the Gospel. Often, many are left thinking their prayer saves them. But where is this in the Bible? People like this are not saved. They cannot be. For if they trust their prayer, then they trust their own righteousness, and not Christ's alone.

But where are those faithful ministers of the Gospel who are pointing this out? They are few and far between. They don't want to "rock the boat." They just want to go along with what everyone else is doing, especially when it's easy to get a person to "repeat a prayer" and doing so makes it easier to "BRAG UPON YOURSELF and HOW GOOD OF A SOUL WINNER YOU ARE!" (Modern Christianity has become a "braggers club" and it's no longer about Jesus and what he's done for Sinners, rather it's about you and what you do for Jesus.)

So we see the focus is not on the Issue, rather on the man. People who talk like I do, are looked upon as "anti-soul winning." But that's not the case! I am very much for Soul Winning! I'm just against doing it in a shallow manner in which a person can end up deceived into thinking they are saved when they aren't!

But very few want to look at this issue. It's just easier to label someone a "Calvinist" who doesn't do things the same way you do. (I'm very much against Calvinism, by the way!).

So who gets hurt when the focus turns from the issue itself to attacking each other personally? Why lost Sinner's of course. They are the ones losing out. For they are left LOST and still going to Hell, but no one seems to care enough about them to make sure they are presenting them the Gospel clearly, and instructing them plainly to TRUST THE BLOOD OF JESUS ALONE for salvation.

But I care. I care a lot about lost souls. I truly want them to be saved. I also care about lost religious people who think they are saved, but aren't. I want to see them saved as well.

But once again, when I say something like that, the PHARISEES will bypass the issue and go straight to focusing on me, saying things like, "Oh, you just want to talk people out of their salvation! That's all you are interested in."

But that's not true at all! If a person is saved, I don't want to cause doubt. However, at the same time, as I read the scriptures, I see that a person who is saved will have assurance. So could it be that those who don't have assurance aren't saved to begin with, and they are the ones who truly need to be saved?

In closing, it's sad to see how focusing on each other instead of on the issue itself has led not only to the downfall of America and its economy, but also to the downfall of the Church as well. Because "politicians," both secular and religious, would rather play their silly games and exalt themselves in the eyes of others, people get hurt. In American politics, those who get hurt are the American taxpayers, who are asked to pay higher taxes for the stupid spending of those in power. But why should we have to pay for their mistakes and mismanagement funds?

In the religious world, the pride of ministers wanting to be looked upon as right while everyone else is wrong has led to a false gospel and a deceitful plan of salvation which gets a Sinner to DO something with their lips, without trusting only in what Jesus has DONE from the heart. And, even though this method makes the soul winner look good in the eyes of the "brethren" by counting how many people he's gotten to "repeat him in prayer," it doesn't really get a lot of folks truly saved. Instead, lost people suffer for it, as many of them get a false assurance of salvation, thinking they are going to heaven based upon their prayer, rather than on the Biblical means of faith from the heart.

Sadly, the issue is never dealt with. Politicians don't deal with the national debt, and get it paid off completely, and most Preachers don't deal with man's sin debt, pointing him to the shed blood of Christ that paid for it.

Instead, they are happy attacking on another, exalting themselves, and forgetting about the important issues.

Truly the Judgment will be terrifying for such men who only care about themselves rather than truly caring about others enough to deal with the issue so that they might be saved.

For more about THE REAL ISSUE of salvation and the sad deception of deceiving people into trusting their PRAYERS instead of in Christ Jesus' bloody PROPITIATION for man's sins, go to:

http://www.rrb3.com/mypub/books/hrsy_sin_pryr.htm

This deals with the ISSUE at hand.

The Lie about Lucifer

I've heard quite often the blantant lie that is being propogated today by many so-called "Scholars" that the passage of scripture in Isaiah 14 which speaks of "Lucifer" does not apply to the Devil or Satan. On source states:

"Lucifer, used as a name for the Devil, is not found in the Bible. There is only one reference to Lucifer in the Bible (Isa. 14:12), and it does not refer to Satan, but to the king of Babylon."

The truth of the matter is the passage does apply to Satan. But it also applies to the king of Babylon as well. In other words, it's written literally to the King of Babylon, but it's also written spiritually to the Devil inside of Him. Thus, it does apply to Satan.

As we look at Isaiah chapter 14, we can't deny there are some verses which apply literally to the King of Babylon, the man, at the time it was written. But as we look at other verses we find they can only apply to Satan, who was once known as Lucifer. For example we read:

12 How art thou fallen from heaven, O Lucifer, son of the morning! how art thou cut down to the ground, which didst weaken the nations!

13 For thou hast said in thine heart, I will ascend into heaven, I will exalt my throne above the stars of God: I will sit also upon the mount of the congregation, in the sides of the north:

14 I will ascend above the heights of the clouds; I will be like the most High.

15 Yet thou shalt be brought down to hell, to the sides of the pit.

Did the King of Babylon literally fall from heaven (vs 12)? Nope!

Who is the "son of the morning?" Why it's Satan. And he was cast down to earth when he fell from heaven.

Who said, "I will ascend and exalt my throne above the stars of God..." You might say, "Well, the King of Babylon could have said that!"

True. He could have said it. But he couldn't of done it. Only Satan, who can travel to heaven before the throne of God and back (See the book of Job) can literally ascend into heaven.

And who shall be brought down to hell? Surely the King of Babylon died and went to hell. But the Bible teaches us that the Devil will also be brought into Hell.

To say that Isaiah chapter 14 only speaks of the King of Babylon and has nothing to do with Lucifer or Satan is a blatant lie. And those who propogate this, whether knowingly or unknowingly, are guilty of covering up for Satan and trying to hide the fact that the word "Lucifer" applies to the Devil. Who would do such a thing?

Don't you think the Devil appreciates it when people help cover up his name? Especially since so many today are worshippers of "Lucifer." You see it's easier to call yourself a worshipper of "Lucifer" than a worshipper of "Satan" or the "Devil."

The truth is Lucifer is Satan, and the passage in Isaiah 14 does apply to him. And to prove it, let's go to Ezekiel chapter 28. There we read of the prophet prophecying against the King of Tyrus. (Just like Isaiah prophecies against the King of Babylon in Isa. 14). In the passage we read the following:

12 Son of man, take up a lamentation upon the king of Tyrus, and say unto him, Thus saith the Lord GOD; Thou sealest up the sum, full of wisdom, and perfect in beauty.

13 Thou hast been in Eden the garden of God; every precious stone was thy covering, the sardius, topaz, and the diamond, the beryl, the onyx, and the jasper, the sapphire, the emerald, and the carbuncle, and gold: the workmanship of thy tabrets and of thy pipes was prepared in thee in the day that thou wast created.

14 Thou art the anointed cherub that covereth; and I have set thee so: thou wast upon the holy mountain of God; thou hast walked up and down in the midst of the stones of fire.

15 Thou wast perfect in thy ways from the day that thou wast created, till iniquity was found in thee.

16 By the multitude of thy merchandise they have filled the midst of thee with violence, and thou hast sinned: therefore I will cast thee as profane out of the mountain of God: and I will destroy thee, O covering cherub, from the midst of the stones of fire.

17 Thine heart was lifted up because of thy beauty, thou hast corrupted thy wisdom by reason of thy brightness: I will cast thee to the ground, I will lay thee before kings, that they may behold thee.

Notice here we read of the "anointed cherub" (vs 14). Is that the King of Tyrus? Or could it instead be Satan or Lucifer? Whoever it was, he was in the Garden of Eden (vs 13). Does that sound like the King of Tyrus? Was he there with Adam and Eve? OF COURSE NOT!!!

The passage, although written to the King of Tyrus was a message to Satan, who was upon the mountain of God (vs 16), and who was full of wisdom (vs 12), and who corrupted himself (vs 17) because of his iniquity (vs 15) and who fell.

As we read verse 17, we find him being cast to the ground and laid before kings so they might behold him. This sounds a lot like what we read in Isaiah 14. So what we see is God speaking to the Devil or Lucifer through his prophet, who addresses Satan through the King of Tyrus, just as Ezekiel addressed Lucifer through the King of Babylon.

Without a doubt, Lucifer is Satan! And anyone who says otherwise is either completely ignorant of the Bible and how to read cross-references, or is in cahoots with Lucifer and is trying to hide the fact that the word "Lucifer" (which many downgrade by saying only means "Light-bearer") is a name for Satan himself. Which is it? You decide.

The SIN of Adultery

In our day adultery is a common occurance. It has taken place so much that most people don't think anything about it. Even though they think infidelity is a good grounds for divorce, they wouldn't venture to call it a "sin." Especially since either they themselves or someone they know has commited this act at least once.

But God is very clear about the sin of Adultery. It is even one of the ten commandments found in Exodus chapter twenty:

"Thou shalt not commit adultery." (Exod. 20:14)

So dogmatic is God that men do not do this, that he even put the death penalty on this act in Leviticus 20:10:

And the man that committeth adultery with another man's wife, even he that committeth adultery with his neighbour's wife, the adulterer and the adulteress shall surely be put to death.

God hates adultery. He wants one man and one woman together in holy matrimony, period. He does not want "key-parties" and "wife-swapping" which are common occurances in our world today. Nor does God allow "orgies" and "lifestyle partnerships" in which people live with one mate for several years and then find another. God's institution of marrige is the joining of one man and one woman together for life. He wants it no other way.

Yet this horrible sin is not only rampant in the lost world today. It is also common in the church. And it is a problem that's getting worse, as it's not just those that sit in the pews partaking of this henious act, but it's those in the pulpits as well.

After I got saved and got into the ministry I saw the thing that bothered me the most--those who claimed to be Christians and even preachers committing adultery. How could this be? And why didn't they feel bad about it? And, weren't they concerned about what would happen to the church if they were found out?

To this day I still can't understand how a man can stand in the pulpit and preach against sin on Sunday while he's out committing it on Friday and Saturday night. How can he adulterate and yet feel no remorse? How can he claim to be a minister, much less a Christian, and do such as that?

Below I'm going to give some stories I've either seen first hand or heard of happening. All of these stories involve Independent Baptist Pastors and/or Missionaries. I'll not give any names. (I learned years ago if you name the person then it's gossip, but if you tell the story and make them anynomous, then it's an illustration).

THE PREACHER WHO LEFT HIS SICK WIFE

I heard this tale about a Pastor who's wife fell ill and ended up in a wheelchair. Rather than follow through with his vows of "in sickness and in health, till DEATH do them part," he chose the easy way out claiming it was too much trouble to take care of his wife. So he put her in a nursing home, and found himself another woman. Eventually, he divorced his sick wife while she was in the nursing home and married the woman he was with.

THE PASTOR WHO GAVE STD TO HIS WIFE

This Pastor cheated on his wife and came down with an STD. Later, he gave it to his wife without knowing it. Both of them had to go and get a check-up and take medicine. Luckily, his wife stayed with him. But do you think she ever forgave him? This man is no longer a Pastor.

THE PASTOR WITH MANY WOMEN

This Pastor was caught sleeping with over 20 women in his own church. And it was found out later that his wife was a porn star. What happened to the man? He stepped down. But how on earth could he stand in the pulpit looking out into the congregation of over 20 women that he'd committed adultery with? How does a man do that?

THE BAR-GOING PASTOR

This pastor liked to frequent bars. He also like to frequent a whore who hung out there. When he was caught he lied about it three times. He is still pastoring today in his church.

THE MISSIONARY WHO LEFT HIS WIFE FOR A NATIVE

This missionary went to the field and started a big work. He eventually began to become more like the natives there and became infatuated with a young native woman. After it had been discovered he had been sleeping with her, he divorced his American wife in order to marry the native and he continued on as pastor.

THE PASTOR WHO CLAIMED TO BE A U.S. MARSHAL

This Pastor slept around a lot. Eventually he was followed to a bar by members of his church which caught him there with two women. The Pastor had told the women he was a U.S. Marshal, and they couldn't believe he was a Pastor even when the church members explained it to them. This man never dealt with this subject to his church, instead getting up the next Sunday and piously proclaiming, "I feel God wants me to step down as Pastor and move somewhere else to start a work!" He then left, and his other Pastor buddies protected him and swept his sin under the rug. Why would they do that?

THE PASTOR WHO DROVE HIS WIFE TO THE ARMY

This Pastor fell into sin with another woman, a younger woman. This so devestated his wife that she divorced him and then went and joined the army. He had to step down as Pastor when his sin came to light.

I could go on and on with stories like these and you could probably give me some as well. It is a horrible and shameful thing when a man who claims to be a man of God is caught in the vile and wicked sin of adultery. Not only should he step down from his position, but he should also give a public apology not only to God, but to the Church, and to the lost world as well. He is guily of committing a sin that God at one time practiced capital punishment on. And, his sin is not only a reproach upon himself, but upon Christ as well. It reflects badly upon the church and upon the children of both parties.

Adultery is a horrible sin. So the question must be asked, "Why are so many committing it today?" And, "Why are so many who claim to be Christians committing it as well?"

I don't know the answer. It's hard for me to see a man who claims to be spirit-filled commiting such a carnal act. Maybe he's not spirit-filled at all. Possibly he's not even saved!

All I know is I have no desire to adulterate. I just don't want to sin again God and risk losing my family. I don't want to ruin what God's given me. I don't want to throw it all away for a cheap thrill. So, how is it that others who claim to be ministers of the Gospel are willing to take that chance?

The SIN of Fornication

We live in a world today where many people don't think anything of jumping into bed with someone else. This is not only sad but scary as sexually transmitted diseases are on the rise. There are even commercials on Television which advertise syphillus medicine and creams for genital herpes. Words which people used to blush to speak about.

But the blatant acceptance of fornication wasn't always so. The idea of "free love" in the 60's (i.e. fornication) was frowned upon by society and hippies were looked upon as ruffians, vagabonds, freeloaders, and gypsies. But now just three generations later, they and their lifestyles are celebrated and even imitated by many. How could it be in just a few generations and few years that fornication went from being a sin to being "in?"

Even though people today chuckle when you say fornication is a "sin" the Bible still declares it to be wrong. In passage after passage we find God speaking against the act of two bodies joining together outside of His institution of the bounds of holy matrimony.

In the Bible, we read passages like:

Meats for the belly, and the belly for meats: but God shall destroy both it and them. Now the body is not for fornication, but for the Lord; and the Lord for the body. (1 Cor. 6:13)

Flee fornication. Every sin that a man doeth is without the body; but he that committeth fornication sinneth against his own body. (1 Cor. 6:18)

Nevertheless, to avoid fornication, let every man have his own wife, and let every woman have her own husband. (1 Cor. 7:2)

Now the works of the flesh are manifest, which are these; Adultery, fornication, uncleanness, lasciviousness, Idolatry, witchcraft, hatred, variance, emulations, wrath, strife, seditions, heresies, Envyings, murders, drunkenness, revellings, and such like: of the which I tell you before, as I have also told you in time past, that they which do such things shall not inherit the kingdom of God. (Gal. 5:19-21)

But fornication, and all uncleanness, or covetousness, let it not be once named among you, as becometh saints; (Eph. 5:3)

Mortify therefore your members which are upon the earth; fornication, uncleanness, inordinate affection, evil concupiscence, and covetousness, which is idolatry: (Col. 3:5)

For this is the will of God, even your sanctification, that ye should abstain from fornication: (1 Thes. 4:3)

Although many of these are commands not to fornicate, many today believe that fornication is not sin, rather a natural act between two consenting individuals, and a mutual experience of love between them. They simply cannot accept that something they believe to be so good can be a sin. Thus, they make light of God and the Bible, and call those who preach it old "fuddie-duddies" who "just haven't caught up with the times."

But God is adamant in his convictions. God hates sin and thusly God hates fornication. So much so, we find in one passage where God killed those who were guilty of this henious sin. We 1 Cor. 10:8 we read: "Neither let us commit fornication, as some of them committed, and fell in one day three and twenty thousand."

This passage speaks of a scene from Numbers 25 in which Israel sinned against God and many Israelites fornicated. Because of their fornication, God sent a plague upon the people which left 23,000 dead. Did you get that? God killed 23,000 people in one day all for one sin -- that of FORNICATING!

Now, as far as we know, God's never done that again. But have you ever thought what the world would be like if he did? I mean, what if God were to kill every person in this world everytime they fornicated? There would be a very small population left, wouldn't there? And those that were left would definitely make sure they didn't have sex outside of marriage. And you know what else? There wouldn't be any more sexually transmitted diseases. They would all be gone!

But God didn't do that. He wanted people to obey Him out of love, not out of fear. So he gave man freewill to decide if they would fornicate or not. Sadly, many choose the sin of fornication.

Sadder still, many who claim the name of Christ are fornicators. And probably most sad is when a man who claims to be a Pastor or a Minister of the Gospel commits this act. When that happens the whole world quickly jumps on him claiming he's "fallen." But why is it wrong for a preacher to do it, but not wrong for everyone else? The fact is it's wrong for ANYONE to fornicate! It is sin.

I remember before I was saved I was religious and I read my Bible daily. From my upbringing, religious teaching and studies I knew fornication was sin, and I determined in my heart not to do it. I remember my Mom, who was a Registered Nurse, bringing home a book when I was fourteen entitled, "The Encyclopedia of Sexually Transmitted Diseases: Illustrated." She told me to look through the book and I did. It scared me to see people's private parts eaten up with Sexually Transmitted Diseases and it changed my life. From that day I didn't look at girls with a lustful heart of "I want to get with her!" Instead my first thought was, "I wonder what disease she's got?" It really ruined me towards women. I was scared to death of getting an STD so I made up my mind I just wouldn't touch a woman until I was married.

But the thing I can't understand is how men can and do commit fornication and it never bothers them or their conscience. How can a man or a women live such loose lifestyles that they don't care about the consequences? They could get pregnant, get STDs, or worse, even AIDS. But they just don't care, and they remain sexually active often never using a condom.

As a teenager, I knew fornication was sin, because the Bible told me so. But could it be so simple that the reason others committed fornication was because they didn't know that?

I found out that wasn't the case. While a teenager in church I noticed even those kids in my youth group were sleeping around on Friday and Saturday nights, while coming to church all pious and holy on Sunday morning. How could they do such a thing and not feel bad.

After I got saved and got into the ministry I saw the thing that bothered me the most--those who claimed to be Christians and even preachers practicing fornication (and even adultery) with others. How could this be? And why didn't they feel bad about it? And weren't they concerned about what would happen to the church if they were found out?

To this day I still can't understand how a man can stand in the pulpit and preach against sin on Sunday while he's out committing it on Friday and Saturday night. How can he fornicate and yet feel no remorse?

To me fornication is sin. To God it is also sin. But how come it's not sin in the eyes of the world? And how can those who claim to be Christians be actively partaking of such a heinous transgression?

The Sin of Cross dressing

Probably the most hated thing for ministers to preach against today is the sin of women wearing pants. Women who do so are oftentimes angered to hear preaching like this and usually nag their husbands, and sometimes even give their preachers an earful. Because the world does it, and because many women so often have worn pants all their lives, they can't see anything wrong with it. And when a preacher preaches against it, it makes them furious, claiming the preacher has gone to "meddling" instead of simply preaching the Bible. But is this so? Is a preacher just trying to shove off his own convictions on the females of his congregation when he preaches this, or is he indeed preaching the Bible? Let's look at the verses and then the arguments against it and I ask you to search your self and see what you believe about the issue.

My wife and I have our own convictions on the subject, and I'll tell you from the get-go what we believe. We don't believe in wearing each other's clothes! My wife doesn't wear my slacks, and I don't wear her dresses. She has a conviction against wearing pants, blue jeans, shorts, suits, etc. And I have a conviction against wearing dresses, skirts, kilts, blouses, etc. These are our own personal convictions.

And I'll further state we don't try to push our convictions on anyone (like the Pharisees did). However, we do believe in pointing out the Bible verses we use to prove why we believe what we do, and we encourage people to pray about it after they've seen the verses and do what they know is right to please God. If a woman can wear pants and think it's pleasing to God, then let her do it. If a guy can wear a dress and he thinks this pleases God, then more power to him. Our only desire is to show them the scriptures and then pray they will make a decision based upon what GOD says about the issue.

Many Christians don't know there is a verse in the Bible that deals with this issue. Oftentimes preachers preach against women wearing pants, but they don't back it up with scripture. When they do, they usually use verses that are taken out of context, or oftentimes are stretched to the desired goal of the preacher.

The main verse in dealing with cross dressing found in Deuteronomy 22:5. It states:

The woman shall not wear that which pertaineth unto a man, neither shall a man put on a woman's garment: for all that do so are abomination unto the LORD thy God.

Because this verse is found in the Old Testament, many are quick to say, "Oh, that's written only to the Jews way back when under the law and it's not applicable to us today."

But is that the case? Of course we aren't under the law. In other words, we don't have to keep the law to be saved or stay saved.

However, look at that verse again. Notice it says it's an "abomination" to God for a man to wear that which pertains to a woman and vice versa.

Have you ever done a study on things in the Bible that God calls an abomination? You really should. For they are not only an abomination to God in the Old Testament, but they are still an abomination to God today. Just because we are under grace and not under the law doesn't mean it's not an abomination to God anymore.

Using this arguement, I could say the following, "Well, homosexuality was called an abomination to God in the Old Testament, but we are under grace, so it's okay today, and we as Christians should practice it!"

If I said that, I'm sure Christians would attack me vehemently and say, "NO! It's still wrong today!"

Well wait a minute? Then if that's wrong, because the Bible called it an abomination, then wouldn't women wearing pants be wrong as well?

Suddenly there is a great silence...

You see, you can't make an arguement like "Oh, that's just Old Testament law" and then say wearing pants is okay, unless you logically follow through with that argument and make all the things God said were an abomination to Him okay as well. And boy are there a lot of abominations in the Old Testament.

For my wife and I, we both don't want to be guilty of partaking in something God said was abominable. That's why for us personally we don't do cross-dressing. I don't wear dresses and she doesn't wear pants. That's our own personal conviction we've formed after reading the scriptures.

What we don't understand is when Christians hear this and know this that they can say, "Well, I don't care. So what if it's an abomination to God. I like my pants, and I'm going to wear them!"

How does this please the Lord? Shouldn't a women want to please God? And shouldn't a man want to do so as well? Doesn't a Christian woman's want to wear pants after she's heard and understood this show her rebellion against God and his word?

I'll let you answer that question for yourself. Once again, we aren't pushing our convictions on anyone. I'm not saying, like some crazy Fundamentalists do, "If a woman wears pants, she'll go to HELL!" That's ridiculous. However, I do point out the scriptures and the whole "abomination" thing and then look at how Christians respond to it. For me, we can't cross dress. My wife and I just feel we'd be dishonoring God if we did so. So how do others, who've heard the truth, continue doing so and it doesn't bother them at all?

Then the question becomes, "Well, is it a sin?" I'll neither say yea or nay. All I'll say is for me and my wife it is. While for others it might not be.

But one good thing about my wife wearing dresses only is that people notice her and see she's different. I can't tell you how many times we've been approached by people asking if we were Christians. Why did they say that? It was because of how we were dressed.

Wouldn't other Christian women get a chance to witness as well if they only wore dresses? But not doing so, are they robbing God of opportunites to witness for Christ?

I'll stop there. There are many more things I could say. But that's a lot for you to chew on. All I can say is, "I'm not going to wear dresses and my wife is not going to wear pants, and we like it that way! And we feel we are pleasing God! And it's been a great opportunity to witness for Jesus Christ, as people see our convictions and know we are different!"

WHEN IT'S WRONG TO GIVE

The Bible tells us it's a good thing to give. Jesus even said:

Give, and it shall be given unto you; good measure, pressed down, and shaken together, and running over, shall men give into your bosom. For with the same measure that ye mete withal it shall be measured to you again. (Luke 6:38)

The Bible also teaches us about "charity" which carries with it the connotation of sacrificial giving:

Let all your things be done with charity. (1 Cor 16:14)

So in the Bible, there is much teaching about "giving." But as I read the Bible, it doesn't command us to give away everything we have (communism), nor does it teach us we have to give to everyone we meet. In fact, as I read the Bible, I find that there are some times when it is actually WRONG to give to others. And I'd like to focus on this topic in this blog: "When it's wrong to give."

1. It's wrong to give when you are constrained to do so.

The Bible clearly teaches this in 2 Cor. 9:6-7...

6 But this I say, He which soweth sparingly shall reap also sparingly; and he which soweth bountifully shall reap also bountifully.
7 Every man according as he purposeth in his heart, so let him give; not grudgingly, or of necessity: for God loveth a cheerful giver.

Here the Bible teaches that giving should be as one desires to do from their heart, and not being forced to give against their will. In other words, giving should be something a man wants to do, and not something he has to do.

Giving should never be something that a person is pressured to do against their will. Paul makes this clear in 1 Cor 13:3, "And though I bestow all my goods to feed the poor, and though I give my body to be burned, and have not charity, it profiteth me nothing."

Paul says even if he gives away all that he has, it's for nought if he gives it without charity. He even says it profits him nothing. What he desires then, is to give out of love, and wanting to help, not out of constraint.

Oh, if only some of today's ministers would realize this and spend more time preaching on CHARITY than on TITHING, how different the world might be! For it's wrong to give because you've been forced to do so. You should give because you want to do so.

No wonder Jesus preached against the Pharisees who gave, but forgot to give with compassion:

But rather give alms of such things as ye have; and, behold, all things are clean unto you. But woe unto you, Pharisees! for ye tithe mint and rue and all manner of herbs, and pass over judgment and the love of God: these ought ye to have done, and not to leave the other undone. (Luke 11:41-42)

2. It's wrong to give when you do so only to look good in the eyes of others.

Jesus criticized the Pharisees continually because all they did was to be seen of men (Mt. 23:5), and not to please the Lord. When they gave offerings, they frequently gave large amounts, but did so only while making sure others were watching, so others would see what appeared to be a great sacrifice on the Pharisee's part.

Jesus even sat in the temple and watched the Phariee's giving, and was little impressed. In fact, he said the following:

And he looked up, and saw the rich men casting their gifts into the treasury. And he [Jesus] saw also a certain poor widow casting in thither two mites. And he said, Of a truth I say unto you, that this poor widow hath cast in more than they all: For all these have of their abundance cast in unto the offerings of God: but she of her penury hath cast in all the living that she had. (Luke 21:1-4)

Here we we the Pharisees giving of their abundance, and doing so only to be looked upon by man. However, Jesus saw a woman who gave more than them all, because she gave everything she had, and she did so willingly, and without pomp and circumstance.

If only our churches of today would learn this lesson. I've been in churches where offerings were received by a man in the pulpit like an auctioneer saying, "Who'll give 10 dollars, 20, 50, 100?"

After each monetary unit, he asked for a show of hands of who would give what, and then had a young person take the plate directly to the person who raised their hand to collect on the spot. Everyone looked around to see who was giving what. When it got to the 100 dollar denomination, very few raised their hands, but those who did were looked upon as those who gave the greatest sacrifice. But how is this scriptural? Is it right to give to the Lord and allow others to know how much you are giving, and then feel good about yourself because you gave more than others. Certainly not! That's what the Pharisee's did, and God didn't like it.

3. It's wrong to give when giving makes a person dependent upon you instead of working for themselves.

In this day and age in which we live, people have become accostumed to taking "hand-outs." This didn't used to be, as people knew the importance of hard work. But we live in a society today of lazy people who don't want to work. And, by giving a sob story, they've found they can live off of the kindness of others who out of pity (not love) give them alms.

Now hear me out. I'm not against helping people who really need it like the crippled who can't work. But I am very much against giving people something who don't need it, don't deserve it, and who have the ability to work for themselves, but just don't want to.

Does the Bible mention such people? Yes it does, and it calls them "sluggards:"

As vinegar to the teeth, and as smoke to the eyes, so is the sluggard to them that send him. (Proverbs 10:26)

The soul of the sluggard desireth, and hath nothing: but the soul of the diligent shall be made fat. (Proverbs 13:4)

The sluggard will not plow by reason of the cold; therefore shall he beg in harvest, and have nothing. (Proverbs 20:4)

Yes, there is a class of people who do not want to work. They would rather beg for a living than work. It is WRONG to give to such people, especially when they can work and contribute to society. For giving them welfare makes them dependent upon man instead of trusting in the Lord to supply their needs as they toil and labor as the Bible commands them:

For even when we were with you, this we commanded you, that if any would not work, neither should he eat. For we hear that there are some which walk among you disorderly, working not at all, but are busybodies. Now them that are such we command and exhort by our Lord Jesus Christ, that with quietness they work, and eat their own bread. (2 Th 3:10-12)

Even Jesus said:

Give not that which is holy unto the dogs, neither cast ye your pearls before swine, lest they trample them under their feet, and turn again and rend you. (Matthew 7:6)

For giving to such people and making them dependent upon you will make them angry when you run out and are unable to continue giving - so angry they will turn on you and perhaps even do you bodily harm. In Honduras they had a word for such people: PARASITES!

Therefore, it is wrong to give to those who are not truly in need, and can fend for themselves but they just don't want to.

4. It's wrong to give when what's given is used for evil.

I'm surprised how many non-profit organizations there are in the world today, and how they all are run by donations. But have you ever checked on those organizations to see who they really are and where the money really goes? Every now and then a news report will come out about one of these non-profit corporations which laundered money, and used people's donations for selfish gains instead of for it's intended purpose. What gets me is people who have given to that organization don't think much of it. But the truth is the money they gave in which they thought was going to a good cause was embezzled and enjoyed by someone who didn't need it!

The Bible commands us to "Prove all things; hold fast that which is good." (1 Thes. 5:21)

And again we are instructed to be busy: "Proving what is acceptable unto the Lord. And have no fellowship with the unfruitful works of darkness, but rather reprove them." (Eph 5:10-11)

We should never give without first investigating who we are giving to and exactly what it's going for. There are many liars and deceivers out there who are only interested in taking and using money for their selfish and ungodly lusts. They will LIE to get what they want. So it's important to make sure the person you are giving to can be trusted, and will not use what's given for evil, rather for good.

5. It's wrong to give when it's not your money to give!

You would think this would be a no-brainer. But unfortuneately, it's not. When it comes to politics and politicians, they give away a ton of money to many different nations through aid and international trade agreements. I'm not saying it's not good to help people with aid, but it should be the people's choice to give aid, and not the government's choice to use the people's money without their consent. There is a word for that - it's called STEALING!

What saith the scriptures about that? I'm glad you asked. (What's that? You didn't ask. Oh, well, I've give it to you anyway).

Let him that stole steal no more: but rather let him labour, working with his hands the thing which is good, that he may have to give to him that needeth. (Eph 4:28)

Notice this verse says that you should not steal. It further states that it's the individual who worked for the money who is responsible for giving to him that needeth, not a nation or an institution.

6. Finally, it's wrong to give to someone when he is doing wrong.

As we've seen, giving should be out of compassion, and it should be to help others in need. But when someone is living in sin openly and doesn't care about doing right, we should not support them or we too will be guilty of the sins they commit.

My Dad used to always say, "When you do right we'll help you and support you. When you do wrong we won't. We just can't help you do wrong! We don't reward bad behaviour!"

His philosophy was a good one. It made me want to do right in order to get reward. But, someone who rewards evil, helps evil increase.

A good example of this is a child who is living like the devil, yet his or her parents, give them everything their heart desires: a car, a home, money, the latest electronics, etc., but they never deal with the child's sin. What will happen to a child like that? Isn't it obvious? They will become a spoiled brat, who is used to getting their way. As they grow they will become more ungodly until they ultimately cross the line and experiment with drugs, liquor, fornication, adultery, etc. Eventually, the most likely the scenario is the child we transgress the law and begin a life of crime as they continue to get things the "easy way" through stealing, grand larceny and robbing from others. Because they were never taught to get reward by doing right, they will continue to do wrong and learn how to prosper in so doing. (This is how things like gangs, the mafia, and ungodly secret societies get started).

Should we give to the ungodly in hopes that it will make them do right? I'll let you decide that for yourself. But the Bible teaches us the following:

Enter not into the path of the wicked, and go not in the way of evil men. Avoid it, pass not by it, turn from it, and pass away. For they sleep not, except they have done mischief; and their sleep is taken away, unless they cause some to fall. For they eat the bread of wickedness, and drink the wine of violence. (Proverbs 4:14)

We should not enter into the path of the wicked, nor help them in any way in their wickedness. They live only to do violence, and mischief, and we are not to reward them for their transgressions.

In Summary, we find there are times in which it's WRONG to give. It's wrong to give because someone constrains you to give, it's wrong to give just too make yourself look charitable in the eyes of others. It's further wrong to give when you make a person dependent upon you and don't allow them to learn to work and provide for themselves. And finally, it's wrong to give to those who are doing evil and who will use what you give for the forces of darkness, rather than for what's right.

By all means, I'm not against giving. It's a good thing to be charitable. But you need to make sure what you give goes a long way and will make an impact for the most good. Don't give frivolously, but give smart. Giving to a cause that can and will use your donation to the fullest for the most good.

THE SIN OF HYPOCRISY

I don't know if you've ever thought about it, but the word "Hypocrite" was a word Jesus loved to use to describe the religious people in His day. Seventeen times in the New Testament, Jesus responds to the Pharisees as "Hypocrites." And, three times we find Jesus personally calling a man a "hypocrite" to his face. For Jesus, he had no problem calling people what they were-hypocrites!

So, what exactly is a "hypocrite?"

Answer: "It's someone who pretends to be something they are not."

That's the simplest defintion. When I think of hypocrites, I immediately think of ACTORS, because an actor is someone who pretends to be something he is not. His entire life is full of pretending, and he is praised for how well he portrays someone or something other than himself.

Sadly, in our modern society, actors are some of the most well-paid individuals and their profession is the most highly sought after. This should give you a little insight into the depravity of our day, and the mindset of the people. They would rather pretend to be something they are not, then to just be themselves.

As we study the scriptures, we find a hypocrite "puts on a show" for finacial gain, or to deceive others into thinking he is something different than he actually is. This is the Sin of Hypocrisy, and is what the Pharisees were guilty of. It's also what modern-day Pharisees do as well.

As we look at the life of the Pharisees of old, we find their greatest flaw was that of trying to appear righteous when they were not. They were "acting." And, they did so for a reason. They wanted others to respect, esteem, and follow them. However, they didn't want to be what they were supposed to be (righeous and holy), so they put on a show for others to make them think they were really good people, worthy of endorsing and obeying.

I'm sure if you went back in time to Jesus' day and visited the neighborhood and asked the people what they thought of the Priest, they'd probably say things like, "Oh, Rabbi Labinowitz is a very pious man! He is very consecrated and devoted to his religion. He's a priest who knows his law and follows it to the letter."

But if you actually visited the Rabbi's house, you'd probaby find a different story. In fact, if you could sit down and actually talk with the Rabbi's wife, I'm sure she'd tell you much to the contrary. As you listen to her describing what he's really like, you'd probably come away with an entirely different perspective of the man, realizing he's not perfect, and is a sinner like everyone else, but none the less someone who is trying to follow his religion the best way he knows how.

But what if you could have asked Jesus about the Rabbi? How different his answer would have been. For Jesus not only sees him from without, but he sees within him, and he knows the Rabbi's hypocrisy not only decieves the people, but can damn them as well. And Jesus would then warn you to stay away from the religious faker entirely, as his path leads straight to the gates of hell!

Why would Jesus be so against a man who claims to be a religious leader for so many? The answer lies within the scriptures themselves. Looking at the six times Jesus calls the Pharisees hypocrites in Matthew 23 we find an interesting thing:

Mat 23:13 But woe unto you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! for ye shut up the kingdom of heaven against men: for ye neither go in yourselves, neither suffer ye them that are entering to go in.
Mat 23:14 Woe unto you, scribes and Pharisees, HYPOCRITES! for ye devour widows' houses, and for a pretence make long prayer: therefore ye shall receive the greater damnation.
Mat 23:15 Woe unto you, scribes and Pharisees, HYPOCRITES! for ye compass sea and land to make one proselyte, and when he is made, ye make him twofold more the child of hell than yourselves.
Mat 23:23 Woe unto you, scribes and Pharisees, HYPOCRITES! for ye pay tithe of mint and anise and cummin, and have omitted the weightier matters of the law, judgment, mercy, and faith: these ought ye to have done, and not to leave the other undone.
Mat 23:25 Woe unto you, scribes and Pharisees, HYPOCRITES! for ye make clean the outside of the cup and of the platter, but within they are full of extortion and excess.
Mat 23:27 Woe unto you, scribes and Pharisees, HYPOCRITES! for ye are like unto whited sepulchres, which indeed appear beautiful outward, but are within full of dead men's bones, and of all uncleanness.
Mat 23:28 Even so ye also outwardly appear righteous unto men, but within ye are full of hypocrisy and iniquity.
Mat 23:29 Woe unto you, scribes and Pharisees, HYPOCRITES! because ye build the tombs of the prophets, and garnish the sepulchres of the righteous.

In these verses we find the sins of the Hypocrite. Jesus lamblasts the Pharisees because of their:

1. Shutting up the kingdom of Heaven against men (i.e. their false and damnable teachings) Mt. 23:13

2. Devouring Widows' Houses (i.e. their love of money) Mt. 23:14

3. Proselyting and making Children of Hell (i.e. corrupting the youth) Mt. 23:15

4. Omit Judgment, Mercy, and Faith (i.e. They have no compassion on others) Mt. 23:23

5. Full of extoriton and excess (i.e. They black mail others into doing their bidding) Mt. 23:25

6. They build the tombs of the prophets and garnish them (i.e. they praise men more than God) Mt. 23:28

Now, before going any further, let me state something that is very troubling to me: "These same sins that Jesus rebukes the Hypocritical Pharisees for, I find very prominate within the modern Fundamentalist Movement today!"

I'm going to be nice, or as nice as I can be. I'm not saying that all Fundamentalists are "Hypocrites!" Nor am I saying they are all "damned" and on their way to Hell. But I am saying, and as loudly and dogmatically as I can, and to anyone that will listen, that modern Fundamentalism is headed the way of the Pharisees, as it too is guilty of many of the very same things that Jesus preached against to the Pharisees.

For example, it's common place today among many many Fundamentalist ministers to:

1. Preach Another Gospel. (One of doing something, instead of simply resting upon what Christ has already done).

2. Persue finacial gain and use their positions of authority to amass riches.

3. Proselyte and pervert many young people in their Fundamentalist schools, teaching them doctrines and traditions foreign to the scriptures, making them "groupies" instead of men of God who put Jesus first.

4. Persecute, ridicule, and attack others who do not do things their way.

5. Pressure others through "blackmail" to do what they desire.

6. Praise other men exalting them beyond measure, instead of simply praising God.

Now maybe you don't see things like this happening in your church or Bible School. If not, then praise the Lord! But if you are in the ministry, you see this happening all the time. Men, who claim to be ministers, gain control and have set themselves up as Governors, who amass to themselves more political power through corrupt and perverse means. They might look like great men of God without, but inside they are Jesus said, "Full of Hypocrisy, iniquity (Mt. 23:28), and all uncleaness (Mt. 23:37)."

If you haven't met such men, don't worry. You probably soon will. For in these last days, they are showing themselves more and more. Before Jesus came the first time, they were well in positions of authority and protected by their fellow men. And when Jesus comes again, I'm sure they will be here just as they were before.

We are also living in a day and age in which these HYPOCRITES are becoming political. They are joining the world and beginning to adopt the traditions and teachings of the world. And very soon, I believe, the world is going to start pushing and persecuting true Christians. When this happens, you'll start to see who the real hypocrites are, as they will do just what the Pharisees of old did: They will join the powers that be against Jesus and his disciples, and persecute them!

Are you a hypocrite? Are you guilty of the sins of hypocrisy? It's not to late to Repent!

Before Jesus came on the scene, John the Baptist came and preached "Repent!" And you know the story, the only people who didn't repent were the Pharisees; the HYPOCRITES. How about you? Are you one of them?

THE SIN OF THE LOVE OF MONEY

Another grevious sin that's quite prevalent among Pastors today in the Fundamentalist movement is "the love of money."

The Bible has much to say about this destructive sin. Let us read together in 1 Timothy chapter six, verses 5-11...

5 Perverse disputings of men of corrupt minds, and destitute of the truth, supposing that gain is godliness: from such withdraw thyself.
6 But godliness with contentment is great gain.
7 For we brought nothing into this world, and it is certain we can carry nothing out.
8 And having food and raiment let us be therewith content.
9 But they that will be rich fall into temptation and a snare, and into many foolish and hurtful lusts, which drown men in destruction and perdition.
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.
11 But thou, O man of God, flee these things; and follow after righteousness, godliness, faith, love, patience, meekness.

First, make sure you note that according to verse eleven, the Apostle Paul is speaking here to a "man of God" or a Pastor. And he warns him of the "love of money" proclaiming that it is the very "root of ALL Evil" in verse 10.

I must admit, when I first was saved and I read this verse, I really didn't understand it. How could someone loving money be the root of all the evil in the entire world? I really didn't see it, nor comprehend it. But I must say now I understand it completely. For the love of money (i.e. covetousness, or the wanting of gain for one's self), can lead a man to any means and yea even any sin to get what he desires. (i.e. fame, fortune, recognition, and material possessions).

But isn't it interesting that Paul warns a Preacher against this sin? How come not too many preachers preach against this sin of loving money? When was the last time you heard a message on it? Probably never. And if you did, it was probably not put in its proper context as a warning to a Pastor!

I personally believe the worst part about loving money, is that it will get you to trust it instead of trusting in God. And, if you love money, it'll eventually become your God, and your driving force in life, which will move you towards your goal of working in any means you can to secure to yourself more fortune. This then makes you a "heirling" who is working for money instead of working for God. And in our world today we see many a preacher who cares more about making themselves rich instead of practicing and preaching the true riches of God, such as love, joy, peace, and longsuffering.

Even within modern Fundamentalism, there are preachers guilty of the sin of the love of money, just like the religious Pharisees of old were. I've met them, and I see them not only in many pastorates across the country, but I also see a great cloud of their number growing as they are hatched out of Bible Colleges and Christian Theological Universities like chicks in poultry hatcheries. This new breed is taught in modern Bible schools that they are to be measured by their "success," which they are taught depends upon how big their salaries are, how many people sit in their congregation, and how gigantic of a "church house," "temple" or "cathedral" they build. Because success is measured in physical value of assets, the emphasis quickly turns to the carnal instead of the spiritual, and this pressures a minister to spend more time working to acheive things in his own strength, than to simply get on his knees and beg a powerful God to simply work on his behalf.

The emphasis is no longer on prayer and fasting, rather on pleasure and feasting. And the minister eventually gets to the place where he feels he's not acheived anything for God if he doesn't have a small, visible kingdom to show for it. In short, he becomes a Laodicean, and he can't even see his sinful, backslidden and carnal condition.

Just look at what God says about such a man in Revelation Rev 3:14-20:

14 And unto the angel of the church of the Laodiceans write; These things saith the Amen, the faithful and true witness, the beginning of the creation of God;
15 I know thy works, that thou art neither cold nor hot: I would thou wert cold or hot.
16 So then because thou art lukewarm, and neither cold nor hot, I will spue thee out of my mouth.
17 Because thou sayest, I am rich, and increased with goods, and have need of nothing; and knowest not that thou art wretched, and miserable, and poor, and blind, and naked:
18 I counsel thee to buy of me gold tried in the fire, that thou mayest be rich; and white raiment, that thou mayest be clothed, and that the shame of thy nakedness do not appear; and anoint thine eyes with eyesalve, that thou mayest see.
19 As many as I love, I rebuke and chasten: be zealous therefore, and repent.
20 Behold, I stand at the door, and knock: if any man hear my voice, and open the door, I will come in to him, and will sup with him, and he with me.

Even though the Pastor thinks his possessions are his because he has acheived much in his service for the Lord, God says otherwise. God calls him, "...wretched, poor, miserable, blind, and naked." (vs 17)

And God even stresses his need to REPENT (vs 19), as he tells him that He's not even been invited inside the church (vs 20). Everything the Pastor has done, he's done without God, yet he did in in God's name. And he's profited off of all he's done.

With this in mind, I'd just like to give a brief personal experience of a time when I met a Pastor who's sin was the love of money. By the way, they are very easy to spot as they are always talking about money (out of the abundance of the heart the mouth speaketh), and how much they have done and are doing for God.

Once my wife and I visited a church I was invited to preach in. While there the Pastor gave us the tour. My wife and I kept looking at each other as he kept saying things like, "Look at those pews. We just had those put in. They cost me 30,ooo dollars! And look over there, we just had the parking lot repaved, it cost me 25,000 dollars!" On and on he went pointing out things and then telling us how much it cost.

Several things bothered me. First, he kept saying it cost "him" that much, but the truth of the matter is the church (the people, i.e. the CONGREGATION) fit the bill. That is they paid for it, not him. Secondly, why was he bragging on all that stuff, and how much it was worth?

As I got to know the Pastor better, it was blatantly obvious his God was money, and he was very "political" in his connections, and very "business minded" in his approach to the things of God.

I started the morning by listening to the Sunday School in the Spanish ministry. As I listened, many things jumped out to me that were wrong. For example, the teacher said, "Cain killed Able with the jawbone of an ass!" I immediately laughed out loud, but was asked to keep quiet and not disrupt the service. But the jawbone of the ass story was that of Sampson, not Cain and Abel. Over and over the Sunday School teacher made small errors, and mistakes and mis-spoke like that, and it became blatantly obvious that he didn't know his Bible. I had to bit my tongue time and again, but I remained quiet.

When it came time for the Sunday morning service, in which I was the guest speaker, I waited patiently as they sang hymns. Finally, they sat everyone down, and then they followed through with a church "program," in which they gave those who brought visitors a five dollar gift card to Wal-mart, and to each visitor they gave the same. I thought about that and my blood boiled. That's actually paying people to come to church!!!

On and on the program went, and eventually I was given the pulpit at forty-five minutes after the hour. I preached twenty minutes, (the shortest sermon of my life), and can you believe the Pastor actually got mad at me for going five minutes longer than my alotted time?

I was asked to preach the evening service, and again it was the same thing. Programs took up much of the service, and one of the things they did was ask the congregation how many tracts they'd passed out that week. They went around the entire church, one by one, asking people to give the number they'd distributed and I watched the Pastor as he wrote down each response and the church applauded each person for passing out tracts. At the end, before I was called to preach, the Pastor totalled up the exact number of tracts gotten out and announced it to the church, which then was received with thunderous applaus, as they rejoiced that they had done so much for the Lord. But in my mind, I remember thinking, "What is going on here? How is this pleasing to God? These people are getting their reward down here! Why then should they expect to get rewarded for passing out tracts up in heaven?" For it appeared to me that most of those who passed out tracts did it only for show, or to brag about how many they'd passed out that week, or just to not look lazy in the eyes of others. It became batantly obvious, they didn't pass out tracts because they loved the Lord, they did it to get attention from the eyes of others!

I then stood up and preached on the blood of Jesus Christ, and I felt like I was in a tree full of owls. No one seemed excited, happy, or thankful. I even told them, "According to the Bible, salvation is by blood atonement, and because of this Christianity used to be called 'That old slaughter house religion!' How many of you have ever heard that?" In a crowd of over 100 people, not a hand was raised.

The Pastor after the service took up an offering for my wife and I, saying, "Everything collected will go directly to Bro. Breaker." It didn't, and the next day I was only given a small check from the church and sent on my way. (Another sin that's common in Fundamentalist churches).

I learned later that the Pastor was in all the famous Fundamentalists magazines, and recently received a reward for being the fastest growing church in that state. Yet it appeared to me, he only cared about his money, his kingdom, and was only interested in the praise of men, and not about the Gospel of Jesus Christ.

You might say, "Oh, Bro. Breaker. There you go again. You think you are right and everyone else is wrong, and everyone is apostate but you!" (Which some have recently said). But wait! Let me tell you the rest of the story. I spoke with Spanish Pastor the next day, and we talked about several things. He confessed to me that he knew there were some things wrong in that church, and he didn't like them. But he said was the head of the Spanish Bible School there, and that the English Pastor held power over the student's and their visas (many of them were from other countries), and had threatened, "If you hispanics don't do what I say, I will deport you back to your own countries!"

Now what do you make of such a thing? I'm telling you a personal illustration of something I've seen with my own eyes in an Independent Baptist Church, and I'm asking you, does that sound right to you?

Clearly, the sin of "THE LOVE OF MONEY" has quite an influence over people, and can do a lot of damage to the cause of Christ, as it makes men slaves to a man, instead of free in Christ.

Sadly, I've seen situations like this one in more than one church. Pastors, who love money more than God, set themselves up as Baptist Popes, who use their power and influence to get gain. But gain is not godliness! The scriptures plainly tell us that!

I'm not saying that all Pastors or bad, and that the whole Independent Baptist Movement is apostate. I'm sure there are still some good churches and some spirit-filled Pastors out there who are living for God and preaching hard against sin. But I am saying they are also a lot of Pastors out there guilty of this sin of the love of money. And, I am saying the way the Independent Baptist movement is set up, with it's traditions, and giving too much power to one man, and it's making a "business" out of Christianity, it's easy for Pastors to slip into that mentality, as the pressure is on them to build big churches, and have a lot of money coming in order to build more ministries in order to look good in the eyes of the brethren.

One thing I've learned is when you pressure a man, it's a lot easier for him to compromise. And when a man believes he must be successful to look good in the eyes of other Pastors, you can write it down, he will eventually compromise in order to reach that goal!

Modern Fundamentalists Independent Baptists are more and more being spit out of Bible Schools and Institutes that teach them they should strive to gain the support of their fellow ministers, rather than get alone with God through prayer and fasting. They are told the ultimate goal is to build a big church and get a name for themselves so they can set up new Bible Schools (where the real money is) and get a "doctorate" behind their names, so they can preach in other pulpits (where they usually receive big offerings) and write articles for big name Fundamentalist Bible Newspapers and Magazines. When they've acheived that, they can then "retire" (Oh, that really erks me! I'm going to have to write a blog on why there is no such thing as a Missionary or Pastor "retiring" for the ministry is a CALLING, and not a PROFESSION), and receive a pension in their old age.

They are also taught "loyalty" to their school or affiliation, or a Man, instead of loyalty to Christ, while they are encouraged to follow MAN MADE PROGRAMS, and METHODS, instead of simply following the word of God. Which often times leads to then becoming nothing more than Pharisees who desires the "praise of men" and "financial gain" instead of the favor of God, and his grace.

But it's been my experience, and I'm trying to be nice, respectful, and tactful here when I state this, that a lot of these "big-name" Fundamentalists are nothing but a bunch of old "blow hards" who have built themselves a kingdom, and then live off of those "serfs" they've subjagated.

They have set up a profitable, material "religion," which focuses on carnal things instead of focusing on spiritual. Because of this, men and women alike can sit on their church pews for years without ever hearing the Gospel, and die and go to Hell deceived into trusting in their religion, their denominational affiliation, or their Pastor, instead of trusting in the finished work of God alone on bloody Calvary.

While they claim the focus is on "winning souls," they never stop to think whether they are doing it the right way or not. So often they try to do it the way their school tells them, instead of the old time way of simply opening the scriptures and showing a man his sin, God's sacrifice, and man's need of trusting Christ as his substitute. Instead, the "soul winner" is told to simply get a person to quickly repeat a prayer after them, and then get them to church to be baptized. Or as many a Fundamentalist has put it, "Win them, wet them, and work them!" Sadly, they never deal with the reality that many of those they supposedly "win" to the Lord, never darken the door of the church thereafter. Or, if they do get someone "saved" and then "baptized" they oftentimes never come back. Why doesn't someone mention this simple fact?

Let me just give another personal example here, of how Baptist "tradition" has turned the emphasis to just "doing" instead of "taking the time to make sure it's done right!"

There is a very famous Pastor in modern Fundamentalism, who puts out a rather widely circulated monthly paper full of articles by many well-known fundamentalists. Once this man held a revival in his church, and afterwards, he had a baptism. At the beginning of his ministry, he usually asked the people if they were saved, and to give their testimony to the church. But as he became more famous, he would baptize them quickly, just to get it over with. During the revival after one of the services, this Pastor decided to "personally" baptize the "initates" himself (Big name guys usually let others do their dirty work nowadays). When he was about to dunk one of them in the water, he paused and decided to ask him whether he knew he was saved or not. The "canidate" responded, "Well,... I mean I guess so! ... You know, I mean, I really don't know for sure."

Embarrased, the Pastor quickly dunked him under, rather the deal with the backlash of possibly baptizing a man who wasn't even saved! (And in order to not look bad in front of the many other Pastors there in attendance at the revival).

Nothing but the best, huh? Want to know the worst of it? In his magazine he made it a point to list those converts who were baptized each month, as he liked to brag about it, and he made sure he counted that person who, you know, "...Really didn't know for sure if he was saved or not!"

Sound a little "fishy" to you? It does to me. I've been around and I've seen how modern Fundamentalism has become a "business" which makes "merchandise" out of people. (Wow, that almost sounds like a Bible verse. Oh yeah, it is!)

Here's another story for you. I once visited a large church in Michigan, where unbeknownst to be a rather well-known "big-wig" in the Fundamentalist movement attended. Because of his grand fame, and because I think he was feeding off of the praise of men, this man stood at the front of the church and greeted people as they came in. When I entered with a friend of mine, the man told me his name, and became upset that I didn't know who he was. He said things like, "I'm [his name], don't you know me? I'm [his name], I just came back from California where I had 500 saved, haven't you heard of me? I'm [his name] and I've just returned from Mexico where I had 800 saved. Don't you know me?"

I turned to my friend and said quietly in his ear, "Boy, there sure are a lot of 'I's' in this church!" Pointing out how full of himself this man was.

When I told the man I was sorry but I'd never heard of him, he said it was okay, and then he asked me who was and who my Pastor was. When I told him, and he found out it was someone he didn't like, he immediatly turned around and walked away without another word.

That wasn't the worst of it! Nope, right then over to my right came a small crowd of several Bible students who said ecstatically, "Oh my gosh, I can't believe it! You got to talk with [his name]! I can't believe it! You are so lucky!"

Does that sound right to you? Almost sounds like a "cult" doesn't it?

I found out later that the man was a "co-founder" of a large and well-known Fundamentalist Bible College and that he'd personally put up a large fortune to help start that academic institution, which many others I've talked to also look at as a "cult" in its own right, with many of it's graduates leaving that school and building their own "kingdoms" with methods devised by the founder. The graduates, often times by the fruit of their labours, prove they are infected with the sin of "the love of money." As they are often obsessed with the financial aspect of the ministry instead of the spiritual. (In fact, in the school they came from, people were even "ridiculed" for studying their Bibles to much! What?)

Right then and there it clicked in my mind! And I realized how money and Christianity mixed together make it a "business" which leads to apostasy, and cultic attitudes. And it's sad to see, but apostasy and apostate practices have their start in the destroying sin of "the love of money."

If you are a Pastor, how about asking yourself, "Am I guilty of this sin?" If so, REPENT TODAY! If not, praise the Lord! But please don't remain silent. Preach against this sin that this the root of all evil. For it is destroying our world, destroying our country, destroying our churches, and even destroying souls.

If you look at the early apostles, they were persecuted instead of prosperous. And they brought true revival in the world. That is quite a difference in comparison to today, where we see more religion in the world today than in any other time in history, but less redeemed saints of God who are completely sold out to God than any other time in the Church Age. Just think on that for a while. Or, as I like to say when I'm preaching, "In the times of the apostles, you found Christians who loved God enough to DIE for Him. Now, it's hard to even find a Christian who is willing LIVE for Him!" Why? Because they love money more than their Master.