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We can see how important sound doctrine is. It can mean the difference between you going to Hell or going to Heaven.
Hey! How's it going? Welcome once again to the church where God's word is preached and no punches are pulled.
For a few announcements first:
We still have the homeless, parentless kids staying here with us at the church. There has been a remarkable change taking place in them. The one little girl goes on and on about church. “Is it church yet? I love church!”
A little structure and discipline has made a huge change in them. They are starting to act like humans. This is quite a change from what they were, and if this is indicative of what's out there in the world today, we are in a lot of trouble in any future hope for this country.
We have missionary Charles Joyce scheduled to speak August 3rd for the morning service. We look forward to that, and hearing about the work in Burkina Faso!
Also, the youth group have a day at the fair scheduled for August 1st. All day ride passes will be provided for all youth group members. You'll be required to pay entry admission. Should be a fun time.
Then finally, summer camp is here again! We are praying and trusting God this year to do some great things at camp. I think camp begins on August 11th. Phil's in charge of the camp project, so direct any questions to him.
I'm supposed to go to the studio Monday and Tuesday to finish my latest music CD. I pray it happens because the studio guy is moving, and time is critical right now. There is much work to be done yet on the “Clips In Time” project. Hope it will be out for digital download within the next few months.
I have one final big announcement to make and that is the Jalapeño peppers are getting ripe in the garden! Yes! Hallelujah!
Well, OK, enough of that. I know this “inordinate affection” with hot peppers drives grandma Hansen crazy. She's cooks her heart out over some delicious meal and after we are done eating I'll say something like, em mm, mm, those hot peppers were great! She'll just look at me and shake her head.
Yes, August is promising to be a busy month. Let's pray it will be a fruitful one also.
“But speak thou the things which become sound doctrine:” (Titus 2:1).
How important is sound doctrine? Doctrine is everything, and if your church isn't teaching and preaching sound doctrine, you need to get out of that church. That's why I say the “churches” around that miss the mark in sound doctrine (especially in the area of salvation) are useless spiritually speaking. Not only are they useless, they are dangerous!
Week after week I drive by the cults and they are full of gullible suckers following the “blind leaders of the blind”. You go by the Seventh Day Adventist cult, who are so confused they evidently think they are Jews, so they abstain from meats and keep the Jewish sabbath, mixing works and grace to produce one confused sick puppy which they call a church. The Adventist cult teaches that people do not go to Hell when they die, but simply go to the grave awaiting resurrection. Now the president of the cult in England is issuing a warning that Hell should not be preached. Of course, in keeping with this twisted generation, they think they know more that Jesus, who said:
“And if thy hand offend thee, cut it off: it is better for thee to enter into life maimed, than having two hands to go into hell, into the fire that never shall be quenched:
Where their worm dieth not, and the fire is not quenched.” (Mark 9:43,44).
Now you can understand the “butt ugly” comments I make concerning this arrogant generation.
They are not running around naked, and John is marrying George. Some are running around in their little short shorts and on a vegetarian diet, and Joe is shacking up with Sally. They live in a half a million dollar home, and their kid is a poodle dog. Maybe they have one kid they don't discipline, so they count to ten, while the little demon continues to have their clueless parent wrapped around his pinky.
Then you have the Mormon Cult, supposedly the 2nd largest religion in Oregon, who teach you can become a god of your own planet. There is talk by some of the idiots that Mr. McCain ought to pick Mitt Romney for his running mate. Why not pick someone like Milton Henschel? Perhaps they'll travel to the Pleiades star cluster together! The stench would be just as great in the nostrils of a holy God. The God of the Bible hates Mormonism.
The Mormons also deny the doctrine of the Hell that Jesus spoke of. The Hell of Mormonism is outer darkness. That is where you are “spiritually dead” until you are resurrected and judged according to your works. Then nobody knows what happens after that.
Again, the arrogance of this sick society! They want to teach Jesus what is right or wrong!
Then you have the Catholic cult, the largest church in Oregon supposedly. You can't tell them anything either. They supposedly believe in Hell, but teach you get saved by getting sprinkled as a baby. You are not saved unless you are a Catholic, and their mediator is Mary. What a mess, and yet people reject the true Jesus and accept the counterfeit. You can see how they will be easily deceived to follow Antichrist.
We can see how important sound doctrine is. It can mean the difference between you going to Hell or Heaven. But the Bible is doctrine. It was given for us to guide the church as well as our personal lives.
“That the aged men be sober, grave, temperate, sound in faith, in charity, in patience.” (Titus 2:2).
Sound doctrine is important for the development of the saints. Sound Biblical preaching should bring saints to maturity and godliness. For the “aged” men, there were given desired and proper behavioral characteristics. He is to be sober, grave, and temperate.
Now we must define aged, and lets say it is anyone older that I am. Let's be safe, because some don't feel “aged” although they may be “aged” physically. Ah, let's see, how about ninety? If that offends someone, I'm sorry. You just need to grow up!
OK, now that we have that settled, the old gopher needs to lay off of the bottle and quit nipping, you old wino you. No actually I think that falls under the temperate part which means moderation. The aged man should be “sober” which means being serious and solemn as well as “not intoxicated or over powered by spirituous liquors”. I also preach that being sober is having a grip on where we fit in doctrinally and dispensationally, not having some pie in the sky, whew, we are in a national revival stupidity, or some everything is so niiice misguided view of things..
He should be “sound in the faith, in charity, in patience”.
By this time a man should be beyond the diaper stage, and have his senses exercised the discern both good and evil. He should have enough experience in Christian battle to be a well weathered soldier of Jesus Christ. He should have lived through, and have witnessed many victories. Having experienced God working in his life so many times, he should be able to bring comfort, counsel, and a godly example to the younger people of the church.
“The aged women likewise, that they be in behaviour as becometh holiness, not false accusers, not given to much wine, teachers of good things;
That they may teach the young women to be sober, to love their husbands, to love their children.” (Titus 2:3,4).
Ah, the part I love. Preaching on women! Yes! Well, I can preach on the inferior sex, and get away with it. Keep praying ladies. Maybe someday you'll become a man. Alright, enough foolishness. There it is again. The dreaded word “aged”. This time it is applied to women. Let's keep that definition at ninety and over for now. But, mind you, it wouldn't hurt for some of the young chicks out there, let's say sixty to eighty nine, to be an example to the younger ladies.
Being “in behaviour as becometh holiness” pretty much says it all. We should all live holy lives, for without holiness, no man shall see God. I would guess there would be a tendency for aged women to be false accusers, so that is something you should make a note of and watch out for. If Satan is a “accuser of the brethren,” it is not a quality we should desire. Maybe you wouldn't want to read that much into this, but a big mouth can do a lot of damage in the church. Consider this:
“These six things doth the LORD hate: yea, seven are an abomination unto him:
A proud look, a lying tongue, and hands that shed innocent blood.
An heart that deviseth wicked imaginations, feet that be swift in running to mischief,
A false witness that speaketh lies, and he that soweth discord among brethren. (Prov. 6:16-19).
God hates your big mouth as much as He hates Pride, Liars, murderers, wicked devices and splitting churches.! Think about the example you are setting for others. You should know better!
“For none of us liveth to himself, and no man dieth to himself.”
For whether we live, we live unto the Lord; and whether we die, we die unto the Lord: whether we live therefore, or die, we are the Lord's. (Romans 14:7,8).
“not given to much wine”. There it is! Welches grape juice! No, not really. I do differ on this from most Baptist churches as I do not teach or believe the Bible teaches total abstinence per se. I believe drunkenness is sin, but I also believe there are numerous complications involved with moderate drinking, and I personally do not believe the “benefit” of imbibing outweighs the potential damage you can do to yourself and your testimony. Does anyone think they can give a gospel tract to the store attendant after paying for their six pack of Bud for instance? What do you say to the kids who see you carrying wine and beer bottles around. The list goes on. If you can drink and maintain holiness, pray and read your Bible and maintain your fellowship with the Lord, more power to you. To me, there is nothing like a clear mind, and a clear conscience.
“Teachers of good things”. Teach the younger women good things. This you might consider. Those little eyes are watching you. That may be a good reason to bite your tongue and not do the tit for tat thing. We take wrong for the gospel of Christ. We do no good by acting like children when we are supposed to be the examples.
If we walk in the Spirit, all things will go well. How many of us are totally yielded to the Spirit? If we obey, God will shed new light, and bring us closer to Him.
“And every man that hath this hope in him purifieth himself, even as he is pure.” (I Jn. 3:3). CP
Created By CyberPastor on 07/27/2008 12:35 PM
Last updated by CyberPastor on 07/27/2008 12:37 PM
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