New Jersey Institute of Theological Studies

Friday, March 23, 2012

When God Hides His Face by Chaplain Mark Stevens

Thursday, November 10, 2011

How to Interpret Scripture

1. Come to the Scriptures prayerfully. Most of the great Bible interpreters were guided by prayer in their studies. The necessity of the involvement of the Holy Spirit is vital!

2. Allow Scripture to interpret itself and refuse to be clouded by personal doctrinal presuppositions. This really sets the great Bible expositors apart from those who refuse to depart from their denomination's guidelines.

3. Begin with understanding what the passage actually says, and yet always ask, "What does the passage really mean?"

4. Pay as much attention to the original Hebrew and Greek as your learning will allow you. (For those without language training, an interlinear Bible can be very helpful as can be a Bible dictionary).

5. Never use one of the paraphrased (very loose) translations to establish doctrine! The KJV, NKJV and NIV are very sound primary study translations, but the more paraphrased versions, such as the NLT, have a place in more devotional reading.

The Problem With Religion

Religion is quick to discredit the ministries of others
Religion is very judgmental and is quick to discredit others who are laboring in the kingdom for the sake of Christ. Even if a minister has a few flaws, but the rest of his ministry is bearing good fruit for the kingdom, religion will be quick to overlook all the good fruit, and focus in on the handful of negatives and flaws rather than the good fruit that is evident. Look at how even though Jesus was flawless in everything He did, the religious Jews would criticize him for healing somebody on the sabbath!
Religion is very legalistic
Dead religion is full of legalism. Legalism is strict adherence to the law, but also disguises itself in other ways. For example, a person may be dying of cancer, yet refuse to go to the hospital because they feel like if they go, then they are not trusting God for their healing. That's not true faith in God's Word, but rather a form of legalistic fear!
Religion is argumentative and "always right"
Religion likes to prove to everybody that it is right, and everybody else is wrong. Religion always feels that it's opinion is correct, and everybody else is still learning. This is a form of religious pride which the Pharisees practiced quite well.
For men shall be lovers of their own selves, covetous, boasters, proud, blasphemers, disobedient to parents, unthankful, unholy, Without natural affection, trucebreakers, false accusers, incontinent, fierce, despisers of those that are good, Traitors, heady, highminded, lovers of pleasures more than lovers of God; Having a form of godliness, but denying the power thereof: from such turn away.

2 Timothy 3:2-5
Correction does not settle well with religion
Since religion is 'always right', it hates correction from others, even if it was done in a loving manner. Do you hate it when others show you where you've been wrong? This is pride and goes along with a religious mindset.
Religion also shakes hands with rebellion
Since religion is always right and does not like to be corrected, it naturally hates God-ordained authority which is in place to correct and to guide that person. Religion wants to feel like it is at the top of the food chain, and that it answers to nobody.
For men shall be lovers of their own selves, covetous, boasters, proud, blasphemers, disobedient to parents, unthankful, unholy, Without natural affection, trucebreakers, false accusers, incontinent, fierce, despisers of those that are good, Traitors, heady, highminded, lovers of pleasures more than lovers of God; Having a form of godliness, but denying the power thereof: from such turn away.

2 Timothy 3:2-5
Fearing the loss of your salvation?
Anytime a person is tormented over the idea of losing their salvation, it is a direct result of a religious mindset or spirit. Why? Because if that person knew the loving and merciful nature of God, they would realize that repentance and acceptance of the work of Christ would restore them to right standing with Him (therefore no need to fear loss of something that you can obtain so easily - after all, it is the gift of God!). Unfortunately, they fear loss of salvation because their way of being right with God is somewhat 'earned', and they can never earn right standing with God.
Are you scared or afraid of God?
This is another fruit of the religious mindset. Anybody who truly understands the loving, merciful, and gracious God that we serve would realize that if they will repent of their sins and accept the free gift of God which was paid for on the cross, they will know that they are in right standing with God and that He deeply desires a loving relationship with them.
Fears of the unpardonable sin
This is a common one! As you can see above, if you are tormented over losing your salvation, then it means you are not looking at the loving and merciful nature of God towards us, but rather caught up in a religious mindset. The same concept is true with those who are afraid they've committed the unpardonable sin. They don't realize the loving and merciful nature of their heavenly father, and therefore they feel that He is angry with them and will no longer accept them because of what they've done. This again, is in a sense, earning your right standing with God. If you are truly repentant and have accepted the work of Christ on the cross, then there is no need to be worried about whether or not you are in right standing with God. I have done much research on the unpardonable sin, and to put it in a nutshell, anybody who has truly committed the unpardonable sin will not be interested in having a relationship with God whatsoever. You can read more on this subject in my teaching on The Unpardonable Sin.
Religion is prideful and arrogant
Religion is the worse form of pride. It lifts the person up on a self-righteous pedestal, while it sees everybody else as either unworthy. A prime example of this is found in a parable that Jesus told to the religious folks:
And he spake this parable unto certain which trusted in themselves that they were righteous, and despised others: Two men went up into the temple to pray; the one a Pharisee, and the other a publican. The Pharisee stood and prayed thus with himself, God, I thank thee, that I am not as other men are, extortioners, unjust, adulterers, or even as this publican. I fast twice in the week, I give tithes of all that I possess. And the publican, standing afar off, would not lift up so much as his eyes unto heaven, but smote upon his breast, saying, God be merciful to me a sinner. I tell you, this man went down to his house justified rather than the other: for every one that exalteth himself shall be abased; and he that humbleth himself shall be exalted.

Luke 18:9-14
You'll never feel good enough!
You will never feel good enough for right standing with God, if you are caught up in a religious mindset. No matter how much good you do, or how much you repent of your sins, you will never really have the feeling of "knowing" that they are forgiven, because your religious mindset is actually denying the work of Christ and has made His work in your life to no effect to you.
Christ is become of no effect unto you, whosoever of you are justified by the law; ye are fallen from grace.

Advice for Future Chaplains

Here is some advice for those interested in Chaplaincy. Chaplaincy is a weird dynamic because you are not only clergy but clinical at the same time, you may have to deal with situations that are not always “religious” in nature. When dealing with Non-Believers in an institution using titles like “Evangelist” or “Prophetess” can sometimes block your initial entry into an institution, You know who you are in Christ Jesus and declaring it when introducing yourself to people (as a Prophet) for lack of a better word “creeps them out”, Jesus said “Be WISE as a serpent and harmless as a dove”, when I introduce myself I am Mark Stevens, a Chaplain. Am I anointed YES, Do I operate in the Gift as the Spirit uses me YES, but in an institution you just DO IT…DON’T announce it. I wish you well, take this from an old head that has been in the ministry over 30 years and have had to learn the hard way. I have had to "fire" many volunteers that I am in charge of at the Trauma Hospital I work at. Often well meaning saints forget that you cannot go in a private or public institution and evangelize. The way to share your faith is by FREINDSHIP!!!! When I visit patients I smile and I ask them how they are doing, but I let THEM lead the encounter. By virtue of the fact that I AM a Chaplain, they know I am a man of faith, so after letting them vent, I ask them if they would like prayer (99% of the people I ask that say YES!) Never argue religion with a patient! Be compassionate and caring, let the Holy Spirit lead you and you will not go wrong.

Biblical Interpretation

The Bible is God’s Word. But some of the interpretations derived from it are not. There are many cults and Christian groups that use the Bible, claiming their interpretations are correct. Too often, however, the interpretations not only differ dramatically but are clearly contradictory. This does not mean that the Bible is a confusing document. Rather, the problem lies in those who interpret and the methods they use.

We need, as best as can be had, the guidance of the Holy Spirit in interpreting God’s Word.

Because we are sinners, we are incapable of interpreting God’s word perfectly all of the time. The body, mind, will, and emotions are affected by sin and make 100% interpretive accuracy impossible. This does not mean that accurate understanding of God’s Word is impossible. But it does mean that we need to approach His word with care, humility, and reason. Additionally, we need, as best as can be had, the guidance of the Holy Spirit in interpreting God’s Word. After all, the Bible is inspired by God and is addressed to His people. The Holy Spirit helps us to understand what God’s word means and how to apply it.

On the human level, to lessen the errors that come in our interpretations, we need to look at some basic biblical interpretive methods. I’ll list some of the principles in the form of questions and then apply them one at a time to a passage of Scripture.

I offer the following principles as guidelines for examining a passage. They are not exhaustive, nor are they set in concrete.

Who wrote/spoke the passage and to whom was it addressed?
What does the passage say?
Are there any words or phrases in the passage that need to be examined?
What is the immediate context?
What is the broader context in the chapter and book?
What are the related verses to the passage’s subject and how do they affect the understanding of this passage?
What is the historical and cultural background?
What do I conclude about the passage?
Do my conclusions agree or disagree with related areas of Scripture and others who have studied the passage?
What have I learned and what must I apply to my life?
In order to teach you how these questions can affect your interpretation of a passage, I have chosen one which, when examined closely, may lead you into a very different interpretation than what is commonly held. I leave it to you to determine if my interpretation is accurate.

The passage that I am going to use is Matt. 24:40, "Two men will be in the field; one will be taken and the other left," (NIV).

1. Who wrote/spoke the passage and who was it addressed to?

Jesus spoke the words and they were recorded by Matthew. Jesus spoke them to His disciples in response to a question, which we will get to later.

2. What does the passage say?

The passage simply says that one out of two men in a field will be taken. It doesn’t say where, why, when, or how. It just says one will be taken. It doesn’t define the field as belonging to someone or in a particular place.

3. Are there any words in the passage that need to be examined?

No particular word in this verse really stands out as needing to be examined, but to follow this exercise, I will use the word "taken." By using a Strong Concordance and a dictionary of New Testament words (Vine’s, for example), I can check the Greek word and learn about it. The word in Greek is paralambano. It means "1) to take to, to take with one's self, to join to one's self, 2) to receive something transmitted."

A point worth mentioning about word studies is that a word means what it means in context. However, by examining how a word is used in multiple contexts, the meaning of the word can take on a new dimension. For example, the word for "love" in Greek is "agapao." It is generally believed to mean "divine love." This seems obvious, since it is used in John 3:16 in that way. However, the same word is used in Luke 11:43. Jesus says, "Woe to you Pharisees, because you love the most important seats in the synagogues and greetings in the marketplaces," (NIV). The word used there is "agapao." It would seem then that the meaning of the word might mean something more along the lines of "total commitment to."

However, we must be careful not to insert a meaning of a word from one context into that of another. For example: 1) That new cadet is green. 2) That tree is green. The first green means "new and inexperienced." The second one means the color green. Would we want to impose the contextual meaning of one into the other? It wouldn’t be a good idea.

4. What is the immediate context?

This is where this particular verse will come alive. The immediate context is as follows, Matt. 24:37-42, "As it was in the days of Noah, so it will be at the coming of the Son of Man. 38For in the days before the flood, people were eating and drinking, marrying and giving in marriage, up to the day Noah entered the ark; 39and they knew nothing about what would happen until the flood came and took them all away. That is how it will be at the coming of the Son of Man. 40Two men will be in the field; one will be taken and the other left. 41Two women will be grinding with a hand mill; one will be taken and the other left. 42Therefore keep watch, because you do not know on what day your Lord will come," (NIV).

Immediately we can see that the person taken in verse 40 is paralleled by people being taken in verse 39. That is, the "being taken" are of the same kind.

A further question needs to be asked. Who was taken in verse 39? Was it Noah and his family or was it the people who were eating and drinking? The answer to that question might help us understand the original passage better. Therefore, the next interpretive step will help us greatly.

5. What is the broader context in the chapter and book?

A passage should always be looked at in context, not only in its immediate context of the verses directly before and after it, but also in the context of the chapter it is in and the book in which it is written.

Jesus’ discourse from which our verse was taken began with a question. Jesus had just left the temple and in verse 2 told His disciples that "... not one stone here will be left on another; every one will be thrown down." Then in verse 3 the disciples asked Jesus, "Tell us," they said, "when will this happen, and what will be the sign of your coming and of the end of the age?" (NIV). Jesus then goes on to prophesy about things to come at the end of the age. He speaks of false Christs, of tribulation, of the sun being darkened, of His return, and of two men in a field where one will be taken and the other left.

The context, then, is eschatological. That means that it deals with the last things, or the time shortly before Jesus’ return. Many people think that this verse in Matt. 24:40 refers to the rapture spoken of in 1 Thess. 4:16-17. It may. But it is interesting to note that the context of the verse seems to suggest that the wicked are taken, not the good.

Now, about this time you might be thinking that this method of interpreting passages isn’t that good. After all, the "one taken, one left" verse is obviously about the rapture. Right?

Wednesday, March 23, 2011

The History of Sexual Sin

THE HISTORY OF SEXUAL SIN

22 And Ham, the father of Canaan, saw the nakedness of his father, and told his two brethren without.
23 And Shem and Japheth took a garment, and laid it upon both their shoulders, and went backward, and covered the nakedness of their father; and their faces were backward, and they saw not their father's nakedness.
24 And Noah awoke from his wine, and knew what his younger son had done unto him.
25 And he said, Cursed be Canaan; a servant of servants shall he be unto his brethren. (Genesis chapter 9)

When Jonah discovered the power of the fruit of the vine, he also became the first victim of sexual sin. For years people have indicted Ham as a bad son because he discovered his father’s nakedness. Granted he should have used more discretion by covering his father, but it was Noah who got drunk and allowed his nakedness to be on display. The real villain never gets identified by most people…this would be Canaan! Ham was not cursed by Noah, what would make a man CURSE his grandson! It had to have been something really awful. Let’s look at some other scripture.

15 Woe unto him that giveth his neighbor drink, that puttest thy bottle to him, and makest him drunken also, that thou mayest look on their nakedness!
16 Thou art filled with shame for glory: drink thou also, and let thy foreskin be uncovered: the cup of the LORD'S right hand shall be turned unto thee, and shameful spewing shall be on thy glory. (Hab. Chapt.2)

Drunkenness often leads to sexual immorality, this is not something someone told me, and I’ve been there! A person’s inhibitions are lowered when drunk; will power goes out of the window. When I was a young unsaved airman back in the seventies, I would get so drunk I couldn’t remember what I did the night before. I believe Canaan was guilty of taking advantage of his grandfather’s drunkenness. Canaan is the father of Sodom and Gomorra. They were CANAANITES! I strongly believe Canaan was the first homosexual in the Bible.

The Canaanites were the most sexually deviant people of their time!

7 Keeping mercy for thousands, forgiving iniquity and transgression and sin, and that will by no means clear the guilty; visiting the iniquity of the fathers upon the children, and upon the children's children, unto the third and to the fourth generation. (Exodus chapter 34)

Sexual sin’s pass through bloodlines because the demons that influence the perpetrators, never die! These vile spirits haunt families for years. Have you ever noticed how certain sins and habits are prevalent in certain families? Watch the Jerry Springer Show or some of the other trash talk shows and you will see my point. Example - Bubba is a drunken adulterer, Bubba’s daddy is a drunken adulterer, and Bubba’s grandfather is a drunken adulterer. My point, sin travels through generations. The only cure is Jesus Christ! The Lord Jesus Christ is the curse “reverser”. The power of God stops the demonic flow through families.

When I worked as a County Corrections Officer in Burlington County, New Jersey, I would often see the devastating effects of generation curses. I processed an inmate one summer evening that molested his daughters. Within six months of his incarceration, The Lord gave me opportunity to lead him to salvation. This individual had repented of his deeds and took full responsibility for his actions, but he shared something with me that sobered me on the subject of generation curses and sins. He told me his father molested him for nearly 3 years, and his father was also molested. This does not excuse an individual, but it helps us understand the demons behind the molestation that haunted this family, and that wrecked havoc in their lives. The fact that the jailed father accepted Christ and repented put a stop to this demonic onslaught. (Read Psalms 32, 38, and 51) Unconfessed sin makes us not only an emotional wreck, but can affect us physically as well.

Ps 38:1 O LORD, do not rebuke me in your anger
or discipline me in your wrath.
Ps 38:2 For your arrows have pierced me,
and your hand has come down upon me.
Ps 38:3 Because of your wrath there is no health in my body;
my bones have no soundness because of my sin.
Ps 38:4 My guilt has overwhelmed me
like a burden too heavy to bear.

Ps 38:5 My wounds fester and are loathsome
because of my sinful folly.
Ps 38:6 I am bowed down and brought very low;
all day long I go about mourning.
Ps 38:7 My back is filled with searing pain;
there is no health in my body.
Ps 38:8 I am feeble and utterly crushed;
I groan in anguish of heart.

Ps 38:9 All my longings lie open before you, O Lord;
my sighing is not hidden from you.
Ps 38:10 My heart pounds, my strength fails me;
even the light has gone from my eyes.
Ps 38:11 My friends and companions avoid me because of my wounds. NIV

The Five-fold Ministry Gifts

Apostles are leaders and visionaries... they bring direction to the church. They have the courage and ability to keep the Church moving forward, growing, building in new directions. Apostles are also fathers, able to nurture and disciple the other ministry gifts. They have maturity and experience beyond their fellows and can give guidance as well as leadership. They wear the Helmet of Salvation, which means they walk "within" salvation. They know the mysteries of Christ's salvation. Such knowledge is only acquired through time and experience, trials and testing. An apostle is proven by his example of holiness and demeanor in Christ Jesus. The Helmet of Salvation is not a royal crown: it is the hat of a warrior general who is accustomed to putting his life on the line, for the sake of the Kingdom of God. Many who are in this office will never be recognized as APOSTLES! The reason is this, when a man is truly led by God to establish a work of any kind, it may bristle against the establishment.

The Apostle Paul is a good example of a man on a “Mission from God”, I laugh as I write this because I am reminded of the movie The Blues Brothers, They were the oddest of odd, yet they went through every obstacle because they believed they had a mandate from God. Listening to God is not easy, it can cause you to be treated like an outsider and at times even a rebel! I believe men that are in the office of Apostle are always MISUNDERSTOOD and treated like oddballs. Based upon scriptural precedence apostles are usually the recipients of dreams and visions, Apostles receive an abundance of Revelation from God, Why? They establish ministries and churches. It is quite possible to be an Apostle and NEVER pastor a church.
Contrary to popular belief Paul WAS NEVER A PASTOR! Paul was a TEACHER/APOSTLE. Now another shocker is that PETER was not a PASTOR either, the PASTOR of the church in Jerusalem was JAMES (The Lord’s Brother); Peter was an EVANGELIST/APOSTLE. Apostles usually carry dual roles! Here is another curve for you Barnabas was an Apostle too, but he was a DEACON/APOSTLE his ministry was one of service and support yet he was counted as an APOSTLE! I do believe that there are Apostles today, Men that are SENT to establish works according to God’s divine mandate. Now too many guys are starting storefront churches and calling themselves “Apostle”. Real Apostles don’t run around calling themselves APOSTLE! They know it, and they walk in it!

Prophets/Prophetess has a strong sense of right and wrong, but even more than that: they have a strong sense of the Spirit’s leading. Their spiritual antennae start quivering when things are going off balance or in wrong directions. Their voice is important for keeping the Church on track in what the Lord wants to do. Prophets also understand justice and are defenders of what is fair and right. Prophets carry the Breastplate of Righteousness, which illustrates the passion and conviction that burns deep within their heart and soul and spirit. "Righteousness" is actually an ethereal word, a supernatural word. True righteousness flows only from the throne of God. Therefore, the insight of the prophet is a very mysterious, deep conviction that is not easily described even by those who walk in this gifting. The purpose is for guidance and revelation, so that the church can learn what it means to be the Holy People of God.
The Prophet/Prophetess must maintain a level of personal holiness that is exemplary. The primary purpose of the prophet is to warn the church of apostasy and help saints press into the holiness and purpose of God. (Elijah and Ezekiel) Unlike the Office of Apostle which is male ordered, Women can function in this office as well as men. (Deborah, Huldah, and Phillip’s Daughters)

The Prophet must have an extraordinary prayer life, If you study the life the Biblical prophet they were often solitary people. (Elijah and Jeremiah) They didn’t have a lot of friends, this is on purpose! God needs those in the prophetic office to be focused on HIM! The Prophet and the Teacher are similar in this regard; Prophets focus on the inspired word (Rhema) and the Teacher more on the written (Logos). But if you look at Acts 17:11 the Bereans understood the importance of both, but they confirmed the Rhema by studying the Logos! Usually God places Prophets and Teachers as friends and companions for this reason.
Teachers build the foundations of the church. They minister in the Word of God and remind us of the priorities and foundations that will keep us stable in our lives. They teach the church how to be wise in the ways of God. Both teachers and prophets have a special gift for worship because the prophet can worship in "spirit" and the teacher can worship in "truth" and those two characteristics are necessary for true worship. Teachers carry the Belt of Truth, which means they have intimate knowledge of Him who is Truth.
Teachers are guardians of Biblical Doctrine (Logos), the Bereans (Acts 17:11) Exemplify the character of a Teacher. Teacher search the scriptures. I am a teacher and I study the Word more than the average person, there are times when I have stayed up all night reading entire books of the Bible because I had to determine if something I heard preached in church was accurate. In many cases Teachers are somewhat cold, in that they care more for truth than unity or peoples feelings. If you remember Paul in Galatians, He read Peter and the Hebrew saints the riot act for the way they allowed the Judaizers to distort the Gospel of Grace. When I hear a sermon that is “off” scripturally it drives me crazy. I believe Teachers are like the Scribes of the Old Testament in that they were determined that every jot and tittle would be correct. Pricilla and Aquilla were teachers and they caught Apollos preaching doctrine that wasn’t correct, they pulled him aside and corrected him in love. If a church doesn’t have the office of a teacher within it’s ranks it is in danger of falling into error. (I Tim. 4:1-4)

Without a proper foundation, buildings don't stand, civilizations don't last, and Christians don't witness well. The foundation I am talking about is the foundation of basic Christian doctrine. Do you know what the Trinity is? How many natures does Jesus have, one or two? Are we saved by grace through faith or by grace and works? For what purpose did Jesus die? Did He rise from the dead? And If so, why?
Perhaps you do not believe that knowing doctrine is important. Maybe you think that we should just tell people about Jesus and let them choose to accept Him or not. Unfortunately, witnessing isn't always that simple. Knowing what and why you believe is essential. For example, if someone says he wants to receive Jesus as Savior but doesn't believe that He is God in flesh, is that important? If someone says that the Trinity is not biblical, what would you say? Is the Holy Spirit a force or God? Doctrine is important because it defines who you put your trust in. It is not simply that you have faith, it's who you put your faith in.
Evangelists are the warriors, the foot soldiers who take the gospel to the remote areas of the world. They advance the gospel and in so doing they battle directly with the hindrances of the gospel as well. There are many more warriors in an army than there are generals and so there must be many, many evangelists in the church. Evangelists wear the Shoes of Peace because they bring news of Peace to a world that suffers in strife and turmoil. Every one of the other 5-Fold Ministers MUST do the WORK of the Evangelist, because soul-winning is EVERY minister’s duty!
Too many of our churches have lost sight of the office of Evangelist and have distorted their purpose by calling “Revivalist” Evangelist, there is difference by a mile. An Evangelist is a SOULWINNER first and foremost, they go into the streets, prisons, hospitals, and mission fields. Many of the people we call “evangelist” are preaching to people already saved. A revivalist preaches to people already saved to inspire and fire them up, this really more of the ministry of the Prophet, an Evangelist bottom line is REACHING THE LOST and preaching the Gospel of Jesus Christ. The motto of an Evangelist could be a quote from Paul, “Woe unto me if I preach not the Gospel!”
Pastors nurture the flock and comfort them. They build up the sheep in the most holy faith. They tend to the wounded and the sick and have skills for healing. The pastor leads the healthy sheep into good pastures so they will eat well and be strong. And, the pastor looks for the sheep who have wandered away so that none will be lost. Pastors carry the Shield of Faith. Often a warrior was protected by an armor bearer who held his shield for him. In the same way, pastors will shield those who need it until they are strong again. They hover over their flock to build them and strengthen them in the faith. The pastor is not distant from the sheep. The pastor is next to them and among them, holding the Shield in order to deflect the flaming arrows, the weapons, the wild beasts that would destroy. The pastor works one on one so that his sheep will prosper. A flock that prospers is a direct credit to the shepherd who oversees them. A Pastor has to love the sheep, too often people choose Pastors because they can preach well, but eloquence is not the earmark of a great Pastor, it is LOVE. Pastors have to care for those that are hurting and broken, and at the same time be open to have the other 4 ministry offices SHARE in the ministry, I think too often it has been supposed that the office of Pastor is the most important office, but they all are equally important. A Pastor needs an Evangelist to bring souls into a place where they can be nurtured and fed the sincere milk of the Word of God.

What is The Biblical Definition of a Deacon?

Most teaching on the Ministry Gifts Exclude the Deacons and I believe that is to the detriment of the church that is why I opened discussing Deacons. These are the duties of a Deacon:
1. To care for the Widows and the Fatherless. The benevolence ministry in the local church SHOULD be managed by the DEACON…not the PASTOR!
2. Deacons should be the leaders of church outreach (See Phillip)
3. Deacons should be your leaders in Church Education. (See Stephen)
4. Deacons should be the overseers of church finances and resources (Not the Pastor) this goes against the mindset of most Churches! Especially in Pentecostal and Holiness churches. Many Baptist churches EMPOWER the Deacons and those churches that have Godly Deacons FLOURISH! Why because that is the way God established it! This is why it is important to have men FULL of the Holy Ghost, FULL of wisdom, and FULL of the Word holding the OFFICE of Deacon. Unfortunately we have made the office of Deacon a “flunky” position with NO AUTHORITY!

5. Deacons should be father figures for the fatherless boys in the congregation. When I accepted Christ at the age of 14 in Richmond, Virginia, the church I attended had a strong Deacon board that played basketball with the teen boys, taught a youth Bible Study, Ran the Boys Scout program, and created a Junior Deacon Board. All of these things helped me make a decision for Christ because there were strong men showing me the way!
6. Deacons should take Communion to the hospitals and Nursing Homes.
7. Deacons should be at the forefront of outreach in the community. (Remember Phillip and Stephen)
8. A Deacon should be an example of male spirituality and strength in the church and the community. I remember all of the Deacons in my church were known throughout the community. Even unsaved people knew the Deacons because of the works they did in the community. (Youth Activities, Feeding Seniors, delivering groceries)
9. As the office of Deacon was slowly eroded in the church a rise in ethical problems arose. Deacons are the key to good stewardship in local churches, if they are chosen with Biblical guidelines. (Full of The Spirit – Full of the Word – Full of Faith)

Why Did Jesus Weep?

Jesus Wept (John 11:35)

The shortest verse in the Bible deals with the ultimate aspect of life. It deals with the subject of death. Only two words are found within that verse. Only two words which should penetrate our hearts. Those two words are: “Jesus wept.”

The situation is that Jesus went to a friend’s house and there he was confronted with the fact that his friend was dead. His response was simple. His response was natural. His response was human emotion. “Jesus wept.”

This puzzles me. I stand in wonder when I read that verse. For I must ask the question: “Why is the King of kings and the Lord of lords breaking down and crying at the moment”? He who holds the power of life in His hands still wept, He still cried, at the situation of death. Yet, though I ponder that question in my mind, the scripture still speaks plain; “Jesus wept.”

As I examine the story of the death of Lazarus in the Bible one answer to my question seems to be plain. Jesus wept for the family. For you see Lazarus, the friend of Jesus, had two sisters. And when Jesus came together with them he could see their pain and their suffering and the effects of losing a loved one in their tear filled eyes. And because of the sympathy and empathy which Jesus had, He was moved to share in the loss of the family members. He shared in the loss of the family. And so the scripture tells us that: “Jesus wept.” We who are friends of the family need to weep as well.

But perhaps Jesus cried not only for the family but perhaps he cried because he too had suffered a loss. For you see Lazarus was His friend. It is possible that Jesus had traveled with him, eaten with him, shared common interest, and had grown in a close friendship with him. But the friend of Jesus was now gone. And that relationship had been broken, Jesus felt the pain of losing a friend and, “Jesus wept.” We who are the friends of -------- --------- need to weep as well.

But there may be one other reason why Jesus cried. For Jesus knew that He Himself would soon face death. And he knew that there would be pain and sorrow among his own family and friends. For you see, death is a conclusion to our lives in this world. And each of us will face the reality of death eventually. It may be that many of us will be orphaned by death before our time comes. But the reality is that loved ones will be left behind. And the pain and sorrow at each of our deaths will be present. And so, “Jesus wept.”

But the story does not stop there, for the scriptures go on to tell us that Jesus went to the tomb of his friend Lazarus. And that there he found Lazarus dead and buried. But at that point the truth becomes evident. For at that point, the scriptures proclaim, that in Jesus there is the power of life. For Jesus spoke the words and Lazarus rose from the grave. And you see because of that event we too have hope. For if Jesus can raise his friend Lazarus from the grave, He can raise us as well. And so it is proclaimed by Jesus when he says, “He who believes in me will not be disappointed.”

Yes, today is a day of weeping: for the family, for the loss of a friend, for the reality of death in our own lives but there will be a day of rejoicing for those who know Jesus Christ.

Jesus wept for Timothy Leon Prater…and he is also weeping for YOU. I was told Timothy loved music, well heaven has a sound like no other.

Saturday, February 19, 2011

The Five-fold Ministry Gifts

What is The Biblical Definition of a Deacon?

Let me give you some examples of what I am talking about. After Pentecost the Apostles chose men they called “Deacons” which is translated “Servant-Ministers”, these men where responsible for the physical aspects of the ministry while the Apostles devoted themselves to prayer and preaching the Word of God. Two of the Deacons were responsible for an explosion of spiritual growth for the Early Church. Philip was a Deacon, but he also was anointed to be an Evangelist. Today we would consider Deacon and Evangelist two separate offices or ministries, but the Word makes no such distinction. There are many people in the Body of Christ anointed to function in one of the five-fold ministries and they may NEVER be ordained or recognized by man (The Local Church). I find that too many of our churches are filled with people that are NOT allowed to function in their office because of control freaks in the pulpits called PASTORS!
Phillip was led by the Holy Ghost to minister to the Ethiopian Eunuch, which led to the Gospel being spread in Africa. Philip led by the Spirit went to Samaria and preached JESUS. Devils were cast out and people healed by a DEACON! Imagine in some of our churches today if a Deacon decided to go off and minister without first checking with his pastor? Even if he did check in with the pastor, many of our pastor would tell the Deacon, wait until he got a ministers license or ordination papers, or they would accuse the Deacon of being overzealous or out of line for trying to be a minister. Well I have news for you Pastors…Deacons ARE ministers! When I was a Deacon I was only 22 years old, I was also called to be an Evangelist. I went out on the streets on Song Tan City, South Korea and witnessed and preached the Gospel of Jesus Christ. I had brothers try and tell me I should get the Pastors OK before I did this, well what they didn’t know was I DID! He didn’t think it was safe! SAFE?!?! Since when is ministry, true ministry ever SAFE! I went out by myself initially, until the Lord saved my roommate and we both would go out and win souls. I was a Deacon and my roommate was a new convert. Many souls came to the Lord because we were obedient to the Lord.
Now I am NOT advocating rebellion, but as Peter said in Acts, “I must obey God NOT man!” Too many of our Pastors refuse to see the need for outreach and evangelism in the church, they think if they “have church”, folks will come. Jesus said GO in the hedges and highways and COMPELL men to come to HIM! You can’t compel ANYONE from a pulpit or a pew!
Phillip only called for assistance when he realized the new converts needed a pastor, Pastors and Evangelist have to work hand in hand, and they need each other like a center needs a good point guard. Remember Magic Johnson? Someone asked him why was he was as successful as a player, he said I utilized my Big Man and I got the whole team involved! Magic and Kareem were like a well oiled machine, Magic never thought about himself first but the team first, that means self sacrifice and sharing the glory. Too often immature and insecure pastors don’t want to do either! Pastors are like point guards in that they have to see the big picture and include EVERYBODY in order to secure VICTORY!
Acts 6:1 "And in those days, when
the number of the disciples was multiplied, there arose a murmuring of
the Grecians against the Hebrews, because their widows were neglected
in the daily ministration."

We see, here, the church growing to a large number. As long as
the church was small and they each were greatly needed, they were all
pulling in one direction. They were working for a common cause. Now
that the number has gotten so large, there is murmuring. Some of the
Greeks think the Hebrew widows are being cared for better than the
Greeks. It seems that the early church was very concerned about the
needs of widows. Many times widows lived in the church and prayed for
the church. In I Timothy 5:9, Paul tells them to not take a widow
under 60 years.

Acts 6:2 "Then the twelve called the multitude of the disciples
[unto them], and said, It is not reason that we should leave the word
of God, and serve tables."

These twelve disciples who seemed to be the leaders of all the
rest are explaining that they should not be encumbered by trying to
see to the needs of all of these widows. The man or woman of God
ministering has enough to do staying in the Word of God and bringing
spiritual guidance to the people. Some one else should see to the
financial responsibilities of the church. If they have to stop and
see to the physical needs of the people, they will not be able to care
for their spiritual needs.

Acts 6:3 "Wherefore, brethren, look ye out among you seven men of
honest report, full of the Holy Ghost and wisdom, whom we may appoint
over this business."

Seven, as we have said before, means spiritually complete. We see
that these seven were to be men who were very close to God. They must
be wise men to take care of the finances of the body of Christ. They
must be honest and of good report. This is one of the Scriptures used
when churches choose seven deacons to raise the finances of the
church. Many people want to be a deacon of the church until they
learn that the deacons are really responsible for the financial needs
of the church.

Acts 6:4 "But we will give ourselves continually to prayer, and to
the ministry of the word."

The twelve apostles were not to be bothered with anything, except
the spiritual needs of the people. Perhaps, that is one of the
problems in churches today. We have made business men out of our
ministers. They learn as much about the way to raise money, to have a
bus ministry, and to satisfy the I.R.S. as they do about the Word of
God. They really should not be burdened with all of these
administration duties. It takes too much of their time away from
prayer and study of the Word.
Acts 6:5 "And the saying pleased the whole multitude: and they
chose Stephen, a man full of faith and of the Holy Ghost, and Philip,
and Prochorus, and Nicanor, and Timon, and Parmenas, and Nicolas a
proselyte of Antioch:"

Of these seven, of course, Stephen was the most known to us. These
men were above reproach. They were men of high character. These men
would be fair in all their dealings. Some believe that many of these
were Hellenist (Greek Jews), but I believe they were a cross section
of men of God, so that each one would be representing their own group.
Proselyte means a new comer. In Hebrew, it meant stranger. Philip
and Stephen are really the only two out of the list that the Bible
tells us anything else about. These are like many deeply sincere
people in the church today who really work in the background and do
not feel the need to be recognized by others.

Acts 6:6 "Whom they set before the apostles: and when they had
prayed, they laid [their] hands on them."

This is just a ceremony to anoint these men to the job they are
to do. They were installed formerly when the apostles laid hands on
them.

Acts 6:7 "And the word of God increased; and the number of the
disciples multiplied in Jerusalem greatly; and a great company of the
priests were obedient to the faith."

We see, here, that, these apostles having their priorities
straight caused the Word of God to increase greatly. A church is only
as powerful as the prayers that go up for it. These apostles spent
much time in prayer and their ministry was powerful because of it.
Disciples, here, is the same as followers of Christ. This strong
message of God's Word even convinced many of the priests and they
believed, also.

Saturday, August 15, 2009

NJITS Correspondance School

Ministers Manna
New Jersey Institute of Theological Studies
Suite 160
440A Whitehorse Pike
Atco, NJ 08004

CORRESPONDENCE SCHOOL OF BIBLICAL STUDIES

ACCELERATED BIBLICAL TRAINING SERIES

The Correspondence School of Ministry is a new spiritual, educational training track of the New Jersey Institute of Theological Studies. This condensed, correspondence format will allow many of the basic courses of NJITS to be offered in a time frame better suited to the demands and time constraints of busy adults; particularly many of whom are already actively involved in ministry.

COORESPONDANCE format
The Correspondence Manual is to be read and the test at the end of the lesson book is to be taken and mailed back to the School for grading. The test can be taken with an open Bible. Some answers to the questions are NOT found in the manual but require the taker to study the scriptures for the answer.
Challenging studies
The goal of this course is to challenge the student to study the Word with intensity and diligence. There will be other study books coming out in the near future.

Affordable and bible based
Practical, anointed, and insightful spiritual training at an extremely reasonable amount.
• The total cost for the manual and the Certificate of Christian Studies after completion is only $50.00
• The material is packed with Bible based doctrine that will enable you’re the student to be the man or woman of God you need to be. This is NOT a replacement for the training you SHOULD receive in your local church BUT it WILL enhance it greatly.

The Dean of the New Jersey Institute of Theological Studies

Elder Mark H. Stevens is an ordained Elder in the COGIC. He is the Dean of the Charles Harrison Mason Bible Institutes of New Jersey and the founder of The New Jersey Institute of Theological Studies. As a Chaplain he ministers at Cooper Trauma Center in Camden. He is also a staff Chaplain at Ancora Psychiatric Hospital. Elder Stevens graduated from the Institute of Jewish Studies, a School of the Philadelphia Bible University. He is an ETA (Evangelical Training Association) certified Bible Teacher. He holds a BA in Theology from Freedom Bible College and Seminary, and a Masters in Ministry from Freedom. His calling is that of Teacher. His classroom and pulpit is wherever the Lord leads him. This course is the first of many. Busy Ministers, Service men, hospital patients, and the incarcerated need training just like everyone else and THIS is a great start!

Tuesday, January 15, 2008

Do Men and Women Grieve Differently

One of the first things I came aware of as a Hospital Chaplain was that men and women grieve differently. Often we assume that every human being should respond the same way to grief. In the Christian community dealing with grief is especially difficult because of preconceived notions and dogma. We often teach people that grief is temporary and individuals should “get over it”. I have witnessed grief up close and personal since 1987 when I started volunteering as a hospital chaplain. Since 2005 I have been a professional chaplain at one of America’s busiest Trauma Centers and at a large state Psychiatric Hospital. I have sat with women that lost twins, Grandparents that lost grandchildren in fires, and victims of drive-by shootings families. Each situation was totally different. In most cases I can honestly say that men deal with grief very differently than woman. Women tend to be more demonstrative and vocal while men usually sit quietly and internalize their pain. The other factor that makes grief differ is culture. I don’t want to sound stereotypical or racist in my assessments, but people are different. I in no way declare one group or culture is superior to another, but some cultures are more demonstrative than others in the realm of grief, while some are more introspective. I am writing this to help a new chaplain or Pastoral Care volunteer better assess the situation he or she may be called to respond to.
I originally titled this book “Observing Grief” because in many cases the best things one can do is simply observe and be present when someone is grieving. People in grief do NOT need a sermon or a lecture. I changed the title because I feel just like David did Psalm 13 when I was going through severe depression. David asked God a question, “How long will you hide your face from me?”
Just concentrate on listening to the words that are being shared with you. Resist the urge to preach and educate the grieving person. Women will generally vent verbally more than men, allow her to vent! Even if she is screaming and wailing…LET HER! Yes it may make YOU uncomfortable, but YOU are there to COMFORT HER! I have sat with grieving people and said very little, sometimes I simply hold their hand or give them a hug and simple prayer. Our presence means so much because times of grief are lonely times. When a person has lost a love one it is like losing a part of themselves. A woman loses her husband to cancer, but if he was the sole breadwinner she is also looking at possibly losing more. A man on disability loses his wife; he not only lost a wife but a caretaker. No two cases are the same and no two people handle grief the same way. Some people will seem to bounce back from a death swiftly while some carry their grief to their grave. The truth be told grief is never easy as we think it is. Even Jesus grieved over the death of His cousin John the Baptist.
Friends, relatives, and neighbors are usually supportive at the time of a death and during the wake and funeral that follows. Food, flowers, and physical presence are among the thoughtful expressions. But after the funeral, many grieving people wonder where their friends are. In some ways they need support and caring from their friends even more when the reality hits and the long process of grief begins. Ways of helping grieving people are as limitless as your imagination. Some suggestions are:
• Try to understand the grief process rather than be annoyed by it.
• "I'm sorry" or "I care" is all that is necessary to say; a squeeze of the hand, a hug, a kiss can say the words.
• Don't say: "You will get over it in time." They will never stop missing the person who died. Time may soften the hurt, but it will not just go away. There will always be a scar.
• Listen, listen, listen. Talking about the pain slowly lessens its sting. Most bereaved persons need to talk. It is helpful for someone to listen. Try to become an effective listener.
• Don't tell people: "It's God's will." Explanations do not console.
• Encourage expressions of specific feelings: anger, guilt, frustration, confusion, depression, hate.
• Be patient. Mourning takes time. People need you. Stand by them for as long as possible. There is no timetable for grief. Do not give a pep talk or suggest a timetable.
• Talk about the good memories. They help the healing process.
• Suggest that grieving people take part in support groups. Sharing similar experiences helps healing.
• Be there caring, saying "I'm sorry" and helping in practical ways.
• Sincerely ask, "How are you doing?" Bereaved persons can tell if you want to hear "fine" or if you really want to know.
• Help bereaved to eliminate expectations as to how they should feel and when they will be healed.
• Be approachable, aware, and interested.
• Be accepting of the person, of his/her feelings, his/her confusion.
• Acts of thoughtfulness-a note, visit, plant, helpful book, plate of cookies, phone call, invitation to lunch or to go shopping, coffee.
• Be confidential with what is shared with you.
WHAT IS GRIEF?
Grief is your emotional reaction to a significant loss. The words sorrow and heartache are often used to describe feelings of grief. Whether you lose a beloved person, animal, place, or object, or a valued way of life (such as your job, marriage, or good health), some level of grief will naturally follow.
Anticipatory grief is grief that strikes in advance of an impending loss.¹ you may feel anticipatory grief for a loved one who is sick and dying. Similarly, both children and adults often feel the pain of losses brought on by an upcoming move or divorce. This anticipatory grief helps us prepare for such losses. Grief is universal; it affects all races, cultures, and religions. We are also not exempt from grief because we love God, read our bibles, pay tithes, or go to a Spirit-Filled Church.
1. GRIEF is the normal and natural reaction to loss of any kind. Many assume grief come only after a death, but grief occurs anytime there is loss; Loss of life, relationships, income, career, or hope in general.
2. GRIEF is the pain and desperate longing you feel when you lose someone who has given meaning and purpose to your life. The loss of a parent, spouse, child, or close friend.
3. GRIEF is that silent, night life terror and sadness that comes a hundred times a day when you start to speak to someone who is no longer there.
4. GRIEF is the helpless wishing that things were different, when you know they are not and never will be the same again.
5. GRIEF is a whole cluster of adjustments, apprehensions, and uncertainties that strike life making it difficult to reorganize and redirect your energies.
6. GRIEF is like a long valley, a winding valley where any bend may reveal a totally new landscape.
7. GRIEF is the angry reaction of a man - so filled with shock, uncertainty, and confusion that he strikes out at the nearest person.
8. GRIEF is the aching your body feels when you long to hold your baby who died after such a brief life - and you just can’t anymore.
9. GRIEF is a normal and healthy sense of loss. The emotions involved are real, and they need to be recognized and expressed.
10. GRIEF is unique and unpredictable and each person will experience it in his or her own way.
11. GRIEF is a part of every life. Grief is no respecter of age or person.
12. GRIEF is an attempt to bring life back into focus after the lenses have gotten turned out of focus.
13. GRIEF is the entire range of naturally occurring human emotions that accompany loss.
14. GRIEF is pain. Grief begins with the first raw awareness of the change but then becomes a terrific struggle: a violent disputing of the facts, a striving for life again, a revising of terms by which we know ourselves, a surrender to despair, finally a conscious acceptance of the change. This is painful and difficult but when accomplished, it brings rebirth and growth.

Monday, January 14, 2008

Why is Theology Important?

Theology frightens the daylights out of most people. When they hear the word mentioned, their eyes glaze over: they have visions of white-haired old men with degrees spilling out of their ears, speaking in polysyllables and attempting to complicate simplicity. They imagine lists and categories and dry barren wastes without a drop of water. Not surprisingly, therefore, many will doubt the need for theology at all, asking the pertinent question: "Isn't it true that all we need to know is to love each other and preach the good news?"
However, it is a truism that everyone has a theology, even those millions who deny there is any need for it. Everyone who reads the Bible or even thinks about God has contrived a theology of some sort. So there is a question that everyone must face: "Is my theology a good one?" By good, I mean is it accurate, biblical, coherent, and consistent? This is not a subjective question; there are objective criteria to think about.
Jesus told the Samaritan woman that those who worship God must worship him in spirit and in truth (John 4:23). The prophet Hosea wrote:

My people are destroyed from lack of knowledge. "Because you have rejected knowledge, I also reject you as my priests; because you have ignored the law of your God, I also will ignore your children. (Hosea 4:6)
Why is Theology Important?

Besides keeping a lot of theologians off welfare and out of trouble, it brings clarification. Unlike the way teachers so often present it, theology is not a settled issue of firmly established facts. Theology is theory, and like theory in science, forever alive and developing. In the early Church questions arose now and then and theology - theory - to answer them had to be developed. For instance, in Acts, the church was faced with the problem of what to do with all the Gentiles who were coming to Christ. Did they have to become Jews first, before they could be saved? Or was entrance into Christianity by grace alone? And then, even if it was by grace, shouldn't they follow the laws of Judaism?
Later on, people began wondering who, precisely, was Jesus? Was he really God, or simply an emanation, or maybe a created being?
How are such questions answered? By studying the Bible - God's special revelation - and the universe - God's general revelation - and finding out what they say. This action, of looking to the Bible and the world for answers, raises a question of its own: if we are going to find out about God, if we are going to do a proper theology - formulate reasonable theories - what are the revelations of God, and how do we go about using them properly?

The Five Kinds of Theology

1. Natural Theology

Natural theology is restricted to the facts concerning God which are revealed in the universe around us. Thomas Aquinas, in a systematic fashion, outlined his belief that the existence of God may be proven from reason alone. Modern theologians such as Karl Barth, reflecting Immanuel Kant and David Hume, argued that there was essentially no validity to a natural theology, while Process theologians such as John B. Cobb, Jr., Schubert Ogden and David Griffen have argued the exact opposit. Within evangelical circles, there is a division on this question.

2. Biblical Theology

Biblical theology is restricted to the biblical revelation of God. Its sole source is the Bible, independent of any philosophical system (ideally). In reality, any approach to theology must inevitably carry certain philosophical presuppositions and perspectives.

3. Dogmatic Theology

Dogmatic theology refers to those elements of theological truth which are absolutely certain. It will avoid controversial fields of study and will concentrate on those points about which the church throughout history has held to unswervingly, such the virgin birth, the resurrection, the Trinity, and the like.

4. Practical Theology

Practical theology has to do with the actual function of the truth in the lives of people. Given beliefs and doctrines are considered true if they work in the lives of real people. In other words, if it works, then it is true. Otherwise, it is of no consequence.

5. Theology Proper

Theology proper concerns itself with the study of the person of God, apart from his works. It deals with the existence of God, the ability of people to know him, his various attributes, and the nature of the Trinity. In other words, Theology Proper is concerned with understanding and knowing God.

Friday, November 23, 2007

Chaplain Training January 4th 2008

NEW JERSEY INSTITUTE OF THEOLOGICAL STUDIES

Introduction to Clinical Pastoral Education
"Helping people get back to the right path"

COST $75.00 (This includes books and training materials)

You will train as a Chaplain for 6 weeks at the Busiest Trauma Hospital in the Delaware Valley!

Are you interested in becoming a Volunteer Hospital Chaplain or Hospital Ministry? Do you desire to receive training in Pastoral Care Ministry? Well give us a call if you are....

(609) 346-8343 Leave a Clear Concise Message!

NEXT UNIT OF TRAINING STARTS January 4th, 2008

Every Friday at 6pm till 10pm we are training men and women in introduction to CPE (Clinical Pastoral Education)

Where: Cooper Trauma Hospital/3 Cooper Plaza

Camden NJ

Meeting in Room 506 at 6:30PM

Point of Contact: Chaplain Mark H. Stevens, M.Min

Wednesday, July 25, 2007

Chaplaincy Classes Start September

NEW JERSEY INSTITUTE OF THEOLOGICAL STUDIES

Pastoral Counseling and Pastoral Education
"Helping people make sense of the puzzles of life."

Are you interested in becoming a Hospital Chaplain? Do you desire to receive training in Pastoral Care Ministry? Well give us a call if you are (609) 346-8343

Every Friday at 6pm till 10pm we are training men and women in an introduction to CPE (Clinical Pastoral Education)

Next 8 Week Session Starts Second Friday in Sept. 2007
Where: Cooper Trauma Hospital
Camden NJ
Meeting in Room 802 at 6PM

Point of Contact: Chaplain Mark H. Stevens, M.Min

Why Pastoral Counseling vs. standard counseling?
We believe that all problems come as a result of the condition of the heart. If the heart is right with God our relationships will reflect that. Pastoral Counseling exists to help, exhort and encourage individuals in a closer and more personal relationship with God. Once a better relationship with God exists, then the function of Pastoral Counseling is to help the client understand who they are in Christ, their purpose, calling, and how to get there.
We have found that the only way to be truly happy in life and fulfilled is to go in the direction that God has called us to as individuals and as a body. In doing so relationships will be better, people will be healed, lives will be changed, families will become more focused, and we will all begin to work together as one body with many parts. In doing so, theses changes in us will be seen in our communities as we will all become more sensitive to the plight of others.
Who Comes to Counseling?
· Individuals
· Couples
· Families
· Those who are searching
· Those seeking premarital and remarriage counseling.
· Those seeking education and consulting
· Life changes i.e. career, marriage or aging
· People in Debt and not sure what to do
· Manage sudden changes and loss
· Others of all faiths
People who recognize any of these conditions:
· Persistent anxiety, or unhappiness
· Depression
· Anger or bitterness
· Poor self-esteem
· Addictions
· Overreacting
· Overspending
· Codependency
· Spiritual crisis
· Stress
· Relationship difficulties in family or at work
· Grief and loss
· Unfinished business in one's life
· Adult children of dysfunctional families
People looking for Spiritual guidance
· Wanting to have a closer relationship with God
· Marriage enrichment
· Desiring community and support
· Life after divorce
· Single parenting
· Marriage preparation [pre-marital counseling]
· Discovering their gifts for service
· Seeking direction for their lives
· Or Just Wanting to Learn "How to Stop The Nonsense in Our Lives."

Discernment

Discernment is more than the work of an individual person. The Spirit acts within the gathered believers (the Church) so they can discern what to do and be. Within that context, specific persons may be given the gift for leading the church as it discerns. Such gifted people are given a 'spiritual eye' for cutting through facades and confusion, for getting to the heart of the matter. They listen closely, notice what's happening in the world around them, and instinctively know what place it has in God's plans. Someone who's gifted in discernment of spirits can find where evil lurks in good things, and where the Spirit is working when things are going wrong.
When the church was starting out, there was only one way she could learn the faith: on her feet. The church had to learn while she was doing. The Spirit had to teach the Christians how to love at the same time as moving them to act on that love, teaching them mercy at the same time as empowering them to live merciful lives.
Christians sometimes forget that what we teach and discuss is inevitably our own understanding of Scripture. Other understandings, if drawn from Scripture and open to be judged by Scripture, are possible and even faithful.
That's why it's so valuable to have the input from 2000 years of churchgoing Christians (tradition) and the billion Christians of today (fellowship). Meaning springs out of life; the Spirit's way is lived and experienced. Even more: it is lived and experienced by being a part of those who believe in Jesus and his good news, a Body whose members are formed and shaped in this way, as found in Scripture. That community teaches each other, recalls history, shares their experiences, and affirms each other's value. It (sometimes) has the strength to say no and to get each of us to amend our understandings and change our ways when we're going astray, and to show a more excellent way in all things.
When you're being checked by the church, you're being checked by others who have also done patient, prayerful, steady study of Scripture. The Spirit didn't give a sense of God's purposes only to you but also to others, in a slightly different way for each of them. If they didn't study God's ways, they won't have that sense, and thus are a less trustworthy part of the discernment process. (You'll never find out one way or the other unless you listen carefully, and have the guts to put away any defensive reactions you might have.)
Church actions should be set up to discern the right direction before it acts, to keep effective tabs on it while it acts, and to debrief after it acts, taking whatever disciplinary actions or clarifying lessons are needed. Do this, expecting that the Spirit will lead, if really asked and really given a chance to lead.
One drawback of the church's role in discernment is that it is made up of people. (It's a benefit in more ways, but here's one way that it's also a drawback.) People are strange, and sometimes do wrong. They are not all-knowing, and have badly-damaged understandings. They can be fooled. People love to be sweet talked, to be showered with puffery and to get their egos stroked. They push aside what's bad news for the camp they're in. It's easy to become a yes-man or to get stuck in the 'no' position. These facts must be kept in mind when discerning with the church. But remember too that these things are also true of you. Your role in discernment requires checking and re-checking and cross-checking, and so does the church's.
Neither you nor the communicated Word nor the Church local or universal are the bridge between the biblical events and our putting the Word into living effect. It is the Holy Spirit's doing.going up...
Having Yourself Held Accountable
Like everything else in this world, our discernments are bound by our imperfections and thus can be false or shallow or merely mistaken. But it helps greatly to have the right attitude toward it :
· Make sure you can be held accountable by specific trusted people, on small things as well as large ones;
· Allow those others to actually do it. Don't fight back nor blindly accept, but pay attention and be a servant about it;
· Be ready to hold others accountable, if need be - even if that makes you uncomfortable.

Dealing With The Devil

Pentecostals believe very strongly in aiming directly at the Devil and his works. Sometimes, that's a must. However, there are many problems with using the 'frontal assault' approach by itself. For instance:
The thing they are attacking may not be Satanic; it may just seem so. We need to understand why a person is the way they are. For example, mental disturbance may look like it's made by the devil, but usually it isn't. Instead of going off condemning people and popular culture, we need to find out why something that seems demonic is so popular. What is the symbolism touching in us that gives it so much effect? It'd be easier to get teenagers away from dabbling in the occult if we really thought about what the occult is appealing to in the teenage mind.
It takes time to develop a relationship of trust with those who are unknowingly doing or supporting the Devil's work. It takes time to show love, and it takes time for that love to be trusted. They're people, and none of them are beyond the reach of Christ's love.
Some people don't really let themselves feel the ugliness of spiritual warfare. They actually want to see spiritual combat, see devils lash out and experience extended struggles with sensational happenings. To them, it's a swashbuckling adventure, and they're the heroes. But think of real guns-and-bombs war here : the carnage, death, destruction, and hatred -- there are some who find that exciting, too. They need to grasp the truth of how horrible such things are.
Satan's work is not at all simple. It goes on at all sorts of different levels from all sorts of thoughts, people, movements, and happenings. Hit it from only one angle, and the Devil works all the other angles that much harder.
So, direct attacks on a work of Satan have their place, but not by themselves. A badly-aimed attack is like a mischosen drug that can kill the patient.

RECONCILIATION AND REPENTANCE
"People who fight fire with fire usually end up with ashes."--- Dear Abby (Abigail vanBuren)

One of the things that is hard for a nation or a society to do is to come to grips with the evils it has done. It tries to make excuses, saying 'it was the best choice we had at the time' or 'we didn't know better', or 'we did what we were told', or 'that was our ancestors, not us'. The Bible says that there's a tie-in between what we know and what we are responsible for (for instance, Heb 10:26), and this is true of whatever groups, cliques, neighborhoods, ethnicities, classes, and races we are in, no less than for each of us as a person. There is also a tie-in between what we know that we are responsible to know, and what we are responsible for; deliberate (or even benign) ignorance is no excuse. Historically, it's always been very easy for us to plead ignorance, but very hard to really get to believe it ourselves, because the truth is out there and some will see it, eventually toppling the house of cards that backs its evils.
When the powers in a society willfully and unjustly harm people, the Holy Spirit is disarmed from working through those powers, since the Spirit is not one to use force to take control. The Spirit can often still be at work anyway, through believers from among the victims of the injustice. Those victims are, after all, the ones who need the binding of wounds and the caring and the feeding and the teaching, the ones who need the support of a powerful God.
But it does not do for a Christian to sit back and scream ruddy murder. That does nothing to transform things or to make them better. The Spirit equips each believing Christian with gifts and skills, and opens doors of opportunity for using those gifts and skills in witness and service to other people. I believe that the New Testament holds within it the key to rebuilding the societies we live in. But it won't be found by developing full-scale social ideologies (which fail, and in any case will turn into socio-political idols). It will be found by looking at the example of Christ, the words of the Prophets, and the letters of Paul.
When I look at all the conflicts in this world, open and sub-surface, I think of Christ. Christ had a way of turning the tables on the world -- and I don't just mean at the Temple. Christ stressed love, honesty, justice, diligence, active caring for others, and reconciliation. Christ made it clear that the relationship with one's neighbors was the key sign of the health of one's relationship with God (see especially Mt 5:21-24). Our societies need Christ's kind of reconciliation more than ever. Paul was even able to speak of Christians having a ministry of reconciliation. He set that ministry into the context of what Christ did in bringing us back together with God; thus, reaching people with the gospel message is the most important aspect of this ministry of reconciliation. Yet, the other part of a reconciliation ministry is that Christ liberates us all to live in solidarity with God and each other. I think a vision of reconciliation is the most important gift that Christian believers can give to the world and the political systems right now.
Indeed, the ultimate reconciliation is already under way, that between God and God's entire fallen creation. Unlike in the responsibility chain above, God (the one who did NOT commit the sin or ruin the relationship) takes on the full role of the responsible One, and has brought it to the point of forming a new relationship. As usual, God did it, we didn't. If God waited around for us to do it, it would never happen, for we are irresponsible. That's what got us into this bind to begin with.
"Every act of forgiveness involves at least three elements:
We rediscover the humanity of the person who has wronged us, seeing that individual as a human being, not just as the one who offended us;
We surrender our right and desire to get even or punish the person;
We revise our feelings toward the individual and are open to a new relationship built on mutual respect.
Seeing the person differently allows our feelings to change."---- Lewis Smedes
"Forgiveness does not change the past, but it does enlarge the future."---- Paul Boese

WHAT IS A FAST?
Fasting is part of the faith life of religions old and new all over the world. In a fast, the believer chooses, for a set time, to do without something that is hard to do without. This is done so that it does not come between the believer and God, so it cannot act as a god over that relationship and over the life of the believer.
Usually, the fast is to do without food. Food is one of the great blessings of God in our lives, a true pleasure and a true necessity. But humans tend to be gluttons; we want to eat more. Our hunger can compel us, force our hand, occupy our thoughts. When we have anything in our lives that we don't or can't say no to, then it is lording over us. But God is Lord; if something else takes up God's place in our lives, it is an idol, and we are living in something akin to idolatry. Fasting helps to bring it back into enough control for us to surrender it to God so it can be returned to its rightful place in life. Food is the foremost example of such a thing.
You can fast from some foods, and not others. You can fast from watching television, having sex, and buying pleasure items, even from buying ordinary stuff. You can fast from hobbies you crave, places you are unhealthily drawn to, music, books, news, and movies. You might even find it necessary to fast from use of the Internet -- though please don't start until you're done using this site. :-) If you can be described as a 'junkie', 'freak', or 'fanatic' about something, that's a good thing to fast from. For most people in North America, and the upper classes all over the earth, the most important fasting may be to fast from being a consumer of goods, for our role as a consumer consumes us spiritually. For Catholics, fasting for Lent is one of the most enduring hallmarks of their tradition.
Fasting In Repentance
1 Samuel 7:6 (national); Joel 1:14; Jonah 3:5-9 (Nineveh); Mark 2:18 (re John the Baptist's followers)
how does this work? You realize that what you did was very wrong. Doing things that way is destructive; it harms others, and thus yourself. Wrongdoing blocks the value you have as a person; it adds to you a hellishness that saps you spiritually. To repent is to reject this hellishness.
What does fasting do that furthers the repentance/healing? Fasting is a discipline. By doing it, you change your way of living for a while, taking away something very basic to the body's health. The whole You enters into [ or 'experiences' ] the unwholeness that your sin creates. Things are not right, and feeling that unrightness through the discomforts of hunger helps to firm up your resolve not to do it again, a resolve to live a different kind of life.
Leviticus 16:29-34 (Yom Kippur), done "that you may humble your souls", and Numbers 29:7-11.
Fasting and Obeying God
"First, let [fasting] be done unto the Lord with our eye singly fixed on Him. Let our intention herein be this, and this alone, to glorify our Father which is in heaven."------- John Wesley, as found in the collection *Sermons On Several Occasions* (Epworth, 1971), p.301
If one of the purposes of fasting is to bring yourself to obey and follow God, then what can fasting mean when life after fasting does not bear the marks of such obedience? In the face of a nation that fasted and wailed before God as if they were holy, but did not live Godly lives, the prophets spoke of the kind of 'fasting' God wanted. Or, as Isaiah said, especially 58:6 :
"Isn't this the fast that I want :to loosen the bonds of wickedness,to undo the bands of the yoke,to let the oppressed go freeand break every yoke?"
The disciples often did not fast at the usual times specified by the Jewish faith. (This was so very different from the Pharisees and the followers of John the Baptist, who would fast regularly.) This was not done to make a point about fasting, but a point about Jesus, since Jesus' coming was God's response to the pleas of all those who had been fasting in repentance and for God to rescue them. Jesus spoke little of fasting, and when he did, it was about the right spirit to fast in. Jesus spoke more often about feasting, comparing the Kingdom of God to a banquet. This was foreshadowed by Zechariah, who prophesied that one day the solemn fast days of the Jewish faith would become "cheerful feasts". Not that Jesus was against fasting. He himself fasted and faced the temptation to use His power to get food to break His fast. He spoke of the role of fasting and prayer in healing and in casting out evil spirits.
The early church expected those who fast to give away what they would have eaten, either in money-value or in food, to those in need. (Shepherd of Hermas 3.5.3; Augustine's Sermon 208). Origen (Homilies on Leviticus, 10) even praised those who fasted in order to give to the poor.
"Is not the neglect of this plain duty (I mean fasting, ranked by our Lord with almsgiving and prayer) one general occasion of deadness among Christians?"--- John Wesley, *The Journal of John Wesley*
Asking God to Change
Fasting to ask God to change course : Ezra 8:21-23
-- why would this matter to God? Because God cares that we care.
When David had been caught by Nathan the Prophet in his evil deed of murder and adultery (2 Sam 12), Nathan ended by forgiving David of his sin, but telling him that the son born from this relationship was to die (verses 13-14). David took his sorrow over this to the Lord in prayer and fasting and tears, laying on the ground, doing nothing else for a whole week (try doing that when you're the sole leader of a nation). But this did not save the son. Once the baby died, David immediately got up, washed and clothed himself, went to worship, and then went to eat. This puzzled the people around him: shouldn't he be fasting over the child's death? David's answer showed how deeply he understood what he was fasting for :
"While the child was alive, I fasted and wept, thinking, 'Who knows, maybe the LORD will be gracious to me so the child may live.' But now that he has died, why should I fast? Can I bring him back again??" (2 Samuel 12:22-23)
David was fasting and weeping out of love for his son, the son his own evil deeds created, the son his own evil deeds killed. He had already come to hate the great sins that he did. He had already mourned as terribly as he could. It was now his task to lead a nation (God's own covenant people), follow God, and comfort Bathsheba who was also mourning over the child that was hers as well as his. But he can't do any of that while he's on the ground fasting and wailing. The time for fasting was over; the time for renewed living was at hand. By setting himself right with God, David was once again blessed by God, as the Lord took that twisted relationship and made from it David's eventual heir, Solomon.
Fasting As Part of Mourning
For most of the rest of us, we have no nation to run. The loss of a loved one affects us so much that we may not care to eat. Or we may come to understand the damage of all those little wrongs we did to that someone, and plead for forgiveness to God. The Bible has many examples of fasting as part of mourning :
· 1 Sam 31:13;
· 2 Sam 1:12;
· Joel 2:12;
· Nehemiah 1:4 (sad news)
Another aspect of this is to fast to commemorate a catastrophe -- the traditional Jewish fasts for the events described in :
· Jeremiah 52:12-13, 39:2;
· 2 Kings 25:1-2;
· Ezekiel 24:1-2;
· Jeremiah 41:1-2; Esther 4:16.