Overcome Evil by Doing Good
Today at my church home, Bridgeway, our pastoral leader, Alex Absalom shared a message on being a Person of Peace bringing influence into our world. The Lord used this message as a reminder of His mandate on those who wish us harm. We overcome evil by doing good. Pastor Alex didn’t share this particular verses found in Romans 12:20-21. His message was the “Definition of a Person of Peace” and his text was Mark 5, and Acts 10 a look at Cornelius’ life. You can listen to this message by downloading it from the Bridgeway Church web site or iTunes, key search “Bridgeway Church Podcasts” and there you will find several excellent messages.
Pastor Alex’s message: “Definition of a Person of Peace” was: 1) shows Receptivity – (be friendly and outgoing, make a way), 2) has a good Reputation – (being relational to influence the surrounding community) and 3) having Referrals – (a life of peace will manifest a testimony by where people in your community will see real help, lives changed, God’s grace & mercy poured out, answers to prayer and the miracles of God). Anyone living in the context of these three R’s will have no problem with evangelism.
Pastor Alex then brought the challenge! How do we make a difference in these economic challenging and chaotic times? What sacrifices are we willing to make as individuals and in our church community? Good question!
He challenged us to make a difference in sacrifice by asking us to consider prayerfully more soul-searching questions: What preferences are we willing to lay down? What desires need to become secondary to others? What fears do we need to overcome about certain individuals, like people who are sworn faithful to fundamental Islamic beliefs? What expectations must we lay down, and what should our expectations be?
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My Personal Challenge
I was personally challenged by the Holy Spirit to look at the fruit of kindness. I immediately thought of the verse about overcoming evil by doing good (Romans 12:20-21) and being kind even when certain individuals and groups of people are hell bent to make your life miserable. Don’t misunderstand me, I am not communicating a boundary-less existence, on the contrary, overcoming evil is to have godly boundaries, but with a gentle meek and kind heart. Those who know me well, know that I am a very direct prophetic choleric personality type and do not back down from a conflict. Conflict doesn’t scary me, I can even create it to bring a healthier relationship if I believe it is helpful.
However, I am excited about the grace of God today being poured out to overcome evil by doing good through His love. This takes asking the Lord about where people are from His perspective. Perspective can be everything. If we can see the deception and brokenness from God’s perspective and what the possible outcome of where a person will end eternally, the heart can be graced into Christ-like compassion and kindness. Attitude is 90% of the victory, as God gives us the victory by faith (or attitude) in Jesus Christ our Lord. (1 John 5:4-5) & (1 Cor. 15:57). I thank God for ministering to my heart with His grace and challenge today. May HIS perfect Ways found in the Holy Scriptures, HIS Truth and HIS Life be yours!
Hey Jude!
A Warning from the Word of God, from the book of Jude:
A Warning to those who are unfaithful; who engage in all forms of sexually immorality and homosexuality.
This is also a Scriptural warning to those who are rebellious to God’s Holy Word, and who scoff and mock at the Scriptures, and it is a warning to those who are greedy for gain and the selfishly ambitious.
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Dear friends, I had been eagerly planning to write to you about the precious salvation we all share from Jesus Christ our Lord. But now I find that I must write about something else, urging you to defend the faith that God has entrusted once for all time to his people who are called holy. I say this because some ungodly people have wormed their way into your churches, saying that God’s marvelous grace allows us to live immoral lives. The condemnation of such people was recorded long ago, for they have denied our only Master and Lord, Jesus Christ by their way of living life.
So I want to remind you and warn you, though you already know these things if you have studied the Word of God, that Jesus first rescued the nation of Israel from Egypt, but later He destroyed those who did not remain faithful. This is a sober warning for anyone who names Jesus Christ as Lord. The commandment is clear, “Thou shall not take the Lord’s name in vain.” Saying that Jesus Christ is your Lord and then living ungodly. And I remind you of the angels who did not stay within the limits of authority God gave them but left the place where they belonged. God has kept them securely chained in prisons of darkness, waiting for the great day of judgment. And don’t forget Sodom and Gomorrah and their neighboring towns, which were filled with immorality and every kind of sexual perversion. Those cities were destroyed by fire and serve as a warning of the eternal fire of God’s judgment. Remember Sodom and Gomorrah were destroyed because their arrogance blinded them and taking them into sexual perversions of every kind.
In the same way, these people—who claim authority from their dreams—live immoral lives, defy authority, and scoff at supernatural beings. But even Michael, one of the mightiest of the angels, did not dare accuse the devil of blasphemy, but simply said, “The Lord rebuke you!” (This took place when Michael was arguing with the devil about Moses’ body.) But these people scoff at things they do not understand. Like unthinking animals, they do whatever their instincts tell them, and so they bring about their own destruction. Those who believe it is justifiable to live according to their own desires will bring judgment down upon themselves. What sorrow awaits them! For they follow in the footsteps of Cain, who killed his brother. Like Balaam, they deceive people for money — greediness brings deception and death. And like Korah with rebellious hearts they perish in their rebellion.
When these people eat with you in your fellowship meals commemorating the Lord’s love, they are like dangerous reefs that can shipwreck you. Be careful with those who you have fellowship with least they turn you away from following the Lord Jesus Christ. They are like shameless shepherds who care only for themselves. They are like clouds blowing over the land without giving any rain. They are like trees in autumn that are doubly dead, for they bear no fruit and have been pulled up by the roots. They are like wild waves of the sea, churning up the foam of their shameful deeds. They are like wandering stars, doomed forever to blackest darkness.
Enoch, who lived in the seventh generation after Adam, prophesied about these people. He said, “Listen! The Lord is coming with countless thousands of his holy ones to execute judgment on the people of the world. He will convict every person of all the ungodly things they have done and for all the insults that ungodly sinners have spoken against him.”
These people are grumblers and complainers, living only to satisfy their own desires. They brag loudly about themselves, and they flatter others to get what they want. But you, my dear friends, must remember what the apostles of our Lord Jesus Christ said. They told you that in the last times there would be scoffers whose purpose in life is to satisfy their ungodly desires. These people are the ones who are creating divisions among you. They follow their natural instincts because they do not have God’s Spirit in them.
But you, dear friends, must build each other up in your most holy faith, pray in the power of the Holy Spirit, and await the mercy of our Lord Jesus Christ, who will bring you eternal life. In this way, you will keep yourselves safe in God’s love. And you must show mercy to those whose faith is wavering. Rescue others by snatching them from the flames of judgment. Show mercy to still others, but do so with great caution, hating the sins that contaminate their lives, never allowing yourself to compromise, but be all the more diligent as you see the day drawing closer to the end.
Now all glory to God, who is able to keep you from falling away and will bring you with great joy into his glorious presence without a single fault. All glory to him who alone is God, our Savior through Jesus Christ our Lord. All glory, majesty, power, and authority are his before all time, and in the present, and beyond all time! Amen.
The End of the Home and the End or Our Society?
by Pastor Paul Blair with Fairview Baptist Church, Edmond, OK
Fact: Barack Obama opposes and has promised to see all Defense of Marriage Acts overturned.
Fact: Barack Obama supports homosexual marriage ensuring that the 1,100+ federal legal rights and benefits of natural traditional marriage are extended to same-sex couples. In addition, it will be illegal for you to preach against homosexuality.
Legalizing homosexual marriage will end the value of traditional marriage in America. How do I know?
The Homosexual Movement tries to paint an “Ozzie and Harriet” picture of the poor homosexual couple that wants to get married and raise a family. But what are the facts. We know because homosexual marriage is legal in the Netherlands and has been for some time. Surveys conducted in both America and the Netherlands show that there is no comparison between a “homosexual marriage” and a “heterosexual marriage.”
- In heterosexual marriage 90% of women and 80% of men surveyed have never cheated on their spouses. Contrast that with the fact that surveys show homosexuals in “committed” relationships have sex with eight other partners in an average year (the number of liaisons with each of those eight was not recorded).
- In heterosexual marriage, studies show that 70% of first marriages last at least 10 years while 57.7% last over 20 years. In homosexual marriage the average relationship lasts 18 months.
What homosexual marriage has done in Scandinavia is kill marriage in general. If the definition of marriage means you can have 8 extra marital partners a year and then change relationships altogether every 18 months, why bother to get married at all? And that is exactly what has happened in the Netherlands. Currently, in Scandinavia, 60% of first-born children now have unwed parents.
Is there a cost to society for not having a Mother and a Father in a home?
In America, single parent homes are 700% more likely to live in poverty while in our prisons, 70% of prisoners are from single parent homes. Just as the cell is the basic building block to the human body, the family has been the basic building block in America. If we destroy the family,America will not be far behind.
But even if a person didn’t care about our Nation and didn’t believe the Bible, if a person claims to have compassion for his fellow man, he would still oppose homosexuality.
Over the past 15 years, there have been many surveys trying to determine what percentage of the population in America was homosexual. Even liberal think tanks, such as the Guttmacher Institute, place that number at around 3% of the population. The percentage of sexually transmitted diseases, depression and suicide should be consistent with other population groups if homosexual behavior was a safe alternative. The evidence proves the opposite.
In 2003, the Centers for Disease Control reported that homosexual behavior was responsible for 60% of all HIV cases in America. A 2004 study on Gonorrhea revealed that 64% of all cases were the result of homosexual activity. When such a small percentage of the population is responsible for such a large percentage of STDs a question should be asked about the safety of that behavior.
An epidemiological study released in 1997 from data gathered over a five-year period in Vancouver, Canada, concluded that homosexual practitioners lost up to 20 years of life expectancy. If someone truly cared about the homosexual, this data should be cause for concern. By the way, we’ve heard the statement “what happens in my bedroom is my business.” Really? The Center for Disease Control reports that there were over 50,000 new HIV/Aids cases this past year. 99.3% of those are caused by behavior and 71% of all cases in men are the result of homosexuality. In November 2006, the Associated Press reported that the average additional health care cost associated with a person diagnosed with HIV is $618,000. Do the math.
Not only is there the tragedy of suffering and death associated with these terrible sexually transmitted diseases, but there is also the financial burden placed upon the rest of America. Almost $31 billion dollars incrementally added each and every year that must be absorbed by the medical industry either through the increased cost of health care or the increased cost of health insurance. In addition to the obvious structural damage that results from homosexual behavior, the list of medical diseases found with extraordinary frequency among male homosexual practitioners include anal cancer, HIV, herpes, gonorrhea, viral hepatitis B & C, syphilis, and genital warts. Along with the medical risk is an unusually high occurrence of mental disorders and illness among homosexuals. Research results in the October 2000 issue of the American Medical Associations Archives of General Psychiatry reported that homosexual youths were 600% more likely to commit suicide than their heterosexual peers. The excuse is made that suicides and mental illness among homosexuals is a result of bias or “homophobia” in America, but that myth has also been proven wrong. The Dutch are considered progressive in their sexuality and homosexual marriage is legal in the Netherlands yet, statistical results there are consistent with the statistics in America.
We in America have taken great care for the well being of our fellow man.
We require seat belts to be worn in order to save lives. Cigarette smoking is discouraged because of the increased risk of lung cancer. We even have limitations on vending machines in schools because of the danger of obesity. Yet, if someone dares raise a question about the obvious dangers associated with homosexual behavior, that person is labeled a homophobe. It is more loving to speak the truth in love than to placate those practicing self-destructive behavior.
Homosexuality is dangerous. Homosexuality is sinful. Homosexual marriage will destroy the very existence of the home in America. Never in the history of America is the traditional home facing the threat of extinction as it is today. Christians, we must take a right stand and cast our vote in defense of the sanctity of the Traditional Judeo-Christian Home. There are over 60 million “Evangelical” (political definition of professing believers with more traditional beliefs) Christians in America. We need a Spiritual Revolution and Awakening in America. If we wake up, pray up, show up and vote we can BEGIN to take a right stand for America.
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Pastor Paul Blair speaks about the unconstitutional law prohibiting free speech for pastors and ministers concerning Biblical truth dealing with elections.
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You can contact Pastor Paul Blair at:
1230 North Sooner Road
Edmond, Oklahoma 73034
(405) 348-1745
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Approval, Affirmation, and Sanctioning of Homosexual Marriage in California
Gay affirming policies and politics are leading to the ruin of marriage as once known between one man and one woman. Marriage is on the fast-track of no longer being sacred. According to a recent Gallup poll, 78% to 88% of American youth ages 16 to 25 embrace the idea of homosexuality as a valid, acceptable alternative lifestyle and that gays should be allowed to marry.
Once gay marriage is accepted in a culture then marriage becomes devalued and diluted to nothing and people just stop marrying. This is true in the European countries that have embraced such cultural policies according to Stanly Kurtz’s article “The End of Marriage in Scandinavia”.
(Click here and read another Stanly Kurtz article “Zombie Killers A.K.A., Queering the Social”).
According to this polling data, I would say that the USA is only 10 – 15 years away from a sweeping gay marriage revolution across this country. This is already occurring in Europe. If there is not a spiritual and moral awakening, marriage will become a bothersome formality for a liberal immoral society. Once marriage is defined to mean anything you desire, it becomes warped and goes to several other bizarre forms.
So, why not have marriages to include polygamy, marrying children, or even your favorite pet? “Ridiculous!” You might say, well time will tell. It would have been ridiculous 50 years ago to propose a future of what actually happened this past week in California. Is it ridiculous that the San Francisco Valued Pious Black Robes trashed traditional marriage? Gays are lining up to marry in California! Oh the time consuming quagmire this will put other states into dealing with gay marriages and divorces. There will certainly be plenty of extra courtroom time and dollars spent until the newness wears off and gay affirmation has completely destroyed marriage altogether.
I feel the Church at large has lost its saltiness and influence in this “post-modern any thing that feels good goes” narcissistic generation. Even among heterosexual marriages of evangelicals there is more than a 50% divorce rate. Where is commitment? Where is loyalty and godly character in our society? Haven’t we started the imploding process by embracing all forms of immorality? Where is the Holy Church? Most church-going people laugh and embrace gay characters during their weekly dosage of television entertainment. Acclimation – it really has become “acceptable.” The Church is not allowed to even use a Biblical word to describe homosexuality as detestable without gasps and shrills from other acclimated politically and culturally relevant Christians. Yes, we have become acclimated to accept it as a normal part.
When marriage is made into a mockery, then the question becomes, “why bother?” The overwhelmingly majority of the same noted peer group in the Gallup poll also believes it is perfectly acceptable to have free sex with anyone at anytime, just as long as it is consenting. Will this be the last generation to up hold any form of Judeo-Christian morality? Will there be even more terrorism from radical Islamic Fascists because the USA is indeed become the great Satan of immorality in their minds? The leading country producing the largest amount decadent pornographic material to the rest of the entire earth! The Islamic extremists actually believe their holy book and are out to destroy such infidels. The next 10 to 20 years are going to be very gripping. We owe much of this to well organized political savvy gay activists, the California black robes and to a sleepy Church.
Awake Church!
“This is all the more urgent, for you know how late it is; time is running out. Wake up, for our salvation is nearer now than when we first believed. The night is almost gone; the day of salvation will soon be here. So remove your dark deeds like dirty clothes, and put on the shining armor of right living. Because we belong to the day, we must live decent lives for all to see. Don’t participate in the darkness of wild parties and drunkenness, or in sexual promiscuity and immoral living, or in quarreling and jealousy. Instead, clothe yourself with the presence of the Lord Jesus Christ. And don’t let yourself think about ways to indulge your evil desires. (Romans 13:11-14 NLT)
