PastorHarrison

The confusion concerning the Pre / Mid / Post and the new Pre-wrath view is a failure to understand the difference between the Church and Israel. When authors misidentify Israel vs. the N.T. Church which then the confusion sets in and you get some poorly studied but often well meaning chap teaching that the church goes into the trib... which of course it doesn't.

Second - the teaching that the pre-trib view originates in 1830 is like saying the doctrine of the rapture started in 1912 .... It is a Bible doctrine and therefore has it's foundation in the authorship of the scriptures. The Pre-Trib Rapture of the church begins with the N.T. but was foreshadowed in Enoch. --

A good set of sermons on the subject are to be found on James Knox's website http://www.inthestreets.org/knox/

Idolatry has a somewhat broader reach than you give it credit for I think.
Col 3:5 Mortify therefore your members which are upon the earth; fornication, uncleanness, inordinate affection, evil concupiscence, and covetousness, which is idolatry:

Idolatry shouldn't conjur images of Charlton Heston and the golden calf from the movie "The Ten Commandments", but rather the best N.T. Representation of Idolatry today would be a good old fashioned bathroom mirror - idolatry is within the heart and no statue is needed. Idolatry as Paul pointed at here in Col 3 is anything that has your heart to the point that you won't surrender it for Christ.

If the knowledge that sunrise services on Easter, a festival celebrated by Herod with the murder of an Apostle, using eggs, bunnies and dye and revolving around worship of a false god.... IF THAT ISN'T ENOUGH to cause a Christian to turn from such things immediately without argument in favor of keeping them, nothing I could say is going to get their attention either. As Abraham said some will not be persuaded "though one rose from the dead" - nothing is going to turn them from their opinion....not scripture, not preaching, not teaching, not compelling, not truth....not even a dead relative coming to see them in person...

In the end Christ is longsuffering and such Christians go to heaven nontheless. All I am seeking to do is to help minimize the amount of shame such an one will suffer at the judgment seat for all the things they did that brought reproach upon the name above all names.

As I go door knocking I am constantly encountering those who've flopped out of church because they didn't like the brand of piano polish being used or some other cover story excuse, yet who seem to think this quite acceptable based on misinterpreting scripture. The following series of three articles ran in our local newspaper and in our email subscription which is growing rapidly. I'll post all three articles in this one thread:

Part 1
Trusting the Bible On:

Theme: Those who just never seem to be focused on Canaan.

Trusting the Bible On:

John 3:3 "born again" Christians....are children of God. Once a child always a child.... even a disobedient and rebellious child is still a child, even if a disappointment. Children are dealt with according to thier level of disobedience.... even up to and including physical death "that the spirit may be saved" ... John said "that which is born of God (John 3:3 ye must be born again) cannot sin. The flesh can and it suffers the consequences of sin i.e. Moses died on the other side of Jordan for his sin of striking the rock, but after his flesh paid for it's sin, we find Moses standing IN the promised land with Jesus! in Matt 17 because Moses died in Faith! His body was buried on the other side of Jordan, but his redeemed soul was with the Lord! Amen!!!

Eternal security is literally everywhere in scripture.... it is inescapable. The Ark of Noah.... the Tabernacle....
The offerings vs Hebrews "one sacrifice"..... everywhere we turn....there it is.

To teach that salvation can be lost - is to make the blood of Christ equal to the blood of goats and bulls (Heb 10). It is to say that the blood of the Lamb of God was temporary blood much as was the blood of the O.T. sacrifices..... We of course know that the Blood of Jesus Christ was shed once.....because it is permanent blood and must be shed but once, applied but once and secures "eternal salvation" [Heb 5:9] {not temporary salvation} as erroniously taught by many.

How it can be missed that Heb 6 says IF it could BE LOST, it could never be regained - is beyond me..... it's so screaming obvious once you learn that man is a trinity "Spirit, Soul and Body" [i Thess 5:23] that you wonder if Paul didn't have this in mind when he said "if a man be ignorant....let him be ignorant".

I am thankful God is keeping me an apple tree and not me.

"For instance, consider an apple tree: it doesn't bear apples to become an apple tree; neither does it bear apples to stay an apple tree. It bears apples because God made it an apple tree.
Just the same with a true Christian; he doesn't strive to live holy or do good works to get saved, or stay saved. He does it BECAUSE GOD HAS SAVED HIM AND LIVES IN HIM! It has become part of his nature. "For it is God which worketh in you to will and to do of his good pleasure." (Phil. 2:13)"

I think its kind of humorous to see a Calvinist quote scripture that falls in line with the thousands of verses that demonstrate the irrefutability that salvation is up to the believer's choice to accept or reject. According to Calvin we can't make sure of anything cause we're too dead to do any "makin sure" and have to let God "make" it sure for us.... cute circular logic....

Trusting The Bible On:
?Surrendering your throne?
Faith Baptist Church holds Wednesday night Bible studies for those desiring the meat of God?s word in chapter by chapter Bible study. We?re presently in I Samuel 20. The following article is compiled in small part from one of the multiple things covered in ch 18:1-4. The lesson is ?Surrendering your thrones? to a far greater King. Read I Samuel 18:1-4 King Saul had three sons, with Jonathan next in line to be King after him. In chapter 15 King Saul failed to ?completely? obey the word of God! The result? God ?rejected? him from being King [i Sam 15:23, 26] and sent a preacher ?Samuel? to tell Saul the price of his disobedience. Saul was outraged?and set himself to not only keep the throne anyway, but to put his son Jonathan on it after him. But God had chosen David [i Sam 16:12] to replace Saul when the appointed time came. Saul?s actions had forever cost him and his sons the right to be King and sit on the throne! Just one act, by one man! Condemned himself and his children to shame and suffering. It is Genesis 3 all over again! Adam in Genesis 3 failed to obey God and his rebellion plunged his family (all the way down to me and you) into sin, shame and suffering! Adam plunged into sin, cost his wife & sons their place in the Garden of Eden ( a picture of right standing in God?s sight). King Saul decided to fight God?s will and sought to kill David and put Jonathan on the throne anyway! Today there are millions of ?Saul? - ever struggling against God?s word, always intended to do what they want despite what God said and refusing to surrender the throne of their heart to Jesus! Now lets turn to Jonathan in chapter 18:1-4 and see what we may learn. We might expect Jonathan to be angry to see his hopes of being King ripped from his grasp by his father?s actions?.we might expect Jonathan to look upon David with jealous hatred. But no? just the opposite happened! Jonathan is a God fearing young man and he accepts God?s word and will. When he realizes that David is God?s chosen King and not himself, instead of getting angry he turned his heart fully to accept David as God?s King! Jonathan immediately began to surrender all his own rights to that throne! He hands over to David all the symbols of the throne & royalty: His ?robe?, his ?garments?, his ?sword, bow & girdle?! What an incredible picture & lesson we have here! At once we see ourselves as Jonathan. Our father Adam {like Saul} willfully rejected ?complete? obedience to God [Genesis 3:17-19] and his refusal to obey God plunged all the world into sin & shame & death [Romans 5:12-14]. As a result God has chosen & sent a new King [i Sam 16:1; Romans 5:15] to sit upon the throne in righteousness! Romans Chapter 5 teaches us that Adam was a figure of Christ. Much the same way Jonathan was a figure of us all as sons of Adam and David is the figure of Christ! Let us follow Jonathan?s great example then and surrender ALL our heart, life and soul unto the love of our true King ?the Lord Jesus Christ?. Let the lost man or woman reading this bow down before God and gladly surrender the throne of their heart & life to his precious Son Jesus! (Read Acts 16:1-31, Romans 10 and John chapter 3). You may say ?ahh but pastor, I?ve already given my throne to Jesus?. Wonderful! but let me ask you have you followed Jonathan?s example in surrendering not just the throne but EVERY remaining thing in your life that belongs to the King? Jonathan found it joyous and rewarding to surrender not just his throne but also all the ?things? of Royalty unto his true King David. Christians who are willingly out of church are soon out of the Bible, not reading and not praying. This brings spiritual weakness and eventually the heart grows cold to the things of God ? like an ember removed from the fire?.it soon dies. You as a Christian will only find complete joy of the Christian life by gladly and wholly surrendering to Jesus your time, your faithfulness, your attendance upon the things that need doing at church, honor, prestige, pride, self will, righteousness, heart, mind, love, desire, hopes, dreams, wife or husband, children, families, country, nation, our all to the great King of Kings and Lord of Lords the Lamb of God ? the Only Begotten Son of God Jesus Christ! When you give the ?robe, garments, sword and bow & girdle? of your life to Jesus ? you?ll soon have the joy of salvation! The Life that Jesus paid for us to have and live! Come and let us follow Jonathan?s example in surrendering all to Jesus at Faith Baptist Church ? two blocks South of the hospital ?up on the Hill?! PastorHarrison@tds.net

Bitterness runs through the scriptures in women as well as men. Thank you all for sharing your comments. Don't we all suffer with this? Has been hard for me to let some "off the hook" for no other reason than that it needed to be done not so that they could be free of my anger, but so that I could!

Pastor Harrison

Considering "scripture with scripture" it is clarified that "speaking" in the church is not referring to every utterance of voice - considering Anna, Elizabeth & Phebe and Priscilla who spoke in a church setting. Rather dear sister, it is that "speaking" as clarified in scripture is meant - the focul teacher, preacher, pastor. In other words, it does not mean a woman cannot utter a word in a church, but rather that she cannot assume the role of "the speaker" {the Pastor, the Head, the Preacher} which pictures the husband of the wife.

A woman most assuredly can and should pray in church, teach other women & children in church and serve the Lord in the church - simply, not as it's pastor or preacher.

In response the article I posted here on Women Preachers, when that article ran in the paper a local Church of God with a woman pastor responded by saying that I Tim, I Cor, Eph 5 and Titus 1 & 2 are "Mosaic Law" and that women can now preach because there is no more male / female re Gal 3:28. She asked in the newspaper that I answer those questions.... here is my reply:

Trusting The Bible On:
?Woman?s Ministry?
At risk of seeming contentious or argumentative, yet for sake of correcting false doctrine & false teaching, Paul frequently ?reasoned? with the Jews ?out of the scriptures? [Acts 17:2, 18:4, 18:19 & 24:25]. Some trusted the Bible and some didn?t. Good questions have been raised about what God said concerning his ordained order for women in ministry. The answers to those questions are found in scripture. Many great women are found throughout the word of God serving in incredible roles in ministry, beginning with Eve and the greatest woman?s ministry of all - ?Motherhood?. Are there women disciples in scripture? Yes! Were women mightily used of God in scripture? Yes! Do women serve God in wonderful ways in the Bible? Yes! But not once, not ever, anywhere in the Bible, as a Pastor, Apostle or Preacher or Deacon! You find them serving in their own ordained roles & ministries. You might get it in a false bible, but you won?t ever get a single priestess, pastoress, deaconess, or preacheress out of a real Bible {AV1611 King James Bible}. Why not? Because God said ??I suffer not a woman to TEACH nor to USURP AUTHORITY over the man?? [i Tim 2:12]. ?Let your women keep silence in the churches?for it is a shame for women to speak in the church?. Can God have possibly said it any clearer? Some men & women hate these verses. They twist, distort and reason them away [see Mark 7:13]. Question 1. Isn?t this an O.T. restriction given under the law? No! This is in I Timothy not the O.T. Law! Trust the Bible - The Mosaic Law (Exodus, Leviticus, Numbers & Deuteronomy) {God?s word} also says God only calls men as pastors. It is reiterated in the N.T. but as we see in Matt 5:27-28, the N.T. often cuts far deeper and is harder to live in than the law ever was! No, our verses are N.T. given 2000+ years after the law and 40 ? 65 years after Christ: See [i Tim 2:11-12; Titus Ch 1-2; I Cor 14:34-35; Eph Ch 5]. This is not ?under the law? it?s ?in Grace? for the local church. Question: What about Eve, Sarah, Deborah, Jedidah, Ruth, Anna, Esther, Phebe, Priscilla, Mary and Martha etc? Wonderful Godly women who served God faithfully and honorably! But not as Priest, Pastors or Preachers or Deacons. God does not violate or contradict his word! Question: What about Galatians 3:28 There is neither Jew nor Greek?neither male nor female? Many Jews thought getting saved required 1. Being a Jew & 2. Keeping the Law. God gave this letter to teach that being a Jew & keeping the Law won?t get you saved! See Gal 2:16, 3:7, 14, 5:4! He said being a man, woman, Jew, Gentile, slave or free has nothing to do with salvation. None of that matters at the foot of the cross! You come to Jesus by Faith or you don?t come! Saying that this verse means women can preach today because they?re no longer ?women? would give the sodomites {homosexuals} a great argument for ?gay? marriage. They could claim ?we?re not really violating the word of God because we?re no longer ?men marrying men? or ?women marrying women? we?re just ?one in Christ??! That?s a heresy. Question: What about women who say God called them to preach? God does not call women to preach they called themselves. ?Let your women keep silence in the churches: (notice that?s not just the Corinthian church as some confuse ?look close and trust your Bible! It reads church(es) ??for it is a shame for women to speak in the church?. Women & men alike call themselves to preach. Should women be witnesses? Yes! Share the gospel with lost people? Yes! Serve God? Yes! Teach other women & children the word of God? Yes! Can a woman help her husband expound the Bible to a confused adult man? Yes! [Acts 18:26]. Question: What?s a prophetess? Study every use of that word in the Bible ? it was a woman who could tell the future as it related to will of God. A prophetess was NOT a pastor, priest or preacher in the Bible. God didn?t forbid women from preaching because they can?t do it well, or because they don?t know the Bible?but because of Eve?s transgression and the woman?s place in the family of God [Gen 3, I Tim 2, Eph 5] What a dear Christian women should do is to honor, accept, embrace and submit to the word of God. The role and place of women is prestigious, honorable, beautiful, loved, cherished as the weaker vessel and vital to the world, to the home, to the family and to the body of Christ. Millions are in heaven now because of dear Christian mothers, Grandmothers, sisters, aunts, daughters and wives.

Thus Saith The Lord:
?Women Preachers?
More and more commonly as we move into the ?last days? we?re seeing the departure from ?sound doctrine? II Tim 4:2-4. I?ve been asked by more than a few why the Fundamental Independent Baptist and some other denominations forbid women preachers while others allow them? The answer is not well accepted in these days of apostasy: The Bible clearly, unquestionably forbids it: The ?Pastoral letters? of I & II Tim and Titus deal with it bluntly: "Let the woman learn in silence with all subjection. But I suffer not a woman to teach, nor to usurp authority over the man, but to be in silence" 1st Timothy 2:11-12. Many women get outraged and respond in anger and bitterness if anyone points the words of God out on this matter. Lets look though at more of God?s word ?The head of the woman is the man I Cor 11:3 and I Corinthians 14:34-35 Let your women keep silent in the churches: for it is not permitted unto them to speak; but they are commanded to be under obedience, as also saith the law. And if they will learn anything, let them ask their husbands at home: for it is a shame for women to speak in the church. God knew that many would hate Paul for these words and even try to explain them away, so he added ?If any man think himself to be a prophet, or spiritual, let him acknowledge that the things I write unto you are the commandments of the Lord. But if any man be ignorant, let him be ignorant?. There it is, plain as day in your Bible! If you accept them you?ll be called a chauvinist, hateful, prejudiced, a legalist or just mean-spirited and you?ll be fed a dozen ?explanations? for why women can preach & pastor. [see Mark 7:10-13]. There are hundreds of verses demonstrating this simple truth but for just ONE lets look at Genesis chapter 3 vs 13 And the LORD God said unto the woman, What is this that thou hast done? Then in 16 God told Eve I will greatly multiply thy sorrow ??thy desire shall be to thy husband, and he shall rule over thee?. When explaining that women can?t be preachers or pastors in I Timothy 2, God pointed back to Genesis 3 and said ?I suffer not a woman to teach, nor usurp authority over the man, but to be in silence? [i Tim 2:12] not much question there! In I Tim 3 God outlined the requirements for pastors (Elders), preachers & deacons. His repeated words are HE, HIM, HIS, HUSBAND and how their ?wives? must behave. In Genesis God rebuked Adam for ?hearkening? {submitting to} his wife and then put all women forever thereafter under the authority and rule of their husbands. From then on God held Adam, and all husbands after him, accountable as the head of the family [Eph 5:22-25]. You see, God?s divine plan and order for the family is A HUSBAND & A WIFE. God ordained that the local church, like the family, is the household of God [Eph 2:19] and that household has a husband (the groom, head) and a wife (the bride, body). For the husband is the head of the wife, even as Christ is the head of the church Eph 5:23, 32! The Pastor (is a type of the bridegroom, husband, father) with authority & accountability for the flock (church, bride, wife, woman) in HIS care [i Thess 5:12, I Tim 1:3, Heb 13:7, 17] He answers for its actions and decisions like a husband answers for the wife and children. Women (wives) are never ?the groom? or ?Husband? or ?Head of the wife? in God?s order. Ignoring this simple truth has devastated America in the last 50 yrs! Christ is ?the Groom? or ?husband? and his type or picture is the Pastor (the husband, the head) and thereby obviously a man. The Bride (the body of Christ, the church) awaits her Bridegroom (husband / Christ) ?the groom? {our Lord, Son of God, Son of Man}. A woman makes a beautiful picture of the bride of Christ (the church) in scripture, with a vitally important role and ministry only she can fulfill! Today as I write this, the church is called in scripture a Bride who waits for her husband! My wife & daughter cannot be the husband / father or head of the family in God?s ordain order?{they?re smarter than I am and could do it better than I can!}, but God said ?no? and they love him enough to accept HIS ordained role for women. They don't consider God?s ordained order an insult or degrading, but honorable, loving and vital!

I later added the subsequent article - Trusting the Bible on "women's Ministry" see this section for that follow up article.

Trusting the Bible on:
?Bitterness?
Recently I preached the message ?When you can?t forgive? using the shameful event of David & Bathsheba?s terrible adultery as my text [iI Sam 11] which it would help you to read before continuing. By way of introduction let me say that one of the most painful things in life is betrayal! If you?ve lived very long you may already know the great pain & heartache of having been done wrong?maybe even by someone you loved and trusted! Often in the wake of betrayal & heartache comes great wrath, anger and bitterness. Let me tell you a story: Back before David slew Goliath there was a man of great wisdom named Ahithophel. So very wise and great was he that the Bible says his counsel was ?as if a man had enquired at the oracle of God? [iI Sam 16:23]. Ahithophel later became one of David?s counselors and most trusted friends. But David fell into a terrible sin ? adultery with a married woman whom you may know as Bathsheba! The young beautiful wife of the promising military hero Uriah. Uriah was a great warrior and though young himself he had already made it into David?s own elite force of valiant fighting men! Together Uriah & Bathsheba had dreams and a bright future! But while Uriah was off fighting for King and country, his King was committing adultery with his beautiful young wife! David and Bathsheba ruined forever that bright future with a night of adultery. If you?ve read the text, you know that Bathsheba ended up pregnant and that in order to hide it David tried to get Uriah in bed with her so that no one would ever suspect the baby she carried was David?s! When that failed, David had Uriah murdered in battle. What you may not know is that Bathsheba had a loving Dad and doting Grandfather. The Bible doesn?t tell us how many times Bathsheba?s granddad gave her piggy back rides and took her fishing as a child, but it does tell us who he was. Can you guess? The beautiful young Bathsheba?s grandfather was none other than the great Ahithophel {David?s friend and counselor}. When Ahithophel realized the dark secret of how his dear friend the great King David had lain with his precious granddaughter, defiled her and gotten her pregnant & ruined a family?s hopes and had even had her noble husband murdered to hide it, he was consumed with rage! It was a painful betrayal of his son, his granddaughter, his grandson-in-law, of the throne and of God! Anger & outrage spread like a wildfire in Ahithophel! It consumed him so deeply he said horrible things [iI Sam 16:15 to 17:6] and even asked David?s wicked son Absalom to let him have some men with which to go hunt David down and kill him personally [iI Sam 17:1-4]. But meanwhile David had been confronted with his sin, and he and Bathsheba had paid in tears with the death of their baby for that night of fun and that murder [iI Sam 12]. Sin always has a price and it?s always much higher than you think it?ll be! David sought and obtained mercy & forgiveness from God. We don?t know if he ever went to Ahithophel and asked his friend & counselor?s forgiveness, but if he did it fell on deaf ears. This betrayal had hurt Ahithophel too deeply for him to forgive. The bitterness of seeing Bathsheba in David?s arms, while her husband and baby lay cold in the grave turned his heart to stone and his great wisdom to darkness. I would caution you as your friend and as a pastor, anger and bitterness will eat you alive ? you must seek to forgive! By the end of II Sam 17 Ahithophel hung himself. The Bible tells us in Ephesians 4:26 Be ye angry, and sin not: let not the sun go down upon your wrath: Many verses come to mind in dealing with the results of anger and betrayal, of bitterness and wrath and all of them point to a simple truth: The heart that?s been born again and filled with the Spirit of God cannot long endure the heavy burden of bitterness and anger without suffering harm. See Colossians 3:13 ?Forbearing one another, and forgiving one another, if any man have a quarrel against any: even as Christ forgave you, so also do ye? and Ephesians 4:32 ?And be ye kind one to another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, even as God for Christ's sake hath forgiven you?. I encourage you to search for God?s strength in mercy by asking God to help you find compassion and forgiveness!

Good Morning Sis,

It appears, to me at least, that we'll just have to agree to disagree on this one. Proclaiming Easter's origin and name forgotten and thus it's customs (eggs rabbits and sunrise) white-washed & sanctified for Christian use, is rather absurd. For a comparison take adultery - Biblically a SIN. Our 'society' has pronounced this too as acceptable. Our "time-lapse reconing' calls adultery just living together ... consentual sex...extra marital affiar etc But our cute little renaming ceremony doesn't change the sin, nor make it's acceptance any less insulting to God.

To borrow your point - if I approve of adultery or engage in it - does that really change the sinfulness of adultery? Does it lessen somehow whether or not I should point out that adulter is a sin? From your perspective I could argue that if one engages in sin, he is thereby precluded from pointing out the sinfulness of sin and indeed the sin itself is somehow vindicated and acquitted. Sorry my sister - but that "dog won't hunt as they say". Easter is just as much pagan now as it ever was....the fact that many don't know it is Pagan idolatry and embrace it in ignorance IN NO WAY makes it less a sin. Sins committed in ignorance are of course still SINS and the person committing them is STILL GUILTY - unless we're not calling Leviticus 5:17 the word of God anymore?

Anyway - I say the Bible says the women who went to the grave were carrying spices....not egg dye and easter baskets :cool I say Peter walked away from that empty tomb wondering where Jesus was...not where his Easter basket and chocolate rabbits were :lol I say a Christian who hides eggs from his children, is hiding the truth from them as well and insulting his redeemer as well. I may not have the right to rename the days of the week...but I do have the ability to NOT embrace pagan practices for Easter.

If that makes some mad..... better go take another peek at Psalm 119:165 is all I can tell ya.

It's this kind of stuff that turn people off to Christianity. This is where the whole "Christians have no fun" idea comes from. I am a Christian. Have been for 22 years. I have a wife and four children who are all saved. Guess what? We are coloring eggs Saturday!!! God forbid!!! My children are idol worshippers since they are having a fun game of hide and seek with colored eggs. They know the easter bunny isn't easter. They know Easter is the celebration of Jesus' ressurection. Egg hunting is simply something we do for fun on easter--not in recognition of a pagan god. Good grief.

Do you also also believe Santa is Satan, just misspelled? Worship on Sunday is pagan. You must not leave the house. Do you ever refer to the days of the week when speaking? All based on astrology and pagan gods--are you endorsing paganism everytime you breathe the word,"Tuesday"?

It is indeed tragic when people substitute things like eggs and candy for worship on Easter. (No feathers ruffled here, so no worries! )

You didn't answer my questions about how you celebrate Christmas, and, if you do include some "trappings," how that is any different than what some do at Easter with eggs and candy.


I think you've got me wrong here: I do not celebrate it (Ishtar) "anyway." I am not worshiping any pagan god(ess) when I allow my children to hunt for candy at our family picnic. I am doing the same thing I do at Christmastime when I put gifts under the Christmas tree. I'm not celebrating "anyway." I am celebrating "because." Because of the new life given us through Christ's resurrection from the dead. Because He has conquered death once and for all. Because we are now partakers in His eternal life! Looking for candy is just part of the celebration...part of our expression of joy. It has nothing more to do with pagan worship than saying that I'm going to church on Wednesday (Woden's Day) or that I'm having a Bible study on Thursday (Thor's Day). Pagan gods' names are a part of every aspect of our calendar and civilization. Because we accept these things doesn't mean that we are worshiping those gods.


Again, don't worry--I'm really not disgruntled. I just think there's more "breathing room" in this issue than you seem to think. I don't think this is something anyone can be dogmatic about.

Thank you Pastor Harrison, This is a timely reminder. It is so easy to be caught up in the worldly distractions and forget about a true miracle that will change lives forever.

Your sister in Christ

Blossom

Pastor Harrison, thank you for expressing your concern that Christians not get distracted from celebrating the resurrection of Christ. My childhood was very different than yours. We had no egg hunts, no baskets, no candy, no Easter dresses. I'm thankful to say that I was taught to understand and celebrate Christ's resurrection every Sunday, and especially on the Sunday traditionally accepted as "Resurrection Sunday."

Pastor Harrison, do you celebrate Christmas? Do you put up decorations, including a tree? Do you hang stockings? Exchange gifts? Sing Christmas carols? Have family over on Christmas Day? If you do any of these things (or other "Christmas-y" things), for what reason do you do them? How is Christmas different than Easter, as far as the trappings go?

My own personal opinion is that "Easter" is not a holiday to be avoided. Like Christmas, it is a day set up to recognize, celebrate, and meditate on a wonderful aspect of God's work of redemption. Is it "the actual day" Christ rose from the dead? Who knows? It certainly is the first day of the week after the time of the Passover feast. We don't know the actual day Christ was born, but that fact doesn't stop us from setting aside a day to honor His incarnation. The pagan element, if it exists, doesn't trouble me. I am not a pagan, yet I don't invent alternative names for the days of the week, which find their origins in the names of pagan gods. I don't worship Ishtar. I don't care what day others might have worshiped her (him?) in days long past. I merely rejoice, humbly and gratefully, in awe of God's wonderful plan of salvation, on Easter Sunday. And, as we do at Christmas time, we allow a few extra trappings in honor of the specialness of the day. The girls generally wear new dresses to church, if they have them. We have a short candy hunt at an afternoon picnic. We don't do eggs or baskets, but many of our friends do. These are all expressions of rejoicing and celebration of the special day on which our Lord conquered death once and for all. As long as remembering that important event remains the focus, I see no reason to deny anyone whatever wholesome activities they desire to incorporate as a means of celebration of that event.

Warning....this message is not for the "happy happy sandbox Christians":

What Does the Bible Say About:
Easter?
Fresh and vivid are my memories of standing in a chair as a small boy helping my mother decorate the Easter eggs for the big back yard hunt with brother, sister and cousins. The wicker baskets, plastic grass, chocolate bunnies and candy eggs and oh the laughter, frantic searching and excited children! With time I joined the ?egg hiders? and stood laughing with the adults at the children in their searchings. Then finally as a father I laughed at my own children as they sought those same colorful eggs, carrying their own wicker baskets and plastic grass. But?.I wondered?what do wicker baskets, plastic grass, candy rabbits and colored eggs have in the world to do with the resurrection of the Lord Jesus Christ? It was not until I joined an old fashioned Bible believing Church with a God called preacher that the answer to this question was shown to me. The answer is ? Absolutely Nothing! To my shame I learned that in reality Easter was a far different thing than I had been led to believe growing up!
Turn in your King James Bible to Acts 12:4 [You?ll have to use a King James Bible in this lesson]. The word "Easter" appears once in the King James Bible in Acts 12:4 where we find Herod has just finished murdering the apostle James. Herod was NOT a Christian, he was an Idol worshipping Pagan who hated Christianity [Acts 12:1]. Herod arrested Peter and was waiting for the arrival of ISHTAR (pronounced Easter) to hold a second public execution like he?d done with James [Acts 12:2]. False bibles would lead you to believe Herod was waiting for the Passover but, as the King James translators knew, he was waiting for the spring festival of Easter which coincided with the Passover on the Roman calendar of the time. Study the Passover in relation to the ?Days of Unleavened Bread? EX 12:13-18 / LEV 23:5 / Num 9:3 9:5 / Num 28:16 and you quickly see the Passover had already come and gone! Herod was waiting for ?Easter? but here?s the key, it?s NOT the Easter you and I think of. Easter is actually a pronunciation of the goddess EOSTRA (ASTARTA? also known as ISHTAR pronounced EASTER) the Roman celebration of the ?goddess? of spring. This festival was held late in the month of April. It was, in its original form, a celebration of the earth "regenerating" itself after the winter season. The festival involved a celebration of reproduction. For this reason the common symbols of Easter are rabbits and eggs and sunrise. Both rabbits and eggs of course are known as symbols of reproduction. Astarta was known in the Bible as the "queen of heaven" (Jeremiah 7:18; 44:17-25). She is the mother of Tammuz (Ezekiel 8:14) who was also her husband! Celebrations of this pagan goddess frequently were held at sunrise on ?Easter? morning (Ezekiel 8:13-16). From the references in Jeremiah and Ezekiel, we can see that the true Easter has never had any association with Jesus Christ. This pagan holiday was carried into Christianity by the Catholic Church. Colored with the colors of sunrise, eggs frequented the festivities, among other things inappropriate to mention herein. Easter was over 1000 years old in Herod?s days and to him it was his pagan festival of Astarta. He was an enemy of Christianity. Do you understand now why Herod was waiting for his pagan festival Easter to murder another disciple? Clears things up quite a bit for those wondering why the Old King James translators said ?Easter? instead of the incorrect ?Passover?. Christians then most certainly should celebrate the resurrection of Jesus Christ! However they should NOT celebrate it with the pagan rituals of Astarta! Let the perverts at Playboy magazine keep the bunny?s this year and give the chickens a break and let commercialism keep the plastic grass and chocolate rabbits. Christians should be celebrating the gospel of Jesus Christ and the resurrection with a rededication to live as Christians in these dark last days! I encourage you parents, this year start a new ?tradition? and give your children something that will last them eternity ? the Gospel! Let Fathers and Mothers gather together with loved ones and children and share with them the wonder of the resurrection of the Son of the Living God!

Proverbs 28:9 says a church skipper's prayers are offensive to God.... Thats a saved, born again, man or woman....when they start skipping church (turning away from the "law" i.e. the word of God) even their prayers become an abomination. This is why when you're unfaithful to the house of God you can tell your prayers ain't getting past the cieling fan.

Don't ya'll get me wrong now.... I am a music fanatic.... far as I am concerned, there's gospel bluegrass banjo music in heaven 24/7 and when you get saved you love gospel banjo music....initial evidence of salvation :cool like my pentecostal brethren :lol I remember too that David hired professional singers for the Lord's work under his control..... probably used drums too I figure in all reality.

However, he also exposed himself whilst dancing, committed adultery and had a man murdered... a bit on the carnal side if I dare say as much. Still, God called him perfect....and Jesus will sit on the Throne of David forever....

My :2cents is just that - while music can be wonderful, can lend itself wonderfully to praise of God, music has also lent itself to hellish behavior in the Bible....Herod's decapitation of John comes to mind.... Aaron's golden calf disco extravaganza etc....

Music (and drums in particular in my opinion) can be dangerous and cause harm in a hurry.....it isn't something to be approached with open arms on unconditional surrender terms.

Sorry but this verse gives me the chills. I heard it a million times the beginning of last year when my husband and I refused to accept modern bible versions. We left that church. Having said that, the Pastor we are now under doesn't even have to mention that verse he has proved himself to be a Godly faithful servant of Christ, I listen to what he says even rebukes which he has had to do with me for a stand I was taking on an ugly issue. I agree it is a maturity in Christ issue to be able to take the rebuke but those few Pastors that abuse this verse really make it hard.

It still gives me the chills.

Blossom

Setting aside the tons of scripture prohibiting the very fundamental theory of a decon-ess (its hard not laugh while saying it) - I'd think if we're gone let that one under the fence we've got to embrace "pastor-ess", "preacher-ess", Pope-ess, Bisop-ess, et al Its a cute way to undermine the word of God. Remembering that all versions that use that term also delete the words of God and are not "real" Bibles.

Guess I'll be the odd ball here (as usual :lol ) . I've read through the posts, most anyway, and want to point at some verses as a reminder. First I Thess 5:12 ... and are "over you" in the Lord, and "admonish" you;

I am against "micro managing" as well you any one, however; I offer that we bought & paid for Christians, who are dead to self and can no longer be offended Psalm 119, ought be careful not go thinking the pastor has neither the right nor authority nor place to be telling us, advising us or otherwise informing us that we're doing something displeasing to the Lord. That is his responsibility and calling. It is why he is not beside us in this verse but "over" us.

Heb 13:17 ... Obey [we can debate, discuss and duck an dodge all we like, but when the smoke clears the Bible says OBEY here] them that have the {here comes the big ugle word everyone tries to forget and ignore when it comes to talking about Pastoral authority} RULE over you, and submit yourselves...

As a pastor myself, I can tell ya, I've no desire to confront individuals with their sins and no, I am not the Holy Spirit and I cannot convict them, but the Bible clearly says that the Pastor does indeed have not only the authority to adminish me, but also to rebuke me, reproove me, and even to remove me from the church under no one's authority but the Bible and the Lord's leading. Yes I know we've got our little constitutions etc but the reality is the pastor has that God given authority with or without the support of a congregations approval. No I wouldn't want to do this, and no I've never had to thankfully. How ever my point is... a pastor who is walking in the spirit, prayerfully serving the Lord and in right standing with the Lord, most certainly does have the authority to tell an individual what they ought do or not do as it relates to the Christian life.... whether or not he uses this authority is between him and God, but he most certainly has it.

We have a tendency [until we grow up in the Lord a bit] generally approve of & support the Pastor's authority...as long as it isn't used on us, or our friends and acquaintences. At which time we promptly decide that he has over-stepped his authority lol. We subject that authority to our own standards and understanding of the word of God and if it doesn't meet our approval, we presume it wrong.

Illustration: I once had to confront a person in my church on the subject of smoking whilst serving as a SS teacher. This person had voice approval of pastoral authority and trust of my leadership and standards for workers....until it touched them personally, and then all the sudden, they did not approve or agree with pastoral authority! Individually I handed the person an ultimatum - stop smoking or lose the position...period. Some would say, well....the Bible doesn't say (bla bla bla) However as Pastor, I reserve the right and authority to enforce ANY standard I believe God puts on my heart to require of the flock under my lead. Smoking isn't in the Bible - and as such some would blather and whine and claim the pastor abused his authority to enforce a personal opinion not supported by scripture. Never mind the fact that the Bible says to abstain from ALL appearance of evil and that servants must be of GOOD REPORT .... a SS teacher can't buy cigs and hand the cashier a tract and the gospel with anything less than shame and insult to the gospel.

Ya follow? No I am not the Holy Ghost and cannot convict... My responsibility as pastor is not to convict and I make no effort to do so. However mine is the responsibility to enforce standards as I am lead of God.

I know this can and is often abused by pastors....I've suffered it myself, but that does not render the pastor's authority one iota less Biblical. He accounts of that leading to God....not me. Rather than get angry at a pastor's errors and abuses of authority, I pray for him - he must give account [Heb 13:17] for that.... NOT me.

Lastly, since my pastor isn't accontable to me, but to God according to the Bible, I figure it best if I stay out of God's chair and more importanly, out of God's business between he and his servants.

But thats just me.... :hide