Jump to content
  • Welcome Guest

    For an ad free experience on Online Baptist, Please login or register for free

Preacher shot and killed in front of congregation


Recommended Posts

  • Members

My wife and I were saddened to read of a pastor being killed in his church building and in front of his people. I realize that the attacker was confused mentally by Satan but the world at large will not understand the spiritual implications of this attack. At the root of this type of behaviour is the absolute and total rejection of authority and had we the capability to go back into the shooters past I am sure we would find a total disregard for those who tried to direct him down a more acceptable path.

Sin has many heads but none is more vile than the head that is demonstrated in the process of rebellion it is as the sin of witchcraft because one is opened up to the direction of a malevolent / evil spirit who feeds the thought process with wrong options.

Let us seriously pray for the protection of our pastors, deacons and trustees and their families. Faithful and spiritual leadership is difficult to consistently find in our day and age and we need desperately to cover them in prayer. :pray

http://abcnews.go.com/US/story?id=7033937&page=1

Orvals

Link to comment
Share on other sites

  • Members

I saw this story on Fox News after church this morning. Very sad and disturbing.

Here's a little blurb about this from Yahoo. Interesting about the Bible.


Police: Ill. pastor deflected gunshot with Bible

MARYVILLE, Ill. ? Illinois State Police say the pastor gunned down at a church in a St. Louis suburb used a Bible to deflect the first of four rounds fired during his Sunday sermon.

State Police Director Larry Trent says the Bible exploded, producing what appeared to be confetti.

Trent says about 150 people in attendance initially believed the episode was a skit being performed as part of the service at First Baptist Church in Maryville.

Trent says only one of the four rounds fired from the .45 caliber handgun struck and killed 45-year-old pastor Fred Winters.

Two congregants and the gunman suffered stab wounds while the gunman was wrestled to the floor after his gun jammed.

Trent says no one at the church recognized the gunman.

http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20090308/ap_ ... h_shooting

Link to comment
Share on other sites

  • Members

Our pastors son, who is our youth pastor, knew Pastor Winters. He liked Pastor Winters a great deal and visited him many times while he lived in that area. Our Youth Pastors wife has family just a few blocks from where this happened and her and the kids were visiting down there this weekend.

Needless to say, this has hit close to home. Please remember to pray for Pastor Winters wife and children as well as the church.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

  • Members

The Lord must have needed this pastor real bad, so he called him home to heaven. The Lord Sure Works In Mysterious Ways! Amen & Praise The Lord! JESUS SAVES! If we truly believe in God and the bible, then we must believe that this was God's will or part of his master plan. Many are blaming guns and want control implemented by our government. Guns are not the problem, and I can tell you that if the Lord comes after our guns, The Lord just might get shot! Now that I have said this, It will be interesting to see if the board moderator believes in true religious freedom, or if this post will get deleted. Let me ask each of you some questions: What religion are you? A Muslim? A Catholic? A Christian? A Jew?.......Were you born a Muslim, a Catholic, a Jew, or a Christian? Or did you choose that religion for yourself at some point after long and painful deliberation and intense study of all religions in order to make the wisest choice for yourself? Almost all people are not born a Muslim, a Catholic, or a Christian, but born to Muslim parents, Christian parents, Catholic parents and so on..... So if you were born in India you might be a Hindu, if you were born in Italy you might be a Catholic, if you were born in Iran you might be a Muslim and if you were born in the USA you might be a Christian. So where you were born most likely dictates what religion you will belong to, and also what religion your parents belong to effects these outcomes. What does this tell you? Well it tells me allot!
B.A. Brooks
U.A.F.F. Founder
http://www.uaff.us

Link to comment
Share on other sites

  • Members

To USA

I must admit your choice of words in the beginning of your post caused me a little distress. First because they seem to be (I may be mistaken) mocking phrases that are typical among bible believers and secondly you seem to imply that God is the author of this evil perpetrated on this family and congregation.

Then you come on like you are a poor persecuted writer whom the board moderator has no choice but to silence your erratic writing style. Most on this board have no problem understanding that America has some deep and troubling problems or that the world at large is not significantly better in any given category. But our problems are brought about by sin and have nothing to do with race, religion or political persuasion. The Muslim, the American, the black, the Asian, the Indian etc all have an inherent problem we are all sinners with a fallen sin nature.

This thread was created to inform our readers and to pray for the family and the congregation who are left to suffer the consequences of another?s sin. The thread is not here to be a launching pad for someone who wants to capitalize on another?s tragedy.

If you want to discuss your web site and your views please open another thread.

Orvals

Link to comment
Share on other sites

  • Members

usaconcerned

On a message board on the net, do you really think that when you join it that you, have freedom of speech, that you can write anything that you want to using any words that you desire?

If so, your totally mistaken, when you join a message board as this you agree to abided by its rules, if not, the owner can give you the boot. But besides that the owner can still give you the boot for it is a privilege to post one someone else's message board, which he can terminate you at anytime with out giving you a reason.

Why not show some respect for Bro. Matt, the owner when you post, and such post as yours does no one any good. Seems to me your seeing just how far you can push the owner, that is not nice.

usaconcerned, I started to ht the quote button, but I really did not want you post to be in a post I made.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

  • Members

Words from our pastor:


The news from First Baptist Church in Maryville has hit our family hard because we know the church, some of Sarah's family attends the church, and Rick knew the Pastor. It is certainly a horrible tragedy. It reminds us of some important truths

1. Sin is real

2. The consequence of sin is painful (some way more painful than others)

3. The answer to sin is faith in Jesus Christ

As long as sin is in the world life is going to be unpredictable. We never know when the effects of man's rebellion will strike our lives. (I continue to believe all disease is a ripple effect from the sin of mankind.) When we see such violent expressions of the sinfulness of man we are reminded to take a firmer hold of our faith (so we are prepared for whatever comes) and challenged to more fervently share the message of the gospel.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

  • Members
Words from our pastor:


The news from First Baptist Church in Maryville has hit our family hard because we know the church, some of Sarah's family attends the church, and Rick knew the Pastor. It is certainly a horrible tragedy. It reminds us of some important truths

1. Sin is real

2. The consequence of sin is painful (some way more painful than others)

3. The answer to sin is faith in Jesus Christ

As long as sin is in the world life is going to be unpredictable. We never know when the effects of man's rebellion will strike our lives. (I continue to believe all disease is a ripple effect from the sin of mankind.) When we see such violent expressions of the sinfulness of man we are reminded to take a firmer hold of our faith (so we are prepared for whatever comes) and challenged to more fervently share the message of the gospel.


:thumb Agreed.

Just another strong sign this is a lost and dying world, but there is hope, hope for the souls of men if the will call on the name of Jesus.

21 And it shall come to pass, that whosoever shall call on the name of the Lord shall be saved.
Acts 2:21 (KJV)

12 Neither is there salvation in any other: for there is none other name under heaven given among men, whereby we must be saved.
Acts 4:12 (KJV)
Link to comment
Share on other sites

  • Members


Just another strong sign this is a lost and dying world, but there is hope, hope for the souls of men if the will call on the name of Jesus.

21 And it shall come to pass, that whosoever shall call on the name of the Lord shall be saved.
Acts 2:21 (KJV)

12 Neither is there salvation in any other: for there is none other name under heaven given among men, whereby we must be saved.
Acts 4:12 (KJV)


:amen:

There were two very different funerals here recently. One was for my son-in-laws grandfather. The pastor who conducted that funeral gave the impression if one is "good" in this life, they will go to heaven. He was about 20 minutes into the service before he mentioned "Christ", and even then nothing about the Gospel. Even so, he kept inferring that "good" folks all go to heaven. :sad

The other funeral our pastor spoke. He gave a clear presentation of the Gospel, spoke of the reality of Hell and the FACT that only those biblcally born again will see heaven, all others will go to a literal hell. (The person being buried was born again but many of the family were not) Some came up to our pastor after the services and told him they had never before heard what he spoke. Now they have heard the Gospel and it's up to them to pay heed to the Holy Ghost or not.

Sadly, those at the first funeral are left with the hell-filling idea that if they are "good enough", that's all it takes to get to heaven. :sad
Link to comment
Share on other sites

  • Members

No doubt, many of us pastor fail when it comes to preaching at a funeral service. Thus many leave that service feeling just as you stated, "I can be good enough to go to heaven."

I try my best to always proclaim there is only one path to heaven, that being Jesus, that no one can be good enough to enter heaven without being washed in the blood of Christ.

I'm sure to, that many people walk by the coffin after the service to just to see if the right person is in the coffin, for the man the preacher spoke of was not anything like the man they had known all their life.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Join the conversation

You are posting as a guest. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.
Note: Your post will require moderator approval before it will be visible.

Guest
Reply to this topic...

×   Pasted as rich text.   Paste as plain text instead

  Only 75 emoji are allowed.

×   Your link has been automatically embedded.   Display as a link instead

×   Your previous content has been restored.   Clear editor

×   You cannot paste images directly. Upload or insert images from URL.



×
×
  • Create New...