Let me start this off by saying that it has been a LONG time since I last posted. There are a couple of reasons for this...one is I don't want this to turn into me simply running my mouth off about all of the things that I don't like or agree with...and two I am a husband, a father and I work full time to support my family and all three of those things must come first. As God leads, I post what He puts on my heart to post. That all being said...here goes...

A couple of years ago I went to this church that I instantly fell in love with. When I walked in, the church folk were very friendly, they were playing some contemporary Christian music, the folks were all pretty young looking (especially the pastor, who seemed to be my age)...it just had this feeling of wonderfulness attached to it for me. As the praise and worship began I was like "Yo! this place is where I want to attend!"...I fell even more in love with the church when the pastor began preaching. He delivered a wonderful sermon! He spoke with words that were relevant to me and I felt as close to God as I had in a long time, all because this man and this church had made me feel pretty comfortable and spoke with the same words I used (please be aware that there was no cussing involved...I can hear folks now reading what I'm not typing). I came back home and and began telling everyone I knew how on fire this place was and why I thought more churches needed to be like this church. I was literally more excited about this church that I had visited once, than I was about the one that I was a member of! How sad is that...but that's another blog for another time!

I went back to that church about a month ago. I walked into the church and was bombarded by the same friendly folks I was the first time I went there. I heard contemporary Christian music. I saw the same pastor (mind you he was still just as friendly as he was the first time I met him). I walked into the sanctuary and saw the same layout as the last time. The stage looked the same (only a few of the faces were different from what I could remeber). I was excited to be ministered to again! I couldn't wait to hear what this guy was about to say. When the worship began...I heard what I believe was a Newsboys song being sung by the worship leader...I was totally stoked! I sang, but rather quietly as I didn't know the song all that well...but still I was excited! After the first song was over and the congregation wasn't showing the life that the worship leader thought they should have been showing...it happened.

The lady came from behind her keyboard and began talking saying all kinds of things. And in closing her passionate exclamations (rather pleas to get the church folk in a worshipful frenzy) she said these words, which I in all likelihood will never forget..."Church, if you can't come into God's house and act like a fool...where can you act like a fool?"...I thought...no she didn't just say that! Sadly enough though...she did.

That COMPLETELY ruined the rest of worship as it was painfully obvious that this worship leader didn't care what she was saying as long as the people sang loudly and gave the appearance of "true" worship...more importantly, I saw nods of approval from all over the sanctuary. Suddenly this on fire church, was beginning to feel dead. (I know, I know, I should be giving scriptures to reference as to why this was a problem for me, but you know, I'm hopeful that common sense is enough here...if it's not...read the book of Acts and tell me if those folks in the first church were running around acting like fools.)

After the worship was over (I can't lie, I was thankful for it coming to an end) they had a new pastor being, for lack of a better word here, sworn in. I was like man, I get to see a new pastor sworn in...that's pretty special (despite what I just heard from the worship leader)! As I waited while the main pastor addressed his flock, I was still thinking about what I just heard the worship leader say. I just couldn't shake it. The next thing I know I hear the pastor asking the new pastor who is about to be sworn in to come on down from off the stage. As I'm looking for one of the guys up there to move, it becomes obvious that this new pastor is a woman. Now I'm totally thinking..."HELLO?! 1 Timothy 3 does not say "If a woman desires the position of bishop she must be the wife of but one husband" does it? NO!!!!!! It says just the opposite...that a MAN must be the HUSBAND of but one wife...then it goes on to list out a whole bunch of other qualifications...none of which say anything about a woman being a pastor. The gentleman who took care of the ceremony for this new pastor read from 2 Timothy 4 where it states "for the time will come when they will not endure sound doctrine, but according to their own desires, because they have itching ears, they will heap up for themselves teachers; and they will turn their ears away from the truth, and be turned aside to fables." The sad part is that this other "pastor" totaly missed the next line where it says to be watchful in all things. My question here is what was it Paul said a womans place was in the church...let's see 1 Timothy 2: 11-12 state "Let a woman learn in silence with all submission. And I do not permit a woman to teach or to have authority over a man, but to be in silence." I can hear the arguments coming..."Well those are Paul's words" or "That was a different time"...my words to that are so what? You're right if you say that those are Paul's words...but they are in God's Holy and Inerrant Word...He (meaning God) would not allow it to be in there if it did not come from Him! And we do live in a different time, but God does not change and neither does His word. People change (or so we think) over time...to use an evolutionists favorite word...we seemingly "evolve" into creatures more and more selfish. Satan is making sin more and more available to God's people by providing all sorts of sinful materials in all sorts of mediums! And we, God's people buy into it hook line and sinker. We think it's sexist to not have women in pulpits. We think it's not politically correct to allow women to teach or to be over men. We, we, we...it's all about us! We've gotten so far from what God's word says on issues that we've actually begun to replace His word with our word. Our word is the final authority on all issues. Period.

Now back to the ceremony...

As the lady came down from the stage, she was met by the leadership of the church and a standing congregation all in favor of this woman taking over a ministry position. The gentleman began talking and he said something that appalled me as much, if not more than what I was witnessing now and heard earlier by the worship leader. He said (admittedly, I can't remeber his exact words but it was something like the following) do you really want your children learning from a man or woman who has only been self taught the word of God? Wouldn't you rather have someone who has spent a ton of money on school and been taught by professors what the Word of God says and means? Hang on a minute...let's look through Acts and see where the apostles went to seminary. Hold on...I'm being told we can't do that. Why not? Oh that's right...they didn't have seminary back then...so how in the world did those crazy apostles learn the Word of God? Oh wait, I'm being told that the Holy Spirit played a role in it. Not just A role...it was the WHOLE role! Why do we feel like in our generation we need to be taught by folks who have a degree? Maybe these folks who feel this way haven't read Jesus's rebuke of the Pharisee's in Matthew 23: 15 where it states "Woe to you scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For you travel land and sea to win one proselyte, and when he is won, you make him twice as much a son of hell as yourselves." I think we do this in todays church by majoring in the minors. We teach all sorts of stuff that is in the bible, except Jesus Christ, because Jesus Christ is offensive to the world! Matthew 23: 27-28 speaks to this by saying "Woe to you scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For you are like whitewashed tombs which indeed appear beautiful outwardly, but inside are full of dead men's bones and all uncleanness. Even so you outwardly appear righteous to men, but inside you are full of hypocrisy and lawlessness." See when we as believers begin replacing God's Word with our own thoughts and feelings (or trustinng our own hearts) we end up just like the scribes and Pharisees being spoken to in Matthew chapter 23.

Anyway as this little ceremony is going on, I felt EXTRMELY uncomfortable. I mean I was with a good friend of mine and I didn't want to embarass him, but I could not bring myself to stand in support of what was going on. I believe that it is biblically wrong for a woman to be in the role of a pastor. I also don't think that is my opinion, I believe God's word is clear on this and I believe I fall in line with God's word. I can already hear the label of sexist being applied to me. that's alright...I'm comforted by Matthew 10:22 where it states "And you will be hated by all for my name's sake."

I could keep going with the sermon, and some of the stuff that was said in it, but really, it won't make anything that was said during the worship service or the pastor cermony go away. The damage is done. I pray that God would take what He is being given in that church and raise a crop of believers who are deeply in love with Him and His word...but my fear is that this church has been so compromised with complacency that it lacks the ability to discern correctly the things of God. I know I'm not perfect and I know I have a long ways to go. But praise be to God that I am surrounded (by my church family and the folks my wife and I look to as mentors and even some of our friends) who love the Lord God with all their heart, with all their soul and with all their mind (Matthew 22: 37...a little paraphrased).

I am so thankful that God has called my family out of a luke warm church and into a church that passionately embraces God's Word. My heart breaks for those folks that are stuck in a church that places more emphasis on missions, youth groups, outreach, building plans, comfort, relationships, small groups, the community at large, other countries, etc, etc, etc...before the Word of God! If God is second, how can the church expect Him to still lead, to still provide discernment, to still participate with the people. Moreover, how can the people still expect God to change their lives when they are more dependant on books written about God's Word rather than God's Word? I told my wife the other night that you can live off of Milky Way's and water for a good while...but eventually, you are going to need something with real nutrition in it or else your body will begin to breakdown. So it is with your spiritual life...you can grow a little bit from other people's writings (I guess this is possible) but eventually you are going to need God's Word to begin to transform your life. Someone's insight into scripture is not the same as God ministering to your soul through His word!

I pray that whoever is reading this has been blessed. When God places something else on my heart to write about I'll post again. Until then, please pray that God continues to grow my family and that He remains the center of our focus.

Until next time...