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PASTOR PORTER WROTE:
Question-Comment: Dear Brother Don Love, Greetings to you in the Name of our Lord Saviour, Jesus Christ. I navigate your website, I am happy of the work you are doing in reaching others with the word of God. Feeling a heavy burden for the lost souls and helping the saints to mature in the faith. I pray for a mighty revival of the gospel of faith in the world. My name is Porter Michaels, founder of Bethel Life Ministries; we have planted 6 churches within 2 years in Benin and Togo Republic. I am married with 4 children and my wife’s name is Stella. We reach the lost and equip the saints in their search for perfection. For some time now I have continued to listen to your internet teachings through your internet radio outreach Ministry "Do we know" and have been blessed beyond measure. Your teachings through the book of Romans truly pierced through my soul and blessed my Christian walk with the Lord. So many preachers don’t mention sin and the importance of our relation with God "You have pointed me to Christ over and over. These three weeks have been among the richest in terms of spiritual experience, teaching etc that I have ever experienced in my life!" "I was longing for a closer relationship with God my Father. Through your internet teachings,, my desire became a reality." The truth like this is hardly preached any where these days. Many false teachings are being preached from the pulpits, internet and through publications etc, today, but yours is not like that, you teach the truth which can only save and lead a true believer to accept them. Praise God that there are still some who uphold, preach and live the truth in this last hour. May God continue to encourage your effort and I will continue to listen to your sermons. I will continue with book of Revelations when I finish the book of Romans. Here in Benin churches has become business arena where pastors only preach money, new age messages and fake miracles and prophecies. It is very disappointing to say that many churches have gone the way of Balaam and become apostate. Can you visit us next year 2006 for seminars, revivals, crusades and pastors seminars? The pastors, Christian workers, believers and unbelievers need this true message. We need the unadulterated Word of God to be preached. We want to invite you to come and would like also to affiliate with your ministry. We shall be responsible for your feeding and accommodations. We need also a spirit filled old time religion bible school, where end time soldiers could be trained for spiritual warfare. We reach the rural people where there are so many needs for good drinking water, schools, latrines, medicines for the poor, school fees for the orphans, etc. The needs are enormous. We need a Ministry that can assist national churches in our country and to provide relevant, accessible and sustainable biblical education that result in effective servant-leaders. We can see the power of the Gospel and the Lordship of Jesus celebrated through biblical values taking root in maturing local churches, and holistically transforming society. My heart desire is to develop the five-fold ministry of Ephesians 4:11. Can you assist us to pioneer local Churches in the most needy areas of Benin, Niger and Togo Republics functioning in the five-fold ministry of Ephesians 4:11. There are evangelists on training, who go to rural and difficult areas and lack of support is hindering the success of their training and upkeep. Can someone help in their training and sending? I will be glad if your Ministry could help us with some Bibles, tracts,
books, audio/video tapes, CDS, and study aids. Assist us in our outreaches
in Benin Republic in 2006 by reaching the poor in heart who are hungry and
thirsty for the word of God, reaching the unsaved for Jesus. Yours in the blessed hope Porter Michaels Dear Pastor Porter: We thank you for the word of encouragement and for the invitation to come fellowship with you and your flocks. We have received several invitations to come to other countries and minister, and this brings our hearts much joy. However, the Lord has dealt with us that, to date, we are to minister by the Internet. If you will check out some of our other WRAP AROUNDs, you will see that the central thrust of our message to ministers overseas is that Christ does not need our persons in their midst to be able to bless those that He loves with the love of the Cross. In fact, the same HOLY SPIRIT that was given to CHRIST without measure now resides in your body and the bodies of every believer in your midst. As to what the HOLY SPIRIT can do with a committed believer is recorded for us in the New Testament--simply check out how God used Peter, James, John, Paul, Timothy, etc. and you will get an idea of what He wants to do with you and others in your congregations!!! Also, as you research the Scriptures, note that this love and power was not given to the early disciples because of anything they were or had done; nor was it given to them to build them a name--IT WAS GIVEN TO THEM SO THAT THEY MIGHT KNOW THE WILL OF THE LORD AND SERVE THOSE THAT THE HOLY SPIRIT WAS BRINGING INTO THE KINGDOM OF GOD! (We should remember that the first disciples were not anything special--other than obedient servants of Christ and His Church. We see Peter, for example, as a loud-mouthed fisherman with many short comings; and Paul being on his way to Damascus with orders from the ruling Jews to have the Christians there killed when Christ stopped him and called him to preach.) That the names of the first Disciples are still known is due to the fact that they denied themselves and took up their cross daily so that they might serve others in SPIRIT and in truth. In addition, the first disciples were commanded to teach and commit the WORD OF GOD to the those they were called to serve so that they, too, might walk in the SPIRIT and serve others in the things of the LORD!
You write: "We need a Ministry that can assist national churches in our country and to provide relevant, accessible and sustainable biblical education that result in effective servant-leaders." May I suggest to you that you have the ministry that God has given you and that with His help, you are more than able to meet the ministerial needs of your people. Granted, God will anoint the teachings of those that He has called; but the true Teacher is not man but the Holy Spirit--even when listening to another man's teachings, it is only when it is blessed of the Holy Spirit that learning and change come about.
Also, as to looking to a ministry for help or feeling the need to affiliate with other ministries, a word of caution is in order! In the United States, in the past several decades, church affiliation has become a big thing. The philosophy being that "bigger is better." With more churches working together there is more money and with more money more can be done: more buildings built, more charismatic leaders/workers hired, more special music, more special programs, etc. This philosophy, however, has proven to have an inherent flaw: i.e., church members have begun to worship their buildings and to look to their leaders and programs instead of putting their trust in God. This error has permeated all aspects of the churches, especially the outreach to youngsters wherein the churches have tried to increase their membership by inviting young people to join them in entertainment that is popular with the unchurched: i.e., bowling, sports, miniature golf, etc. At first, it seemed they were on to something for the youth would come to enjoy the free entertainment; but as time went by, the majority of these youth dropped by the wayside for they were able to find this type of entertainment independent of the churches. (Incidentally, many of the children of the church members have also fallen by the wayside. So many that they now have a multitude of churches filled with the elderly only--barely able to meet the financial needs of their churches.) How sad that the churches did not offer these youth the one thing that only they can offer: i.e., the eternal life and fellowship with God that Jesus bought and paid for on the Cross! If the churches had been about their Lord's business and offered the gifts of God first and foremost, the youngster could still have enjoyed the good things of this life, but done so as children of God--knowing joy unspeakable and full of glory in this life and the promise of joy and peace in the presence of God for eternity! We need only to look at the following Scripture and then the fallen spiritual state of America to understand that what the churches in America are doing is not working.
Rather than seeing a nation that is being healed of its sins and blessed for its faith, the rest of the world sees a nation whose leaders are growing more and more wicked and whose ways are becoming more and more unsound. Please understand that I am not advocating that believers do not need one another, for one of the joys of the believer in this life is fellowship with other believers and the joy of seeing others come to Christ as they respond to the preaching of the Word. Also, the Bible is explicit that God understands the needs of our bodies and is concerned that they be met. For this, He had the twelve disciples choose men full of the Holy Ghost and wisdom to see to it that those truly in need were attended while they gave themselves completely to the ministering of the WORD. But first and foremost, as ministers, it is our responsibility to point people to Christ Jesus for only in Him can the needs of people that He has created be met!!! As to our study aids, we have put them all up on the Web so that they are freely available to all. If you will go completely through our site, you will see that it will take some time to absorb it all. Thanks again for your encouraging word. You have our prayers, Don and B'Ann |
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JIMM WROTE: Question-Comment: HI Hello Jimm, I'm glad that you enjoyed the music; but you need to give Christ the glory for the talent is a gift from Him and the songs came wafting in on the wings of the Spirit. In fact, we found that if we did not stop what we were doing and write them down as they came, that we would forget them and lose them. (We have prayed much about making our music available in book form, but the Lord has yet to open a door for that endeavor.) As to the Scriptures you included, at first I was confused; but upon reflection, I think I know what you are trying to say--i.e., you want TRUTH! But truth is not always that easy to come by, especially if we expect it to agree with the "truth" that we have been taught by others. To make my point, I need to share a little of my testimony. When I surrendered my life to Christ, I was a musician playing in night clubs and church was the farthest thing from my mind. To get to me, the Lord began sending people into the club talking about Jesus. A preacher even came in and listened to a set of our music while he drank his coke. He invited me over to his table and introduced himself, but I told him he couldn't be much of a preacher, coming into a bar as he did. Nevertheless, it all had an effect on me and I began to have this strong feeling that something bad was about to take place if I didn't get my heart right with my Maker. As a child I had gone to church now and then and I had seen people go to church and walk the aisle to get their hearts right with God; so, I had come to the point that I knew I had to go to church and walk the aisle. This I did and when I did--lo and behold, something happened for which I was totally unprepared. The HOLY SPIRIT filled me and I felt as though I floated to the front of the church. The next Sunday, I went to the same little church again; and when the alter call came, Christ called me to preach. Having been called to preach, I felt that I needed to begin preparing myself; and in our society, most preachers do this by going to seminary. So, I sought of the Lord what seminary He would have me attend and He spoke to my spirit that if I would let Him teach me, He would be my Seminary--but I would have to forget all that I thought I knew about the Bible. I thought this would be easy for I had read the Bible very, very little. Nevertheless, as I began studying the Word, I was amazed at the misconceptions about the Bible that had somehow crawled into my mind. I say this so that I can caution you as to your "truth," for if you approach the Bible trying to make it agree with the "truth" that others have taught you, then the Holy Spirit may have trouble giving you truth. Let me quote you a Scripture that I just quoted above.
So, we have been given the Holy Spirit to guide us into all truth; but we can frustrate Him if we will only let Him teach us what we think we already know. As to our understanding of Prophecy, like the songs I've written, it came to me on the wings of the Spirit. If you'll think about it for a moment, this is the only way it can come for no prophecy is of private interpretation. If was written in mysterious forms by men moved by the Holy Spirit and can only be understood as the Spirit gives understanding. But how can you know if I or any man is speaking truth about the things of God???
So, there is a way to know TRUTH; and it is up to each of us to find it! May you be fruitful in your search, Don JIMM WROTE AGAIN: Hi Again In our Christian Walk not every one is at the same level of Understanding.
DON WROTE AGAIN: Interesting, but tell me, how did you determine that there are only four principles of true Bible interpretation??? And by the way, I find no fault with your "Four Principles"--as far as they go!
As to your statement, "It's Not what has been taught by OTHERS but
what The Bible teaches." Here, I see a problem--I
mean, A
REALLY BIG problem: and I'm not talking about the Bible being the inspired
Word of God, which is a given for all true believers. I'm talking about
your ideas of just what the Bible teaches. How did you come by those
ideas? Did they come from the lap of learning (i.e., from grandparents
or parents? from denominational teachings, from religious leaders? from
cultural norms?)? If so, then your "truths" could very well be no more
accurate than those of any denomination, cult, or even a religion such as
Islam or Hindu, etc. Jimm, you say you are concerned that I am frustrating the Holy Spirit by not letting Him lead me into TRUTH; to which I would say: how do you determine when someone is or isn't being led by the Spirit? Is it that they must agree with what you been taught and absorbed from those around you? However, I will say this: you have made reference to the TRUE TEACHER, the ONLY TEACHER: i.e., the Holy Spirit; and this is a start in the right direction for only HE can impart truth and understanding. I quoted this verse in my first WRAP with you, but it is worth quoting again.
To touch on all that the Holy Spirit is to the Church of Christ, I would have to quote a great part of the New Testament, which I don't have time here to do. However, I will point out some important things that He does for the born-again believers. For example, in Romans 8 we are told that we are Christ's if His Spirit abides in us (vss9-11). In vss. 14-15 we are told that we are the sons of God if we are led by His Spirit; and in vs. 16 we are told: "The Spirit itself beareth witness with our spirit, that we are the children of God." In vs. 26 of Romans 8 we are told: "...for we know not what we should pray for as we ought: but the Spirit itself maketh intercession for us with groanings which cannot be uttered." In short, it is as Jesus said: "I am the vine, ye are the branches: He that abideth in me, and I in him, the same bringeth forth much fruit: for without me ye can do nothing" (Jn 15"5). If I were to sum up what the Holy Spirit of Christ is to me, I would have to say that it was He that convicted me of my sins; that pointed me to Christ and the Cross; that brought forth the new birth of my spirit; that is gently leading me into the truths of the Scriptures; that called me to preach and minister for the Lord Jesus; and that patiently endures my stumblings as I try to follow Him! Sadly, too many preachers/teachers do not understand; and, therefore, do not teach that the Word without the Holy Spirit can be a dangerous thing.
Granted, there has been, and still is, a large number of pastors/teachers following strange spirits which have made many onlookers to be afraid of the Holy Spirit. This is unfortunate for it need not be. If pastors would simply teach the TRUTH of the Bible, then people could understand that:
That there is much activity of false spirits on the spiritual scene should not surprise us, for Paul and others have warned us of them. In fact, Jesus said:
To sum up, I think what I'm hearing you say is that my teachings do not always agree with what you've been taught; therefore, they must be in error. Can you show me the Scriptures for such a stance??? Also, can you show me any Scripture that I contradict in my teachings. If so, I will be thankful and correct my teachings. Thanks for taking the time to WRAP with us. Don |
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YOU WROTE: Question-Comment: DON WROTE: Hello |
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YOU WROTE:
Question-Comment: B'ANN WROTE: Hello |
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