I HAD MY DREAM

                   I HAD MY DREAM

    My message is a play on words used by Rev. Martin Luther King Jr. in his moving
speech, "I Have A Dream", delivered Aug. 28, 1963. It was the highlight of the American
civil rights movement. In a nation where people are continually arguing about personal
freedoms, it is fitting the most well known speeches are King's "Dream" and President
Abraham Lincoln's "Gettysburg Address". It has been 50 years since King proclaimed
his dream, and it has taken me that long to understand his feelings about freedom and
my feelings about the Christian church. King cared for his people, and I care for the
Christian church. Kings people were American citizens, but second class citizens at
best. American Christians are also American citizens, but many are making a mockery
of Christian principles and the church. While more people are now believers, many are
choosing to be spiritual members rather than denominational members. My numbers
are referenced from Time's Almanac and my personal experience.

    Years ago, I had my dream. I didn't realize I would face many of the same problems
King faced, although I soon discovered the church and society leadership are very much
alike. King didn't have the opportunity to see how his dream would play out, and I believe
we both would be disappointed unless the rapture becomes reality. I'm not going to quote
the usual amount of scripture in this message, but I will begin by going to the little-read
Book of Hosea, which has only 14 chapters. Some readers refer to it as the book where
God's prophet is commanded to marry a whore and take her back after she continues
to be unfaithful.  The book deals with people who stray from God's ways and His warnings
to repent, but that is the secondary reason. See if you can determine the primary reason
using unfulfilled dreams as a clue. I will explain in the latter part of the message.

    After many years as a preacher/minister, my outlook is unhappily negative. Before
I answered the call to serve, I had my first eye-opening experience in a denominational
church university. In our first test of a bible course, the instructor left the room. I was
shocked and horrified when the students began exchanging answers. Cheating in a
bible test in a religious school? Yep. I didn't cheat, scored in the 90s, but wound up
in the bottom half of the marking curve. Welcome to a church based university. At the
end of the year I transferred out of there.

     I lived in a rural community, and most of the people were very conservative. When
they learned I was studying to become a minister, they always asked what college I would
be attending. Most accepted that as okay, although some weren't certain it was conservative
enough. The next real shocker, however, came at the hands of other ministers. I expected
to join a group of dedicated, spiritual church leaders with the same goal I had--to win souls
for Christ. Wrong again. As a secular man told me, "There's never enough." The other
ministers had the same attitude. It was competition to secure more and bigger congregations
and to increase the offerings and pledges.

    The first senior pastor I worked with was a pretty persuasive man. He talked the
congregation into deeding the church building to him. It was to be his retirement nest
egg. He also had a problem finding any of the offering for me. His treatment of scripture
left much to be desired. Certain parts of various bible books were not preached because
he didn't understand them and wanted no part of trying to understand them.

    My goal, similar to King's, was to improve the physical and spiritual lives of people through
preaching, teaching, helping the poor, widows and children, as well as promoting the
brotherhood of men. Next I found that many pastors simply gave congregations what they
wanted, both in religion and society. They mostly quietly promoted ultra conservative politics.
Some even ran for public office. When elected, however, they did little to stem the growing
discrimination against Christianity.

    As a newly ordained minister, I had often wondered why so many people I discussed
religion with disdained attending church. Most had gone to church earlier in their lives,
but now wanted no part of it. I found the organized church was mostly a mess that had
strayed far from Christ's principles. Bigger was better, and television enabled preachers
to establish church empires, complete with their own colleges. Apostasy began to take
over, and people did not bother to check references or quotes from these leaders. Some
churches found that a variety of social or fun activities brought people in. No matter
that teaching the Word was not much a part of things. People needed to have a good
time and feel good about themselves.

    Today, Christians and Muslims are worshiping together even though Muslims do not
recognize Christ as Savior. A branch of the Lutherans has rewritten the bible. Never mind
that Rev. 22:18, 19 warns us not to change anything in scripture. There are new cults
springing up everywhere, mostly making women second class citizens. It seems every
journeyman reader of the bible fancies himself a Christian leader and pastor of his "new"
church. Other pastors pointed to many of the large megaministries, especially on
television, and talked about growing these types of followings. One big name minister
who has made a mint of money through sales of his book, now has a huge ministry
and supports the meld of Islam with Christianity. I talked with ministers of the "name
and claim" Pentecostal ministries, and went to scripture to see how that worked.

    In researching the lives of the Apostles, the early church builders, the missionaries,
and countless others, including the pre-Christ prophets, I found most suffered miserable
lives and claimed no rewards on earth. In fact, if you study scripture in the New Testament,
you are told clearly your heavenly rewards come not on earth, but in heaven. When I
discussed my findings with these "successful" pastors, they brushed this information
aside. The adage "you get more flies with honey than vinegar" was applied. People will
not want to commit to Christ or come to your church or ministry if there is the probability
they may have to undergo unpleasant things, I was warned. Who wants to invite bad
experiences?

    When I showed politicians and church leaders that the Parable of Talents (Matt. 25:
14-30) taught us the rich man had gotten his money by cheating (verses 24 and 26),
and this by the rich man's own confession, they chose to ignore me. Their explanation
was verse 29 that says to those who have, more will be given. I got the brushoff when
I discussed the explanation of Luke 19:11-27, the Parable of the Minas. They said it
was a repeat of Matt. 25. It was not, because money here was given to buy loyalty
of followers who were rewarded not with actual cash, but the control of municipalities
which, of course, represented money and influence. Here again, in verse 22, the
nobleman admitted he cheated to gain money and power.

    I know that many readers of this message will look up these references in scripture,
hoping I am wrong.  These passages throw cold water on the flames of making money,
which, after all, is the building block of the carnal world. So much of what I experienced
was Scripturally wrong, but trying to correct it was like rowing upstream. It was not what
the pastors or people wanted.

    Meanwhile, the power and influence of money and lack of human decency began to
grow in the mid 1850s, and the result is tearing America apart today. For plantation and
businessmen in the South to feed their greed, it was necessary to have slavery. Although
conservatives proudly talk about freedom, they did not free their slaves with adoption of
the Constitution. Slaves weren't freed until 1863, 74 years after adoption of the U.S.
Constitution. At the time of the Civil War, politics in the South was dominated by the
Southern Democrats. In the 1950s, the States' Rights" issue again arose, and many
of the Democrats in the South became "Blue Dogs", or converted to Republicans. Quite
simply, States' Rights was the issue of slavery. Our founding fathers did not object to
slavery, and family fortunes were built on the backs of slaves.

    This is politics, you scream, and you are correct. Politics and religion go hand in
hand, as you saw in the recent re-election of a black man to the presidency. We need
to go back to the 1850s now to see how much of our church world began to lose its
way. Lincoln was a Whig and joined the Republican party soon after it was formed.
He was considered a Liberal by church denomination, and he was not liked by the
Republican party. By skillful campaign planning he won the party nomination and
election. He wanted to free the slaves, and when he ran for re-election, he was
actually considered a Unionist, although records usually show him a Republican.

    The Christian Southerners who controlled those states right from the founding of
our nation, were supporters of slave ownership, and passed it off as states' sovereignty.
Their Christian walk was not according to Christ's teaching. I lived and worked in the
deep south in the 1950s, so I know exactly how our "free" society worked. Blacks were
second class citizens and looked down upon. I was relatively young then and not at all
involved in the civil rights movement. In fact, I was annoyed at the occasional
inconvenience of protests. However, I did not share the separation practiced by the
southern whites.

    Lincoln and the slave issue in the mid 1800s caused the Republican party to split
into a conservative and splinter group known as the "Radicals". Today they are known
as the Ultra Conservatives or Right Wing Radicals. This has grown to compose a
group of people who are obsessed with wanting certain outcomes of situations with
absolutely no compromise or change. We recently had a perfect example of this type
of "reasoning" by a complaint against the rendition of our national anthem prior to
the Super Bowl. A critic complained that the anthem belongs to America and it should
be sung in the traditional arrangement. That means it should be sung as the critic
wants it sung. The rendition was overwhelmingly approved by listeners, who comprise
the majority. This is constitutional. It also shows that the Radicals are indeed Radicals.

    It wouldn't be so bad if the Radicals used research and reasoning before obstructing
the workings of a republic or democracy. They do neither, and many are part of church
congregations. Unfortunately many pastors are part of this group. Many of the group
appear to be hated filled. One pastor screamed to his congregation that parents should
whack the limp wrists of a son so he wouldn't become a homosexual. Another shouted
we should pen gay people in an electric fence. Another said that eventually gays would
burn Christians at the stake. Mummified fetuses would be stored in the bodies of women
who took birth control pills. The pastor of the Westboro Baptist church and some of his
congregation demonstrate at the funerals of our soldiers. This is to protest America's
gay sin. That the soldiers were "straight" doesn't matter.

    We have gone from obstinate disagreement on the part of these Radicals to the
actual promotion of hatred. King saw this happening over 50 years ago, and had the
guts to stand up for and die for the cause. Here is what King had to say about love
and hatred. "Hatred paralyzes life; love releases it. Hatred confuses life; love
harmonizes it. Hatred darkens life; love illumines it." I see bare hatred in many of the
policies supported by the Christian churches, and the pastors go right along with it.
Thinking and reasoning people don't, whether they are Christians, or of any other
faith or no faith. At times I am ashamed and embarrassed to be called a Christian,
and especially a preacher.

    The Radicals' attack on women ranks right up there with the Arab and other third
world practices. Congress passed the Violence Against Women Act in 1994, and
incidents in domestic violence has fallen by over 50% since then. The term of the
Act has run out, and the Republicans in the House of Representatives, are refusing
to reinstate it. This is not under the leadership of the House Majority leader, a
Republican, but a Tea Party committee chairman. During the recent Republican
pre-convention presidential debate, most candidates showed an almost complete
lack of understanding or knowledge of biblical scripture. They quoted the bible and
talked about their faith and connection with God, Himself. Their goal, of course,
was to get the votes of churched people. Thanks to the lack of challenges by church
pastors and leaders, these snake oil wannabes did get a lot of votes from church
members who never questioned some of the most bazaar statements I ever heard.

    Candidates said if they had to choose between their wife and mother of their
children living or a fetus being aborted to protect the health and life of the mother,
there would be no abortion. They said they wanted women who claimed a miscarriage
to be required to undergo a physical examination to be certain it wasn't an abortion.
Those claiming to be supporters of the Constitution apparently never bothered to
read the Declaration of Independence which states "that all men are created equal,
that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable rights, that among
these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness." Apparently the slave owners
and Radicals couldn't understand the word "Creator" means God. Of course, then,
how could they possibly understand the Gospel of Jesus Christ? The symbol for
Christians is the cross, not the dollar sign.

     After the recent presidential election, nearly every church person and pastor I
met lamented the nation was going down because Obama was elected. I asked
them if they thought God lost control. Isn't this His universe? Doesn't scripture
tell us God appoints all world and national leaders, whether good or bad? That's
the exact message in all my bibles--I have many translations in more than one
language. Is God's master plan for the universe--as given to us in the bible--now
not going to be fulfilled? Should we forget the prophets, the Apostles and Christ's
teaching? Have the majority of voters not cast their ballots as God directed, whether
they are Christians or of any other faith or no faith at all? Should our church people
and pastors take over running the universe? Don't the Liberals and Socialists have
any faith in Christianity or the organized church, or--could it be--they believe God
controls the universe? The election has been over for three months, and I still see
very nasty name calling on the internet, radio, tv and publications berating those
who didn't vote for Romney. And church people are among the perpetrators.

    Why don't more church people and pastors know and understand the teaching of
Christ? He did not teach about capitalism and financial profit making. His message
was social justice, exactly as quoted in our Declaration of Independence. He taught
goodness, the social net, health, healing, food, care, giving, respect, honor, humility,
loyalty, justice and truth. If you read the four Gospels, you can't possibly be a Christain
and not follow His teaching. 

    Now, I pray you understand King's deep feeling that motivated him to do something
for his people. That was the feeling I promised to explain to you when I began this
message. Hosea was directed by God to take a wife and take her back each time
she proved unfaithful. Hosea had to feel as God did when the Jews continued to
fall away time after time. He showed mercy and sent warning after warning trying
to wake them up. The Jews were His people. It hurts terribly when your own family
chooses to stray and you know judgment must come.

    Now you also should know that is the way I feel about Christianity when I see the
pastors and church leaders continue to disregard Christ's teaching and place the
emphasis on other things. These other things are all man's goals and ideas, and
all too frequently are in direct opposition to scripture. As an ordained Christian
minister, I am ashamed of the conduct by people and pastors who claim to be
Christians. They are widening the gap between committed followers of Jesus
Christ and those I can only label as pretenders. The example we give will not
build our faith, and has already brought shame upon those of us who continue
to believe and try to carry out the great commission He gave us in Mark 16:15-16.
I found it to be prophetic when I served in the military, because my unit patch
was a silver sword with the words, "Follow Me" (John 21:19b). I pray these
"religious" people return to the Word of God.

Rev. Walbear

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THE GREAT SHEPHERD

                                                     THE GREAT SHEPHERD

    Today we're going to combine the study of animal husbandry and spirituality as it
actually applies to scripture. You understand, of course, that Jesus Christ was and is
the greatest and perfect shepherd ever. There are many reasons Christ used shepherd
and sheep in His teaching. Perhaps it will help you to understand God's Holy Word if
you take a crash course in animal husbandry and why Christ chose sheep and their
care as an example for you. I realize some of you have never seen a live sheep, and
have no experience in their care. We do not have the opportunity to see Him in the flesh,
either, but we have His teaching.

    I will quote the 23rd Psalm to begin this message, because it says it all. While this
scripture is often used to comfort people who are troubled, it is for each of us from day
one through life, troubled or at peace. "The Lord is my shepherd; I shall not want." Now 
go to verse 6, "All the days of my life and I will dwell in the house of the Lord Forever."
The heavenly guarantee is clearly and simply put. Now we need to know why Christ
used sheep and Himself to teach us.

     Why use sheep instead of cattle or horses, or any other animal? If you raised or
worked with sheep, you would probably know why. As a young man, I was a shepherd,
raising a large flock of registered sheep. Registered animals all look pretty much alike,
so you are a sort of pastor with a large congregation. People are more like sheep than
just about any other animal. Except for horned rams, they have very feeble defenses.
Oh, yes! I forgot to remind you that shepherds are considered on the bottom end of the
social totem pole. They are "regular" people, working in what is considered a bottom
end job, poorly paid and not exalted by others. That was clear in the Old Testament,
when a surprising shepherd boy came from the field and confidently challenged the
Philistine giant. I Samuel 17:47 declares, "Then all this assembly shall know that the
Lord does not save with sword or spear; for the battle is the Lord's, and He will give you
into our hands."
    
    While mankind disdains shepherds, as did the Philistine, God exalts them, as you may
see if you recall that not only wise men, but shepherds in the field recognized the birth of
our Savior and went to worship Him. Luke 2:9 tells us, "And behold, an angel of the Lord
stood before them, and the glory of the Lord shone around them, and they were greatly
afraid." Verse 11, "For there is born to you this day in the city of David a Savior, who is
Christ the Lord." Now understand this: God selected certain people to visit the Christ child,
not by chance, but by purpose. He sent wise men who were leaders to worship the Savior,
and He also sent shepherds. Note the wise men exhibited their wisdom when they knew
Christ would be endangered if Herod knew His whereabouts. Christ was worshiped by the 
lowest element of mankind, shepherds, and the highest, the kings from the Orient. The
kings, by the way, brought gifts, but did not seek any material things, although they knew
He had all power in heaven and earth, even as a babe. We should always worship Him
as these shepherds and kings did, expecting only the promise of the 23rd Psalm (read
the entire Psalm, it'll do you good). We don't really need anything else to have an abundant
life, no matter what pastors tell you.

    Without a good shepherd, the flock of sheep faces a great possibility of destruction. That's
why man and dog are necessary for their welfare. You see, welfare is an important word
that many Americans consider a "dirty" word. You may already be thinking politics, and you
should be ashamed if you are. Sheep need both guidance and assistance if they are to
live a productive life. We'll examine guidance first, because that is paramount in the safety
and well-being of the sheep. They must understand the role of man and dog for protection
and direction in grazing. Shepherds of humans must do as Christ directed in John 21: 18a,
"Tend My sheep," and "Feed My sheep." That is the lesson for pastors. Tending refers to
guidance through teaching and speaking up for the truth of scripture, not politics. Feeding
refers to a diet of the Word of God. There can be no altering of scripture, no changes by
rules of men or denomination. There can be no divisiveness because of disagreements
in the understanding of the written Word. If there is disagreement, more study and careful
listening to explanations of differences is necessary. If we accept salvation through acceptance
and commitment to Christ, we are all equal. That means no denomination may divide people
because they are of differing denominations. We are all sheep, and belong to His flock, with
no difference because of race or color. He does not discriminate, He does not enslave and
He cares for their complete welfare.

    I'm afraid many pastors don't realize the magnanimity of their undertaking when they are
ordained. Usually there is emphasis on the learning of scripture, but there is also considerable
emphasis on the way a denomination presents and requires certain denominational rules.
The importance of finance is usually stressed, because mankind rates a church or organization
by size and wealth. Most people don't recognize Matt. 18:20, "For where two or three are
gathered together in My name, I am there in the midst of them." I once went to an interview
for a headmaster position at a church that was organizing a Christian school. I was very
disappointed when they wanted a fund raiser and were not in the least interested in anything
concerning a curriculum. These school board members did not have Christ in the midst of
them. 

    The obligation of a pastor to care for his flock can be pretty serious. Christ tells us in Luke
15:4, "What man of you, having a hundred sheep, if he loses one of them, does not leave the
ninety-nine  in the wilderness, and go after the one which is lost until he finds it?" This poses
quite a problem for a mega church. Small, country churches and some city churches with
small congregations are threatened with closure because of finances. Many of these are
the very ones that really get the true Word of God to the people. Like educational studies
have suggested, it is better to have small groups than large groups. It would be far better
to break up the large mega churches than to consolidate the smaller ones. Christ did not use
money as a criteria for church organization. In fact--I'll be criticized in emphasizing this
scripture--the early church in Acts 2:44 we are told "Now all who believed were together,
and had all things in common, (verse 45) and sold their possessions and goods and
divided them among all, as anyone had need." This is socialism, not capitalism, but it
is not dictatorship or communism. Socialism does not breed laziness if guidance and
responsibility is provided. Remember, not any type of man rule has been successful,
and people have always strayed, even from the priests and prophets of Israel.

    Christian pastors as a group have the awesome responsibility to fulfill the same role
as the priests of Israel. They are to lead the promulgation of truth and righteousness.
In a nutshell, that means to "make known by open declaration to the public the terms
of a document." That document, for Christian pastors, is the Word of God, the holy
scripture, and the teaching of Christ's values and guidance. Unfortunately the Christian
pastors in America have failed in their mission. The worst part in their failure has been
permitting and even encouraging politicians to mislead the people, in part for consideration
of popular approval, and, of course, tax privileges. It is interesting to recall what Christ
told His followers when they asked about paying taxes. He said, (Matt. 22:21) "Render
therefore to Caesar the things that are Caesar's, and to God the things that are God's."
The people with money worry about losing money to taxes to pay for the entitlements of
roughly half the population they claim pay no income tax. The truth is, most of those
lazy slackers are low income workers who pay taxes on income, sales and property,
among other levies. This is a successful way to separate people, because it stirs up
envy and greed, The charge is that unemployment is paid to lazy people who choose
to receive the "dole" rather than work. It's sad people fall for this line, because if they
took a couple of minutes to research this, they would find you can't collect unemployment
unless you have work history and have paid into the fund.

     In caring for the flock, shepherds are responsible for all the sheep. That includes all
the care and needs they may have. Some ewes need help at birthing; lambs are quite
delicate and sometimes need special care to survive. If they are hurt, they need to be
treated. We had a prize ram that someone shot. It was a leg wound, so he recovered
with our treatment. There are many people in the world who don't think twice about
hurting a sheep or taking advantage of their frailty. In Americans' desire for success,
it sometimes results in overwhelming or bullying a person. 

    A pastor needs some paralegal training to be able to assist poor people who can't
afford attorneys. The public defenders are mostly a joke. When a poor person gets into
legal trouble it may be the person's poor choices. However, it also may be the result
of circumstances or the purposeful desire of someone else. Our society has "progressed"
from "innocent until proven guilty" to "guilty until proven innocent". If a poor person needs
a public defender, the usual procedure is for the assigned attorney to seek a guilty plea
on a usually reduced charge. While the public defender's office is separate from the
district attorney's office, you will usually find the public defender actually follows the
direction of the district attorney. This is the less costly way justice works. You get the
idea how important money is to government?

    I'm attempting to point out the multifaceted responsibility of pastors. I want to particularly
underscore the failure of calling out politicians and leaders who make unscriptural claims,
use isolated scripture and fail to rightly explain any subject. I see very little corrective
statements and virtually no challenges to erroneous, and sometimes outrageous, claims.
I'm speaking of scripture, not other subjects. Politics and religion do mix, no matter how
hard we try to separate them. The nastiness and selfishness of today's politicians and
people who exhibit no civility, would have them charged for treason in the days of World
War II. Isn't civility an important issue to God? Do we not remember that sheep and goats
were separated by God for a reason? 

    Sheep, fleece and shepherds are the major subjects in scripture, and Christ's choice
of these examples should give us cause to consider and study. Those in Christ's flock
recognize Him, and hear His voice. John 10:27, "My sheep hear My voice, and I know
them, and they follow Me." When you depart from scripture, you are not following Christ.
If you are not following Christ, who are you following? There are too many separatists
among our leadership, and too many followers who don't bother to study scripture.
History has proven that people who are blessed by God, fall away when they forget,
alter, or change scripture to suit their personal goals. Unless there is an awakening
in America, history will repeat itself.

Rev. Walbear 

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GOD'S VALENTINE

                                                           GOD'S VALENTINE

    Did you ever wonder why we associate our emotions and spiritual feelings with the heart? Why the heart, since we learn that our body is geared to and directed by the brain, which isn't even located near the heart? Why do we observe this special day in the (for many of us) bleakest month of the year, with bitter cold, harsh winds, long hours of darkness and general unfavorable environmental conditions? I offer here with my message as an explanation, at least as I receive my message, for your consideration and thought.

    I do want to explain that I do not work at coming up with messages, and the subjects are sort of "handed" to  me, sometimes to go with certain observances such as Valentine's Day. When I first entered the ministry, I was somewhat taken aback by offers I received from a number of established radio, television and various denominational organizations. Their offers were "canned" sermons or subject outlines to help a pastor provide his pulpit responsibilities. If the Holy Spirit was busy, they were available to fill in the material for a really good sermon. This was not my understanding of being God's servant or messenger. If the Holy Spirit isn't speaking to you, there are two things to carefully consider: is the spirit speaking to you actually from the Devil, or are you in the wrong occupation?

    Back to the subject of the heart. We learn in school that the heart is a vital organ, pumping blood to all parts of the body, including the brain. The heart, however, does not direct the uncountable actions of all the body parts. The direction or control is provided exclusively by the brain. Since the brain accounts for our thoughts, and that includes our emotions, how can the heart be the center of these emotions that include love and Godliness? God uses the word "heart" very liberally throughout scripture, beginning  with Genesis and through Revelation. Don't you think we should try to understand the spiritual reasoning for God's use of the heart? You know everything is part of His plan, including the body parts and what they represent.

    We are admonished to believe with all our heart, trust with our heart, love, cherish and respect with all our heart. We express our love on Valentine's Day with hearts, often boxes full of candy--sweetness of love. Jesus taught love, and in fact, added an eleventh commandment that He said actually followed the First Commandment in importance. That added commandment is to love thy neighbor as thyself. Christ taught love, healing, forgiveness, sharing and caring. If you read the Four Gospels, you should recall these qualities. He spent little time on money  and that time was mostly spent on warning us that money would no way get us into heaven or accomplish salvation.

    Perhaps it is easier to understand the role of the heart to our bodies if we use man's definitions of the carnal world. We readily accept that our brains direct and control our bodies. That's where we get our ideas, make our decisions and control our muscles, bones and flesh to do things. The heart, meanwhile, just keeps on pumping the lifeblood through out our body. The brain may rest, but the heart
doesn't rest. It works so that we continue to live. When it stops working, we no longer exist. That's also when the part of our body that consists of our spiritual being leaves the body for another home. That "retirement" home is of your choice. God gave you the option.

    When Christ told His disciples about His impending death, He also told them they would shortly receive
a Comforter. Also known by many other names, this comforter is the Holy Spirit. In the God family, the Holy Spirit represents the power and workmanship for saved people in this world on earth. He is the power so well illustrated by Christ, and the Comforter is here for us as we need and seek His assistance.

     As our workman is our spiritual helpmate, so our heart is the workman of our body. We talk about being smart or having brains, but you may notice that when someone does something extraordinary, we usually say "he is all heart". Without realizing it, we are giving the credit where it is due. Our brain has the ability to do wonderful things like discovering a cure for a disease, building a rocket to fly to the moon, or designing a beautiful building. But, it can also provide plans to build weapons capable of destroying God's planet, or spreading disease, cheating in business and enslaving people. The heart, however, is always true. If
we had the personal will to follow God, our heart would rule our emotions. Some say, follow your head, not your heart, or you will suffer.

    We need to look at the word suffer to consider the implications of following your heart. When a romance
goes awry, or a plan doesn't work out, we suffer because the expectancy of our heart wasn't the result. There
may be many reasons for the disappointment, but none actually have anything to do with the heart's mistake.
Your brain made the decisions, and I use the plural for emphasis. When your brain considers a decision that
is part of the final decisive act, it is the brain that directs your action. The Holy Spirit will guide you, but you must be receptive to the knowledge and leading of the Holy Spirit. Your heart won't lead you wrong, but your brain might.

    Americans are great on bigness, especially in business. In fact, we revere business so highly that we have changed God's creation to elevate corporations into the "likeness of God", as He created only men and women. If we're going to be Christians, we should start our journey in the beginning of the bible, where we are told in Gen. 1:26, "Then God said, 'Let us make man in Our image, according to Our likeness; let them have dominion over the fish of the sea, over the birds of the air, and over the cattle, over all the earth and over every creeping thing that creeps upon the earth.'"

    In case you didn't understand Gen. 1:26, read Gen. 1:27, "So God created man in His own image; in the image of God He created him; male and female He created them." If you can't understand these verses, you are not a Christian. If you believe a corporation is a person, you contradict God's Holy Word and call Him a liar. It's not an unforgiven sin to call Him a liar, but such an act does put to question any claim you have about being a Christian. The United States Supreme Court is in no way Christian to have voted as they did, and their vote was a party vote against God as well as the people. If you need more proof of the difference between a person and a corporation, think about God's Son, created as a man, not a corporation. 

    We are here talking about the difference between a loving heart and a callous brain. Corporations are ruled by money and influence. For the most part it is strictly bottom line thinking and decisions. Little love of Jesus,  lots of love for money and power, nearly opposite of Christ's teaching and actions. We shouldn't blame any   individual or political party. The fault lies solely with leaders of Christianity, both in the United States and Rome.  They sat by and let this contradiction to God's Word be enacted as the law of the land. These fraudulent "Christian" leaders not only did nothing to protect and preserve God's Word, they encouraged the acceptance of this ruling mostly as support for their "family values" political support. Some family values, choosing to blatantly preach in support of people who chose to alter scripture for their own gain. Justices are appointed
for life, so they don't have money or re-election worries. But, they do have to listen to part politicians and their lobbies, who live and die for the dollar sign. It was God or money. Christ warned about that. Money won.

     Money has a great deal going for it. You can receive your rewards here on earth in money, success, fame and whatever. Again Christ and the other writers of the New Testament explain very clearly how and where a Christian's rewards are given. And it's not usually on earth. Even Job had to suffer before his former blessings were restored. Spend a little time refreshing yourself on the earthly rewards of the Apostles, early church organizers, Christians in Rome, and, for that matter, Christians today living in godless nations. If you think you know how to pass a camel through the eye of a needle (Luke 18:25), perhaps you can earn your way into heaven. Other earthly rewards include such things as occupational success and fame. Of course being
successful is not a sin, but how you gain success may be a sin.

    God planned and knew the heart would always be true, but He also knew our brain, given free choice, would not always be true. The heart, like the Holy Spirit, is our workman as long as we follow and teach the Christian principles as given in scripture. We cannot change scripture to gain money or influence. Politicians do both. We cannot hide in the pulpit as most preachers do. When we see a flagrant breech of scripture such as that of the Supreme Court, we need to open our bibles and preach the truth. Not
doing it is a sin of omission. 

    I will probably take a great deal of criticism for this loving message, and some will not want to read another word from me. Some have tried to have my messages banned from the internet, and one newspaper editor did ban my message, which was unconstitutional. I do not seek financial help, unlike most ministries, because I believe the Word should be available and free to everyone. I pray you will have a wonderful Valentine's Day with your loved ones, and that you will remember the words of love given you in scripture, John 3:16, "For God so loved the world that He gave His only Begotten Son, that whoever believes is Him should not perish but have everlasting life."

Rev. Walbear

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WESTBORO BAPTIST RELIGION

                                             WESTBORO BAPTIST RELIGION

    Two members of the Westboro (Topeka, KS) Baptist Church were on a talk
show recently, and I didn't know whether to laugh or cry. Since I'm an ordained
Baptist minister, I have license to review their performance, and, at the same
time do some scriptural bible teaching. These are the people who stage
demonstrations at the funerals of veterans to protest against homosexuality
in the United States. Never mind that the veterans weren't homosexuals. These
innocent men paid the price for America's sin. These "straight" veterans took an 
oath to protect the Constitution of the United States to their very death, if necessary.
So, they died because they fulfilled their duty to God and country. Their deaths
were God's punishment to America. There are several Christian messages and
learning experiences we can get from examining what they say and do, and by
going directly to the word of scripture. They do quote scripture.

    First, though, I want to thank them for reinforcing my understanding of Matt.
7:21-23. "Not everyone who says to Me, 'Lord, Lord,' shall enter the kingdom of
heaven, but he who does the will of My Father in heaven. Many will say to Me 
in that day, 'Lord, Lord, have we not prophesied in Your name, cast out demons
in Your name, and done many wonders in Your name?' And then I will declare to
them, 'I never knew you; depart from Me, you who practice lawlessness!' If you
recall, there is an excellent example of this in Ex. 7:8-13, where the magicians'
rods turned into serpents. Satan's workers can also perform miracles, and these
passages warn us to be sure where the power is coming from. There are no
miracles with the Westboro Baptists, but their actions aren't going to fool God
or get them a pass to heaven. 

    We shall now consider some of their quotes, which they loudly proclaim
 come directly from the bible. That may be true, but  note they quote single
 verses from various places and completely ignore other, well explained
verses that totally negate their isolated quotes. They are a "one subject" group
of professing Christians who are almost totally ignorant about the Word of God
as presented in the bible. They proclaim that not only homosexuals, but whoever
in any way supports or protects homosexuals is going to Hell. That is because
homosexuality is a lifestyle and the sin cannot be forgiven. They recognize the
Ten Commandments, but do not include them as unforgiven sins. They also cannot
show where homosexuality is one of the commandments. I do not support
homosexuality as a lifestyle either, but I want to point out how wrong they are
in isolated quotes of the Word. Even as a lifestyle, it is not an unforgivable sin, and
these Baptists are guilty of their erroneous teaching. They are the ones in
trouble with God.

    The Constitution guarantees citizens freedom of choice and expressly states
religion can't be used as any basis of discrimination. They fail to obey the civil
rights of that document as they fail to follow scripture. Matt. 12:31,32 clearly
tells us there is only ONE unforgiven sin. "Therefore I say to you, every sin and
blasphemy will be forgiven men, but the blasphemy against the Spirit will not be
forgiven men. Anyone who speaks a word against the Son of Man, it will be
forgiven him; but whoever speaks against the Holy Spirit, it will not be forgiven
him, either in this age or in the age to come." If you speak against the Holy Spirit,
you are denying the power of God. Christ's shed blood covers any and all sins
of a committed Christian except blasphemy against the Holy Spirit. God expects
Christians to move out of any ungodly lifestyle through the help of the Holy Spirit, 
but homosexuality isn't the only lifestyle. Everyone lies, even little white lies, such
as "that dress is beautiful on you," because they don't want to kill the obvious joy
of the individual. Can anyone say they've never experienced envy? 

    The Westboro Baptists are dividing people into two groups--those who hate
sexual differences against those who follow the Gospel as taught by Christ
Jesus in the bible. This is a common practice by those professing Christians who
want to elevate themselves into superior or elite believers. They are much like
denominational followers who claim their branch of faith is superior to other
denominations. Christ did not teach denominational faith. He taught commitment
to Him and gave us teaching in the Gospels to give us examples on how to live
a holy life. It appears most Christians today are trying to use isolated verses of
scripture to promote their personal, set in stone, completely wrong, explanation
of the bible, Christ, and how we are to live.
     
    Liberals, also called socialists, communists, ungodly, Nazis, Stalinists, stupid,
lazy, living on welfare and entitlements, and dozens of lower grade school challenged
intelligence, aren't patriots. they say. All the men and women who have died protecting 
our nation must have been Conservatives. Those dead veterans held up as an example
of sin punishment by the Westboro Baptists are either liberals or innocent  conservatives
being punished for America's sake.

    As an ordained Baptist minister, I did not buy a certificate to become a minister, and
I had to pass a rigorous college curriculum and examination by a board consisting of
pastors and church leaders. The subject matter throughout was based on the bible.
If you successfully pass these tests, you are given a verse of scripture to guide you
in your future service to God. My instruction came from II Tim. 2:15. In a nutshell this
directs me to rightly dividing the word of truth. To do this, I must have a decent and
general understanding of the entire bible, and especially the teaching of Christ,
our Savior. I cannot pick out a subject as the Westboro Baptists have done, which
will only turn thinking people against Christianity. They are apostates, and the worst
example for Christianity.

    Let's persue scripture to understand how far from Christianity these impostors really
are. Christ said in Matt. 14:16, "And I will pray the Father  and He shall give you another
Comforter, that he may abide with you forever."  After Christ left earth and ascended to
heaven, the Holy Spirit became our connection to God and Christ. John 14:26 continues
Christ's direction, "But the Comforter, which is the Holy Ghost (Spirit), whom the Father
will send in my name, he shall teach you all things, and bring all things to your 
remembrance, WHATSOEVER I HAVE SAID TO YOU." John continues the instruction
in 15:26, "But when the Comforter is come, whom I will send unto you from the Father,
even the SPIRIT OF TRUTH, which proceedeth from the Father, he shall testify of me."
Note the word TRUTH, which requires no taint or condition. It must be EXACT, with no
exceptions.

    Now we see Christ's final instructions to His followers in Matt. 28:19, 20. "Go ye
therefore, and teach all nations, baptizing them in  the name of the Father, and of the 
Son, and of the Holy Ghost: Teaching them to observe ALL THINGS whatsoever I
have commanded you: and, lo, I am with you always, even unto the end of the world.
Amen."

    Scripture makes it crystal clear what Christians should do, and Christ warns them in
Matt. 7:1, "Judge not, that you be not judged. For with what judgment you judge, you
will be judged and with the measure you use, it will be measured back to you." When
the host of the interview asked the Westboro Baptists if specific people he named would
be sent to Hell, they immediately and loudly "sentenced" those named as going to Hell.

    These self evaluated Christian "experts" know very little of scripture and could not
possibly have made a truthful and sincere commitment to Christ as their Savior or they
would have the presence of the Holy Spirit as their Comforter and teacher. They don't
even know the ONLY sin that can't be forgiven and covered by Christ's shed blood.
They are acting as judges without knowing the very principles Christ taught. If you're
going to be outspoken about your faith, you should at least know the basic principles
of that faith. Christianity is getting a very "black eye" from these unscriptural comments
and terrible misinformation.

Rev. Walbear