I'M OK AND I'M ON MY WAY!

by Joyce Meyer

The expression “nobody’s perfect” is used or heard almost every day, but it’s true—I’m not perfect, you’re not perfect, nobody’s perfect. Hopefully, though, we’re all getting better and are on our way to perfection. The important thing to remember is that even though we’re not yet perfect, we’re still OK. Just because we haven’t arrived yet doesn’t mean that we’re not on our way. It’s true that we all still have a long way to go.

I used to get discouraged about how far I had to go, and it seemed like I was reminded of it every day, sometimes every hour. I carried a constant sense of failure—a feeling that I just wasn’t who I needed to be, I wasn’t doing good enough, and I needed to try harder. Yet when I did try harder, I only failed again.

I’ve now adopted a new attitude: “I’m not where I need to be, but thank God I’m not where I used to be. I’m OK, and I’m on my way!”

I now know with all my heart that God isn’t angry with me just because I haven’t arrived yet. He’s pleased that I’m pressing on and staying on the path. If you and I will just

“keep on keeping on,” God will be pleased with our progress. Keep walking the walk one step at a time. This is an important thing to remember. It’s true that we have to keep pressing on, but thank God we don’t have to hate or reject ourselves while we’re trying to get to our destination.

If I invited you to take a walk, you’d think I was crazy if I became angry after the first few steps because we hadn’t yet arrived at our destination. We can understand ordinary things like this, yet we have a difficult time understanding that God expects it to take some time for us to grow spiritually. We don’t think there’s something wrong with one-year-old children because they can’t walk perfectly. They fall down frequently, but we pick them up, love them, bandage them if necessary, and keep working with them. Surely our heavenly Father can do even more for us than we do for our children.

The process is always difficult. Growing and learning is never easy, but the changes make us better people. We begin to think differently, then to talk differently, and finally, to act differently. This process develops in stages, and we must always remember that while it’s taking place, we can have the attitude, “I’m OK, and I’m on my way!”

Enjoy yourself while you’re changing. Enjoy where you are on the way to where you’re going. Enjoy the journey! Don’t waste all of your “now time” trying to rush into the future. Remember, tomorrow will have troubles of its own (Matthew 6:34).

Today you may be wrestling with a bad temper, thinking if you could just get freedom in this area, everything would be all right. But the thing is, God will then reveal something else that needs to be dealt with, and you’ll be back in that same frame of mind again, thinking,

“If only I didn’t have this problem, I could be happy.” We must learn to look at these things in a new way. We can be free to believe that we are, indeed, OK and on our way—not perfected yet, but pressing on.

We can be free to enjoy life, enjoy God and enjoy ourselves.

Can a drug addict still be a Christian???

Q&A Between a concerned woman, and pastor Gregory Dickow

Q~My husband became a Christian about 4 years ago. He is a good man and quit drinking about 2 years ago. I’m just not clear about something. From what I understand, when someone becomes a Christian, not that sin is eliminated, but repeated sin should probably not take place because I know there needs to be repentance. He partakes in using marijuana. And I know he’s convicted on it, but…

Answered on 03/09/06:
So, you are you wondering if he’s really a Christian and wondering how he can be free from the marijuana. The first thing is to address your concern that when a person becomes born again, shouldn’t they stop repeating sin? Sin doesn’t emerge from our spirit when we’re born again; sin emerges from our mind, our emotions and our body. So, when we’re saved or born again, our spirit, our heart is brand new, but our mind remains the same. Until our mind is brought in subjection to the Word of God and is changed, until our thoughts are replaced with God’s thoughts and we begin to think the way God thinks, you’re never going to be able to change the bad behavior in a person until they change the way they think.


When your husband changes the way he thinks, that will begin to change his behavior. You can’t get somebody to stop smoking just by telling them to “stop smoking because that’s sin and you’re going to hell and it’s going to destroy your life.” They already knew that it was sin. They already knew that it was hurting them and destroying their life. But what has to happen is that when they change the way they think about God, about themselves, and about what truly satisfies them, then they will change their behavior. So the answer to your question, “Can your husband still be a Christian even though he’s still smoking marijuana?” The answer is yes.

After I became a Christian, I kept smoking marijuana and kept drinking alcohol. But as I read my Bible and as I went to church and as I heard the Word of God and started to change the way that I thought, the habits began to break off of my life and they will do that for your husband as well. You can’t just stop something. You’ve got to fill up on the good and then you won’t be open to the bad any more. You’ve got to fill your body up or fill your mind up with the Word of God and then it’ll flush out the bad behavior of smoking and drinking and any other bad behavior that’s there. But as we feed on the Word of God, the Bible, that’s what produces the power to change our lives.

We hear people say, “Well, if he were a Christian, that wouldn’t happen because it’s repeated sin.” And if you were a Christian, you wouldn’t get mad at your husband sometimes. If you were a Christian, you wouldn’t yell sometimes. If you were a Christian, you wouldn’t yell at your children. I mean, we could go down the list of things we’re all guilty of. For your husband, it’s marijuana. For somebody else, it might be anger or a lustful thought that they keep having. But that doesn’t send us to hell. What sends us to hell is when we reject Jesus Christ as our Lord and savior and we say, “I don’t need the blood of Jesus. I can make it on my own.” That’s the thing that’s going to send people to hell, not the habits in our lives.

Now, I’m not saying that it’s good for him to continue to smoke marijuana. I’m not saying that. He’s going to reap what he sows. Obviously, that’s going to hurt his body, his mind, his family. That’s a harvest. He’s going to get a harvest from the seeds that he’s sowing. But he’s still saved if he believes that Jesus died for his sins and rose from the dead. But now, he needs to be changed and it starts by changing the way that he thinks. You guys got to continue to feed on the Word of God and get in a good church that teaches you the Word of God and then you’ll begin to see some things begin to change in his life. Encourage him and let him know you’re praying for him and let him know that we’re standing with him here as well.

The little book of ~if's~

What's Love Look Like?

from Christian Classics, wise words from the past

by Amber Penney

When asked to name the greatest commandment, Jesus replied, "Love God with all your heart, soul and mind . …And love your neighbor as yourself" (Matthew 22:37-39).

He wasn't just talking either. Jesus gave meaning to his words through the way he lived and ultimately through dying for us on the cross at Calvary.What does it mean for us to show this kind of love? Amy Carmichael, who was a missionary to India in the early 1900s, did her best to answer this question with her little booklet If. She says the only way to live a life of love is to understand Christ's love for us.

~If I have not compassion on my fellowservant, even as my Lord had pity on me, then I know nothing of Calvary love.

~If I can easily discuss the shortcomings and the sins of any; if I can speak in a casual way even of a child's misdoings, then I know nothing of Calvary love.

~If I can enjoy a joke at the expense of another; if I can in any way slight another in conversation, or even in thought, then I know nothing of Calvary love.

~If I can write an unkind letter, speak an unkind word, think an unkind thought without grief and shame, then I know nothing of Calvary love.

~If I am afraid to speak the truth, lest I lose affection, or lest the one concerned should say, "You do not understand," or because I fear to lose my reputation for kindness; if I put my own good name before the other's highest good, then I know nothing of Calvary love.

~If I myself dominate myself, if my thoughts revolve around myself, if I am so occupied with myself I rarely have "a heart at leisure from itself," then I know nothing of Calvary love.

~If I cannot in honest happiness take the second place (or twentieth); if I cannot take the first without making a fuss about my unworthiness, then I know nothing of Calvary love.

~If I do not give a friend "the benefit of the doubt," but put the worst construction instead of the best on what is said or done, then I know nothing of Calvary love.

~If I take offense easily; if I am content to continue in a cool unfriendliness, though friendship be possible, then I know nothing of Calvary love.

~If a sudden jar can cause me to speak an impatient, unloving word, then I know nothing of Calvary love. For a cup brimful of sweet water cannot spill even one drop of bitter water, however suddenly jolted.

~If I say, "Yes, I forgive, but I cannot forget," as though the God, who twice a day washes all the sands on all the shores of all the world, could not wash such memories from my mind, then I know nothing of Calvary love.

~If souls can suffer alongside, and I hardly know it, because the spirit of discernment is not in me, then I know nothing of Calvary love.

~If the praise of man elates me and his blame depresses me; if I cannot rest under misunderstanding without defending myself; if I love to be loved more than to love, to be served more than to serve, then I know nothing of Calvary love.

~If in the fellowship of service I seek to attach a friend to myself, so that others are caused to feel unwanted; if my friendships do not draw others deeper in, but are ungenerous, then I know nothing of Calvary love.

That which I know not, teach Thou me, O Lord, my God.

~*~*~

Amy Carmichael

(1867-1951)

Irish-born Amy Carmichael was sure God was calling her to be a missionary. But when she applied to China Inland Mission, she was rejected. She was told she was too frail for the stressful demands of missionary life. But Amy wouldn't take no for an answer.

She found another organization that was willing to send her and soon set sail for Japan. She was there for only a year when poor health forced her to return. But even then she refused to give up. The following year she traveled to South India, where she would serve as a missionary for the rest of her life. In India, Amy encountered practices that both shocked and grieved her.

Children were being forced into prostitution as a part of religious rituals. Amy made it her goal to rescue as many as she could from this fate. In order to give the children a place to go, she helped establish the Dohnavur Fellowship, where over 900 children found refuge during her ministry.

When Amy was in her 60s, she fell and broke a leg. She also injured her spine, which left her bedridden for the rest of her life. But that didn't end her work. She seized the opportunity to write. It was during this time that Amy wrote If. The booklet came in response to a young member of the Fellowship who wasn't grasping the gospel. This troubled Amy.

She wondered if it was because she had failed to demonstrate Christ's love through her actions. Those thoughts kept her awake all night. By morning, she had written what would become a tool for many wanting to understand the meaning of "Calvary love."

From If by Amy Carmichael. Christian Literature Crusade © 1991. Illustration of Amy Carmichael by Luis Fernandez (not online). Used with permission. © 2001 In Touch Ministries.

The Furnace Door is opening

A RELEASE OF PROPHETS WHO

HAVE BEEN IN 'THE WAIT"

A Building Process Many of God's people who have ahold of their purpose and vision inside, are sensing a time of release. They have been behind closed doors, crying, laughing and trembling with their Lord and Savior. They have known what it means to reach the depths of anguish in their souls and minds and have felt at times that they could not go on any longer.

They have tried to reach out through conversation to share their pain, but others who listened, could not relate. They've experienced a loneliness that has been physically felt and mentally challenging. It's been a journey where all one could say is,

"I don't know what is going on exactly, but God is good!"

All the confessions, professions and proclamations seem to go out, but silence is all that is heard. The journey has been a prophetic process for the prophets and also for those who have been in the "building" process of the Lord, just waiting for their release and assignment on the earth. The season of preparation is often misunderstood by many who go through it. All we want to do sometimes is to get out of the fire, while God Himself is keeping us from leaving. Only He knows the full process of keeping us in the fire--until we walk out looking better, acting better and loving better. Many have tried to run out only to find themselves walking back into the furnace of refinement once again. God has always been in it with us, but somehow we think He has left us there to roast.

The Door is Opening. We are now entering into a time of release for many who have been going through the fire and have grown up in character. Standing on their feet, they hear the Master opening up the furnace door and saying, "It is now time." They are not running like before--they are walking with a maturity and confidence in their Lord, as they come through the door to enter their assignments. This does not mean that all of a sudden everything will just happen and money will fall out of the trees for people, but what it does mean is that favor will be there when it is needed, with the work of their hands. It means that the weight of the gifting matches the weight of the character and the "appointed time" is now upon them. It means that they will not quickly fall like they used to when temptations come near them.

James understood this process and the importance of "The Wait" for maturity,

"James, a bondservant of God and of the Lord Jesus Christ, to the twelve tribes which are scattered abroad: Greetings. My brethren, count it all joy when you fall into various trials, knowing that the testing of your faith produces patience. But let patience have its perfect work, that you may be perfect and complete, lacking nothing" (James 1:1-4).

Many times when we read this Scripture, we automatically think of some major family or financial trial we go through and yes, these are trials. But for those who have been in the process of development, they have also been sorely tested in the battlefield of the mind regarding their calling. Some ponder if they have blown it with sin and wonder if it will happen, or they begin to think that God had never spoken to them in the first place. It is the plan of the enemy and the flesh to get us thinking this way, but patience has a divine and perfect plan.The patience that has come through the trial, has now been developed to the point of release. It is the patience that is mature and complete--able to withstand testing and truly help others in need. Mature Enough to Understand Temptation.

James 1:12-17, "Blessed is the man who endures temptation; for when he has been approved, he will receive the crown of life which the Lord has promised to those who love Him. Let no one say when he is tempted, 'I am tempted by God'; for God cannot be tempted by evil, nor does He Himself tempt anyone. But each one is tempted when he is drawn away by his own desires and enticed. Then, when desire has conceived, it gives birth to sin; and sin, when it is full-grown, brings forth death. Do not be deceived, my beloved brethren. Every good gift and every perfect gift is from above, and comes down from the Father of lights, with whom there is no variation or shadow of turning."

The struggle to sort out what is happening and "who" is doing what to those in process, is often misunderstood and many people have even blamed God for their temptations during development. But, God has brought them to the point of maturity in the fire, where they no longer believe that lie and have now understood that the "Refining Fire" has been burning away their unclean thoughts and desires of wanting the release too soon and doing works in the flesh. For some, the discipline of the Lord has been grueling and has been an unpleasant experience, and it is totally human to feel that way. Yet as maturity is developed, there is a knowledge and confidence inside, knowing the process produces a harvest of Godly character and peace.

Hebrews 12:11, "No discipline seems pleasant at the time, but painful. Later on, however, it produces a harvest of righteousness and peace for those who have been trained by it."

The Time is Now Upon Many

The time is quickly approaching and others will see someone coming out of the Furnace, looking and smelling like God, who they thought would be completely burned up. These are the "unknowns" in society who will enter their callings, full of God's power and wisdom. They will know how to handle difficulties without breaking down emotionally. They will release practical, yet powerful insight from God's Word that will shatter strongholds and liberate the afflicted and oppressed. It will truly be the demonstration of the Spirit without the "eloquence" of fleshly words being released as Paul describes in 1 Corinthians 2.

It is a Supernatural release that will bring young and old to real repentance, because they have seen and have experienced the goodness of God in a tangible way. For those who have understood the process of "The Wait," be encouraged! Your release is close at hand. Rejoice! For the Lord your God is opening the door of the furnace.

John and Amy MeyerVoice of One Crying MinistriesEmail: kptc@voiceofonecrying.orgPermission is granted (and you are also encouraged) to reprint these articles in hard copy form, as well as sending them to your own email lists and posting them on your own websites.

We ask only that you keep ElijahList website, email contact info, and author contact information intact.

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STANDING ALONE

Many students mocked Julie Moore for starting a Bible study at her Indiana high school. But Julie stood her ground, and obeyed God's call anyway.

by Karen Raad

Julie Moore felt like she was the only Christian in her whole school.
She was often mocked for her faith. Still, she felt like she could make a difference on her high school campus.
But how? Her answer came during her junior year at a Youth For Christ retreat, when a student speaker told how God had led her to start a Bible study at her public school.
Julie felt God calling her to do the same at her school, Bloomington (IN) High School North. But she was reluctant.
"At first," says Julie, "I thought, OK, God, whatever. I don't think I'm going to do that."
Julie didn't want any more ridicule at school. And she didn't think anybody would even be interested in a Bible study.
After all, there was that English paper she'd written about obedience, telling of Abraham's willingness to sacrifice his son Isaac (Genesis 22:1-18).
Julie read the paper aloud in class, explaining that "God wants us to serve him by obeying him, and even though it's hard sometimes, God is faithful and takes care of us."
Most of the class had put their heads down on their desks, ignoring her.
And God wanted her to start a Bible study there?
"People were already mocking me because I was a Christian," says Julie, now a senior at Indiana University. "Starting a Bible study would just give them more opportunity to mock me. I wasn't sure I was ready for that."
A club is born

Still, Julie knew she needed to obey.
"I realized the Bible study was what God wanted me to do, like the Abraham and Isaac thing," she says. "I felt like I was laying down my social status and letting God do whatever he wanted."
Julie talked to her youth leaders and other adults, who encouraged her to go for it. She received information about starting a Christian club at school, including her legal rights.
School administrators were supportive. Several teachers offered to let the club meet in their classrooms before school.
And so "Cougars for Christ," named after her school's mascot, was born.
Julie spread the word that she was starting a club where students could study the Bible and learn more about God. Seventeen students showed up for the first meeting on December 1, 1995.
"I was filled with excitement and gratitude," says Julie. "God had totally put this thing together."
Julie challenged the students with 1 Timothy 4:12: "Don't let any one look down on you because you are young, but set an example … "
She encouraged them to make a difference, to not be afraid and to stand up for what they believed in. Everything went well—for a while.
The next fall, the beginning of Julie's senior year, a photo of Cougars for Christ appeared in the yearbook. Club announcements were made over the P.A. system. The group was getting recognition—but not all of it was good.
Some students were hostile, mocking and cursing at Julie, nicknaming her "the Cougars for Christ Queen."
Soon, blank sheets of red paper were taped up all over school. One guy told Julie with a snicker, "They're for Cougars for Communism."
A teacher told Julie that the communism club, which rarely met, had formed mainly to mock Cougars for Christ. Club members called Julie names, and complained that she was turning the school into a church.
That was only the beginning.
To the principal's officeSoon, Julie was called to the office.
The principal, Dr. Sue Beerman, told Julie that Cougars for Communism had complained that Cougars for Christ had a room to meet in, announcements on the P.A. system, and a picture in the yearbook. The Cougars for Communism said they had a right to do the same things.
Dr. Beerman told Julie that she liked her group and what they were doing. But she also explained that Cougars for Communism had forced her to make some hard decisions to be fair to both clubs—while abiding by the law.
Both clubs had a legal right to meet on campus. But the principal said she wasn't sure about their rights to use the P.A. system or have their pictures in the yearbook. Dr. Beerman said she would talk to a lawyer to get definite answers.
When she left the office, Julie was confused and discouraged. Cougars for Christ had been in the yearbook the previous year and had used the P.A. system all along, and it didn't seem fair that those privileges might be taken away. To make matters worse, someone had smashed the windshield on her car in the school parking lot. She believes someone from Cougars for Communism did it, but admits she can't prove it.
Why is this happening? Julie wondered. I thought the Bible study was a good thing.
She felt let down. But she wouldn't give up.
She went home and reviewed a packet of legal information that her youth leader had given her. She typed up a constitution to better define Cougars for Christ and its philosophy.
Then she went back to the principal's office to further plead her case.
Dr. Beerman, meanwhile, had talked to the school superintendent and an attorney, and had some answers for Julie. She explained that the law—specifically, the Equal Access Act—gives extracurricular clubs the right to meet on public school grounds, regardless of their beliefs. But the law does not guarantee extracurricular clubs can use school facilities—like the P.A. system—to promote themselves. Nor does the law say they have "equal access" to yearbooks, as do school-sponsored clubs.
So the school made these decisions:
• Both clubs could continue meeting on school grounds.
• All clubs—whether school-sponsored or not—had to get a faculty member's signature to make announcements on the P.A. system.
• Only "official" school clubs could be pictured in the yearbook. "Official" clubs are school-sponsored and curriculum-related. "Unofficial" clubs, like Cougars for Christ and Cougars for Communism, are neither school-sponsored nor curriculum-related, and therefore could not be in the yearbook.
Encouraging support

The struggle—with administration, and with Cougars for Communism and their taunts—took its toll. Attendance at Cougars for Christ meetings dropped to about five.
Still, Julie found much-needed support. A family friend, a lawyer, offered legal help if needed. Many people prayed for her. And even though Cougars for Christ was not connected to Youth for Christ, area YFC leaders prayed for Julie and sent an encouraging card. One youth leader told Julie she was "a bright light in a dark world."
Julie says, "It was encouraging to hear that kind of reinforcement."
Cougars for Christ continued to meet, and Cougars for Communism continued to mock them. Julie downplayed the conflict, telling her group not to treat anyone from Cougars for Communism badly. The Bible study group prayed about the situation, and kept making P.A. announcements and handing out fliers.
Meanwhile, Cougars for Communism couldn't find a teacher to sign off on their announcements, so they never got to use the P.A. system.
The conflict between the clubs subsided. Soon, the Cougars for Christ attendance was back up to 17. Cougars for Communism stopped meeting, and Julie never heard from them again.
Still going strong

Julie spent time mentoring several younger girls during those early days of Cougars for Christ, and one of them, Claire Pontius, ended up leading the group as a senior before graduating in June.
Claire says the group is still going strong today.
Almost 75 people showed up for See You at the Pole last year, and about 15 to 20 regularly now attend the club's meetings.
Claire, a freshman when the club started, says the club's rough start turned out to be a good thing: "Paul said to rejoice when you're persecuted because when you're being persecuted you're doing something right."
Claire says the club has "helped Christians come out into the open. It gives students a way to stand up for what they believe, to say openly 'Yes, I am a Christian. I believe in God.'"
Claire also says Julie's example of perseverance was inspiring: "I know how hard Julie worked to get it started, and how hard it was for her to go through all that nonsense."
Julie is just thrilled to see that all the hard work — the result of her obedience to God's leading—has left its mark.
"I've learned to keep going, no matter what," Julie says. "You can make a difference."

FEMALE TEACHERS IN THE CHURCH? Blasphemy?

BREAKTHROUGH NEWS FOR WOMEN

~Reprint of a newsletter article by DAVID FEES~

A book God's Word to Women by Katharine Bushnell has recently been privately republished. Born in 1856,the author was a medical missionary and a scholar of Hebrew and Greek. Her work provides a doctrinal foundation to the church concerning the role of women in God's plan and in the church. She scripturally breaks down some of the doctrinal and cultural biases that have hindered women in ministry. What makes her different from the feminist movement of recent years is that she believes that the Bible is the inspired Word of God--verbatim. What she has done, through much study of the Hebrew and Greek, a thorough knowledge of the Word', and an understanding of cultural settings, is explain some of the difficult passages that have historically brought women to a lower status than God intended.
To give you an idea of her teachings, I have summarized a few of her insights concerning some of the Scriptures that may have been mistranslated or misinterpreted.

* Gen. 3:16: Unto the woman he said, I will greatly multiply thy sorrow and thy conception; in sorrow thou shalt bring forth children; and thy desire shall be to thy husband, and he shall rule over thee.

Context: This statement was a judgment given by God to Eve for her part in the fall.

Traditional Interpretation: The last part shows that men are to rule over women and that a woman's natural desire would be to come under that rule.

Bushnell: The correct interpretation of the last part should be rendered, Thou art turning away [from God] to thy husband, and he will rule over thee. In other words, when Eve turned away from God in the fall, she set a course for women in all history. God did not make men to rule over women, but when sin entered in and rebellion and ignorance followed, women lost their freedom. We see this mishap particularly in cultures which have not had a Christian heritage. The greater that Jesus is allowed to flourish, the more true liberty will result for women. The model is Jesus and the church. Jesus laid down His life for the church. He is head of the church but not in a dictatorial authority. He brings a model of leadership, which is true humility and the giving of one's self for others.

* I Cor. 14:34-35: Let the women keep silence in the churches: for it is not permitted unto them to speak; but let them be in subjection, as also saith the law. And if they would learn anything, let them ask their husbands at home: for it is a shame for women to speak in the church.

Traditional Interpretation: The men and women were divided in where they sat in church. Paul was addressing a problem in which women would yell out to their husbands across the church. Paul was saying to address the issue at home.

Bushnell: First, there is no law in the Old Testament that states this. There are references in the Jewish Talmud that women should remain silent, but she doubts Paul would quote from it because he was always at odds with their legalism. She makes a strong case that this statement is coming from the Judaizers (Jewish Christians who wanted to retain much of Jewish legalism), and Paul is quoting their argument and then answering it in the next two verses: What? Came the word of God out from you? Or came it unto you only? If any man think himself to be a prophet, or spiritual, let him acknowledge that the things that I write unto you are the commandments of the Lord.
She maintains that Paul allowed the ministry of Priscilla and Pheobe to flourish and considered them to be a part of his co-laborers. His practice of allowing them to teach would not be consistent with what many have traditionally interpreted that he taught. She also points out that the traditional interpretation of separation of the sexes would not address single women who had no husband. How would they learn?

* I Tim. 2:12: But I suffer not a woman to teach, nor to usurp authority over the man, but to be in silence.

Traditional Interpretation: Perhaps the most quoted Scripture used as justification that women should not be in public ministry.

Bushnell: There should be no comma after the word "teach", which changes the meaning of the sentence to mean that women were not to teach men, but could teach women. But more importantly, she provides a historical context of this epistle stating that women were in great danger at the time of its writing. The growth of Christianity had made believers great enemies of Rome and the Jews, both which treated women with disdain. To freely allow women open ministry would place women at great risk, and Paul refused to jeopardize their status.
She maintains that this admonition is a personal one similar to his suggestion to Timothy to drink some wine for his stomach's sake. While she believes the Word of God is inviolable and absolute. there are personal words given in the context of' Scriptures that are not intended for all believers at all times in history. For instance, Paul told 'I'imothy to bring the cloak and books with him that he had left at Troas with Carpus (II Tim. 4:13). Anyone would know that this piece of instruction was meant for a situation at that time. No one expects us to be looking for a cloak at Troas as part of our spiritual obedience.
She contends that Paul did not practice this teaching of refusing a woman to teach, neither did he teach it in other settings. She states that while men are quick to jump on this Scripture and others like it to justify their view of male dominance, they do not adhere to other teachings that are in a similar cast such as when Paul wished that all men were single and celibate like himself. Very few men have taken Paul up on that one.

Ephesians 5:22: Wives, submit yourselves unto your own husbands, as unto the Lord.

Bushnell: The word submit is not the best rendering of this word. A better translation, to be in subjection, does not mean to blindly obey. She uses a base Scripture for this point: No man can serve two masters (Matt. 6:24). The Word tells us to obey those who have the rule over us in Romans 12 (speaking of' civil government), but Scripture also gives us the right for civil disobedience when man's law tries to supercede God's law. An employee cannot follow his employer into sin. Neither can a wife follow a husband into immorality or deception. Like the apostles, we must say that we must obey God rather than man.
She maintains that while Sarah obeyed Abraham, calling him lord (I Pet. 3:6), God told Abraham in the manner of Hagar and Ishmael to obey his wife. So there is a balance that must be maintained through humility and mutual subjection to each other.
In ministry, she points out that Paul enjoins the Corinthians to submit (or subject themselves) unto every one that helpeth with us, and laboreth (I Cor. 16:16). In Romans 16:3, he calls Priscilla his helper. We know that Phoebe and other women assisted him, thus there is an admonition that men should be in subjection to those women ministries who are in a place of leadership. No man would interpret these Scriptures to mean blind obedience, but rather to defer to them in mutual respect, honor, humility, meekness, forbearance, and the yielding of one's preferences."

Delivered from Homosexuality.

BEING GAY...
(The Roberta Laurila Story)

By: Roberta Laurila

Right from the day of my birth, there was a hint of future problems. When my mother first saw me, she expressed her love for me, then remembered she only had a boy's name chosen. Thus Robert became Roberta.
During childhood, my mother's heart condition and crippling arthritis kept her from doing the usual things with me that my friend's mothers did. I became a loner and a daydreamer. At the age of eight, I was imitating everything my older brother did, from smoking cigarettes to dating girls.
IN LOVE
When I was ten, I "fell in love" for the very first time with my lady school teacher. This crush lasted for three years until our paths separated when I began my freshman year in high school. My heart was grieved until I met a beautiful brunette in my class and new love sprang up in my heart. Of course I couldn't speak of this love to anyone. I began to realize that somehow, I was different. My whole being cried out to love and be loved. Living with my secret longings through those teen years was so difficult.
I tried being like my friends and began dating young men when my father would allow it. When he wouldn't, I became angry and rebellious. I built a bad reputation for myself and as the small town tongues began wagging, I started withdrawing, antagonistic toward all.
ABUSE
My Christian mother was very patient during those years, but my father was under conviction for not accepting the Lord. His cursing raged out of control nearly every night as he verbally abused my mother. These times sent me into a rage. It was during this time in my life that I decided no man would ever treat me like that.
I also rejected my father for getting mom pregnant again. She was in ill health and she hadn't wanted another child. I had also heard many stories of my father's first wife dying at childbirth and that filled me with fears of having children. No way was that for me.
Then at sixteen, my "steady" boyfriend tried to rape me. That event really confirmed to me that sex was filthy and an abomination.
TWO MARRIAGES
After high school, all my girlfriends were getting married. I became fearful of being left out. In desperation, I gave in to my brother's suggestion to meet one of his friends, twelve years older than myself. In less than three months, I married this man whom I didn't even love. After two years, I divorced him and began writing to a man in the Armed Forces who had loved me before my marriage. The decision to marry him came when I learned he would soon be going to Germany in active combat. I could receive an allotment check and wouldn't have to live with him. What a farce! Less than two years later, he came home and I soon divorced him.
Not long after, the Holy Spirit began to convict me of my sin. I had attended tent meetings in a Pentecostal church when I was a child and marched to the front night after night to get saved. But I'd given it all up when I realized I couldn't be good in the days following.
When I began to feel pangs of guilt, this made Satan angry. Soon after, I was introduced to a lesbian who had been in that lifestyle a long time and knew the ropes. She was a bad influence on me and soon I began drinking, which I had never done. The second night, she invited me to spend the night with her. I began meeting other lesbians and partying far too much. Not long after, I was fired from my job.
I soon met a girl who was my "type" and we lived together for eight years. Because of the guilt and drinking, my fits of jealousy and temper became uncontrollable. Then I left my first friend and began living with another. After a year I nearly killed her in the car after drinking too much wine. Needless to say, she left me for good.
SALVATION
I was home alone the afternoon of October 7, 1955. With fear and panic in my heart, I made the decision to take my own life. I was too ashamed to commit myself to an institution to find help for my troubled mind. Pride was still very much alive, even though I thought I was beyond help. I wondered how to call my friend to ask for her forgiveness. I wanted so much to be forgiven, but it seemed out of the question.
I started for the kitchen to turn on the gas jets. I had already had a few drinks to try to give me courage. Just before I entered the kitchen door, I fell to my knees in front a chair. With tears streaming down my face, I cried out, "God forgive me. God forgive me!'
Only later did I realize that I was saved at that moment. The Holy Spirit came to live within me, and began leading me in ways that confirmed my salvation. But in rebellion, I still held onto my old friends.
I had two lesbian relationships after my salvation. "God doesn't expect me to "quit loving women," I reasoned. Of course, I couldn't stop without supernatural help. And I didn't have anyone else to help. This was years before God raised up former homosexuals to begin ministries.
Ten years after I received Jesus Christ as my Savior, I was still living in sin. God began allowing me to feel the consequences of my rebellion. I could not have survived the trauma that followed without the Lord's care and mercy. God allowed the devil to pour out his wrath in such a devastating way. I still shudder at his trickery. With demonic signs and wonders, Satan convinced me that God wanted me to live with another woman while involved in Christian ministry.
The climax came following the suicidal death of a dear friend whom I had betrayed. It was from that shocking emotional experience that my stubborn will was broken. I promised God that I would not let her death be for nothing. Then came the vision.
THE VISION
While living in what seemed to be a hell on earth with my lover, God came to me one night. I was alone and in deep despair, The Lord gave me a spiritual vision of a worldwide ministry. This outreach would reach homosexuals who wanted a close relationship with Jesus Christ and who wanted to be set free from their sin.
As the vision unfolded, I knew God was saying I must leave this lifestyle forever. I was to begin interceding for Him to raise up individuals from the gay lifestyle and others, truly called by Him, to begin specific ministries to homosexuals.
Six years after the vision, God directed me to write my personal testimony of deliverance from lesbianism. My story entitled "Gay Liberation" was published in book form in 1975. It was the first of its kind and not many bookstores would accept it, due to the subject, which was "hush-hush" at the time.
INTERCESSION
Much has happened since that time. While I continued to intercede, God began calling forth former gays to minister. God has blessed my friendships with many of the "pioneers" in the Exodus movement, such as Frank Worthen, Robbi Kenney, Ed Hurst, and others. I have been blessed also to see many ministries begin in foreign soil. What a wonderful God He is!
God has kept me at a low profile. At times, I have rebelled concerning this. But deep down, I know I was called to intercede for others to be led by the Holy Spirit into the entire world.
Even as I write these words, tears are flowing down my cheeks. Surely God will complete His perfect plan to reach the many millions of the lost who have been so rejected and lonely so many years. I weep for the church, blinded by the enemy so it cannot see the need to teach gays. So many Christians cannot truly believe that God can set these people free. My great desire now is to reach those in the gay church. I am believing God to also work a miracle there. Our God reigns!
If you would like to contact me I can be reached at P.O. Box 403, Grandville, MI 49468 or 616-645-5683. I would love to help you in any way I can.
God Bless,Roberta Laurila

Young Student poses a threat to Athiest Professer!

"The professor of a university challenged his students with this question. "Did God create everything that exists?" A student answered bravely, "Yes, he did". The professor then asked, "If God created everything, then he created evil. Since evil exists (as noticed by our own actions), so God is evil. The student couldn't respond to that statement causing the professor to conclude that he had "proved" that "belief in God" was a fairy tale, and therefore worthless. Another student raised his hand and asked the professor, "May I pose a question? " "Of course" answered the professor. The young student stood up and asked : "Professor does Cold exists?" The professor answered, "What kind of question is that?...Of course the cold exists... haven't you ever been cold?" The young student answered, "In fact sir, Cold does not exist. According to the laws of Physics, what we consider cold, in fact is the absence of heat. Anything is able to be studied as long as it transmits energy (heat). Absolute Zero is the total absence of heat, but cold does not exist. What we have done is create a term to describe how we feel if we don't have body heat or we are not hot." "And, does Dark exist?", he continued. The professor answered "Of course". This time the student responded, "Again you're wrong, Sir. Darkness does not exist either. Darkness is in fact simply the absence of light. Light can be studied, darkness can not. Darkness cannot be broken down. A simple ray of light tears the darkness and illuminates the surface where the! light beam finishes. Dark is a term that we humans have created to describe what happens when there's lack of light." Finally, the student asked the professor, "Sir, does evil exist?" The professor replied, "Of course it exists, as I mentioned at the beginning, we see violations, crimes and violence anywhere in the world, and those things are evil." The student responded, "Sir, Evil does not exist. Just as in the previous cases, Evil is a term which man has created to describe the result of the absence of God's presence in the hearts of man. After this, the professor bowed down his head, and didn't answer back.
The young man's name was ALBERT EINSTEIN.

What does it mean to be "Saved"? And why Do I need it??

People often ask me, "Why do I need to be saved?"

"You must be born again. Salvation is found in no-one else, for there is no other name under heaven given to people by which we must be saved." Holy Bible, John 3:7 Acts 4:12 NIV

Because we are a fallen creation, (Meaning- Eve ate the apple, swallowing the sin and then passing it on to her children) We are now filled with sin. "For all have sinned and fall short of he glory of God." Romans 3:23
God has made the decision to come to down from Heaven, in the flesh, to be a sacrifice for all sin.
"And the Word became flesh, and dwelt among us, and we saw His glory, glory as of the only begotten from the Father, full of grace and truth." John 1:14
When we open our hearts and believe and accept this gift, by asking Jesus to come into our hearts and "Save us." - The bible says that we pass from Death, to life. This means that without the belief in Jesus and what he did, We are dead in our sins. It's simply not enough to just believe in GOD. When we die, We will not be cleansed and cannot enter into the gates of Heaven, to be ru-united with our Heavenly father.

If this is something you'd like to explore more (I urge you friends) Take some time to open up your bibles, and study the books of MATTHEW, MARK, LUKE, and JOHN. These are the four Gospels. These are four eye witness accounts, from the apostles that walked and followed after Jesus while on earth. After he died, They were given a job, which was to "Seek and Save" The lost.

Accepting Jesus into your heart is simple, as long as its something you want. Go somewhere quiet, If its possible, I recommend getting as low to ground as possible. Just start talking to Jesus. The words will come out. You will start to fill things like guilt and sadness. This is just your conscience bringing to light the reasons you need Jesus to save you. Speak about these things, and ask our father to forgive you for them. Ask him to cleanse you of all unrightiousness. He will. He will save you and has been waiting. It doesnt matter what your friends say, or your parents. It doesnt matter if the preacher tells you there is no hope for you! Dont listen to that. Listen TO GOD.

After you pray, and ask him to forgive you, believe his word, and study it! The more you study it, The more you learn, the more you understand. Your faith begins to build as well as your love for him. Please let me know either way, so we can talk about it. :)

No Greater Love - recut

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