Feeling Empowered

Apostasy 2008 wrote:

SCOFFING
PRO 24:9 The schemes of folly are sin, and men detest a mocker.
MAT 12:24 But when the Pharisees heard this, they said, "It is only by
Beelzebub, the prince of demons, that this fellow drives out demons."
27:28 They stripped him and put a scarlet robe on him,
29 and then twisted together a crown of thorns and set it on his head.
They put a staff in his right hand and knelt in front of him and mocked
him. "Hail, king of the Jews!" they said.
30 They spit on him, and took the staff and struck him on the head again
and again.
41 In the same way the chief priests, the teachers of the law and the
elders mocked him.
LUK 4:23 Jesus said to them, "Surely you will quote this proverb to me:
'Physician, heal yourself! Do here in your hometown what we have heard that
you did in Capernaum.'"
16:14 The Pharisees, who loved money, heard all this and were sneering at
Jesus.
22:63 The men who were guarding Jesus began mocking and beating him.
64 They blindfolded him and demanded, "Prophesy! Who hit you?"
23:11 Then Herod and his soldiers ridiculed and mocked him. Dressing him
in an elegant robe, they sent him back to Pilate.
35 The people stood watching, and the rulers even sneered at him. They
said, "He saved others; let him save himself if he is the Christ of God,
the Chosen One."
36 The soldiers also came up and mocked him. They offered him wine vinegar
ACT 2:13 Some, however, made fun of them and said, "They have had too much
wine."
13:45 When the Jews saw the crowds, they were filled with jealousy and
talked abusively against what Paul was saying.
17:18 A group of Epicurean and Stoic philosophers began to dispute with
him. Some of them asked, "What is this babbler trying to say?" Others
remarked, "He seems to be advocating foreign gods." They said this because
Paul was preaching the good news about Jesus and the resurrection.
32 When they heard about the resurrection of the dead, some of them
sneered, but others said, "We want to hear you again on this subject."
HEB 10:29 How much more severely do you think a man deserves to be
punished who has trampled the Son of God under foot, who has treated as an
unholy thing the blood of the covenant that sanctified him, and who has
insulted the Spirit of grace?
2PE 3:3 First of all, you must understand that in the last days scoffers
will come, scoffing and following their own evil desires.
4 They will say, "Where is this 'coming' he promised? Ever since our
fathers died, everything goes on as it has since the beginning of
creation."

You are a religious nut.......Is this the only place where you can gain an audience.....

LADYDAY wrote:

<quoted text>
You are a religious nut.......Is this the only place where you can gain an audience.....

__________

The Definition of Apostasy

Departing from the faith is nothing new. It happens today just as it did in the Old Testament and in the church at Ephesus, where Timothy was when Paul wrote this epistle. There are always people who understand the faith intellectually and behave externally according to the revelation of God, but have no heart for living to please God. Hebrews 3:12 says that those who depart from God demonstrate an unbelieving heart.

Paul states in 1 Timothy 4:1 that some--like Judas, Demas, or the disciples of John 6 who walked no more with Christ--"shall depart from the faith" (Gk., aphistemi, "to remove yourself from the position you originally occupied").

Apostasy isn't an unintentional departure or someone struggling with doubt. It characterizes someone who deliberately abandons truth once affirmed for erroneous teaching. "The faith" refers specifically to the body of Christian doctrine, not the act of believing. Some will depart from "the faith which was once delivered unto the saints" (Jude 3). People who understand and outwardly affirm Christian doctrine but don't have a heart for God are prime candidates for being seduced by demons to depart from the faith.

An apostate is NOT someone who never knew the truth but someone who knew it and rejected it. He may have even been involved in various religious activities. But because he never truly knew God, he was lured away by the siren voices of the demons behind idols and false religious systems.

The Source of Apostasy

All false religion propagates doctrine energized by seducing spirits. False religion is the playground of demons. Second Corinthians tells us that Satan and his angels disguise themselves as angels of light and become the purveyors of various religions (11:14-15).

1. Leviticus 17:7--The Lord Himself says that whatever men sacrifice to idols is in fact being sacrificed to demons (cf., Deut. 32:17; Ps. 96:5; 106:36-37).

2. 1 Corinthians 10:20-21--Paul said that those who come to the Lord's Table and then go worship at some pagan religious shrine, are fellowshipping with both the Lord and demons.

False religious systems and the various idols that accompany them are simply focal points for demonic activity. We should not naively think that a false religion is simply a collection of misguided ideas. Realize that energizing it behind the scenes are dynamic of fallen angels who are seducing people from the truth into an eternal hell.

The Word of God clearly teaches that apostasy is a demonic seduction, that idol worship is actually worship offered to demons, and that false teachers are the agents of demons. The battle is between God and His truth and the devil and his lies. God calls people to Himself through the truth, and Satan tries to lure people away from truth with his hellish lies.

The Confrontation of Apostasy

Scripture often exhorts the church to expose false teaching. That kind of confrontation is not a popular thing today. Many churches, in the name of love, want to forget disagreements and avoid being critical at all costs. But nonetheless, there is a biblical mandate to deal with false teaching.

The battle lines were drawn in Israel and in the early church, and they must be drawn today too. Like Timothy we must be warned and instructed to understand what is behind false teaching.

LADYDAY wrote:

<quoted text>
You are a religious nut.......Is this the only place where you can gain an audience.....

probably tee hee hee

veman96054 wrote:

<quoted text>
probably tee hee hee

__________
2 Timothy 3-9

Warning Difficult Times Ahead

1 But know this: difficult times will come in the last days.

2 For people will be lovers of self, lovers of money, boastful, proud, blasphemers, disobedient to parents, ungrateful, unholy,

3 unloving, irreconcilable, slanderers, without self-control, brutal, without love for what is good,

4 traitors, reckless, conceited, lovers of pleasure rather than lovers of God,

5 holding to the form of religion but denying its power. Avoid these people!

6 For among them are those who worm their way into households and capture idle women burdened down with sins, led along by a variety of passions,

7 always learning and never able to come to a knowledge of the truth.

8 Just as Jannes and Jambres resisted Moses, so these also resist the truth, men who are corrupt in mind, worthless in regard to the faith.

9 But they will not make further progress, for their lack of understanding will be clear to all, as theirs was also.

S-SMITH wrote:

i WILL CONTINUE TO PRAY FOR PASTOR BRYANT. I BELIEVE HE IS A MAN OF GOD BUT EVERY MAN IS SUBJECT TO A FALL. HE JUST HAS TO LET GOD FIX IT BECAUSE ONLY HE CAN.

We've never stop praying for him or any other person who have fallen, but When God tells us in his word what to and what not to do and we rebel against his word - then when trouble comes our way we expect God to jump to our rescue. WRONG ANSWER! There are some things GOD gives US the power to do and one of them is living holy. Every time a person gets out of the will of God, they have to start back to ground 0. Yes, the littlist sin is just that destructive. The bible tells us to openly rebuke so that others will fear "New Testament!" The fear of God has left the church. It's really disturbing to see how people make it comfortable for sinners - telling them "its okay to mess up, its okay to fall just ask God to forgive you!" That is pre-meditated sin. God forbid. It's just like fornicating with someone that has AIDS. God may forgive you, but the consequences (the wages of sin) is eventually going to be death.

S-SMITH wrote:

i WILL CONTINUE TO PRAY FOR PASTOR BRYANT. I BELIEVE HE IS A MAN OF GOD BUT EVERY MAN IS SUBJECT TO A FALL. HE JUST HAS TO LET GOD FIX IT BECAUSE ONLY HE CAN.

One thing I forgot to add, you said that every man is subject to a fall - I fear God too much to fall. I think about what if Christ would return in the middle of me falling or messing up, where would I spend eternity?

You appear to be very wise. I dont really care for Blogs but this reply had some great wisdom and was well written. Remember us and our Church in you prayers.We are not a part of Rev. JAMALS CHURCH, WE ARE IN VIRGINIA.

Brent wrote:

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When you are a leader over innocent souls, you are totally responsible for confessing your faults one to another (which is Bible)and confessing to those who are under your leadership - especially something serious like that. Afterwards its there choice to stay or leave. Jamal wounded many souls and he does owe them and the entire body of Christ an explanation and apology. True repentance come through brokeness and not just some mere quick weak apology. A 6 year old child knows when a person is really sincere in their apology. True repentance means that he got it totally right with his wife, kids, the church family that he leads, the young people he was a role model to and the entire body of Christ. True repentance means to TURN AWAY from that sin, not apologizing and doing the same thing over and over again. God knows when you're sincere and he also know when sin is pre-meditated.

GOD is not coming back for the building, he is coming back for the pure in heart. So no matter where you attend church and who every deliver the sermon, the word of GOD is what we are seeking and you must believe in his word, because man is of the world no matter where he sits (in the pulpit or out in the congregation) and we all fall short of the glory of GOD. GOD's word will never change, so what applies to me applies to you. GOD is THE MAN!

Apostasy in The Church of God

While Timothy was pastoring the church at Ephesus, false teachers were teaching contrary doctrines. From 1 Timothy 1 we learn they desired to be teachers of the law but didn't understand what they were teaching (v. 7). Verses 18-20 tell us they had departed from the truth and were delivered to Satan by Paul to learn not to blaspheme. After dealing with false teaching regarding the role of men and women in the church in chapters 2-3, Paul returns to the matter of the false teachers in chapter 4.

First Timothy 3 closes with the theme of truth. Verse 15 states that the church is the pillar and ground of truth and verse 16 says that Christ is the embodiment of truth. That logically leads into Paul's discussion in chapter 4 of the demonic counter attack against the truth. In the first five verses of chapter 4 he describes the apostates and their teaching and from verses 6 to 16 he tells Timothy how to be the kind of man necessary to deal with it.

The theme of 1 Timothy 4:1-5 is this: "some shall depart from the faith" (v. 1). Paul warns Timothy to expect apostasy and provides him with six descriptions of apostates so he can be prepared to identify and counteract them.

THE PREDICTABILITY OF APOSTATES

"Now the Spirit speaketh expressly"
We should not be shocked to learn that some people will apostatize. The Spirit of God explicitly says that some will depart from the faith. The first word of verse 1, better translated "but," heightens the contrast of apostasy to the truths mentioned in the previous verses.

A. The Revelation of the Spirit

The Spirit's explicit instruction in the present tense is a reference to divine revelation. All divine revelation comes from the Holy Spirit. Peter tells us that Scripture is not the product of man's ingenuity, but of holy men of God guided by the Holy Spirit (2 Pet. 1:21). As Paul pens his epistle to Timothy, the very words of the Holy Spirit about apostasy come through.

Paul knew there would be apostates at the church in Ephesus because the Holy Spirit had revealed that fact to him earlier. Long before he had written this epistle to Timothy, Paul addressed the Ephesian elders with these words: "I know this, that after my departing shall grievous wolves enter in among you, not sparing the flock. Also of your own selves shall men arise, speaking perverse things, to draw away disciples after them" (Acts 20:29- 30).

B. The Revelation in Scripture

Such revelation about apostasy is not anything unique to the New Testament; the Holy Spirit had been warning about apostasy back in the Old Testament. Many Scriptures in the Old Testament talk about Israelites (both individually and nationally) departing from the faith. Although many people belonged to the nation of Israel, that didn't mean they all believed in the God of Israel. Consequently, they were not part of the believing remnant of Israel (cf., Rom. 2:28-29). The Spirit through the centuries of redemptive history has indicated that there would be those who depart from the faith (Deut. 13:12-15; 32:15-18; Dan. 8:23-25).

In the New Testament we find even more mention of those who would depart from the faith in the end times.

2 Peter 2
False Teachers and Their Destruction

1But there were also false prophets among the people, just as there will be false teachers among you. They will secretly introduce destructive heresies, even denying the sovereign Lord who bought them—bringing swift destruction on themselves. 2Many will follow their shameful ways and will bring the way of truth into disrepute. 3In their greed these teachers will exploit you with stories they have made up. Their condemnation has long been hanging over them, and their destruction has not been sleeping.

4For if God did not spare angels when they sinned, but sent them to hell,[a] putting them into gloomy dungeons[b] to be held for judgment; 5if he did not spare the ancient world when he brought the flood on its ungodly people, but protected Noah, a preacher of righteousness, and seven others; 6if he condemned the cities of Sodom and Gomorrah by burning them to ashes, and made them an example of what is going to happen to the ungodly; 7and if he rescued Lot, a righteous man, who was distressed by the filthy lives of lawless men 8(for that righteous man, living among them day after day, was tormented in his righteous soul by the lawless deeds he saw and heard)— 9if this is so, then the Lord knows how to rescue godly men from trials and to hold the unrighteous for the day of judgment, while continuing their punishment.[c] 10This is especially true of those who follow the corrupt desire of the sinful nature[d] and despise authority.

Bold and arrogant, these men are not afraid to slander celestial beings; 11yet even angels, although they are stronger and more powerful, do not bring slanderous accusations against such beings in the presence of the Lord. 12But these men blaspheme in matters they do not understand. They are like brute beasts, creatures of instinct, born only to be caught and destroyed, and like beasts they too will perish.

13They will be paid back with harm for the harm they have done. Their idea of pleasure is to carouse in broad daylight. They are blots and blemishes, reveling in their pleasures while they feast with you.[e] 14With eyes full of adultery, they never stop sinning; they seduce the unstable; they are experts in greed—an accursed brood! 15They have left the straight way and wandered off to follow the way of Balaam son of Beor, who loved the wages of wickedness. 16But he was rebuked for his wrongdoing by a donkey—a beast without speech—who spoke with a man's voice and restrained the prophet's madness.

17These men are springs without water and mists driven by a storm. Blackest darkness is reserved for them. 18For they mouth empty, boastful words and, by appealing to the lustful desires of sinful human nature, they entice people who are just escaping from those who live in error. 19They promise them freedom, while they themselves are slaves of depravity—for a man is a slave to whatever has mastered him.

20If they have escaped the corruption of the world by knowing our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ and are again entangled in it and overcome, they are worse off at the end than they were at the beginning. 21It would have been better for them not to have known the way of righteousness, than to have known it and then to turn their backs on the sacred command that was passed on to them. 22Of them the proverbs are true: "A dog returns to its vomit,"[f]and, "A sow that is washed goes back to her wallowing in the mud."

DRB wrote:

You appear to be very wise. I dont really care for Blogs but this reply had some great wisdom and was well written. Remember us and our Church in you prayers.We are not a part of Rev. JAMALS CHURCH, WE ARE IN VIRGINIA.<quoted text>

Thank You, and to God be the Glory! I will definately keep you and your church family in prayer. Please do the same for us!

Being a victum of an adulterours husband as well, my heart goes out to his wife and children, his actions have and will for years to come affect THEM MORE. When you loose your covering and your protection many things happen to your spirit without your control. I pray that many of your prayers would stay GREATLY focused on that wife and those children whose whole world has just crumbled. God can and will still bless them even if they part, unfortunately it will not be the best that God had intended for either of them and I pray that God's courage and strength fill that wife to make the right decision not based on pain, but rather on God's decision, for He granted divorce because of the hardness of our hearts, Another note that is very important to mention is that the mistresses may feel upset but they cannot imagine the pain that the wife is going through, the Godly connection is not with the other women, it is with his wife, and a part of her has been torn away that only God can fill. Pray that God gives her direction and peace in her heart that this is not her fault but a spirit is a spirit and her husband allowed it to take control.

Brent wrote:

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We as believers have a right to judge - not condemn. The bible tells us to judge righteously. Many people mis-interpret the scriptures "Judge not - they that are without sin!" The apostle Paul taught us to "Openly Rebuke that others may FEAR!" When the Saints stop judging, trust me, ALL HELL WILL BREAK LOOSE! The wages of sin is death. When we go against the word of God, we're sinning. Sin is rebellion (rebelling against God's word), and rebellion is WITCH CRAFT! Bishop George Bloomer wrote the book - Witchcraft in the pews - We need a book - Witchcraft in the pulpit. Too many of us are being deceived by so-called influential people!

Brent: You say we have right to judge but condemn, but half of the people on here are doing both. And at the end of your message you say, " Too many of us arebeing deceived by so-called influential people" God said put trust in no man for man will decieve you. Therefore, if we going to judge ministers by their sins and their short comings then we would not have ANY MINISTERS, APOSTLES, PROPHETS, PASTORS, TEACHERS, PROPHETESS OR ANY OF THE FIVE FOLD. Are you living a life so whereas you are not decieving others? Are you living a life whereas you do no sin daily?

BEAUTIFUL WOMAN wrote:

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WHO ARE YOU TO CALL ANYONE A NAME? AND LIKE I SAID IF YOU HAVE A PROBLEM WITH HIM YOU NEED TO CALL HIS CHURCH AND SET APPOINTMENT WITH HIM TO TELL HIM THAT YOU HAVE A PROBLEM!! BUT UNTIL THEN, YOU SHOULD NOT HAVE ANYTHING NEGATIVE TO SAY!!!! NOW BE BLESSED!!!!

I sent my emails to all the Bishops of the AME church.

The man is a ho. Anyone who sleeps with that Ho is a dumb ho. YOu knowingly sleep with a man who has multiple women while married is dumb and stupid. Wake up.

If you sleep with him, I hope you got things of value. At least you getting something out of being used.

Stuck on stupid is a sad state to be in.

Leave the Ho of Baltimo alone. Stop supporting a minstry that thinks Hoing is a valid sport

BEAUTIFUL WOMAN wrote:

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Brent: You say we have right to judge but condemn, but half of the people on here are doing both. And at the end of your message you say, " Too many of us arebeing deceived by so-called influential people" God said put trust in no man for man will decieve you. Therefore, if we going to judge ministers by their sins and their short comings then we would not have ANY MINISTERS, APOSTLES, PROPHETS, PASTORS, TEACHERS, PROPHETESS OR ANY OF THE FIVE FOLD. Are you living a life so whereas you are not decieving others? Are you living a life whereas you do no sin daily?

No minister should be the biggest sinner in the church

BEAUTIFUL WOMAN wrote:

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Brent: You say we have right to judge but condemn, but half of the people on here are doing both. And at the end of your message you say, " Too many of us arebeing deceived by so-called influential people" God said put trust in no man for man will decieve you. Therefore, if we going to judge ministers by their sins and their short comings then we would not have ANY MINISTERS, APOSTLES, PROPHETS, PASTORS, TEACHERS, PROPHETESS OR ANY OF THE FIVE FOLD. Are you living a life so whereas you are not decieving others? Are you living a life whereas you do no sin daily?

Okay, I hope I can make it a little plainer for you. Yes, all have sinned and come short of the glory of God. However, when God fills you with the holyghost there are some things that you just don't do. This standard is not just for ministers, but for every born-again believer. I cannot agree that I sin daily - I'm literally scared to sin because if God was to come back while I was in the middle of sinning, that will cancel me out from entering into heaven. Today, this is something people do not take into consideration. I guess because I grew up in a real strict apostolic church where you were told publically to sit down and people were "openly rebuked" when they did wrong - where the church mothers literally cast demons out of people. I grew up in a time when people literally feared GOD! Even to this day, I still want to know what happened to the fear of God? You would rather the body of believers judge sin than if God do it, and destruction take place. Yes, God is a God of mercy, but we often forget that his wrath is just as great as his mercy - and thats what preachers of today is not preaching. I still believe that even after 911, katrina, etc., a lot more have not happen because of the prayers and intercession of the saints of God.

Amen

Brent wrote:

<quoted text>
Okay, I hope I can make it a little plainer for you. Yes, all have sinned and come short of the glory of God. However, when God fills you with the holyghost there are some things that you just don't do. This standard is not just for ministers, but for every born-again believer. I cannot agree that I sin daily - I'm literally scared to sin because if God was to come back while I was in the middle of sinning, that will cancel me out from entering into heaven. Today, this is something people do not take into consideration. I guess because I grew up in a real strict apostolic church where you were told publically to sit down and people were "openly rebuked" when they did wrong - where the church mothers literally cast demons out of people. I grew up in a time when people literally feared GOD! Even to this day, I still want to know what happened to the fear of God? You would rather the body of believers judge sin than if God do it, and destruction take place. Yes, God is a God of mercy, but we often forget that his wrath is just as great as his mercy - and thats what preachers of today is not preaching. I still believe that even after 911, katrina, etc., a lot more have not happen because of the prayers and intercession of the saints of God.