The Charismatic Movement lost one of her leaders today, Oral Roberts passed away at the age of 91 in Newport Beach, CA as a result of complications from pneumonia.

Oral Roberts had accomplished a lot in his life and ministry. At the age of 17, he was healed of a “potentially deadly case of tuberculosis”. After that healing, Dr. Roberts entered the ministry and frankly, changed how ministry is done to reach the masses. He pastored churches, lead revival crusades, started a TV ministry and prayer group, but is most remembered for planting, “Oral Roberts University”. He was a wide read author with his 130 plus books.

Naples Daily News reports this quote by Dr. Jack Hayford,

“Dr. Jack Hayford, president of the International Church of the Foursquare Gospel, said of Roberts, “If God had not, in His sovereign will, raised up the ministry of Oral Roberts, the entire charismatic movement might not have occurred. Oral shook the landscape with the inescapable reality and practicality of Jesus’ whole ministry. His teaching and concepts were foundational to the renewal that swept through the whole church. He taught concepts that spread throughout the world and simplified and focused a spiritual lifestyle that is embraced by huge sectors of today’s church.”

Even though, I would not agree with Dr. Roberts on everything, I am still saddened by the loss of such a man. Join me in praying for the family and those that knew and loved Dr. Roberts.

Its no surprise that money arguments create and cause a lot of marriage problems. There is a new study out showing that “Couples who reported disagreeing about finance once a week were over 30 percent more likely to get divorced than couples who reported disagreeing about finances a few times a month.” Money matters matter in marriage. I believe that many couples don’t think through those things before they say, “I do”. One reason maybe because couples are not going through marriage counseling first. Couples manage your money correctly. You have too many great resources out there to be foolish. Fight for your marriage not in it.

Today, in Oslo, Norway, President Obama received his Nobel Peace Prize before an audience of some 1,000 people. He received his award at the beginning of his presidency and that created no small stir. But he turned that into a positive rather quickly by spinning it to be more of responsibility that has been placed upon him. He did honor those before him that had accomplished much before receiving this honored award. In his speech, he didn’t talk much about his decision to send 30,000 more troops, but no doubt it will be talked about since this evening there is a big protest scheduled.

I congratulate the President on this award, because it is such an honored one. But I do believe that it was decided on by hope and not fact. So to that thinking, I believe that it doesn’t respect the award or honor its past. This award does call President Obama to a more given serious responsibility – to work tirelessly to honor this award’s mandate and its past. He must be given to the task of protecting this nation and the world, but to understand that peace never comes with first a battle.

Today at Noon, there will be a declaration read on the Christian conscience which is signed by more than 125 Orthodox, Catholic and Evangelical Christians. The statement and the signers will not be posted until noon so not much about the statement is easily accessible.

But there is some stuff out there and here is what I have found:

“We are Christians who have joined together across historic lines of ecclesial differences to affirm our right – and, more importantly, to embrace our obligation – to speak and act in defense of these truths. We pledge to each other, and to our fellow believers, that no power on earth, be it cultural or political, will intimidate us into silence or acquiescence.”

Yes, people must obey God rather than man when it comes to a violation of their convictions and conscience. You can just read the ministry of Paul to see that.

Here is another statement:

“We recognize the duty to comply with laws whether we happen to like them or not, unless the laws are gravely unjust or require those subject to them to do something unjust or otherwise immoral.”

Ok, I agree with that. Laws of the land must be obeyed as long as they do not ask us to disobey God and His Word.

And here is the last statement that I have found:

“. . . We will not comply with any edict that purports to compel our institutions to participate in abortions, embryo-destructive research, assisted suicide and euthanasia or any other anti-life act; nor will we bend to any rule purporting to force us to bless immoral sexual partnerships, treat them as marriage or the equivalent or refrain from proclaiming the truth, as we know it, about morality and immorality and marriage and the family.”

Now, with that statement, we can expect that a fight will ensure. People will seek to silent preachers of Truth, because they preach the Truth of Scripture against sin. When people live in sin, they sure don’t want preachers to correct them.

This declaration named, “The Manhattan Declaration”, will create no small stir, I am sure. I am one that is looking forward to read its words and see its signers. Might this be, the start of a revolution or just another statement by upset Christians? Time will tell.

The Apostle Paul told young Timothy this:

“For the time is coming when people will not endure sound teaching, but having itching ears they will accumulate for themselves teachers to suit their own passions, and will turn away from listening to the truth and wander off into myths.” (2 Timothy 4:3-4 ESV)

Its no secret that we are seeing this come to pass in our world today. Look at many of the popular “Christian” books and “Christian” preachers that millions flock to read and hear. They listen to every message and read every book, but they don’t know the truth. They don’t listen to messages or read the books by solid Christian preachers and authors. They have followed after their own passions and have forsaken the truth.

But its not just the flock that have done this. Preachers and authors have too, because its what makes them money. They have followed after the checkbook instead of Christ. And as a result they are leading many down the wrong road and heaping to themselves a stricter judgment.

Today, I read about a preacher that refused such a thing. In his life, God used him to open and start a Seminary. That seminary is still open and training men and women for the Gospel ministry. On his death bed, he called for his successor to come to him. Dr. L. R. Scarborough was to take over Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary upon the passing of Dr. B. H. Carroll. Here is what was said from Dr. Carroll to Dr. Scarborough, “I charge you in the name of Jesus Christ to keep it lashed to the old Gospel of Jesus Christ.”

What will you be lashed to? Will you heed the charge to be “lashed to the old Gospel of Jesus Christ”?

The Catholic Church is facing a problem that frankly is interesting to not just them, but other non-Catholic Churches too. In many non-Catholic congregations, its not uncommon to read that they have a Spanish service in the afternoon. But it wasn’t until yesterday when CNN.com ran an article that ought to get many churches thinking.

In the article, Emily Probst reports:

“It’s the browning of the Catholic Church in the United States,” says Pedro Moreno Garcia, who until last month led the Hispanic ministry for the Archdiocese of St. Louis. Moreno Garcia points to St. Cecilia’s Spanish-dominant Mass schedule as a sign of the times.
“Hispanics are the present and Hispanics are the future of the Catholic Church in the United States,” says Moreno Garcia.
One-third of all Catholics in the United States are now Latinos thanks to immigration and higher fertility rates, according to the Pew Forum on Religion and Public Life. While St. Cecilia’s parish has relished the growth, elsewhere, the Latino population boom has rocked the pews.”

All that information is important to getting down to what is the interesting part of the article.

The article continues,

“After more than 15 years working for the Catholic Church in majority-Hispanic areas of Texas, Moreno Garcia spent the last year tackling the challenges of a community where Latinos, although growing, are still the minority.
He recalls a few heated phone calls after the archdiocese newspaper, the St. Louis Review, added a page in Spanish. He fights prejudice with thought-provoking questions. “When you go to heaven, and you’re in front of St. Peter, what would you want to have in your hand, your baptismal certificate or your passport?” Moreno Garcia asks”.

Great question and point to people’s hang ups. But yet still that is not what was so interesting to me in this article.

Here is that portion:

One archdiocese parish that is struggling with the Latino influx is Holy Trinity in St. Ann, Missouri, a suburban community with an affordable housing stock that has prompted a population shift in the last decade.
Separate Sunday morning Masses in English and in Spanish at Holy Trinity are creating division among the devout.
“We’re two separate parishes operating under one roof,” says Parish Council President Gina Shocklee.
“I refer to it as Holy Trinity Catholic Church, and then there’s Holy Trinity Hispanic Church,” says council member Jody Tedeschi, who worries the separate Masses promote segregation.
Holy Trinity’s parish council has spent the past year looking for ways to bridge the divide with limited success.
“When I come to Mass at noon, the Anglos leave, and [Latinos] go in and we don’t even say ‘hi’ to each other, not even ‘hi,’” says Garcia. “Sometimes I think there is a wall, but that wall exists only because we don’t have enough faith.”
“I would really like if we could all be together, because we all worship the same God. We are all God’s children,” Garcia says, “but the problem is the language.”
A majority of Latino churchgoers in the United States attend Mass with mostly Latinos in the pew and Spanish-speaking clergy at the pulpit, according to a 2006 Pew Forum survey. Today, 15 percent of priests ordained in the United States are Latinos, according to the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops.”

Do you see it? A church family that wants to be a family, but because of the language barrier they feel like just strangers to each other. I rejoice in the fact that this church is wanting and longing to connect, but my heart breaks for them they can’t.

Thinking about churches that have this same set-up, makes you wonder though, do their people feel the same way? The Catholic Church is smart enough to work and find a solution to this problem. Its actually very imperative that they do, because no one wants to loss people. But what about other churches that are facing the same issue. What steps are they taking? And where might they find their solutions?

Today, students and parents in Monroe, New York, are dealing with the shock of possibly being the target of a Columbine type of school shooting. Yesterday, the police department of that town arrested a 15 year-old boy who was playing an April 20 attack upon Monroe-Woodbury High School.

CNN.com reports:

“He was charged as a juvenile and faces two felony counts of criminal possession of a weapon, Monroe Police Chief Dominic Giudice said.”

“There they found four bottles filled with gasoline, a torch, machete, black trench coat, three propane tanks, two computers, items that could be used as fuses and several other electronic devices, according to a Monroe Police Department press release issued Tuesday.
The supplies were found in the garage, Giudice said, but the teen’s parents had been unaware of their son’s intentions until he told police what he had planned to do.
Police also discovered the teen had actively been seeking a military assault-type weapon that could “hold as many rounds as possible.”
The boy told police investigators he had been bullied by fellow students and had been told that he resembled Columbine shooter Eric Harris, the press release said.”

This is truly a disturbing and sad report. Yes, this young man should never have been bullied in school, but also, he should never have wanted to commit such a horrible and chilling crime. The day of April 20, 1999 is still vivid for many. So the thought of such another event is deeply troubling.

The young man that wanted to carry out these actions said that, “he had a lot of hatred toward a lot of the kids who attend that school“.

The police and I am sure all the parents are thankful for those that came forward to report of this young man’s desire.

School today is a battle field for our young people. And its sad that our young people can’t walk to or even be in school without the feeling of being murdered. This young man is in custody today, but unfortunately, many that are affected will have this in their heads for years to come.

Why is it that the kids’ education always seems to get the short end of every stick?

The Wall-Street Journal has an article out today about how Hawaii is making cuts to the school year. Hawaii “has created the nation’s shortest school year under a new union contract that closes schools on most Fridays for the remainder of the academic calendar.” Closing school on Friday is not a big deal except for the fact that there is no hint of how they are going to make up for missing that day.

The article states,

“Hawaii’s 171,000 public schools students now find themselves with only 163 instructional days, compared with 180 in most districts in the U.S.”

Hawaii could of thought through a better solution than to have the kids’ education suffer. But this is a clarion to the parents of Hawaii, here is your opportunity to stand up and be counted. Let your voice be heard to those that have made this decision. Also, though, here is your opportunity to be teaching parents. Your children will be home more and now is the time to teach them at home. Go out and get some great books to read. Allow your kids to read about the lives of great heroes of the past, travel into the world of fiction with classics and learn how to be positive citizens in the world. Allow them to explore the world around them through trips, camping, hikes and so many other things.

Parents of Hawaii turn this around for your kids. Their future demands it.

“But I would not have you to be ignorant, brethren, concerning them which are asleep, that ye sorrow not, even as others which have no hope.” – I Thessalonians 4:13

With those words the Apostle Paul would seek to comfort the church about those that had dead in Christ. Where they going to miss out on the Rapture since they were not living? Why should Christian “sorrow not, even as others which have not hope“? That is what I preached on Sunday night and what this blog entry is about today!

So why should Christian sorrow differently than the world? I will give you five reasons using First Thessalonians 4:13-17.

1.) The Revelation of Scripture – “For this we say unto you by the word of the Lord, …” (I Thess. 4:15a) The Bible tells us about death and the afterlife. The Scripture is full of passages when death was the focus and passage where the afterlife is made very clear. Jesus would attend the grave of Lazarus, the deathbed of several and teach on Heaven and Hell.

2.) The Return of Christ – “… even so them also which sleep in Jesus will God bring with him. …that we which are alive and remain unto the coming of the Lord shall not prevent them which are asleep. “ (I Thess. 4:14-15). Jesus is coming again. We do not know when, but we do know that He is coming soon. His coming is imminent. Therefore, we must live our lives in accordance to His word. We can take comfort in sorrow, because Jesus is coming back with those that have passed on. He is coming back with them for us that are alive and remain.

3.) The Resurrection of the Christian Dead – “ For the Lord himself shall descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of the archangel, and with the trump of God: and the dead in Christ shall rise first:” (I Thess. 4:16) One day, the Lord will come again and call the dead from their graves to join Him in the air. The soul will be united with the body that is in grave asleep. This is the first resurrection that leads to life. There is another resurrection in Scripture that leads to death. Christians that died in Christ will experience this first resurrection. Those that die in their sins will know the second resurrection that leads to eternal separation from God.

4.) The Rapture of the Church – “Then we which are alive and remain shall be caught up together with them in the clouds, to meet the Lord in the air” (I Thess. 4:17a) The dead has risen and then the living will join them. All of this will take place in a moment, the twinkling of an eye. The Lord has rescued His church from the wrath to come. The Church will be raptured, meaning that God will caught us away unto Himself. The world will suddenly be missing people all over the world.

5.) The Reunion of All the Saints – “… and so shall we ever be with the Lord.” (I Thess. 4:17b) “WE”, the dead in Christ and the living, will be reunited in glory. What a wonderful day that will be. We will see Jesus, hear the sound of his voice and know the joys of Heaven. Also, we will see all the saints that we know today and those that we have lost through death. But also, we will see saints that we have only heard of and those that we never knew existed. This is a family reunion that you will actually want to attend.

Five reasons for you to sorrow differently than the world. The World has no hope, but the Christian through Christ has all the hope that we will ever need. Praise God for being One that comforts through the revelation of Scripture, the return of his Son, the resurrection of the Christian dead, the rapture of the Church and the reunion of all the saints.

I hope and pray that you will “sorrow not, even as others which have no hope.”

The Reverend. Frederick Eikerenkoetter has died. The Reverend was better known to people as, “the Rev. Ike” and was very popular in the 1970s. But his preaching was very odd and very self-centered instead of what you would except from a preacher.

The New York Times wrote about him in their obituary section today.

““Close your eyes and see green,” Reverend Ike would tell his 5,000 parishioners from a red-carpeted stage at the former Loew’s film palace on 175th Street in Washington Heights, the headquarters of his United Church Science of Living Institute. “Money up to your armpits, a roomful of money and there you are, just tossing around in it like a swimming pool.”

With that, you know what kind of preacher that he was – ““Prosperity Now,” “positive self-image psychology” or just plain “Thinkonomics.””

“The philosophy held that St. Paul was wrong; that the root of all evil is not the love of money, but rather the lack of it. It was a message that challenged traditional Christian messages about finding salvation through love and the intercession of the divine. The way to prosper and be well, Reverend Ike preached, was to forget about pie in the sky by and by and to look instead within oneself for divine power.
“This is the do-it-yourself church,” he proclaimed. “The only savior in this philosophy is God in you.””

His theology on that was WRONG. Paul was never moved, motivated and enslaved to money. He constantly was warning preachers of the Gospel to avoid the snare of having a love for money. Ministry was never about making money, rather it was about the Gospel and Christ.

And another concern here is this: did your salvation and walk with Christ all rest on how big or little your bank account was? If that is the case, than what is the standard by which to judge that.

My thoughts and prayers go out to the family and the many that loved, followed and adored The Reverend. Frederick Eikerenkoetter.