W.W.D.K.S? - - WHAT WOULD DR. KING SAY?

 It is hard to predict with any degree of accuracy what anyone like Dr. King, Malcolm X, Meager Evers or the brave men and women who were beaten and killed in the struggle for civil rights; reaction would be to the condition of Black Americans today! My best guest would be:  If they read a newspaper or viewed the television news of today, they would see that Black Americans are still at the bottom economically, educationally, professionally and socially. They would see 3^rd and 4^th generations of black families still subsisting on welfare and living in concentration camps (aka The Projects) They would see that discrimination and racism against Black Americans is still prevalent today. They would see the decline of black businesses in the community, which use to provide employment for our youth and older people. They would see the proliferation of non-black owned businesses, sucking the economic life out of our communities, by taking the money and run, business practices. They would see how the deliberate infusion and use of drugs has devastated the lives of individuals and families in our community. They would see how we have allowed criminals and thugs in gangs to intimidate and hold whole neighborhoods captive. They would see the blatant disrespect our youth show to their parents, teachers and elders.  They would see our deteriorating schools with understaffed, underpaid teachers, attempting to educate in overcrowded classrooms. They would see how our able body young men are dropping out of school to stand on corners selling drugs and look like clowns wearing their pants below their butts. They would see black on black crime and the random   killing of one another because of some imagined turf or color of clothing. They would see our young ladies dressed like prostitutes, tongues pierced, tramp stamps and tattoos all over; smoking a blunt, while cursing at her child she is dragging down the street, with another baby in her arms. They would see the increase in child molestation and sexual assaults in our families that go unreported because “It is family business.” They would see babies’ daddy’s out at the strip clubs with their “Boys” getting lap dances; while they won’t pay child support for the children they’ve fathered. They would see our immature young mothers are neglecting their children in an attempt to have a relationship with some abusive, worthless knucklehead!  After viewing all of this, I think they would ask themselves, “Is this what died for?  Is this what I underwent fire hoses, police dogs, clubbing, insults and being spat upon, for? Is this what the sum total of achievement, I laid down my life to achieve for my people?”  The answer does not have to be YES!  WE CAN CHANGE THIS PICTURE!
Your brother, In His Service
Min. Douglas

THE FATHERHOOD OF GOD!

Today is my father’s birthday! Birthdays and Father’s Day are a time when sons and daughters will remember their Fathers and celebrate their lives, whether living or dead. They will recall favorite memories of times spent with their Fathers throughout their childhoods and adult lives. For some, these will be happy memories. For others, not so happy, due to the loss of their father or of issues they had in their relationship growing up. I don't have either good or bad memories concerning my biologic father because I never knew him in life. He was out of my life a year or so after my birth. Tragically, he never made contact with me or my family ever again! I received bits and pieces about him from my mother over the years. Some positive and some negative; but always with a tone of hurt in her voice. To her mind he was the bad guy dressed in black, in all the cowboy movies of the day. To my mind, he was the hero galloping in on a white horse, guns blazing, dressed in white. The stories about him and their failed relationship only fuelled my desire to know him all the more. As it turned out, I would spend most of my young adult life searching to find him.

As a child growing up, I had lots of questions and fantasies about my father, with what little information I could get out of my mother about him. He was a subject we whispered about and kept it between her and I. My mother had gone into the military after I was born and left me to be raised by my grandmother. While in the military, she met and married another soldier. Upon their discharge from the service, I came to live with them when I was 5 years old. Her husband was a cruel man and an abusive step-father to me and her. I have too many hurtful memories of his abuse and mistreatment of us both.

After receiving one of his beatings, I would lay on my bed crying. I would call out my father’s name and pray that my real father would come and kill him for mistreating me and take me away to live with him. At school, I would lie to the other kids about my real father. I did not want them to know the daily horror I was living with my step father. They knew something was not right, because my step father never came to any of my activities at school. I would make up fantastic tales of my real father being away in the military doing heroic things. To counter their bragging about their fathers and their relationship and activities with them; I would lie and claim the same things, only with my uncles. How I envied those kids who had fathers at home! I envied them so much!

After years of personal inquiry, running down leads, telephoning people and numerous private investigators, I finally located him when I was 39 years of age. Instead of the news sparking a joyous celebration, it was a very sad disappointment for me. I found out my father had passed away 6 years previously. Strangely, that news buckled my knees, as the voice on the other end of the phone informed me. It was as if he had just died. It was like a blow to my face! It hit me the same as if I had known him and had a relationship with him. I felt devastated! All of my hopes for reunion with him just exploded into vapor. My dreams of touching him, talking with him and laughing with him; vanished into thin air, just like that! I could not believe that I would never know his voice or feel his arms embrace me as a father and son. The truth of my father’s passing without me ever knowing him was so difficult to bear, even at my adult age. It was a great disappointment for me, because for so many years, I could only envision him alive. I had to see and know for myself that this was true. I guess I was still holding onto hope that maybe this was the wrong man, buried there!

All of my scenarios of our first meeting were running through my mind as I walked to his grave site, carrying a bouquet of flowers. It was a fresh, open wound for me, as I sat at his grave. A flood of emotions engulfed me and I cried mournfully for him. The locked up frustrations from my early childhood to this day, were finally released and poured from my eyes in tears that saturated his grave. Primal moans came from deep within me. For the first time in my life, I truly felt loss! This was up front and personal! I was feeling the loss of a parent, I would never know! I spoke to him there! I asked him all the questions I had wanted answers to for so long, between my sobs. I told him of my great admiration and love for him! I told him that I understood him and his actions of years gone by and that I forgave him for not being in my life. I left it all there at his grave with the flowers I had brought.

I found comfort in prayer! I prayed to our heavenly father and asked Him to bless my real father there with Him. I took comfort in the knowledge that God was with me through it all and that He would never leave me. I believe that when I get to heaven one day, I will see my biologic father there also and we will have the relationship we were denied in this life. I was further comforted by finding out that I had three siblings from my father. A son and two daughters. I was overjoyed to meet them and to see a photo of my real father for the first time in my life. It was such a relief to finally put a face on the man I had only dreamed about and not known. I knew I was his son, because he, I and siblings all favored one another. And then there was this inward feeling of knowing, when I hugged my sisters for the first time. We hugged and kissed and cried together for a long time at the train station, upon my arrival to visit with them. At last, I have some part of my biological father that I can touch! I felt complete and excepted! I had found my missing family. I did not want to let them go!

When I think back on this experience and of the relationship I would like to have had with my father; I cannot help but think of the original pattern for this relationship dynamic. Jesus told us what that pattern was in the first two words of The Lord's Prayer, “Our Father!" These two simple words, state so clearly what God's relationship to us is. It is that of Parent and Child! He is our father and we are his created children. It is in God, our Father, that we live and have our being. As children, our fondest desire is to be like our fathers. As believers in Christ, this is the same commandment Jesus gives to us in Matt. 5:48 “Be ye therefore perfect, even as your Father which is in heaven is perfect.” In other words, strive to take on the spiritual qualities of the Father. Try to be like the Father in love and goodness! Love one another, unconditionally and be kind to one another!

Then there is one of the original ten commandments that says “Honor thy father and thy mother, as the LORD thy God hath commanded thee!” Deut. 5:16 -If we honor our earthly parents because they gave us life and raised us up; how much more should we honor our Heavenly Father, who is our source for EVERYTHING?? He is the perfect Father! Omnipotent, He commands power over all His creation. There is none like Him. We are His creation. Omnipresent, He indwells the hearts of His created beings. He is ever present in our lives and wherever we are, He Is! Omniscient, He is all knowing and knows everything about us. He shares our trials, tribulations, sorrows and joys. He is our comfort and joy! His goodness, mercy and grace are never ending blessing upon us.

As we remember our earthly Fathers and reflect upon our relationship with them, do not forget the Father of Fathers! Today and every day, remember God, our Heavenly Father and all that He has brought us through. Jesus Christ the God-Man, our Lord and Savior, had unbroken communication with His Father, through prayer. He acknowledges God the Father, in all things. Jesus was God Centered! Studying God’s Word, gives us insights into the nature of God and His creation because it moves us to contemplate these things. As we reflect deeply on Truth, we begin to understand that all we really need to know is, “In the beginning God.” This is the same message that Moses gave, “Thou shall have no other Gods before me.” It is the same messages as Jesus gave when he said “Our Father, which is in heaven”. We have everything we need in The Fatherhood of God!

When all of creation is recognized as being God centered, then all will be “right” with the world. We can know this concept in mind but to know this fully we must live accordingly – in thought, word and deed. The ability to be God centered is given only as we give Him first place in our lives – in prayer, in meditation and in all our ways, acknowledge Him. Just let Him be God! He is worthy of our praise and honor! Father for the Truth that Jesus brought to us, that you are “Our Father”, we thank you! May everything that has breath praise thy Holy Name! Amen.

Your brother, In His Service

Min. Douglas Daniels

KELLY THOMAS, MURDERED!

By now everyone has heard, either by radio, television, internet or word of mouth, about the beating death of a mentally ill man, in Fullerton, California recently. His death at the hands of Fullerton Police Officers, makes me revisit those feelings of outrage, disgust and sorrow, I felt viewing the Rodney King and Reginald Denhy beatings. King’s by police officers and Denhy’s by thug rioters. There was a very noticeable difference in the public’s response about this tragic incident. There were the normal shouts of police brutality, that we normally hear, when something of this nature occurs; and there were demonstrations against the Fullerton police department. The difference was, the shouts and demonstrations came from a predominately white community.

Where were Jessie Jackson, Al Sharpton and Earl Ofari Hutchinson when the people of Fullerton, California were screaming “police brutality” and demonstrating against the Fullerton Police Department Officer’s, unjust beating to death of Kelly Thomas? Where were they?? Normally, like sharks in the ocean, they would have smelled the blood of a victim from wherever they were. Normally, they would have shown up at the scene of the crime the very next day; regardless to where they had to fly from in the world. Normally, they would have immediately held press conferences to announce their outrage of the event and their intention to come and demonstrate on behalf of the injured party.

I thought these gentlemen’s (and I use the term very loosely with tongue in cheek) civil rights agenda and stance; often defying authorities, were dedicated to defending the civil rights of “all peoples”. Their previous histories show them before the television news cameras, on popular television and radio shows and in the printed media, decrying the injustice of the act against a person and rallying for demonstrations against the injustices perpetrated by those in authority against “its citizens”. It matters not whatever the cause of the injustice! Whether it was motivated by racial, sexist, religious, political or sexual orientation bias, these men were first to champion the cause of the injured party.

My question is, do they only champion the injustices done to “people of color”? Or do they champion against injustice to “all people”? Kelly Thomas was a white, homeless young man, who suffered from schizophrenia. On July 5th, 2011 Kelly Thomas was brutally beaten into a coma by six Fullerton Police officers. He never regained consciousness. After several days in intensive care, his family was forced to make the awful decision to remove him from life support and he passed away on July 10th. It was not until July 28th that the first officer was taken off the street (the other five were still kept in our streets enforcing the law?) and put on administrative leaves. This was due to pressure from the community to expose and seek truth about this alleged abuse of force.

Every Saturday since Kelly’s murder, there has been a memorial rally and protest to show support for the Thomas family and to stand up peacefully to protest against the unconstitutional behavior of the six Fullerton police officers who beat Kelly Thomas to death. When I went to Fullerton, I saw only two other black people there to support this family. Where was the so-called “civil rights activist” at this event? Nowhere to be found! Now maybe I got it all wrong; but I understand “civil rights” to be about the “rights of citizens”! Citizens in America come from many (too many to try and name) ethnic backgrounds and nationalities. So to me, if ANY CITIZEN suffers injustice at the hands of authorities, charged to protect them, it becomes a matter of concern for ALL CITIZENS!

All citizens include ourselves, our city and government elected officials, the Clergy, Civic and Business Leaders. Just EVERYONE who lives under the American Flag. For Black Americans, the group I identify with, I believe we need to step out of complacency and take a stand against injustice, wherever it occurs and to whomever it occurs. We cannot just be concerned about ourselves when it comes to injustice. Who should know better about injustice and bias than those who have endured it for near a half century? How can Black Americans stand by and watch any other person be beat to death like Kelly Thomas? How can we not raise our voices in anger and defiance against such cruelty to another human being? What is wrong with Christians today? Where is the love that we claim Jesus put in our hearts for one another? Did Jesus command you to only show love to “your ethnic group”? NO! Where is the outrage from the black community and Christians, at the inhuman brutality suffered by Kelly Thomas? This mentally ill man was beaten and repeatedly shot with a stun gun, until he was comatose. He died without ever regaining consciousness.

Jessie Jackson and Al Sharpton are both Christian Preachers and Civil Rights Activist. They should be the first to come to the defense of the victims of injustice, regardless of their race. Earl Ofari Hutchinson is a nationally acclaimed Political Analyst, Author and Journalist. He has a national platform that could be used to bring national attention to the plight of people who are the victims of injustice. Do you see them reaching out to other races and communities offering their support to the victims and their families? No! Could it be because it is not an issue where they could derive some notoriety, monetary or political value from it? Could it be because despite their claims to care about “all people”, they are really only concerned with the plight of ‘black people”? I hope this is not the case!

By this time in our social and world history, we should have learned that as human beings, we are all living this life TOGETHER. Our individual actions today not only affect us; but have nationwide and often times, world implications. As believers in Christ, we are commanded to “love one another, even as God loves us.” Unconditional love does not see color or race! It sees another child of God in need, hurt or suffering injustice at the hand of another! The Christ indwelling us, demands that we come to his aide and offer help and comfort like the Smaritan, in Jesus’s parable. If our (so-called) leaders won’t extend the love of Christ to others, so be it! That just means you and I should and must leave our complacency, and show our love and support to ANYONE, suffering injustice. If we don’t do this, we don’t have the right to call ourselves true Christians! We are hypocrites the same as the Pharisee, Priest and Levite; Jackson, Sharpton and Hutchinson!

There is so much crime and suffering going on in our communities. There is so much good that people of goodwill, could do, if they would only trust God and reach out to help their fellow man. Grieve for Kelly Thomas and his family! Allow yourself to express compassion for another human being! One that God loves just as much as He loves you! The officers, who took his life, have now been arrested and charged with murder and manslaughter! Now, pray for comfort for his family and may justice prevail for Kelly Thomas and his family!

Your brother, In His Service

Min. Douglas

I Met A Dying Lady!

Last night I went to my favorite local market in an effort to satisfy my sweet tooth cravings. I have been craving a slice of yellow coconut cake. I know I should not have it now, with the holidays fast approaching. So I rationalized substituting Jell-O and Cool Whip for what I really wanted, coconut cake. After picking up the products and heading for check out, I chanced to pass the magazine section where several new publications caught my attention. So I stopped to look at a few of the magazines.

I was perusing a magazine on Apple Computers & Electronics, when a blond haired white lady stepped up and picked up the same magazine. As she looked through it she became excited and very animated about its contents. I could not help but smile at her jumping up and down in the isle and shouting out loud, “Oh My God!" She noticed me smile and holding the same publication and asked if I were a Mac or I Pad user? I replied “No, but I was thinking of purchasing an I Pad one day”. I asked if she was anticipating getting one for Christmas, since she was so enthusiastic about them. She said “No, I already have one; In fact, I have the I Phone too!”  Then out of the large shopping type bag she had in her shopping cart, she pulled out an I Pad and three I Phones, much to my surprise. I commented, Wow! You are really connected! That’s why you are so happy; you have all the latest toys!

She came down a notch in her voice and told me,   “I am always like this since I got home from the hospital!” I am so happy to be out and shopping for my family.”  I said, “Well thank God for that! I am happy for you and your family, having you home for Christmas.” She said, “Yes, I thank Him constantly! Thank you!” Then as I put my book down, preparing to leave, She said, “I don’t know why I feel so comfortable talking to you. My husband warns me all the time, not to talk to strangers! But you seem different! She went on to say that she needs all of these gadgets to keep up with her family and what’s going on in the world, because she spends 8 out of 12 months a year in a hospital.

She told me her name was Cheryl and much to my astonishment; she opened her coat, and pulled up her blouse to reveal bandages and a plastic tube extending from her stomach. She smiled and said “My family and friends call me “The Bag Lady”;  “I am dying!” Well at this point, my mind was racing. I could not grab hold of a string of words to save my life!  I finally stammered out, “I’m sorry to hear that!” She went on to explain that 4 years ago her gallbladder ruptured and she almost died from it. The doctors had to remove most of her stomach to save her and she only has about 4 inches of stomach left to process food and nutrients.

She said she used to be a “big girl”, weighing 245 lbs. and now she is barely 100 lbs.; Looking into her face, she reminded me of Jamie Leigh Curtis; only thinner.  She continued with her story, stating that she was dying from mal nutrition starvation and that’s the purpose of the feeding tube. She has to have a continuous supply of nutrients in order to stay alive. She goes into the hospital for various procedures to maintain her bodily functions, but eventually she will succumb because her vital organs cannot get enough nutrients to function.  She said, “Before you ask, there is nothing more the doctors can do!” I rely on God and family and I live each day to the fullest” Now my thoughts are really all over the place! I am holding down aching feeling in the bottom of my stomach! I am standing before a dying lady who is facing her future with such grace and joyfulness! What do I say since she felt the need to share this with me? There must be a reason that she chose to share such personal information with an unknown black man, in the middle of a supermarket isle! 

So, before saying anything further, I silently turned to the indwelling Christ and asked for the right words to relay to this child of His!  In total trust, I opened my mouth and said, “Cheryl, have you forgotten we serve an Almighty God? One who is Holy, Righteous and All Powerful; and desires most to come to the aide of His children! God is able to do more than you and I can dream or even think to ask!  God has always used supernatural powers to heal, according to the Bible.  We have not had any problem believing in the supernatural ways He has healed in the past. Nor believing He will one day return supernaturally powerful in glory, for His people. So why do we struggle with believing He can actually heal our bodies today, contrary to what doctors say? He desires to do so in order to show His love and onlookers will know that it is beyond human achievement! He will receive the Glory, not doctors!”

“I am so happy to meet you and I believe this encounter was not by accident!  God has a way of putting people in the right place at the right time, to fulfill His purposes. What we need is a fresh encounter with the Almighty God right here, right now! You have reminded me of the grace and mercy of God. I want to remind you of the power of Almighty God!  Will you go in prayer with me? First, to give Him praise and Honor; and secondly to ask His healing grace in your behalf?”

So right there in the isle of the magazine section, we held hands and went before the Lord! In our praise and supplication we were oblivious to everything but the calmness of that moment in praise to God and the desire of our hearts for God to act in Cheryl’s behalf. While praying I felt a hand fall gently on both my shoulders. I continued to pray, hearing additional voices praising affirmations. When we concluded and opened our eyes, we had been joined by two other passersby. They had stopped their shopping to join with us in prayer! It was wonderful! We exchanged greetings, blessings and thanks with them and they continued on with their shopping.

I had never felt so confident and sure that this was the proper thing to do and that God would act, according to His will, in this lady’s behalf. In parting I reminded her to keep her faith solely in God and believe is His Almighty Power to heal her condition! You should have seen the smile on her face as we hugged good bye! It was like she had a new glow about her! A new confidence in the power of Almighty God!  I felt so thankful to have been a part of this divine encounter!  I could not hold back my joyous tears as I started my car to drive home. I was so full from this experience that I no longer had a sweet craving for a slice of Yellow Coconut Cake! God is sooooooooo GOOD!    Merry Christmas and a Blessed New Year!

Your Brother, In His Service

Min. Douglas

Should Pastors have access to a individual's giving records?

I was asked this question on my FaceBook page, by a Pastor.  This was my response!

Dr. Williams:

You asked my thoughts on a two part question!

“Do you think pastors should have access to individual's giving records? If so, does this create the possibility for pastoral favoritism, or does this information provide an important discipleship tool? Your thoughts?”

My answer is NO! I don’t believe a pastor should have access to individual believers giving records! Besides affording the potential for error (evil) by pastoral favoritism; having access to them, one could potentially hold a believer up to ridicule; or exert undue pressure, leverage or compulsion! Furthermore, it is none of a Pastor’s business!

I believe a problem with church leadership today, is that too many Pastors want to be “hands on” in every aspect of the church’s structure and organization. They desire to micro-manage every board, ministry and organization, which comes into existence under “The Church”. They don’t trust the judgment of the people appointed to positions of leadership in the church. They want to be the Sheppard over everything except the one thing that they are called to…delivering the word and gospel of Jesus Christ and Ministering to His flock! 

The Body of Christ, that comprises “The Church”, was not centered on a person’s “monetary giving”! It was in the early church and it remains today; centered on “God Motivated Giving”! Giving comes from a heart motivation and it is Jesus who motivates our hearts to give in support of the Church, its programs and one another!

Belief is what motivates the giver! Belief in the life; death;  burial and resurrection of Jesus Christ. Believers are supposed to give to the church out of their love of God, coming from that belief!  There is no compulsion or pressure to give; nor dictates as to how much each person is to give, in “their giving”!

Contributing to the church is voluntary and freely given from an individual’s sincere desire to sustain the church, its programs and meet its needs. When we are saved by the preached gospel of Jesus Christ, we desire others to be saved also. So, we give what we can of our knowledge, energies, talents, and finances to ensure the church is maintained and able to fulfill this purpose.

There is indeed satisfaction and joy in giving!  But it comes from your “free will, cheerful, eager giving”! You find satisfaction in seeing that the support you gave to the church is used in a tangible, meaningful way to support the church, its programs and the saints. Hopefully, people are thankful for it! Hopefully it causes them to turn to God and “say the benefits of this ministry have truly ministered to me personally. Thank you Jesus for this Church being here!”

Some pastors have gotten the scriptures concerning giving, twisted!  They are preaching “Let’s Make A Deal” with God! If you give so much…then God will reward you with so much! They have turned simple heartfelt giving into some sort of “prosperity program” that benefits them and supports their lavish lifestyles. Jesus condemned the Pharisees and Sadducees of this in confrontations with them; And He condemns these modern day church leaders and teachers of the same today!  

Pastors should allow their Trustee’s, Deacons and Administrator’s to handle the Churches finances and corresponding records. Never should a Pastor inquire into who is giving and how much! Believers should never be compared with one another as to their giving. He should allow the Administrator and Trustee’s to report to the body and encourage giving for specific causes. If believers are being properly fed by the Pastor, from the Word, they will be eager, cheerful givers, correspondingly! I believe, in Churches today…there is too much emphasis on giving and finance; and not enough emphasis on Jesus and Service!

As to whether a Pastor having this information, provides an important discipleship tool? I cannot see where it does! Any pastor having access to an individual’s giving records does not provide a tool for discipleship. It has no relationship to making Disciples for Christ.  Where in the Bible does Jesus state giving as a prerequisite to discipleship? No where!  In fact, Jesus states just the opposite! He directs listeners to divest themselves of wealth and property, and then come follow Him!

Although I am not a pastor of a church body, I believe having this information opens a Pastor up to the potential of misuse. Even if there is no impropriety, Pastors should avoid the “appearance” of impropriety at all cost! It also puts the Pastor in a position to judge a believers faith, based on his ability to give. This is not biblical! The information could potentially be used to discriminate against believers seeking positions of service in the church. Tools for discipleship are found in “teachable moments” derived from fellowshipping; believers sharing their testimonies, and are supported by scripture. Teachable moments are lessons applicable to our spiritual growth; emanating from the Word of God and through the guidance of The Holy Spirit!

Your brother, In His Service

Min. Douglas Daniels

A Message For Believing Christians with Unbelieving Spouses

Do not forget Jesus Christ lives in YOU and YOU are an instrument through which He expresses His life and love. Because He is in you, you take Him everywhere you go. Remember, we are IN  Him, and that is always true. Jesus Christ continually engulfs your life just like the air that sustains you physically. Wherever you are, He is! He is in you!  Even if you were to go to a place not compatible with the righteous nature you have in Him, He would still be in you!

The Bible teaches that you have been sanctified. The word suggests that you have been miraculously made holy by virtue of the fact that He has set you apart for Himself. You are a container and conduit of the very life of Jesus Christ. You take holiness with you everywhere you go therefore; “you sanctify” your environment because of Him.

Scripture describes a situation in which a believing wife is married to a man who doesn’t yet believe in Christ. The apostle Paul said that the “unbelieving husband is sanctified through his wife.” And “unbelieving wife is sanctified through her husband.”   (1Corinthians 7:12-16)  In other words “EACH ONE IS A MARKED PERSON!” Marked by God Himself! Just as the believing spouse is marked;  In God’s time, the unbelieving spouse will come to believe also. MANY   A HUSBAND OR WIFE HAS COME TO BELIEVE IN CHRIST BECAUSE OF THE GODLY INFLUENCE OF A BELIEVING SPOUSE!

Walk the walk and talk the talk! Keep trusting God and His Holy Spirit and soon you will be   rejoicing as your unbelieving spouse, becomes a believer. Remember Saul who was the foremost persecutor of Christians and how he became Paul, the foremost Apostle of Christ! The hardest heart will soften under the love of Christ, reflected by YOU!

Bless you, Saints of Christ!

Your brother, In His Service

Min. Douglas

Superstition Vs. Belief In God

I receive a great deal of forwarded e-mails from well intentioned people, requesting me to forward to my friends and not to break the chain with predictions of dire consequences, if I do and don’t forward the material. Some of these forwards have gone so far as to question my beliefs, if I don’t act immediately or send it to a certain number of people, by a certain time. I am just waiting for the one that tells me if I don’t forward this e-mail, I am going to die immediately, go to hell and burn forever! I have always thought this sort of thing was no more than amusing and people were just promoting their own agendas by faithfully forwarding. I did not take it seriously.

Some of this forwarded material is political or addressing some social issue. These I have found to be more informative and helpful than annoying. However, the ones that contain obvious religious implication with dogmatic statements give me cause for concern. I did not think people really believed that by continuously forwarding these messages, they were effecting some supernatural change in their own lives or the lives of someone else. After taking a look at my inbox over a period of 30 days, I found that over 1/3rd of my e-mails were forwards of this nature. I know that some of these well intentioned people are Christians or they belong to some religious group, (non-Christian) whose primary belief is in a deity of some sort. While this discourse is specifically directed to Christians; the group of believers I belong to; it is no less intended for all other people who receive and forward as well.

Stevie Wonder had a very popular song in the 1960’s entitled Superstitions! Some of its lyrics proclaimed the very profound observation, “When you believe in things that you don’t understand, then you suffer! Superstition’s not the way!” I imagine he wrote this song after taking note of our superstitious beliefs and ignorant practices. The practices of superstition and its rituals, have ingrained themselves so deep into our lives, that we take little notice of them, unless someone calls them to our attention. We laugh about them and try to convince ourselves that they are harmless acts. However, in our true thoughts, they have much more significance and we continue to do them. As a Christian, can you believe in Jesus Christ and the power of black cats to bring you bad luck, too? Do you wear a cross about your neck and carry a rabbit foot or lucky charms also? Can you believe in the healing power of the Holy Spirit and the power of breaking a mirror and causing 7 years of bad luck?

Are Christians trying to serve two masters? Outwardly professing belief in God, but paying homage to the gods of superstition also! How it is that we Christians have become so hypocritical in our professed beliefs? Speaking with our mouths, what our hearts and mind don’t truly believe? Making outward shows of godliness in public, but practicing superstitious rituals in our everyday lives? How can we say that we believe in God Almighty, Jesus Christ and the Holy Spirit! Yet we are afraid to walk under a ladder; allow a black cat to cross our paths; split a pole while walking; step on a crack in the sidewalk; break a mirror or see a bride in her wedding dress before the wedding. We are fearful of the dreaded “Bad Luck.” We really appear foolish when we believe that inanimate objects, animals and rituals have some supernatural power over us and can affect our future lives.

Let’s examine some of these popular common superstitions and their origins. Perhaps we can discover enough truth discard our superstitious beliefs and return back to believing totally in God.

Most of our modern day superstitious beliefs have their origin in the customs of primitive peoples in the early history of mankind.. Man’s greatest attempt has always been to influence his fate or obtain the favor of the Gods. He created rituals, amulets and charms for the express purpose of influencing the Gods and warding off so called “Bad luck” or attracting so called “Good luck”. Because of our immature and primitive thinking, when “Bad things” happen, we attribute them to the providence of “Bad luck.”  We believe we experience “Bad Karma” for something we did previously or God’s anger and wrath with us because we fell short of His set of laws. We committed some sin! When “good things” happen to us, we attribute them to the providence of “Good luck” or God’s favor and reward for some presumed “good deed” or as reward for our “righteous” living.

Numerous books have been written in an attempt to explain “Why bad things happen to Good People,” The explanations run the gamut from God’s displeasure with an individual, to the devils efforts to afflict mankind. Is there a definitive answer? In this regard, consider two aspects…..inevitability and decisions! To my knowledge and understanding, bad things happen to us as a result of these two things. Bad things are either caused by the decisions and behaviors of people, including ourselves; or they occur from “inevitable natural causes”. If you live long enough, something bad is going to occur in your life. It is an inevitable result of being a human and living on this planet. It is no great mystery!

People get in the way of natural phenomena! God is not pointing an arbitrary finger and causing storms, floods, tornados and earthquakes to kill people. These are “natural events” occurring as some of the element in His creation of the earth. These Acts of nature, erroneously called “Acts of God”, are “totally indifferent” to people, places or things period! The acts of nature that befall us all are like the rain. “It falls upon the good and the bad alike, without hatred or preference”. Nature acts and we either enjoy or suffer as a result of nature’s actions.

God is not pointing an arbitrary finger and causing traumas and tragedies in the circumstances of our lives either! Bad things do occur. People get hurt, either physically, emotionally, mentally, socially, or in any number of ways from “bad things”. However, when bad things happen to us, it is not an indication that God is angry with us. God is perfect! God loves us! In perfect love there is no anger. There are only the blessings from His Grace! We need to remember, God is not impulsive, unpredictable, or fluctuating. He is constant and perfect in all His ways. God will not and does not intervene in the self-willed decisions of His people, either to ‘cause’ or ‘prevent’ the tragedies of mortal life!

Considering that our decisions and actions can be intentional or unintentional; personal or impersonal; bad things caused by human behavior can be very complicated. However, in none of these cases are “bad things” caused by God. Bad things caused by people are the product of “our independent will”. God created you and me with free will prerogatives.  We make the choices to do or not do a particular thing. He will not interfere with our decisions of any sort; after giving us the right to make our own decisions, from our own free will. Even though, He knows we just may make a decision that is contrary to our own good of His will!  Wow! You mean God has that kind of trust in us? Yes, He does! The tragedies and traumas in our lives are caused by the “willful decisions and actions of people, period! However, you should remember also, that God reserves the right to convert our self made “bad things and tragedies” into something for “Greater Good, Meaning and Value!” AND HE DOES DO THIS!

The superstitious practices and beliefs that we continue to follow, will only lead us away from God and totally believing and depending on Him and His power. If we recognize our error and rely totally on Christ, then we will have the faith and strength to let go of these primitive, superstitious beliefs. We will no longer give power and authority over ourselves to charms, amulets, spells, rituals, fetishes, spiritualist, chance and magic. We will stop believing in myths and folklore, no matter how many people attest to it or swear by it. It is all illusion, mysticism, deception and lies. They are devised to compromise your belief in God Almighty.

No matter how beautifully written, inspiring, encouraging and uplifting these forward messages are, that is just what they are, no more! If you are inspired, encouraged and uplifted as a result of reading them, this is good!  They have fulfilled their purpose. There is no power in them other than that!

However,  when the creators of these messages throw in the requirements of : “you must forward this immediately to X number of people”; “If you don’t forward this, you don’t love God”;  “So n’ So didn’t forward this on and they had a terrible accident”; “If you forward to 5 people, you will receive 1 blessing; If you forward to 15 people you will receive 5 blessings, and so on”; “If you forward this by a certain time or date, something good will happen to you  or you will receive a large monetary blessing”--- then these messages enter the realms of ignorance and superstition. These are not examples of people living by faith and trust in God. These are people living in the fear of uncertainty, compromising their faith; believing in mystical powers and gambling on fate and chance.

Are these types of forwards just harmless messages of inspiration? Or are they reinforcement of superstitious beliefs and practices that we should have discarded, once Christ filled our lives??

Some Superstitions & Bad Luck Omens are:

§  Black Cats     Black cats have long been believed to be a supernatural omen since the witch hunts of the middle ages when cats were thought to be connected to evil. Since then, it is considered bad luck if a black cat crosses your path.

§  Broken Mirrors     An ancient myth our ancestors believed was that the image in a mirror is our actual soul. A broken mirror represented the soul being astray from your body. To break the spell of misfortune, you must wait seven hours (one for each year of bad luck) before picking up the broken pieces, and bury them outside in the moonlight.

§  Ladders     In the days before the gallows, criminals were hung from the top rung of a ladder and their spirits were believed to linger underneath. Common folklore has it to be bad luck to walk beneath an open ladder and pass through the triangle of evil ghosts and spirits.

§  Owls     If an owl looks in your window or if you seeing one in the daylight bad luck and death will come to you.

§  Salt      At one time salt was a rare commodity and thought to have magical powers. It was unfortunate to spill salt and said to foretell family disarray and death. To ward off bad luck, throw a pinch over your shoulder and all will be well.

§  Sparrows     Sparrows are thought to carry the souls of the dead and it is believed to bring bad luck if you kill one.

§  Unlucky Number #13                 The fear of the number 13 is still common today, and avoided in many different ways. Some buildings still do not have an official 13th floor and many people avoid driving or going anywhere on Friday the 13th.

Some Superstitions & Good Luck Omens are:

§  Horseshoes     To bring good luck, the horseshoe must be lost by a horse and be found by you, with the open end facing your way. You must hang it over the door with the open end up, so the good fortune doesn't spill out… Another origin of the 'lucky horseshoe' is the belief that they ward off witches. Witches, it was once believed, were opposed to horses, which is why they rode brooms and pitchforks instead. By placing a horseshoe over a door, the witch would be reluctant to enter.

§  Four Leaf Clover     Clover is believed to protect humans and animals from evil spells and is thought to be good luck to find a four leaf clover, particularly for the Irish.

§  Rabbit's Foot      These lucky charms are thought to ward off bad luck and bring good luck. You must carry the rabbit's foot on a chain around your neck, or in your left back pocket. The older it gets, the more good luck it brings. It wasn’t too lucky for the rabbit!

§  Wishbones      Two people are to pull apart a dried breastbone of a turkey or chicken and the one who is left with the longer end will have their wish come true.

Your brother, In His Service 

Min. Douglas Daniels

Celebrating the Lord’s Supper

I have attended many churches over the years and partaken of the Lord’s Supper at many of them. Each time it was a quiet, mournful and solemn experience. I have often wondered why everyone appears so sad by what should be a celebration. The popular belief among Christians is that church is the place where we do a lot of introspection of our selves. In our Sunday worship service, we do some worrying about our performance and our current standing on the sin scale. We sing. We hear the preached word and leave. Hopefully we leave challenged to change our lives. This is very serious business. It would appear that with all the solemnest, many people don’t believe the church is also a place for smiles, lightheartedness and celebration.

If we look back at church tradition, viewing the history of the church; we see in the celebration of the Lord’s Supper, that many of us believe this is a time for solemnest or sadness. If you could visit churches around the country, as they participate in the Lord’s Supper, you might find lots of people looking solemn, sad or even crying. Some people are concerning themselves with this week’s record of their sins, in order to participate in the Lord’s Supper. They feel this is what they should do; Examine themselves! They want to determine if they are worthy to participate in the Lord’s Supper, according to a recited scripture by the pastor. We know that this understanding comes from a Bible Scripture cited in         1 Corinthians Chapter 11. This scripture is preached from pulpits every First Sunday or whenever a church partakes in the Lord’s Supper.

The scripture I am referring to comes in the pastor’s invitation to the body, to partake of “The Lord’s Supper.” It is 1 Corinthians 11: 27-28 (NIV), wherein states:  “Therfore, whoever eats the bread or drink the cup of the Lord in an unworthy manner will be guilty of sinning against the body and blood of the Lord. 28) A man ought to examine himself before he eats of the bread and drinks of the cup.”

However, some Pastors read it and comment to their congregations as if it said: (My paraphrase)

“You must examine yourself (assess your worthiness by reflecting on your sins) for worthiness to partake of the Lord’s Supper. If you partake of it and you are not saved, (having accepted Christ as you personal savior); you will bring divine judgment upon yourself, because you have partaken of it in an unworthy manner. They imply that if you have sinned in any way, you are not worthy and therefore, should not partake of it until you have confessed your sins; however, if you partake of it anyway, (supernatural) bad things will happen to you, such as sickness and death.”

After hearing this, the believers and visitors don’t know what to do!  They have feelings of guilt. If they don’t partake of the Lord’s Supper, everyone will assume they are guilty of sins. If they do partake of the Lord’s Supper, then they bring damnation upon themselves. I have heard this scripture expressed in this way many times over the years. Fortunately, they heard the Word first!

I question whether or not a visitor attending church services where the Lord’s Supper is commencing; can be denied the right (by scripture intimidation);  to participate in the Lord’s Supper, based on this particular scripture and the assumption they are unsaved??

If we look a little deeper into this passage, I believe we will find that, instead of this celebration being about us; it’s really about someone who is not us. With this understanding, we should feel relieved!  That means now, when we partake of the Lord’s Supper, we can smile, celebrate and enjoy!  That means we don’t have to sit there with solemn faces, reflecting on our sins, past and present; and questioning ourselves, if we should partake or not. That means we don’t have to be concerned with what other believers think!

How preachers arrived at this understanding of this scripture, I cannot say. I don't know if the cause is just plain ignorance of scripture or they just refuse to continue their study and explore the scriptures to get the correct understanding. I can only tell you what I believe scripture does say from my studies and the understanding the Holy Spirit has granted me. Let’s take a look at the background story in order to appreciate and put this scripture in very possibly, the correct context!

The main theme of the Epistle to the Corinthians is Christian Conduct. It was written by the Apostle Paul at the close of his three years residence in Ephesus. This occasion for this epistle was a letter of inquiry from the Corinthian Church. They asked questions of Paul concerning such things as was it advisable for Christians to enter into the married state? Should a husbands or wife after being converted continue to live with an unconverted partner? What should the Christian attitude be toward the eating of meat which had previously been offered in sacrifice to idols? Should women have their heads covered when attending public worship? What is the significance of the variety of spiritual gifts?

But Paul was also greatly troubled by reports from Corinth of deepening division, increasing contentions, and other problems among the believers; and by a case of incest which had not been judged by the church. Located on the Mediterranean, the city of Corinth was a wealthy trading center. It was also a wicked city and was known for its wickedness throughout the Roman world. Because the church in Corinth was new, it was hard for the newly converted Jew and Gentile Christians there not to act like their pagan neighbors. So the church had some very serious problems.

The Christians in Corinth were not getting along with one another. There was division amongst them and they were taking sides. They divided themselves with false pride by exalting themselves over which Apostle baptized them; whether it was Paul, Peter, Apollos or Jesus. Some of them were living very sinful lives while claiming to be Christians. Paul wrote this letter to scold them and teach them how Christians should act. He tried to teach practical lessons about the Christian life so that people in Corinth would know right from wrong.

The main thrust of the epistle is correction of error brought about more by the carnality of the believers at Corinth, than by heresy. While Paul defends his apostleship because it involves the authority of the doctrine revealed through him; the letter is also an expression of his grief, concern and holy indignation on account of the unspiritual and immoral behavior of Christians at the Corinthian church.

Although this Epistle covers 16 chapters and subjects concerning, division in the church, sexual immorality; lawsuits, marriage, Christian rights and responsibilities, public worship and the importance of spiritual gifts, I am directing my examination to the issue of The Lord’s Supper in the church at Corinth.

1 Corinthians 11: 27-34 (NIV)

This scripture has been quoted from pulpits by preachers for a very long time. I believe it has been quoted without the correct understanding of it. Thus it has been misquoted and misunderstood by the preacher and his listening audience. I know that one can only speak from that which he has learned and believes. However, one should be open to continued knowledge, learning and understanding. After all, scripture says in, Prov.4:7 “Wisdom is the principal thing; therefore get wisdom; and with all thy getting get understanding.”  So one should adjust his understanding in light of that knowledge accordingly!

As I mentioned earlier, this scripture is quoted in a way that guilt’s a person into not partaking of the communion or Lord’s Supper. I believe that many pastors have the wrong understanding of the true purpose of The Lord’s Supper. Paul indicates plainly the true purpose of the Lord’s Supper, quoting directly from Jesus’ mouth, in the preceding verses,   1 Cor. 24-26

V.24    And when He (Jesus) had given thanks, He (Jesus) broke it, and said, “This is my body, which is for you; do this in remembrance of Me.”

V.25    In the same way, after supper (finished eating) He (Jesus) took the cup saying, “This cup is the new covenant (agreement, testament) in my blood; do this, whenever you drink it, in remembrance of Me.”

V.26   (Paul speaking) For whenever you eat this bread, and drink this cup, you do proclaim the Lord’s death until He comes.

According to these verses, The Last Supper Celebration is a “Remembrance Supper.”

So what do these scriptures tell us? They say that Jesus commanded His followers to eat the bread and drink the wine “In Remembrance of Him.”  Jesus knew that eating and drinking were a natural, every day occurrence in the lives of His followers. Therefore He insured that they would not forget the significance of his coming death, by commanding them to do this as often as they would normally eat and drink, in “Remembrance of Me”

The Apostle Paul added in V.26, (My paraphrase) - that as often as His followers did eat and drink, they would be proclaiming (announcing, making known to others) the fact of Jesus’ death and resurrection; until Jesus’ returns in glory.

You should also remember that the believer converts of the early First century believed they were living in the “Last Days.” They believed that Jesus’ return in Glory was imminent and they would witness it within their lifetime; of course, unless Jesus delays His coming. This was the common understanding amongst the early Christians. It was this understanding that led to their decisions to sell their unneeded property; give to the poor and needy; pool their money and resources to take care of one another, in their small home churches.

V. 27 (Paul speaking) Wherefore whosoever shall eat this bread, and drink this cup of the Lord, unworthily, shall be guilty of sinning against the body and blood of the Lord.

V. 28   But let a man examine himself, and so let him eat of that bread, and drink of that cup.

So what is Paul trying to tell the Corinthians in verse 27?  If you eat of the Lord’s Supper in an unworthy manner, you are guilty of disrespecting Jesus and the purpose of the celebration…The remembrance of Jesus’s sacrifice for us!

Nowhere in this scripture does ‘Jesus’ say a man must “examine himself” before he can partake of the Remembrance Supper.  Surely, if this was so important a prerequisite to eating and drinking the Lord’s Supper, Jesus would have commanded it right then. But Jesus did not command this of His followers at the Last Supper.

V. 28 was a commandment of the Apostle Paul to the Corinthians! NOT JESUS!!  Are we as believers in Christ, obligated to do as Paul commands? Just because it is “In the Book?”  There is much in the Book that we do not follow, for good reason. We don’t even pretend to try and follow the 10 commandments or the 600 plus Mosaic Laws. The reason is simple.  We cannot keep these laws! That is why God gave us a New Covenant in the person of Jesus Christ! We who are saved by Jesus’s redemptive work on the cross, live under and by Grace!  Which means we are covered under a new covenant with God because of Jesus’ blood sacrifice; and by His Grace we have been cleansed of sin once for all. God no longer sees us as sinners! We are restored to good relationship with God, through Jesus Christ!

 We are no longer under or bound by Old Testament Mosaic Law! Jesus stated plainly, “This cup is the New Covenant (agreement, testament) in my blood”  And Hebrews 10:9-10 confirms this:       9 “Then He said, “Here I am, I have come to do your will.” He sets aside the first (Old Testament covenant) to establish the second.” (New Testament covenant) 10 And by that will, we have been made holy through the sacrifice of the body of Jesus Christ once for all.”        See also Hebrews 8:10-13; Hebrews 9:15; and Hebrews 10: 15-18

We need to examine the background story of the Apostle Paul and the Corinthians a little closer, to understand why Paul commanded the Corinthians in this way. This letter of Paul to the Church at Corinth not only gives counsel and instruction on important issues of Christian faith and conduct, but it also throws a revealing light on the serious problems facing this young church, shortly after its beginning in the middle of the first century.  Consider the background story as it was two thousand years ago!

Paul had brought the message of Christ to Corinth during the course of his second missionary journey. This city presented a tremendous challenge to the Gospel, both as one of the great cosmopolitan centers of commerce in the ancient world and as a place notorious for corruption and sexual immorality. If the message of the Cross had power to reach and transform the lives of men and women in such a setting, then it was powerful indeed!  And this is precisely what happened. The members of this young church had been enriched with a variety of spiritual gifts. Gifts of the Spirit! This was a confirmation to them, and to the world, that God was present and working powerfully in their midst.

But it was not long before serious errors of doctrine and practice, which threatened the well-being and even the survival of the Christian community there, arose within the ranks of the believers. It is to the correction of these errors that 1 Corinthians is mainly devoted. In the first place, deplorable division had split the church into hostile factions; shattering the unity in which all who profess to be brothers in Christ, should be bound together.

Secondly, one of their number had been guilty of gross immorality, (incest) of a kind even the profligate society of pagans around them, would have condemned. However, much to Paul’s surprise, the congregation of Corinth had failed to impose discipline upon the offender by expelling him from their fellowship.

Thirdly, members of the church had been dragging each other before pagan secular courts to settle disputes that had arisen between them, instead of resolving their quarrels in a spirit of Christian love within the community of the church, or being willing, after Christ’s example, to endure wrongs without retaliation.

Fourthly, some had been committing fornication with prostitutes and attempting to justify their conduct by arguing that only the body was involved and that the deeds of the body were of no consequence. Therefore, they had not sinned!

Fifthly, the Lords Supper, which should have been a Celebration in Remembrance, and an expression of loving harmony, had degenerated into an occasion for irreverence, gluttony, and uncharitable behavior.

Sixthly, there were disorderly and unedifying scenes when they met together for public worship, especially in the exercise of the spiritual gifts with which they had been endowed. Paul found it necessary to remind them that the gift which is best of all and most to be coveted is the gift of love. Apart from which all other gifts are worthless.

Seventhly, heretical teaching had gained a footing in the Corinthian church. Which, by its denial of the fact of Christ’s resurrection and indeed of the possibility of any resurrection from the dead; had struck at the very cornerstone of the Christian faith.

These matters, of which every one is appalling, received Paul’s careful and urgent attention in this epistle letter to the Corinthians. It is through this background narrative that Paul found himself having to rebuke and instruct, the Christians of the Church at Corinth.

Now we have to go back a few verses to see and understand the context of the problem; that prompted Paul to command them to examine themselves. There is a type of examination that the Corinthians needed to do two thousand years ago. However, it’s not the same type of examination that Christians are engaging in today. Reflecting on past and current sins!

 In 1 Corinthians 17-22 (NIV) Paul states the problem very clearly. V17- “In following directives I have no praise for you, for your meeting do more harm than good. 18- In the first place, I hear that when you come together as a church, there are divisions among you, and to some extent I believe it.     19- No doubt there have to be differences among you to show which of you have God’s approval. 20- When you come together, it is not the Lord’s Supper you eat, 21- for as you eat, each of you goes ahead without waiting for anybody else. One remains hungry, another gets drunk. 22- Don’t you have homes to eat and drink in? Or do you despise the church of God and humiliate those who have nothing? What shall I say to you? Shall I praise you for this? Certainly not!”

So when we look at this passage, what do we see they were doing? They did not follow the directions Paul had given to them to guide themselves and their budding church. When they would meet together for home church, they quarreled so; it did more harm than good. They were divided into factions within the church. They were coming to the home church celebration of the Lord’s Supper and they were not just eating the little half ounce serving of bread and wine.  They were sharing a whole meal together first.  Then they would break the bread and drink of the cup.

Other people were showing up for this celebration at the home church early and not waiting for anybody else to eat.  You know what happens when people show up early to a buffet. They get the best of the food. They get fed first! They get full! They get to make sure they eat enough!  So what happens to the late comers? They get very little or nothing!  They go away hungry! The others, who got there early primarily for the alcohol, would go away drunk.

Can you see now what type of examination is required by these people? They were eating and drinking in an unworthy manner. Gluttony & Greediness!!  A manner that is not worthy of Christians. Inconsideration & Greediness! A manner that is not worthy of the celebration. self-centeredness!  So what should they do????    Examine Themselves!!!!

 Examine what they are doing!  Re-evaluate their behavior! Consider that maybe there is a less selfish way to eat the meal and celebrate the Lord’s Supper.

Now fast forward two thousand years! What have we turned this scripture into by taking it out of its true context? When pastors emphasize the words, EXAMINE HIMSELF?  We have made this a scripture about US!  Pastors have shifted the attention on US! When it never was really intended to be that way.   THIS COMAND IS SOLEY ABOUT THE CORINTHIANS!  IT IS NOT ABOUT US TODAY!!

Paul’s next question says frankly, “Don’t you have homes to eat and drink in? (Can’t you eat and drink at home?) Or do you despise the church of God and humiliate those who have nothing? What shall I say to you? Shall I praise you for this? Certainly not!  There were poor people among the believers, who also would show up for the celebration. They knew there would be a meal served beforehand. Perhaps this was the only full meal they would have that day. So by some people showing up and hoarding all the food, many had to go away hungry. Paul asked “ Do you despise the church so much that you are shaming those who have nothing?”  Should I praise your behavior? I most certainly will not!  Do see the problems he was trying to correct??

In the verses to follow, you will see that Paul instructs them in the right way to celebrate the Lord’s Supper, according to what he received from Jesus. What is the right way to do it?? If we can figure out the right way, then God will be pleased! The only right way to celebrate the Lord’s Supper correctly is to do it “IN REMEMBRANCE OF HIM!”  That is what Jesus asked of them in 1 Corinthians 11: 24-25.

THE LORD’S SUPPER IS A “REMEMBRANCE SUPPER” AND IT IS NOT ABOUT US EXAMINING OURSELVES AND REMEMBERING OUR SINS…IT’S ABOUT REMEMBERING  HIM….AND HIS DEATH!

Can we deny a visitor or unsaved person the Lord’s Supper?  Certainly not! The Apostles did not do this! The unsaved were amongst the converted believers eating and drinking. The Remembrance Supper was a great “teaching point” for the Apostle!

So the next time, when we are sitting in service, about to partake of the Lord’s Supper; and we hear a Pastor say “A man ought to examine himself;” if we bow our heads and begin to introspect about yesterday, this week, this month; this kind of sin and that kind of sin; reflecting on all of our sins that seem to impress us in the guilt category; what are we remembering? Are we doing it in remembrance of Him? Or are we doing it in remembrance of ourselves and our sins?

REMEMBER….. It’s not about US…It’s about Jesus!

Your brother, In His Service

Min. Douglas