Year: 2015

One Ex-Lesbian’s Plea to Pastors Across America

Pastor Dr Danny Uncategorized

An excellent read for those who are optimistic about the feelings of those trapped in the sin of homosexuality and their plea to pastors and churches across America.

One Ex-Lesbian’s Plea to Pastors Across America

Linda Italiano

Dear Pastors,

There are things I urgently need for you to know. And there are things I desperately need you to tell me. I shudder to think where I’d be today if my pastor had not been bold enough to tell me the truth regarding homosexuality, a lifestyle in which I lived for more than 30 years. Pastors, please take time out of your busy schedule to read my humble plea.

First, I need you to tell me in no uncertain terms that homosexuality is a sin. Show me what the Bible says and tell me that the Word of God is eternal and does not change with the times. Please don’t tell me that you won’t address it or that you don’t have an opinion. Because if you don’t speak up, I am going to think that it’s all right and will be headed for an eternity in hell. Pastors, when I come to you seeking answers, I need you to boldly speak the truth in love. My very salvation depends upon it.

Next, please let me know that Jesus’ death on the cross was enough to cover any sin I have committed, including that of homosexuality. Please tell me that every sin, no matter how minor or major it seems, is an affront to God. If you don’t, I will feel like my sin, because it feels more embarrassing or shocking, is harder for God to forgive than the others and I will be left with the wrong impression that homosexuality is the unpardonable sin. It’s not.

And last, I need you to tell me to repent. Please tell me that true Christianity calls for genuine repentance of all sin, including homosexuality. And pastors, if I try to make excuses to live in my sin, stand firm because my eternal destiny hinges on it. And then, and this is so very important, tell me that God’s power, mercy and grace are more than enough for me to live in absolute freedom. If you don’t, I will think that homosexuality is the only sin for which God’s power isn’t enough. It is.

When I was looking for truth and answers, I walked into a church, just like yours, for the first time in years. I started attending regularly and started feeling the conviction of the Holy Spirit in my heart as I learned what it meant to be a follower of Christ.

I mustered up the courage to speak with my pastor and share that I was homosexual, thinking it was an unchangeable fact. When I walked out of my pastor’s office, I had received the unchangeable truth: Homosexuality is a sin. God hates all sin. God loves me. Jesus died for me. I needed to repent from all sin. The cross was enough to forgive me of all sin. God’s power delivers me from all sin. Jesus is enough, even for those who struggle with homosexuality.

Pastors, speaking truth no matter how difficult, does not have to end with people running for the exits. I am living proof! I have completely renounced the homosexual lifestyle, am a devoted follower of Christ and live in truth, victory and freedom every day of my life!

I will forever be grateful to my pastor for holding to the truth of God’s Word, and pastors, I pray that your congregants will be the same.

With all gratefulness, humility and sincerity,

Linda Italiano, ex-lesbian and born-again Christian

Linda Italiano is a speaker of truth who knows firsthand the power of Jesus Christ to change lives and redeem any situation. She enjoys watching baseball, her dog Greta, and her three cats when she’s home.

7 Quirky ‘Doctrines’ That Should Be Debunked

Pastor Dr Danny Uncategorized

J Lee Grady has done a great job with this expose. I encourage you all to read and consider what he has said here.

7 Quirky ‘Doctrines’ That Should Be Debunked

Jesus said the truth sets us free. But the opposite is also true: Lies put us in bondage—even if the lies are spoken from a pulpit by a sincere minister or a Christian celebrity.

In my international travels I’ve sat in countless meetings and heard countless examples of bad theology. While traveling in Romania, for example, I discovered that women are sometimes told they cannot receive communion if they are having their menstrual period. (No one could explain to me how this prohibition is actually enforced.) In some Nigerian churches, it is taught that a pastor shouldn’t have sex with his wife the night before he is scheduled to preach.

These are extreme examples of twisting or misunderstanding a Scripture (usually from the Old Testament) to create a religious rule. But this butchering of the Bible doesn’t just happen in developing countries. It happens everywhere, creating religious superstitions that make us look silly to the world. Some of these concepts are repeated so often that they become a part of our Christianese lexicon. People nod and say “Amen” without realizing these statements have no basis in Scripture.

It would be impossible to list all of the quirky doctrines I’ve encountered during my years in ministry, but I’ll start with these:

1. The children of ministers must carry on their parents work. David passed his inheritance to Solomon, and Solomon gave his scepter to Rehoboam. Then somewhere along the way some pastors invented the idea of a monarchy in the church—teaching that ministers must be succeeded by their sons or daughters. This certainly can happen. But nowhere in the New Testament are we told it is a rule. Leaders are appointed and anointed by the Holy Spirit, not determined by family lineage.

2. Don’t touch the Lord’s anointed. David refused to kill King Saul when he had the opportunity because he feared God and waited for Him to vindicate him (see 1 Sam. 24:6). But this verse has been manipulated to discourage church members from asking honest questions about a leader’s behavior or decisions. We are called to submit to our spiritual leaders, but it is not wrong to disagree with them as long as we have a respectful attitude.

3. Christians who commit suicide go to hell. This idea has created untold pain in the church, especially in families with loved ones who suffer with mental illness. The idea is that a person can never be forgiven of suicide since they can’t pray for forgiveness after they commit the sin. But the whole message of grace in the New Testament teaches us that God’s love is greater than our moments of weakness, depression or mental instability. If our salvation totally hinges on whether we immediately pray for forgiveness after every transgression, then we are all doomed. Jesus paid for our sins, and those who trust Him will enter heaven in spite of their frailties and bad decisions.

4. The husband is the priest of the home. I wish I had a dollar for every time I’ve heard this statement from a pulpit. Contrary to what many Christians believe, this is not a Scripture. Actually the Bible teaches clearly that we are all priests (1 Peter 1:9), and husbands and wives function together as priests for their family. It is a heresy to suggest that a wife must go “through” her husband to approach God. The Bible does say the husband is “head of the wife” (Eph. 5:23), but this implies connection and oneness, not domination or control.

5. Christians can receive “mantles” from other people. The prophet Elijah threw his mantle on his disciple Elisha so he could carry on his ministry (see 2 Kin. 2:13). Ever since this isolated incident occurred, people have been asking famous preachers to pray for them so they can “receive their mantle.” Recently it was reported that some charismatics were going to the graves of revivalists to pray for their anointing to come upon them. That’s silly. In the New Testament, the Holy Spirit imparts his anointing. Someone may lay hands on us, but they don’t have to be famous or have a big following. Let’s stop worshiping people and seek the Holy Spirit’s power instead.

6. “Jesus only” baptism. Early Pentecostals began a famous dispute during the early 1900s over the proper formula for water baptism. Some insisted that people should be baptized “in the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit,” as Jesus commanded in Matthew 28:19. But a breakaway sect of “Oneness” Pentecostals insisted then, as they do today, that people must be baptized only “in the name of Jesus,” as Acts 2:38 instructs. And Oneness believers teach that people who are not baptized according to their formula will not go to heaven. It’s time to retire this hair-splitting argument and recognize that Christians are saved by their faith in Jesus alone, not by words recited at their baptism.

7. People with strong faith don’t suffer. The oldest book in the Bible is Job—the ancient story of a faithful follower of God who endured suffering. Yet today we have dozens of famous televangelists who tell audiences they can confess their way out of trails and tribulations simply with positive thinking. Some even suggest you can buy your way out of difficulties by giving in their “miracle” offerings.

Never trust a preacher who promises you a shortcut around suffering. We must stop promoting a false gospel that offers instant success, fame and wealth. Jesus promised we would have trials (John 16:33), yet He gave us assurance that our faith in Him would help us overcome in the end. Let’s preach the truth, expose the lies and break free from Christian superstitions.

J. Lee Grady is the former editor of Charisma and the director of The Mordecai Project. You can follow him on Twitter at leegrady. Check out his ministry at themordecaiproject.org.

An Unseen Force to be Reckoned With!

Pastor Dr Danny Uncategorized

An Unseen Force to be Reckoned With!

I am amazed at the fear of so many believers in America today. Certainly, I can understand the reasoning behind that fear with the condition of our world and the ongoing loss of more and more of our freedoms. But, as believers, we need to come to a place where we understand we are not fighting this battle of life alone. We have an unseen force surrounding us that bears to be reckoned with.

Matthew 10 tells us about Jesus sending out His twelve disciples for ministry work. He says this to them:“Look, I’m sending you out like sheep among wolves. Therefore be as shrewd as serpents and as harmless as doves. Because people will hand you over to sanhedrins and flog you in their synagogues, beware of them. You will even be brought before governors and kings because of Me, to bear witness to them and to the nations. But when they hand you over, don’t worry about how or what you should speak. For you will be given what to say at that hour, because you are not speaking, but the Spirit of your Father is speaking through you” (Matthew 10:16-20).

Jesus understood the condition of His world at the time. He understood the perils these men would encounter constantly. He recognized the persecution each would endure for the sake of the gospel. But, He also recognized and encouraged them with the fact that they would never be left alone to carry out this work. He promised them the power of the Holy Spirit would always be right there with them and for them.

It is important to notice that Jesus did not tell them the Holy Spirit would prevent persecution, peril, hardship or any other evil coming against them; rather, He promised that the unseen force of the Holy Spirit would be there manifesting His power in order that the truth of the gospel would be spread.

It has become a common practice among many false teachers and preachers to lead their congregations astray by teaching that GOD protects His people from peril and persecution. The Scripture teaches very plainly that believers will endure persecution, peril and hardships. But, it also teaches that enduring such will not be done without the Spirit’s presence being there with us.

I recall the stoning of Stephen in Acts 7. As his body was being pummeled by the stones, Jesus stood up from His throne in heaven to welcome Stephen home. Stephen was never alone. The Spirit was right there with him and Jesus honored his martyrdom.

You and I have been called to impact our world with the gospel of Jesus Christ. The world, as a whole, will not respect what we are doing or saying and many will persecute us for our stand. But, we need not fear what man may say or do because standing right there with us is an unseen force who gives us strength and courage to carry on no matter what those around us may say or do.

Knowing What’s Right and Still Choosing Wrong!

Pastor Dr Danny Uncategorized

Knowing What’s Right and Still Choosing Wrong!

Throughout life, we often find ourselves knowing the right choices and the right decisions we should make and yet still choosing to do what’s wrong. For some reason, the fleshly man wins out way too often in the war being waged within each of us. Of course this is nothing new. The Apostle Paul struggled with the same problem as he talked of in Romans 7:19: “For what I do is not the good I want to do; no, the evil I do not want to do–this I keep on doing.“

I’m reminded of the story of Jonah. Jonah 1:1-3 tells us this about him: “The word of the LORD came to Jonah son of Amittai: ‘Go to the great city of Nineveh and preach against it, because its wickedness has come up before me.’ But Jonah ran away from the LORD and headed for Tarshish.” Jonah understood GOD’s command to him but in an act of rebellion against GOD, we are told he boarded a ship going the opposite direction. As we all know from the ongoing saga, Jonah’s decision caused his life to go from bad to worse. His life became a hell on earth over the next few days as GOD set out to wake him up and bring him into obedience. Finally, Jonah did wake up, changed his mind and course of action and followed after GOD’s ultimate plan for his life. GOD’s message of grace was shared and the nation of Ninevah was spared the wrath of GOD.

When we allow the flesh to win out, we discover very quickly that things can rapidly go from bad to worse. We slip away from the protection and direction of GOD and discover hell on earth is waiting in the wings to pounce on us. Certainly, there are those who don’t find these types of discoveries when they choose wrong, but ultimately wrong choices will come back to bite even if it isn’t until we stand before Jesus.

Remember, GOD has a special plan and purpose for your life. However, if you choose to rebel against Him and His will, you will never experience the greatness a total surrender to GOD offers. Purpose to follow after what you know is right always.

Touch Not the Lord’s Anointed!

Pastor Dr Danny Uncategorized

Touch Not the Lord’s Anointed!

How often have you heard these words: “Touch not the Lord’s anointed!” in reference to a pastor or preacher? Now I know I may create a bit of an issue with a few of you over this, but I encourage you to prayerfully consider the validity and truth to what I am saying. Pastors and preachers will even spew these words out when they are backed into a corner by some irate individuals. (Truth be told, I have used that phrase myself in years past to get some relief from attacks by irate or otherwise heated individuals.) But, does that make its usage right? I suppose the real question should be, “Is there any Scriptural truth to it?”.

The phrase is definitely Scriptural. It is derived from 1 Samuel 24:6 where David is given the opportunity to kill King Saul in order to assume his rightful place on the throne of Israel but he refuses. Note what he says: “He said to his men, ‘The LORD forbid that I should do such a thing to my master, the LORD’s anointed, or lift my hand against him; for he is the anointed of the LORD.'” However, I find problems with carrying this passage over to preachers in the New Testament church.

The verse referred to David physically murdering the king in order to assume his position. Granted, GOD had definitely anointed David to become the next king so we can assume that by the standard of the day and the fact that Saul was trying to kill him, he would have been justified in his actions of killing Saul. But, he chose to to allow GOD to work it out in His time.

When we carry that over to modern day, we all agree that physical murder is out of the question but how often do we see preachers being “murdered by character assassination?” That simply should never occur. However, we are perfectly within our rights to question a preacher’s doctrine if he appears to be straying from it. We are also within our rights to question a preacher’s ability to continue to lead a church when he develops health issues that create an atmosphere of uncertainty due to those issues or when a preacher’s age begins to create problems with his ongoing ability to preach and lead as the church requires.

I see this in churches today. I see pastors and preachers who continue to assume the pulpit regularly who have reached a point in their life where their issues are hurting the church. The congregation is not being fed properly anymore. The regular duties of the pastor are being overlooked. People are hurting and not getting the guidance they need. Or, worse yet, Scriptural doctrine is no longer being kept and many are being led astray. I see pastors refusing to step down from the pulpit of the church fearing that no one will be able to take over. It is so important that we never reach that place where we begin to think that I am irreplaceable. The church belongs to Jesus not to any pastor or church leader. Jesus will take care of His church.

As members of the Body of Christ, we have a responsibility to ask honest questions about a leader’s behavior or decisions and to prayerfully consider actions to protect the people in the church. Certainly, we are called to submit to our spiritual leaders, but it is not wrong to disagree with them as long as we do so with a respectful attitude. 

Gaining a Fresh Perspective on Faith!

Pastor Dr Danny Uncategorized

Gaining a Fresh Perspective on Faith!

Frequently, we find ourselves overwhelmed by the the pressures of life. We find ourselves in fear as we begin to look at our own failures and shortcomings. We discover our needs surpass our resources and the level of our fears increase exponentially.

As I was thinking about all this, I was reminded of the fact that the disciples encountered just such a dilemma in their lives. There was the occasion when Jesus and His disciples got into a boat and pushed off to find some rest and solitude from the pressing crowds. The Scripture tells us: “The disciples had forgotten to bring bread, except for one loaf they had with them in the boat. ‘Be careful,’ Jesus warned them. ‘Watch out for the yeast of the Pharisees and that of Herod.’ They discussed this with one another and said, ‘It is because we have no bread.’ Aware of their discussion, Jesus asked them: ‘Why are you talking about having no bread? Do you still not see or understand? Are your hearts hardened? Do you have eyes but fail to see, and ears but fail to hear? And don’t you remember? When I broke the five loaves for the five thousand, how many basketfuls of pieces did you pick up?’ ‘Twelve,’ they replied. ‘And when I broke the seven loaves for the four thousand, how many basketfuls of pieces did you pick up?’ They answered, ‘Seven.’ He said to them, ‘Do you still not understand?'” (Mark 8:14-21 NIV).

Although they had just witnessed Jesus feeding the multitudes with just a small portion of food, they found themselves overcome by their own immediate need and the lack of provisions for that need. Blinded by the reality of what they were seeing with their physical eyes, they failed to look beyond with their spiritual eyes. They saw only the here and now rather than the possibilities made possible through faith in a powerful GOD.

I often find myself looking at what I have or don’t have and allowing that to create feelings of fear for my future. I allow my lackings to create feelings of failure for both myself and my family. But Jesus is calling us to rise above that. He is calling us to recognize His care and concern for us. He reminds me that He is not only capable but willing to meet every need I have according to His riches in glory (Philippians 4:19). 

When God calls us to step out in faith, our first response should never be something like, “Ok GOD, as soon as I can get the resources together, I will do just that.” NO! Our response needs to be an immediate affirmative response followed by an immediate step of faith toward the fulfillment of the direction GOD is leading you in.

GOD desires for you and I to gain a fresh perspective on faith by learning to trust in Him for the necessary provisions of life.

What is the Pastor’s Role in the Local Church?

Pastor Dr Danny Uncategorized

What is the Pastor’s Role in the Local Church?

I am amazed at how few congregations truly understand their role as well as the role of their pastor according to Scripture. Of course, I have to wonder how many pastors understand the roles according to Scripture? Which, of course, leads me to wonder, if the pastors do understand their Scriptural role and are preaching and working to implement that into their church, then why are there so many churches operating in an un-Scriptural manner?

Let me clarify what Scripture teaches about these specific roles in the local church. Paul stated very clearly in Ephesians 4:11-13 what these roles are when he said: “So Christ himself gave the apostles, the prophets, the evangelists, the pastors and teachers, to equip his people for works of service, so that the body of Christ may be built up until we all reach unity in the faith and in the knowledge of the Son of God and become mature, attaining to the whole measure of the fullness of Christ.”

There are three different common methods churches have when establishing the roles of the pastor and the congregation. The first, being the most common, is the idea that the pastor is hired and paid to do the ministry work of the church. Most of these have a board that administrates, a pastor that does everything else and a congregation that shows up and occupies a pew. These church situations tend to have a few handpicked, overworked individuals that do the things that need to be done around the church like kitchen work, Sunday school teachers, etc. But, by and large the congregation is there as spectators. Churches stuck in this situation will be difficult to lead forward in any progressive way.

The second method is that the people assist the pastor in doing his duties and carrying out his ministry. Certainly, this is better than idea one as there is more opportunity for individuals to find some involvement within the working of the church. However, the ability of the church to minister to a broad range of needs remains very limited as the pastor has his mission and those who he tends to focus upon and in so doing leads the congregation to do likewise.

The third method is where the pastor helps the congregation to develop their own ministries according to their own giftings and talents. In this method, every member becomes a minister. When every member is fulfilling their role according to their giftings the church is reaching and benefiting a much larger segment of society. If you were to compare these three methods to Ephesians 4, it would be easy to recognize method three as the Scriptural method.

What about your church? What about your role? Are you being encouraged to fulfill your ministry giftings within your church? If not, then why not?

 

Be Who You Say You Are!

Pastor Dr Danny Uncategorized

Be Who You Say You Are!

It makes no sense to take the name of Christian and not cling to Christ. Jesus is not some magic charm to wear like a piece of jewelry we think will give us good luck. He is the Lord. His name is to be written on our hearts in such a powerful way that it creates within us a profound experience of His peace and a heart that is filled with His praise.

William Wilberforce