Thoughts on Our Bible College, etc. Education System

Perhaps the education system of the worlds environment controls to much of the classroom experience in the Bible schools, colleges and seminaries of the church. The driving force and bottom line in the classroom experience is, more students, for more support, so more students come to our school. Accreditation is the thing or so it would seem. That leads to academics that can replace the Spirit of the Lord and how He, through the Holy Spirit, might lead in the education of the person being taught.
There needs to be a rethinking of the fact that we are in the world and not of it. The training of the twelve was not in the Rabbinical school of the day. The 12 were taught first hand by Jesus and He said that the Holy Spirit would lead into all truth and that the Holy Spirit would bring all things to remembrance that Jesus had taught them.

Just my 2 cents worth. What do you think?

Blessings on ya!
Pastor Kitner

Hell's best kept secret

Frontier Harvest Ministries Blog (By Chuck King): Hell's Best Kept Secret...

This might help some of our evangelastical boasts of peoples salvations come into proper alignment with the truth of what has been done.

Blessings on Ya!
Pastor Kitner

Yet More Designer Clothes - for your spiritual wardrobe

Designer clothes by God are the necessary clothing for the child of God. The clothing of God has a purpose and the design is one that fits you like a glove. So, put on designer clothes and be rightly clothed from on high.

Ephesians 6:10 - 18 (KJV) 10Finally, my brethren, be strong in the Lord, and in the power of his might. 11Put on the whole armour of God, that ye may be able to stand against the wiles of the devil. 12For we wrestle not against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this world, against spiritual wickedness in high places. 13Wherefore take unto you the whole armour of God, that ye may be able to withstand in the evil day, and having done all, to stand. 14Stand therefore, having your loins girt about with truth, and having on the breastplate of righteousness; 15And your feet shod with the preparation of the gospel of peace; 16Above all, taking the shield of faith, wherewith ye shall be able to quench all the fiery darts of the wicked. 17And take the helmet of salvation, and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God: 18Praying always with all prayer and supplication in the Spirit, and watching thereunto with all perseverance and supplication for all saints;

Blessings on Ya!
Pastor Kitner

Senior Adult Ministries Through the AOG - click here

Check this web site out even if you are not a senior yet.

Pastor Kitner

10 Dumb Things Smart Christians Believe

Pastor: 10 Dumb Things Smart Christians Believe
from The Christian Post
By Lillian Kwon
Christian Post Reporter
Thu, May. 14 2009 08:53 AM EDT
http://www.christianpost.com/

Many Christians, new and seasoned alike, tend to bank on promises that God never made, says one pastor.

So when God doesn't come through on those "promises," some are likely to become angry at God.

And "that to me as a pastor over all my years is always one of the saddest things," says Larry Osborne, teaching pastor at North Coast Church in Vista, Calif.

Osborne, whose church draws over 7,000 people, is hoping to spare a lot of Jesus followers from that anger. He’s also hoping Christians will peruse Scripture more and align themselves with what God really says rather than the “word on the street.”

So he spelled out some of the "dumb things smart Christians believe" – ten, to be specific – in a new book.

He calls those "dumb things" spiritual urban legends – a belief, story, assumption, or truism that gets passed around as fact even in Sunday-school class or a Bible study.

"What happens ... is somebody passes out a truism that sounds good and we've just heard it so many times [that] we don't bother to check it out," Osborne explained to The Christian Post. "And that's the source of most of these urban legends. They're true partially, but they're not true completely."

One of the partial truths many Christians fall victim to is the belief that living God's way will bring good fortune.

"The Bible makes no such promise," Osborne writes in 10 Dumb Things Smart Christians Believe.

The 57-year-old pastor recalls one moment when a church attendee named Tim waited in line to talk to him after a weekend worship service.

"[A]s soon as I said, 'Hey, what's up?' he let loose," Osborne writes. "'Bleep your bleeping God!' he exclaimed. 'I'm done. Your Jesus hasn't done me a bit of good. I've tried to clean up my act. I even tried your damn tithing thing. It doesn't work. I just lost my job. My wife needs surgery, and now I don't have any insurance. Where's your bleeping God when we need him?'"

"After a few more expletives, he finally turned and stormed out. I never saw him again."

Osborne notes that it wasn't a series of "tough breaks" or "unfortunate events" that caused Tim's tirade. Rather, it was "a set of unfounded and unrealistic expectations about what it means to follow God and what should happen when we venture to do so" that set him off.

Tim's case isn't unique. Many Christians expect things to work out when living God's way, Osborne says.

"They all figure that a little bit of God might bring a little bit of luck. So why not rub the bottle and see if a genie pops out?" he writes.

Holding such a belief, however, could prove to be spiritually dangerous. Moreover, it results in a lot of "pretenders or dabblers" who try to play by the rules of Christianity but not really believe in what they're abiding.

"When we assume, imply, or promise that God is supposed to bring us good luck and lots of success, we're set up for deep disappointment and spiritual cynicism," he writes. "Even worse, we risk turning the King of kings into little more than a good-luck charm."

Osborne also warns that those who introduce Christ to others and testify of only the "abundant Christian life" while downplaying the "harder teachings of Jesus" set the stage for disillusionment when things go awry.

Following Christ can be tough and having faith isn't always going to fix everything.

It's another spiritual urban legend – that faith can fix anything – and another one that can lead to an angry outburst or a spiritual meltdown.

As a pastor, this is one of the most common urban legends Osborne has encountered.

Many Christians believe ridding themselves of doubts and having clear positive thinking – which is how many define "faith" – will lead to their desired outcome such as physical healing. But having faith doesn't always lead to victory, at least not in the earthly sense.

While the Bible famously "tells of kingdoms won, lions muzzled, flames quenched, weaknesses turned to strength, enemies routed, [and] the dead raised," it also speaks of people of faith who were "tortured, jeered, flogged, imprisoned, stoned, sawed in two, and put to death by the sword."

They all lived by faith "yet their faith didn't fix anything," Osborne points out.

What faith does promise, however, is forgiveness and the gift of eternal life.

"Faith is ... not an impenetrable shield that protects us from life's hardships and trials. It's not a magic potion that removes every mess," Osborne writes in his book. "It's designed to guide us on a path called righteousness."

Faith, Osborne says, is trusting enough to obey.

The other eight spiritual urban legends he lists are: forgiving means forgetting, a godly home guarantees godly kids, God has a blueprint for my life, Christians shouldn't judge, everything happens for a reason, let your conscience be your guide, a valley means a wrong turn, and dead people go to a better place.

The common thread through all of them, Osborne said, is the "disillusionment that comes when we bank of promises that God actually never made."

They're "partial truths that we shouldn’t be building the whole house on," said Osborne, who has been teaching a four-week series on urban legends – which include more than ten – over the past summers.

While Christians are not likely to buy into all of them, most may have one or two that they fall victim to, the North Coast pastor believes.

"Sometimes we treat the Bible as if it's a series of sound bites and little sayings that we can put on t-shirts, coffee cups and posters," Osborne pointed out. "But it's a big book."

"We need to look at what the Bible says about any subject in all of its passages. And when we do that we'll avoid these urban legends."

© The Christian Post all rights reserved.

Blessings on Ya!
Pastor Kitner

Any feed back?

America: A nation of religious drifters - click here

What do you think about the article and where are you as far as a religious change in your lifetime?

Give me some feedback on this.

Blessings on Ya!
Pastor Kitner

Teachability is a Must! - - click here

If a person is to teach others they themselves must be teachable. So many people want to teach others but they are not teachable. We all need to be life long learners so we can be life long teachers. Click on the title above.

Blessings on Ya!
Pastor Kitner

Thinking Related to Relationships

This is another section from John Maxwell's book "Thinking for a Change". I suggest that you get the book and read it from cover to cover. There are a lot of good principles on "thinking" given for your help.
When you think about something reflectively, ask the right questions.
Important questions that help you stay focused and keep you moving to improve on your life and actions.

Thinking Related to Relationships: Part II

3. Inner Ciccle: Have I spent enough time ith my key players? What can I do to help them be more successful? In what areas can I mentor them.

4.God: Have I spent time with God? What is He teaching me now? Am I learning? Am I obeying?Have I continuallytalked with Him Today?

See John Maxwell's site

Blessings on Ya!
Pastor Kitner

Thinking Related to Relationships

This is another section from John Maxwell's book "Thinking for a Change". I suggest that you get the book and read it from cover to cover. There are a lot of good principles on "thinking" given for your help.
When you think about something reflectively, ask the right questions.
Important questions that help you stay focused and keep you moving to improve on your life and actions.

Thinking Related to Relationships: Part I

1. Marriage and Family: Did I communicate love to my wife and children (or others) and grandchildren today? How did I show that love? Did they feel it? Did they return it?

2.Friends: Have I been a good friend this week? To Whom? What did I do? Is there something else I need to do? Is there another friend who needs me?

more to come.....

See John Maxwell's site

Blessings on Ya!
Pastor Kitner

Reflective Thinking Part III

This is another section from John Maxwell's book "Thinking for a Change". I suggest that you get the book and read it from cover to cover. There are a lot of good principles on "thinking" given for your help.
When you think about something reflectively, ask the right questions.
Important questions that help you stay focused and keep you moving to improve on your life and actions.

Thinking Related to Values: Part III

5.Physical Health: Did I exercise at my optimal heart rate for thirty-five minutes today? Have I exercised at least five times in the last seven days? Did I stay on my low fat diet today?

6. Personal Faith: Did I represent God well today? Did I practice the Golden Rule? Have I "walked the second mile" with someone?

This ends the section on "Thinking related to values". We will begin a look at other thinking in regard to relationships and experiences tomorrow.- Check back

Blessings on Ya!
Pastor Kitner

See John Maxwell's site

Reflective Thinking Part II

This is another section from John Maxwell's book "Thinking for a Change". I suggest that you get the book and read it from cover to cover. There are a lot of good principles on "thinking" given for your help.
When you think about something reflectively, ask the right questions.
Important questions that help you stay focused and keep you moving to improve on your life and actions.

Thinking Related to Values: Part II

3. Teamwork: What did I do with someone else that made both of us better? Would the other person agree that it was a win/win? Can we do something else together to continue our mutual Success?

4. Leadership: Did I lead by example today? Did I lift my people and organization to a higher level? What did I do and how did I do it?

More to follow tomorrow....

Blessings on Ya!
Pastor Kitner

See John Maxwell's site

The Importance of Understandable Communication with Words.

1 Corinthians 14:6 - 12 (KJV) 6Now, brethren, if I come unto you speaking with tongues, what shall I profit you, except I shall speak to you either by revelation, or by knowledge, or by prophesying, or by doctrine? 7And even things without life giving sound, whether pipe or harp, except they give a distinction in the sounds, how shall it be known what is piped or harped? 8For if the trumpet give an uncertain sound, who shall prepare himself to the battle? 9So likewise ye, except ye utter by the tongue words easy to be understood, how shall it be known what is spoken? for ye shall speak into the air. 10There are, it may be, so many kinds of voices in the world, and none of them is without signification. 11Therefore if I know not the meaning of the voice, I shall be unto him that speaketh a barbarian, and he that speaketh shall be a barbarian unto me. 12Even so ye, forasmuch as ye are zealous of spiritual gifts, seek that ye may excel to the edifying of the church.
In these verses it is revealed to us, by Paul’s desire and spiritual understanding put on paper, how to communicate the Word of Truth, with understanding, to the people of God, the church and to those outside the church as well.
Let’s look at 4 ways that communication is opened up to all who would hear the vocal impartation of Truth.

1. Speaking by revelation – Mt 16:16-20 is one example of what is meant. Flesh and blood has not revealed it to you but the Father in heaven. Understanding of Jesus, the Word of God and the Father’s wisdom is imparted by the Gifts given by God for solid communication of this understanding for edification such as the Word of knowledge, and the Word of Wisdom etc.

2. Speaking by knowledge – This can be what experience has taught us, others and what has been established as good and true guided by God’s Word.

3. Speaking by Prophecy – Speaking by the gift of prophecy what the Lord is saying, to those in the hearing of that Word, now. A Rhema Word. This Word is given under the anointing and by the unction of the Holy Ghost in a known language.

4. Speaking by Doctrine – Teaching the established principles and truths of God’s Word as established by the Bible. The truths taught concerning salvation, water baptism, the incarnation, the Gospel of the kingdom and other sound principles that will build up the faith of those who hear.

Unless people can understand what they are hearing it becomes just noise and does not edify but confuses the hearer. The object of speaking in our gatherings is edification. This is very important to the Lord. Let all things be done decently and in order.

Blessings on Ya!
Pastor Kitner

Dictionary Deletions - click here

The Triumph of Ideology

What has been eliminited from the dictionary, what has replaced it and why!
The article was from Chuck Colson. Here is his net address for the web site:

BreakPoint.org

Be concerned
Pastor Kitner