Hey,
I’m looking for an Acoustic Worship Leader once or twice a month…
Contact me, send me a facebook, youtube, or meet me at Hickory Tavern!
If you really love Jesus… pray about it earnestly first.
M

https://youtu.be/6d-o6mwkmhc    3m video

The depiction of the Fallen Priest in Japan 17th C… has a strong message by director Martin Scorsese.

It’s not only Ok to Apostatize… it makes sense… it stops suffering… and is encouraged by the finally speaking Jesus himself.

If the officials are persecuting Christians… why is it posited that it is the Priest who are “causing” the torture and death?
Why is the premise of justified persecution Ok because the “bad simple minded Westerners” come and threaten a civilization with a counter cultural idea about Religion, God, and life?

Flip the premise… have Easterners come with a “Foreign” religion to the West… with the Westerners justified in persecution… torture… and murder… of “others” with different ideas that threaten the West.  Oh… believe me… the values presented would be completely different.  How could bad “Westerners (i.e. Christians)” be so horrible and wrong to persecute people with various ideas?

The hypocrisy is glaring.  Why is everyone so ready to chastise a hypocritical Christian and be accepting and supporting of hypocritical “others”?
Let’s try to be fair.  Please.

Even though I did appreciate the real life tensions in the struggle of faith, doubt, trials, and apostasy… the theology was horrendous.

Jesus finally breaks his “silence” and speaks to the Priest and tells him to apostatize in order to stop others from suffering because he already suffered for them… that simply is horrible… terrible… Theology.  (I’m not asking you if you agree with that… I’m saying that that is a false presentation of what the Bible and Christianity thinks.)
“Hey… all religions are the same… there is no reason to stand for Jesus… go ahead… curse me… it’s no big deal.”
Is that congruent with what Jesus said… or is that counter to what Jesus said?
(I know what Scorsese depicts Jesus as saying in the movie… but is that true or false?)

“If anyone comes preaching another Gospel… or another Jesus other than the one we presented… you accept that easily enough.”  2 Cor. 11:4.  Gal. 1:6-9.

Hmmm… here I am again… faced with… do I believe what the world says… or will I believe what the Scriptures say.

Hey… how about this… no one should support the killing of other people from other religions?
How about this… not forcing Apostasy with torture?
How about this… not always presenting Westerners as hypocritical, simple minded, fools… I mean… we can all share those traits as we consider history… right?
How about those morals for the story?

Don’t waste your time on this movie (2hours 41min)… not cause I am closed minded… remember… I paid $10 bucks to see it… it’s just not a good movie.
Mark

Leadership and Authority:                                                                   (audio version)

1)  Pastor is Anointed and Positioned, viewed as a Moses, Abraham, David, Paul.  Runs the “show” and everyone knows it.  Ex. Contemporary, charismatic, megachurches.
2)  Staff Lead, Key Staff make decisions, board has some generalized say/authority over hires and duties, congregation has little to no power.  Ex. Many contemporary churches with an american/capitalized influence.
3)  Pastor is Positioned, w authority, but with elders, deacons, committees that are a strong system of checks and balances.  Ex.  Equal elders leading the body, Pastor lead Elders group, Presbyterians, contemporary churches, congregation has little power.
4)  Bishops, Elders, Committees are Powerful and Positioned, Pastor is more readily replaceable, the institution, the denomination, the church leaders, not the Pastor nor the people, have the power.  Ex. Catholics, Methodists, small churches, denominations.
5)  All people almost equal, Congregation has the Power, appropriated in church votes or in that the pastor serves almost like everyone else and is not lifted up.  Ex. Baptists, Congregationalist, Amish, Quakers.

Most Churches are a mix or lean in multiple directions.
In the practical… a Church maybe #4 above… but by sheer personality there may still be a LEADER or person/family of POWER depending on community dynamics.

Who is leading your Church?
(what is biblical…?)

Thanks to Steve and Vickie for their hospitality!
The Christmas Party was a Great Time.
We went Caroling, ate great soups, and played a very fun game of dirty Santa.
Thanks to everyone who made it an amazing night.

Hey… The Bible says you shouldn’t give up the habit of regularly meeting together.

Come to Worship TOMORROW!

9:30am.

Come.

M

Hey…

Chuck and Carol will be out Sunday June 12th… so please bring something nice top eat if you can.

Also… the first Sunday of every month… if you could bring something then… that would help defray the costs for Chuck and Carol.

In Christ,

Mark

Hey… we might be starting a youth group… my daughter wants one.

Let’s do it!

I have a few decades of experience… so I think it’s about time.

Ha… looking over some history… every once in a while back in the Original Plant Days TMCC put up with me preaching from my 18 Wheeler!  That was the blue one to the far left with the cool snake on the pavement.  (Also with my Pantera wannabe goat.)

So after 4 years I’m Bi-Vocational again.  Driving Monday, Tuesday, and Wednesday, mostly to Atlanta and back, and sleeping in my own bed every night Praise God!  (My truck now is the middle white one in the pic.)  Then I’m working for TMCC Thursday-Sunday.  It’s great.  I really like it.  With a small body… and any fluctuations in attendance numbers… receipts can move dramatically up or down.  So… we knew I would need something by Jan. 2016, so as to keep our healthy cash reserve, we decided I’d find a good fit part time.  So… I’m a Truckin Pastor again.  Ey… I’m livin the dream, what about you?
Love God and Love People!