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WHY CHRISTIANS DO NOT HAVE AUTHORITY TO HEAL

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To  Heal or not to heal

By Ken Blue

Perhaps nothing has discredited Christianity or deceived more Christians than the “gifts and healing ministry.” These naive and misguided souls believe that the Kingdom ministry, offered to Israel during the transition period, is intended for the church, the body of Christ today.

We live in the dispensation of free grace. The sign ministry was designed to convince unbelieving Israel that Jesus was their Old Testament Messiah. With Israel’s rejection, the signs have been temporally set aside. This is easy to prove from Scripture and experience. When the Lord came to earth, He came to establish His earthly kingdom with the nation of Israel. Signs and wonders were a part of that ministry. However, when it became evident in the Acts period that Israel would not repent, the healing ministry disappeared with them.

Those who believe the miracle sign ministry is still here must be willing to admit that things are as they were in the Gospels and the Acts period. To believe otherwise, would be dishonest and deceitful. We say with assurance and confidence, that no believer has the gifts of healing or any of the miraculous gifts today. If we really believe those gifts are for the church and continue today, it should be easy to prove. Remember, the purpose of signs was to convince the unbelieving Jews that their Messiah had arrived.

[perfectpullquote align=”right” cite=”” link=”” color=”” class=”” size=””]…don’t fall for the healing hoax[/perfectpullquote]

Now let me ask you a few simple questions. If the signs are present today, wouldn’t they be an extension of those in the Gospels and Acts? Let’s see. Do you know any miracle worker who can turn water into wine? Do you know any who can feed thousands of people with a little bread and a few fish? Do you know anyone who was dead three days or more and called back to life by a faith healer? Do you know of one who was retarded and made whole in their mind through one with the gift of healing? Can you give us the name and address of any of the above, to whom we may write?

We hear a lot about those who claim to cast out devils and speak in tongues; but why stop there? Don’t you believe the rest of the verses? “And these signs shall follow them that believe; In my name shall they cast out devils; they shall speak with new tongues;18 They shall take up serpents; and if they drink any deadly thing, it shall not hurt them; they shall lay hands on the sick, and they shall recover.” Mark 16:17-18.

We don’t expect to receive any positive responses to the above. Why? Because no one possesses the miracle ministry gifts today. The above text and others like them were for a different time, people, and purpose. This is the dispensation of Grace, and God’s grace is sufficient for you in your infirmities. So don’t fall for the healing hoax. You don’t have healing authority nor does anyone else.

BRINGING DOWN THE MIGHTY

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Bringing down the mighty with money and sex

Bringing down the mightyBy Ken Blue

“And the elders of Moab and the elders of Midian departed with the rewards of divination in their hand; and they came unto Balaam, and spake unto him the words of Balak. Numbers 22:7. “If Balak would give me his house full of silver and gold, I cannot go beyond the commandment of the LORD, to do either good or bad of mine own mind; but what the LORD saith, that will I speak?”Numbers 24:13. “A.nd Israel abode in Shittim, and the people began to commit whoredom with the daughters of Moab. 2 And they called the people unto the sacrifices of their gods: and the people did eat, and bowed down to their gods.” Numbers 25:1-2

The story of Balaam may be one of the most mystifying in Scripture. However, his craftiness is as old as time. When the monetary reward offered could not produce the desired curse, Balaam came up with another plan that works almost every time.

We have witnessed, in our decade, the fall of some of the most powerful men in the world. Most were in politics; some were in pulpits. Many have gone to prison because of greed for money; others have been dismissed and gone away in shame; losing everything, because of their lust and greed.

[pullquote align=”left” cite=”” link=”” color=”” class=”” size=”16″]Money and the lust for sex never fails to bring down the mighty![/pullquote]

If money fails in bringing down the mighty, lust for sex will certainly do it. One should read the account in Numbers for the full story and it’s sad results. Balaam tried desperately to get God to curse Israel. Although he was offered unlimited wealth, God refused to allow the curse. Sidestepping that approach, he advised Balak to send beautiful women to invite Israel to a welcoming feast. The devastating results can be found in Numbers 25.

Samson was one of the greats of the Old Testament, and he did many mighty exploits for God. But, his lust for Delilah left him blind and doing the work of an ass at the mill. David, the sweet Psalmist and King of Israel, was brought to ruin because of his lust for Bathsheba. The kingdom of Israel was lost because of his sin. Reuben, Jacobs’s firstborn son, lost the birthright and all things associated with it because of his affair with his father’s Concubine, Bilhah.

The reader must understand that all Satan’s apples have worms. You cannot win in the game of sin. The Devil knows our every weakness and that is where he strikes. The only advice that will work in; “flee youthful lust” and “resist the Devil and he will flee from you.” (2 Tim. 2:22 & James 4:7). “Thy word have I hid in mine heart, that I might not sin against thee.” Psalms 119:11. “Wherefore let him that thinketh he standeth take heed lest he fall.” 1 Corinthians 10:12.

THE 80/20 PRINCIPLE

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HOW THE 80/20 PRINCIPLE APPLIES TO THE CHURCH

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By Ken Blue

“The Pareto principle (also known as the 80-20 rule,[1] the law of the vital few, and the principle of factor sparsity) states that, for many events, roughly 80% of the effects come from 20% of the causes.[2][3] Business management thinker Joseph M. Juran suggested the principle and named it after Italian economist Vilfredo Pareto, who observed in 1906 that 80% of the land in Italy was owned by 20% of the population.[3] It is a common rule of thumb in business; e.g., “80% of your sales come from 20% of your clients.” Wikipedia Encyclopedia.

This principle is found to be accurate in “many” endeavors. The business world has understood it for years. It is time that pastors consider it, and see if it might apply to their ministry investments and returns.

If a pastor will check the income of the church against the membership, he will discover that approximately 20% of the people are giving 80% of the income. The same rule will follow when it comes to ministry involvement. In addition, the church building will usually maintain about 80% of its seating capacity. These may vary, depending on the size of the church

Another factor that should be considered it that 80% of the financial and manpower investment, in many churches, only produce about a 20% return in souls saved and membership growth. This fact should motivate every pastor to search out which investments produce the greatest returns. Retailers know they only have one shot per year to make it big, and that time is the Christmas season. If they fail here, red ink will be the result.

[perfectpullquote align=”right” cite=”” link=”” color=”” class=”” size=””]You want people in your city to think of your church when they consider attending a church.[/perfectpullquote]

Do pastors know the best seasons for harvest? It there a best place to seek for souls and one method that nets more visitors than another? The answer to the last question is yes. Again, the facts show that 80% of all visitors come to church because a friend or family members invite them! If that is true, then shouldn’t 80% of our outreach efforts be directed getting church members to bring others?

The question is, how can a pastor get his members to bring these visitors? The answer, many have discovered, is to have something going on at the church that members will want to invite their friends and family to attend. Dr. Jack Hyles and Dr. Lee Roberson built their large attendance on the “big day” philosophy. That is, they would have at least three big days each year. They pulled out all the stops and invested a major portion of the 80% to reach the community and get them to church. Some were always gleaned from those who attended.

For many years at Open Door, we invested greatly in Christmas, Easter, and the fourth of July. It was not uncommon to see the attendance increase by two or three hundred on those days. Now, I can hear the sarcasm of the critic; “how many came back?” No one knows the answer to that question, but one thing is for sure; those who came now know who we are and where we are, and seldom did a Sunday go by without visitors, or sinners making professions of faith.

Here is something to think about: It is not uncommon to see the Goodyear Blimp floating above football stadiums during the season. Thousands see it from the bleachers, and many more see it on television. Now, can the Goodyear tire company tell you how many people purchased their tires because of the blimp? They cannot, but evidently they KNOW the return is worth the investment. When people think of tires, they think Goodyear!

The same principle is true with your church. You want people in your city to think of your church when they consider attending a church. You make this happen by getting your name and exposure out before them any way you can and as often as you can.
Preachers must get over the false concept that if the members are busy, good things will happen. Good things will only happen if they are busy working on the things that will produce the 80% results or more.

GET OUT OF DEBT FREE

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YOU OWE A DEBT YOU CANNOT PAY

By Ken Blue

“For the wages of sin is death; but the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord”. Romans 6:23.

That most Americans are so far in debt they can’t see a way out is an understatement. However, there is a much greater debt accumulating that few know about or give much thought to. God tells us that our sins carry with them a debt. All of us are sinners, therefore all are debtors. We sin each day in word, thought, and deed. If you only committed three sins per day; at year’s end you would have 1095 sins, and you would be practically perfect if you only sinned three times per day.

Suppose you live fifty or sixty years and only commit three sins per day, you would face God with 65,700 sins against your account. You see, the wages of sin is death; sin is death to your spiritual life, to your physical life and to your eternal life. You and I owe something that we cannot pay!

[perfectpullquote align=”right” cite=”” link=”” color=”” class=”” size=””]You can get out of debt free![/perfectpullquote]

Now, for the good news; you can get out of debt free! Notice that our text says the gift of God is eternal life. Because we sin willfully, we have accumulated a debt we cannot pay. Because Jesus Christ never sinned, He paid a debt He did not owe. In simple bookkeeping, we have a -1 in our account and He has a +1 in His account. If we could get His +1 moved to our -1, it would balance the books and we would not owe anything!

That is exactly what God does for every sinner who realizes that he cannot pay what he owes. We acknowledge our hopeless state and receive God’s gift of mercy and life in Christ. You see, death is the wage for our sins, but eternal life is God’s free gift to all who will receive it.

Notice that it is a free “gift”. You don’t work for a gift, you can’t pay for it, nor do you deserve it. Your only option is to reject it or accept it. If you want to get out of debt FREE, accept God’s gift in Jesus Christ today.

GOD’S BLESSINGS ON OPEN DOOR BAPTIST CHURCH

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By Pastor Jason Murphy

One year ago I took over as the Senior Pastor at Open Door Baptist church in Lynnwood, WA for Pastor Ken Blue who had started and pastored Open Door for 39 years. I can honestly say that I don’t believe the transition could have been any smoother. That is a testament to God’s Grace; Pastor Blue’s handling of the transition, a good staff, great people at Open Door, a supportive wife, and many of God’s people praying. Through the years at Open Door, there was rarely a Sunday that we did not see someone make a decision to accept Christ as their personal Savior. By the grace of God, that has continued this past year. Pastor Blue asked me to write an article sharing what God has done at Open Door in the last 12 months. Since Oct 12th 2008 we have seen:

196 first time visitors- These are the ones who filled out visitor cards.
71 professions of faith- These indicated that they were accepting Christ as Savior.
23 baptized-These were publically baptized.
96 people joined our church- These 96 people took the mandatory 3 hour class which covers:

Our Structure
Our Strategy
Our Doctrinal Statement
Salvation-Baptism and the Lord’s supper

At the end of this class they are required to sign the Membership Covenant of Open Door Baptist Church

I have trusted Christ as my Lord and Savior and have been baptized by immersion (or will be baptized at the next opportunity). I enthusiastically support Open Door’s purpose and strategy and I desire to become a fully devoted follower of Jesus Christ.

I. I will share the responsibility of my church by:
• Praying for her health • Inviting my unchurched friends
• Warmly welcoming those who atten • Sharing my personal testimony (Romans 14:19, Romans 15: 7, John 1:41, 2 Corinthians 5:20)

II. I will support the message of my church by:
• Attending worship faithfully • Honoring Christ in my lifestyle
• Getting involved in a Small Group • Giving regularly
(Hebrews 10:25, Acts 2:42, Philippians 1:27, 1 Corinthians 16:2)

III. I will protect the unity of my church by:
• Acting in love toward other members •Following the leadership
• Refusing to gossip (1 Peter 1:22, Ephesians 4:29, Hebrews 13:17)

IV. I will serve the ministry of my church by:
• Discovering my gifts and talents • Developing a servant’s heart
• Finding a place of ministry (Romans 12:6, 1 Peter 4:10, Philippians 2:3-4,7)

As a pastor, I am honored anytime someone would make a decision to join our church and allow me to be their Pastor. So, if the Lord tarries we will continue to do what we are doing and always try to improve in every area. We are living in exciting times with a tremendous opportunity to reach people for Jesus Christ. Below is a picture of those who just joined our church in the last 3 months by taking our membership class, which we have 4 times per year.MEMB