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BOOK: Standards and the Standard

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Standards

More and more, today’s Christians have become “hung up” on standards.  Standards of worship, dress, talk, music, appearance…etc. People look for a church that allows the standards that afford them the type of “Christian lifestyle” they want to live.  If they want to drink beer, they look for a church that has a permissive outlook on drinking alcoholic beverages.  If they are against drinking beer, they look for a church that has a prohibitive outlook on drinking.  Churches have “bent”, or even broken, rules of Christian conduct to “compete” for members.

Unfortunately, standards are many times not taken from the proper source–the Bible.  They have been handed down by traditions over the years or by denominational teachings.  This is often times a direct deviation from the Bible.  Christians do themselves a disservice by looking other places than the Bible for the ways that God expects them to live.

This book by Dr. Blue will challenge the reader to rethink the standards he ascribes to. Dr. Blue does every Christian a service in this book by shaking them awake so they can examine their own life; whether they are living for the pleasure of God or twisting God’s word to accommodate their own pleasure.

I pray that every reader will accept the challenge presented in this book and align his standards with what God’s Standard (the Bible) provably teaches!

This book should be a ‘bunker-buster’ for preachers and laymen alike. It should break asunder the chains of man-made rules and set the believer free to live according to God’s infallible Standard.

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HOW TO STAY FOCUSED IN THE MINISTRY

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THE USE OF THE PURPOSE STATEMENT

purpose statementBy Ken Blue
The most difficult task in the ministry is keeping the church on target and focused on its stated purpose. Like a ship or a plane without a rudder, a church will begin to drift if navigational controls are not built in and monitored.

Once you are clear on your purpose, and are able to state it in a simple sentence, it becomes your Northern Star to guide, and keep you on course. Let me give you a few purposes statements. See if you can determine what each organization is about. 1. Focus On The Family. 2. Child Evangelism. 3. Bringing Families From Spiritual Infancy To Spiritual Maturity. 4. The Church With A Heart. 5. Youth For Christ. 6. Campus Crusade.

Once you have figure out what your church is going to do, state in no uncertain terms what you believe God wants you to do. The purpose statement should be on your letterhead and your church bulletin, and it must not be vague. Everyone in your church should be keep informed about what you are aiming at. The purpose statement should be the bull’s-eye on the target. Sad to say, the reason many pastors have no purpose statement or they make it vague, is so they cannot fail or be accountable.

[pullquote align=”right” cite=”” link=”” color=”” class=”” size=””]The reason many pastors have no purpose statement is so they cannot fail or be accountable.[/pullquote]

Next, you need to determine what objectives you must establish to move toward your Northern Star. Your objectives must be consistent with your purpose statement; otherwise your statement means nothing. You will notice the lines coming back from the shaft of the arrow. Your objectives should be written on each line. It is best not to have more than seven objectives.

Keep in mind that an objective and a goal are not the same. Objectives are the ministries you must implement to carry the church toward its purpose. For example, if you choose number 3 as a purpose for your church, one of your objectives would be to win families to Christ and the church. Objectives are ongoing and will continue till Jesus comes. Whereas, goal are the measurable activities you will use to work at your objectives. Each one of the lines on the shaft of the arrow tells you what you ought to be about to accomplish your purpose for existence.

Once you have done the above, you will have a clear picture of who you are, what you must do and how to go about it. The most difficult part of planning is not how to do what you want; the most difficult is to determine what your church will do. Once the what is established, the how, comes relatively easy. To stay focused, put your planning arrow in a place where you can see it. When you seem to be in a fog or get off course, get the arrow out and view it like you would a roadmap to get back on track. Let it be your guide and you will stay focused.

(Pastor Blue has a complete seminar on the planning process. For a PAL ministry in your church, contact him.)

THE POWER OF A PURPOSE STATEMENT

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THE POWER OF A PURPOSE STATEMENT

PURPOSE STATEMENT

As a young preacher I attended Dr. Jack Hyles’ Pastor School on several occasions. Each year he reiterated their purpose statement by saying First Baptist is “The Church With A Heart.” He would spend the rest of the evening marching each of their ministries across the platform, illustrating their purpose. It took me some time to fully understand that action. But, I finally came to the place where I got it. Because they had a heart for all people, the church was committed to identifying all classes and groups and then developing a strategy to reach them for Christ.

I am convinced that every church should determine its true purpose; create a statement and then let that statement become their northern star to direct them. This should not be hastily done. One should take several days or weeks to think this matter through. If done properly, this becomes the hub around which all your ministry activities will revolve.

[pullquote align=”right” cite=”” link=”” color=”” class=”” size=””]I am convinced that every church should determine its purpose so that all future planning knows what direction to go.[/pullquote]

Your purpose statement should state what your ministry will be about. Most Christians have heard of Focus on the Family. That purpose statement tells you where their effort and finances will focus. At Open Door Baptist we created the following purpose statement: “Open Door exist to bring families from spiritual infancy to spiritual maturity.” That purpose statement tells us exactly what our emphases and efforts will be. Every ministry should be started and structured with the whole family in mind.

Once a statement has been accepted it should be dissected and each part developed with action verbs to accomplish the purpose. All future planning should be done to move the church toward your purpose or northern star; as you do, you will begin to experience the power of a purpose statement.

Many churches create a purpose statement and then put it in a drawer, and  forget it. That is a sign the leadership is not serious, and has a fear of failure. The purpose statement should be on every piece of literature, and posted where everyone sees it. It must be your guiding star. How many people really know what your purpose is? That will tell you how your are doing.

THE TRAIN TO HELL

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HELL

 

 

 

 

 

 

By Ken Blue


There’s a train that’s flying on a cold steel rail.

Its only destination is a place called hell.

You got on by choice; you get off the same.

But, as it picks up speed, you don’t complain.

 

You enjoy the thrill; it winds and descends.

Laughing, you’re joking with your phantom friends.

As the slopes get steeper, and the speed excels,

You’re on a runaway train destined for hell.

 

The engineer is laughing, so is the crew,

For they have been amused by thousands like you.

All is a blur, as the train seems to fly.

In a moment of time, your life flashes by.

 

You cry out to God; you want off this train.

Then it stops at a cross that is blood stained.

Jesus steps in, and He bids you flee.

Then the train continues to hells destiny.

 

As the train left the station, all were having fun.

But they did not know this would be their last run.

So stay off the train that sounds and looks so swell.

It’s a beauty, and a deceiver, and on its way to hell.

 

WHY NO ONE SHOULD BELIEVE IN PURGATORY

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purgatory

“Purgatory, according to Catholic Church doctrine, is an intermediate state after physical death in which those destined for heaven ‘undergo purification, so as to achieve the holiness necessary to enter the joy of heaven’ (Catechism of the Catholic Church, 1030).  Only those who die in the state of grace but have not in life reached a sufficient level of holiness can be in Purgatory, and therefore no one in Purgatory will remain forever in that state or go to hell. This theological notion has ancient roots and is well-attested in early Christian literature, but the poetic conception of Purgatory as a geographically existing place is largely the creation of medieval Christian piety and imagination.” -Wikipedia.

REASONS WHY NO ONE SHOULD BELIEVE IN PURGATORY:

 

  • NOT ONE OF THE APOSTLES BELIEVED OR TAUGHT IT.
  • THERE IS NOT ONE VERSE IN THE BIBLE THAT TEACHES PURGATORY.
  • PRAYING FOR, AND WORSHIPING SPIRITS OF THE DEAD IS A CULTIC TRADITION GOING BACK BEYOND EGYPT. Jesus said the Pharisees were, “Making the word of God of none effect through your tradition, which ye have delivered: and many such like things do ye.” Mark 7:13.
  • JESUS PURGED OUR SINS “ONCE AND FOR ALL.” “And every priest standeth daily ministering and offering oftentimes the same sacrifices, which can never take away sins:  But this man, after he had offered one sacrifice for sins for ever, sat down on the right hand of God; From henceforth expecting till his enemies be made his footstool.  For by one offering he hath perfected for ever them that are sanctified.” Hebrews 10:11-14. If you are saved, you are “perfected forever….”  The wafer has no power, nor is there need for it.

[pullquote align=”right” cite=”” link=”” color=”” class=”” size=””] If the pope has power over purgatory, then why does he not release all saved souls from it? [/pullquote]

  • PURGATORY IS AN INVENTION TO “BIND” THE LIVING AND THE DEAD TO THE ROMAN CATHOLIC CHURCH. Anyone who believes his loved ones are suffering in Purgatory, will never abandon the church, and will give unlimited amounts of money to get them out. This effort to release a loved one from purgatory requires special service to the Church. However, giving of money works best. This is one of the reasons the reformers, like Luther, forsook the church.  The Martin Luther Trial Homepage comments. “How did the practice of dispensing indulgences begin? The first known use of plenary indulgences was in 1095 when Pope Urban II remitted all penance of persons who participated in the crusades and who confessed their sins.  Later, the indulgences were also offered to those who couldn’t go on the Crusades but offered cash contributions to the effort instead.  In the early 1200s, the Church began claiming that it had a “treasury” of indulgences (consisting of the merits of Christ and the saints) that it could dispense in ways that promoted the Church and its mission.  In a decretal issued in 1343, Pope Clement VI declared, “The merits of Christ are a treasure of indulgences.
  • WHEN A SAINT DIES, THEY GO DIRECTLY TO HEAVEN TO BE WITH JESUS. “For to me to live is Christ, and to die is  But if I live in the flesh, this is the fruit of my labour: yet what I shall choose I wot not.  For I am in a strait betwixt two, having a desire to depart, and to be with Christ; which is far better:” Philippians 1:21-23. To be absent from the body, is to be in heaven with Christ. To die is not “gain” when you know you are going to burn in purgatory. Furthermore, no one knows how long he must be there suffering hell fire, nor when one is released.
  • PURGATORY WAS NOT AN OFFICIAL CHURCH LAW UNTIL 593 A. D. If the pope has the power, why not release all saved souls from purgatory? Could money be a factor?

Now you see why no one should believe in Purgatory.