Romans 12:4-8

Just as each of us has one body with many members, and these members do not all have the same function, so in Christ we who are many form one body, and each member belongs to all the others. We have different gifts, according to the grace given us. If a man’s gift is prophesying, let him use it in proportion to his faith. If it is serving, let him serve; if it is teaching, let him teach; if it is encouraging, let him encourage; if it is contributing to the needs of others, let him give generously; if it is leadership, let him govern diligently; if it is showing mercy, let him do it cheerfully.

Appeal Update

Donna and I have felt led to offer this heartfelt and sincere note of thanks, as well as to give you an update as to where Apprising Ministries stands at this time. It has been rewarding as people have asked what they can do to help, and in what direction we see this labor in Christ heading. A personal injury to me turned out to be a blessing as I had to take some time off to be home over the past couple of weeks which made for some extra opportunity to develop AM. The initial responses to the prior appeals, and the way the Lord has brought so many to me that I could minister to this week in particular, leaves us no doubt that Christ indeed wants me to devote myself to this ministry as well as to CRBC on a fulltime basis.

The workload has literally doubled, but as for the funding itself, we are still seeking God as to how He is going to make this way for me to be available keeping an eye out for errors within the Church and to feed the sheep who are starved for the Word of our Lord. Based on how many people and pastors who are now writing me from all over the world it would seem we are seeing a fulfillment again of this Scripture – Behold, the days come, saith the Lord GOD, that I will send a famine in the land, not a famine of bread, nor a thirst for water, but of hearing the words of the LORD (Amos 8:11, KJV).

As the Lord wills, it seems in the Spirit that what God is doing here with my labor in Christ is having me be a kind of Internet pastor by opening up a rather unique ministry, not unlike like being an itinerant preacher/teacher, but using the medium of the Internet instead of actually traveling. Truly it would be a rather novel pastoral ministry, but it makes perfect sense with the unique Character of God the Holy Spirit and today’s rapid technology. For example, just think of how many people I can counsel and teach–getting information to them virtually in seconds!

Your Words Mean So Much To Us

The following are brief excerpts from the kind of letters we have begun receiving, and that are such an encouragement to me–so uplifting on the one hand, yet tinged with sadness on the other:

I want to encourage you and thank God for you as you persevere in the midst of difficulty…I check the website everyday to read what is there… It is just this year that God has opened my eyes to the deception that is rampant in the “church”… It has come through months of study and submission to the Lord that I realize we must adhere to His Word. We must contend for the faith that is in Christ Jesus of Nazareth… I have also come to realize that these are the days where people who call themselves Christians “will not endure sound doctrine.”

We are eternally grateful to our Lord Jesus for you and your bold declaration of the truth. Your ministry is most necessary for the Remnant out here in the wilderness. God has truly blessed you with a valuable, much needed ministry in these perilous last days… Contending together in the Faith.

Please be encouraged that there are many of us who are grateful for your teaching and discernment… It is also comforting to know that in these vastly apostate days there are men and women who are holding fast and standing firm… I was removed from a “SF/PD” church as a women’s teaching leader because I was a “false prophetess/Bible idolater who was resisting “the Work of God”… Now I am in a small–very small home church…the true remnant is scattered to pieces or so it appears. But we are one…

And then she went on to kindly share Romans 12:5 – So we, who are many, are one body in Christ, and individually members one of another (NASB). Dear friends of AM, we know that God parted the Red Sea, so we know that He can sure move on people to network behind the scenes for us to help promote this idea of an Internet pulpit and to help us find the sponsors it will take. Since my gift is not really to see this kind of vision clearly, but rather to plant the idea, I will ask that you join Donna and myself as we pray this through with guidance of the Lord to open the way for me to be here to teach.

Doors Are Opening

We are so very thankful to have been asked to be a regular contributor at Ingrid Schlueter’s wonderful Site www.sliceoflaodicea.com and have been able daily now to put articles up there that I feel the Lord leads me to. If you haven’t been to Slice, we invite you to try it as this is another great resource for Christians to receive news and edification as this apostasy intensifies.

Please keep in mind that AM would be happy to assist you in any way we can as more people decide to plant home churches through a Bible study. It is my view that the biblical sermon/articles here could certainly be a help as one gets established, and we are going to be recording messages on cassette as soon as people begin to let us know which ones they would like. However you may feel led, we do covet your prayers as we seek the direction of God in this venture to be pastor of this Internet pulpit fulltime.

Interestingly enough, with so many people feeling as if the Great Shepherd is calling out a remnant, scattered though we may be all over the world, we may be on to something re. the start of house churches as God continues to move His flock out of this purpose driven seeker sensitive Emergent Church nonsense. As a matter of fact, we have a dear friend in South Africa who has mentioned that he is seeing this very phenomenon beginning to happen there right now. It is grievous to God the Holy Spirit no doubt to see the division in the Body of Christ with so many denominations. I know the Lord has shown me that it is pride, and people refusing to humble themselves and work together that caused all these church groups to fragment in the first place.

Unfortunately with so many people running around claiming to be sent by our Lord, it reflects very badly on those of us who would shut our ministries down in a nanosecond if Christ asked us to. Sadly there continues to be so much of God’s blessings that end up diverted into ministries that are actually antichrist. Please know that I long ago prayed to be part of other solid organizations and did try many times, but was refused, so AM was raised up by Christ, this I know. I give you my word in the Lord, if I thought otherwise I’d close this work down today and work with whomever He told me to. However, we press on…and sadly a larger part of our mission has come to be evangelizing the Church!

The Provisions Of God

My prayer is that the Lord continues to open up vistas for me to bring balance into His Church through the sound biblical teachings Christ is giving me to share with you here. And it is my pleasure to be able to give this to you right now. I’ll also mention something else, as I believe God the Holy Spirit has brought us together, and that you’ll understand what I say. Donna and I would like those of you who have reached out and donated to this ministry to know that we appreciate your kindness and generosity so very much. And this is delicate to have to bring to light, but unfortunately there are also many whom I have taken the time to share detailed answers and they have apparently not realized that if I were a “lawyer” for example, that same advice would be in the neighborhood of $150 an hour.

In closing, I would like to share with you the following compiled answer to a couple of reader’s questions regarding whether tithing is for the New Testament age as an example of how AM can also be a kind of Internet “Bible Answer Man” ministry:

Yes, and no. Here’s what I mean. Tithing is an OLD Testament concept for the Theocratic Kingdom of Israel (means God Himself ruled them). The Zondervan Pictorial Encyclopedia Of The Bible informs us the tithe is: “The tenth of produce or property for the support of the priesthood or for other religious objectives… References to the tithe are found in both the OT and NT [though in the NT it is referring back to OT practices], but the main portions are incorporated in the Mosaic legislation. They are (1) Leviticus 27:30-33; (2) Numbers 18:21-32; and (3) Deuteronomy 12:5-18; 14:22-29.” (Vol. 5, p.756)

However, in the NEW Testament God reveals more fully that EVERYTHING belongs to Him. So even though NT churches talk about the tithe (giving 10% of your income before taxes), it is really not biblical to insist on it. Frankly our Lord wants to remember that everything He gives us belongs to Him, and we are only stewards of it.

The situation you describe is kind of “cult-like” in its apparent “demand” that one gives, and I encourage you that the Lord stirred you up to know something was wrong. How great is that! Here is what the Bible actually teaches regarding giving for us today in this Age of God’s Grace.

We saw that ALL of what we have belongs to Him, but God the Holy Spirit tells us in Scripture that – Now about the collection for God’s people: Do what I told the Galatian churches to do. On the first day of every week, each one of you should set aside a sum of money in keeping with his income (1 Corinthians 16:1-2a).

And further – Each man should give what he has decided in his heart to give, not reluctantly or under compulsion, for God loves a cheerful giver (2 Corinthians 9:7). So you see, no one should be told to give, it is a matter between the Lord and His people individually.

I hope this helps; it is an issue I face directly as this ministry must depend solely upon whatever Christ moves people to give. I cannot, and WILL not “push” people to give. If they do the ministry will continue; if for some reason God the Holy Spirit doesn’t move them to donate then I just won’t be here to answer questions like this. Either way our God be praised!

This is a little example and synopsis of the type of questions that have come in over this past week and a half as they have been sent to me in regard to my being available for email counseling in God’s Word. It’s always tough to talk about this particular area of ministry, but this is how our Lord chose to have us work. It most definately keeps a man humble that’s for sure. But what we are praying for the Master to do is to open a door to some of His people whom He has prospered, who have the gift of generosity mentioned above in our text, and who have been waiting for a real work in Christ to assist.

As I stated previously, what I am beginning to see are little house churches started by people who are leaving overly seeker sensitive churches, and who are obediently looking to follow Hebrews 10:25 – Let us not give up meeting together, as some are in the habit of doing, but let us encourage one another—and all the more as you see the Day approaching. And they have begun to look at Apprising Ministries as a port in the storm until they become more established with a local pastor. The exciting prospect for us is that with this the possibly might then exist where people would begin to give to AM what they used to be giving to those purpose driven and seeker sensitive Emergent churches. Oh, and wouldn’t that just be the Lord’s sense of humor!