Half of pastors would leave the ministry tomorrow if they could. Seventy percent are fighting depression and 90 percent can't cope with the challenge of ministry.

Those are the statistics Pastor Jonathan Falwell laid out to thousands of ministers who were in Lynchburg, Va., Tuesday for the "Refuel" conference.

The well-known pastor stated bluntly, "Something is wrong in ministry."

Citing surveys from such groups as Barna, LifeWay and Acts 29, Falwell lamented that 1,500 pastors walk away from ministry every month because of moral failure, burnout, conflict, discouragement or depression. He was also shocked to find that 80 percent of seminary and Bible school graduates will leave the ministry within their first five years.

Part of the problem, he indicated, is trying to make it to the big numbers and most influential lists or aiming for the most Twitter followers.

"I believe that we have self-imposed measurements of success that are skewed, that are wrong," said Falwell, pastor of Thomas Road Baptist Church – which is notably one of the largest churches in the country.

"The measurements of success are all messed up," he said.

While there is nothing wrong with the "Top 25" or "Top 100" largest churches or most influential lists, trying to make it to those lists has forced many pastors to focus on the masses rather than "the one."

"Stop focusing on the 'big ministry' and the 'big outreach," he urged, noting that ministers place too much pressure on themselves. "Start focusing on one person, one hurting person, who's lost, ... who's desperate to hear the Gospel."

Falwell has been leading Thomas Road Baptist Church since 2007, after his father, Jerry Falwell, passed. He admits that his congregation is large and he can easily hand over duties of ministering to individuals, such as those in the hospital, to other pastors in the church.

But he reminded pastors on Tuesday, "We have a responsibility to minister to the one."

And when pastors are faithful in focusing on one person at a time, Falwell believes God will then fill their churches with lots of "ones."

So he encouraged them, "Don't make it about the lists, the fame, ... the respect. Make it about the one."

BIBLE FACTS ABOUT JERUSALEM
Psalm 122:1-9

Its PROMINENCE in the Bible

Mentioned 811 times - not once in the Qur'an;
The word "Zion" refers to Jerusalem 152 times;
Called the "holy city" 10 times and the "city of God" twice;
called the "city of truth" and "the city of the great King" and "the city of Judah" and also the "city of David."
Its PRIORITY above all cities - Psalm 48:2 - "the joy of the whole earth, the city of the great King." Psalm 137:5 refers to it as "my chief joy." Psalm 87:2 says "The LORD loveth the gates of Zion more than all the dwellings of Jacob."

Its PRAISE in the earth - Isaiah 62:7 - "give Him no rest, till He establish,and till He make Jerusalem a praise in the earth."

Its PLACE in Jewish history

The place where Abraham was blessed by a king and priest named Melchizedec over 4000 years ago - Genesis 14:18-19
The place where Adonizedek was king when Joshua entered the land - Joshua 10:1
The place which was given to the tribe of Judah by Joshua - Joshua 15:1,8
The place which Judah and Benjamin could not conquer from the Jebusites - Joshua 15:63; Judges 1:21
The place which King David took from the Jebusites 3000 years ago - II Samuel 5:4-9
The place where King David purchased the site of the Temple Mount from Aravnah the Jebusite and built an altar there - II Samuel 24:18-25
The place where King David ruled for 33 years
The place where King Solomon built the temple - II Chronicles. 3:1
The place where King Solomon ruled for 40 years - I Kings 11:42
The place where the kings of Judah ruled for over 400 years and the place where they were buried.
The place where Babylon under King Nebuchadnezzar destroyed the city and its temple in 586 BC - II Kings 24:10, 14; 25:9-10
The place to which Jewish captives returned through the kindness of Cyrus, King of Persia
The place where Jewish refugees came under the leadership of Ezra, Nehemiah, Zerubbabel and Joshua the high priest and rebuilt the city and its walls
The place where Antiochus Epiphanes of the Seleucid dynasty defiled the rebuilt temple, and a great Jewish revolt took place under Judas Maccabeus and cleansed the temple, giving us the celebration of Hanukkah - in the middle of the 2nd century BC
Its PREEMINENCE as the city where the LORD God of Israel would put His Name forever - II Chronicles 6:6; Psalm 76:1-2; 99:2; 132:13-14

Its PICTURE of God's protection is well known - Psalm 46:6; 125:2

Its PROPHECIES about the Messiah

His coming as a humble King - Zechariah 9:9
His consecration as a child - Luke 2:25-32
His concern for its people - Matthew 23:37 cf. Psalm 36:7
His cutting off - Daniel 9:24-26- Yeshua crucified by Romans (Gentiles) - Matthew 20:17-19; Luke 18:31-33
His conquest of all nations who come against Jerusalem - Zechariah 12:9; 14:3-4
Its PUNISHMENT by Roman armies - 70 AD - predicted by Yeshua - Luke 21:20-24

Its PROBLEM for all nations - Zechariah 12:1-3

Its PROMISES of salvation and future glory Joel 2:32; Zechariah 12:10; 13:1; 14:16 Isaiah 2:2-3; 62:1-5; 65:18-19

The Jewish Wedding and the Bride of Christ

"What a Day that will be, when my Jesus I shall see, and I look upon his face, the one who saved me by His grace. He'll take me by the hand, and lead me to the promise land, What a day, glorious day that will be." Hymn: What a day that will be"

If you are close by, come join us on Tuesday night 6:3opm for our study on "Jewish Wedding-Bride of Christ." Bible prophecy follows a pattern as Jesus well illustrates in His parables and Illustrations built around the traditional Jewish wedding.
Waskom Community Church
Waskom, Texas 75692
903-570-8078 Rev. Mike Mullins

The men who have done the most for God in this World have been on their knees . God is looking for men that are determine to defend the Gospel of Jesus Christ in a world that so much is rejecting Him. Such a committment comes with a price. But if God called us into ministry, then it's our responsiblity to stand up for him and proclaim the Gospel message of the cross. It's an unpopular message in the church today, but it is still the message of the cross, we as ministers are called to proclaim Jesus Christ and Him crucified!!, counting the cost of rejection, rebuke, threats and made fun of. If you are in the ministry for a joy ride, you have gotten in for the wrong reason. It's all about Jesus, not you! Pastoring is serious responsibility before God and pastors will be held accountable to God. We need to restore the "House of God" back to a "House of God" Put the altar back in place, put the cross up, put the Bible back in pew, put the great hymns of the church back in their place of worship.

As most of you know, I finally reach that great age called "Retirement." It's not so bad after all, life is just beginning, now time to do what I like to do, be a Pastor.

Deception in the church: No power in the Blood

WARNING: There's No Power in This Blood!

By Jan Markell

www.olivetreeviews.org

February 22, 2010

My comments: I posted a question on my facebook regarding this article and it's concern. Why are some of our churches embracing unscriptural (fiction) as truths, and rather the stories are fiction or not, the church world is embracing things the Bible makes clear to to stayed from. I am beginning to see "Christian" bookstores (it's all about the money)", jumping on the bandwagon, this "Twilight" is just one of others, (like "the Shack", Piercing the Darkness, ect). has harmless as they may seem (fiction), they are effecting the spiritual life of our youth and adults as a whole rather we want to admit it or not. Come on now, a story about a human having a non-human (deamonic) as a friend is OK? I don't think so, fiction or not!! (Read Deaut 16).

Christianity Today online says that vampires are hot stuff right now even for Christians. Visit a Christian bookstore or publishing house Web site and you might be surprised how many vampire-themed books you will see. What's wrong with the picture? Legions of people will tell you that nothing is wrong. They are, in fact, trying to sanctify vampirism.

Stephanie Meyer's popular Twilight series is cashing in to be sure. Her four books which have sold over 17 million copies, and two movies thus far, are setting new records. To those of us who object, they will tell you that the theme of vampirism is just folklore. They aren't in the Bible. Relax.

But Web sites indicate some are obsessed, particularly with Twilight. Meyer, who is a Mormon, has connected with pre-teens and teens and is many steps beyond Harry Potter. And defenders of Potter had their mantra too: Come on, it's only fiction and it's getting kids to read. What parents and others won't admit is that these occult-laced child-sagas are also snaring some into dark practices.

So the recent Christianity Today review of this phenomenon titles their article, "There's Power in the Blood." As much as I dislike this magazine's Left-leaning views on many things, they have hit on a key here. The enemy is moving in on the most sacred issue to a true Christian -- the saving shed blood of Jesus Christ.

In the article, University of Richmond English professor Elisabeth Rose Gruner notes that both Christianity and vampirism equate blood with life. She states, "Humans instinctively understand that blood is life-giving. But the blood-drinking aspect of vampirism is a 'ghastly parody of Christianity.' While the Christian believer attains eternal life by accepting the blood freely shed on his or her behalf, the vampire achieves immortality by sucking the life out of another."

So, in spite of what should be obvious, one Christian publishing house after another is turning away solid manuscripts for corrupted ones on this demented topic. What an example of Isaiah 5:20 with evil being called good here. This vampire fascination with blood is trying to rob the pure, atoning nature of Christ's blood.

Christianity Today talks to Allen Arnold of Thomas Nelson Publishers. He states, "Since the story of Christianity is one of redemption, Christian fiction should depict that redemption regardless of the subject matter. Rather than flee from a genre (like vampirism), we prefer to dive in and try to redeem it through a wholly original take." Translate that: Let's follow the money trail.

Friend and ministry colleague Eric Barger sums it up well in his article/brochure, "Bringing 'Twilight' Out Into the Son". "The storyline of Twilight is generally two-faceted. It is first 'boy vampire meets a mortal girl' and secondarily, 'good vampires' fight 'bad vampires.' "

Barger notes that many of the characters in the movie and book series possess supernatural abilities: Mind reading, levitation, lycanthropy, pre-cognitive knowledge of future events (mediumship), super strength, hearing, and speed. They also don't need to eat, sleep or breathe. We're entering the world of divination again. Read Deuteronomy 18. Barger's 8-page brochure is ideal to hand out to teens and others obsessed with Twilight.

If you think Christians would automatically reject this, I will share just one of dozens of e-mails I have gotten from "addicted" Christians. Melanie writes, "I just listened to your radio program on 'Twilight.' I am a huge 'Twilight' fan. I have been obsessed since March of 2009. I have promoted it inside and outside of my church thinking it was just a good love story and an escape from reality. I am a pastoral assistant at my Baptist church and I serve on many committees. I am a born again Christian.

"I thought I would listen to your radio show and dismiss anything that you said. Instead, I am sitting here second-guessing myself. How did I fall in love with these books when I deemed Harry Potter demonic? It bothered me when Bella would discuss her soul, but I pushed that to the side and moved ahead. Now I understand that it was God showing me that these books and movies are not what a Christian should be participating in. Thank you so much for opening my eyes."

Shannon Marchese, senior editor for fiction at WaterBrook, says that while the goal of Christian publishing isn't to emulate worldly trends, it's important to critically engage what consumers are already reading. She says, "Christian vampire fiction allows readers to experience the mythology in a new way." I think she means if something is selling really well, let's offer folks more and more of it and further cash in on the craze.

So, can we find God in all of this? That is, in the books, movies, reviews, discussion questions for church youth groups (yes, you read that right). Harry Potter fans will point to god-like images and comparisons all throughout the book series, so why not see God in Twilight, too? Beth Felker Jones writes in her book, Touched by a Vampire: Discovering the Hidden Messages in the Twilight Saga (Multnomah 2009), that what is the most worrisome issue is that the books and movies are full of spiritual themes.

Twilight deals with the longing human beings have to be transformed, to be set free from our limits and weaknesses. She says, "All of this could open up quite a conversation about the gift of salvation." Oh, really? I guess I'm not connecting the dots but admittedly I don't want to! Come on now, do you want to equate salvation with vampirism? Just the oppositive is true in the books and movies. Bella is willing to sell her soul (and thus her salvation) for Edward.

Eric Barger states in his article/brochure that "Twilight" has been defended as a positive book because it contains no sex, seems to preach abstinence, and includes only mild swearing. He states, "This is simply a lesser-of-the-two-evils approach and while I readily admit that this romantic-styled chick flick is far less ominous than a large number of the books and movies out there today, how can a biblically-minded Christian endorse it as acceptable for a 12-year old?"

Barger says, "No matter how dreamy Hollywood may present Edward Cullen (the chief vampire) to be or how obsessed some junior higher may become with him, Twilight is nothing short of Satan's cloak of evil appearing to be good."

He concludes, "Until the final battle has been fought and the Lord has come with His everlasting and perfect peace, Satan will attempt to prevail through manipulating those whom he may. Stephenie Meyer is just one in a long line of those to whom, without their understanding it, the Evil One has paid big money for their services. Twilight is more than mere entertainment. To some it has become every bit as important and as captivating as a religion."

Never in my lifetime have we had to contend for the faith 24/7. What was once blatantly evil is suddenly ok. Spiritual applications can be made from worldly scenarios. Up is down, down is up, right is wrong, wrong is right, and we're all drinking tea with the Mad Hatter!

This sounds like what might happen in the last days. Are you listening for the sound of the trumpet?

I have done some radio programs on Twilight and the best one is here -- December 6, 2008 -- with Eric Barger and Caryl Matrisciana. I was apologizing for such gross topics back then. I was scolded for doing that and exhorted to keep telling the inconvenient truth. So, I will!

NOTE: For related articles, visit the category of "Spiritual Deception" at our Web site.

Happy Birthday Jesus!!!

Wishing you all a Merry, Merry Christ Birthday Celebration. We are having a candlelight service this Thursday night and we have been studying on Tuesday nights from Luke 2 for the month of December. Detail study leading up to His birth. The greatest event in the history of the world, didn't take place in the city of God, nor was it displayed to the church of that day, but to a small town and a group of shepherds was the announcement of this historious event took place. The Savior of the world came, and will come again.... and again, as I see it, only a few (thoses who are looking) will see it, and experience it when it happens....Keep looking up...He's about to return!!!


Bro. Mike