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A Letter From Douglas


You folks who read my sermons on my web page know I value, welcome and appreciate your feedback, either pro or con. It helps me very much. For instance, consider the following. Hello Pastor Mike, My name is Douglas. I just read your latest sermon and I liked it. I’m sending this email because the things I want to say about it are too long to put in your guest book; plus I’m a little shy. I hope you don’t mind. First off; I want to tell you your sermon got me to thinking and remembering. I agree with what you said about people needing to forgive each other and move on with their lives no matter how bad they were treated. It sure makes sense to me. When I was a little six year old boy my parents weren’t getting along. They went to the minister for counseling. My dad only went one time but my mother kept on going. One day when my dad and I came home from a ball game, there was a note from my mother. She had just up and run off with the minister to another state. We never saw or heard from her again. My dad took to drinking and had a hard time holding on to a job. At first I was real sad but after a while all I could do was be angry. From the time I woke up in the morning to when I went to sleep. Every time I thought about what she had done to us I got sick to my stomach. Sometimes I threw up. I couldn’t help it. They gave me some pills which helped. After a long time I put her out of my mind and forgot about her.

I also liked the part in your sermon when you wrote about Obama’s pastor when you said: “Bird’s of a feather flock together.” I agree with you there, too. I wouldn’t go into his church for anything. I’m a white person. Even though I never did anything to the people in his church; I can tell they wouldn’t like me by the mean things the pastor says about our country and white people when he preaches. I’m glad I don’t know any black people like that. All the ones I know from my job at the hospital are nice to me. I like them a lot; especially the cute one in the cafeteria who always gives me a big smile when she takes my money and gives me change at the check-out.

Anyway, if you’re still reading I have to tell you something else. But even if you’re not reading any more it helps me to write these kinds of things down. So here goes. Truthfully, it isn’t only Obama’s church I wouldn’t go into. I’m real nervous about going into any of them. I’ll tell you why. I got my hands on a bible almost a year ago and I read it a lot. I really like the bible, but to be honest some of it doesn’t make any sense to me. I keep reading it though and then one day I figured out why I was having such a hard time with parts of it. If you don’t mind opening your bible to 1 Corinthians 2: 12-16 you’ll see what I’m getting at.

1 Corinthians 2:12-16 (NIV) 12 We have not received the spirit of the world but the Spirit who is from God, that we may understand what God has freely given us. 13 This is what we speak, not in words taught us by human wisdom but in words taught by the Spirit, expressing spiritual truths in spiritual words. 14 The man without the Spirit does not accept the things that come from the Spirit of God, for they are foolishness to him, and he cannot understand them, because they are spiritually discerned. 15 The spiritual man makes judgments about all things, but he himself is not subject to any man’s judgment: 16 “For who has known the mind of the Lord that he may instruct him?” But we have the mind of Christ.

Boy that was an eye opener. You can understand what the bible is saying because you’re a Christian. But I’m not. Look at what it’s saying about guys like me. For me to understand it I have to have the Spirit. That’s my problem. I’m supposed to think the bible is foolishness, but to be honest, I don’t. I told you before I like it a lot. I’ll tell you one thing I do know though, and it’s what I have to do to inherit eternal life. Look at these verses I wrote down, Pastor Mike.

Matthew 22:36-38 (NIV) 36 “Teacher, which is the greatest commandment in the Law?” 37 Jesus replied: ‘Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind.’ 38 This is the first and greatest commandment.

Mark 12:29-30 (NIV) 29 “The most important one,” answered Jesus, “is this: ‘Hear, O Israel, the Lord our God, the Lord is one. 30 Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind and with all your strength.’

Luke 10:25-28 (NIV) 25 On one occasion an expert in the law stood up to test Jesus. “Teacher,” he asked, “what must I do to inherit eternal life?” 26 “What is written in the Law?” he replied. “How do you read it?” 27 He answered: “‘Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your strength and with all your mind’; and, ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.'” 28 “You have answered correctly,” Jesus replied. “Do this and you will live.”

It’s all over the bible. I may not have the Spirit but what Jesus said is pretty clear to me. And I don’t think the things written in the Bible are foolishness either. If there really is a God, then doing these things makes sense. Except for the part of loving Him with all of my mind. That’s where I get hung up. I’m looking for answers. Every time I think I’m starting to understand more about the bible and visiting a Christian church something seems to be pushing me away. I’ll tell you why in case you’re wondering. My job as a parking garage attendant is pretty quiet between 11 PM and 7 in the morning, so I get a lot of time to read my bible and listen to the radio and tapes. Those people are always quoting the bible. I write the verses down and when I look them up, sure enough, there they are. They sure must be spiritual people. They know a lot more about the bible than I ever will. Anyway, like I said before, just when I think I understand something that seems clear as a bubble; whamo; my mind freezes up just like my computer. Open your bible to the twenty first Chapter of John and you’ll see what I mean.

John 21:1-14 (NIV) 1 Afterward Jesus appeared again to his disciples, by the Sea of Tiberias. It happened this way: 2 Simon Peter, Thomas (called Didymus), Nathanael from Cana in Galilee, the sons of Zebedee, and two other disciples were together. 3 “I’m going out to fish,” Simon Peter told them, and they said, “We’ll go with you.” So they went out and got into the boat, but that night they caught nothing. 4 Early in the morning, Jesus stood on the shore, but the disciples did not realize that it was Jesus. 5 He called out to them, “Friends, haven’t you any fish?” “No,” they answered. 6 He said, “Throw your net on the right side of the boat and you will find some.” When they did, they were unable to haul the net in because of the large number of fish. 7 Then the disciple whom Jesus loved said to Peter, “It is the Lord!” As soon as Simon Peter heard him say, “It is the Lord,” he wrapped his outer garment around him (for he had taken it off) and jumped into the water. 8 The other disciples followed in the boat, towing the net full of fish, for they were not far from shore, about a hundred yards. 9 When they landed, they saw a fire of burning coals there with fish on it, and some bread. 10 Jesus said to them, “Bring some of the fish you have just caught.” 11 Simon Peter climbed aboard and dragged the net ashore. It was full of large fish, 153, but even with so many the net was not torn. 12 Jesus said to them, “Come and have breakfast.” None of the disciples dared ask him, “Who are you?” They knew it was the Lord. 13 Jesus came, took the bread and gave it to them, and did the same with the fish. 14 This was now the third time Jesus appeared to his disciples after he was raised from the dead.

This doesn’t seem too hard for me to understand even if I don’t have the Spirit. And even if I only have a GED! Plus; I’m always trying to learn more things, especially about the bible. Then I read what the radio bible teacher guy say’s about what we just looked up. I sent for his book and got it for nothing. I’m sorry I did because now I’m more confused than I ever was. Anyway, Jesus told His disciples to throw their net on the right side of the boat and they caught 153 fish. Pastor Mike, the radio bible teacher says the bible is teaching here that the 200 cubits is about 2,000 years between the first and second coming of Christ. The teacher says that the most likely date for the birth of Christ is on October 4th, 7BC when something called a Jubilee Trumpet he said was sounded. I couldn’t find where in the bible it said this. Anyway, all I have to do is add 2,000 years minus one year for the year zero and bingo, 1994. The number 153 equals 3 times 3 times 17. Then he says the number three signifies the purpose of God and the number seventeen signifies heaven. From that we can learn that the purpose of God is to bring all believers that are “caught” by the Gospel into heaven.

I may only have a GED but that kind of teaching blows my mind. He was talking about the world coming to an end in 1994. I asked myself what’s he doing still on the radio and selling more books. I looked him up on the web to see what he had to say for himself. This is him writing now, not me. “About thirteen years ago, I wrote a book entitled 1994? In it, I set forth a great amount of information derived solely from the Bible that suggested very strongly that there was a high likelihood that the world would come to an end sometime in the year 1994 A.D. Of course, the world did not end, and now, eleven years later, (that’s when he wrote this Pastor Mike) the world is still here. However, during the past eleven years, God has been opening up to many who are studying the Bible considerable additional information which relates to the unfolding of God’s salvation plan. When this additional information was integrated into the information which was set forth in the book 1994? we knew indeed the year 1994 was an extremely important year. Moreover, we will discover that now, as we understand the Bible, it was the year 1994 in which Christ came a second time to begin the completion of the evangelization of His true people. We also have found considerable evidence that there is a high likelihood that the year 2011 will be the year in which the end will come. Nothing has changed in God’s program. The Bible has simply made a correction on our course toward truth!”  “Moreover, if the Bible teacher who dares to suggest a date is trusted by many, there may be confusion or hurt and disappointment in the lives of many of these trusting individuals. Having said this, let us look for a moment at the responsibility of a Bible teacher. Ordinarily, if a very responsible teacher teaches a doctrine as Bible truth, but later he is corrected by further study of the Bible, it is not looked upon by others as a dreadfully serious matter. Fact is, there will be those who will sincerely appreciate the honesty of the teacher as he makes correction to his wrong doctrine.”

If that’s supposed to be some kind of an apology Pastor Mike, I don’t get it. He doesn’t even seem sorry for what he did. How about you? What do you think? I hope you won’t think I’m being disrespectful, but the Bible teacher reminds me of Obama’s pastor. Oh, he doesn’t rant and rave like the Rev. Wright, but his anger is easy to spot by the way he’s always knocking Christian pastors. He almost never has anything good to say about them. He is always finding fault with them. If you listen to him as much as I have you sure get the impression that he is a very angry man when it comes to Christian pastors and Christian Churches. I can’t help but feel that he actually hates pastors and what he calls organized Christian churches. Actually, he says they all have Satan standing up there preaching, looking just like a man because the Holy Spirit has left organized churches. That’s who he reminds me of, Satan. The Bible says he’s accusing God’s children night and day. I looked up what his names means. It means the accuser. This Bible teacher doesn’t really sound like he’s a Christian to me. I like what you said in one of your other sermons about people who say they are Christians but it’s hard to tell if they really are.

“Not only will we know but all people will know our faith is real, because of the love we have for fellow Christians, warts and all. We find ourselves wanting to associate with people we ordinarily wouldn’t have anything to do with. We want to be near them so that we can learn how we might be used by God to become a blessing to them as they also struggle through this alien world on their way to our real home. By our words and deeds we want to demonstrate that we truly care about them. We won’t obsess over the sometimes irritating characteristics of other Christians and pointing each and every one of them out as the devil is so fond of doing. We’re hoping our non-judgmental acceptance of them, will enable them to see a little bit of Christ’ love shining down on them through us.”

Some Christian’s seem to delight in putting other Christians down. They have blinded themselves by their anger over the perceived shortcomings of other Christians. So much so, that they do not see other peoples good points. They focus on and quickly point out Christians flaws much like the Devil does. He constantly slanders the children of God. They become enraged at fellow Christians who see things differently that they do. In ‘The Parable of the Unforgiving Servant’ Jesus told His disciples about a servant who pleaded with his master for patience and mercy concerning a debt he owed. The man’s master forgave him but the servant in turn wouldn’t forgive someone else who was in a similar situation.[i]

Matthew 18:32-34 (NIV) 32 “Then the master called the servant in. ‘You wicked servant,’ he said, ‘I canceled all that debt of yours because you begged me to. 33 Shouldn’t you have had mercy on your fellow servant just as I had on you?’ 34 In anger his master turned him over to the jailers to be tortured, until he should pay back all he owed.

Now read what Jesus says next.

Matthew 18:35 (NIV) 35 “This is how my heavenly Father will treat each of you unless you forgive your brother from your heart.”

Here’s some more about what Jesus says.

Matthew 5:21-22 (NIV) 21 “You have heard that it was said to the people long ago, ‘Do not murder, and anyone who murders will be subject to judgment.’ 22 But I tell you that anyone who is angry with his brother will be subject to judgment. Again, anyone who says to his brother, ‘Raca,’ is answerable to the Sanhedrin. But anyone who says, ‘You fool!’ will be in danger of the fire of hell.

Ephesians 4:29-32 (NIV) 29 Do not let any unwholesome talk come out of your mouths, but only what is helpful for building others up according to their needs, that it may benefit those who listen. 30 And do not grieve the Holy Spirit of God, with whom you were sealed for the day of redemption. 31 Get rid of all bitterness, rage and anger, brawling and slander, along with every form of malice. 32 Be kind and compassionate to one another, forgiving each other, just as in Christ God forgave you.

1 John 2:9 (NIV) 9 Anyone who claims to be in the light but hates his brother is still in the darkness.

1 John 3:15 (NIV) 15 Anyone who hates his brother is a murderer, and you know that no murderer has eternal life in him.

You said it in last week’s sermon Pastor Mike. If God has indeed forgiven us, the Holy Spirit will be living inside of us and He will manifest His presence by inclining us to sincerely want to forgive others just as we have been forgiven by God in Christ Jesus. We must “Hate sin always; hate sin in the sinner always, but never hate the sinner. Both sides of the truth are absolutely essential. Sin must never be condoned. Sin must never be excused. Sin must always be condemned.”[ii] The bottom line is that if we won’t forgive, we can be certain we have not been reborn in Christ.

Galatians 5:19-21 (NIV) 19 The acts of the sinful nature are obvious: sexual immorality, impurity and debauchery; 20 idolatry and witchcraft; hatred, discord, jealousy, fits of rage, selfish ambition, dissensions, factions 21 and envy; drunkenness, orgies, and the like. I warn you, as I did before, that those who live like this will not inherit the kingdom of God.

Here’s one of my favorites. I like it a lot, Pastor Mike. How about you?

Colossians 3:12-17 (NIV) 12 Therefore, as God’s chosen people, holy and dearly loved, clothe yourselves with compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness and patience. 13 Bear with each other and forgive whatever grievances you may have against one another. Forgive as the Lord forgave you. 14 And over all these virtues put on love, which binds them all together in perfect unity. 15 Let the peace of Christ rule in your hearts, since as members of one body you were called to peace. And be thankful. 16 Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly as you teach and admonish one another with all wisdom, and as you sing psalms, hymns and spiritual songs with gratitude in your hearts to God. 17 And whatever you do, whether in word or deed, do it all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through him.

Oh, before I forget it; I want to tell you something that I can’t explain. It happened to me while I was writing all this down. I don’t know how, but now I know without a doubt in my mind and I now believe with all of my heart, that it’s all true what Jesus told that man one night. You know the one, I’m sure.

John 3:16 (NIV) 16 “For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life.

Oh, there’s one more thing. I know that if I keep listening to this Bible teacher, then I’m not really worshiping God with all of my mind. That’s it for me. Next Sunday I’m going to church with that cute girl in the cafeteria. She invited me, and I’m going. I can hardly wait to get there. Thanks for listening to me Pastor Mike. Your friend, Douglas.

And thank you, too, Douglas for bringing us this morning’s message. May it please our Lord to make it a blessing to all the folks who just heard it and those who may read it later.


[i] ENTERINING INTO THE LIGHT, JULY 1, 2007.

[ii] Darkness and Light, © 1982 D. Martyn Lloyd-Jones, Baker Books, p. 235.

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April 13, 2008 Posted by Categories: Uncategorized 4 comments

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