Signing off for now. okie preacher is no more. We are moving to Tomball, Texas. I will be starting a new Blog and you can reach me at randall.slack@mail.com.

God Bless and keep you all.

Grace and peace be unto you...

Sunday Quotes

Thousands and tens of thousands have sought for pardon at the mercy-seat of Christ, and not one has ever returned to say that he sought in vain. Sinners of every name and nation—sinners of every sort and description—have knocked at the door of the fold, and none have ever been refused admission. If the way which the Gospel sets before us were a new and untraveled way—we might well feel faint-hearted. But it is not so. It is an old path. It is a path worn by the feet of many pilgrims, and a path in which the footsteps are all one way. The treasury of Christ’s mercies has never been found empty. The well of living waters has never proved dry. - J.C. Ryle

So often we have a kind of vague, wistful longing that the promises of Jesus should be true. The only way really to enter into them is to believe them with the clutching intensity of a drowning man. - William Barclay

Unfathomable oceans of grace are in Christ for you. Dive and dive again, you will never come to the bottom of these depths. How many millions of dazzling pearls and gems are at this moment hid in the deep recesses of the ocean caves. - Robert Murray M'Cheyne

Nobody ever got anything from God on the grounds that he deserved it. Haven fallen, man deserves only punishment and death. So if God answers prayer it's because God is good. From His goodness, His lovingkindness, His good-natured benevolence, God does it! That's the source of everything. - A. W. Tozer

Where does your security lie? Is God your refuge, your hiding place, your stronghold, your shepherd, your counselor, your friend, your redeemer, your saviour, your guide? If He is, you don't need to search any further for security. - Elisabeth Elliot

The reason the Evangelical Church is in decline...

"Once you begin to covet political power and influence, you lose the prophetic voice." - Jon Clayton

You can read Jon's Blog daily over at http://laboringinthelord.com/

Are U.S. evangelicals losing their influence on America?

http://blog.christianitytoday.com/ctliveblog/archives/2011/06/poll_evangelica.html

Sunday Quotes

The certainty that God is always near us, present in all parts of His world, closer to us than our thoughts, should maintain us in a state of happiness most of the time. But not all the time. It would be less than honest to promise every believer continual jubilee and less than realistic to expect it. As a child may cry out in pain even when sheltered in its mother's arms, so a Christian may sometime know what it is to suffer even in the conscious presence of God. Though "always rejoicing," Paul admitted that he was sometimes sorrowful, and for our sakes Christ experienced strong crying and tears though He never left the bosom of the Father (John 1:18). - A. W. Tozer

If through faith you have placed your eternal destiny in the loving hands of Jesus Christ, you can be sure that God is at work, shaping the events and circumstances of your life into a beautiful mosaic that will reveal His Son to the men and women around you. His hand is on you, as it has been since before you were born. - Chuck Smith

Where does your security lie? Is God your refuge, your hiding place, your stronghold, your shepherd, your counselor, your friend, your redeemer, your saviour, your guide? If He is, you don't need to search any further for security. Elisabeth Elliot

And when it rains on your parade, look up rather than down. Without the rain, there would be no rainbow. G. K. Chesterton

Remember it is the very time for faith to work when sight ceases. The greater the difficulties, the easier for faith; as long as there remain certain natural prospects, faith does not get on even as easily as where natural prospects fail. - George Mueller

We could never be brave and patient if there were only joy in the world. - Helen Keller

Teach us, O Lord, the disciplines of patience, for to wait is often harder than to work. - Peter Marshall

Saturday Satire

Sunday Quotes

An infinite God can give all of Himself to each of His children. He does not distribute Himself that each may have a part, but to each one He gives all of Himself as fully as if there were no others. - A. W. Tozer

God never made out a long contract that says, “Abide by all my terms and I will love you and bless you; but if you violate even the smallest provision, it’s all null and void and you are out of My kingdom!” Christians are not bound by any heavy contract to God. Paul declared that the only thing that constrained him was the love of Jesus Christ (II Corinthians 5:14). - Chuck Smith

Do you ever think, God can't love me today. I don't even love myself. I am miserable. Does God love us less when we have failed? No. Our standing before God is not based on our performance, but upon our faith in what Jesus has done on the cross. Because of Him, we are blessed with a beautiful, stable, loving relationship with our Father. - Chuck Smith

If you look at the world, you’ll be distressed.
If you look within, you’ll be depressed.
If you look at Christ, you’ll be at rest. - Corrie Ten Boom

God never made a promise that was too good to be true. Dwight L. Moody

Robert Dick Wilson, who mastered over 45 different languages in his lifetime, in order to read the manuscripts of the Bible in their original languages, after a dissertation to his students on the complete trustworthiness of Scripture, said with tears: “Young men, there are many mysteries in this life I do not pretend to understand, many things hard to explain. But I can tell you this morning with the fullest assurance, that, ‘Jesus loves me, this I know, for the Bible tells me so.’” - From the Book, “Which Bible,” by David Fuller

God always gives His best to those who leave the choice with him. - Jim Elliot

An Excellent Article by Dr. James Emery White...

Baptists and Baptisms - Dr. James Emery White Christian Blog
http://www.crosswalk.com/blogs/dr-james-emery-white/baptists-and-baptisms.html?utm_source=Crosswalk_Daily_Update&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=06/14/2011

"Profiling" in Church

Ever notice that most churches have a "profile?" It's not something that is spoken or even part of the "Requirements for Membership;" but its still there.

What am I talking about? Well, most churches have a "target group." That's a certain demographic (I hate that word) that they are trying to appeal to. It can be, for example, Youth, or 20 somethings, or even 30 somethings.

Now if you fit into their "profile" then you are catered to in almost every way. You and your children are entertained. "Messages" targeted to what you like or are dealing with one an everyday basis. A series of "messages" are "targeted" to you, all designed to make you happier, comfortable, even wealthier. "Messages" are carefully worded to avoid offending anyone.

Now, if you don't fit into their "profile" then you are basically ignored until you leave; or die. (Whatever comes first).

The basic problem with this (besides being un-biblical) is that it creates two classes of "Christians." One is "in;" the other is "out." If you are "in", God can use you in a special way; if you are "out," well you need to find another place to worship (there is little hope of God every using someone like you).

More often than not, I am in the "out" category. You see, I am a 58 year old ex-pastor who taught the Bible verse-by-verse and actually believed that it has more to offer than books written by the "hip" so-called "christian" authors. (I even believe in Hell; scandalous, isn't it?).

Being in the "out" category is kinda cool. Read what Harley Howard wrote about A. W. Tozer:

"A. W Tozer, unquestionably one of the greatest men who ever preached the Bible, was a man ridiculed while he lived because he was so "out of touch" with the religious establishment around him. What made him so "out of touch" with those around him was the fact that he was so "in touch" with God."

Oh, yeah, and there was another fella who was "out." His Name is Jesus, and he was so far "out" that they crucified Him.

So, if you find yourself on the "outside;" don't bother looking in. You won't like what you see.

Saturday Satire

What's on your mind?

Forcing You Will Upon God

When you force your will upon God, you are always setting yourself up for failure. What seems sweet in the beginning, is always a bitter thing in the end.

Randall Slack

Psalms 106:15, “And he gave them their request; but sent leanness into their soul.”

The world does not object to your being a Christian for a time, if she can but tempt you to cease your pilgrimage and settle down to buy and sell with her in Vanity Fair. The flesh will seek to ensnare you, and to prevent your pressing on to glory. “It is weary work being a pilgrim; come, give it up. Am I always to be mortified? Am I never to be indulged? Give me at least a furlough from this constant warfare.” Satan will make many a fierce attack on your perseverance; it will be the mark for all his arrows. He will strive to hinder you in service: he will insinuate that you are doing no good; and that you want rest. He will endeavor to make you weary of suffering, he will whisper, “Curse God, and die.” Or he will attack your steadfastness: “What is the good of being so zealous? Be quiet like the rest; sleep as do others, and let your lamp go out as the other virgins do.” Or he will assail your doctrinal sentiments: “Why do you hold to these denominational creeds? Sensible men are getting more liberal; they are removing the old landmarks: fall in with the times.” Wear your shield, Christian, therefore, close upon your armor, and cry mightily unto God, that by his Spirit you may endure to the end.

C. H. Spurgeon (1834 – 1892)

What do these two verses have in common?

Ephesians 5:18-19:

"...but be filled with the Spirit, speaking to one another in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing and making melody in your heart to the Lord, giving thanks always for all things to God the Father in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ."

Colossians 3:16: "Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly in all wisdom, teaching and admonishing one another in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing with grace in your hearts to the Lord."

Answer: The Spirit-Filled Christian is the Word-Filled Christian and the Word-Filled Christian is the Spirit-Filled Christian.

You cannot have one without the other. If you are filled with the Spirit, you will fill yourself with the Word of God; And if you fill yourself with the Word, you will be filled with the Spirit.

False Ministers

The apostles of Satan are not abortionists and sex traffickers, but are for the most part ordained ministers. Thousands of those who occupy our post-modern pulpits are no longer engaged in presenting the fundamentals of the Christian Faith, but have turned aside from the Truth and have given heed unto fables. Instead of magnifying the enormity of sin and setting forth its eternal consequences, they minimize it by declaring that sin is merely ignorance or the absence of good. Instead of warning their hearers to “flee from the wrath to come” they make God a liar by declaring that He is too loving and merciful to send any of His own creatures to eternal torment. Instead of declaring that “without shedding of blood is no remission,” they merely hold up Christ as the great Exemplar and exhort their hearers to “follow in His steps.” Of them it must be said, “For they being ignorant of God’s righteousness and going about to establish their own righteousness, have not submitted themselves unto the righteousness of God” ( Romans 10:3).

Their message may sound very plausible and their aim appear very praiseworthy, yet we read of them— “for such are false apostles, deceitful workers, transforming themselves (imitating) into the apostles of Christ. And no marvel; for Satan himself is transformed into an angel of light. Therefore, it is no great thing [not to be wondered at] if his ministers also be transformed as the ministers of righteousness, whose end shall be according to their works” (2 Corinthians 11:13-15).

In addition to the fact that today hundreds of churches are without a leader who faithfully declares the whole counsel of God and presents His way of salvation, we also have to face the additional fact that the majority of people in these churches are very unlikely to learn the Truth themselves.

A. W. Pink (1886–1952)

Memorial Day

Today, as we go about our activities, barbecuing, visiting with friends, boating, laughing, let us remember those who died for the freedoms we enjoy. And say a pray for their families who gave their sons and daughters for us.

Sunday Quotes

Of all things, guard against neglecting God in the secret place of prayer. William Wilberforce

Prayer is not so much an act as it is an attitude—an attitude of dependency, dependency upon God. Arthur W. Pink

I think that some of the greatest prayer is where you don’t say one single word or ask for anything. A. W. Tozer

The Christian on his knees sees more than the philosopher on tiptoe. D. L. Moody

The prayer power has never been tried to its full capacity. If we want to see mighty wonders of divine power and grace wrought in the place of weakness, failure and disappointment, let us answer God’s standing challenge, “Call unto me, and I will answer thee, and show thee great and mighty things which thou knowest not!’” Hudson Taylor

Prayer is as natural an expression of faith as breathing is of life. Jonathan Edwards

A Personal Post

My daughter, Rachel, is Bi-polar. It is heartbreaking to watch her suffer. One day, on top of the world; then next day, the world on top of her. Last week, she hit bottom. While she did not go to the hospital, she did confess to me Thursday that she had thoughts of suicide (last week). God has told me not to try to “fix” her; He said, “I am working in her life and I will take care of her.” If you have a child that is suffering, you know how hard it is to watch. Yet, God is working, you just have to trust Him and wait (I hate that part).

This week, she is doing well. Here is a poem she wrote yesterday:

"Not finished yet but I like where it’s going. Again, I hear it as music not just spoken word. I sound a little like yoda in one line, but I wanted to make it work! LOL!

5/27
Your light is my shield
Your love is my sun
It’s your banner over me
And under it I run

Into the battle
At peace and unafraid
You are for me and so against me
Will not prosper even one plan laid

You are for me
You are with me
You go before me
You’re underneath me
You are big enough
And strong enough
And I will never be ashamed
Those who hope in you won’t ever be ashamed!"

Thank God for His faithfulness and overwhelming Grace. Thank you Father for working in the life of my little girl. She has always been yours, you just lent her to me for a time. I still love her so and my heart breaks; yet, at the same time, I see you work in her life and I am blown away! Thank yo my King. Praise you Holy Name!

LEAVEN OF HEROD, by Gayle D. Erwin

Just had to post this from Gayle:

"Jesus issued the warning, "Beware the leaven of Herod" (Mark 8:15). Yes, he warned of other leavens-- Pharisees, Sadducees, Scribes--but the leaven of Herod gets ignored. We can ignore it no longer.

While the Pharisees (fundamentalists) and the Sadducees (liberals) represented the extremes of the religious world (against which Jesus warned), Herod symbolized the political world. Actually we have violated all of the Leaven warnings of Jesus, but strange companions have been uncovered in the bedroom of Herod. In the day of Jesus, the Sadducees, from what we might call a "liberal" stance, had chosen to make some political compromises with the ruling country of Rome. As a result, Rome decreed that the chief priest would be a Sadducee. Thus, the political bedfellows were Herod and the Sadducees.

Today, we have kicked those Liberals out (Herod is safely still in bed) and we conservatives (Pharisees?) have crawled under the sheets in the political arena. Why did we do that? Simply because we believed that the salvation of our country depended on our ability to rope the raging bull of political power and get him in our corral.

OUR MAN

The dream was clear: We must get "our man" in office, then everything will he all right. We had set the stage well. Books like The Power and the Glory and our frequent preaching of the tea, "If my people, who are called by my name, will humble themselves and pray and seek my face and turn from their wicked ways, then will I bear from heaven and will forgive their sin and will heal their land," (2 Chronicles 7:14) had led us to believe that we were the new "chosen people" and that the United States had replaced Israel as the central focus of the Bible. The implications that followed were obvious:

If the United States were the new "promised land" and "God's Chosen," then, Like the Pharisees and Sadducees, we must do something about Herod. Back then the Pharisees despised Herod, The Sadducees compromised with him and other major groups such as the zealots (radical activists) fought with him and the Essenes (monastics) withdrew from him. The Zealots still fight, the Essenes still withdraw, the Sadducees lick their wounds of diminished power, but now the Pharisees are doing the compromising with Herod.

We have hoped in three Christian presidents in succession. About each of them I have heard many stories of spiritual commitment and dedication to Biblical standards. Stories abounded of who became Christian by walking what aisle; of who prayed with whom; of the sincerity of voice when prayer was requested; of who was pastor of whom.

The question is not whether all of the above stories are true. I'm sure they are. The question is whether we should put our hope in Herod--any of our hope--even just a tiny bit, like leaven.

Each president, regardless of his commitment to Christ, has failed to place us at the right hand of God and failed to place us in dominion over the world. What a pity. It wasn't because we didn't try hard enough.

I have never seen such frenzied and unquestioning political activity on the part of church people, all of it built around the argument, "When we take over, or when our man gets in, we will turn this country around and have utopia."

Now, (Would you believe it?) a whole new theology has sprung up preaching that we should be the Herod. This theology flies several banners: "Dominion Theology, "Kingdom Now Theology," "Restoration Theology." The bottom line of these approaches is that we Christians should take over all the power centers (financial, governmental etc.) of the world and establish the Kingdom of God so Jesus can come back and reign. They must think that this great we called the Church is better qualified, organized and trained to be the Herod than Nixon, Carter or Reagan were. It seems that I hear the mother of James and John asking for some special privilege for her good boys again. Somehow we think that power corrupts everyone else, but we are in a special category. We never learn.

PILGRIM'S PROGRESS

The Bible is filled with scriptures that should give us pause before we plunge headlong into redemption by world power. Jesus informed Pilate that his kingdom was "not of this world" else his followers would fight. When Jesus told us we should be as the "younger," he was placing us in the category of pilgrim, even rebel. The younger was one who had little or no stake in the system of the world. The status quo was not his friend. We have abandoned that stance in order to become as the elder brother. We now wish to be the establishment. Jesus died "outside the gate" in shame. We want to live inside the gate in honor. (Hebrews 13:11-13) "Here we do not have an enduring city..." (Hebrews 13:14) but we are trying to prove the Scripture wrong and build our enduring city now.

We are no longer "looking for a city that is to come." (Hebrews 13:14) We have decided that that city is now in the United States and we get to build it."

Isaiah learned a lesson appropriate for our day. Uzziah may have been Isaiah's hero and candidate for messiah, but then a terrible thing happened--Uzziah died! (Isaiah 6) Then Isaiah records his incredible vision that resulted. "In the year Uzziah died, 1 saw the Lord..." At that same time, he also saw himself and his people as having unclean lips and needing help from the altar of heaven. I hope I can see this lesson clearly.

Perhaps, if we applied this passage to our day, we would have to say: "In the year that Nixon discovered Watergate, I saw the Lord..." " In the year that Khomeini discovered Carter, I saw the Lord..." "In the year that Reagan discovered the stars, I saw the Lord..." "In the year that the USA discovered drugs, I saw the Lord..." In the year Robertson discovered the Baptists of South Carolina, I saw the Lord..."


SO, WHAT NOW?

So, having said all of this, what is my answer. It is too simple. We are people of hope and our hope is in Jesus and him alone. If our hope is in this life, as Paul reveals, we are most miserable, but we are people of a different Kingdom whose rules the world cannot understand and whose establishment waits a returning king. In the meantime, the king rules in our hearts and in our actions.

We are to be a people who are not fooled by any of Herod's seductive ways. We can even be brave enough (as Jesus was) to say to a threatening Herod, "Tell that Fox" that we will go on healing and doing the work of God's kingdom until we reach our goal. (Luke 13:32) We will focus our attention on Jesus himself and do all we can to make his Name known. We will refuse to be identified by any party or power of our day. We are His. Does this mean we must have nothing to do with politics? Not at all. We must be as good as we can and as involved as we must for this day, but never lose our understanding that we are not people whose destiny is "this day.

The rules of the political world have not changed: Rule 1, get in power; Rule 2, stay in power; Rule 3, increase your power. The power to wash feet, to serve, is an afterthought, if it is thought at all. We must never hope that any of the systems of this world carry an ounce of redemption for us. I often told my students that maturity was simply being disillusioned and handling it wisely and that I prayed they would be disillusioned quickly so they would place faith in only God himself. Hopefully, we have now been disillusioned by the political world, and our hearts long for the government to be "upon his shoulder." Let us see the Lord."

-Gayle D. Erwin

On January 13, 1947, U.S. Senate Chaplain Peter Marshall stated: "The choice before us is plain: Christ or chaos, conviction or compromise, discipline or disintegration. I am rather tired of hearing about our rights...The time is come...to hear about responsibilities...America's future depends upon her accepting and demonstrating God's government." Opening a session of the 80th Congress, July 3, 1947, Peter Marshall prayed: "God of our Fathers...may it be ever understood that our Liberty is under God and...to the extent that America honors Thee, wilt Thou bless America."

Chase "Freedom"

I just got a letter from Chase for a credit card called (of all things) "Freedom." Here are some facts about credit cards:

1) If you pay the minimum every month on what you owe, you will never pay off the balance.

2) Your minimum payment is almost all interest (that means that very little goes to the principle).

3) You will end up paying interest on the interest they are charging you.

4) Banks know that loaning you money will make them a boatload of cash.

5) The average person owes $1,600 on every credit card they possess; and most have at least 3.

6) Most people who use credit cards for every purchase have no savings account.

7) Most people who have credit card debt, are one or two paychecks away from bankruptcy.


Now, some facts about whether or not you have a problem with credit:

1) If you are making the minimum payment every month, you have a problem.

2) If you use one credit card to pay off another, you have a problem.

3) If you are a compulsive spender, you have a problem.

4) If you cannot pay off the balance every month, you have a problem.

The solution:

1) Buy a Dave Ramsey book and study it. (Don't charge it on your credit card!)

2) Call your creditors and level with them. Most will work with you.

3) Consider a non-profit credit counseling agency (be careful, there are some "shady" groups out there.

Getting into debt is easier than getting out of debt. It will be very painful to get out, but it will be the best thing you can do for yourselves and your children.

Make a budget; stick to it. Drive used cars; don't buy designer clothes; stay home and eat; never go to the grocery store hungry.

Finally, pray and ask forgiveness from God and for His assistance.

There is no "Freedom" in credit card debt, only bondage,"The rich rules over the poor, And the borrower is servant to the lender." (Proverbs 22:7, NKJV).

You can do it, but it is going to be painful. How do I know? Because I was once you. And by the Grace of God, we are debt free. If He can do it for me, He can do it for you.