Now, the part of the chapter that I'd like to focus on there is beginning in verse number 24 where the Bible reads, and when they were come to Capernaum, they that received tribute money came to Peter and said, “Doth not your master pay tribute?” He saith, “Yes,” and when he was coming to the house, Jesus prevented him saying, “What thinkest thou, Simon, of whom do the kings of the earth take customer or tribute of their own children or of strangers?” Peter saith unto him, “Of strangers.” Jesus saith unto him, “Then are the children free?” Notwithstanding, lest we should offend them, go thou to the sea, and cast an hook, and take up the fist that firth cometh up; and when thou hath opened his mouth, thou shalt find a piece of money: that take, and give unto them for Me and Thee.
I think that this passage right here in Matthew 17 is Jesus Christ’s most clear teaching on taxes and about paying taxes. Now, a lot of people will often make reference to the story where Jesus Christ says to render unto Caesar that which is Caesar’s. That comes later in the Book of Matthew in chapter 22, but it’s amazing how you never hear about this story, it seems like. You’re always hearing that other story over and over again, and nobody really talks about this passage which is the crystal clear passage that explains a biblicosophy toward taxes.
Now, when you look at what Jesus is saying in this story, He clearly tells Peter that He does not believe that he owes these taxes. He does not believe that he should have to pay these taxes. Do you get that out of the passage? Because they’re coming to him and saying, “Doesn’t your master pay tribute?” The words “tribute and custom,” these are all just words for taxes. Because of the fact that governments always like to call taxes by a lot of different names, fees, insurance for this or that. They just couch all these taxes with all these terminology.
That’s what He’s talking about, and they are saying, “Look, doesn’t your master pay taxes? Does he pay tribute?” Peter says yes. Then, he goes in, and before he has a chance to even ask Jesus about it, and say, “The IRS is here,” before he even has a chance to say that, Jesus being a prophet, being the Son of God, knowing all things, He stops him and answers the question before Peter even asked, and He explains to Peter philosophically why He and Peter should not have to pay taxes.
Then, He says in verse 27, notwithstanding or in spite of that, lest we should offend them, go thou to the sea, and cast an hook, and take up the fist that firth cometh up; and when thou hath opened his mouth, thou shalt find a piece of money: that take, and give unto them for Me and Thee. Now, let me ask you this, does it seem like protesting taxes was a big part of Jesus’ ministry?
Audience: No.
Pastor Anderson: It seems like Jesus is on a mission to fight against having to pay these unfair taxes. No, that’s not what He is doing. He just says, let’s not offend them. Let’s not fight with them over this. Let me ask you, was Jesus afraid of offending people other times in His ministry?
Audience: No.
Pastor Anderson: He’s constantly offending people. He’s constantly preaching things and the disciples even came up to Him in a sermon that He preached, and said, “Don’t know you that the Pharisees were offended in what you just said?” Then, He just starts preaching even harder against the Pharisees. Then, when the lawyer said, “Hey, you’re offending us.” Then, He changed His sermon. He was preaching against the Pharisees but when the lawyers said they’re offended, He changed His sermon, “Woe unto you, lawyers,” and just started going after the lawyers. The bottom line is Jesus Christ is not afraid of offending people but He wasn’t willing to offend people over this. To Him, this was an issue that wasn’t important enough to fight with them about. He just said, just pay the stupid thing.
Go to Matthew 22, and we’ll look at the famous story in Matthew 22. Matthew 22. While you’re turning there, let me just give you this reminder from the Book of Proverbs because then, I’m going to explain to you what I am going to preach about this morning. Here is a reminder from the Book of Proverbs 18:13, He that answereth a matter before he heareth it, it is folly and shame unto him. Did you hear that? He that answereth a matter before he heareth it, it is folly and shame unto him. Don’t just start tuning me out once you hear what the sermon is about, and just decide that I’m wrong, and I don’t want to hear this. Why don’t you just listen to what the Word of God is saying? Everything I am preaching this morning, I am proving from the Bible. I am using Scripture as the basis here. I want you to just listen and not jump to conclusions, or get emotional, or just decide that I’m wrong before you’ve even heard what I have to say.
Look at Matthew 22:15. It says, then went the Pharisees, and took counsel how they might entangle him in his talk, and then sent out unto him their disciples with the Herodians saying, “Master, we know that thou art true, and teachest the way of God in truth.” Now, are these people being sincere when they say that? No. Wicked ungodly people who are trying to trap you, and to trick you, and deceive you, they’ll often use flattery, the Bible tells us. Flattery is when people lay a bunch of compliments on you to try to get your trust and your confidence. You got to be aware of that.
These people are just these lying evil people, and they want to get Jesus into trouble with the law is what they’re trying to do. They’re trying to entangle Him with His talk, they’re trying to tempt him to say something that they can later use against Him because remember, these people are eventually going to get Jesus arrested, and they’re eventually going to get Him convicted and crucified. When they go through that process, they’re seeking false witnesses to try to accuse Him of something because they have no crime to accuse Him of. He was without fault. They’re trying to get something that they can use against Him so they sent these lying deceivers to come in and flatter Him, and say, “We know that thou art true, and teachest the way of God in truth.” Trying to get Jesus’ guard down.
It says, neither carest thou for any man: for thou regardest not the person of men. Verse 17, tell us therefore, what thinkest thou? Is it lawful to give tribute unto Caesar or not? But Jesus perceived their wickedness, and said, “Why tempt ye me, hypocrites. Show Me the tribute money, and they brought unto Him a penny, and he saith unto them, “Whose is this image and superscription?” They say unto him, “Caesar’s.” Then, saith He unto them, “Render therefore unto Caesar the things which are Caesar’s, and unto God the things that are God’s.” When they had heard these words, they marveled, and left him, and went their way.
Now, look. The same thing is going on today as what’s going on in Matthew 22, there truly is nothing new under the sun. Just as Jesus Christ was attacked by people who were trying to use taxes as a way to entangle Him, as a way to accuse Him, as a way to malign Him, and speak evil of Him, the same thing is being used today where people are trying to use this issue to attack men of God who are following Christ. Just as they attacked Christ, they will attack the followers of Christ, and they will use issues like this that are really not Biblical, spiritual issues. Jesus Christ was not a crusader on this issue. It’s clear from both passages.
The first passage He says, I don’t believe in paying these taxes but we’re just going to pay it because we don’t care. We don’t want to offend them. We’re not going to fight over this. Just give them the money. We wish that we could pay taxes as easily as Jesus did where He just performs a miracle and the fish has a gold coin in its mouth. With God, our taxes would be one coin. Nowadays, He’d have to send a whale. It wouldn’t be a fish with a gold coin. You have to get a whale that has swallowed a whole suitcases of money in order to pay the taxes as the taxes are so high. Then, in Matthew 22, He is basically saying, this doesn’t concern me. I don’t care. This isn’t my face on this coin, it’s Caesar. Just give it to him, who cares. This wasn’t some big issue that He is making a centerpiece of His ministry at all. Now, this is the Bible’s teaching on taxes.
Now, what I want to preach about this morning, and again, I want you to hear me out this morning because I know that there is some people in this room who’d probably disagree with what I’m going to preach this morning. Listen, that’s okay if you disagree with what I preach. I think the vast majority of people agree with me on this but there are some people who I’m sure disagree. That’s okay, I am not mad at you. I don’t think you’re a bad person if you disagree with me on this issue but I am telling you something, I am going to preach what the Bible teaches on this issue, and I want to lay it to rest, and honestly, there’s a lot of deception out there on this issue. I want to clear it up.
That is this issue where people are saying, “Hey, 501c3 churches are of the devil.” Who’s heard this teaching that says 501c3 churches, they’re wicked, they’re of the devil, they’re in bed with the government, they’re a state-sponsored church, all these things. I am going to show you today that that’s a lie. Now, let me say this first of all, our church, Faithful Word Baptist Church is not 501c3-certified but let me tell you something, to sit there, and lie, and attack good churches that are 501c3, and I am going to prove, and I got it right here printed out from the IRS tax code section 501c3. Instead of just telling rumor on the internet, or what some guy gets up and says, or some websites, this is the source. This is statute 501c3 in my hand, as well as subsection H to which it refers.
I am going to show you the truth about this today from the Bible and from the tax code itself. You say, why would you even preach about this? Honestly, there’s been a long time that people have said, you need to preach about that but I just didn’t want to preach about it because I am like Jesus, I don’t care about it but the reason that I have to preach about it today is because there are so many good men of God that are being falsely accused, and lied about, and blasphemed, and there are so much deception that it’s just spreading, and all kinds of people are getting out of church over it, they’re falsely accusing men of God, and let me tell you, I believe that this movement is of the devil.
Now, I am not saying that people, who believe in this, are of the devil. Of course not but I am saying that people behind it, I am going to prove you, I am going to show you who is behind this movement, who started this movement, and that he is an unsaved false prophet. I am just going to get to the bottom of it today scripturally but let’s see what the Bible teaches about this subject. Go to 2 Timothy 2. We’ve already seen some teachings from Jesus Christ in the Book of Matthew where he gave His view on taxes.
Now, let me just start out by saying this, I pay taxes. I file my taxes every year and I pay the amount that they want me to pay but I believe like Jesus that we should not have to pay taxes. There was no income tax before 1913. I do not believe that we, if we’re supposedly living in a free country, should be signing over 30, 40, 50% of our income to the government if we’re supposedly living in a free country, especially since all that money is just going to the bankers, all that money is going to the military industrial complex, it’s all going toward wickedness that I don’t believe in.
I am right there with Jesus saying, if we were free like we supposedly are, we should not have to pay this but I pay the taxes for one reason, not to be put in prison. Now, you say, “Pastor Anderson, you’re a coward, you’re a hypocrite because you don’t want to go to prison.” Now, listen, I am willing to go to prison for preaching the Bible. I am willing to go to prison for obeying anything that the Bible tells me to do. Anything that this Book says to do, I will do it even if it means me going to prison, but I am not willing to go to prison or something the Bible did not tell me to do, and the Bible did not ever tell me don’t pay taxes. It didn’t say that.
Now, look, I know people who don’t pay taxes. I am not against those people. I am not condemning those people. I am not going to judge those people because I can see where they are coming from. I understand their side but let me tell you something, I am not willing to go to prison for something the Bible never told me to do and for something that Jesus was not willing to go to prison for. Jesus didn’t want to offend the IRS. He just said, just give them the money, get them off our back, Peter, and let’s go preach the Kingdom of God.
The streets of heaven are paved with gold, my friend. The Kingdom of God is not about money. Whenever a church has money and financial issues at its center, that church has strayed from what Christ taught. When you have a church that is always raising money, and is always a fundraiser, and it’s all about the offerings, and all about raising money, and it’s just preaching about money constantly, that’s a wrong emphasis. That’s not what the Bible emphasizes. Yes, the Bible talks about money but not to those extremes. Money isn’t that important of an issue to where we’re just willing to just die on that hill and just go to prison over it. No, we’ll go to prison over Biblical things.
Look, if they say, if you spank your kids, we’ll put you in prison; I’ll spank my kids and go to prison because the Bible commands it. If they said, stopping preaching into homosexuality or we’ll put you in prison, I’ll go to prison. I will not stop because those are things the Bible commanded me to do. I am not going to prove from Scripture, the Bible does not command us to take a stand on this issue and this a non-issue, and this is something where just a few churches that you could literally count on a couple of hands in the whole country that go along with this thing, and they are basically saying every other church is a false church. We are the only right churches.
Now, that’s always a red flag. When somebody gets up and says, we’re the only true church and everybody else is not considered by Christ to be a church, that should be a red flag to you right away. In fact, I am going to prove to you that one of the main ring leaders of this movement is a cult leader, and I am going to show you biblically why he is a cult leader but I’ll say this, Faithful Word Baptist Church is not the only Scriptural church in Phoenix, Arizona. There are churches all over Phoenix, Arizona that are Scriptural, Bible-believing churches that preach the Gospel of Jesus Christ, that preach the King James Bible.
I happen to think our church is the best one in Phoenix. I am not saying that those church are as good as ours. If I thought they were better than ours, I’d go join. I think our church is the best but that doesn’t mean that they’re not Scriptural churches. To have this attitude that says, everybody is wrong, Christ does not recognize any of these churches, only we are a true Church, that should be a scary thing right away. That’s what the Catholics have always said. That’s what the Protestants, we’re the only true church. No, there are churches in Phoenix, there were churches in Asia, there were churches in all these towns in the Bible.
Look at 2 Timothy 2:4, the Bible says, no man that warreth entangleth himself with the affairs of this life that he may please him who hath chosen him to be a soldier. Now, the thing that first prompted me to look at that Scripture was the fact that when they came to Jesus about the issue of taxes, they were trying to what? Entangle Him in His talk. We need to be careful that we don’t get entangled in the wrong things when Jesus Christ has chosen us to be a soldier, not to wrestle against flash and butt but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this world, against spiritual wickedness, and high places. We don’t want to get entangled in the wrong battle.
For example, Josiah was one of the greatest kings of Judah that brought about great revival to the whole nation but Josiah decided to get involved in a fight that did not concern him, and he decided to go out to battle against Neco, King of Egypt. The Pharaoh Neco of Egypt went to him and said, I don’t want to fight with you. I don’t have any battle with you. Just leave me alone. I am doing God’s will. Josiah went out and fought against him anyway, and God allowed Josiah to be killed in battle because he’d gotten to a fight that wasn’t concerning him.
We don’t want to get entangled in the wrong battle today. You say, what is the wrong battle that we should not get entangled in? What are the affairs of this life that we shouldn’t get entangled in? Let me explain to you what it is just in a very brief moment. The battle Republicans and Democrats because it’s the stupidest battle in the world because they’re both of the devil. Basically, the world wants to gets us involved in this fight between the Republicans and the Democrat. The false left-right paradigm of two groups that are both not honoring to Jesus Christ, that are both against the principles of this Book, and that are both against the principles of the founding documents of our nation, the Declaration of Independence, and even the Constitution of the United States.
Both of them. Both Republican and Democrat are for gigantic government. Both Republican and Democrat teach that abortion is okay in certain circumstances. They just argue about what the circumstances are. Both of them hire all kinds of homosexuals to work on their campaigns, and teach that homosexuals are wonderful. Both of them are spending us into oblivion. Both of them rack up huge amounts of debt that all goes to the bankers. Both of them want to take us to war because they are bought, and paid for, and funded by the military industrial complex.
None of them is honoring to Jesus Christ. Yes, some of them might get up and say the word “God.” Everyone is like, “He said God, so wonderful. This is so great that George Bush said God or Jesus.” They get all excited. These people literally worships Satan. They literally bow down to a giant statue and perform mock human sacrifice at the Bohemian grove. They literally are involved in secret societies of skull and bones, and of the masonic lodge, and the Bilderberg Group, and the Trilateral Commission. Look, these are not just wild eyed conspiracy theories, they’re facts.
If you are going to sit there and think that I am going to spend my time and my money, or the church’s time and the church’s money getting involved in fight between devil A and devil B, I am not interested. I’d rather be out soul winning. I’d rather be out preaching the Bible. I’d rather be studying my Bible. I’d rather be praying. I’d rather be doing something that matters for God. I’d rather do something for the Kingdom of God than for our corrupt, wicked nation.
Look, the politics of our nation don’t even matter when our nation is filled with 35 to 40% of couples, one of them commits adultery. Look up the statistics on adultery, 40% of marriages, adultery takes place. Some studies have put it at 45. 75% of marriages, 50 to 75%, depending on which study you look at are ending in divorce. The schools are filled with homos and homo propaganda. One-third of women have had an abortion in America, one-third.
You’re worried about whether or not Mitt Romney or Obama gets elected? You’re insane. Do you think that’s going to matter? You think it’s going to make a difference whether the Satan-worshiping Mormon gets elected or whether the Satan-worshiping Muslim, or charismatic, or whatever he is gets elected? Who cares? That’s what you want me to get involved in. That’s what you want our church to all be about, politics, and election, and campaigning.
Somebody tried to hand me a campaign flyer yesterday, and I just said I don’t vote. I hear you saying, “What? What?” but let me tell you something. I am going to show you right now what 501c3 is because a lot of people don’t even know but they just hear it’s bad, it’s wicked, it’s evil, it’s horrible. Here is what 501c3 says, let’s just read, and then we’re going to look at the bible, and then we’re going to make a decision about what we believe. Listen to what 501c3 says.
Corporations and any community chest, fund, or foundation organized and operated exclusively for religious, charitable, scientific, testing for public safety, literary, or educational purposes, or to foster national or international amateur sports competitions but only if no part of its activity is involved the provision of athletic facilities and equipment, or for the prevention of cruelty to children or animals, no part of the net earnings of which inures to the benefit of any private shareholder individual, no substantial part of the activities of which is carrying on propaganda, or otherwise attempting to influence legislation, except as otherwise provided in subsection H, and which does not participate in or intervene in, including in the publishing or distributing of statements, any political campaign on behalf or in opposition to any candidate for public office.
That’s 501c3. That’s this demonic statute. Now, listen, there are probably a lot of people sitting in here, they are like, “What did you just read? What did that even say? What are you even talking about?” Here’s the thing, I don’t blame you. I don’t think you’re dumb. If you didn’t understand what I just read, you’re not dumb because the people who write this are dumb. I am serious. It’s just complicated, right? It’s this complicated legal ease and a lot of people would probably have to read this over and over again, scratching their head like, “What in the world is this even talking about?” because it’s written in this legalistic political mumbo-jumbo IRS speak, and nobody can understand.
Now, I know you might just do you your taxes on 1040EZ form but try running a business and you’re on all kinds of complicated crazy stuff. What I’m saying is the church is in a business. Let me just say what I’ve said before, the only people who think business is a bad word are communists and hippies. That’s the only people who think business is a bad word. The bible calls the work of the church business. Just look at the word business in the bible. Jesus said, I must be about my father’s …
Audience: Business.
Pastor Anderson: Acts 6 says, we need deacons to handle this …
Audience: Business.
Pastor Anderson: Business, business but what I am trying to say is that this stuff is so complicated, and there are all kinds of pastors all across America who organized their church legally in different ways but they’re all just trying to do the best that they can, and they just start trying to figure this stupid garbage out. It’s just complicated. Look, if somebody just doesn’t cross the T or dot the I on their taxes, you wouldn’t think that person should be thrown in jail, would you?
Audience: No.
Pastor Anderson: Because it’s so complicated, people sometimes just don’t understand it. Who’s ever been confused by your taxes before? Everybody has. It’s so confusing. Do you think it is right because pastors have different views on this subject? One pastor does it one way, one pastor does it another. One pastor has it set up as a corporation. The other pastor has it set up as a trust. The other pastor just gets a trade name and an FEIN. Another pastor sets it up as whatever. Do you really think that we should just say that if you don’t set it up exactly a certain way, you’re demonic, you’re wicked, you’re of the devil? Just because pastors have different opinions about how to interpret this garbage?
You see what I am saying? We need to be careful not to just falsely accuse churches and men of God, and say that’s a wicked church because they’re 501c3. They’re just trying to figure this out. They’re not trying to be bad, they’re just trying to just pastor the church, and stay out of prison, and just trying to just follow the law without compromising what they believe, and different people have different views on this. Now, let me just try to cut through all this jargon and just explain to you what this is actually saying. Let me just summarize what this is saying.
What statute 501c3 is saying is that if an organization is going to claim whether it’s a corporation, or not, or whatever, if an organization is going to claim to be a religious organization. Like of an organization is going to say, “We’re a church, we’re a religious organization,” he say anything that is set up whether it’s a corporation, community chest, or just fund, just any bank account that’s supposedly, “This is a church bank account, it’s for religious purposes,” that basically all of that money that comes in to the church offering plate, according to this law has to be used for religious, or educational, or charitable purposes. Does everybody understand that?
If $200,000 comes in to Faithful Word Baptist Church, that $200,000 has to be spent only on things that are religious, educational, and charitable. Then, there are other things you could spend it on that we don’t like sporting events or stopping cruelty to animals. We barbecue animals after the service sometimes and we try to do it as humanely as possible but what can we say? I am saying, here’s what they’re saying, we can’t take the money that comes in in the offering plate and just say, “Here you go, brother fair child. Here’s a 100 bucks out of the offering plate.” We can’t just give him money.
Does everybody understand? Because we have to use that money for things that are religious, educational, or charitable. It says in 501c3, we can’t give that to private individuals. We can’t just take money out of the offering plate and just hand it to somebody, and just say, “Here you go. Here you go, brother fair child. Here’s 100 bucks. Here you go. Let’s just give money to people. Here, I’ll stuff some in my pocket. Here’s, let give you some. Let’s give you some.” We can’t, it’s illegal. Now, does anybody think that we should just be taking money out of the offering plate, and just giving it to people?
Audience: No.
Pastor Anderson: Not for a religious reason, not for an educational reason, not for charitable reason. When could we give people money? Here’s the thing, we could pay people for the work that they do, as long as the work they do is religious, educational, or charitable. For example, let’s say Brother Scott does work on our website, and he revamps our website, and fixes it up, and everything. Then, we pay him. That’s okay because it was for some religious, our church website.
Let’s say, somebody is starving to death, and we give them money to buy food, that’s charitable or if somebody says, “Hey, I have no power in my house and it’s the middle of summer, and we’re baking, and I have little kids in the house, and we don’t know what to do,” and we paid their power bill because they’re in dire straits like that, and that’s charitable. That’s okay but are we allowed to just give people money and just, “Here’s 500 bucks, here’s 300 bucks, here.”
For stuff that has nothing to do with religion, nothing to do with charity, nothing to do with education, we’re just giving people money just to, “Hey, let’s just go buy things that have nothing to do … Let’s just go buy a sporting facility.” How about this? Let’s just buy weights, fitness equipment, on the church’s money, and we’ll just all use it as a church. That’s not legal. Does everybody understand because is lifting weights religious? It’s not charitable. It’s not educational. Do you understand what I’m saying? There’s limits to what you can do with the church money but they all make sense.
Then, the other thing that 501c3 is saying is that we can’t take any substantial part of our church’s money and use it to influence elections, to propagandize politically or influence elections. Now, they have defined what a substantial part means because that’s vague, isn’t it? What is a substantial part? Here is what they are saying, more than 5%. More than 5% is a substantial part. Let me just break this down for you. Let’s say $200,000 comes into our church. In a year’s time, $200,000 comes in. 5% of that would be 10 grand. That means that this year, we can go out and spend $9000 on things that have nothing to do with religion, nothing to do with education. We can just spend $9000 on political campaigning and still be in compliance with this. Does everybody understand what I’m saying?
Audience: Yeah.
Pastor Anderson: We could go out and donate, we could go donate $9000 some to some prolife thing that’s trying to get some on the ballot or $9000 to some whatever political cause and still be in compliance with this statute. Then, when we take the sermons, I preach 152 sermons a year, I could take seven sermons a year and not even open the Bible, put the Bible away, not even open the Bible, and just preach politics, nothing about the Bible, pure politics, and just speak on politics for seven entire sermons and still be in compliance with this. Isn’t it so restrictive?
Now, let me explain to you how much money we spent last year on influencing elections, zero. Let me tell you how many sermons I spent last year preaching on politics without a religious teaching from the Bible, zero. In fact, I care so much about influencing elections that I don’t vote. That’s how much I care about influencing elections but do you really expect me to believe that Jesus Christ wants us spending eight, nine, ten thousands of dollars trying to influence some election and I’m supposed to spend two, three hours a week on the clock for the church out political campaigning and preaching entire sermons that have just nothing to do with the Bible, just all the politics, I’d still be in compliance with this but yet, these liars on the internet will say, “If you’re 501c3, you can’t mention politics.” That is a lie. I read it to you and it says no substantial part of your ministry can be for politics, and that has been defined at 5%.
I could sit there and I could take out a can of spray paint right now and just spray paint on the wall, vote yes on proposition whatever, and still be in compliance with this. I could get up and say you need to vote yes on prop 101 or whatever, and still be in compliance with this. Basically, they’re just lying. By the way, they will also lie and say, you can’t even preach against homosexuality, you can’t even preach against divorce if you’re 501c3. I even heard them say that. I can preach anything in the Bible and still be in compliance with this. There’s nothing that this book tells me to preach that I can’t do according to this in my hand.
To sit there and say, “Yeah, this 501c3 is the muscle of the preachers and it’s stopped them from being able to influence politics and all this stuff,” it still allows them to influence politics but what they don’t want is a political organization that’s fronting as a church. Do you know what I mean? Let me give you an example of that, Martin Luther King Jr.
Martin Luther King Jr. flat out denied the virgin birth of Christ, denied the doctrine of the trinity, denied the inspiration of Scripture but yet, he was a Baptist pastor. Why was Martin Luther King Jr. a Baptist pastor if he denied the trinity, denied the virgin birth, denied the inspiration of Scripture? Because it was his political platform. He would get up every Sunday and preach political sermon. Whether or not you would agree politics is not the issue, he was not a Bible-believing Christian, and you can go out, there are whole foundations dedicated to Martin Luther King Jr. that actually have all of his writings compiled online. You can read his essay on why the virgin birth is not true. You could read his essay online where he denies the Trinity. You could read his essay where he says that the Scripture is not inspired by God. It’s not about civil rights or his politics, he wasn’t really a Baptist but he’s fronting as a Baptist for political reasons.
That’s what his law, and I am not saying I agree with this law or it doesn’t matter to me, I am just explaining to you why this law is on the books, because they just don’t want a political group to just say, “Hey, we’re a church,” when they’re not even really doing anything religious, educational, and charitable. It’s really just all about politics throwing Jesus every once in a while and call it a church.
Now, if you would, let’s go to some other Scriptures. Go to Acts 20, Acts 20, Acts 20. Now, you say, “Wait a minute, Pastor Anderson, you’re leaving something out.” Yes I am. There’s one other thing that this law said. It said that you’re not allowed to endorse a political candidate during the election. During an election, I can’t get behind the pulpit and say, “vote for so and so. Now, I can influence politics. I can get up and say vote for this proposition. I can get up, and I can go around, and campaign for all kinds of political causes, and propositions in law, but I cannot get up behind the pulpit, and endorse a political candidate. You say “That’s terrible. That’s awful.”
I have a question for you. Which political candidate do you want me to endorse when they’re all of the devil? It’s so ridiculous. It’s like, “You can’t even endorse a political candidate.” Who I ever wanted to endorsed ever? No one. To sit there and say, “You’re a compromiser because you won’t endorse political candidates from the pulpit.” Look, if there was a law that commanded me to endorse political candidates, I’d refuse to do it and go to jail for that. Why would I want to endorse any political candidate when they’re all bad? Why would I?
You know what’s funny, all across America, all kinds of independent fundamental Baptist churches, and all kinds of Baptist pastors during this last election in 2012, they were all in their personal life endorsing Mitt Romney because that’s legal. They had Mitt Romney sticker on their car. They’re going on Facebook and Twitter saying, “Vote for Mitt Romney,” because they just can’t do it behind the pulpit. They wish they could do it behind the pulpit but instead, they just do it on Facebook, Twitter, they put it on their car.
Let me explain something to you, it’s almost good that these guys couldn’t do it from the pulpit because they’re fools for endorsing Mitt Romney because Mitt Romney is a Satan-worshiping Mormon and Mitt Romney is one who is pro-choice for decades, and he was pro-abortion. Look, Mitt Romney is the one who is the author of Romney Care which is the basis for Obama Care but let’s defeat Obama by voting for Romney. It’s bizarre folks. It’s the false left-right paradigm. It’s a fraud.
Why would I want to influence that election? Because I really care whether Obamney or Romama gets elected. Don’t fall for Obamney, vote for Romama. So what? It’s the same person. We’re in Bush’s fourth term right now. If anybody doesn’t know what I’m talking about, you’re not just awake politically. You’re just deceived because the Republicans spent more than the Democrats. Romney flat out said, he said, “I have a homosexual’s word for my campaign,” and he said, Romney said, “If I get elected, I’m going to appoint homosexual judges.” That’s what Romney said. That’s what he said. Then, you say, “Yeah, but Romney is against gay marriage.”
Guess who else is against gay marriage? Obama in 2008, he said, “I’m against gay marriage, but I love homos.” He is a homo. Then, Romney is like, “I’m against gay marriage but I love homos.” Can somebody tell me what the difference is? Now, Obama just changed to where he’s for-gay marriage. You know why? Because the tipping point just happened where 51% of Americans are now for gay marriage. As soon as that tipping point, it’s like, “All right, time to switch.”
I just wasn’t for that, I was for Rick Perry. Rick Perry was a Liberal Democrat. Then, he was approached by a member of the Republican Party that said, “Hey, I can make you really popular Republican. Do you want to switch to be a Republican?” “Sure.” Did you know that? No, you didn’t know that. Did you? Because they didn’t tell you that Sean Hannity. Glenn Beck forgot to tell you that. Rush Limbaugh forgot to tell you that, but you know what? King James told me not to even entangle myself in the affairs of this lie, and that the rulers of the darkness of this world, and that the people that run our world, and the people that are the judges according to 1 Corinthians 6 are a bunch of effeminate and abusers of themselves with mankind. I already knew that from reading the Bible but where did I have you turn? Acts 20.
Look at Acts 20:27, and I hope the sermon is making sense to you this morning. I’m trying to make this clear. It’s hard. My job is hard as a preacher to take this complicated stuff, and try to break it down, and make it simple. You say, you need to be giving money to private individuals, you need to be handing cash to people. No, I don’t because the church’s money biblically should be spent to pay the pastors and deacons, and it should be spent to provide food, and meat, and drink in the House of God, and it should be provided for charity for widows indeed and orphans.
Everything that we do is religious. Who think that this church service is religious? Who thinks every church service is religious? Who thinks the Bible is religious? Any time we’re preaching the Bible or doing anything the Bible told us to do, we’re doing something religious and are in compliance with this. Why would we want to do stuff that’s not religious and call it a church? Let’s get together, and do something completely not religious, and let’s just call it a church. Who thinks that’s biblical?
This is what it’s telling us not to do. So what? Again, let me just reiterate, our church is not even 501c3-certified but even if we were, we would be in total compliance with this. Anyway look at Acts 20: 27, it says in verse 27, for I have not shunned to declare unto you all the counsel of God. Paul saying, I preach everything in the Bible. The Bible says preach the Word. It says that man does not live by bread alone, but by every Word that perceived out of the mouth of God. We should be preaching the entire Bible.
There’s nothing in the Bible that we should not preach but someone show me where from Genesis to Revelation the Bible says endorse a candidate. Somebody show me from Genesis to Revelation any man of God endorsing a political candidate, influencing elections, promoting political politicians and people like that. Show me. You can’t because it isn’t there. Let’s me ask you something. Am I in sin by not promoting political candidates if the Bible never told me to do so?
Audience: No.
Pastor Anderson: Am I an IRS puppet if I had duct tape put over my mouth by the IRS? No because I never wanted to endorse a political candidate anyway. I didn’t want to provide sporting equipment for you. I did not start Faithful Word Baptist Church to provide a sporting equipment facility for you. That’s what it’s telling me I can’t do with the church’s funds, and the church’s resources. I didn’t start Faithful Word Baptist Church to go out, and spend more than 5% of my time influencing elections, not interested, don’t care.
You know what elections I want to influence? The election of people and the Kingdom of God, the elect. Let’s go give people saved so they could be the elect now. That’s the only election I’m influencing. I’m going to spend way more than 5% of my time on that election. You’re worried about the wrong election, my friend. You don’t vote. I vote for people to get saved every week by going soul winning. You’re the one who’s not voting when you don’t go soul winning. That’s the election that matters.
Now, The Bible says that we should not shun to declare all the counsel of God, but listen to what else the Bible says in Ecclesiastes. Go to Matthew 15, but in Ecclesiastes 12:13, the Bible says, let us here the conclusion of the whole matter, fear God and keep his commandments, for this is the whole duty of man. Now that’s a very profound verse. Fear God and keep His commandments because this is the whole duty of man. Let me ask you something. Do I have any duty outside of fearing God and keeping His commandments?
Audience: No.
Pastor Anderson: Is there any duty, anything to make you say, you have to do this outside of fearing God and keeping His commandments?
Audience: No.
Pastor Anderson: No. What if somebody says you have to vote?
Audience: No.
Pastor Anderson: That’s not told. Is that commanded in Scripture?
Audience: No.
Pastor Anderson: Then, it’s not my duty. It’s your civic duty. Not to our stupid country. You know what I mean? You’re an American. No, the people who run our country are an American. Nuts to these people. They stopped representing me a long time ago when they just started becoming completely anti-Christian, anti-Bible, anti-morality, anti-family, I’m not interested anymore.
There’s nothing in the Bible that says endorse a political candidate, vote, put up political propaganda; therefore, anyone who is teaching that that’s my duty is in violation of Scripture. Look at Matthew 15:9, it says, but in vain they do worship me, teaching for doctrines the commandments of men. Man is adding commandments here saying you must have a church that is illegal, and you must pay the pastor under the table which is a felony. Where does the Bible say, you must commit tax fraud to be right with God and you must commit felony and pay the pastor under the table? It doesn’t say that. Be willing to go to jail for paying the pastor under the table. That’s not what the Bible said. I’m going to explain that in a moment what I mean by that.
Listen to Romans 12:8, if it be possible, as much as lieth in you, lie peaceably with all men. Isn’t that what Jesus was doing when he just said like, “Just pay the stupid taxes. We don’t want to offend them.” He’s just living peaceably. He’s just going along to get along about stuff that doesn’t matter. Now there are some things that matter. You know what they are? The things that are mentioned in this Book, they matter. The things that don’t matter, things that aren’t mentioned in this Book. It’s that simple, and there’s plenty of rules.
Who thinks that this Book doesn’t have enough rules in it? There are enough, 600 commandments God, that’s nothing, give us more. Give us more rules. We want more commandments. Why don’t you work on keeping all 600 of this, then we’ll talk. You’re not looking for new commandments and new rules.
Let me just go into this latter part of my sermon. Let me just go into whose behind this movement and the wickedness of the people that are behind this movement. First of all, let me just say this, it is wickedness to be a false accuser. When you’re saying every church that’s 501c3 is not a Scriptural church, or even every church that’s incorporated which our church is incorporated, but we’re not 501c3, corporation means body by the way. I don’t even have a time to explain all this. Here’s what a corporation means. It means I don’t own the church. It means that the property belongs to the whole church as a body, not to me personally.
Who thinks that that church van is my personal van, and I should use it for my personal use to go to sporting events? Who thinks that I should do that? No one. Who thinks that that van belongs to the whole church and that it should be used for religious purposes, or charitable, or educational purposes which is going to include church activities, fellowship, just whatever? That’s what it is. That’s what being incorporated does. It makes it one body instead of just individuals, or an ownership, a proprietor shift where there is one owner, instead it belongs to the group, or the body.
Let me explain to you who’s behind this. One person I just got this given to me, this is by Sam Adams, and this is one of the people who’s really vocal about this on the internet and he’s teaching this thing. I took some notes. This is a four-page PDF by Sam Adams called The Surrender and Betrayal of the Church. The Unholy Union of the Church with the State through Incorporation and Tax Exemption. Now, first of all, in this document he says that if a church is tax-exempt, that translates to the money the government giving them money.
Do you think that the government gives Faithful Word Baptist Church any money? Who thinks that the government gives us money? They don’t, but here’s what they say, “Yeah, but if you’re tax-exempt that’s like they gave you money.” What in the world? Because they stole less of your money that means we gave you. That’s would be like If a thief came to your door, and he is like, “Instead of stealing all your money I’m going to leave you 50 bucks. That’s like I gave you 50 bucks. Because I stole everything but I decided to leave 50 behind, that’s me giving you 50 bucks.” That’s what people believe. That’s what the Democrats believe. They say that all the time. They’re giving money to these corporations. They’re giving money to churches by not taxing them.
Anyway I took some notes on this four-page PDF. According to this four-page PDF, our church is apostate, we’ve gone a whoring after others gods. We are not a true New Testament church. We have committed a sin that is the same as receiving the mark of the beast. I, as pastor, do not have Biblical authority. I am a mere hireling. We’ve committed abominable sin. The Bible is not our final authority. The pastor has committed spiritual adultery. The pastor is unworthy of the name Baptist, and the pastor is an idolater simply because their church is incorporated.
I called this guy on the phone, and I asked him to clarify this. I went straight to the horse’s mouth and asked him, “What’s going on?” He said to me, he said because I said, “I disagree with you but should you be saying these things about any pastor who doesn’t organize it the way you have it organized?” He stood by all of this. He said, “Yes, I stand by all of these things that I’ve said.” I said to him, “How should our church be set up? If it shouldn’t be a corporation, how should it be set up?” This is what he said, “The church should have no legal existence whatsoever.”
Here’s what he says, we should have just the church and everything is in cash. He said no bank account. Everything is in cash, everything is under the table. I said, “How do you pay the pastor wages?” He said, “What we give the pastor, we just don’t call it wages.” Do you know what’s that called? Felony tax fraud. According to him, if I don’t take my money under the table as a pastor, but the pastor shouldn’t be paid, I guess you weren’t here for that sermon where I made that look pretty stupid using Scripture. 1 Corinthians 9, Acts 6, on we get, that’s a whole sermon. Anyway, basically, I’m an idolater, have received the mark of the beast, I am worshiping other gods because I am not willing to commit felony tax fraud by just paying myself under the table.
Now, here’s what’s funny. As the church member, you donate money to our church, you get what, a tax what?
Audience: A write off.
Pastor Anderson: A write off. If you donated $5000 to our church, you write that off because you gave that to a charitable organization. I guess here’s what they want, they want you to come and give your offering in cash. Now, you can’t write it off, but then I don’t pay any taxes as the pastor. I take it all under the table, and just keep it all. You pay extra. As the church member you pay more, I pay nothing. Sounds like a good deal. Maybe I should rethink the sermon because they want to just basically just take cash out of the plate.
Look, again, I’m not attacking these guys. I would never turn them in to the IRS or I would never. Anybody who does is a wicked person who would turn pastors into the IRS and try to side with our evil government, but to sit there and say, if you’re not willing to do it, and he flat out said, and I’m quoting, I spoke to him on the phone, he said, “The church should have no legal existence,” and he said “What we pay the pastor, we don’t call it wages.” There you go.
Then, he told me when I talked to him on the phone, he said “You need to talk to Greg Dixon. You need to talk to Pastor Greg Dixon.” Now, listen, Greg Dixon is the guy who started this movement from what I understand. Maybe I’m wrong about that but everybody who’s ever come to me and talk to me about this has said like, “You need to listen to Greg Dixon. You need to look up Greg Dixon.” If I had a nickel for every time somebody said to me, “Hey, you need to talk to Greg Dixon. Did you hear about Greg Dixon? Do you know about what happened to Greg Dixon. Greg Dixon, Greg Dixon, Greg Dixon.” This is the main guy behind it.
Quote of Sam Adams in the phone call he said “Greg Dixon has been my mentor for years.” This is the guy he is looking to. Let me just tell you how satanic of a false teacher Greg Dixon is. Greg Dixon teaches the same doctrine as Joey Faust which is that Christians who don’t live right will go to hell for a thousand years during the millennium.
Now, I know you probably don’t even understand what I just said because it’s so bizarre, like a Baptist purgatory. Joey Faust wrote a book, and Joey Faust is a cult leader who was in Texas. This cult leader Joey Faust in Texas who teaches this doctrine that even if you believe in Christ, even if you’re saved, if you don’t live right, you’re going to spend a thousand years in hell. You’re going to spend a thousand years in the lake of fire during the millennium to punish you. Then, you get to go to heaven. That’s a long time, good night.
By the way, that’s so unscriptural. The Bible says, whosoever liveth and believeth in me shall never die. You’re not going to the second death for five seconds. The Bible says, he that overcometh shall not be hurt of the second death. Overcometh is defined as believing that Jesus Christ is the Son of God. If you believe in Christ, you’re saved, you’re secure, you will never see hell, you’re on your way to heaven, you have eternal life, you can’t lose it, but this Joey Faust wrote a whole book teaching that you’ll spend a thousand years in hell as a Christian if you don’t live right, if you don’t do works.
You know what? Greg Dixon wrote the foreword to the book. Sam Adams himself told me over the phone, he said “The last time Greg Dixon preached at my church,” because I confronted him about that doctrine, I confronted this Sam Adams about that doctrine, and he said, “The last time Greg Dixon was at my church, he preached that sermon that taught that Joey Faust doctrine about people going to hell, for about this purgatory.” He said, “I will never have Greg Dixon come back and preach at my church because he preached that but I still love Dr. Dixon. He’s been my mentor for years. I still love Dr. Dixon but he’s not allowed in my pulpit because he’s preaching this heresy of Joey Faust, the cult leader, who teaches that you go to hell even if you’re saved, unless you live really a good of a life.
Then he said, “You’re not recording this phone call, are you?” “No, but I’m just going to quote it in my sermon on Sunday morning. Is that all right?” “You’re recording me?” I told him, I said, “You can record me whenever you want because I stand by what I say.” NSA, I’m not talking to you. I’m talking to people that I call on the phone. I’m not saying that I want the NSA listening in to me 24/7 but what I’m saying is, these are the people, but they’re not even … Look, Sam Adams doesn’t even preach the Gospel of Jesus Christ. He believes in a workspace salvation. He has a whole section on his website refuting easy believism saying that if you teach faith alone for salvation, that’s a false gospel.
His mentor teaches that Christians go to hell even if they believe in Christ because they don’t live right. Greg Dixon, the mentor, Joey Faust. Joey Faust is like following the Joseph Smith playbook for how start a cult. He started a church in Texas, preaches a strange doctrine that no one has ever heard of this bizarre teaching, then he takes the entire church, and moves them to another state, and moved them all to Missouri just like Joseph Smith moved them from New York to Missouri.
What is it with Missouri, people? Look, if our church ever wants to move to Missouri, you need to quit Faithful Word Baptist Church. It’s time to quit. When we start talking about, “Hey, they bought some property in Missouri. I don’t know if they’re all living on some compound or what but they bought some big property where they go all live together in some place that’s so small. Somebody said the closest hotel is an hour away or something.” How small of a town don’t even have a hotel? You moved your whole church from Texas to Missouri. You’re teaching false doctrine. I don’t know what’s next, polygamy? What’s next? You’re on the Joseph Smith program to starting your own cult. Joseph Smith, the founder of Mormonism.
Here’s what I’m saying to you, I have so much more to say but I’m out of time, but go to 1 Peter 2. 1 Peter 2, and let me just say this, and I have way more in my notes, I can’t get to it but number one, I proved you from the Bible, Jesus don’t care about taxes. That was the first thing we saw. Jesus gave his philosophy, gave his belief, and said I don’t believe that we should have to pay this, but we’re going to pay it anyway not to offend them. We’re not just going to give them a reason to go after us and arrest us for something we don’t care about. That’s what we saw in Matthew 17.
Then in Matthew 22, they tried to provoke him about it again. Again, he blew them off. Caesar’s face is on the coin, give him the stupid coin, give him the Federal Reserve note that they want. It’s a bunch of paper fake money with all their banksters on the front of it, Alexander Hamilton. I proved to you that from Scripture. Then, I prove you from Scripture that although God wants us to preach the whole Bible, He doesn’t want us to get entangled with the affairs of this life, and He doesn’t want us to get involved in other people’s strife and battles, He doesn’t need us to do anything the Bible doesn’t command us to do. It’s not our duty if the Bible didn’t tell us to do it.
Then, I took the time to show you that the people behind this movement, Sam Adams, and especially his mentor Greg Dixon and Joey Faust, are wicked false prophets that are teaching a false salvation and teaching strange doctrines that no Baptist has ever heard or seen, and they moved the church to Missouri, just as the icing of the cake, to misery. I’m not trying to offend people that are from Missouri but his church is in misery. Can a clean thing come out of an unclean? Not one.
Audience: Not one.
Pastor Anderson: Why would you listen to this people? They’re wrong on the Gospel. By the way, you know what the word devil means? The English word devil means, false accuser. That’s where the word devil comes from. That’s the etymology of the word devil is false accuser. These guys are false accusers. I read you all the accusations that they make against our church. That we’re whoring after other gods, we receive the mark of the beast.
Then, also, I’m showing you right here that there’s nothing wrong with obeying statutes and ordinances of the law that don’t really matter and don’t really affect Scripture. For example, there is a law that says we can’t take our sign from our old building and put it on our new building. Who thinks that’s a dumb law? Remember that cool sign we used to have? We can’t bring it over here. It’s a totally different sign you need but who here thinks that because I’m obeying that law by not putting up that sign that Christ is not the Head of the Church anymore? We’ve bowed down into the City of Tempe now by letting them tell us what to do with our sign but they’re saying we’re bowing down, Christ isn’t the Head of your Church because you’re letting them tell you not to endorse political candidates that you didn’t want to endorse anyway.
Here’s the last thing I want to show you from Scripture. It says on 1 Peter 2:13, submit yourself to every ordinance of man for the Lord’s sake, whether it be the king, as supreme, or unto governors, as unto them that are sent by him for the punishment of evildoers, and for the phrase of them that do well. For so is the will of God, that with well doing, ye may put to silence the ignorance of foolish men. As free and not using your liberty for a cloak of maliciousness.
That’s what this people are doing, using their liberty as a cloak of maliciousness to just be malicious toward every church except their church. The only right church in Florida, or the only right church in Missouri, or the only right church in Texas, or the only right church in Indiana. By the way, you know how many churches are operating their church off the grid in Arizona? I only know of one, and I’ve studied every independent Baptism in Arizona, I’ve looked at all their websites, I’ve talk to as many of them as I can, I sent them all a DVD of After Tribulation, and there’s only one that’s off the grid that I know of, and I believe it’s the only one. That’s not the only true church in Arizona. He’s a friend of mine, he’s a good guy. He’s not like these false accusers.
That’s what I said in the beginning of the service, if you disagree with me on this, that’s okay. My friend the pastor is the one off-the-grid Baptist church in Arizona is a good guy. I’ve recommended people to go to his church if they live over there. Let me tell you something, he’s not like these bad people that accused everybody but let me tell you something, he’s a friend of mine, he’s a good guy, he’s not the only Scriptural church in this state. We’re not the only scriptural church in this state.
Here’s the thing, you know how many people go to his church? 15 to 20. I’m not criticizing him at all. He’s a good guy. It’s a good church, but let me say this, that’s why these churches can get away with it, because when you’re that small, you’re not even a blip on the IRS’ radar until you hit $250,000 a year. Let me tell you something, I’ve had hundreds of people say, I’m looking for a church that’s not incorporated. I’m looking for a church that’s not 501s. I’m looking for it.” Okay, here it is. Why are there only 15 to 20 people who go there? Because these people are all talk. They’re just using it as an excuse not to go to church. Otherwise, that guy should be running 5000. If every person who says this is their most important issue went there, they’d be running 5000.
What part of the Scripture in 1 Peter 2 you do not understand? This is not telling us to just refuse to obey all laws, refuse to obey ordinances, refuse to obey the law, refuse to pay your taxes, it’s not in Scripture. If have christened to Baptist afterward, you can come talk to me but I hope I made it clear this morning why we believe what we believe, what our position is, and let me tell you something, if you’re going to come to me and confront me about this issue, you will be respectful and polite to me.
There is a guy in our church who doesn’t go here anymore, who confronted me about this, and started calling me all kinds of names, saying that our church was a cult, and saying this, and saying that, and listen, the Bible says rebuke not an elder, and treat him as a father. If you think I’m wrong and you want to correct me, I’ve had many people in our church correct me the right way. I’ve had many people coming over and say, “Hey, here’s some I disagree with you, Pastor Anderson,” the right way respectfully but then, I’ve had other people who come to me, mouth up to me, and called me names. Let me tell you something, I am the pastor of this church and I deserve to be respected as a pastor. If you disagree, treat me respectfully, and I will treat you respectfully, and you can be loving, and kind, and humble, and not start calling me names, and insulting our whole church, and insulting me.
I confronted this guy who insulted me, called me names, and he refused to repent, and he lied to me, and lied about my wife. Then, I took two witnesses as the Bible tells me to do, and I confronted him again with evidence in hand of his emails and text messages insulting me, railing on me, voicemail, lying about me, lying about my wife. I confronted him in the presence of two witnesses, he refused to hear them. You know what? The whole time I was talking, those two witnesses were not in their head because it was pretty obvious what was going on.
I’ll tell you something, I told him, I said, “The next time you come back, I am going to take it before the whole church,” because I said, “That’s what the bible teaches. You’re not going to come in here, and start insulting me, insulting our whole church,” and I’ll name the name. It was [Gebral 01:07:38] Robinson. Listen to me, the next time [Gebral 01:07:43] Robinson walks through these doors, I am confronting him in front of this whole church.
Look, I didn’t want it to come to that. I talked to him personally. Look, let me make it clear. There are other people in this church who disagree with me on what I’m preaching right now. That’s okay but when you start calling me a cult leader, and lying to me, and lying about my wife, and when you start just throwing accusations at me, and mouthing off to me, see me after the service for the evidence. I’ll call you out.
Audience: That’s good.
Pastor Anderson: Because that is being a false accuser and the Bible says, the false accuser should be rebuked before the entire church. First, you go to them and try to make it right. Then, you bring two or three witnesses. I said, you need to apologize and said, I won’t apologize. That’s life. You say, “I don’t like that.” Matthew 18 teaches that that’s the way it’s going to be. I am not here to, again, cause trouble with anybody.
If you say, “Pastor Anderson, I still think 501c3 is bad, I still think our church should be off the grid,” it’s okay for you think that and I still love you, and if you even want to explain to me your point of view, that’s fine but you treat me with respect, and don’t insult me and insult my wife. I am not going to put up with it. Let’s bow our heads and have a word of prayer.
Father, we thank You so much for Your Word, Lord, and I thank you that our church is a church where we do have harmony, and one accord, and we do have a loving, friendly atmosphere. Lord, help us to keep it that way. Help us not to allow people to come in and cause division about issues that frankly don’t matter. Lord, there are so many things that do matter that we should fight for, Lord, but help our church never to get involve in fighting and bickering over a tax code. Who cares? Lord, help us to just stay unified around the Scripture and not let these issues divide us needlessly.
Lord, I pray that You would bless every Baptist Church and even every non-denominational church in Arizona if they preach the Gospel and preach the King James Bible, Lord. If they believe the salvation we believe, Lord, I pray that You would bless them this morning because they are our friends, not our enemies. Even if they don’t agree with our politics, even if they don’t agree with us on Bible prophecy, Lord, bless every church in Arizona that preaches salvation by faith alone, and preaches Your Word out of the King James Bible, Lord. Bless them all. In Jesus’ name, we pray. Amen.
