Officials in Israel last week indicted the man accused of sending a bomb to the home of a Messianic minister in March 2008 that nearly killed the pastor’s teenage son.

Jack Teitel, 37, was indicted for attempted murder, among other charges, for allegedly sending a bomb hidden in a gift basket to the home of David Ortiz, pastor of a Messianic congregation in Ariel, Israel.

(Photo of Ami Ortiz, Compass Direct News)

The package, opened by Ortiz’s 15-year-old son, Amiel, damaged the family’s apartment and left Amiel covered with blood and burns, and full of needles and screws contained in the bomb. Now, 20 months later, 16-year-old Amiel is back in school and playing basketball.

When Teitel walked into court, the West Bank settler shouted that God was proud of him. “It was a pleasure and honor to serve my God,” Teitel reportedly said. “God is proud of what I have done. I have no regrets.” 

Police said Teitel is an ultra-Orthodox Jewish nationalist who picked out his targets based on his nationalist philosophy.

Along with the Ortiz case, police said Teitel is responsible for the June 1997 shooting death of Samir Bablisi, a Palestinian taxi driver who was found in his cab with a single bullet wound to his head. Two months later, police said, Teitel shot Isa Jabarin, a Palestinian shepherd who was giving Teitel driving directions to Jerusalem.

Police also said that Teitel attempted to burn down a monastery and unsuccessfully planted several bombs. He is also accused of the September 2008 bombing of Zeev Sternhell of Hebrew University in Jerusalem. The bombing left the emeritus history professor slightly wounded.

Teitel told police he was trying to kill David Ortiz, not injure his son.

In all, Teitel has been indicted for two cases of pre-meditated murder, three cases of attempted murder, carrying a weapon, manufacturing a weapon, possession of illegal weapons and incitement to commit violence.

Adi Keidar, Teitel’s attorney, reportedly said his client is “mentally unstable.” He cited Teitel’s alleged confession to acts he did not commit. After a psychiatric evaluation by the state, Teitel was deemed fit to stand trial.

Keidar is representing Teitel or behalf of the Honenu organization, a nationalistic law firm endorsed by Mordechai Eliyahu, a rabbi known for his far-right Orthodox views.

Honenu is known for defending, among others, Ami Popper. Popper was convicted in 1990 for shooting seven Palestinian workers who were waiting for a ride at a day labor pick-up site. Popper’s attack, like all others cited in Honenu’s website, was said to come “in response” to Palestinian aggression. Despite numerous attempts to contact Keidar, he could not be reached for comment.

David Ortiz said he is not surprised by Teitel’s claim that God is proud of him. Ortiz cited biblical verses where the early Christians were warned that one day people would kill them and think that they were doing the will of God. Teitel, Ortiz said, saw him as an enemy of the nation of Israel.

“He saw me and the professor as false prophets,” Ortiz said.

Police have brought no evidence linking Teitel to any other co-conspirator. But Ortiz’s wife, Leah, said she thinks Teitel worked with others. Teitel’s neighbor, Yosef Espinoza, was brought in for questioning and later released. Teitel does not speak Hebrew, but when he was arrested he was distributing handouts written in Hebrew criticizing homosexuals in Israel.   

When his apartment was raided, police found a cache of illegal weapons he has been indicted for owning. Ortiz also said that a tape from a closed-circuit television camera taken on the day of the bombing shows Teitel was driven to the Ortiz apartment by another person.  

Regardless, Leah Ortiz scoffs at the claim that Teitel was politically motivated. Instead, she said, he used politics and religion as a foil to justify murder.
“He is a serial killer,” she said.

In spite of all the pain that the Ortiz family has gone through, Leah Ortiz said she has seen much good come from the tragedy, including miraculous healings. She said that the bombing has helped soften the opinion of people in Israel toward Jews who believe that Jesus is the promised Messiah.

“It has made them face the facts of how they see Jesus,” she said.

Howard Bass, a leader of a Messianic congregation in Beer Sheva, Israel, said he isn’t so sure.
“It’s not that simple,” he said, adding that such attacks may help tolerant people to eschew violence, but that others will actually be encouraged by the bombings. “It makes people aware of how far they [people set against the Messianic Jews] will be willing to go and abhor them. It’s bringing things to light and forcing people to make a decision: What is good and what is evil?”

Hostile Environment

Bass himself was a victim of at least one attack by anti-missionary, Orthodox extremists. On Dec. 24, 2005, several hundred Orthodox Jews mobbed an outdoor service Bass held. The mob destroyed church equipment, terrorized congregants and threw Bass into a baptismal pool.
Bass has since sued Yad L’Achim, an Orthodox, anti-missionary organization he said is responsible for inciting the attack. A court decision in the case is due later this month.

On its website, Yad L’Achim asserts that missionaries are “devious” and are trying to “destroy the Jewish people.” The organization makes no distinction in its website between missionaries and Messianic Jews. The site also goes as far as to accuse Messianic Jews of “playing the victim to the hilt” in reference to the Ortiz bombing.

Despite numerous attempts to reach members of Yad L’Achim, no one was made available for comment.

According to the 2009 International Religious Freedom Report issued by the U.S. Department of State, there are 10,000 Messianic Jews in Israel. The report documents several cases of violence against Messianic Jews, including one case on May 15 in which “ultra-Orthodox residents of the Tel Aviv suburb of Rehovot attacked and beat a group of Messianic Jews who were handing out New Testament pamphlets on the street.”

Additionally, Bass cites a book published this week in Israel titled, The King’s Torah. Bass said the book encourages the killing of gentiles and anyone else deemed to be a threat to Israel.
“We’re seeing a spirit rising,” Bass said, “where they feel they have a legitimate right to kill anyone who threatens the Jewish state.”

Mentioning the book, David Ortiz agreed with Bass, calling the bombing and recent anti-Christian aggression “a shadow of things to come.”

As for what the Ortiz family wishes for Teitel, Leah Ortiz said she hopes he will receive a sentence that is “equal to his crime.” Because Israel has no death penalty, this very likely would mean life in prison.

Regardless of what happens in court, members of the Ortiz family say they have forgiven Teitel. David Ortiz hopes one day to sit down face-to-face with Teitel and talk. He said he hopes Teitel will become another Apostle Paul.

“There is something inside him that makes him want to kill people. If God has had mercy on me, maybe he’ll have mercy on others,” Ortiz said. “The Lord forgave David and many people in the Bible-my goal and my prayer for him is that he will repent and be saved.”

Your personal Bible may have a black, brown, blue, or red leather or imitation leather cover. The words may be a fine-print, red-letter edition distinguishing Christ’s words. Your translation may be the popular 1611 King James Version, New King James Version, Amplified, or New American Standard. It may have a red ribbon inserted to mark selective passages. Your Bible might be a translation from a language other than English. In the Jewish synagogue, the Torah is in the form of a scroll and not a leather-bound book.

The Jewish Scriptures read by the rabbi in a Jewish synagogue are penned by scribes on a large scroll. The scroll is rolled together on two wooden spindles, and the script is handwritten with special ink on a kosher, animal-skin parchment. The primary scroll in every synagogue is the Torah-Genesis through Deuteronomy. The other books in the synagogue consist of the Prophets (called the Haftorah), the writings, and the wisdom literature.

Copying the Sacred Text

Often critics will claim that the words (English translation) of our Bible cannot be trusted. They allege that throughout the centuries, copyists have made critical errors when scribing the individual letters and have added some words and omitted others. Those who make such statements are perhaps ignorant of the laws that were established by ancient scribes who were given the duty of copying the Scriptures.

The Parchment: The parchment is made from the skin of a “clean” (kosher) animal. A Torah scroll consists of eighty skins. There are 248 columns on each scroll, and each section holds 3 to 4 columns. There must be three inches across the top and two inches between the columns.

The ink: The ink consists of a special mixture made of gallnuts, copper sulfate crystals, gum Arabic, and water. The ink is prepared in small amounts to prevent it from drying up while the scribe is meticulously penning the letters on the scroll. The ink must be very dark for the letters to be seen, and they must remain equal in color throughout the scroll.

The pen: A quill pen is used to write the letters. It must come from a clean animal. A goose feather is the choice of many scribes. The most important aspect is that the end of the quill must be cut precisely to ensure the letters are formed properly. Many pens are used when writing a scroll.

Some have asked, how could a scribe ensure that there are no mistakes made when copying the individual letters? The scribes followed strict guidelines when preparing a new Torah scroll.

These include:

The new scroll had to be copied directly from another scroll. Nothing was copied from memory.

The scribe must repeat every word out loud before writing the word down.
If a Torah was written incorrectly, it could not be kept more than thirty days without being corrected or hidden.

Every word and letter must be individually counted when it was completed.
The script was written without vowels-just as they were in ancient times.
Every Hebrew letter and each line is individually examined to ensure that the form of each letter and line is correct. If a mistake is made, that section of the scroll is not permitted to be sewn together with the other parchments.

If there is a letter mistake, a scribe is permitted to scrape off that letter and remake it. It is, however, forbidden to erase the sacred name of God once that name has been penned on the parchment. If a mistake is made related to God’s name, that section of the parchment must be buried in a special place for scrolls, and the process must begin again. There are three other trained persons who each examine the individual sections of the parchments before they are approved.

Once the parchments are completed, the scribe will take threads from the sinews of kosher animals (a cow, ox, or a sheep) and sew the back of the scroll in a special manner so the threads are not visible from the front. The large scroll is then placed on the two rollers, called in Hebrew Etz Chayim, or the “tree of life.”

Writing God’s name was so sacred that if a scribe was copying God’s name on the parchment and a king walked in, the scribe was not permitted to look up until the name of God was completely written. It is reported that before and after writing God’s name, the scribe’s pen was wiped clean, and in ancient times scribes would leave the table and wash in honor of writing God’s holy name on His holy Word. Each scroll was copied from a previous scroll, using the above guidelines and regulations when copying the Torah.

Perry Stone is the author of numerous books, including Breaking the Jewish Code (Charisma House), from which this article is excerpted. To purchase a copy, click on the book.

Job’s friends are an example of how not to treat a friend in need. What can we learn from them about how to pray for those we love?

Those of you who know the story of Job, the righteous man God bragged about to Satan, will remember that God gave Satan license to afflict Job. Job lost his possessions and his health. His seven sons and three daughters, for whom he had interceded daily, pleading their cases before God as a defense attorney might plead their cases in court, were killed in a freakish windstorm (see Job 1:18-19).

His wife lost her confidence in the Lord and any respect she had for her husband. She eventually encouraged him to forget his integrity, to “curse God and die” (Job 2:9).

But one of the greatest losses to Job was the loss of relationships. Job’s friends became a burden rather than a blessing. Those who should have been sensitive to his need and supportive in their actions during his time of trial only added to his burden. Interestingly, each of them represents a type of friend no one wants when going through trial.

Let’s look at Job’s friends. Perhaps in them we will learn the behaviors to avoid when our friends are suffering trials. We can develop an earnest desire to become effective prayer advocates when others have walked away.

Eliphaz, Job’s Religious Friend
When Job needed loving, practical friends to assist and support him in his hour of need, his friend Eliphaz decided to be “superspiritual” instead. He took it upon himself to bring correction to Job:

“Job, I know you’re in a lot of pain right now, but I’d like to have a word with you. You’ve offered counsel and encouragement to lots of troubled people in the past. And you’ve been the first to support those who have stumbled. 

“But now it’s obvious you’re discouraged regarding the trouble that has come to you. I know you think you’re a righteous man. But let me ask you a question: When have you ever heard of an innocent man being destroyed?” (adapted from Job 4:2-7).

Eliphaz was out of touch with the reality of Job’s intense suffering. The unsettling truth about friends who manifest the “I can hear God better than you” syndrome is that many of them have never personally experienced a genuine breaking from God. People with a religious spirit speak out of their soulishness and not from true brokenness.

Job didn’t need religion. He needed relationship. He needed a listening ear, not a sermon. Job needed an intercessor, not an instructor. Eliphaz thought he was serving God, when in fact he was an unknowing pawn of Satan. When called to the witness stand to defend Job, he became a star witness for the prosecution instead.

When we are suffering, may God deliver us from religious friends. Decide right now that when your friends are suffering, you will relate to them with compassion and empathy.

Bildad, Job’s Idealistic Friend
An idealist is defined as “one who adheres to philosophical theories of perfection and excellence and concepts of flawless morality.” This may sound good, but real life isn’t quite this pristine.

When suffering life’s trials, we need neither religious, holier-than-thou friends to scold us nor idealistic friends to rebuke us. Hearing Job’s explanation, Bildad replied: “Job, what you are saying about your situation is nothing but ‘hot air.’ 

“God doesn’t pervert justice. You know your children died because of their sin. So, I think it’s high time that you plead with God for your own life. If you are the righteous man you think you are, He will restore your health and other losses. If history teaches us anything, it teaches us that God won’t reject the righteous or bless the wicked” (adapted from Job 8:1-7).

Many Christians today have overlooked the powerful process of suffering and trials that God has designed to produce godliness in each of our lives. Let’s not forget that Timothy says, “All that will live godly in Christ Jesus shall suffer persecution” (2 Tim. 3:12, KJV).

If we overlook that process, when suffering befalls our friends, we are apt to assume it is God’s judgment for sin. When trouble befalls us, we are apt to be totally confused (see 1 Pet. 1:7-9; 2 Pet. 1:3-10; 2:9; James 1:2-4 for the purpose of suffering).

Sometimes God, for His own reasons, allows an idealistic friend to add to our test. At times we all need false and idealistic concepts to be broken. Perhaps through an idealistic friend we can see our blindness and resolve to fully surrender our hearts to God (see Ps. 51:17).

Zophar, Job’s Legalistic Friend
A person who lives a life of legalism adheres to a literal and excessively religious moral code. The New Testament Pharisees were the legalists of their day. They monitored themselves and others by the Levitical law. Yet Jesus reprimanded them for neglecting “the more important matters of the law—justice, mercy and faithfulness” (Matt. 23:23, NIV).

No doubt the whole spirit of their religion was summed up in self-righteousness, not in confession of sin or humility. This was the kind of friend Job had in Zophar, the legalist!

Zophar said: “How I wish God would tell you the truth about your situation, Job! He knows deceitful and evil men when He sees them. If you repent and put away your sin, then God will remove your shame” (adapted from Job 11:4-6,11,13-15).

With friends like these, who needs enemies? Apparently there was no one to plead the case for Job. His wife and friends all testified against him in court!

Let’s not allow ourselves to become “Job’s friends.” When our friends are going through trials, let’s not be a religious Eliphaz, an idealistic Bildad or a legalistic, know-it-all Zophar who is out of touch with his own pain. Let’s agree to be spiritual defense attorneys, those who come alongside to bring carefully prayed-over and gently presented godly counsel, loving support and encouragement.

Defendant Becomes Defender
When God finished the work He was doing in Job, He promoted him from the role of suffering defendant to that of defense attorney once again. “After the Lord had said these things to Job, he said to Eliphaz the Temanite, ‘I am angry with you and your two friends, because you have not spoken of Me what is right, as my servant Job has’” (Job 42:7). What a turnaround!

Job’s friends had failed to defend him in his trial. They had criticized, mocked and accused him. His friends had not understood the process of trial. Under Satan’s cross-examination in court they inadvertently served as witnesses for the prosecution. In so doing, they had even falsely accused God. Now the Court’s judgment weighed heavily upon them. Judge Jehovah was about to pass sentence on them.

Then our merciful Judge gave Job’s friends these surprising instructions: “So now take seven bulls and seven rams and go to my servant Job and sacrifice a burnt offering for yourselves. My servant Job will pray for you, and I will accept his prayer and not deal with you according to your folly. You have not spoken of Me what is right, as my servant Job has” (v. 8).

What was the result? “So Eliphaz the Temanite, Bildad the Shuhite and Zophar the Naamathite did what the Lord told them; and the Lord accepted Job’s prayer” (v. 9).

Wow! The Judge gave Eliphaz, Bildad and Zophar a court-appointed attorney—Job! As their attorney, Job was to plead their cases in prayer. And Job was no novice! Having defended his children and stood trial himself, Job the intercessor would not be praying detached, unfeeling, lifeless, ineffective prayers.

• He understood the pain and agony someone experiences when standing trial.
• He knew the fear, loneliness and severity of facing trial without a godly support team.
• He would represent his friends well before the Judge of heaven.

Friend, the trials you have suffered, when understood in the context of God’s overall purposes and properly applied, can be used to a kingdom advantage as you intercede for others who are standing trial today. For Job’s friends, the best part was that their victory was guaranteed before their case even came to trial!

That’s ! Judge Jehovah said to Job’s wayward friends, “I will accept his [Job’s] prayer and not deal with you according to your folly.”

Job Passes the Test

As long as Job remained the self-absorbed defendant, primarily concerned with his own need, he was a victim. It was only when he became a God-conscious, God-ordained, anointed defender of others that he experienced his own victory! “And the Lord turned the captivity of Job, when he prayed for his friends” (Job 42:10, KJV).

Yes, Job’s captivity was turned when he prayed for his friends. When Job focused on God and others, his own captivity was turned! This is what Jesus taught us to do when He gave us the two greatest commandments: “‘Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind and with all your your neighbor as yourself’” (Mark 12:30-31).

Are you currently enrolled in “the school of suffering?” Perhaps you have been experiencing some Job-like trials of your own. When will they end?

That’s really the wrong question. The question we should ask is, “What will they produce?” And that, friend, is largely up to you. If you are facing trial today, look for another person who needs a good defense attorney and become that person’s advocate before the throne of God in prayer.

It could be that your captivity, like Job’s, will be turned as you pray for your friends! Immerse yourself in their victory, and you will likely discover your own! “So the Lord blessed the latter end of Job more than his beginning” (Job 42:12). May this also be said of you!

Eddie Smith is co-founder and president of the U.S. Prayer Center, and his wife, Alice Smith, is executive director. They are both internationally known conference speakers and authors.

The Bible says in Galatians 3:28 that because of what
Christ has done, there are no longer any differences among us. “There
is neither Jew nor Greek” (no ethnic or national difference); “neither
slave nor free” (no economic difference); “neither male nor female” (no
gender difference), “for [we] are all one in Christ Jesus” (NKJV). This
verse refers to the equality we have in God.

But if we are all equal, how is it that the church has so
often been guilty of sanctifying a chauvinistic system in which women
are put—and not always gently—in second place? I believe it is time for
us to revisit the issue of what a woman’s place is in God’s order of
things.

My purpose is not to incite every woman in the church to
rise up to assert her individuality, authority and rights. It is to
examine what the Bible says a woman can be so that women are free to
move into all the things God has for them.

Casting Off Old Ideas

I want to begin by declaring that my view of women is not
a radical feminist or anti-traditional church view. It is a solid
biblical view. This view holds that God has a high destiny for every
one of the redeemed—whether male or female—and that that destiny is the
blossoming of who they are in the created being of Jesus Christ.

But discovering who we are in Christ can be made
difficult by the old ideas we cling to that originate from the culture
around us, imposed systems of thought such as human or religious
philosophy, or our own ignorance or misunderstanding. We must allow the
Lord to deliver us from all preconceived notions in order to discover
His true call on our lives.

One way to do that is to examine closely the Scriptures
that many people use to dispute the role of women in the church and try
to determine what God is really saying through them. To that end, we
will look at 1 Timothy 2:8-15:

“I desire therefore that the men pray everywhere, lifting
up holy hands, without wrath and doubting; in like manner also, that
the women adorn themselves in modest apparel, with propriety and
moderation, not with braided hair or gold or pearls or costly clothing,
but, which is proper for women professing godliness, with good works.

“Let a woman learn in silence with all submission. And I
do not permit a woman to teach or to have authority over a man, but to
be in silence. For Adam was formed first, then Eve. And Adam was not
deceived, but the woman being deceived, fell into transgression.

“Nevertheless she will be saved in childbearing if they continue in faith, love, and holiness, with self-control.”

First let’s see what the different verses in this passage don’t mean.

That the women adorn themselves in modest apparel (v. 9).
“All women should dress as crummy as possible to verify their holiness.”

Let a woman learn in silence (v. 11). “Women should keep their mouths closed in church and have no input on spiritual matters.”

With all submission (v. 11). “Women should do as they’re told.”

I do not permit a woman to teach or to have authority over a man (v. 12). “Women are allowed to teach only other women.”

Adam was formed first, then Eve (v. 13). “God likes men more than He does women.”

Adam was not deceived, but the woman being deceived, fell into transgression (v. 14). “Men are smarter than women.”

She will be saved in childbearing (v. 15). “The only thing a woman is good for is having babies.”

Are you guilty of interpreting any of the verses this
way? Now let’s see what God is really telling us about women. We can’t
analyze every verse, but we will look at a few of the most important
ones.

Let a Woman Be Silent

The first thing we have to understand is that, in this
passage, Paul is writing to Timothy to instruct him on how to lead a
church. He is giving him counsel on how to deal with relationships
within the body.

But we cannot divorce the counsel given here from what we
find in other parts of Scripture. Elsewhere Paul mentions “women who
labored with [him] in the gospel” (Phil. 4:3) and others, such as
Priscilla and Phoebe, whom he recognizes as teachers and deaconesses
(see Acts 18:26; Rom. 16:1,3,12). So he can’t be saying that women are
to have no input regarding spiritual matters in the church.

In fact, let me begin by addressing verses 11-12: “Let a
woman learn in silence with all submission. I do not permit a woman to
teach or to have authority over a man, but to be in silence.” These
verses are commonly interpreted to mean that a woman is permitted to
teach only other women; in particular, older women may teach younger
ones, as Titus 2:4-5 suggests.

But if this is true, it is true only in the United
States. As soon as a woman goes abroad as a missionary, she is
allowed—even expected—to teach, and not just other women.

And what happens if she becomes a writer? We put no sign
at the top of her articles warning men not to read them—“Caution: This
article was written by a woman and could be hazardous to your spiritual
health.”

So why the dichotomy? Because the word “silence” is
mistranslated in verses 11-12. The same word is translated “quiet” in a
preceding verse (v. 2): “that we may lead a quiet and peaceable life.”

You can’t take the word that is used in verse 2 to mean
one thing and then claim it means something totally different in verses
11-12. And the two translations of the word are not interchangeable. It
wouldn’t make sense for Paul to tell Timothy to pray that those in
authority would take away the right to speak so that he could live a
“silent” life, a life in which he never got to say anything.

What he is telling him, on the contrary, is to pray that
he’ll have the kind of government that will allow his life to have a
serene quality about it—a sense of peaceableness. In the same way, when
Paul says let a woman learn in “silence” (really, “quiet”) he is making
an appeal that has to do with the dynamics of male-female relationships
in general. He is calling for peace between the genders in a church
setting.

And women are to learn not only in a spirit of serenity,
according to Paul, but also “with all submission.” Some people take the
word “submission” to mean “subjection.” Subjection, or subjugation, is
the term that defined the action of the ancient emperors when they
would overwhelm an enemy and bring them under dominion. “Submission” is
not even a remotely similar concept.

In real life, this erroneous idea of submission would
give us a picture of a wife who just keeps her mouth shut, no matter
what her husband does or says. She would just bite her lip and wait for
him to ask her, “Well, my dear, do you have anything to offer? It’s
difficult to imagine you would, considering that I am primary in the
purposes and mind of God and you are only secondary. But go ahead.”

A more valid understanding of submission shows a wife who
says what she thinks in a very simple and open—not insistent or
demanding—way, with a “gentle and quiet spirit” (1 Pet. 3:4). Then she
trusts God to help her husband understand the value of partnership—to
see that he and his wife are co-heirs in the life of God (see Rom.
8:16-17)—and respond appropriately.

Serenity and submission are not characterized by
misty-eyed pacifism, but by the fruit of the Spirit—love, joy, peace
and so on. A woman is not to insist on her rights; yet she should be
free to express herself in a gracious way as she feels led. If her
husband does not receive what she says, she must look to the Lord to
take up her cause.

Suffer Not a Woman to Teach

If  you look
at verse 12 of 1 Timothy in the context of the whole Bible, you will
see that Paul couldn’t be prohibiting women from teaching, or even from
teaching men. If he were, why would he give rules in another epistle
for women to follow when they are prophesying? (See 1 Cor. 11:5.)

In that epistle, he is referring to prophetic utterances
given in the midst of an entire congregation—one that includes men. And
we know that prophecy can come by itself, or it can accompany either
preaching or teaching. Therefore, Paul allows for the possibility of
women speaking in church in the capacity of teacher.

The problem with this verse is similar to the one we
found in verse 11: The Greek word translated here as
“man”—anair—actually means “husband.” So what Paul is really saying is
that he doesn’t allow women to push their husbands around, to try to
seize their authority. He is addressing the natural tendency that women
have had, since the fall, to clutch for the rule, or authority, that
their husbands have been given over them (see Gen. 3:16).

You see, God did in fact give husbands authority over
their wives; He made them head over their wives as Christ is head of
the church (see Eph. 5:23). But this authority is not for the purpose
of quenching women into nothingness; rather, it is for husbands to act
as releasing agents, doing everything possible to maximize their wives’
potential and bring them into the highest possibilities of their
created beings.

God’s initial plan, of course, was for men and women to
be equal. That’s the way it can be in Christ, if men and women will
submit to the redemptive process God has ordained. The redemptive
process requires that the husband take leadership and the wife submit
(see Eph. 5:22-24).

This is not the frightening proposition some women make
it out to be. As I said before, submission is not subjugation; and it
is not destructive to your personhood. It is a summons to relate
properly to the different kinds of authority in your life, from the
civil government to church leadership to your spouse.

In the ancient world, the word “submission” was a
military term that referred to the ordering of soldiers in rank—the
strategic placement of soldiers not only for marching but for going
into battle. The soldiers were positioned in such a way that they were
able to protect one another so that the likelihood of success was
increased. It wasn’t an issue of titles, or who was more important, but
an issue of meeting the objective—victory.

That’s the way it is with the military today. Individuals
are positioned, both in practice maneuvers and in a real war, to best
serve the overall purpose of winning. Each one keeps his place because
he understands the need for order and the mutual benefit of the
soldiers’ covering one another.

A Woman’s Place

So being in submission really means knowing and keeping one’s place. But what is a woman’s place?

It is not the rigid, chauvinistic,
stay-in-the-background, keep-your-mouth-shut place sometimes offered
her by the church. It is not the liberal, insist-on-your-own-rights
place carved out by modern feminists. And it is not the rebellious,
do-your-own-thing place defined by her flesh. It is the place of being
obedient to the Word of God and allowing that Word to become incarnate
in her by the work of the Holy Spirit so that Jesus happens in her.

How does a woman reach this place? Not by falling prey to
the enticements of the culture around her. Not by seizing authority
from her husband. And not by getting out of order. She attains it by
relating rightly to all the authorities in her life, submitting in
serenity and allowing the gifts of God to make room for her—knowing
that as she obeys, God will cause the power of Jesus Christ to work in
her situation so she can fulfill her destiny.

Jack Hayford is the founding pastor of The Church on the Way in Van Nuys, California.

When I agreed to write about sexual immorality in the
body of Christ, I thought pulling the information together would be an
easy task. As a pastor, counselor, speaker and public health educator,
I often address this topic. But as I began to wrestle with the many
perspectives from which I could approach the issue, I almost lost
myself in a crippling hodgepodge of psychology, sociology and theology.

Finally, I decided that the best approach was the
biblical approach. After all, God’s perspective, clearly revealed in
His Word, is the only perspective that really matters.

The Bible makes four simple declarations about human sexuality:

1. God created our sexuality, and it is beautiful (see Gen. 1:26-28; 2:24-25).

2. Sex within the marriage covenant is holy and pure (see Heb. 13:4).

3. Sex outside the marriage covenant is sin (see 1 Cor. 6:9).

4. Sexual relations with the same sex is an abomination (see Lev. 18:22).

Many nonbelievers would probably reject these statements
as trivial, outdated, homophobic, narrow-minded, judgmental, accusatory
and discriminatory. Unfortunately, judging from their lifestyles, many
Christians do too.

I’m not writing to nonbelievers. I’m writing as a Christian to Christians from a Christian perspective.

I wish sexual immorality were a problem outside the
church only. But it’s not. It’s a big problem inside the church, also,
among Christians and Christian leaders.

Often when I’ve taught about sexuality in church
meetings, I’ve been shocked by the concerns that were expressed to me
privately. Take my word for it: Every form of sexual addiction,
perversion and practice is alive and well among believers, and it
stretches from the pulpit to the vestibule of the church and everywhere
in between.

The issues, problems and consequences of carnality and
sexual immorality are recorded in the Bible from Genesis to Revelation.
God has given us clear guidelines in His Word. So why are so many
believers today involved in sexual sin?

Let me put it bluntly: The reason is that too many of us
are refusing to yield totally to the Holy Spirit. We declare with our
mouths that we love Jesus; we say we will follow Him wherever He leads
us.

But our actions indicate otherwise. Our actions say, “I
love you, Jesus, almost as much as I love myself; and I will follow you
all the way until I get to the fork in the road where I make the
choice to satisfy my own carnal desires. I will believe your Word up to
the point at which it disagrees with the secular perspective that
explains my behavior. Any variance from that perspective means Your
Word is outdated and is not for today.”

How did we get to this place? How did the body of Christ
reach the state in which sexual sins are not only overlooked by many
Christian leaders but are being openly committed by the keepers of the
flame? Blatant immorality, drunkenness, womanizing and perversion are
running rampant and unchecked in too many assemblies!

Strong words, you say? Yes, these are very strong words.
But strong words are what are needed to rout the “strongman” of
immorality. The sins of fornication, adultery, homosexuality and
perversion have become deeply rooted in the church and are tolerated by
too many of us.

Part of the problem is that we’ve believed the lie that
church leaders are “faultless.” That lie has caused many of us to close
our eyes to the sexual sins in which some leaders have engaged while
serving as our spiritual shepherds. Those “private Bible studies” and
late night “counseling sessions” with single folks, unhappy spouses and
“sick” members have gone unchallenged and unrebuked by a godly
membership.

Now mistresses have the audacity to sit on the front row
in the church. Homosexual lovers don’t hesitate to share the platform
during praise and worship. Unmarried couples who sleep together
Saturday night have no qualms about sitting in church together Sunday
morning.

I am aware that I sound angry. I am angry! I’m tired of
seeing strong young men and women in the church devastated by the
ravages of AIDS, other sexually transmitted diseases and dysfunctional
lifestyles as a result of sexual immorality. It hurts to see the hopes
and promises of beautiful teen-agers and young women dashed when they
discover that they’re pregnant and the father has disappeared or has
announced to the world that the child is not his baby because the
pregnant female “sleeps around.”

Who will comfort the young child who has been fondled by
a priest, a pastor or a trustee of the church in the church? Who will
help rebuild the shattered emotions of the pastor’s wife after she has
discovered her husband’s infidelity with the church secretary or the
Sunday school teacher, or worse yet, one of the young men in the choir?
Who will sound the clarion call to sanctification and holiness in this
age of promiscuity and rank immorality?

Needless to say, we need a revival. The principles of
sanctification and holiness need to be revived at the altar. We must
stop petting folks who want to stay in their sins. We must herald the
truth of God’s Word. We must face sexuality immorality squarely in the
face and declare holy war on our carnal nature.

God has given us plain and simple instructions throughout
the Bible such as those found in Galatians 5:16: “Walk in the Spirit,
and you shall not fulfill the lust of the flesh” (NKJV). We need to
study the Bible and let the Word of God speak to us. We must be willing
to hear and to repent of the sin that God reveals in our lives through
His Word. After all, we serve a loving and gracious God who is waiting
and willing to forgive us, sanctify us and restore us.

The strongman of immorality can and must be overcome in
our lives and in our churches. There are specific things we can do to
ensure his defeat.

1. Flee temptation. If you are struggling to
overcome sexual sin, it is your responsibility to flee temptation. Be
wise. Avoid situations that would contribute to sexual arousal. For
example, if you are dating, don’t allow your date to sexually arouse
you with kisses, touches or any other kind of stimulation.

If soft music turns you on, put on some hymns or a loud Kirk Franklin album. Play a marching band if you must!

More importantly, associate with those who have the same
attitude about sexual purity that you do. I know it can be difficult to
track them down, but there are saved brothers and sisters out there
somewhere. Entreat the Holy Spirit to help you find them.

2. Ask for help. If you need special help, seek
out a Christian therapist or physician who is trained in handling the
behavioral problems and addictions that have a stranglehold on your
life. All healing comes from the Lord, but not everyone is able to get
free from behavioral problems without assistance.

3. Take the risks seriously. If you know what is
right but are choosing to live in willful disobedience, I ask: Is it
worth the risk? As a Christian participating in a sexually immoral
lifestyle, you risk death from incurable, sexually transmitted diseases
such as AIDS, hepatitis and more. You risk losing your mate and your
family because of your unfaithfulness. You risk losing your self-esteem
and the respect of your peers and neighbors. You risk devastating your
business or profession, especially if you are in ministry. Worst of
all, you risk your fellowship with the Lord.

4. Make a commitment. It doesn’t matter whether
the behavior you’re involved in is “trendy” or not. As a Christian, you
are a “slave of righteousness,” and your call is to crucify the lusts
of the flesh. It is possible to live holy if you desire to do so.
Commit yourself to staying before the Lord on a daily basis and
avoiding anything that would contribute to your taste for immoral
pleasures or gratification outside of marriage.

5. Confront unfaithfulness. If you are a Christian
wife and your husband has been unfaithful, ask yourself: Is your spouse
truly repentant, and will he remain faithful after repentance? Is the
unfaithfulness a continuous practice, or was it just one breach of
fidelity? Is your spouse a professing Christian, or does he just go to
church on Sunday? Is he a Spirit-filled man whom Satan tripped up but
who is now truly repentant?

Only you can answer these questions. Forgiveness is
possible—and biblical—but the Bible also says that you are not
obligated to remain with an unfaithful mate. If you choose to stay with
him, you must realize that your husband’s unfaithfulness could well
mean your early demise from undetected disease. Given the severity of
the sexual diseases among us, I strongly suggest a period of sexual
abstinence and then the use of protection at all times, even after lab
reports have determined that your mate is disease-free.

Even if your husband is a pastor or church leader, do not
hesitate to confront him head-on about his infidelity and report it to
the other church authorities. Women must stop shielding and hiding such
behavior. Many are suffering physical abuse and threats from these
“spiritual leaders” because they are too afraid or too embarrassed to
expose them.

Stop being a punching bag for these unregenerate heathen!
The Word tells us that a man is worse than an infidel if he neglects
his family (see 1 Tim. 5:8). Seek legal help to get the support you
need to maintain your family and yourself. There are laws on the books
that address adultery!

6. Don’t accept excuses. If you are a member of a
congregation and discover that one of your leaders is being sexually
immoral, you have a responsibility to bring it to the attention of the
church leadership. This action must not be based on hearsay or gossip.
But if you know without a doubt, then it is your duty as a Christian to
pull the covers off this festering boil that affects the whole body of
Christ.

There are no excuses. We do things because we want to do
them, and your pastor or leader is no exception. Besides, how can you
sit under the leadership of a hypocrite who thumbs his nose at God’s
state of holy matrimony?

Yes, it takes courage to uncover sin, but it must be
done—even if you are rejected by the leadership. Even if you’re called
a liar! Just pick up your marbles and move to another ministry after
you have sought God’s face. You don’t want to find that you’ve run from
the frying pan into the fire.

7. Confess your sin. If you are a Christian
leader, pastor or minister involved in sexual immorality, you need to
confess your sin and seek serious counseling—both psychological and
spiritual. I personally believe you need to be relieved of your
position during this process. You cannot continue on as though nothing
has happened. There needs to be public repentance and restoration
before you mount the pulpit again or accept any kind of leadership
position.

8. Stand up for holiness. To all believers and
ministers of the gospel, I say: Wake up! We need to combine forces to
lead a strong, faith-based, biblical attack on the scourge of sexual
immorality that has become epidemic in our congregations.

It is time to stand up for Jesus. It is time to rebuild
the walls of holiness and sexual purity in the church so that we are no
longer a reproach to the world. In the words of Nehemiah 2:8: “Let us
rise up and build!”

Judy Ann Fisher is the founder and pastor of the Full
Gospel Church of the Lord’s Missions International in Washington, D.C.
She is also the international executive director of its missions
service organization, Mercy Outreach Ministry International. A gifted
businesswoman, she is owner of several companies and has traveled
extensively as a motivator, lecturer and presenter of her Human
Sexuality series.

Sin and ill are the false notes struck by man across the
harmony of God’s will, and to strike upon or even remember such notes
is instant banishment from the music of His presence. Where all is joy,
there joy is all; and he who has not reached this joy does not know
God—he is still a follower, and not a possessor, and he should refuse
in his heart to remain satisfied with his condition, but climb on. Why
stay behind? Climb on, climb on!

Often I have been mystified and disturbed by the attitude
of many religious and pious people who appear to believe that to follow
Christ is a way of gloom, of sadness, of heaviness. Often I have
gathered from sermons that we are to give up all the bright and
enticing things if we would follow Him, and the preacher goes no
further!

Has the Lord, then, no enticements, no sweetnesses, no
brightness to offer us, that we should be asked to forsake all
pleasantness, all brightness, all attractions if we follow Him? This to
me always seemed terrible, and my heart would sink. Indeed, to my poor
mind and heart it seemed nothing more hopeful than a going from bad to
worse!

All the pictures I have seen of either the crucifixion or
the way of the cross (and especially those of more recent times and
painting) portray Christ’s blessed face all worn with gloom; and I know
now that this is far from the truth. For perfect love knows agony, but
no gloom. He went through all His agony, lifted high above gloom, in a
great ecstasy of love for us.

To speak of sacrifice in connection with following Jesus
is, to my mind, the work of a very foolish person and one in danger of
being blasphemous. For how dare we say that it is a sacrifice when, by
the putting away of foolish desires, we find God! And to find God,
through the following of Jesus Christ, is to gain so much (even in this
world, and without waiting for the next) that those who gain it never
cease to be amazed at the vastness of it.

We find this to be an absolute truth, that if we do not
have Him we have, and are, nothing, in comparison with that which we
are and that which we have when we have Him.

In my earlier stages I was greatly set back and disturbed
by this gloom and sacrifice (which is no sacrifice) of myself so put
forward by pulpit teaching. It was a great hindrance to me and blinded
me to the truth. I was only a normal, ordinary creature, and melancholy
pastors thrust a great burden into my arms.

Little by little, as I was able to learn directly from
His own heart, I came to know Him as He is; and I could not reconcile
the knowledge of Himself that He gave me, especially of His high
willingness and serenity, with pulpit teachings of heavy gloom. The
church too frequently spoke to me of following Him in terms that
conveyed a burden: “Pick up thy cross, pick up thy cross!” they cried;
and He spoke to me in terms that conveyed a great joy: “Come to Me,
come to Me, for I love thee!”

I thought I was very cowardly and sinned by this
inability to like the gloomy burden, and one day I came upon this out
of Jeremiah: “As for the prophet, and the priest, and the people, that
shall say, The burden of the Lord, I will even punish that man and his
house. Because ye say this word, The burden of the will
utterly forget you, and I will forsake cast you out of My
presence” (Jer. 23:34,38-39, KJV).

Jesus did say, “‘Come, take up the cross, and follow Me’”
(Mark 10:21), but whoever obeys this commandment will be shown by Jesus
that the cross of following Him is no burden but a deliverance, a
finding of life, the way of escape, a great joy and a garland of love.

The world thinks of joyousness as being laughter,
cackling and much silly noise; and to such I do not speak. But Christ’s
joyousness is of a high, still, marvelous and ineffable
completeness—beyond all words—and wholly satisfying to heart and soul
and body and mind.

It is written, “He that loveth silver shall not be
satisfied with silver” (Eccl. 5:10). Why? Because only those who know
the gold of Christ are satisfied.

This is not to say that by following Him we shall escape
from the happenings and inconveniences and sorrows and illnesses that
are common to life; but that when these come we are raised out of our
distress into His ineffable peace.

When your heart is sad, use this sadness to come to a
better understanding of the deeper pain of Jesus, who was in the
self-same exile we are. The more the soul is truly awakened and
touched, the more she feels herself to be in exile; and this is her
cross.

But the remedy for her sadness is that she should
courageously pass out of her woes of exile and go up to meet her Lover
with smiles. Now, He cannot resist this smiling courage and love of the
soul, and very quickly He must send her His sweetness, and her sadness
is gone.

 The book from which this excerpt was taken, titled The Golden Fountain, was originally published in 1919 by John M. Watkins of London with the subtitle The Soul’s Love for God.
The only allusion to the author was the descriptive phrase under the
subtitle: “Being some Thoughts and Confessions of One of His Lovers.”

Question: Doug, I’m married
and know that 1 Timothy 5:1-2 says, “Treat … older women as mothers,
and younger women as sisters, with absolute purity” (NIV). But I
struggle with impure thoughts when I’m around women. What is the best
way to keep my mind sexually pure?

Answer:
I recommend a few strategies. One, wear a rubber band on your wrist and
every time you lust at a woman, snap it. This will stop reinforcing
this behavior. Two, memorize some Scriptures on purity so you can
access them when in need. Three, do what 1 Timothy 5:1-2 suggests—view
all women in the context of a relationship.

Every
woman is somebody’s mother, daughter, sister or friend. Paul was
suggesting that we see women as the people they are and not as sexual
objects. Remember too that every woman is God’s daughter. Imagine how
God might be feeling when you’re lusting after His daughter. Exodus
20:17 commands us not to lust after our neighbor’s wife.

So
look up, down or in another direction if you must—just don’t lust.
Through God’s Spirit you can love women as people. You just can’t love
and lust at the same time.

Also, try finding an
accountability partner whom you can call daily. Make an agreement with
your partner that the one who lusts the least during the week wins and
the loser buys breakfast. You will be amazed to discover that free food
and compensation can inspire you to change your behavior.

Doug Weiss, Ph.D., is a nationally known author and therapist and the founder of Heart to Heart Counseling Center in Colorado Springs, Colo. This article originally appeared in New Man emagazine.

The Blind Side, starring Sandra Bullock and Tim McGraw, is undeniably inspirational. At a recent screening, many viewers were openly in tears.

But Sean and Leigh Anne Tuohy, the Christian couple at the center of the film that opens Friday, hope the story of how they adopted a homeless black teenager who eventually became a first-round NFL draft pick does more than make people cry.

“We hope people walk out of the theater and want to do something for someone else,” said the couple’s daughter, Collins Tuohy.

Based on the true story of Baltimore Ravens rookie Michael Oher, The Blind Side—rated PG-13 for language, violence and depictions of drug use—chronicles how a handful of Christians helped change the life of a teen growing up in inner-city Memphis, Tenn.

First, administrators at a tony Christian school on the opposite side of town admitted him as a student, despite a GPA that began with a zero, “because it’s the right thing to do,” as the school’s football coach argued in the film. Then the Tuohys (played by Bullock and McGraw) took him into their home after seeing him walking down a road one night in the dead of winter wearing just shorts and a T-shirt.

The Tuohys eventually adopted Oher (played by newcomer Quinton Aaron) into their family, hired a tutor to help him improve his grades and encouraged him to play football. That led to a host of scholarship offers that landed him at the Tuohys’ alma mater, Ole Miss, then the 2009 NFL draft.

For some viewers, the idea of a wealthy white family rescuing a disadvantaged black youth may seem paternalistic. Many of the African-Americans depicted in the film are poor, drug-addicted or involved in gangs, and seem in need of assistance.

But 22-year-old Collins, played in the film by Lily Collins, said her family wasn’t trying to make any social statements. They just happened to be there when Oher needed someone and would have helped him if he was purple, she said.

“What we did for Michael was to give him tools to succeed and to have his back when he needed it and to love him,” Collins told Charisma. “It’s amazing what happens when you give a child a little bit of love.”

“The fact that he is where he is now is not a testament to us, it’s a testament to him,” she added. “Because I, Collins Tuohy, would not have done what Michael did to get to where he is. There is no way I would have sat in my kitchen for seven hours and studied every night. There is no way that I could have done what should have been done in four years [of high school] in two years. There’s no way I could have done that.”

Although the Tuohys see adopting Oher as part of God’s plan for their family, Collins says her mom was likely acting on impulse when she brought Oher into their home.

“When you see a child in snow with shorts and a T-shirt walking down the road, it’s usually your immediate reaction to question, and then she just happened to react,” Collins said. “And that’s kind of the message of the movie. If more people would just react, this world might be a little bit better of a place. … You don’t have to adopt a child. Just help someone. Then we might be a little bit better off.”

Normal
0

Evangelist Ray Comfort and actor Kirk Cameron joined 1,200 Christians Wednesday in distributing 170,000 copies of Charles Darwin’s evolution manifesto The Origin of Species—which features a 50-page introduction refuting Darwin’s theory—at 100 universities across the nation.

Comfort initially planned to distribute copies of The Origin of Species: 150th Anniversary Edition at college campuses today, but atheists and students had threatened “unilateral resistance,” including book burnings and protests, according to Comfort’s Living Waters ministry.

“Our agenda was simply to get the books into the hands of the students, without creating a disturbance at universities,” the ministry said.

Atheists nationwide blasted Comfort online for distributing the 1859 book, which is in the public domain and was published through a partnership with Bridge-Logos Foundation.

“This is a shameful thing that Kirk Cameron and [Ray Comfort] are doing by altering another person’s book in order to push their agenda,” reads a post on the “Kirk Cameron has gone too far” Facebook page. “But we can help to restore the book to how it was intended and keep young minds from being brainwashed by misinformation.”

Prominent atheist Richard Dawkins, author of The God Delusion, told students to rip out the book’s introduction. One thousand free copies of The Origin of Species: 150th Anniversary Edition were also distributed at the University of Oxford, where Dawkins is a professor.

Dawkins has reportedly called Comfort a fool for advocating intelligent design, but the evangelist says his goal was to make students think. “All I want for this generation of kids to do is think about what they believe,” Comfort told Charisma. “I don’t want them to turn their back on evolution. I want them to doubt it enough to look at the claims of the gospel.”

Comfort said he doubts intelligent design will ever be taught in schools alongside evolution. “That’s because we have to remember who we are as Christians,” he said. “We’re the folks who believe in Adam and Eve [and] Noah’s Ark … and so in the name of science, they are going to resist as much as they can.”

But the evangelist says his mission goes beyond addressing educational needs. He says when people become atheists, they change their worldview from “I believe in God” to “I’m morally responsible” to “There are no moral absolutes,” which “opens the door for fornication and pornography and every vice the human heart so desires.”

Ultimately, Comfort hopes the book giveaway will draw unbelievers to Christ. “I want them to have everlasting life,” he said. “That’s the motive for giving these books out.”

Living Waters also supplied some of the $ books to Christian bookstores for evangelistic purposes.

Psalm 118:19-29 No matter what each day holds for us, we can rejoice in it. But you may say, “I don’t feel like rejoicing.” Often when a new day dawns, our bodies don’t want to get up and greet the day with cheerfulness because we just simply may not feel good. Our souls, however, can always rejoice in the Lord. When we greet the day with gratefulness instead of grumbling, we will set the sails of the ship of our lives to receive the wind of the Holy Spirit.

David tells us exactly how we can rejoice daily. He gives us three ways to rejoice:

1. Praise the Lord.

2. Exalt the Lord.

3. Give thanks to the Lord.

If we will do the above, we will always have a blessed day no matter what we may encounter. Have a blessed day. REJOICE IN THE LORD ALWAYS!

Lord, forgive me for the times I have not greeted a new day with joy in my heart. Starting tomorrow morning, when I awaken I want to praise and give thanks to You for a new day. Then as I touch my feet to the floor to start sailing with the wind of the Holy Spirit, help me to exalt and glorify You in both word and deed. Thank You, Great Helper, for helping me today and every day.

READ: Ezekiel 40:28-41:26; James 4:1-17; Psalm 118:19-29; Proverbs 28:3-5