If I ask a professed believer, "What Jesus do you believe in?

The normal response is, "What do you mean, the same Jesus you believe in." Undaunted by this reply, I then ask, "What Jesus is that?"
Many go on to answer the question while others seem to be aggravated by what they consider to be an obvious answer. There is only one Jesus they think. To this frame of thought I would like to say that there is only one Lord and Savior. There is only one begotton Son of God but there are more than one Jesus being preached.

Many walk around making the serious error that just because the sign says church that it is doing the will of God. Just because someone is in the spirit doesn't mean that they have the Holy Spirit and just because they believe in Jesus, doesn't mean that they believe in the Jesus of the Bible. I am here to warn those who take spiritual things at face value that there is more than one gospel, more than one spirit and more than one Jesus being taught in today's church.

But I fear, lest by any means, as the serpent beguiled Eve through his subtilty, so your minds should be corrupted from the simplicity that is in Christ. ⁴ For if he that cometh preacheth another Jesus, whom we have not preached, or if ye receive another spirit, which ye have not received, or another gospel, which ye have not accepted, ye might well bear with him. -2 Cor 11:3-4

The Bible even warns us not to believe every spirit but test them to see if they are really of God.
¹ Beloved, believe not every spirit, but try the spirits whether they are of God: because many false prophets are gone out into the world. ² Hereby know ye the Spirit of God: Every spirit that confesseth that Jesus Christ is come in the flesh is of God: - 1 John 4:1

Sadly, Satan is the great counterfeiter and he makes a living out of imitating the things of God. There are ministers of Satan alive and well today. They preach a perverted gospel, guided by a perverted spirit. They worship a faulty and false Christ. I am here to tell you that many people have confessed a belief in "Christ" and put their trust in him only to put their trust in the wrong thing! Yes, it is possible for the spiritually immature to fall into a system of belief called a cult. A cult is a religion that resembles Christianity but is based on heresy (false doctrine).

How can someone go to an institution of worship, believe on Jesus, and still be lost? The problem is in definition. Again we come back to the original question. Who is Jesus?

The Jesus of the Bible
Before we look at the counterfeit, lets look at the genuine. It's important for a Christian to be familiar with the real thing in order to recognize the fake.
At this point in the study, I recommend that the reader go to God Is or Jesus: The Perfect Sacrifice to get a better understanding as to who God is and who is His only begotten Son, but just for a quick glimpse, here are a few scriptures about Jesus.

Jesus was born of a virgin
Now the birth of Jesus Christ was on this wise: When as his mother Mary was espoused to Joseph, before they came together, she was found with child of the Holy Ghost. -Matt 1:18

Jesus was divine.
In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. -John 1:1

Jesus is the creator
For by him were all things created, that are in heaven, and that are in earth, visible and invisible, whether they be thrones, or dominions, or principalities, or powers: all things were created by him, and for him: - Col 1:16

Jesus upholds all things.
And he is before all things, and by him all things consist. - Col 1:17

Jesus bestows eternal life.
And I give unto them eternal life; and they shall never perish, neither shall any man pluck them out of my hand. - John 10:28

⁷ Behold, he cometh with clouds; and every eye shall see him, and they also which pierced him: and all kindreds of the earth shall wail because of him. Even so, Amen. Rev 1:7

You may know someone who is part of this religion. I have no doubt that many nice and sincere people become members. When someone is not part of a Christian religion, this in no way implies that they are the most debased of society. This is not to say that they are the most mean spirited and hateful people around. All this means is that they have not put their trust in the Jesus of the Bible, the only one who can save them. A person who does all the nice and kind charitable works in the world will still die condemned if they climb in a life boat with a hole in it. After careful examination, the Jesus of the scriptures is the only perfect boat. The Jehovah's Witnesses are a cult. They are a new version of a fourth century heresy called Arianism which taught that Jesus was created. The Bible, on the other hand, makes it clear that He is God the creator.
In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. ² The same was in the beginning with God. ³ All things were made by him; and without him was not any thing made that was made. - John 1:1-3

Mormon
The Mormons also known as The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints was founded by Joseph Smith Jr around 1830. He says that in a vision he saw many people at a revival that were contending for different faiths (Methodist, Presbyterian, Baptist). Wanting to know which of these religions was right so that he could join, he was told none of them. He latter had another vision in which he was instructed to translate some golden plates which he obediently did.

Unlike true Christianity, Mormons have four accepted sacred works. The Bible, the Pearl of Great Price, The Book of Mormon, and Doctrine and Covenants. Sadly, Mormons hold the writings of the other books more trustworthy than the writings of the Bible thinking that man has corrupted them. In addition to this, the words of the present prophet are also a source of authority.

The Bible does not agree with the reliance of multiple sources of contradictory revelation. Any message from God must agree with the message brought by Jesus already.
¹ God, who at sundry times and in divers manners spake in time past unto the fathers by the prophets, ² Hath in these last days spoken unto us by his Son, whom he hath appointed heir of all things, by whom also he made the worlds;

Heb 1:1

¹⁴ And the Word was made flesh, and dwelt among us, (and we beheld his glory, the glory as of the only begotten of the Father,) full of grace and truth. John 1:14

To Mormons, there is a general salvation for all of humanity. They believe in different levels of gradations provided to those who are worthy. There is no hell or everlasting punishment in their theology. Everyone will eventually go to one of three levels of reward. Unfortunately for them, this again contradicts the clear teaching of the bible.

The Jesus of the Bible saved mankind from the wrath of God. If man does not accept the gift of salvation through Christ, there is a literal and burning place of punishment waiting for him. There is no way to earn salvation, it is a free gift from His unique Son.

⁸ For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God: ⁹ Not of works, lest any man should boast. ¹⁰ For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus unto good works, which God hath before ordained that we should walk in them. Eph 2:8-10

The Word of Faith Movement

The Word of Faith Movement is a Charismatic movement of the church in which the parishioners are taught that their words have creative force. The same way that God spoke things into existence in the book of Genesis is the same way we are to speak things into our lives. It basically says that we can have and be whatever it is we say if we speak it in faith. It is usually paired with a destructive and false doctrine called the Prosperity gospel. A term that was once familiar with those associated with this movement was "name it and claim it." Many lives have been hurt or destroyed by the wickedness of Word of Faith. After a careful examination of Word of Faith beliefs, it should be easy to see that it turns man into God and God into man, by making us and our confessions the master and God the servant. Because of the "laws of faith," God must do what we say. They don't package their teachings this way of course, but we all know that the servant follows the direction of the master and not the other way around. It is heresy and false teaching at its very worst. But that's not all! It also teaches that God will only listen to and bless the faithful tither and generous giver.

In my estimation the Word of Faith Movement is the most dangerous of all the other religions and sects. It is, to me, a more sublime impostor of Christianity. Many who follow these preachers and prophets actually think that they are part of Orthodox Christianity when they are far from it. Most of the poisonous doctrine of these Charismatic Churches lure people away by focusing on the endless love of God and His desire to see us prosper. The message of God loves you no matter what you do and He wants to see you financially blessed is a far more appealing message than God wants you to live a life that will glorify Him and overcome a life of suffering. The first is as appealing as a steak dinner in a four star restaurant and the second, a day old sandwich in a lunch kit. The difference being that the steak is filled with poison and the sandwich with nutrition. One, while a lot more tasty, is designed to kill you, while the other, while not so appealing, will make you healthy and strong.

Much of this website is designed to attack the errors contained within the Word of Faith Prosperity Movement, so it is not necessary to keep dwelling on it. If you want to see where the teachings of this movement fails to hold up against biblical Christianity, you only need to look at the word of God. If you want to see this movement at work, all you need to do is watch the majority of (so called) Christian programming on T.V. The point is that the Jesus being preached is not the Jesus of the Bible and therefore can not save you any more than a man named Jesus in your neighborhood.

The Word of Faith movement is filled with preachers that preach more about money than Jesus, churches that care more about taking money from the poor than giving money to the poor, ministries that care more about assembling than serving, pastors that care more about saying what man wants to hear than teaching what God has to say, people giving money and time to the church without giving their hearts to Christ, sermons that are taught without opening the Bible, Christians accepting things and choices that are contrary to God's word, are all signs of a reprobate church. In short, when we spend our lives staring at the things of this world, we have at the same time taken our focus off Christ.

The saddest day will be when people who have spent a life time in church will find out that they have not been following the right path after all. The reason for this is because they have not been following sound doctrine and have never investigated the Bible deep enough to find out. I know that the Bible can be an intimidating book, but I also know that God can (and will) teach it to anyone who truly desires to find Him.

Satan, the great deceiver, has been doing what he does for centuries. He likes to dangle our desires like carrots in front of us. Sadly, just like donkeys, many of us are too stubborn to turn around even though we are headed the wrong direction.

Satan wants to trick you into thinking that what we believe is not important but the Bible says this.
Study to shew thyself approved unto God, a workman that needeth not to be ashamed, rightly dividing the word of truth. 2 Tim 2:15

Satan will appeal to our lusts.

Ambitions and lusts are similar but lust usually starts with our eyes and are for physical things. A car, a house, a boat, or a person are all candidates for lust. When Eve saw how good the fruit looked, it was then that she began to long to taste it.

Love not the world, neither the things that are in the world. If any man love the world, the love of the Father is not in him. For all that is in the world, the lust of the flesh, and the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life, is not of the Father, but is of the world. -1 John 1:15,16

Not only are people who actively seek and espouse material things, not being Christian, God considers them enemies.

Ye adulterers and adulteresses, know ye not that the friendship of the world is enmity with God? whosoever therefore will be a friend of the world is the enemy of God. - James 4:4

Angels of Light?

For such are false apostles, deceitful workers, transforming themselves into the apostles of Christ. And no marvel; for Satan himself is transformed into an angel of light. Therefore it is no great thing if his ministers also be transformed as the ministers of righteousness; whose end shall be according to their works -2 Corinthians 11: 13-15

Many of the false prophets have large followings because they seem like some of the least threatening people around. They smile, they say nice things, they do nothing that will be offensive to anyone, they call sins mistakes and make little mention of hell. They focus on your present life with little mention of the future one. Most of all, anything convicting of sin is abundantly absent from the message. People go in their churches with addictions, sexual sins and worldly attitudes and come out unconverted. The Bible calls these things sins not mistakes. Jesus came to take away our sins, not our mistakes. (Putting to much yeast in a roll is a mistake, stealing rolls from a bakery is a sin).

This is not the gospel. The whole reason for God's plan of redemption was to reconcile man to God. The reason for this separation? Sin; God hates sin. In fact, the first thing a person needs to do in order to be saved is to recognize that they are a sinner in need of a Savior. This is the crux of the gospel message. Jesus is the only answer to the problem of sin.

Jesus saith unto him, I am the way, the truth, and the life: no man cometh unto the Father, but by me. -John 14:6

The one thing that we should consistently focus on is Jesus. If He's not the focus then it's not of God. I'm not saying that every word that comes out of the preacher's mouth needs to be "Jesus." I'm saying that He should always be the foundation of the message. I preach on love, why? -because Jesus is Loving. I preach on sacrifice, why? -because Jesus is the ultimate sacrifice. I preach on forgiveness, why? -because Jesus is forgiving. On this point, Jesus was clear.

But when the Comforter is come, whom I will send unto you from the Father, even the Spirit of truth, which proceedeth from the Father, he shall testify of me: -John 15:26 (Bold added for emphasis)

Reader, if we really take time to examine the truth, if we really accept the fact that we are here to glorify God and not ourselves, we will clearly see that church is about uplifting Christ. We didn't die for the sins of humanity. We aren't called the only begotten of God. We didn't cause the veil of the temple to be torn in two or bring fulfillment to the law. We didn't send the Holy spirit to seal and empower the church. We're never the focus of the Holy Spirit, Jesus is. A sermon focused on promoting people and making them rich is a far cry from one magnifying the Lord Jesus who is our riches. Jesus said this to give his disciples comfort:

If the world hate you, ye know that it hated me before it hated you. If ye were of the world, the world would love his own: but because ye are not of the world, but I have chosen you out of the world, therefore the world hateth you. -John 15:18-19

Christianity is growth in the relationship and knowledge of God (Theology).

That we henceforth be no more children, tossed to and fro, and carried about with every wind of doctrine, by the sleight of men, and cunning craftiness, whereby they lie in wait to deceive; -Ephesians 4:14.

It's not about praying for our wants and desires and doing things our own way.

Ye ask, and receive not, because ye ask amiss, that ye may consume it upon your lusts -James 4:3

It's not giving in order to get. Christianity is about standing up for sound biblical doctrine, desiring to give God what He wants, to believe God, to put others before ourselves and to do things God's way. It's about doing it all in love because without love nothing we do in life will count.

Though I speak with the tongues of men and of angels, and have not charity, I am become as sounding brass, or a tinkling cymbal. And though I have the gift of prophecy, and understand all mysteries, and all knowledge; and though I have all faith, so that I could remove mountains, and have not charity, I am nothing. And though I bestow all my goods to feed the poor, and though I give my body to be burned, and have not charity, it profiteth me nothing. -1 Corinthians 13:1-3 (It should be noted that the word translated charity in the KJV version of the Bible is the Greek word agapewhich means “divine love”).

Signs Of False Prophets.

Below are a few things that point to someone being misplaced in the ministry.

Misplaced can be anything from being in the wrong area of ministry to not belonging in ministry at all. As a parishioner, only one sign should make you cautious but if there are many of them, look out! It's better to observe someones ministry over time, however, if the thing in question is a sinful life style, no other clues are necessary.

Their Sermons Lack Conviction

Amazingly, the true ministers of God who hold fast to the scriptures and do not compromise with sin are vilified as intolerant, ignorant, unloving and faulty while false teachers are the toast of the town. It was common for Old Testament prophets to be vilified. Their messages were considered burdens because they had the dubious task of telling people about the wrath of God concerning sin.

The prophet came to warn people about their disobedience but to also tell them that God would be willing to accept them back into fellowship if they repented. Prophets weren't welcome sights and they were far from being the celebrities of their day. Unless you are perfect, and no man is, you should often feel conviction when you go to church. Conviction my friend, does not feel good to us, but it produces good in us.

Masses will not come to hear about their sins, only the wise and faithful few. This is why the road to destruction is broad and many travel it and only a few will travel the slender righteous one. Contrary to popular opinion, the word of God is not here to make us feel good, it is here to let us see ourselves for what we really are (SINNERS). If you've been going to your church for a while and have not experienced conviction in certain areas of your life, then you are attending a social club with a church billboard.

They Distort Truth

Preach the word; be instant in season, out of season; reprove, rebuke, exhort with all longstanding and doctrine. For the time will come when they will not endure sound doctrine; but after their own lusts shall they heap to themselves teachers, having itching ears; And they shall turn away their ears from the truth, and shall be turned unto fables. -2 Timothy 4: 2-4

The twisted teachers teach a twisted gospel changing God into a genie who grants us our desires. Man on the other hand is a god who can get whatever he confesses. Just like God can speak things into existence, Some teach that we too can produce whatever we say by using the force of faith and positive confession. Some also teach we can confess good health and basically shape our lives by what we say. Sounds good but is it true?

Two doctors are across the hall from each other at a medical facility. One doctor honestly reports that you have a deadly disease so you get a second opinion from the other who says you are fine. You gladly accept the second report because it's what you want to hear. You quickly dismiss the first doctor as a quack and go on to die of the disease that you were warned about. In addition, the doctor who never has any bad diagnoses will have a room full of patients whereas the doctor who tells the truth will have just a few. The “feel good” doctor in turn will have a successful practice because word would spread of his good reports. The more he lies and avoids telling the truth, the richer he becomes, the richer he becomes, the more he lies.

The doctor with integrity, on the other hand, will struggle because people will be afraid of his report. No one wants to hear to truth when it's painful, therefore people have set themselves up with spiritual physicians who eagerly tell them good news no matter how raggedy and perverse their lives. The sad thing is that the doctor who reports ten cases of cancer will operate and save eight of them. On the other hand, the fifty patients who were never told, eventually die.

Operations are unpleasant but they cut out things that threaten our lives. So too, does the word of God.

They do the Right Act in the Wrong Order

An example of right act wrong order would be a person in the congregation interrupting a sermon by standing in front of the pastor and shouting “Jesus loves you,” before proceeding into a sermon of their own. The right act would be to spread the gospel. The wrong order would be to interrupt the person called to do it. We will universally agree that what was said is true (Jesus does love us) but it was not an appropriate time to do it. It's out of order.

Right act, wrong order can also be doing a good act before another necessary act is done first. An example of this would be baptizing someone before they have even accepted gospel. As we have already seen, a person must first hear the gospel before they can make a intelligent decision for Christ. Right act, wrong order is done when parents volunteer their children to be baptized.

You may be wondering what this has to do with false teachers. Before someone can preach God's word, they must first be called by God. They can't be self called or volunteer. They can't pick it for a career and a seminary degree doesn't mean that God wanted them to preach. So when we look at the first example, anyone who stands before the congregation in place of a called minister without permission, is out of order. There are countless men and women who shouldn't be preaching God's word.

As far as the example of baptism, we know that there are a number of churches that baptize people and the gospel message is not even part of the sermon. Some churches don't even use scripture. How can a man be saved if he has not first heard the gospel message? Many churches preach about material things and then ask “Who wants to accept Jesus as their savior?”

Really, this has to be asked?

Who doesn't want to be saved from hell? The real question is, “Do you admit that you are a sinner who now gives your life completely to Jesus?”

They do the Right Act with the Wrong Qualifications

Scripture is plain who can and can't pastor and who can teach who. Many people will be disqualified from pastoral appointment by simply following the Bible.

Some wrongly assume that anyone who opposes women as pastors and preachers are nothing more than male chauvinists. They assume that we are out of touch with the modern church and to a lessor extinct modern society.

I speak for myself when I say that I'm neither. I am not a male chauvinist nor am I out of touch with today's society. I only follow the commands of God. If I'm a chauvinist, then scripture has told me to be. As far as the second claim, I am totally aware of the changes in society, that's precisely why this book is written.

Yes, I'm aware that prayer has been taken out of school, gay marriage is accepted, church scandals are common and homosexuals and female ministers preach to our churches.

Yes, reader, I am painfully aware of these changes, but the Bible hasn't changed. I can imagine some will protest that I lumped women and homosexual preachers in the same pile. I can hear the argument being made that being a woman is not a sin while practicing homosexuality is. (This is a fact that I will not dignify with further explanation). What's false is the belief that either was called to pastor over a church of believers.

Christians, we don't exist to question God's commands or demand that they make sense to us. We are not saved to make ourselves the standard that God must follow, we are saved so that we can follow the decrees of our heavenly King.

Women Ministers: (Order and Qualification put to the test)

First of all, the office of a bishop is synonymous with what we call a pastor. It's considered a good work and a desire. This is not a fleshly desire, a desire for fame or fortune. This is an inner desire to be pleasing to God. This is an inner calling that can't be ignored. To do so would be disobedience.

Notice that God has certain criteria that one must possess in order to pastor. Scripture helps us determine between a desire placed by God and a desire of man.

This is a true saying, If a man desire the office of a bishop, he desireth a good work. ² A bishop then must be blameless, the husband of one wife, vigilant, sober, of good behaviour, given to hospitality, apt to teach; -1 Timothy 3:1-2

The first thing we can immediately see is that he is supposed to be blameless. This does not mean perfect this means that the congregation can't bring any accusations against him concerning overt sin. (Overt sin is open, repetitive, and unrepentant sin). Examples of this would be pastors who steal money, are unfaithful to spouses, or are trapped in sinful addictions.

Next, the pastor is to be a husband of one wife. Since a husband is a manand a wife is a woman, and any other type of relationship would be considered sinful, we already have adequate proof that a woman does not fit the qualification of a pastor.

Not given to wine, no striker, not greedy of filthy lucre; but patient, not a brawler, not covetous; ⁴ One that ruleth well his own house, having his children in subjection with all gravity; ⁵ (For if a man know not how to rule his own house, how shall he take care of the church of God?) -1Timothy 3:3-5

God has not called an alcoholic, someone rowdy, someone who is greedy for money, someone who covets worldly possessions, or someone who fails to properly discipline his children. The last verse is summed up in the form of a question. If a man does not know how to rule his own house, how can he lead the church?

The Bible plainly teaches that the husband is the head of the wife and that wives are to submit to their husbands.

For the husband is the head of the wife, even as Christ is the head of the church: and he is the saviour of the body. ²⁴ Therefore as the church is subject unto Christ, so let the wives be to their own husbands in every thing. -Ephesians 5:23-24

If the pastor is expected to rule his own house, how can this be a woman?

Not a novice, lest being lifted up with pride he fall into the condemnation of the devil. ⁷ Moreover he must have a good report of them which are without; lest he fall into reproach and the snare of the devil. -1 Timothy 3:6-7

The last few prerequisites is that he is not a new convert and that he has a good reputation with people outside of the church. Rapid advancement only causes pride.

Just a simple glance at the above scriptures prove that women are not the only ones not allowed to pastor, but known homosexuals, known drug addicts, men known to sleep around, greedy people, new converts and a host of others aren't as well. There will be no biblical scripture (after the day of Pentecost) that can refute this when taken in context and that considers the divine order of God. (Pentecost is the day that the Holy Spirit was poured out onto the church).

People will fight this truth. They will reject this truth. They will reason within themselves why this can't be. They will say that this is unfair. They will say that this excludes some of the most knowledgeable people.

Not only is it fair, it's nothing new. God has always reserved the right to chose who He wants to represent Him. Does anyone remember, Moses, Noah and Abraham? All picked by God at the exclusion of others. Some will say that these men were chosen because of their righteousness. Some will contend that God doesn't exclude people from birth. In the Old Testament the children of Israel are called the people of God. The Hebrew's were chosen from birth as God's people which means that the gentiles were not. Also, God says this to the prophet Jeremiah.

Then the word of the LORD came unto me, saying, ⁵ Before I formed thee in the belly I knew thee; and before thou camest forth out of the womb I sanctified thee, and I ordained thee a prophet unto the nations. -Jeremiah 1:4-5

Jeremiah is chosen before he was born or even formed in the womb! (The same can be said for the prophet Isaiah). This clearly speaks to the fact that God does preordain people and He does, in fact, exclude others at birth.

No matter what we do in life there are prerequisites that we must pass. Why is it so hard to understand that with God there are as well. We can't be a teacher without a college degree, a lawyer without passing the bar exam or a race horse jockey without being a certain size. (In the case of the jockey, we may be excluded at birth, either genetics will allow it or it won't). Because of this, no matter how much we want to be one, we are eliminated.

Again, women are not the only ones excluded from the office of pastor, I only chose them to illustrate something we see more and more of in our churches. This is something that many will fight tooth and nail but there is more. Not only are women not qualified to pastor, they are not qualified to preach (to men).

Let your women keep silence in the churches: for it is not permitted unto them to speak; but they are commanded to be under obedience, as also saith the law. ³⁵ And if they will learn any thing, let them ask their husbands at home: for it is a shame for women to speak in the church. -1 Corinthians 14:34-35

The scriptures are clear that women are not supposed to speak in the church. This command couldn't mean not to pray or sing which we are all expected to do, this command is directed at expounding the word of God. This is because Christian men are present and this would be out of order. At the time this is written, Christianity was considered a strange sect and only believers came to church gatherings. The gospel spread by word of mouth by the already converted membership. Today, most Christian conversions take place in church itself. Today's church is a mixture of the saved and the unsaved. A woman is not supposed to teach or have any position of authority over her Christian male counterparts.

But I suffer not a woman to teach, nor to usurp authority over the man, but to be in silence. ¹³ For Adam was first formed, then Eve. -1 Timothy 2:12-13 (Bold added for emphasis)

Notice, that the reason given has nothing to do with knowledge or ability, it has to do with order. The man was first formed and the woman was created to be his help mate not his leader. This is why a woman can't preach to male believers.

Yes, a woman can preach but only to other women or unbelievers. (A male unbeliever is not yet in the family of God therefore his whole life is out of order anyway. Only when he accepts Christ can he be expected to line up with God's order and not the world's). Women that believe that they are called to preach may, in fact, be correct, but their calling is not to preach to the church, but to the dying masses outside of its walls. In other words, God does call women evangelists, not women preachers. The difference being that an evangelist seeks those who haven't heard the gospel, but a preacher can preach to both, those in and out of the body of Christ. (For example, a female evangelist would teach at a woman's conference or be sent out as a missionary).

Some argue that since women saw the empty tomb and told the disciples that Jesus was risen, that women spread the first gospel message. This is false. This isn't the gospel message, only a fragment of it. You must tell a man that he is a sinner in need of a savior, Who that savior is and what His death and resurrection means to us in order for it to be the gospel message. If I were to tell a sinner only that Jesus is risen, what does it mean to him?

The women were there to put spices on the body which in those days was a female task. (This only makes my point, not refute it). The only people at the tomb who followed Christ, were the women. There were male guards present, but they weren't followers of Christ. Again, we have women and male unbelievers. God has an order and God will use whomever is available. (If the believing women were not there, God could of used believing children instead). The real question is, if the disciples, (the twelve men) were there, who would Jesus have charged with a message? The women were instructed to go and tell His disciples, the men, that He is risen.

Reader, the question is not whether someone is smart enough, the question is whether they were chosen. The question is not only are they qualified, but are they in order?

My wife and I are driving along the when there is a terrible accident. A car runs the red light and plows into the side of a school bus right in front of us. Because the intersection is blocked, we are still there when the cops arrive. When we tell the police that we saw the accident, they take my name and number and subpoena ME to testify.

Court day comes and I take the witness stand. I am sworn in, and my wife, who is in the audience, intently looks on. When asked what I saw, before I can answer, my wife jumps up and eloquently begins to describe what happened. She paints a vivid picture and her recollection is indeed accurate, nevertheless, before she can finish, the judge bangs the gavel and shots, “You're out of order!”

The judge's protest has nothing to do with the validity of what she has to say, it has everything to do with the fact that she was not chosen to say it.My brothers and sisters, I love you with godly love, but if you ignore what the Bible says about positional qualifications, you are out of order. There are many places that we can serve God, let's make sure that they are where He wants us.

Even in Paul's day he knew that this would be hard for many to swallow. Look how he concluded his teaching about church order.

³³ For God is not the author of confusion, but of peace, as in all churches of the saints.

³⁴ Let your women keep silence in the churches: for it is not permitted unto them to speak; but they are commanded to be under obedience, as also saith the law. ³⁵ And if they will learn any thing, let them ask their husbands at home: for it is a shame for women to speak in the church.

³⁶ What? came the word of God out from you? or came it unto you only? ³⁷ If any man think himself to be a prophet, or spiritual, let him acknowledge that the things that I write unto you are the commandments of the Lord.

-1 Corinthians 14:33-37 (Bold added for emphasis)

Godly and spiritually people will acknowledge that this is the command of God. They will recognize that this is God's order. It's amazing that even though this is written in black and white and Paul even calls out those who claim to have spiritual knowledge, this truth is still rejected by many.

They live Wicked Lives

This know also, that in the last days perilous times shall come. ² For men shall be lovers of their own selves, covetous, boasters, proud, blasphemers, disobedient to parents, unthankful, unholy, ³ Without natural affection, trucebreakers, false accusers, incontinent, fierce, despisers of those that are good, ⁴ Traitors, heady, highminded, lovers of pleasures more than lovers of God; ⁵ Having a form of godliness, but denying the power thereof: from such turn away. -2Timothy 3:1-5

Men that fit these qualifications should be the easiest to identify. These are those who are living wicked and unrepentant lives. The Bible tells us whatsoever is done in the dark will be brought to light. In my years of being a Christian, one thing is certain, God is very patient. He sends us warning after warning and chance after chance and if we refuse to turn away from our sins, He will expose us. He will do this to save those who may be influenced by our wickedness. We have refused correction and have become reprobate, useless to Him.

Over the years, many pastors have been caught in scandals, yet I can't recall one scandal that hadn't being ongoing for some time. One involved a well known married minister that got exposed during the Clinton administration. His infidelity resulted in a child born out of wedlock and at the time the story broke, the child was around three years old.

Another pastor of a large Houston church got caught in a relationship with another man. When the married pastor attempted to break it off, his jilted lover recorded him and played his admission on the local news! Still, only ten percent of the people left after he tearfully apologized.

Most recently, there was the pastor of a large Atlanta church who had acquisitions levied against him by several young men. These men accused him of having sexual relationships with them at young ages. Again, this married minister apologized to the church, and settled out of court for millions of dollars. When members started to leave, another prominent Atlanta pastor defended him by having the audacity to compare his sins (infidelity and homosexuality) to a car wreck. He explained that people shouldn't leave someone's ministry because of an accident. (Reader, aswe have already discussed, mistakes and sins are not the same).

Sadly, most people who say they're sorry after they're exposed are only sorry they got caught. If I really felt badly about what I was doing, why would I continue my behavior three, four, or five years later? How could I look my wife in the face all that time? How could I face my congregation all that time? How could I preach the gospel? The answer, my friends, is that I have developed what the Bible calls a reprobate mind. I have hardened my heart to God's warnings and He was forced to exposed me.

If God exposes someone in this manner, it's not up to us to decide what to do with them, God has already decided. God has already given them ample time and warning and has fired them. Remember God's criteria?

A bishop then must be blameless, the husband of one wife, vigilant, sober, of good behaviour, given to hospitality, apt to teach; 1 Timothy 3:2

A pastor must be a man of no ongoing and obvious sin (making the news would qualify) and of good behavior. This doesn't mean that someone who falls can't be forgiven, or that they can't be saved, or that they can't work in the ministry, it means that they no longer possess the qualifications of a pastor. People that have repented and been forgiven can be missionaries, ushers, Christian authors, evangelist, and a host of other things, but not pastors.

We see this everyday in the world but for some reason it flies over the head of many Christians. If I'm a school janitor and I molest a child, when I am released from prison, even though I have done my time, I can no longer work with children. I can no longer work at a daycare or a school.

If I'm a bank teller and I organize a robbery, when I am released from prison, no one will hire me at a bank. There are consequences for our actions and God has a standard that will not change.

If you are following such people, you only have yourselves to blame. By exposing them, God has shown you that they're fired. Correction, they were never hired in the first place, many chose themselves. If they fail to do what's right and step down then you need to leave. This is not to say that the other ministers are perfect, only that they are what the Bible calls “blameless.”