COM Newsletter - September 2022
“BEWARE OF PRIDE”
(Condensed)
In 1999, Presidential Proclamation 7203 was made stating: “…Now, Therefore, I, William J. Clinton, President of the United States of America, by virtue of the authority vested in me by the Constitution and laws of the United States, do thereby proclaim June 1999 as Gay and Lesbian Pride Month.”
Later, president Obama amplified the month of June as “National LGBT Pride Month” (LGBT: “Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender”).
In light of these proclamations let us take note of Proverbs 8:13, “The fear of the LORD is to hate evil: pride, and arrogancy, …and the froward mouth, do I hate.”
Now let’s take a close look at these attributes so hurtful to the heart of God.
Pride: the quality of having an excessively high opinion of oneself or one's importance. Also, confidence and self-respect as expressed by members of a group, typically one that has been socially marginalized, on the basis of their shared identity, culture, and experience: rainbow colors being symbolic of LGBT pride | a public event, typically involving a parade, held to celebrate LGBT identities, culture, and experience.
Arrogancy: having or revealing an exaggerated sense of one's own importance or abilities:
Froward: difficult to deal with; contrary.
How does God feel about Pride?
Proverbs 11:2, “When pride cometh, then cometh shame...”
Proverbs 13:10, “Only by pride cometh contention...”
Proverbs 16:18, “Pride goeth before destruction, and an haughty spirit before a fall.”
Haughty: arrogantly superior and disdainful.
Proverbs 29:23, “A man's pride shall bring him low…
Ezekiel 16:49, “Behold, this was the iniquity of thy sister Sodom, pride, … and abundance of idleness…”
(Luke 17:28-30, “Likewise also as it was in the days of Lot… Even thus shall it be in the day when the Son of man is revealed.”)
Daniel 5:20, Daniel reminds Belshazzar, “But when [Nebuchadnezzar’s] heart was lifted up, and his mind hardened in pride, he was deposed from his kingly throne, and they took his glory from him.”
Daniel 4:37, Nebuchadnezzar (being restored after his fall) said, “…those that walk in pride [God] is able to abase.”
Mark 7:22,23 – Jesus states that pride is one of the evil things coming from within, defiling the man.
1 John 2:16, “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.”
Why do you suppose God has such feelings about pride?
Isaiah 14:12-17, reveals God virtually weeping over His highest created being: “How art thou fallen from heaven, O Lucifer, son of the morning!…13) For thou hast said in thine heart, I will ascend into heaven, …exalt my throne above the stars of God: …I will be like the most High.
15) Yet thou shalt be brought down to hell…”
Lucifer wanted to be like God with power and glory, but not like Him in character.
Ezekiel 28:11-19, “Moreover …12) Son of man, take up a lamentation upon the king of Tyrus, and say unto him, Thus saith the Lord GOD; Thou sealest up the sum, full of wisdom, and perfect in beauty.”
“God made him good and beautiful, as near as possible like Himself.” (RH 9/24/01)
13) “Thou hast been in Eden the garden of God; every precious stone was thy covering, …the workmanship of thy tabrets and of thy pipes was prepared in thee in the day that thou wast created.”
As with military officers today being covered with medals and ribbons (stars and garters) in recognition and honor of their campaigns and accomplishments, so Lucifer was honored with precious stones and metals bestowed upon Him by his Lord and Master.
14) “Thou art the anointed cherub that covereth; and I have set thee so…”
“Satan, the chief of the fallen angels, once had an exalted position in heaven. He was next in honor to Christ. The knowledge which he, as well as the angels who fell with him, had of the character of God, of His goodness, His mercy, wisdom, and excellent glory, made their guilt unpardonable.
“There was no possible hope for the redemption of those who had witnessed and enjoyed the inexpressible glory of heaven, and had seen the terrible majesty of God, and, in presence of all this glory, had rebelled against Him. There were no new and wonderful exhibitions of God’s exalted power that could impress them so deeply as those they had already experienced. If they could rebel in the very presence of glory inexpressible, they could not be placed in a more favorable condition to be proved. There was no reserve force of power, nor were there any greater heights and depths of infinite glory to overpower their jealous doubts and rebellious murmuring.” (Redemption: The Temptation of Christ, 18,19)
15) “Thou wast perfect in thy ways from the day that thou wast created, till iniquity was found in thee. 16)… therefore I will…destroy thee, O covering cherub, from the midst of the stones of fire.” (His position was next to the very throne of God.)
17) “Thine heart was lifted up because of thy beauty…
“Little by little Lucifer came to indulge the desire for self-exaltation….Though all his glory was from God, this mighty angel came to regard it as pertaining to himself….Instead of seeking to make God supreme in the affections and allegiance of all created beings, it was his endeavor to secure their service and loyalty to himself.” (ibid.)
All good gifts and attributes were and are bestowed by the Creator. They are not self-generated. They can be improved with the Creator’s blessing, but they cannot be self-generated/created. “For in him we live, and move, and have our being; … For we are also his offspring.” (Acts 17:28)
18) “Therefore will I bring forth a fire from the midst of thee, it shall devour thee, and I will bring thee to ashes upon the earth in the sight of all them that behold thee. 19)…never shalt thou be any more.”
God also warns us in Malachi 4:1, When “the day cometh that shall burn as an oven,…all the proud, yea, and all that do wickedly, shall be stubble: and the day that cometh shall burn them up, saith the Lord of hosts…, that it shall leave them neither root or branch.”
Especially offensive to God are three sins noted: “God does not regard all sins as of equal magnitude; there are degrees of guilt in His estimation, as well as in that of man; but however trifling this or that wrong act may seem in the eyes of men, no sin is small in the sight of God. Man's judgment is partial, imperfect; but God estimates all things as they really are. The drunkard is despised and is told that his sin will exclude him from heaven; while pride, selfishness, and covetousness too often go unrebuked. But these are sins that are especially offensive to God; for they are contrary to the benevolence of His character, to that unselfish love which is the very atmosphere of the unfallen universe. He who falls into some of the grosser sins may feel a sense of his shame and poverty and his need of the grace of Christ; but pride feels no need, and so it closes the heart against Christ and the infinite blessings He came to give.” (Steps to Christ, 30)
Psalm 10:3,4 – “For the wicked boasteth of his heart's desire, and blesseth the covetous, whom the LORD abhorreth. The wicked, through the pride of his countenance, will not seek after God: God is not in all his thoughts.”
So…, Why do you suppose God has such feelings about pride?
These three sins, easily undetectable, like roots in the ground, worked together to make a devil out of Lucifer, God’s highest created being, and a covering cherub by the very Throne of God. From that fall came about the fall of Adam and Eve and this world, the redemption of which cost the life of the Creator Himself and broke the heart of God.
Job 41:34, seems to indicate that Satan “is a king over all the children of pride.” Therefore, any identity connected with pride should be avoided at all costs by the Christian.
“The principles of Satan’s working in heaven are the same principles by which he works through human agents in this world… It is by the working out of these principles that Satan deceives and corrupts the whole world from the beginning to the ending. He is continuing this same policy-working, originally begun in the heavenly universe. He is energizing the whole world with his violence with which he corrupted the world in the days of Noah.” (Letter 156, 1897)
“And as it was in the days of Noe, so shall it be also in the days of the Son of man.” (Luke 17:26)
What is it that God wants to see in His children, rather than pride?
Proverbs 16:19, “Better it is to be of an humble spirit with the lowly, than to divide the spoil with the proud.”
James 4:6b-10, “…God resisteth the proud, but giveth grace unto the humble.
Submit yourselves therefore to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you. Draw nigh to God, and he will draw nigh to you. Cleanse your hands, ye sinners; and purify your hearts, ye double minded. … Humble yourselves in the sight of the Lord, and he shall lift you up.”
Pastor Ron Woolsey
Past Chairman, Co-Founder, Senior Speaker
SPECIAL MESSAGE
Q&A
Question: How do I reach out to a very angry loved one who is resistant to Christianity and to help in overcoming his life of self-destruction and degradation?
Reply: This is really a tough situation of which you speak. But there is nothing too tough for God. Through your unconditional love and persistent intercessory prayer He can do marvelous things to get the attention of your loved ones. In short, my counsel to you would be to just be yourself—consistently a loving and lovable Christian, for it has been rightly stated that “The strongest argument in favor of the gospel is a loving and lovable Christian.” (Signs of the Times, August 12, 1908)
Never forget that “The Christian is the world’s light, and the only Bible that many read. Through Christians men see God. How careful, then, should those be who have taken the name of Christian.” (Signs of the Times, July 10, 1901)
Q&A text taken from:
Author: “Victor J. Adamson”
(Ron Woolsey)
“THE GOSPEL ACCORDING TO GOSSIP”
A Testimonial by Ron Woolsey
It was early in my ministry, actually the second year after leaving behind my life in the gay culture. Our little church was hosting a camp meeting in the Ozark Mountains of Arkansas. Little did I know that a malicious gossiper was on the premises, and he had captured the attention of a young man who I now call the “gossipee.” As the gossiper shared with the gossipee what he had heard about Pastor Ron’s past, no doubt embellishing and adding to the story, the gossipee was wide-eyed with amazement.
“Really?! Pastor Ron?! Are you sure?!” I can imagine him exclaiming in shock and awe. Of course, I knew nothing about the conversation between the gossiper and the gossipee at the time. Until…
Martin, the young gossipee came to me with the most quizzical look on his face. His demeanor caused me to wonder what was on his mind as he approached.
Then, standing before me shaking his head he said, “Pastor Ron, (pause), If God can save you… (hesitation), why! He can save anybody!”
“Oh? What do you mean by that?!” I asked in surprise.
He then proceeded to tell me what he had just been told by the gossiper. Needless to say, I was quite taken aback, not prepared for what I heard.
“Oh! Well, that! Some of that is true. A lot of it is true. Actually, most of what you just heard is true, but not all of it. What is true, however, is that, Yes, God can save anybody. Including you, Martin!”
What came next was even more surprising. “Pastor, would you be willing to baptize me at the end of the camp meeting?”
Up to this point I had not studied with Martin. What he comprehended from the gossiper was not so much the sordid details of Pastor Ron’s past, but rather the power of a loving, compassionate heavenly Father who “is able to do exceeding abundantly above all that we ask or think, according to the power that worketh in us.” (Ephesians 3:20)
At the end of the camp meeting, it was my privilege, joy and delight to baptize young Martin along with about 12 other people into a new walk with Jesus Christ. All the result of “the gospel according to gossip…”
“God works, not as men plan, nor as men wish, but ‘in a mysterious way, his wonders to perform.’” (EGW, 1888, 113.2)
SPECIAL MESSAGE
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