Tag: pastor

What Do I Do Now?

When pressed to choose, I will obey God rather than man. The outcomes are always and already in God’s hands.

With the U.S. Supreme Court decision this week (June 2015) that legalizes gay marriages nation-wide, I was asked by a godly friend of mine, “What do you intend to do now?” As I thought that through the first reflection that I had was that America has, as a government, stopped following the Judeo-Christian God years ago that the nation was founded upon. This is just another log on the fire of what I believe will be the eventual lessening of the U.S. in world affairs. Recently I heard a self-proclaimed expert on Bible prophecy explain that the reason the U.S. is not mentioned in biblical prophecy of the end-times is because it  is under the hidden name of Babylon. I did not listen very long. There is no way with a literal-biblical hermeneutic that anyone can make the argument that the U.S. is Babylon of Revelation. Most have said for years that Babylon in Revelation is Rome because of the papacy; but, I believe that Babylon is Babylon – just ask ISIS. America is not mentioned, thus we are not important in the last days because we, like the rest of the world turned our back on Israel and on God.  What do I do now?

I am going to follow the admonitions of Christ. His commandments were: Love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, with all your might. Love your neighbor as yourself. Go into all the world and make disciples, first in Jerusalem, then Judea, Samaria and to the uttermost parts of the earth. In Micah 6:8 we read: “What does the Lord require of you? But to do justice, to love mercy, and to walk humbly with your God.” I will preach only God’s truth. The Bible tells us, “Your Word is Truth”

When it comes to me as a pastor and performing wedding ceremonies. I already will only marry those I believe to be born-again believers in Christ. We go through that in premarriage counseling and get the issue settled. Will I marry a gay couple? Peter said it best before the Sanhedrin when they were told to stop preaching Christ crucified and resurrected. In Acts 5:29 we read: “But Peter and the apostles answered and said, “We must obey God rather than man.”

I determined a long time ago that I am willing to go to jail for my faith and my family. Someday it may come to that.

Until then, we are admonished to obey those placed in positions of authority over us and to pray for them. I will do that.

What do I do now? The same things I have tried to do already – through the faith of Christ and the power of the Holy Spirit, I will love God with all that I am; love and care for others, share Christ whenever and wherever the Holy Spirit opens the door staying true to the TRUTH of God’s Word. I will do justice, love mercy and walk humbly before God. I will pray for our nation and its leaders. When pressed to choose, I will obey God rather than man. The outcomes are always and already in God’s hands.

A Response from the President
A Response from the President

SCAM and FACEBOOK an unholy attack

Rev. Ross L. Riggs, DMin.   Director    Security Consulting Investigations, LLC

                                                                                         and  Global Security Consulting Investigations  GSCI21

Your premier private investigations and consulting team across the US and worldwide

SCI has posted blogs and published articles all around the world and none have reported on so diabolical a scheme. This one is aimed directly at Christian communities, targeting pastors and their affiliated congregations. Church members have begun to see FACEBOOK posts that look pretty much just like their pastor’s FACEBOOK page. But now, on the page, is a heart wrenching plea “from the pastor” to help him and his family pay a looming debt. Recently, in NE Ohio where this was done, an elderly single lady in the church removed all but $3.00 of her life savings and completed the transfer to the “pastor” she loved, at least she thought the $4,000 would go to her pastor and his family. Instead it went into thin air. (The $3.00 was just enough to keep her account open.)    This lady has no family and the church to which she belongs is a very poor church financially. We are trusting God to help her regain her only means of support. Reports have been made with the local police, FACEBOOK, Western Union and IC3 will be contacted also.

If there are people, groups, churches, or businesses interested in helping SCI create a fund to help, we need to hear from you.

Go to: www.security-consulting.us/help to pledge a donation today. You will receive directions on how to forward your donation so that will be used to direct the funds to her savings institution.

Note: Names of victims have been withheld for privacy concerns.

Security Consulting Investigations, LLC is fully licensed by the State of Ohio Department of Public Safety/Homeland Security PISG Unit, Columbus, Ohio License #200921001465   

SCI is fully insured by West Bend Mutual Insurance Company, West Bend WI

Contact the director by phone at 330-956-9561 or director@security-consulting.us

Not Forgotten

en I named this blog it was because sometimes in life we have but a minute to make an impact in someone’s life and, Lord willing, we are able to make the most of that ‘ministry minute.’ However, as the  Day of Prayer for the Persecuted Church

comes upon us on November 13th I cannot but think about people like Pastor Benham Irani  a 41 year old pastor from Kraj, Iran who voluntarily surrendered to authorities in May after being convicted to a 1 year sentence in January 2011 for ‘crimes against national security’ in Iran. When he reported for his sentence, according to the Voice of the Martyrs who carried this story, he was told he had to serve five years for previous crimes. He and his family have to spend more than a minute for the ministry this year and through 2016 at least. The VOM website, http://www.persecution.com also carried the story of a Belarus pastor. “Belarusian pastor Aleksei Abramovich was fined an amount equal to several weeks’ wages in September for leading unregistered religious worship…” The people of his church banded together to raise the money for the fine. They all had to work more than a minute or two to make that kind of money and in both cases I know that the Lord will bless both men and these circumstances.

In our regional meetings this week here in Kiev Ukraine where I am currently, I have heard several accounts of pastors in the Middle East and in Central Asia that are facing serious, life threatening persecution. One such, highly gifted pastor and linguist has walked away from his ministry out of the fear he and his wife have that he could be jailed or killed.

I am not discounting our responsibility to make use of our ministry minutes. I simply want us to remember, especially on Nov 13th that there are men and women truly in harm’s way because of their dedication to preaching and proclaiming the Good News that all too often, we take for granted.

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