Cooney's 3 P's of Preachers

Cooney, I loved the 3 P's you shared with us about preachers. But I fear some may not understand. So I have taken the liberty to build on the foundation which you have laid.

I.Pot-bellied
As one spends much time in deep study and meditation, his legs begin to swell because of fluid retention brought on by a lack of circulation. This swelling eventually rises throughout the torso giving the appearance of obesity. The truth is preachers are not fat we just look that way because of years of study.

II.Poor
This is not a statement of financial status, but rather a state of pity. ie...that poor dog. It is not that the dog lacks money, but his state is so pitiful that it warrants sympathy. We preachers might warrant sympathy for a number of reasons.
A. After hearing a sermon......."that poor preacher"
B. After seeing me eat.........."that poor preacher"
C. After hearing me sing........"that poor preacher"

III. Penniless
No denying this one...we missionary baptist preachers are broke. I have often wondered why the Lord's churches don't do a better job of taking care of their pastors. Those who have devoted themselves to the ministry full time are at the complete mercy of the church. The church I pastor does a good job of taking care of me and my family. Could they do more? Absolutely! But then as my hackles get up over being under compensated, I always have one thought cross my mind ....................... Am I even worth what I'm getting now.

More m&m&m&m's

1. It's 1:20, I have too much to do and not enough time.
2. That was a loud truck that just drove down the road.
3. i should have paid more attention in typing class.
4. i wonder what Tayboo is doing?
5. What if Jesus comes back today?
6. Can a person drink too much coffee?
7. I have to go to the bathroom.
8. Is a Basset Hound ever really happy? How do you know?
9. If I had been bigger, could I have played college ball?
10. I'm glad I didn't. My body hurts enough as it is.

I'll Probably Regret This

I am sitting here laboring on my thesis. Man, 25,000 words is quite an undertaking for a simpleton such as myself. But, I shall prevail. My beautiful wife is not feeling well today, so my mind is somewhat preoccupied with her, thus producing an addled state of mind which has abandoned studies to pursue blogging. Oh the enervated man that I am.

Things are advancing well at the seminary. We students are quite indolent in our efforts and the instructors are very adamant in their expectations. So we have the usual debacle which causes teachers to bang their heads against the wall and leaves students wondering "whats the big deal?" God is good...so all is well.(Remember don't get those backwards)

I'm feeling a little bathetic.
Maybe it's time for the 4 M's (Mr Mike's Midday Musings)
1. Am I really doing best by sending my kid's to government schools?
2. Why has God been so good to me?
3. How does Uncle Cooney button the collar of his shirt?
4. People are worried about money, I couldn't care any less. Is something wrong with me?
5. How tall will my boys be?
6. I need to call my sisters.
7. My feet are going to sleep,perched on top of my desk.
8. I want a new laptop. No I don't.
9. Why are the bookcases in my office this color?
10. I miss my mom.

Now for those who need help understanding what the 4 M's are...let me explain. I have no idea how your mind works. I just hope that it does. I observe other people and I don't feel as though my mind works as does the norm. My attention span is as long as the interval between the flap of a hummingbird's wings. My thoughts run everywhere. I have trained it enough to be able to get things done, but while I am working on something I will have an enumerable number of little quick thought-bursts that will pop into my head. Most of the time I discard them and refocus on the task at hand, but I thought "why not have a little fun?" So occasionally I will post the 4 M's. These are the thought-bursts that pop into my head over a 3 minute period. These are not things that i am dwelling on, they just show up and then they leave. I hope no one ever gets offended. Just have a little fun at my expense. Man am I messed up.

The Antichrist

Who the “antichrist” will be has long been a subject notorious for producing a myriad of opinions. Although no absolute conclusion can be drawn as to who the “Man of sin” will be, ideas are varied. Speculations have run from Arnold Schwarzenegger to the Pope. Even though who the “antichrist” will be is speculative at best, almost all agree to his being futuristic in timing.

The objective being pursued in this writing is not an understanding of futuristic events, but a desire to better comprehend the present. Four out of the five times the word “antichrist” is used, it is in conjunction with verbs in the present tense, not in the future tense. Simply stated, this is not a reference to someone who is to come, but someone who had already come when the account was recorded. Certainly this flies in the face of most perceptions. Automatically upon hearing the term “antichrist” most people conjure thoughts of the manifestation of evil which shall rise up against the saints of God. Although the futuristic personification of evil is mentioned as “that antichrist” in 1 John 2:18, all other verses give consideration to someone, or something which is already working in the world today. The proper interpretation of Scripture forces one to look not at the end times, but rather to the present day in considering who, or what, this “antichrist” is.

In order to have a firm grasp on who, or what, the “antichrist” is, one needs to understand what the term means. The base of the word is the word “Christ” which means “anointed”. This word is used as a title for Jesus. Jesus is the anointed of God. “Anointed” means “to consecrate by unction, or by the use of oil”. Acts 10:38 How God anointed Jesus of Nazareth with the Holy Ghost and with power: who went about doing good, and healing all that were oppressed of the devil; for God was with him. This verse declares Jesus to be anointed by God. So one can easily see Jesus was declared by God to be purposed for a particular, spiritual objective. This purpose was revealed by Jesus himself when He declared “For the Son of man is come to save that which was lost (Matthew 18:11). This is the heart of the reason for Jesus coming to this earth. Mankind, in his lost condition, needed a redeemer. With Jesus as His name, and Christ as His title, one can see the Man and His purpose.

Having a good understanding of the title of “Christ”, one now needs to turn to the prefix “anti”. Without a long discourse in linguistic considerations, one may still be able to appreciate the purpose of this prefix. “Anti” is used to show either an opposition to or a replacement of. For example, when a person is bitten by a poisonous snake, he is taken to the hospital and treated with an antivenin. This antivenin is simply “anti venom”. Its purpose is to offset the affects of the venom. So if this same principle is used, the “antichrist” is purposed to offset the affects of the Christ. The “antichrist”, or spirit of, is purposed to oppose or replace the Christ.

The object of the enemy is not to replace or oppose Jesus, just His being the Christ. One would find it a difficult task to discover religions which are Anti-Jesus. The vast majority of religions are quick to acknowledge Jesus as a man sent from God. Most will give Him due credit for being the Son of God, a miracle worker, a prophet, born of a virgin and a good man to pattern life after. But how many truly give Him credit for being the Christ? Not a Christ, but the Christ. He is the only one anointed by God to take away the sins of the world. John 14:6 Jesus saith unto him, I am the way, the truth, and the life: no man cometh unto the Father, but by me. He is the only one anointed by God to keep them who are saved. 2 Timothy 2:12… for I know whom I have believed, and am persuaded that he is able to keep that which I have committed unto him against that day.

The man Jesus is much more than a miracle worker, He is the Christ. This is where the Father of lies has performed a masterful job. He has allowed, probably even promoted a world-wide acceptance of Jesus. Jesus is being preached from the over-whelming majority of pulpits today and it doesn’t bother the Devil one bit. No one is saved by believing Jesus is a good man, or a healer. What the Deceiver doesn’t want preached is the fact that Jesus is the Christ. If one truly believes that Jesus is the divinely anointed by God to take away the sins of the world, and if that same person believes there exist no other Christ, then that person is saved. John 6:47 Verily, verily, I say unto you, He that believeth on me hath everlasting life.

By modern religions having allowed the name of Jesus to remain as their central theme, they are causing great difficulty for many of the saved to see the distinctions between the Truth and a lie. Modern religions are preaching Jesus + works = salvation. They are not preaching Jesus as the Christ. If He is the Christ, then there exists no other anointed. Nothing else can take away sin. The danger of what the Devil is doing is summed up in the “Christian Movement”. This movement idolizes Jesus, but not as the Christ. Anyone who believes in anything other than Jesus, and Jesus alone, as the source and maintainer of salvation is not a Christian. They may be a “Jesusite” but they are not a Christian. Most people in America claim to be Christians, but they are not. Many people in the Lord’s true churches today look to the religious in the community as “Christian Brethren”. They are not. Although they may carry the banner of Jesus, they have abandoned His being the Christ. If they truly believe He is the Christ, then they will gladly abandon their trusts in works. But they will not, because they are working under the spirit of the antichrist.

The following four verses are the only times the word “antichrist” is used in the Bible.
1 John 2:18 Little children, it is the last time: and as ye have heard that antichrist shall come, even now are there many antichrists; whereby we know that it is the last time.
1 John 2:22 Who is a liar but he that denieth that Jesus is the Christ? He is antichrist,
1 John 4:3 And every spirit that confesseth not that Jesus Christ is come in the flesh is not of God: and this is that spirit of antichrist, whereof ye have heard that it should come; and even now already is it in the world.
2 John 1:7 For many deceivers are entered into the world, who confess not that Jesus Christ is come in the flesh. This is a deceiver and an antichrist.

The common theme which is noticed through these verses, with the exception of the first, is the presence of the title of Jesus as the Christ. Do not be deceived. The Devil is not anti-Jesus, he is antichrist. He desires to eliminate the pure truth of the gospel. The truth which declares the only way of redemption is what the devil seeks to destroy.

May God empower His people to be able to differentiate between those who have embraced the man of Jesus, and those who have truly trusted Jesus as the Christ.

To Satisfy the BigUn

My Bro-in-law (Hebert not Reese) has been aggravating me about my lackadaisical attitude toward blogging. I am assuming that my loyal followers have met and appointed him as their spokesman. My most sincere apologies to the thousands of readers of this blog. I did not have a full grasp of the responsibility I was assuming when I started this thing. I thought it would be an outlet for the occasional gripe or an avenue I might take to publicly display my view from a newly-discovered soapbox. I had no idea that the blog-patrol was on duty and that I had violated one of their tenets. But as it has been said, ignorance is no excuse. So I humbly accept whatever penalties are deemed worthy of the crime. I do plead for leniency.

But, since I do have a responsibility to the masses who hang on my every word, I press forward with a renewed fervor. In this renewed spirit I have formed 5 personal goals to better myself as a professional blogger. The rules will hereafter be known as "Mike's Undeniable Declarations" or "MUD". These rules do have sequential significance in that the first is the most precious to my heart.

If I should ever falter to fulfill any of the following "Mike's Undeniable Declarations"... may MUD be cast in my face...may I eat MUD...may the clarity of my blogging waters forever look like MUD.

Mike's Undeniable Declarations...
1. Every Blog post must meet the standards set forth in the blogging manual "Blogging according to Uncle Cooney"
2. Every Blog must be worthy of reaching the intellectual plateau on which Uncle Michael resides.
3. Every Blog must be worthy of the Snide's opposition.
4. Every Blog must cause Lucious Louie to get out his pig poker.
5. Every Blog must have at least one grammatical bungle which is notorious enough to force a seminary English teacher to reconsider granting 1st year credit to a moron.