IRC, Internet and Personal Holiness for Apostolics

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On Sat, 5 Oct 1996 09:28:01 -0500, you wrote:

>    Mark> Greetings!  My new mailer does nice mime attachments!

>Not even netscape viewing of the HF archives can interpret this
>alphabet soup!  PLEASE!   That way those with
>capable viewers can see all your razzle-dazzle, and the rest of us can
>continue our quiet scholarly lives :-)
>
>Just look at what you sent.  It looks like a can of alphabet soup
>kicked over by a two year old in a fit of rage. =20

I'm very sorry. I had the false impression that *most* people could
decode MIME encoded documents and that I was one of the few who could
not. I'm so sorry to have inconvenienced those who had to look at the
MIME encoded message without ability to decode it. I have frequently
seen others attach messages, and since no one threw a fit when they
did, I assumed it was OK.

> It would have been
>nice to have read your post on this subject, as my pastor expressed
>concern over the internet during mid-week Bible study service.=20

I might add his concern was quite reasonable, as my years of
experience in this medium have led me to believe. Too often we hear
that men of God are inept and unequipped to talk because they don't
have the extensive experience in a certain area. May I say to you,
that having attempted to address this already, I see a very stubborn
resistance to reason, almost across the board ? While I have said I am
certainly not suggesting that those employed in business that use
internet be asked to give them up as we might ask bartenders to get a
new career, that suggestion has been levied repeatedly.

Well, that is not impossible to read the original message as I can
include a proper ascii text copy in this very message.  I hope it can
help someone, for I know of a number of Apostolics who have become
trapped in serious moral problems specifically THROUGH the use of the
net. These souls are of value, so if the following doesnt pertain to
you, pass it by. You might even share it with your net-ignorant
pastors, if you dare.

-------------------------------
Secret or Separated ?

2 Samuel 11:2=20
And it came to pass in an eveningtide, that David arose from off his
bed, and walked upon the roof of the king's house: and from the roof
he saw a woman washing herself; and the woman was very beautiful to
look upon.

1 Cor 6:12=20
All things are lawful unto me, but all things are not expedient: all
things are lawful for me, but I will not be brought under the power of
any.
 13  Meats for the belly, and the belly for meats: but God shall
destroy both it and them. Now the body is not for fornication, but for
the Lord; and the Lord for the body.

---

David was in a place of priviledge.=20
At home, away from the barracks life of the battlefield, he
administrated his life in a way that was subject to no one's
judgement. In fact, you find him "arising from his bed at eventide".=20
David had evidently taken to the night life of amusements.

The episode immiediately follows the victory of David over Hamun the
Ammonite.
Something ran in the family of Hamun. Hamun's daddy Nahash wanted to
make a covenant with Israel. He would leave them alone if they would
allow him to put out their right eyes (1 Sam 11:2). Without the right
eye, they could'nt see danger coming, they couldnt use the sword
well..They would be slaves, and they almost caved in and made the
deal.=20

Now Hamun took hold of some of David's men who went to him on a
mission of peace, and shaved off half of their beards and cut off
their garments right up to their backsides.
Theres something about the enemies of God that has it in them to shame
his people.

The Bible tells us that when the Ammonites saw that they stank in the
eyes of David, they hired Syrians and did go ahead and destroy David,
David sent Joab,  Joab made some teams of warriors that could depend
on each other... and won the battle.=20

Then the Syrian king looked down at what had happened to the mercinary
soldiers,  and sent his greatest forces and David "gathered all Israel
together", and went down and together defending the honor and power of
God's people, they drove away the enemy.
As a matter of fact, the situation was so bad that the Syrians said to
Ammonites, "We arent coming down to help you anymore! if you want to
tangle with those Holy Rollers, you do it on your own! Im  not
throwing away my armies just to mess with them."

But underneath wasnt Ammon, and in the spirit world, it wasn't Syria
fighting against the plan of God.

So David went home, and while strong in battle, David was a pathetic
person in his leasure. With all his comrades down on the battlefield,
David cruised the web, and ran the IRC channels. They hated him on the
#AMMONITE channel. He was not welcome on #IDOL_WORSHIP, and when the
boys in the field called home, they found David a regular on #ISRAEL..
But while David was chatting, he was looking out his side window, and
every time he would look out, there was a sight to be seen, and David
looked around and noticed he was alone..

And most know the story of how David reached out and took in the think
that his heart desired. This wasn't just any prostitute.  The Bible
says he noticed thats she was clean.=20
David had done wrong, but this great warrior didnt stop there. He was
obcessed, he had already tainted his thinking..=20

You can't take a taste to sin, and expect that the next taste is going
to be easier to resist!
Once you invite it in, it wants to rearrange your furnature, friend.
It wants to stay, and finally, sin is going to dictate the terms.

And dictate it did! a child was conceived of this sin, and this man of
leasure and illegitmate pleasure graduated to calculated murder in
just a few easy steps.


The eskimo wolf hunter knows a trick that will bring him home a fierce
wolf with little danger to the hunter. In the light of day, when the
wolves are not roaming... he takes a razor sharp knife, and dips it in
blood. The blood freezes in the cold, and he dips it again, and the
second layer freezes. More and more layers of blood are applied, and
eventually the hunter places the knife pointing blade up, in the
snow..
As the darkness falls, the wolves take confidence and begin to prowl
seeking the to take a life...The wolf finds that frozen blood and
while he begins to lick the heat of his tongue melts the blood... so
easy a kill, and so tasty, the wolf keeps at the treat and gradually
it reaches the sharp blade which begins to cut into the tongue, and
the frozen blood begins to mix witht he wlfs own blood, but by this
time the wolf cannot distinguish the taste of his own blood from the
blood his hunger craves. More and more fervently he licks, and more
and more abundantly the blood flows... In the morning the wolf lies
dead, waiting for the hunter to come and collect it..

Make no mistake: The wages of sin is death!

Look what can happen when one who is strong in public, hangs up his
weapons, and sits in his house with time and opportunity for self
indulgence on his hands.
David was strong while joining with his brethren, but in the chambers
of his home, he was a spiritual weakling. The enemy that could not put
a scratch on David's armour while he was in faithful service, walked
boldly into his own home, kicked over the holy vessels, ditched the
scriptures under a bed, ransacked the prayer closet, and started
telling David what to eat for breakfast.

Sin brought not only sorrow and loss, but it brought warfare to his
household forever, so that David would never have peace. That wasnt
the enemy, but the holy God that he had taken too lightly when he
started messing with that rooftop view, this jealous God made sure
that David was not going to make that mistake again!

=46or thou didst it secretly: but I will do this thing before all
Israel, and before the sun. - 2 Sam 12:12

No matter what you are doing, don't be foolish as David was.  You can
be sure that you arent alone, and you can be sure that God can rip the
covers off it in two seconds flat..

But put ye on the Lord Jesus Christ, and make not provision for the
flesh, to fulfil the lusts thereof. - Rom 13:14=20

When David left the confederacy of warriors knit together in common
purpose, and the zeal of being accountable to each other, he left his
greatest strength, because that is how God intended for His people to
have access to his power God. God knit you together into a holy
nation, for a reason!

Matt 18:19-20 Again I say unto you, That if two of you shall agree on
earth as touching any thing that they shall ask, it shall be done for
them of my Father which is in heaven.
=46or where two or three are gathered together in my name, there am I in
the midst of them.

It is true that God still reigns and intercedes when one calls on God.
God is there when there are none to help, and all have forsaken us.
But people underestimate the cold serious command that God requires
fellowship, for we are to be accountable and sincere with one another!

And let us consider one another to provoke unto love and to good
works:
Not forsaking the assembling of ourselves together, as the manner of
some is; but exhorting one another: and so much the more, as ye see
the day approaching. - Heb 10:24-25=20

Wherefore putting away lying, speak every man truth with his
neighbour: for we are members one of another. - Eph 4:25

Brethren, if a man be overtaken in a fault, ye which are spiritual,
restore such an one in the spirit of meekness; considering thyself,
lest thou also be tempted.
Bear ye one another's burdens, and so fulfil the law of Christ. - Gal
6:1-2=20

If you are messed up in "web wickedness", or "IRC iniquity" today, you
need to either come clean on your own in repentance if you still can,
or confess it to someone, and pray together for your healing!

Apostlics are subject to a terrible fault, and that is spiritual pride
and isolation. You need one another. Sometimes it is the ONLY way to
escape the bondage of sin.=20

And the prayer of faith shall save the sick, and the Lord shall raise
him up; and if he have committed sins, they shall be forgiven him.
Confess your faults one to another, and pray one for another, that ye
may be healed. The effectual fervent prayer of a righteous man
availeth much. - James 5:15-16

*** Don't let cheezy theology steal your salvation from you! You must
be Holy! ***

Beloved, now are we the sons of God, and it doth not yet appear what
we shall be: but we know that, when he shall appear, we shall be like
him; for we shall see him as he is.
And every man that hath this hope in him purifieth himself, even as he
is pure.
Whosoever committeth sin transgresseth also the law: for sin is the
transgression of the law.
And ye know that he was manifested to take away our sins; and in him
is no sin.
Whosoever abideth in him sinneth not: whosoever sinneth hath not seen
him, neither known him.=20
- I Jn 3:2-6

It is true that many Apostolics have had the nasty experience of not
being able to trust brethen, but God doesnt make up for or excuse the
weakness.. We just roll along without the benefits of restoration
which fellowship with another that loves God can bring.

Why dont we rather heed the situation and obey Gods commandments to
let these weak limbs and feeble knees be healed, lest when we reach
the gate, it be needlessly lambe and we be turned aside. I don't want
to loose precious brethren.. how about you ?


Supplimentary scritptures:

Job 31:1=20
 1. I made a covenant with mine eyes; why then should I think upon a
maid?

Psalms 101:2=20
 2  I will behave myself wisely in a perfect way. O when wilt thou
come unto me? I will walk within my house with a perfect heart. 3  I
will set no wicked thing before mine eyes: I hate the work of them
that turn aside; [it] shall not cleave to me.

Psalms 119:37=20
 37. Turn away mine eyes from beholding vanity; [and] quicken thou me
in thy way.

Isaiah 33:15=20
 15  He that walketh righteously, and speaketh uprightly; he that
despiseth the gain of oppressions, that shaketh his hands from holding
of bribes, that stoppeth his ears from hearing of blood, and shutteth
his eyes from seeing evil; 16  He shall dwell on high: his place of
defence [shall be] the munitions of rocks: bread shall be given him;
his waters [shall be] sure.

Luke 11:34=20
 34  The light of the body is the eye: therefore when thine eye is
single, thy whole body also is full of light; but when [thine eye] is
evil, thy body also [is] full of darkness. 35  Take heed therefore
that the light which is in thee be not darkness.

Romans 1:32=20
 32  Who knowing the judgment of God, that they which commit such
things are worthy of death, not only do the same, but have pleasure in
them that do them.

1 John 2:16=20
 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.

Genesis 3:6=20
 6. And when the woman saw that the tree [was] good for food, and that
it [was] pleasant to the eyes, and a tree to be desired to make [one]
wise, she took of the fruit thereof, and did eat, and gave also unto
her husband with her; and he did eat.

Joshua 7:21=20
 21  When I saw among the spoils a goodly Babylonish garment, and two
hundred shekels of silver, and a wedge of gold of fifty shekels
weight, then I coveted them, and took them; and, behold, they [are]
hid in the earth in the midst of my tent, and the silver under it.

Acts 19:19=20
 19  Many of them also which used curious arts brought their books
together, and burned them before all [men]: and they counted the price
of them, and found [it] fifty thousand [pieces] of silver.

Colossians 4:5=20
 5. Walk in wisdom toward them that are without, redeeming the time.

1 Thessalonians 5:22=20
 22  Abstain from all appearance of evil.





MW Bassett, Pastor
Life Tabernacle United Pentecostal Church
Milford, CT
http://eli.warit.org/~mbasset/life.htm
Acts 28:31, Acts 2:38