THIS VIDEO I AM SHARING HAS A DUAL PURPOSE: First, today, April 9,
2020, is Pastor Sam Lacanienta's 84th birthday, and second, in his
message today he is preparing us to celebrate Resurrection Day, the day
that Jesus Christ rose from the grave and opened heaven to all believers
- for Old Testament saints, for New Testament saints, His bride, and
for the future Tribulation saints who will die during the seven year
Tribulation for being followers of Jesus Christ.
In the beginning of our video, Pastor Sam explains the name of Jesus Christ, Jehovah-Jesus, the Lord Saves. And several times in the video we hear a rooster crowing, reminding us that this message is coming from the Philippines. But for me it like a clarion call, a wake-up call, telling is to wake up, be alert, for one day soon, and we cannot know when, He will come back to gather His Bride, the church, into heaven to be with Him.
His message today also brings moments of deja vu for me. He speaks of honoring the name of God, not taking His name in vain, and he tells the story of a mechanic who, when he hurt his hand, exclaimed, "Jesus Christ!" And with that opportunity Pastor Sam asked if he knew Jesus Christ - and that afternoon he led the man to Christ, just like he did me in 1987.
In a late 1980s Sunday School Class at our Fil-Am Church of Irvine, Pastor Sam taught on misusing the name of God. Until then I was not aware of the many ways we had been taking God's name in vain. That Sunday, about 30 years ago, Pastor Sam used our Sunday School Class to explain to us how common it is for folks to take His precious name in vain. I knew that using OMG was wrong, for it is short for "Oh, my God!" to add emphasis to a statement. But other ways to take His name in vain surprised me. For instance, I had often heard, and probably been guilty of doing it myself, using words like "Geez" - which is just a shortened form of Jesus ~ or using "Gosh!" which is just a disguised form of God, i.e., "Oh, my gosh!" - as exclamation points.
But since that Sunday circa 1989, I have been very aware of the different forms of taking God's name in vain. And, it sincerely does bother me to hear others do it so blatantly, even when it is not done purposely to offend another. When I hear someone declaring, "OMG!" or "Oh, my God!" - I will suggest they finish their prayer - for the only reason to begin a statement with "Oh, my God!" is when you are beginning a prayer to God.
I realize that many folks may not be aware that what they are saying is offensive to most Christians. So as a Christian Friend, I will point it out to that person and let him/her know that I find it offensive. If that person then continues to do it, I realize he/she is intentionally trying to offend me. And that is why I have been writing and posting blogs about taking His name in vain for many years.
I don't recall ever hearing Pastor Sam raise his voice - in conversation, in Bible studies, or in his sermons. Even his sermons were more like conversations, much like we see with Pastor Charles Stanley on television. And that reminds me to another Pastor Sam incident which always brings a smile to my face.
In the beginning of our video, Pastor Sam explains the name of Jesus Christ, Jehovah-Jesus, the Lord Saves. And several times in the video we hear a rooster crowing, reminding us that this message is coming from the Philippines. But for me it like a clarion call, a wake-up call, telling is to wake up, be alert, for one day soon, and we cannot know when, He will come back to gather His Bride, the church, into heaven to be with Him.
His message today also brings moments of deja vu for me. He speaks of honoring the name of God, not taking His name in vain, and he tells the story of a mechanic who, when he hurt his hand, exclaimed, "Jesus Christ!" And with that opportunity Pastor Sam asked if he knew Jesus Christ - and that afternoon he led the man to Christ, just like he did me in 1987.
In a late 1980s Sunday School Class at our Fil-Am Church of Irvine, Pastor Sam taught on misusing the name of God. Until then I was not aware of the many ways we had been taking God's name in vain. That Sunday, about 30 years ago, Pastor Sam used our Sunday School Class to explain to us how common it is for folks to take His precious name in vain. I knew that using OMG was wrong, for it is short for "Oh, my God!" to add emphasis to a statement. But other ways to take His name in vain surprised me. For instance, I had often heard, and probably been guilty of doing it myself, using words like "Geez" - which is just a shortened form of Jesus ~ or using "Gosh!" which is just a disguised form of God, i.e., "Oh, my gosh!" - as exclamation points.
But since that Sunday circa 1989, I have been very aware of the different forms of taking God's name in vain. And, it sincerely does bother me to hear others do it so blatantly, even when it is not done purposely to offend another. When I hear someone declaring, "OMG!" or "Oh, my God!" - I will suggest they finish their prayer - for the only reason to begin a statement with "Oh, my God!" is when you are beginning a prayer to God.
I realize that many folks may not be aware that what they are saying is offensive to most Christians. So as a Christian Friend, I will point it out to that person and let him/her know that I find it offensive. If that person then continues to do it, I realize he/she is intentionally trying to offend me. And that is why I have been writing and posting blogs about taking His name in vain for many years.
I don't recall ever hearing Pastor Sam raise his voice - in conversation, in Bible studies, or in his sermons. Even his sermons were more like conversations, much like we see with Pastor Charles Stanley on television. And that reminds me to another Pastor Sam incident which always brings a smile to my face.
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