REAL STANDARDS ARE NOT OFFENSIVE

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In a message dated 9/11/98 7:22:47 AM Mountain Daylight Time,
tlwitness@juno.com writes:

<< Jerry Welch >>

Pastor Fitzgerel,

It has been my experience in 22 years of pastoring, that when I come across
people out in the world that really want to live for God, they don't object to
any instruction in righteousness.  You used some pretty for out examples, so
let me use some also.  Lets say that a couple started coming to church and God
filled them with Holy Ghost and they wanted to be baptized and they had been
living together as husband and wife for ten years and had some children, but
had never actually gotten married.  Now you probably know as well as I, that
in God's eyes they are probably considered to be married.  Should you
recommend to them that they need to tie the know legally, or do you just leave
it alone.  It seems that most of the time when you are talking about a Pastor
and the Standard issue, that it is always imposed upon the saint, but that has
not been the case in most of my ministry, (thank God).  I don't use these
things as a club and come from a completely different school than what most of
the people on this list seems to have come from.  The Pastors that I have set
under in my younger years are men that had my respect and love and helped me
focus my whole being on living for God. And for that I am grateful.  Now I
have seen some come through over the years and balked at this and balked at
that, and didn't think this was necessary and didn't think that was necessary.
But just remember this, that God is going to hold that Pastor accountable, so
he had better stand firm in his convictions.  And by the way God does give the
Pastor convictions regarding his responsibilities as the Pastor.  Just because
there are bad parents out there, I hope that no one intends to do away with
parents and there authority.  Just because some parents abuse that authority,
I think it would be wrong to take that authority away from parents, don't you.
I believe it needs to be used properly, and God will hold us Pastors
accountable for that, believe you me.  God Bless You.

Pastor Fitzgerel