It's Time to Take a Stand Against the Gates of Hell: It's Time to Take a Stand

By Dr. Daniel L. Bufford Sr.

The reader will gain much information on the how to of church ethics and procedures.

• Language: English
• Publisher: WestBow Press
• Release date: Mar 25, 2016
• ISBN: 9781512733242

Dr. Daniel L. Bufford Sr.

He has pastor for 20 years and is certified in various classes to teach across the country. He has observed many things good and not so good that he believes should be addressed.

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Copyright © 2016 Dr. Daniel L. Bufford, Sr.

All rights reserved. No part of this book may be used or reproduced by any means, graphic, electronic, or mechanical, including photocopying, recording, taping or by any information storage retrieval system without the written permission of the author except in the case of brief quotations embodied in critical articles and reviews.

This book is a work of non-fiction. Unless otherwise noted, the author and the publisher make no explicit guarantees as to the accuracy of the information contained in this book and in some cases, names of people and places have been altered to protect their privacy.

Scripture taken from the King James Version of the Bible.

Scripture taken from the Holy Bible, NEW INTERNATIONAL VERSION®. Copyright © 1973, 1978, 1984 by Biblica, Inc. All rights reserved worldwide. Used by permission. NEW INTERNATIONAL VERSION® and NIV® are registered trademarks of Biblica, Inc. Use of either trademark for the offering of goods or services requires the prior written consent of Biblica US, Inc.

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ISBN: 978-1-5127-3323-5 (sc)

ISBN: 978-1-5127-3324-2 (e)

Library of Congress Control Number: 2016903428

WestBow Press rev. date: 02/26/2016

Contents

Preface

Introduction

Chapter 1 Church Ethics

Chapter 2 Spiritual Life of Ministers

Chapter 3 Benediction Ethics

Chapter 4 Musical Instruments in the Church

Chapter 5 The Work of the Pastor

Chapter 6 Proper Rebuke

Chapter 7 The Church Witness

Chapter 8 Mission of the Minister

Chapter 9 Making a Difference through Service

Final Thoughts

About the Author

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And I say also unto thee, that thou are art Peter and upon this rock I will build my church; and the gates of hell shell not prevail against it.

---Matthew 16:18

Dedication

The church is in a war between good and evil. The enemies' strategy is to attack families that make up the church. We soldiers in the army of the Lord will stand up against opposition, failure, suffering, and disappointment. The Enemy knows if he can stop God's plan for all to be saved, he will have deterred some from living with Jesus eternally.

I dedicate this book to the church community of believers in Christ who demand truth, reject the Devil, and do not compromise their beliefs due to worldly trends.

Preface

Though this book is not about doctrine or Scripture, I chose to use as its theme 1 Corinthians 14:40: Let all things be done decently and in order. This is true when it comes to how we conduct ourselves in church. Our society has adopted the attitude of anything goes, and the world is creeping into the church. This is bad because the church is the light of the world and the salt of the earth. This book offers the way things could be done decently and in order in the church.

Ethics in the Baptist Church and many other churches is a Christian education manual to be used in training and equipping saints to be teachers and pastors. I want to share some of the information that has blessed our church, and I want to bless your congregation.

Introduction

This book is about Baptist Church ethics in the twenty-first century. The church comprises many people from many cultures. Church ethics deal with rules or guidelines for church conduct and behavior. We must conform to the same or similar guidelines for church behavior so there might be unity in the church and all things are done decently and in order (1 Corinthians 14:40).

As we explore our position in the church and know how to act like members of the church, we can serve in the ministry in a way that will bring glory to God. All work must be with God's glory in mind. Colossians 3:23 tell us that whatever we work at with all our heart is working for the Lord, not for other people.

The home must teach sound work ethics that complement honesty and integrity; everyone able should make contributions at home, at work, and in church. This will produce an abundance of moral and spiritual love that can provide for the needs of all. This would result in very little need for welfare programs; too many depend on and worship the god of human government.

God's values in family, personal, and church relationships are lost, and our downward spiral accelerates. In addition, if we do not get what we want, we feel we can always sue someone for it. The answers to these problems are spiritual and practical, not political. Except for God's mercy, our society would already be history.

There must be moral standards of right and wrong. These values are first taught at home, and the best resource book is the Bible. Any society that disregards absolutes of rights and wrong will not last. The Bible teaches respect that promotes purity between the genders. This calls us to abstinence before marriage and fidelity in a lifelong marriage. Sex outside of marriage is sin. The account of Sodom and Gomorrah in Genesis 19 and the teaching in Romans 1:24--32 are very clear on this issue. These are values that contribute to the stability and longevity of a nation or a society (Proverbs 14--34).

Living by the golden rule (Luke 6:31) is a moral issue. We all make mistakes and appreciate the mercy of God and others when we do. Our society's mind-set is an indicator of how far we have