Author: Daniel Tomberlin

BS, MDiv, DMin. Ordained bishop in the Church of God (Cleveland, TN); pastor for 37 years; Assistant Professor of Pastoral Ministries at Pentecostal Theological Seminary (Cleveland TN).
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Of Caesar and Mammon

The story of the kings of Israel offers to us a powerful reminder of the corruption of politics. After a period of rule by heroic judges and prophets, the people of Israel cried out, “Give us a king!” (1 Samuel 8:6). The desire for a king was nothing less than a subtle form of idolatry. “The Lord said to Samuel, ‘…they have rejected Me from being king over them…’” (1 Samuel 8:7f). Beginning at Mt. Sinai, the people of Israel often flirted with the pseudo-gods of Egypt and Canaan. Their desire for a king was a rejection of the first commandment: “You shall have no other gods before me” (Exodus 20:3). Following the words of the Lord, Samuel warned the people that a royal dynasty would be oppressive and corrupt and then he anointed Saul as king over Israel.

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Chick-fil-A, Sex, and Pastoral Care

Too often our PASSION about righteousness turns to ANGER and our anger gives way to HATE. May God help us to be passionate about LOVE so that we may be PATIENT, KIND, and GENTLE.

I posted the above quote on Facebook this week in response to the myriad of posts regarding the Chick-fil-A controversy. I support the free speech of Dan Cathy and of the hundreds of thousands who offered a peaceful protest by eating at Chick-fil-A. I also support the free speech of those who are opposed to my view. After all, free speech is reciprocal. If we are going to have a serious civic conversation, then we must be willing to allow all sides to be engaged in the discussion.

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The Pentecostal Bishop

The title of bishop is used to designate a person who is charged with oversight of a local congregation (pastor) and/or multiple congregations. The term “bishop” (episkopos) is used in the New Testament only six times. Five of these occurrences are Pauline and speak to oversight of the church (Acts 20:28; Philippians 1:1; 1 Timothy 3:1ff; and Titus 1:7).  The fourth occurrence is Petrine and speaks to the ministry of Christ as he who is “Shepherd and Guardian of your souls” (1 Peter 2:25).  In his farewell address to the church elders at Ephesus, the Apostle Paul exhorted, “Be on guard for yourselves and for all the flock, among which the Holy Spirit has made you overseers, to shepherd the church of God which He purchased with His own blood” (Acts 2:28). Here Paul offers a paradigm for understanding the ministry of bishop in the apostolic church.

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Magic Mike & Church Moms

I recently stumbled into a conversation about the acceptability of soft-core pornography by Christians. No, it wasn’t framed in those terms, but that’s what the conversation was about. Apparently, some “youth leaders” in a local church got upset when someone suggested that “Magic Mike,” a new movie about male strippers, was inappropriate for Christians. Of course the offended youth leaders countered with the usual dribble about their “accuser” being judgmental.

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The Altar of Yahweh Elohim

The name “Elijah” means “Yahweh is my God.” Elijah prophesied in Israel during a time of dark apostasy. During the days of King Omri, many Israelites began to turn away from their ancestral God and turn to the god of the Canaanites, Baal. With the ascension of Ahab to the throne, the apostasy of Israel became complete. Ahab’s wife, Jezebel, was an enthusiastic patron of the Baal cult. Under her direction, the prophets of Yahweh were relentlessly persecuted. The prophets of Baal were welcomed at the royal court. Altars to Baal were constructed throughout the land.

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Finding Joy in the Ghetto

This month I led a team to Bulgaria for a week of mission work with the Church of God in that country. Most of our work consisted of evangelism and care in remote villages of ethic Gypsies. I have traveled to Bulgaria several times am grateful for the opportunities to assist in the work of the Gospel. During the week I woke early each morning for my personal devotions that included reading Eric Metaxas’ biography on Dietrich Bonhoeffer and sections from the gospel of Matthew.

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