BBD 09.18.13 Stealing the Church (Classic)

#1 · September 18, 2013, 1:46 pm

Quote from Forum Archives on September 18, 2013, 1:46 pm
Posted by: theburningbushdevotional <theburningbushdevotional@...>

Visit the
Burning Bush websites:

www.theburningbush.net

www.theburningbush.org

The
Burning Bush websites have received visits from more than 170 countries. Celebrating
15 years online since January 31, 1998. Since June 8, 1998 the Burning Bush
Devotional has been spreading the truth of God's Word to more than 14,000
subscribers across the world.

You can
leave comments/feedback about the devotionals at www.theburningbush.net.

There is
a translation tool on theburningbush.net website in the top left hand corner of
all of the pages.

Because of a storm Sunday night
my Internet Provider experienced an outage and it was not restored until later
this morning.

The Burning Bush Devotional

14,000 Subscribers
to the Email Devotional

Classic from 2006

09.18.13

Stealing the Church

Now these things became our examples, to the intent that we should not
lust after evil things as they also lusted. And do not become idolaters as were
some of them. As it is written, “The people sat down to eat and drink, and rose
up to play.” Nor let us commit sexual immorality, as some of them did, and in
one day twenty-three thousand fell; nor let us tempt Christ, as some of them
also tempted, and were destroyed by serpents; nor complain, as some of them
also complained, and were destroyed by the destroyer. Now all these things
happened to them as examples, and they were written for our admonition, upon
whom the ends of the ages have come. Therefore let him who thinks he stands
take heed lest he fall. - 1 Corinthians 10:6-12.

Pastor Randall Radic, or should I say, former pastor, is
going to prison for 18 months for…stealing the church and…the parsonage!
Radic is 53-years-old and had been the pastor of a church in Ripon, California
for almost ten years prior to this major misstep in his ministry career. How
much did he get for the church? $525,000, which it is believed he used in part
to buy a BMW. The parsonage was not sold but he did forge documents so that he
could obtain loans with the house as collateral. Radic was facing nine years in
prison on 10 counts but he was given a plea bargain, which he is taking.

Not knowing anything about former pastor Radic you would
have to assume since he had pastored the same church for nearly ten years that
he had performed well for some period of time. What caused him to change? What
caused him you could say to go off the deep end? We could ask the same thing
about an Oklahoma pastor who was arrested recently. He was a leader in his
denomination. But it is not just men, the young, or the middle aged that cross
the line from God’s side to the other side. A 65-year-old church secretary has
confessed in Arkansas to setting several fires that burned her church. The
woman had worked at the church for a number of years and her pastor was
completely surprised that she would do such a thing.

My point, and I believe the point the apostle Paul is
making too is that we will never become so perfect as to be immune from
temptation, or the deceptions of the enemy and the world. At least not while we
are walking around down here on Planet Earth. Paul gives a rendition of the
failures of the children of Israel and says that these are examples for us. Examples
of what? Examples of what not to do. It is a warning that we are all
capable of such things and sums it up by saying, “Therefore let him who thinks he stands take heed lest he fall.”

The Apostle does give us some hope in the next verse that
we can do better, that we do not have to succumb to these temptations and
snares. In 1 Corinthians 10:13 he says, “No temptation
has overtaken you except such as is common to man; but God is faithful, who
will not allow you to be tempted beyond what you are able, but with the
temptation will also make the way of escape, that you may be able to bear it.”

You see we do not really have to sell the church, or
mortgage the parsonage, or burn the church, or engage in unlawful immoral acts.
There would have been a way out for those who have done these things and there
is a way out for those of us who are tempted. God will provide a way. He will
provide the strength (Philippians 4:13).

Let us pray for those who have succumbed to temptation
and let it be an example to us that we “take
heed lest (we) fall.”

Copyright © 2006-2013. Ed Wrather.
The Burning Bush website has been online since January 31, 1998. On June 8,
1998 the email version of the Burning Bush Devotional was first sent. Ed
Wrather began writing devotionals in the early 1990s. The distribution of these
first devotionals was primarily through the Burning Bush Newsletter sent to
prison facilities throughout the United States and Canada.

Ed Wrather has retired from
pastoring full-time and has more time to pursue other ministry opportunities.
No matter what the size your church, Ed will come on a love offering basis for
a revival or to share his testimony in the continental United States. You can
make contact at edwrather@yahoo.com or theburningbushdevotional@gmail.com
View LinkedIn profile with endorsements at
http://www.linkedin.com/profile/view?id=92988105

Prayer Requests: Many prayer
needs are posted at the Burning Bush website on the Prayer Request page. You
can also post your prayer requests there (Of course, I am always in need of prayer
- please pray for me.).

Please join the Burning Bush Prayer Group.
The group began in 1998 and is made up of over 300 prayer warriors. Send prayer requests and receive prayer
requests. To join send an email to: bbpg-subscribe@yahoogroups.com

If you enjoy the devotional please recommend it to your friends. They may
subscribe by sending a blank email to burningbushdevo-join@welovegod.org

There is a complete devotional
archive at the old Burning Bush website. Here is the URL: http://www.theburningbush.org/33.html.

You can unsubscribe to the burningbushdevo
devotional group by sending a blank email to
burningbushdevo-leave@welovegod.org and then respond to the confirmation email.

You may
subscribe to the html text group (Because of time constraints the devotional is
only being sent now in html format) by sending a blank email to
burningbushhtml-join@welovegod.org and you may unsubscribe by sending a blank
email to burningbushhtml-leave@welovegod.org and then respond to the
confirmation email. If the link does not work, copy and paste the link.

--

To unsubscribe, send ANY message to: burningbushdevo-leave@welovegod.org

Posted by: theburningbushdevotional <theburningbushdevotional@...>

Visit the
Burning Bush websites:

http://www.theburningbush.net

http://www.theburningbush.org

The
Burning Bush websites have received visits from more than 170 countries. Celebrating
15 years online since January 31, 1998. Since June 8, 1998 the Burning Bush
Devotional has been spreading the truth of God's Word to more than 14,000
subscribers across the world.

You can
leave comments/feedback about the devotionals at http://www.theburningbush.net.

There is
a translation tool on theburningbush.net website in the top left hand corner of
all of the pages.

Because of a storm Sunday night
my Internet Provider experienced an outage and it was not restored until later
this morning.

The Burning Bush Devotional

14,000 Subscribers
to the Email Devotional

Classic from 2006

09.18.13

Stealing the Church

Now these things became our examples, to the intent that we should not
lust after evil things as they also lusted. And do not become idolaters as were
some of them. As it is written, “The people sat down to eat and drink, and rose
up to play.” Nor let us commit sexual immorality, as some of them did, and in
one day twenty-three thousand fell; nor let us tempt Christ, as some of them
also tempted, and were destroyed by serpents; nor complain, as some of them
also complained, and were destroyed by the destroyer. Now all these things
happened to them as examples, and they were written for our admonition, upon
whom the ends of the ages have come. Therefore let him who thinks he stands
take heed lest he fall. - 1 Corinthians 10:6-12.

Pastor Randall Radic, or should I say, former pastor, is
going to prison for 18 months for…stealing the church and…the parsonage!
Radic is 53-years-old and had been the pastor of a church in Ripon, California
for almost ten years prior to this major misstep in his ministry career. How
much did he get for the church? $525,000, which it is believed he used in part
to buy a BMW. The parsonage was not sold but he did forge documents so that he
could obtain loans with the house as collateral. Radic was facing nine years in
prison on 10 counts but he was given a plea bargain, which he is taking.

Not knowing anything about former pastor Radic you would
have to assume since he had pastored the same church for nearly ten years that
he had performed well for some period of time. What caused him to change? What
caused him you could say to go off the deep end? We could ask the same thing
about an Oklahoma pastor who was arrested recently. He was a leader in his
denomination. But it is not just men, the young, or the middle aged that cross
the line from God’s side to the other side. A 65-year-old church secretary has
confessed in Arkansas to setting several fires that burned her church. The
woman had worked at the church for a number of years and her pastor was
completely surprised that she would do such a thing.

My point, and I believe the point the apostle Paul is
making too is that we will never become so perfect as to be immune from
temptation, or the deceptions of the enemy and the world. At least not while we
are walking around down here on Planet Earth. Paul gives a rendition of the
failures of the children of Israel and says that these are examples for us. Examples
of what? Examples of what not to do. It is a warning that we are all
capable of such things and sums it up by saying, “Therefore let him who thinks he stands take heed lest he fall.”

The Apostle does give us some hope in the next verse that
we can do better, that we do not have to succumb to these temptations and
snares. In 1 Corinthians 10:13 he says, “No temptation
has overtaken you except such as is common to man; but God is faithful, who
will not allow you to be tempted beyond what you are able, but with the
temptation will also make the way of escape, that you may be able to bear it.”

You see we do not really have to sell the church, or
mortgage the parsonage, or burn the church, or engage in unlawful immoral acts.
There would have been a way out for those who have done these things and there
is a way out for those of us who are tempted. God will provide a way. He will
provide the strength (Philippians 4:13).

Let us pray for those who have succumbed to temptation
and let it be an example to us that we “take
heed lest (we) fall.”

Copyright © 2006-2013. Ed Wrather.
The Burning Bush website has been online since January 31, 1998. On June 8,
1998 the email version of the Burning Bush Devotional was first sent. Ed
Wrather began writing devotionals in the early 1990s. The distribution of these
first devotionals was primarily through the Burning Bush Newsletter sent to
prison facilities throughout the United States and Canada.

Ed Wrather has retired from
pastoring full-time and has more time to pursue other ministry opportunities.
No matter what the size your church, Ed will come on a love offering basis for
a revival or to share his testimony in the continental United States. You can
make contact at edwrather@yahoo.com or theburningbushdevotional@gmail.com
View LinkedIn profile with endorsements at
http://www.linkedin.com/profile/view?id=92988105

Prayer Requests: Many prayer
needs are posted at the Burning Bush website on the Prayer Request page. You
can also post your prayer requests there (Of course, I am always in need of prayer
- please pray for me.).

Please join the Burning Bush Prayer Group.
The group began in 1998 and is made up of over 300 prayer warriors. Send prayer requests and receive prayer
requests. To join send an email to: bbpg-subscribe@yahoogroups.com

If you enjoy the devotional please recommend it to your friends. They may
subscribe by sending a blank email to burningbushdevo-join@welovegod.org

There is a complete devotional
archive at the old Burning Bush website. Here is the URL: http://www.theburningbush.org/33.html.

You can unsubscribe to the burningbushdevo
devotional group by sending a blank email to
burningbushdevo-leave@welovegod.org and then respond to the confirmation email.

You may
subscribe to the html text group (Because of time constraints the devotional is
only being sent now in html format) by sending a blank email to
burningbushhtml-join@welovegod.org and you may unsubscribe by sending a blank
email to burningbushhtml-leave@welovegod.org and then respond to the
confirmation email. If the link does not work, copy and paste the link.

To unsubscribe, send ANY message to: burningbushdevo-leave@welovegod.org