<p class="MsoNormal" style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt; TEXT-ALIGN: center" align="center"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal"><span style="FONT-SIZE: 11pt"><font face="Times New Roman">"TWO ARE BETTER THAN ONE" MINISTRIES</font>
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<p class="MsoNormal" style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt; TEXT-ALIGN: center" align="center"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal"><span style="FONT-SIZE: 11pt"><font face="Times New Roman">Jim & Marie Watt</font></span></b>
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<p class="MsoNormal" style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt; TEXT-ALIGN: center" align="center"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal"><span style="FONT-SIZE: 11pt"><font face="Times New Roman">Tel: 253.874.4256 – Email: </font><a href="mailto:jmbewtter@gmail.com">
<font face="Times New Roman">jmbetter@gmail.com</font></a><font face="Times New Roman"> </font></span></b></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt; TEXT-ALIGN: center" align="center"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal"><span style="FONT-SIZE: 11pt"><font face="Times New Roman">Web: </font><a href="http://www.2rbetter.org/">
<font face="Times New Roman">www.2rbetter.org</font></a><font face="Times New Roman"> – </font></span></b><font face="Times New Roman"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal"><span style="FONT-SIZE: 11pt">November 12, 2007
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<p class="MsoNormal" style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt; TEXT-ALIGN: center" align="center"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal"><span style="FONT-SIZE: 11pt"><font face="Times New Roman"> </font></span></b></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt; TEXT-ALIGN: center" align="center"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal"><u><span style="FONT-SIZE: 11pt"><font face="Times New Roman">"DOES GOD REDEEM THE PAGAN PARTS OF A CULTURE?"
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<p class="MsoNormal" style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt"><font face="Times New Roman"><span style="FONT-SIZE: 11pt">See God with </span><span style="FONT-SIZE: 11pt">Israel</span><span style="FONT-SIZE: 11pt"> and the 7 Canaanite nations! No redemption of Culture here – but rather complete destruction of the 7 nations (Deuteronomy 7:1). Because Israel failed to walk in this commission, but left remnants of the Canaanites throughout their assigned territories of the 12 tribes, they eventually superseded the wickedness of those pagan nations, and the land vomited them out – first for 70 years, and then for 1900 years.
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<p class="MsoNormal" style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt"><font face="Times New Roman"><span style="FONT-SIZE: 11pt">Some might say – "But that directive by God was given to </span><span style="FONT-SIZE: 11pt">Israel</span><span style="FONT-SIZE: 11pt">
in Old Testament times – Surely it would not apply to New Covenant believers!"</span></font></p>
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<p class="MsoNormal" style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt"><span style="FONT-SIZE: 11pt"><font face="Times New Roman">But consider the Moravian Revival under Count Zinzendorf, and the high standards of separation from the world maintained both by the home church in Herrnhut, as well as for the 300 missionaries who went forth from there during that 100 year period.
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<p class="MsoNormal" style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt"><span style="FONT-SIZE: 11pt"><font face="Times New Roman"> </font></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt"><font face="Times New Roman"><span style="FONT-SIZE: 11pt">Or consider the high standards of separation maintained during the 60 year Wesleyan revival from 1738 onwards, through the "Class Meetings" for
70.000 enrolled under this discipline in all 4 nations of the </span><span style="FONT-SIZE: 11pt">British Isles</span><span style="FONT-SIZE: 11pt">. The leader of each of these groups of some 8 believers on a weekly basis, led each member in a check-up to encourage them to maintain Wesley's Doctrinal Standards as set forth in his 52 key sermons.
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<p class="MsoNormal" style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt"><font face="Times New Roman"><span style="FONT-SIZE: 11pt">One British sociologist, himself an unbeliever, stated that apart from the effect of Wesley's Class Meetings in
</span><span style="FONT-SIZE: 11pt">Britain</span><span style="FONT-SIZE: 11pt">, the French Revolution would have leapt the </span><span style="FONT-SIZE: 11pt">English Channel</span><span style="FONT-SIZE: 11pt"> and devastated
</span><span style="FONT-SIZE: 11pt">Great Britain</span><span style="FONT-SIZE: 11pt"> as it did </span><span style="FONT-SIZE: 11pt">France</span><span style="FONT-SIZE: 11pt">.</span></font></p>
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<p class="MsoNormal" style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt"><span style="FONT-SIZE: 11pt"><font face="Times New Roman">Lenin was so impressed with Wesley's Class Meetings, that he adapted this concept for the Communist Revolution.</font>
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<p class="MsoNormal" style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt"><span style="FONT-SIZE: 11pt"><font face="Times New Roman">So we can conclude from these 2 examples that separation from pagan traditions not birthed by the Spirit of God, cannot be and should not be attempted to find redemption for, and thus be continued and incorporated into the church.
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<p class="MsoNormal" style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt"><font face="Times New Roman"><span style="FONT-SIZE: 11pt">Do not be deceived – Allah, the god of Islam and the Koran, is NOT Jehovah nor the God of the Bible! Many today in high places are trying to break down the barrier between the Church and Islam. It is an attempt because of deception and lack of understanding. We can and should love our Islamic neighbors – but there is NO PLACE in
</span><span style="FONT-SIZE: 11pt">America</span><span style="FONT-SIZE: 11pt"> to bring their customs into our schools, neighborhoods and societies. We have been established as a Christian nation and owe it to God to maintain the goal of our Founding Fathers. Can you envisage ANY Muslim nation allowing our Christian customs to be incorporated into any of their nations? Just look at the persecution and restriction for Christians in
</span><span style="FONT-SIZE: 11pt">Saudi Arabia</span><span style="FONT-SIZE: 11pt">, and that it was from THIS nation that practically ALL of the Terrorists of 9/11 came!</span></font></p>
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<p class="MsoNormal" style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt"><span style="FONT-SIZE: 11pt"><font face="Times New Roman">Certainly we are to love them unto salvation, but NOT by leaving our cultural heritage so as to allow it to be defiled by pagan cultures of other religions, by humanistic devotees in our own nation, and by the dictatorship of small but vocal minorities such as those seeking equality for unscriptural homosexual rights and abortions.
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<p class="MsoNormal" style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt"><span style="FONT-SIZE: 11pt"><font face="Times New Roman">But not only are we to protect our own borders from false infiltrations – at the same time we are not to lower the bars of God's Biblical Gospel Standard by encouraging pagan cultures to maintain false gods under human traditions. We do such nations grave disservice.
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<p class="MsoNormal" style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt"><span style="FONT-SIZE: 11pt"><font face="Times New Roman"> </font></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt"><font face="Times New Roman"><span style="FONT-SIZE: 11pt">At Whistler BC in 1995 on July 1<sup>st</sup>, Freda Cooper stood with her people of some 20 tribes and nations, to repent of those traditions and practices not birthed by God or His Great Spirit in times past. This challenge they accepted. She begged the
</span><span style="FONT-SIZE: 11pt">United States</span><span style="FONT-SIZE: 11pt">, </span><span style="FONT-SIZE: 11pt">Britain</span><span style="FONT-SIZE: 11pt"> and </span><span style="FONT-SIZE: 11pt">Canada</span>
<span style="FONT-SIZE: 11pt"> – "Please do not repent and ask forgiveness from my people for your past sins against us, till FIRST we repent and ask forgiveness of God where WE in the past departed from God with unscriptural practices and traditions. After 5 hours of repenting and asking forgiveness of God on THEIR part, then representatives from the above 3 nations did apologize on bended knee, and ask forgiveness for THEIR sins against the North American Indians, the FIRST nation's people.
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<p class="MsoNormal" style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt"><span style="FONT-SIZE: 11pt"><font face="Times New Roman">Unfortunately, there was later a severe backlash against their leader for the above action – but GOD still stands behind her!
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<p class="MsoNormal" style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt"><span style="FONT-SIZE: 11pt"><font face="Times New Roman">Missionaries should seek to know legitimate cultural traditions that can be maintained in each nation. Nationals should likewise see the face of God through His Word and Spirit to understand what HE will allow them to maintain, and what He would have them reject.
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<p class="MsoNormal" style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt"><font face="Times New Roman"><span style="FONT-SIZE: 11pt">On one occasion national believers in </span><span style="FONT-SIZE: 11pt">Africa</span><span style="FONT-SIZE: 11pt">
approached their missionaries and asked them, "Why are your children calling up demon spirits?" "Oh, but they are NOT," responded the missionaries. "Oh yes they are," answered the native believers." Those drum rhythms they are playing are what we used to use as unbelievers before we repented and came to know the true God, and the kind of life He wants us to make adjustments to live!"
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<p class="MsoNormal" style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt"><span style="FONT-SIZE: 11pt"><font face="Times New Roman">But there is another aspect to all of this, that is equally important to consider. It is HOW we present God's position as missionaries, and God's representatives.
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<p class="MsoNormal" style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt"><span style="FONT-SIZE: 11pt"><font face="Times New Roman">There is an organization called "Let us Reason Ministries (LURM)". It is EQUALLY wrong in the SPIRIT in which it seeks to correct.
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<p class="MsoNormal" style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt"><span style="FONT-SIZE: 11pt"><font face="Times New Roman">Dale Carnegie in his "How to Win Friends and Influence People" encourages us to LATHER a man before we SHAVE him!"
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<p class="MsoNormal" style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt"><font face="Times New Roman"><span style="FONT-SIZE: 11pt">Jesus in His words to the 7 churches in Revelation 2 & 3 gives us a wonderful, gracious and kind example. BEFORE He corrects the first church,
</span><span style="FONT-SIZE: 11pt">Ephesus</span><span style="FONT-SIZE: 11pt">, He lists all the good things about her. He LATHERS her first. Then He takes out His shaving blade and warns that if she doesn't repent and return to her first love, her Menorah will be removed from its place! Serious! Today there is no trace of this church in
</span><span style="FONT-SIZE: 11pt">Turkey</span><span style="FONT-SIZE: 11pt">. Nevertheless, each of the 7 churches had "overcomers" in them, who Jesus commended and made wonderful promises to!</span></font></p>
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<p class="MsoNormal" style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt"><span style="FONT-SIZE: 11pt"><font face="Times New Roman">In hundreds of articles exposing cults, heresies, doctrinal aberrations etc., on the part of LURM – I can't find the examples of Jesus followed. All the bad from their viewpoint is exposed – but NO encouragement with anything positive. SURELY if they searched they could find SOMETHING to commend as did Jesus our Example!
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<p class="MsoNormal" style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt"><font face="Times New Roman"><span style="FONT-SIZE: 11pt">Alan Redpath from </span><span style="FONT-SIZE: 11pt">England</span><span style="FONT-SIZE: 11pt"> came to pastor the Moody Memorial Church of Chicago in the '50's.
<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>At his invitation I joined the Africa Inland Mission Midwest regional association for 2 years. Redpath said 3 words in those 2 years that have stayed with me strongly. One of them was, "One can be Orthodox in Doctrine – but HERETICAL in spirit!" I always sensed the truth in this concept, but did not have a handle to express it. THIS was my handle!
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<p class="MsoNormal" style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt"><span style="FONT-SIZE: 11pt"><font face="Times New Roman">It has been my observation that such organizations as LURM have a zeal to answer and confront heresy – but a woeful lack in the compassion of Jesus to FIRST find something positive to say for encouragement, before bringing out the shaving blade.
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<p class="MsoNormal" style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt"><span style="FONT-SIZE: 11pt"><font face="Times New Roman">The above reveals two ditches. We can become overly soft-hearted and compromising with error – but we can also fall into the ditch of harsh and hard criticism – Heresy in spirit!
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<p class="MsoNormal" style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt"><span style="FONT-SIZE: 11pt"><font face="Times New Roman">For God's sake, brethren – let us not fall into EITHER ditch! Let us ask for grace from Jesus through His Spirit to be firm in standing for truth in love – but may the love and compassion of Jesus encourage those we correct
<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>so as not to harden and discourage them – but to give them the opportunity for true repentance, and adjustment.</font></span></p>
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<p class="MsoNormal" style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt"><span style="FONT-SIZE: 11pt"><font face="Times New Roman">This article was instigated by a close friend who is concerned by some he has observed falling into the first ditch. The article he saw that crystallized his concern was, however, from LURM – and gives little encouragement or hope for repentance from those being exposed.
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<p class="MsoNormal" style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt"><span style="FONT-SIZE: 11pt"><font face="Times New Roman">It seemed to me that my friend's concern was sufficiently important, that my answer in this article deserves to be heard more widely than just by one person. Hence this mailing.
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<p class="MsoNormal" style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt"><span style="FONT-SIZE: 11pt"><font face="Times New Roman">Your friend – Jim Watt</font></span></p>
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