Page Three

Minister Clyde Derrick

Bible Studies
Week 1: Sex sin is different than other sins
Week 2: Everyone hears
Week 3: Cover your head
Week 4: Preachers get paid

1 Corinthians 6:15

15 Do you not know your bodies are members of Christ himself? Shall I then take the members of Christ and unite them with a prostitute? Never! 16 Do you not know that he who unites himself with a prostitute is one with her in body? For it is said, "The two will become one flesh". 17 But he who unites himself with the Lord is one with him in spirit.
18 Flee from sexual immorality. All other sins a man commits are outside his body, but he who sins sexually sins against his own body. 19 Do you not know that your body is a temple of the Holy Spirit, who is in you.

Understanding
This is a very tough one isn't it? As you know you can't control the subconscious mind. Your mind can give you a dream about sex even when you are trying to make it without sex. We've all experience it, waking up after a dream that seemed so real. How do you maintain when your own mind working against you?

That's why Paul said it's better to marry than to burn. In those days it was so much easier to get married. A man could trade a few sheep and the father would give him his oldest daughter (sorry women, that's just the way it was then). There was no "wait until I get my masters degree" or, "you don't make as much money as I do so why should I get with you." There was no, "you're not tall enough"; "you're not cute enough"; "you're not rich enough"; "you don't dress the way I like it". We've made it so complicated good people are living lonely lives and that shouldn't be.

I don't know what to say to you other than get married. Be careful who this person is and what they want in their life. Marrying a man or woman that isn't seeking God first isn't going to do anything but bring you pain and a hard life. You will be one of those people in church praying that your husband will come to church with you and you will spend much time praying for God to come into his or her life. Don't hold your breath it might be a while before that happens. He wasn't in the church when you found him so don't think he's going to go running in after you marry him. It's going to be hard to get him to see the christian life style is how he should live if you gave it up to him for a year before he asked you to marry him. He saw you go to church every Sunday and Wednesday but still gave him sex like the other women that weren't in the church. Why should he see any difference. Your light was put out a long time ago.

Equally yoked means more than having a man or woman that's in church, they must seek to live right as much as you do. If you try to live Holy and all they care about is just sliding into heaven on the wings of grace you aren't equal, you're going to end up altering your christian walk to keep them. That woman that suddenly stop coming to church, most times there's a new man in her life that is asking her to stay home with him.

No one wants to be alone, it's hard even for men to date because after a while women aren't satisfied with just kissing and touching. Most men and women will say you've got to give it to your partner just to keep them or they're go out and find it somewhere else, while letting you believe they are waiting for it. For both sexes it's a difficult thing. It's better to marry than burn. I hope we get to a point where we understand life is too short to be waiting on your vision of perfection.

The bottom line is, yes a sin is a sin however, because you become one with another soul you are mixing your temple with another one and if they don't have love for Jesus and they aren't your spouse, then you are corrupting your temple. Remember God can't stay in a temple of darkness.

Not my words so let me remind you :verse 18 : All other sins a man commits are outside his body, but he who sins sexually sins against his own body.

1 Peter 3: 18

18 For Christ died for sins once for all, the righteous for the unrighteous, to bring you to God. He was put to death in the body but made alive by the Spirit, 19 through whom also he went and preached to the spirits in prison 20 who disobeyed long ago when God waited patiently in the days of Noah while the ark was being built.

Understanding
This is an example of the lengths Jesus will go to make sure everyone has a chance to accept him. He went back in time in the spirit while physically in the grave to preach to the dead who were being held from the time of Noah. If he will do that for people who had a chance to receive the truth through Noah, one can only conclude he has a plan for those who died without hearing the gospel through out time.

1 Corinthians 11:3

3 Now I want you to realize that the head of every man is Christ, and the head of the woman is man, and the head of Christ is God. 4 Every man who prays or prophesies with his head covered dishonors his head. 5 And every woman who prays or prophesies with her head uncovered dishonors her head it is just as though her head were shaved. 6 If a woman does not cover her head, she should have her hair cur off; and if it is a disgrace for a woman to have her hair cut or shaved off, she should cover her head.
Jump to verse 10 (but read in between on your own)
For this reason , and because of the angels, the woman ought to have a sign of authority on her head.
Jump to 15 (but read in between on your own)
but that if a woman has long hair, it is her glory? For long hair is given to her as a covering.
16 If anyone wants to be contentious about this, we have no other practice nor do the churches of God.

Understanding
Christ is the head of men and men are the head of women. A woman shows no honor to her husband by praying without covering her head. Every time I bring this up the first thing people say is, oh that's the old testament. Clearly you can see that's wrong. Then they say oh that was Paul's opinion but we already know from the section above "Who wrote the Bible" that the prophets were led by the spirit. Then they say but that's another culture, but Paul clearly says in verse 16 that this is the way for not only his people but for the churches of God.

Does the woman's hair represent something different today than it did yesterday? You know the answer to that, no it's still the glory of a woman. The principle behind this rule is based on the same respect issue then and now. The husband is the head of the woman and she should show that he has authority over her. I know it sounds third world and if you don't want to do it don't, but that doesn't make you right and doesn't change the fact that God wanted it in the Bible. Remember you are serving God not twentieth century America. There's no way to march and protest against God's rules just because you don't agree. It's not like you are covering your whole head and face like in Afghanistan. A simple cloth over the hair will do, it's the principle of the action, showing the willingness to be submissive that counts here.

Is this really such a huge sacrifice? Marriage is all about sacrifice. Who do you get your hair done for if not for your husband. One little cloth on top is not what the Bible meant, it is a very heavy compromise that as a spiritual man I believe is okay (me not the Lord). Remember it's the principle of the action. Making a statement.

Then again, if you really seek to please God, there will be no need for a compromise will there? Church only last 2 hours.

1 Corinthians 9: 14

14 In the same way , the Lord has commanded that those who preach the gospel should receive their living from the gospel. 15 But I have not used any of these rights. And I am not writing this in the hope that you will do such things for me. I would rather die than have anyone deprive me of this boast. 16 Yet when I preach the gospel, I cannot boast, for I am compelled to preach. Woe to me if I do not preach the gospel! 17 If I preach voluntarily, I have a reward; if not voluntarily, I am simply discharging the trust committed to me.

Understanding
Paul did not want to be a burden on the people he was preaching to. He had a right to get paid as all preachers do but Paul set a very important example that most preachers today don't follow. He didn't want any one to think he was only doing it for the money. Too many times you find pastors receiving a very large salary and in some cases their wives become partners in the ministry and she also receives a large salary.

I've always felt if the congregation wasn't that large the pastor should also work some kind of side job that will allow him time off when needed, like selling Real Estate or insurance for example.Very few churches are so large that the pastor is needed full time. If he can set his own hours or the other company/ job respects his other position as a pastor and give him time off when needed, then there's no problem at all. I think it also helps people not to focus on the pastor living off the church. Now if the church is large enough to support the pastor and of course the duties are much greater for a larger congregation, then the pastor may need to come off his job in order to tend to the flock. This doesn't mean the pastor needs to become a multi-millionaire. Why does a pastor need to be a multi-millionaire? Maybe that's why so many pastors preach about financial blessings, maybe it justifies their having an excess?

Paul also says that he preaches because he loves to and not because God gave him the ability and the job. His love and need to preach is also the same reason he wont boast, he's compelled to preach. If he's just doing his job for the money and because he was called to do so then he's not doing it out of love and no reward is due, but if he preaches because he loves it and takes no money (I add this part)(or doesn't live primarily from church pay) then he has a reward waiting and no one can accuse him of doing it for the money.

I know a pastor doing great works is more valueable than a doctor, however, should a pastor make ten times more than a brain surgeon?

My thoughts on Pastors/Ministers selling God's word at premium price.
Click here to read

First read this: I said at a premium price. I'm not saying pastors and ministers shouldn't get paid, at this point in time I would love to have money coming in from ministry so I'm free to do more. It takes a lot of time doing all the things I do but I still have to punch a clock like everyone else.

However, there is a difference between getting paid so you can take care of the family and take a vacation like others, and save for retirement and becoming a millionaire. Nothing in the bible should give you the believe God meant for his disciples (leaders/pastors) to be multimillionaires from contribution of the saints. How does that work with the principle of lack with states if someone among you has need let the others sell what they have to cover the one who is lacking? Pastors praying you receive when they have it to share? I don't get it!