Spotlight Church - The House Of Prayer-Newark

Championing the movement of the Azusa Street Convention

by R. Douglass Mahaffey

      Just off the main highway F.M. 718 in Newark, Texas, The House Of Prayer-Newark is tucked away on an old County Road 4859. Pastor Rick Neathery has been pastor of the church for a year-and-a-half, with wife, Julie Neathery and Daughter, Bethany, and her husband, Tim Anderson, the music worship and messages delivered can get energetic, yet thought-provoking and can set a soul on fire for God when the Holy Ghost shows up for church.
      The music service is Christ-centered, with rock/country infused Christian standards, as well as contemporary song. Pastor Neathery is the preacher, as well as worship leader, and can jump from keyboards to lead or rhythm guitar at a moment's notice as the Holy Ghost leads him. Lead singers, Julie Neathery and Bethany Anderson bring the vocals full circle in this musically-talented/spirit-filled family, with Tim Anderson, Yogi Ramirez, and R. Douglass Mahaffey delivering the percussive sounds. Harold Norris sings Tenor, Regina Meredith sings Alto. Steve Meredith plays acoustic guitar, Angela Finch sings back up vocals and plays Bass. R. Douglass Mahafey plays tambourine and sings bass, and last, but certainly not least, Brother Stan Nowlin plays classic electric lead guitar. It is a very full sound that is technically managed by Noel Finch, husband to bassist, Angela Finch.
      The Neathery/Anderson family also make up what is the Christian Country Band, Victory Road, along with Angela Finch on Bass and Harold Norris singing tenor harmony vocals. Victory Road is well traveled in the North Texas area and Oklahoma regions of "The Bible-Belt." Neathery and Norris both once performed along side two other rather well known Christian artists of the North Texas area, Cleve and A.J. Clark of Alvaredo Road Show, an upcoming Nashville Gospel Music duo.
      The House Of Prayer is a Pentecostal place of Spirit-filled worship, that, because of the historical event of the Azusa Street Convention on 1906 in Los Angeles California, is home to a Pastor who preaches what he practices, and doesn't apologize for the times that the Holy Ghost comes upon him and inspires him to deliver God's message in a time where the Gospel of Jesus Christ is not a very Popular one. His main focus is based on a determination to reach others for Christ and lead in the development of a healthy prayer life.
      Pastor Neathery once said, "You show me a person with a drama-filled life, and I'll show you a person with no prayer life."
      2013 has come and gone, and there have been many trials that have hit the Neathery family, as well as other members of The House Of Prayer. From bouts with cancer, Bell' Palsy, near loss of sight, partial paralysis of one church member, hosts of aliments that have almost taken its toll on the church, the one thing that remains is a faithful prayer life of its families. God has been invited into those circumstances and healing has been an ever-present reminder that "the fervent prayer of a righteous man availeth much."-James 5:16.
      The House Of Prayer-Newark is located at 257 County Road 4859 Newark, TX 76071. Worship Service times on Sunday are at 10:45 a.m., right after Sunday School at 10:00, taught by Brother Stan Nowlin. Sunday evening service begins at 6:00 p.m. and Thursday night service begins at 7:00 p.m., directly after the Thursday night fellowship dinner (AND BOY, THE PEOPLE IN THIS CHURCH COOK!).
      Speaking of prayer life though, if you are in Wise County and are looking for a good church that loves and teaches love, call the church at (817) 489-3638 to find out more about the church's location, directives and ministries that The House Of Prayer-Newark (HOP-N) has to offer. Come and join them in service for the Lord and learn how to enrich your prayer life and your search for God's will of your life. Go to the church's website at http://houseofprayernewark.org/Home_Page.html

R. Douglass Mahaffey - Founder and Publisher of The Wise Conservative.

       

Who are the 144,000?

Twelve thousand sealed from each tribe of Israel

by R. Douglass Mahaffey

      I once had a man of Hispanic decent knock on my door and asked me if I had ever heard of the prophesy of the Revelation of God. I told him that I had, that I was a child of God and I had given my heart to him in 1992. He asked me if that was when I joined the Kingdom Hall of Jehovah's Witness. I told him that I had not, that I made Jesus Lord of my life and was a Christian who, at the time, went to a Baptist church.
      He then proceeded to tell me that unless I was a member of the Kingdom Hall of Jehovah's Witness, I would not be one of the 144,000 that would make it into heaven. I then did what every non-Jehovah's Witness in America would do. I bid him good day and closed the door. I missed an opportunity to utilize scripture to show this man where he had been misled.
      Revelation 7 tells us that John sees four angels in a vision, standing on the four corners of the earth, holding the four winds of the earth so that no wind blows anywhere on the earth. Then he saw another angel ascending from the east, having the seal of the living God. The angel cried with a loud voice to the four angels, who were there to hurt the earth and sea.
      The fifth angel told the other four angels not to hurt the earth, the sea or the trees until they had sealed the servants of God on their foreheads. John then heard the number of them which were sealed was one-hundred-forty-four thousand of all the tribes of Is'-ra-el; the tribe of Ju'-da, Reu'-ben, Gad, A'ser, Nep'-tha-lim, Ma-nas'-ses, Sim'-e-on, Le'-vi, Is'-sa-char, Za-bu'-lon, Jo'-seph and Ben'-ja-min were all sealed, twelve-thousand from each tribe.
      Had I had the knowledge then, that I have now about the 144,000 sealed, I could have gotten my Bible and showed this gentleman where the church that he had put his faith in had misled him. First of all, our faith should never be put in a church or a preacher, but in the God who established His church and called the preacher to send the message. How else will people hear, unless God calls someone (a preacher) to tell them.
      This man was not Israeli descent, he was Hispanic. I later found out that these men will also be virgins, who pure in heart, will be the last people after the rapture, during the tribulation, who will tell the people in the deepest, darkest parts of the earth, who haven't heard the gospel. These will all be males too. This man was married, had three children with him. He was not a virgin, Jewish male. He had been lied to. The Bible tells us that there will be people in the last days who will twist and pervert the gospel and try to pass off a lie to lead others astray. The Bible says not to let them darken your door-step, neither bid them God's speed. II John 1:10.
      In the case of the new Christian, this is very important to adhere to, which, at the time, I was. When we are babes in Christ and the grace of salvation is new to us, it is easy to get confused and mix words that won't help the matter. God has equipped those who are mature in their Christianity and their growth in the spirit, who can handle such a situation. The best thing to do is ground yourself in the word and make sure you know the difference between false teachings and teachings that are Holy Ghost inspired.
     On the other side of that, I have also been approached by people in spirit filled services and was told (before being Baptized in the Holy Ghost) that if I didn't have the gift of speaking in tongues, that I wasn't a Christian. That man was obviously misled as well. That's probably the reason why that church didn't last. It's foundation was not based on grace through faith, but rather works. Salvation comes first, to the accepting heart. Then the gifts of the Holy Ghost follow afterwards.
      It is best to stay grounded in the Word or God and have a good prayer life. The best way to tell that a Christian doesn't have a good, strong prayer life is if they transplant from one church to the other due to doctrine. I should know, I have been guilty of that in the past. The Word of God is the cornerstone as to which growth in our knowledge and discernment of the truth comes from. The truth is in there and it is up to us to seek after it. When inspiration comes to us by way of the Holy Ghost, the truth will be seen in our daily walk. We won't have to walk around touting that we are Christians. Others will see in in our witness and example we set.
       So, if someone comes and knocks on your door talking about being the 144,000, ask them if they are virgin, Jewish males. If not, break open your Bible to Revelation 7 and lead them in the right direction. Then take them to Ephesians 2:8-9 "For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the grace of God: Not of works, lest any man should boast."
      If a Jehovah's Witness works (or any man's works) could save them then God would have never had to leave His perfect heaven and come down to the earth and be crucified for our sins. That salvation is free. Grace paid the price and became the sacrificial lamb to cover our sins completely with His blood. We have no other way unto heaven, but through Jesus.

R. Douglass Mahaffey - Founder and Publisher of The Wise Conservative.

Protecting our Bill of Rights

The sleeping giant called the Church needs awakening

by R. Douglass Mahaffey

There are 52 furious fourth-grade students in Prosper, Texas who attend Grace Christian Academy, due to the political correctness, or in my opinion political ignorance of the policies of the North Texas Veterans Administration System. The students worked hard on creating a kind gesture in the form of Christmas cards to hand out to wounded and sick veterans at the Dallas VA Hospital.

Representatives from the VA told the fourth grade teacher that they could bring the cards to hand out to the veterans as long as they didn’t reference Christmas (in other words they had to say, “Happy Holidays,” or “Season’s Greetings,” or something of the like), could not be religious in nature and could not include any Biblical scriptures. I bet passages from the Quran would have been okay though.  

It is long over due for the church to wake up. In fact, over the last 21 years of my Christianity, I have heard cliche` after cliche` explaining that very need. No more cliche`s; it’s time for action. 

My say on the subject is this; there needs to be a “Million-Man-March on the steps of the Capitol Building in Washington D.C. in the next coming months of 2014. If I’m the one that has to call for it, set it up, organize and lead it, then so be it. There will either be a Million-Man-March or a One-Man-March on the steps of the Capitol Building in Washington D.C. I don’t know the date or the time as of yet, but I am doing it. MARK IT DOWN!

The march will be a peaceful one with the message: "We Will Carry Out The “Great Commission!” 

God told us to go into all the world and make disciples of all nations, Baptizing them in the name of the Father, The Son and Holy Ghost. That was no more a request than the 10 Commandments were suggestions. 

The Bible clearly defines the consequences of a nation not seeking out and following the will of God. Blessed is the nation that makes its Lord the God of the universe. It doesn’t get more clear than that., despite the differences in points-of-view in this country. 

My own friends on my Facebook are very diverse, with different beliefs and all sorts of walks of life. I have yet to be told that sharing Christ with my blog on my Facebook page was offensive. It’s as easy as this; if the truth of God’s word offends you, you have just as much right to click on the “Back” button and continue surfing, as I have to post my Christian Conservative blog in the first place. 

For the kids, there was no “Back” button on their cards. Their efforts were completely shut down and flat out denied. Their voices were silenced from wishing these veterans a Merry Christmas and sharing their faith as that God of the universe commanded them to do. 

For these kids, the rights and freedoms that these veterans were wounded for and for the sake of Jesus, who is the reason why we celebrate Christmas in the first place, I am calling on the Christian churches of this nation, regardless the denomination, to stand up and assist me in organizing the march and telling Congress, the Senate, the cabinet and this President of the United States that we are serious! We are here in the name of God and we will defend our rights to carry out “The Great Commission” of Jesus Christ!

R. Douglass Mahaffey - Founder and Publisher of The Wise Conservative. 

Unto us a Child is born

The virgin born Son of the Living God

by R. Douglass Mahaffey

The Messiah that was to come into the world to save all of humanity from the deceiver, Satan, was prophetically foretold by the Prophet Isaiah. Isaiah wrote that unto us, a child was born and the governments would be upon His shoulders. He was to be born of a virgin and would be in the lineage of King David. His name would be called Wonderful, Counselor, the Mighty God, The Everlasting Father, The Prince of Peace. 

For some reason, people believed then as they do now, that the Messiah would come and did come to do away with the law, so that the grace of God abounds. Paul wrote in Romans 3, that God forbid we live in such negligence toward sin. 

Jesus came so that the law would be fulfilled. Therefore, we are not under the pressure of laws, but under the grace that living according to the law gives us, if we make Jesus Lord of our lives. 

John, the Apostle wrote that ‘in the beginning was the Word, the Word was with God and the Word was God. The Word became flesh and dwelt among us (Jesus).’ John goes on to say that the world knew Him but knew Him not. They saw the carpenter’s son that moved to Nazareth when He was a young boy. 

Luke actually told the story that we now refer to as  ‘The Christmas Story.” In the days of Caesar Augustus, a decree came to all the people that the nations of the world should be taxed. Rome was the dominating empire and those who followed after one another as emperor were looked at as gods. So the tax was to pay tribute to Caesar.

So it was ordered that every family went to their hometowns to be counted for the census for taxation. Joseph had been betrothed to marry Mary, who was a virgin, but through the power of the Holy Ghost, became pregnant. 

Joseph considered divorcing Mary because of possible infidelity, The angel of God came before Joseph and explained that the baby she was carrying was the Messiah that Isaiah spoke of in the prophesy because Mary had won God’s favor. 

So when it was almost time for Jesus to be born, Joseph put Mary on donkey-back to make the estimated 80 mile trip to Bethlehem, because Joseph was from there in the house of David.  (Side note: When King David was a boy tending Jesse’s sheep, he did so in a place that he later wrote about in the 23rd Psalm, “Yea through I walk through the Valley of The Shadow of Death, I will fear no evil, for thou art with me.” This same valley, between Jericho and Bethlehem, according to tradition in Jerusalem, is a place that Mary stopped to rest on hers and Joseph’s long journey from Nazareth.)

When Mary and Joseph arrived in Bethlehem, the city was filled with people who had come to register for the census as Augustus had commanded. Therefore, there was no room for them in any of the inns in the town. Joseph talked to an inn owner who told Joseph of the stable that was available next to his inn. There were animals in the stable, but the manger could be cleaned out so that the couple would have a place to lay their newborn baby.

I know you’re asking yourself, “What? The Creator of the Universe was born in a feed troth in a smelly stable where horses, cows and sheep ‘do their business?’”

Most definitely! See, Jesus didn’t come as a military conqueror as the Jews would have liked. They only wanted to get the Romans out of their business so they could continue corrupting the Jews and leading them away from the one God sent to save them. The Pharisees were the immediate law of the Jews and kept them under a tight fist, that is, when the Romans weren’t looking. 

Jesus came as a humble servant of man, who was there to do the will of His father who sent Him. He came to teach the Jews that they were to love their enemies and pray for those that spitefully used and mistreated them. It was a very inconvenient message for that time, as well as today. The truth usually is. 

The “Gift” came into the world to basically save it from itself. The contrite and self-centered heart is one that is like beast that is hard to tame. It is hard to convince a person that it is holier to give up one’s life so that other’s may see the love  of God through their actions when a person’s first instinct in a crisis situation is to save their own life by throwing others under the bus. 

But still, the “Gift” came to give life, and life more abundantly than most people are used to living. What do you want for Christmas this year? That’s a good question considering the unlimited possibilities we have as a civilization. As for me and my house, we choose Christ, the reason for this Christmas season to begin with. 

R. Douglass Mahaffey - Founder and Publisher of The Wise Conservative. 

What Phil was referring to

Sharing to what scripture says about sin

by R. Douglass Mahaffey

       On Wednesday, December 18, GQ Magazine broke a story in which Phil Robertson, the star and head of the A&E reality television series “Duck Dynasty” was asked by a reporter as to what his views of the homosexual lifestyle was in regards to his devout Christian beliefs. 

Robertson said, “Start with homosexual behavior and just morph out from there — bestiality, sleeping around with this woman and that woman and that woman   and those men.” 

What Robertson was meaning in his comment was that homosexuality is the gateway lifestyle to the deviant, a lot like the gateway drug that marijuana was to a crack, meth, heroin or cocain addict. None of which is behavior that God calls us to. 

He sent His Son, Jesus to die for our sins, yes. But that doesn’t give us a license to sin because Jesus didn’t come to abolish the law, but that through Him it might be fulfilled. I am covered by the blood of Jesus, which was the covenant of the New Testament. However, even Romans 1 talks about the homosexual lifestyle and what costs come with it. Verse 28 says, “Who knowing the judgement of God, that they which commit such things are worthy of death, not only to those that do it, but those that have pleasure in them that do them.” -Paul’s Holy Spirit-inspired  words, not mine.

The self-centered assumption that a Christian shouldn’t have a problem with the LGBT community  forcing their views on the rest of us and then expect us to refer to their lifestyle as normal, is a dangerous thought process to invoke in today’s society, especially when Congress and the Senate are trying to legislate such ideology. 

Sharing what God says in His word about our flippant attitude toward any sin (not just homosexuality) is what God called us to do. How else will a lost, dying, hell-bound person hear the word, unless God sends a preacher (Which Phil is) to tell them. 

Here is my theory about what happened. GQ called A&E to set up an appointment for an interview with Phil Robertson. A&E talked the reporter to ask Phil about his Christian beliefs on sin and homosexuality. If you recall, (if you heard about this happening in the news), A&E talked to the Robertsons and said that they were getting a lot of complaints from viewers about the Robertsons praying and involving God in their episodes. 

A&E asked if the Robertsons would stop putting that content on their show. Phil, the spokesman for the family, said that if they couldn’t involve prayer or God in the show, that there would be no show. A&E re-signed them for another season because due to the astronomical ratings that Duck Dynasty affords A&E, it would have been bad for business to not re-sign them. 

The GQ reporter asked Robertson the line of questioning regarding his Christian beliefs toward homosexuality. Robertson, being the outspoken Christian that he is, who believes in the First Amendment rights to free speech that the LGBT community also enjoys, answered that line of questioning, not based on hate, but with what lines up with the word of God.

GQ ran and tattled to GLAAD, GLAAD went viral with their outbursts that Robertson spouted hate speech toward the LGBT Community (which he did not). Therefore, to save face with an organization and a community that A&E champions the cause of, A&E suspended Robertson indefinitely. 

This whole situation was a conspiracy, in my opinion, to take the head of the Robertson family off of the show about the duck call company, Duck Commander, that Robertson started in his garage.

Now this is just my speculative opinion, but if you read John 8, it almost 100 percent mirrors the story of the prostitute that was brought before Jesus by the Sanhedrin to test Jesus. In this analogy, A&E and GQ represent the Sanhedrin. GLAAD  represent the other man that the Sanhedrin did NOT bring before Jesus. Phil Robertson loosely represents the prostitute (in A&E’s and GQ’s failed attempt for self righteousness). and we, the Christian community, standing up for Robertson, represent Jesus, who used scripture to rebuke the Sanhedrin. The LGBT community represent the Jews that had amassed around the prostitute, ready to throw stones. 

Now, in this analogy, let me explain that I don’t believe that Robertson was caught in any sin. That is the difference between him and the prostitute. He was baited, in my opinion, by the GQ reporter and A&E, to answer the line of questioning, because they knew that he would answer it in a way that would arouse and incite rage from the crowd, ready to stone him. 

The prostitute in John 8 was baited by the other man in the equation that nothing happens to, into sinning. That happened so that the Sanhedrin would have a chance to test Jesus in yet another failed attempt to prove that Jesus was a false profit. 

In the passage, Jesus ignored the crowd’s chant for her stoning. He bent down and scribbled in the sand. Many theologians speculate as to what he was scribbling. I have heard one theory that He was writing a law from Leviticus that says if a person baits another person into sinning, then they are just as guilty as the one they baited. That might be possible, but I won’t be so arrogant as to say that was definitely what he was writing. Let’s not give way to semantics. 

But let me say this with great humility and reserve; I pray that the LGBT community, GLAAD, A&E and GQ one day soon are introduced to my God before it is too late for them. My other prayer is that when they have had the truth revealed to them through this, they realize that surrendering to Him does not bind them to a life of ducking and dodging rules. It offers them freedom, with chains broken and no longer a slave to the master they have served in this situation. That slave is the very sin that Phil Robertson was referring to in his comment. 

R. Douglass Mahaffey - Founder and Publisher of The Wise Conservative.

The Salvation Army Red Kettle Campaign

Where the concept originated that has brought relief to Americans for 120 years

by R. Douglass Mahaffey

The Salvation Army is looking for volunteers this holiday season to serve as bell ringers for its annual fund-raiser, as patrons at busy department stores and grocery stores participate in the organization’s most needy time of the year. 

The annual fund-raiser starts in November on Black Friday, and ends December 24 (Christmas Eve). 

Volunteers from church groups, youth groups, athletes, cheerleaders, Sunday school classes, businesses and individuals volunteer all over America to ring the bell for the Salvation Army. 

The bell ringers have been a steady mainstay at retail stores and shopping malls in America for over 100 years. The tradition began in 1891 when Captain Joseph McFee, a sailor from Liverpool, England, wanted to feed the poor at Christmas time. 

He recalled seeing a red kettle on the docks, called “Simpson’s Pot,” when he was a young sailor. People would toss coins into the kettle to raise money to feed the poor. He set a red kettle out  at the Oakland Ferry Landing in San Francisco with a sign that read, “Keep the pot boiling.”

McFee was able to raise the money needed to feed the poor that Christmas. News of the successful fund-raiser spread so far that in 1897, enough money was raised to feed 150,000 people for Christmas. In 1901 he raised enough to hold a sit down dinner at New York City’s Madison Square Garden for Christmas. 

Today, money collected in the red Salvation Army kettles is used to help the needy, the sick, the aged and other less fortunate, especially during the holiday season from Thanksgiving to Christmas.

Every dollar raised is donated to community charities in the towns in which the money is collected. Money is given to help food banks, low-budget community clinics, assistance with utilities or housing. Every dollar donated counts. 

     This year, I have seen people singing at the red kettle, dancing, playing a trumpet, all the way to cheer leading to attract patrons to donate loose change to a few dollars as they pass the volunteers. 

I have volunteered twice this year at the Walmart in my community. They desperately need people to step up and donate their time, their smile and their Christmas cheer to continue the effort that Captain Joseph McFee began over 120 years ago. There is still time to volunteer by going to the Salvation Army's website at http://www.salvationarmy-usa.org/usn/volunteer.

R. Douglass Mahaffey - Founder and Publisher of The Wise Conservative.

Who do ‘THEY’ think they are

A thought provoking point-of-view to self thought

by R. Douglass Mahaffey

They said in the 50s that smoking wouldn’t kill you.  They say you should keep your friends close and your enemies closer. They say a person needs just three things in life to be happy; someone to love, something to do and something to hope for.

Just who are ‘they’ and who made them the experts on everything? There is a ever-present force in the world that wants to control and drive the destiny of mankind. Some call them the illuminati. Some call them field specific experts, usually reputable scientists. Some call that driving force ‘the powers that be’. Either way you look at it, ‘they’ want the mass populating to just accept what they tell you and go on like there is no alternative out there, to their say in things. 

The Bible says Romans 1 that from the beginning of mankind, God made His existence known and manifest inside of man, so they are without excuse when they stand before Him in judgement. People may ask, “Well what about the indigenous tribes in the deepest jungles of Africa who have never heard of God?” 

  Who are we to make that assessment? The scriptures in Romans 1 are very clear that God is no respecter of person. All were created with the basic common knowledge that there is a creator. It’s when we try to rationalize and use logic, or apply what theories we have been taught in school by so called “educators”, that we  limit God to what is physically possible. God moves and works in the supernatural, and has no boundaries of physical or absolutely scientific. 

It is sometimes hard to wrap our minds around things that we can’t see, touch or hear. It isn’t always completely our fault either. It’s easy for the influence of others to overtake our thought process and cloud our judgement, because they make it sound so logical and believable. 

They have just used mind control to inhabit their beliefs into another person’s life. However, God sent His Holy Ghost on the earth to break through the confusion  often times created by man to bring truth to expose a lie. The only problem we create for ourselves in this process is again, we limit our understanding to what is physical.
God’s ways are not our ways and His thoughts aren’t our thoughts. His word is truth set afire in a dark, evil world, which will break through the confusion and bring about clarity when we open our hearts to what the spirit has to reveal to us. It is then that clarity of His will for our lives is seen through the truth, which was already created in us to begin with. 

So the next time someone shadows the truth with what the experts claim, think about it for yourself. If it doesn’t line up with God’s word, reject it, for the opinions of the so called “experts” is yet another tool the enemy uses to deceive us from seeking the truth within the word of God. 

R. Douglass Mahaffey - Founder and Publisher of The Wise Conservative