Tony Miano and Women Open-Air Preaching

Tony Miano and Women Open-Air Preaching

Brethren of the Biblical Evangelism Community, this is written specifically to you. I chose to write this in a blog post as it would be too long for a post on Facebook.

I ask you to consider and deeply think over a few things. Why is Tony’s thought process changing in regards to women involved in various aspects of street ministry? Could there perhaps be some deeper issues going on? I’ve read the postings and not once has Tony said a woman would be sinning if she open-aired preached. Not once has he even hinted he thought any woman was sinning in the way she was evangelizing.

Tony has been a respected, trusted leader, teacher, mentor and friend to most all of you. One thing many of you have loved about him was his frankness and tenacious ways of standing for Truth and defending the Faith. Do you throw all that out the window now? Could it be some feathers are ruffled at the subject hitting a little too close to home? Do you feel like Tony is telling you that for all this time you have been doing evangelism wrong? Well guess what, this is how the other side of Christianity feels when we approach them with Biblical Evangelism. They perceive it as we are attacking the way they are doing evangelism. They see it as someone thinking they know more than they do. They don’t stop and think about the amount of time, study, prayer and reading in the Bible. All they hear and see is someone saying “You’re Wrong in the way you are doing it.” Have you had resistance in getting your church or Christians friends on board in Biblical Evangelism? If so, then perhaps at this moment you know exactly how they feel. Perhaps this should be time to reflect on the perception the BE community is putting across to the Churches. Perhaps you should search yourself and the way you have approached your church and Christian friends in regards to evangelism. How has your tone and demeanor been when approaching them? Has it been an attitude of you’re wrong and I’m right?

Perhaps instead of condemning, you should be searching and asking why. Instead of slamming, accusing and you’re wrong, open up scripture and read and stuffy for yourself. When a person reaches a point where he or she thinks they know everything and are not willing to listen and discuss an issue, they need to step back and spend some time in private prayer with God. If this point arises their pride is clouding the work of the Holy Spirit. 

Do I think a woman should OAP as the term is applied to street ministry, I will tell you now. I don’t know. I’ve read what many have had to say on it from both sides. I’ve been going through scripture, reading and praying for God’s will to be revealed on the subject. The conclusion I have is, I don’t know. There is scriptural basis to support both sides. In the beginning Tony stated this is his “Opinion” to take what he says and open the word and read what God has to say for yourself. He is not throwing something together on the whim of a moment. He is spending some hard dedicated hours into searching out what God has to say on this. He is risking much for his love of not only the word of Christ but for you, his brethren that he loves so very much. Would you rather have a silent Tony on a subject God has been teaching something new to him, or one like you’ve always known, a Tony that will speak the truth on any subject no matter the cost. Do you think for a moment Tony would take such a stand on a whim and without deep consideration and deep prayer?

I will say based on some responses I’ve read, there are men and women who both would do better to remain silent and not step atop a box. The reactions at times have been, spiteful, hateful and worldly. When someone can not have what they want they either pout and complain or erupt and say things they should not. Some even seem to be more concerned with their wallets than what scripture truly has to say on the matter. I think one reason for such an uproar over this even before it is published is simple. People are scared they are wrong, not that Tony is wrong. Don’t let your pride or wallet cloud your discernment.

This was not to be an issue to divide brethren over but to further all our understanding on an issue that has long been ignored. Ignored because no one spent the dedicated time in researching the matter to the fullest and then been willing to stand on what was learned.

Tony is no different than he ever has been, the difference is you just may not like what he is saying this time. I think we all owe it Tony to at least wait and see what he discovers and comes up with.

We are to nourish and train up one another in all love, patience, kindness and understanding. Have you been doing that, well have you?

I know what many may think about me, I’m right in there with Tony and will go along with whatever he says. Nope, you’re wrong. I love Tony enough to tell him when I think he is wrong, but it would and will never be done in an open forum. Then it would be from a Bible point of view, not my own opinion. The Bible tells us to take our disagreements to the one in private. I’ve seen little being done in private in all of this. My allegiance is to God and His word first. If Tony were to ever get into any type of heretical thinking or teaching, I’d be the first to tell him. As far as his book goes, I’ve taken a wait and see approach. One can not comment on something he doesn’t have all the facts on. I guess a person could but then that wouldn’t be very biblical, now would it.

Tony on more than one occasion explained why he posted the content that he did. He was trying to make the information be such that was presented in the most precise way and would cover all the surrounding issues. Did he make a mistake by doing that? Probably, but how many times do you expect him to apologize for it? If you’re not willing to accept his apology then tell him, but in private.

If he gets a little zealous in the truths he is discovering then let it be. Don’t you get excited when the Lord blesses you by opening your eyes and hearts to something new? Don’t be so impatient, the book will come along and we all will be able to read it at some point. He has put together a very learned team to dissect his book, line by line and then a couple of other Very high learned pastors and teachers to scrutinize it. All this will be done before the book is ever available. I have no doubt these trusted men will find and point out anything that does not align with scripture.

Tony is human, Tony is excited about writing this book. Tony loves the Lord and the Bible more than any other man I’ve been around. He has done so much for so many, can’t we extend to him the same grace? Love him and help him and encourage him and most importantly pray for him. Let the book rise or fall on its own merit but don’t jump to conclusions and state he is wrong before you even know what the content is.

Brethren, we don’t have to always agree on everything to serve or Lord but we are to serve our Lord in a way that honors God. Let’s try to remember that and do it from this point forward.

Story on Torrey

"ONLY JESUS"

 

Jesus lifted up is the only atoning Savior in the universe.  He who alone was at the same time God and man, He alone can make atonement for sin; and He has made it, has made a perfect atonement, and God has accepted His atonement and testified to His acceptance of His atonement by raising Him from the dead.  

 

 The Lord Jesus actually meets our need, He actually meets every man's first, greatest, deepest, most fundamental need, and He alone. In all the universe there is no religion but Christianity that even offers an atoning Savior.  

 

Muhammadanism offers Muhammad, "The Prophet," a teacher, but not a Savior; Buddhism offers Buddha, supposedly at least a wonderful teacher, "The Light of Asia," but not an atoning Savior; Confucianism offers Confucius, a marvelous teacher far ahead of his time, but not an atoning Savior. No religion but Christianity offers an atoning Savior, an atonement of any real character.  

 

This is the radical point of difference between Christianity and every other religion in the world, yet some fool preachers are trying to eliminate from Christianity this supreme fact, its very point of radical difference from all other religions. But such an emasculated Christianity will not reach the needs of men and will not draw men. It never has and it never will. 

 

The Bible and history are at one on this. Jesus Christ offers Himself lifted up on the cross to redeem us from the curse of the law by "becoming a curse for us." "Christ redeemed us from the curse of the law by becoming a curse for us, for it is written: 'Cursed is everyone who is hung on a tree'" (Galatians 3:13).  Men know their need; they may  try to forget it, they may try to deny it; they may try to drown their sense of it by drink and indulgence or by wild pleasure-seeking or wild money-getting, or by listening to fake preachers in supposedly orthodox pulpits, like one who in this city declared recently that "the old sense of sin is fast disappearing," and added, "The change is for the better, not for the worse." He spoke also of "imaginary and artificial sins like 'the sin of unbelief,'" and then went on to say, "In this we agree with Christ," apparently not knowing enough about the Bible to know that Jesus Himself was the very one who said in John 16:8-9, "When he comes, he will convict the world of guilt in regard to sin and righteousness and judgment: in regard to sin, because men do not believe in me."  But in spite of all our attempts to drown or stupefy or silence our sense of sin, our consciousness of guilt before a Holy God, we all have it, and, it will not disappear.  Nothing gives the guilty conscience abiding peace but the atoning blood of Jesus Christ.  And so Christ lifted up draws all men to Him, and even wicked ministers of Satan, like the preacher I have just referred to, sometimes come to their senses and flee to the real Christ, Christ crucified, as I hope this one may. 

 

Yes, Jesus, Jesus only, Jesus lifted up on the cross, Jesus crucified for our sins, making full atonement for our sins, He and He alone meets the deepest need of us all, and so His cross draws us all men to Himself.  Happy the man or the woman who yields to that drawing. Woe be to the man or woman who resists that drawing; final gloom, despondency, and despair are their lot. Oh, how many men and women who have gotten their eyes opened to see the facts, to see their awful guilt, and who have been plunged into deepest consequent despair, have come to me, and I have pointed them to Jesus on the cross, and have shown them by God's Word all their sins laid upon Him and thus settled, and they have come to Him, and believed God's testimony about Him, that He had borne all their sins in His own body on the cross, and they have found perfect peace and boundless joy.  And that is the only way to find perfect peace and boundless joy.

 

From The Best of R.A. Torrey 

 

Keep in mind R.A. Torrey wrote this in the early 1900's. Does this not sound like what we see being perpetrated today? Within the walls of buildings that are no more a True Church than a pig stall, are filth and slop being spilled upon the eyes and ears of the deceived.

 

 I encourage you, please open the Bible and read the Word of God for yourself.

Creating Information

Where did the movie on a DVD come from? Then can a blank DVD write itself? No, information can not create itself. Information can not come from nothing. Does DNA contain information? So then it would be impossible for DNA to exist without the information contained within it. So where did the information come from? There had to be an intelligence that designed and applied that information in order for the strands of DNA to exist.

 

You know in your heart how DNA was created. You have suppressed that truth. If the Creator of all life and the originator of the information that wrote the codes and tied the strands of DNA together has the power to create you, then wouldn't it be reasonable to conclude He created everything? Once again for there to be information there has to be a creator of said information.

 

Are you open minded enough to read on? Have you ever told a lie? I don't believe you. You may not believe it is a sin but it doesn't negate the Truth.

 

My friend it doesn't matter what you believe, the only thing that matters is whether or not what you believe is true. The truth is you will die one day. You can't deny or suppress that truth.

 

What happens then? When you die you will stand before God, the Creator of all things, and give an account of your life. If you've ever lied, stolen or taken His name in vain, He will find you guilty of breaking His laws which is sin. God will look at all the information of your life both in thought and deed and find you guilty. This will not be a chance to defend yourself, it will be a sentencing. The penalty for breaking His law is an Eternity in Hell. But God is merciful, loving and kind in that He provided a way for you to escape that punishment and that was through the gift of His Son Jesus Christ. Jesus was both fully God and Fully man and lived a life free of sin. He never once broke one Law in thought word or deed. Jesus Christ went to a cross and was crucified and died a horrible death in order that you may be saved from the wrath of God's punishment of breaking His laws. Jesus died and was buried then rose from the grave forever defeating sin and death and is now at the right hand of the Father. Jesus will return at a time of the Father's choosing. What is required is you repent, turn from your sin and turn to Christ and by faith and faith alone receive Jesus Christ as your Lord and Savior.

 

Do it today. Tomorrow is not guaranteed. You know you will die one day. That is information you can't deny.

 

Gay Bible: Homophobic or Harmful

When it comes to the issue of Homosexuality i.e. Gay, Lesbian, Bisexual, Transgender are you homophobic or justified in your reasons for denouncing this lifestyle?

First, what is the definition of homophobic? According to Merriam-Webster’s Dictionary the term homophobia means this: irrational fear of, aversion to, or discrimination against homosexuality or homosexuals. It is this definition we will draw our analysis from.

This issue, like many issues in our society today, carries many opinions and thoughts from both Christian and Non-Christians alike. The basis for the validity of each person’s stance pulls from a plethora of beliefs. The world pulls from psychology, trends and the fad of the day. The True Christian bases everything on the Word of God known as the Bible.

Now it is evident that even those who embrace living a life of being gay and homosexual know that God does exist. Yet, because of their love of sin and debauchery they have tried to alter the Word of God and twist and pervert it to fit into their own agenda.

From the research at CARM and their article titled Queen James Bible, The Gay Bible will substantiate what I am stating in this post.

The Queen James Bible, also known as the Gay Bible, is a new assault on biblical orthodoxy and sexual purity.  This is to be expected in a world of moral relativism.  In it, the 1769 King James Bible has been reproduced with only a very few select verses altered - the ones that relate to homosexuality.  Those verses are listed below and analyzed.  I hope you will see that the Queen James Bible is a perversion of the original text and is the result of obvious prejudices against the original Hebrew and Greek texts in order to make homosexual practices appear acceptable. 

The editors of the Gay Bible have stated the following:

"Most English Bible translations that actively condemn homosexuality have based themselves on the King James Version and have erroneously adapted its words to support their own agenda. We wanted to return to the clean source and start there."

I'm glad they acknowledge that most translations condemn homosexuality.  But, the anonymous editors of the QJV changed the translations, reinterpreted them, and made them say the opposite of what the original languages state. It says on page one of the QJV:  "The Queen James Bible is based on The King James Bible, edited to prevent homophobic misinterpretation."  Edit they did; translate they did not.

This is a modern day attempt at curing the so called “prejudice” that exisst among any who do not go along with what the world deems as OK. The Bible tells us in Proverbs 16:2 “All the ways of a man are clean in his own sight, But the LORD weighs the motives.” (NASB) This also includes the way man tries to justify his or her own wants and lustful desires. In a world that teaches “If it feels good do it.” They not only embrace this ungodly lifestyle but try to get others to as well. This is part of the world’s aversion therapy to the True Word of God. In a world that once denounced the act of gay behavior and looked upon it as it truly is a shameful act that needs to be spoken against. They now teach that it is the Christian who should be disliked, is antisocial and noxious.

You will be seen as homophobic by the world if you are taking a True Biblical stance on the issue of people being gay. However, if you are taking and standing with the Word of God, then yes, you are justified in denouncing this Lifestyle and the abomination The Queen James Bible.
 

I ask you, be tolerant as you claim you are tolerant. Read the following: Jesus Saves and then ask yourself, “If I died 6 minutes from now, would I go to Heaven or Hell?”