June 2012 Message

The following article was written by one of the members of the church, Gary Brufach.  I apologize to Gary for having to cut some of his article out because of space.

The word "but" is defined in the dictionary as "a word used to introduce something contrasting with what has already been mentioned".  So in a nutshell, you are nullifying the very concept or idea you just proposed!

We as Christians need to see how this affects our Christian lifestyle.  The world belongs to the enemy, and the enemy has used the word "but" to its advantage since the fall of man.  Here are some examples of "buts" pertaining to our Christianity.

"I don't go to church, BUT I am a good person."
"I want to study God's work, BUT I don't have time.
"I would love to volunteer, BUT you have enough people already."

The list goes on and on, and human nature can apply that word to contradict anything that has been taught or preached.  Some synonyms for the word "BUT" include:  except, however, yet and besides.  Add these words to your vocabulary and the enemy has too much ammunition to distort the truth.  We must be conscious of the enemy's attempt to lead us to believe that God's word can be distorted with words like "but", "except" and "however."

Since God is the almighty One with power and knowledge and we believe His word to be absolute, let us explore the absurdness of the use of the word "but, "except" or "however" using the ten commandments.

1.  Thou shall have no other Gods before me, EXCEPT when you really want to have your palm read or the tarot card readings at the carnival.
2.  Thou shall not make for yourself an idol of anything and you shall not bow down to them or worship them EXCEPT for the new car or new toy you just bought because that's "the norm".
3.  Thou shall not take the Lord's name in vain, BUT it's OK in "R" rated action movies and if you hit your thumb with a hammer.
4.  Remember the Sabbath, keep it holy, BUT it's a championship game.  You can miss worship today.
5.  Honor thy mother and father, HOWEVER, some parents just have no clue and you know better than them.
6.  Thou shall not commit murder, EXCEPT when the other guy deserves it.
7.  Thou shall not commit adultery, BUT if the other person was coming on to you, you can't help that.
8.  Thou shall not steal, EXCEPT when you want something and can't afford it.
9.  Thou shall not give false testimony against your neighbor, BUT it's OK if your neighbor is mean to you.
10.  Thou shall not covet your neighbor's wife, your neighbors house, or anything that belongs to your neighbor, EXCEPT, when your neighbor doesn't appreciate those things.

As you can see, these things are absurd, which proves adding a "but" to God's Word just does not work.  God gave us His Word through the scriptures just as it should be...NO BUTS ABOUT IT!