Foreign Blessings to Israel presents Discerning the times a program committed to encouraging you to view current events through the lens of the Bible now in honor of the one and only true God the god of Abraham Isaac and Jacob please join us for today’s program
We’ll call not to be in the dark or in the background we’ll call it be light and salt amen so I just use the platform if you will to challenge people I’m sold out for God right and how can you be sold out for God and sold out for another
Organization at the same time and that was just my conviction I have not really at that time had not been any depth study just knew that I’m in the greatest organization called the body of Christ I have the greatest color on my side the blood of Jesus Christ that will never
Lose this power and so I started preaching and I’ll talk about that later on campus and got invited different places and I don’t know if they were taken off guard I don’t know if they didn’t know what to do with me at the time because one of the things I did a
Student body president whether it’s at the game was when we had the disaster with the Challenger with Ron McNair in 86 or any platform I had I would always start off by saying first giving honor to my Lord and Savior Jesus Christ now I don’t know if that was my comfort zone I
Don’t know that was my help when it was but that’s what started amen and so I started seeing a friend that Christians would starting to be divided whether or not they were going to be sold off of God and try to pledge of being a fraternity or sorority at the same time
Welcome to Discerning the times my name is Brian Thomas always a blessing to be with you and I want to thank you for tuning in that was superintendent and Pastor James thurington being interviewed by Bishop Patrick wooden on the topic should Christians pledge fraternities and sororities and Pastor
Therrington has blessed us to be back this week to continue our discussion on this very topic before we get to that I want to remind you that your Eternal state is far more important than your current state if you have never received Jesus Christ as Lord and Savior I urge
You I plead with you to do so today because otherwise you are facing an eternal existence in the Lake of Fire separated from our great Lord so if you’ve never received him please come to Jesus Christ on today well once again we’re blessed to have back with us for
The second week Pastor James thurington to discuss should Christians pledge fraternities and sororities before I bring him in I want to play play another short piece of the interview from the opening to help set the tone for our discussion this week should Chris if you’re not saved and he said well you
Said well brother and you just in left field I’m gonna turn y’all I understand yeah yeah but for Christians Christians Born Again Born Again stay with us now I’m going somewhere so if a Christian this modeling is how do you justify from a Biblical standpoint right of
Being involved right once the light is shining let’s say you didn’t know you were so excited about the colors you’re so excited about crossing over you got some Greek letters you got a t-shirt you got a jacket you’re known on campus you flash inside let’s say you just didn’t
Know as a Christian but today I believe enough will be said that you you’ve got to make a decision right you almost got to do what Joshua said in this final address before he was lived to be 110 years old and it says choose you this
Day go whom you gonna serve and I think that’s what this message about Sir Christians pledge is really about choosing choosing okay and making a choice that now you know if you missed last week’s interview with Pastor therington I want to encourage you to visit our YouTube channel
Discerning the times search for should Christians pledge fraternities and sororities part one and so today we’re going to continue again this this very important subject because a lot of people today are involved in these things who profess to be Christians and we just want to make people aware of
What it is that they are truly being involved with so last week we left off with Pastor thurington speaking to us about the Alpha Phi Alpha prayer and I want to play just one more sound bite from his interview with Bishop wooden in which he’s talking about that very
Subject and then we’ll bring Pastor therington in for our discussion for this week using the word of God to be religious enough to poor religious people in many times that are saved but may not have the depth of where they need to be I see you
See what I’m saying and so here chapter seven in the book from the Alpha Phi Alpha fraternity prayer okay and here’s my question this is their prayer oh Lord May the true Spirit of fraternity not Jesus Christ not the Bible the Holy Spirit not the Holy Spirit May the true Spirit of fraternity
Rule our hearts guide our thoughts watch this bishop control our lives so that we may become through the servants of all going down because I pledge and I have seen the light does refer who the light is or who the light was my chapters meetings my activities are attend
Regularly I keep my vows I am loyal I am Alpha so talk about my chapter meanings my activities been initiated so the question then become we use this just as important but now Jesus said that he’s awful he’s awful and don’t make that’s right beginning and then the
Pledge says IMF that’s what it says I’ll read the last part again experts it’s taken from their book it’s not visible it’s taken from their book yes sir and it says I’ll read it again great Point Bishop because I was pledged initiated I have seen the light so if I pause right
There and ask the Alpha Man or any fraternity what’s the light well what light did you say what like did you see if you’re born again when you pledge right haven’t you already seen the light seen the light okay my chapter meetings my activities are attended regularly I keep my vows I
Am loyal and it ends by saying I am Alpha like oh I I you know I am Alpha I am this because I’ve seen the lights so when I say a prayer of true Spirit of Eternity what is that as a Christian or say true Spirit of sorority right what
Is the true Spirit what is the true Spirit right because this is true Jesus said in John 8 32 and you shall know the truth and the truth truth shall make you free John 17-17 sanctify them through thy truth that’s right Thy word is truth truth thank you Pastor therington for
Being back with us once again this week and where we left off last time was on that very topic you were speaking about the Alpha Phi Alpha prayer you also write in the book about the Deltas as it concerns Bible verses and the prayer giving at their funerals so can you
Speak to that please yes sir uh best in the book as well and what I wanted to do was to and this is what the the Deltas call um really the the greatest of these are then meditation and we know First Corinthians 13 when Paul wrote that
Great letter one of his great letters to the church at Corinth he talked about chapter 13. we know being what I call the love chapter and so what one of the things that we we look at and this is in chapter um I think chapter number
Uh four or five in the book but it highlights chapter seven I’m sorry but it talks about this and it says this it says uh and I’m reading the Delta’s meditation is not a paraphrase like the writer says we’re paraphrase me to restate information to bring uh Clarity
But what they do like First Corinthians chapter 13. and they have down well we have verse two in the Bible says though I have the gift of Prophecy I understand all Mysteries and all novels love all Faith so I can remove mountains that have not charity I am nothing now that’s in the
King James version First Corinthians 13 2. but they they in they insert and though I prophesy this is and though I prophesy I know all the Delta laws rituals and traditions and secrets and can recite them they don’t restate uh First Corinthians 2 maybe like in a different version they
Talk about it as if I’m meditating on Delta Delta this Delta this Delta this and so when you and it goes through all what they go through then it says what’s really kind of deals with it it’s the latter verse where it says in the Bible and now about it Faith open charity
These three but the greatest of these is Charity which we know is Charities translated as love but they said thus faith hope and love and last on these three but in Delta Sigma Theta the greatest of these is love wow now back it back up just another
Point to Delta’s prep when I was a child a fake as a child understood as a child the Bible says now became a man I put away childish thing we read that down through the year but when I was a pyramid I talked as a pyramid understood
As a pyramid and though as a peer thought of the pyramid and now that I have become adults I mean they’ve crossed over I’ve done what I’ve done with the ways of those things intending to be Deltas not intending to be creatures okay let me keep going the Delta prayer memorial service
Says this and I quote make us to know the richness of thy love help us to live is ideal Delta shoot not ideal Christians then when I passed on earth oh Lord it ended grant us a home above well that’s a contradiction because you got to be
Born again to go to heaven you can’t be a delta or Kappa or a q that go to heaven amen this is this oh hear our prayer father hear our prayer amen then the chaplain said our departed sorrows and entered into the even of rest into our Immortal
Omega Mega chapter what’s a mega mega chapter we we as Christians we believe we’re going to heaven right let’s keep our torches burning and keep rendering service while we are yet blessed with life now like I said before this is what you say this is not what I say I think you say
This is what you say and so if you got people saying all of these things none of them I think are really off track and I think a lot of people that I’m finding out that are coming out now they said brother tarrington to be honest with you
I want it so bad I didn’t even know what I was doing wow yeah that I think that’s what it boils down to with so many it’s something that they want they want that that uh lust of the flesh right that’s what the Bible talks about and and oftentimes we we
Hear lust and we think sexually but it’s not always that it can be for anything power or money Fame whatever it may be and and people want that they want to belong to that group so bad so they’re they’re not willing to do what Christ said he said what deny yourself if you
Want to be a follower of him deny your will take up the cross and follow him that is what we have to do uh we have to deny ourselves and it’s not always easy to do it’s not always easy to do but to be a true follower of Christ that’s
That’s what we must do and and Pastor theories and you tell me what what your opinion is but I I think what when it comes to these things like uh these groups these fraternities and sororities what people are trying to do is feel a void within themselves it’s a god-shaped
Void that only Christ can feel but they’re trying to fill it with other things they want to belong to something but we can only belong to Christ and have true fulfillment in this life that’s correct and our brother Thomas you hit the nail on the head when you
Said as a Christian our identity who we are not that we want to become to be rooted and grounded in Scripture and when it’s rooted and grounded in scripture what’s going to happen for you and I we’re going to find ourselves saying Lord thank you that who I am and what I want
To become I’m coming in you and when I is not rooted and grounded in Christ and we’re not surrendered 500 a thousand percent then we’re going to go looking for as you said as first John talks about the lust of the flesh the lust of
The eyes and the pride of life and I think that’s where a lot of Christians are it’s a truth be told that a lot of Christians are not really sold out not committed not focused on what God wants to do and I think one of the things that helped us um in 1985
Summer before we started school I went to a conference in Atlanta called building a Nehemiah generation I’m in a group of college students are there to on fire uh I didn’t say for the whole conference the Lord spoke to me I got in the car drove back to Greensboro and
Said we’re gonna have six o’clock morning Crown Auntie’s campus the fourth Monday 1985 Harris Auditorium on ant’s campus we had 85 young people to show up for prayer at six o’clock in the morning wow we started at six started we started initially on Monday Wednesdays and Fridays then we started going five to
Six days a week and during that time Revival broke out and when I Bible broke out on a T’s campus Bennett UNCG even was felt far far as um Winston-Salem State University Circle back and hit Elon for a while and because of that prayer and and because we saw our
Identity not rooted in the colors we wore of the groups we associate I did it was rooted in I’m a Christian I’m saved I’m born again I’m sold out and that’s all I need I don’t need other relationships to enhancement only really I need to solidify myself in and said
That I’m I’m a born-again person I’m sold out to the cause of Christ and anything else that does not line up with that I don’t have time to get involved with it and out of that Revival um that’s how also the book came up because it was a purging it was a taken
Away it was a rendering of us surrendering ourselves to God a group of young college students and like I said earlier we had our pastor at that time Bishop Otis Lockett senior who’s with the Lord now and his lovely wife who’s still alive our mother and the gospel
Mother Barbara rocket those two young people other adults poured into us and guess what we did we went back to the college campuses and poured into them and when I was when I start researching and studying all of this the more I preached on the more God gave me a peace
And the more God gave me the peace the more people start coming out now did we have some pushback absolutely you talking about a historical back College he’s telling me I played what you talking about world war three and but it was something about how God called Revival
To come to a college campus there and other campuses and now we’re still feeling the remnants of that almost 40 years later because some people that were willing to pay the price amen wow that is that’s awesome that is awesome and as you said our identity is in
Christ and when your identity is in Christ you do just exactly what you’ve done pastor therington and writing this book you filter everything in life through the Bible and that is exactly what you’re doing you’re looking at this Greek life through the Bible and say does this line up with scripture and and
When we started this podcast that was one of the things we said we are going to base this on we are Discerning the Times by viewing life through the lens of the Bible and and folks that’s what you have to do if you are going to claim
To be a a follower of Jesus Christ you have to make decisions based on the word of God one last thing that I want to speak on and then we’ll wrap things up is The Branding that takes place there’s branding where people’s bodies are physically branded to show that you
Belong to to this this fraternity or this this sorority and when I think about that I think about Revelation chapter 3 verse 12 it says he who overcomes I will make him a pillar in the temple of my God and he shall go out
No more I will write on him the name of my God and the name of the city of my God the New Jerusalem which comes down out of Heaven from my God and I will write on him my new name we belong to the Lord and the Lord says
That we’re he we’re going to he’s going to write his name on us so so why are we being branded with with names and symbols of things that are not of of Our Lord and I think it goes to a deeper level of commitment uh by people that you know
That join I think it goes to a deeper level of people wanting to be associated with and they’re just so happy that they get branded and I think what most people uh don’t know or some may know that the the males receive that brand because they were very you know kind of like
Tattoos back in my day but they they had brains on their arms and on their chest you know on the legs some of them but but the ladies get branded that’s what a lot of people don’t know the ladies get branded and so and some of them even get branded you know
Um like on the inside of their five uh and that’s in the book you know one of the sororities they you know they they you know they they do that and but it’s not that people don’t know what’s about to happen but I think they they are so
Committed and so going to be a part of something and have not found their true identity in Christ they were literally literally do things and when they wake up the next morning or the next day or the next week or the next month they probably say what have I done
What what what if I guide myself into that’s gonna cost me some time some energy some Focus so and and that and that’s why I I guess at the beginning I try to get people to that point you’re a Christian okay look at these things you’re non-Christian
Still look at these things would you still want to go through this to be a part of that and if that’s the case then you’re pretty much gonna get what you asked for but it’s Christian that say that Jesus Christ is my Lord which means
He’s in charge of my life and my safety saved me from a life of sin I’m walking in the newness of life I’m a new creature in him now what are the things that I need to do to please him and that’s where the point I try to bring
Um uh people to when we have the discussion or they read the book uh I try to bring them to that point and then after that like I said before we’ve shared we’ve encouraged hopefully we have instructed hopefully some something has been said to prick hard and then after that that on that
Individual individuals to make a decision at that point what are you going to do right right all right Pastor therington well to to close us out share with our audience what advice you have for anyone that says okay I already already went down that road I made that
Mistake I realized that it was wrong I’ve done it I’ve been humiliated now what do I do and any other closing thoughts that you will have for the the audience on the topic yes sir thank you brother Thomas uh two things I would say first of all pray
First of all that God will give you wisdom second of all what I what I say in the book you know you come to a realization now I made a mistake I no longer won’t be a part send a letter uh to your national office or your local to
Your local chapter your nationality I’m a Christian I made a mistake I no longer want to be a part of said organization return to your sorority uh I’m returning my I’m I’m giving you my letter that I’m I’m out uh please assist from having me on your mailing list or email
List and I’m no longer a member of State fraternity and then the other thing I would say to the person once you come out because you pledge with other people you even let your line people know the Lord may use you as a vehicle to pull
Some of them out let them know say you had eight people on the line with you you may not tell hey hey uh guys or girls I’m no longer a member of this group I’m out give you a testimony and said you know I still respect you as you
Know a person but I’m no longer remember this fraternity also Royal I will not attend any meetings I will not pay any dues uh I’m done with that life I’m sold out to Jesus Christ and then at that point and just ask God to give you the wisdom
How to deal with it and that’s what I always tell people once you come out you know you you you’re coming out as a testimony of why you came out and then no better person than you you can say Hey you know we we did we allowed a lot
Of stuff that was not scriptural or not even ethical or not even nice to happen us for the for those calls and I was wrong and I’m out and then let the Lord you know drive the conversation from there and I’ve seen people have great influence uh doing it that way because
We still love it we still call to reach people from things that we don’t agree we still call the love people and I think love can translate into helping others see the light and come out as well absolutely absolutely the title of the book once again is should Christians
Pledge fraternities and sororities uh Pastor therington has been such a blessing to have you on how can the audience get a copy of this book yes sir thank you both Thomas the way you get a copy of the book the book is 15 per book and three dollars for
Shipping and handling uh please write to and I’ll say it twice just put successful life church or successful life coaching c-o-g-i-c OST office box 1481 tension book division High Point NC and you zip it 27261 the address again is successful Life church we’ll keep it simple post office box 14
81 that’s one four eight one attention book division High Point NC 27261 and when you send your letter uh you can send in a check or money orders preferable but checksify make it out to successful Life Church put in your memo uh just put a book and just put scpf
Yeah it’s your Christians pledge and the number of books that you want what I did mention brother Thomas I want you to know we are currently working on um volume two of your Christmas plays we’re trying to have it out this fall and volume two is going to be
Um take it to a different level for example we found out that a lot of people like parents or grandparents knew nothing about fraternities roads so we’re adding things to each chapter of the book so that if a person picks up the book and say I know nothing about
What y’all are talking about they can take that book they can read part two of the books and say oh now understand what book one was saying so it’s going to be kind of a companion to book one and I think book two is going to be the book
That’s really going to challenge people to really sit down and ask some hard questions like we asked today so practically we’re trying to get it out volume two part two um by August if possible if not it’d definitely be out uh Lord willing by this fall so I’ll tell everybody get the
First copy because that that’s the book that started the conversation so and the video about that question they can send it to that P.O box and uh our book division we will respond in a timely manner amen and I encourage you again folks please get the book because we’ve
Only scratched the surface during this conversation there’s so much more that is so eye-opening so if you really want to understand if you really want your your walk with Christ to be intact when it comes to this topic I encourage you to to pick up a copy of this book and
We’ll be on the lookout for the the next volume volume two that is coming out and we’ll look to have you back again to speak on that because uh great conversation and again very eye-opening information and just one last thing that I want to share with the audience before
We close is that folks you know doing this kind of thing where you decide okay this is outside of my identity in Christ so I’m not going there you may lose some friends I remember when I was in college my freshman year the the group of guys
That I befriended when I first got to college they all pledged and I did not and so what that meant was pretty much the majority of the things that they participated in from that point forward I was not a part of it and so I spent a
Lot of time alone as a result and for some people that’s tough it’s tough to walk alone but I want to encourage you that Jesus is going to walk with you if you will trust him if you will deny yourself and follow him and he will take
Away even that desire you to be a part of of such organizations if you really really want to walk with him so I just want to encourage uh people that and Jesus said that in the end he will reward you openly so keep that in mind so once again Pastor therington so great
To have you on thank you so much and and may God continue to order your steps and to strengthen you as you continue with this message and I praise God for what he has placed on your heart and sharing this message to the people amen but thank you again brother Thomas
And and To God Be The Glory thank you again sir amen amen all right and to our audience please come back and join us again next week as we continue to encourage you to discern the Times by viewing life through the lens of the Bible until then remember to pray for
The Peace of Jerusalem bless God’s great nation of Israel and to the only wise God be glory with Jesus Christ forever amen amen thank you for tuning in to Discerning the times please come back and join us next week as we continue to encourage you to view current events through the
Lens of the Bible until next time remember to pray for the Peace of Jerusalem bless God’s great nation of Israel and seek first the kingdom of God Discerning the times is presented by blessings to Israel
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