SPAM CONTROL MINISTER OMAR J. STEWART

SPAM CONTROL MINISTER OMAR J. STEWART

INTRODUCTION Living Godly In a Pagan Society The Charge To Love One Another SPAM: Hindrances To The Charge To Love Facts About SPAM Distractions Distracted Individuals Contributors to SPAM: Things That The Lord Hates The Effects Of SPAM Manifestations of The Flesh (Carnal Mind) Identifying The SPAM in Our Heart s Email Account SPAM Control: Equipped With Heart Guard Questions / Comments

LIVING GODLY IN A PAGAN SOCIETY 1 st Peter 2:11-12 11 Dear friends, I urge you, as foreigners and exiles, to abstain from sinful desires, which wage war against your soul. 12 Live such good lives among the pagans that, though they accuse you of doing wrong, they may see your good deeds and glorify God on the day he visits us.

QUESTION What does the term Pagan mean?

COMMON CORRELATIONS TO THE TERM PAGAN Devil Worshipper Wicked Heathen Sinners Unbelievers Evil

OTHER CORRELATIONS TO THE TERM PAGAN Lost Deceived Hurt & Abused Captives Pre-saved Ignorant

WHAT IS A PAGAN??? One who has little or no focus on their spiritual well-being and who delights in sensual pleasures and material goods. This includes people who live an upright lifestyle Pay taxes Upstanding citizens People like us Only lacking a genuine relationship with The Lord.

HOW DO WE GET THE ATTENTION OF PAGANS?

THE CHARGE TO LOVE ONE ANOTHER John 13:34-35 34 A new command I give you: Love one another. As I have loved you, so you must love one another. 35 By this everyone will know that you are my disciples, if you love one another.

LOVING ONE ANOTHER 1 st Corinthians 13:4-7 4 Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud. 5 It does not dishonor others, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs. 6 Love does not delight in evil, Love rejoices with the truth. 7 Love always protects, Love always trusts, Love always hopes, Love always perseveres.

QUESTION What are differences/challenges people are faced with loving individuals not blood-related, versus blood-related individuals?

SPAM HINDRANCES TO THE CHARGE TO LOVE SPAM: Irrelevant or inappropriate messages sent through the internet to a large number of recipients. Also known as JUNK MAIL!!!

SOME FACTS ABOUT SPAM SPAM Accounts for 14.5 BILLION Messages globally per day 45% of the emails we receive on a daily basis is SPAM SPAM Steals Bandwidth in order to be sent out to recipients SPAM has capability to cripple servers and slow down internet access SPAM interferes with Legitimate Communications. SPAM Is an Internet Distraction!

DISTRACTIONS Anything that prevents someone from giving their full attention to something else. Things that bring trouble to our Soul (Mind, Will, Emotions, Imaginations)

DISTRACTED INDIVIDUALS Martha Luke 10:38-42 38 As Jesus and his disciples were on their way, he came to a village where a woman named Martha opened her home to him. 39 She had a sister called Mary, who sat at the Lord s feet listening to what he said. 40 But Martha was distracted by all the preparations that had to be made. She came to him and asked, Lord, don t you care that my sister has left me to do the work by myself? Tell her to help me! 41 Martha, Martha, the Lord answered, you are worried and upset about many things, 42 but few things are needed or indeed only one. Mary has chosen what is better, and it will not be taken away from her.

DISTRACTED INDIVIDUALS Peter Matthew 14:28-31 28 Lord, if it s you, Peter replied, tell me to come to you on the water. 29 Come, he said. Then Peter got down out of the boat, walked on the water and came toward Jesus. 30 But when he saw the wind, he was afraid and, beginning to sink, cried out, Lord, save me! 31 Immediately Jesus reached out his hand and caught him. You of little faith, he said, why did you doubt?

QUESTION What Distractions Are people consistently faced with?

CONTRIBUTORS TO SPAM: THINGS THAT THE LORD HATES Proverbs 6:16-19 16 There are six things the LORD hates, seven that are detestable to him: 17 haughty eyes, a lying tongue, hands that shed innocent blood, 18 a heart that devises wicked schemes, feet that are quick to rush into evil, 19 a false witness who pours out lies, and a person who stirs up conflict in the community.

SPAMMERS: MIRIAM & AARON Numbers 12:1-2 Miriam and Aaron began to talk against Moses because of his Cushite wife, for he had married a Cushite. 2 Has the LORD spoken only through Moses? they asked. Hasn t he also spoken through us? And the LORD heard this.

SPAMMERS: KORAH & THE LEADERSHIP TEAM Numbers 16:1-3 Korah son of Izhar, the son of Kohath, the son of Levi, and certain Reubenites Dathan and Abiram, sons of Eliab, and On son of Peleth became insolent 2 and rose up against Moses. With them were 250 Israelite men, well-known community leaders who had been appointed members of the council. 3 They came as a group to oppose Moses and Aaron and said to them, You have gone too far! The whole community is holy, every one of them, and the LORD is with them. Why then do you set yourselves above the LORD s assembly?

QUESTION What are some ways SPAM is sent between people?

THE EFFECTS OF SPAM MANIFESTATIONS OF THE FLESH (CARNAL MIND) Galatians 5:19-21 19 The acts of the flesh are obvious: sexual immorality, impurity and debauchery; 20 idolatry and witchcraft; hatred, discord, jealousy, fits of rage, selfish ambition, dissensions, factions 21 and envy; drunkenness, orgies, and the like. I warn you, as I did before, that those who live like this will not inherit the kingdom of God.

THE EFFECTS OF SPAM MANIFESTATIONS OF THE FLESH (CARNAL MIND) CONT. Matthew 15:18-19 18 But the things that come out of a person s mouth come from the heart, and these defile them. 19 For out of the heart come evil thoughts murder, adultery, sexual immorality, theft, false testimony, slander.

THE EFFECTS OF SPAM MANIFESTATIONS OF THE FLESH (CARNAL MIND) CONT. Jeremiah 17:9 The heart is deceitful above all things and beyond cure (desperately wicked). Who can understand it?

QUESTION How Do We Deal with what s In Our Heart?

IDENTIFYING THE SPAM IN OUR HEART S EMAIL ACCOUNT Luke 6:45 45 A good man brings good things out of the good stored up in his heart, and an evil man brings evil things out of the evil stored up in his heart. For the mouth speaks what the heart is full of.

JEHU PUSHES THE DELETE ALL BUTTON 2 nd Kings 10:18-31

18 THEN JEHU BROUGHT ALL THE PEOPLE TOGETHER AND SAID TO THEM, AHAB SERVED BAAL A LITTLE; JEHU WILL SERVE HIM MUCH. 19 NOW SUMMON ALL THE PROPHETS OF BAAL, ALL HIS SERVANTS AND ALL HIS PRIESTS. SEE THAT NO ONE IS MISSING, BECAUSE I AM GOING TO HOLD A GREAT SACRIFICE FOR BAAL. ANYONE WHO FAILS TO COME WILL NO LONGER LIVE. BUT JEHU WAS ACTING DECEPTIVELY IN ORDER TO DESTROY THE SERVANTS OF BAAL.

20 JEHU SAID, CALL AN ASSEMBLY IN HONOR OF BAAL. SO THEY PROCLAIMED IT. 21 THEN HE SENT WORD THROUGHOUT ISRAEL, AND ALL THE SERVANTS OF BAAL CAME; NOT ONE STAYED AWAY. THEY CROWDED INTO THE TEMPLE OF BAAL UNTIL IT WAS FULL FROM ONE END TO THE OTHER. 22 AND JEHU SAID TO THE KEEPER OF THE WARDROBE, BRING ROBES FOR ALL THE SERVANTS OF BAAL. SO HE BROUGHT OUT ROBES FOR THEM.

23 THEN JEHU AND JEHONADAB SON OF REKAB WENT INTO THE TEMPLE OF BAAL. JEHU SAID TO THE SERVANTS OF BAAL, LOOK AROUND AND SEE THAT NO ONE WHO SERVES THE LORD IS HERE WITH YOU ONLY SERVANTS OF BAAL. 24 SO THEY WENT IN TO MAKE SACRIFICES AND BURNT OFFERINGS. NOW JEHU HAD POSTED EIGHTY MEN OUTSIDE WITH THIS WARNING: IF ONE OF YOU LETS ANY OF THE MEN I AM PLACING IN YOUR HANDS ESCAPE, IT WILL BE YOUR LIFE FOR HIS LIFE.

25 AS SOON AS JEHU HAD FINISHED MAKING THE BURNT OFFERING, HE ORDERED THE GUARDS AND OFFICERS: GO IN AND KILL THEM; LET NO ONE ESCAPE. SO THEY CUT THEM DOWN WITH THE SWORD. THE GUARDS AND OFFICERS THREW THE BODIES OUT AND THEN ENTERED THE INNER SHRINE OF THE TEMPLE OF BAAL. 26 THEY BROUGHT THE SACRED STONE OUT OF THE TEMPLE OF BAAL AND BURNED IT. 27 THEY DEMOLISHED THE SACRED STONE OF BAAL AND TORE DOWN THE TEMPLE OF BAAL, AND PEOPLE HAVE USED IT FOR A LATRINE TO THIS DAY.

28 SO JEHU DESTROYED BAAL WORSHIP IN ISRAEL. 29 HOWEVER, HE DID NOT TURN AWAY FROM THE SINS OF JEROBOAM SON OF NEBAT, WHICH HE HAD CAUSED ISRAEL TO COMMIT THE WORSHIP OF THE GOLDEN CALVES AT BETHEL AND DAN.

30 THE LORD SAID TO JEHU, BECAUSE YOU HAVE DONE WELL IN ACCOMPLISHING WHAT IS RIGHT IN MY EYES AND HAVE DONE TO THE HOUSE OF AHAB ALL I HAD IN MIND TO DO, YOUR DESCENDANTS WILL SIT ON THE THRONE OF ISRAEL TO THE FOURTH GENERATION. 31 YET JEHU WAS NOT CAREFUL TO KEEP THE LAW OF THE LORD, THE GOD OF ISRAEL, WITH ALL HIS HEART. HE DID NOT TURN AWAY FROM THE SINS OF JEROBOAM, WHICH HE HAD CAUSED ISRAEL TO COMMIT.

JEHU PUSHES THE DELETE ALL BUTTON Jehu Identifies SPAM Worship in his Kingdom (email) Jehu succeeds in clearing his Kingdom (email) of SPAM Worship, but Fails at Setting up a Heart Guard to keep SPAM Worship from returning. Therefore SPAM worship still has a presence in his Kingdom (email account)

SPAM CONTROL: EQUIPPED WITH HEART GUARD Proverbs 4:23-27 23 Above all else, guard your heart, for everything you do flows from it. 24 Keep your mouth free of perversity; keep corrupt talk far from your lips 25 Let your eyes look straight ahead; fix your gaze directly before you. 26 Give careful thought to the paths for your feet and be steadfast in all your ways. 27 Do not turn to the right or the left; keep your foot from evil.

SPAM CONTROL: EQUIPPED WITH HEART GUARD Romans 13:13-14 13 Let us behave decently, as in the daytime, not in carousing and drunkenness, not in sexual immorality and debauchery, not in dissension and jealousy. 14 Rather, clothe yourselves with the Lord Jesus Christ, and do not think about how to gratify the desires of the flesh.

SPAM CONTROL: EQUIPPED WITH HEART GUARD Philippians 2:14-15 14 Do everything without grumbling or arguing, 15 so that you may become blameless and pure, children of God without fault in a warped and crooked generation. Then you will shine among them like stars in the sky

SPAM CONTROL: EQUIPPED WITH HEART GUARD Colossians 3:8,12-14 8 But now you must also rid yourselves of all such things as these: anger, rage, malice, slander, and filthy language from your lips 12 Therefore, as God s chosen people, holy and dearly loved, clothe yourselves with compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness and patience. 13 Bear with each other and forgive one another if any of you has a grievance against someone. Forgive as the Lord forgave you. 14 And over all these virtues put on love, which binds them all together in perfect unity.

SPAM CONTROL: EQUIPPED WITH HEART GUARD Psalm 51:10-12 10 Create in me a pure heart, O God, and renew a steadfast spirit within me. 11 Do not cast me from your presence or take your Holy Spirit from me. 12 Restore to me the joy of your salvation and grant me a willing spirit, to sustain me.

QUESTIONS / COMMENTS