Charles Wesley, the most famous Christian hymn writer of all time, had a son named Samuel. Now, Samuel Wesley married a second wife (quite possibly she was his third wife) while his first wife was still living under his roof. Samuel's first son through this polygamous union with Sarah Suter, who he affectionately called Pexy, was Samuel Sebastian Wesley, the greatest Christian composer of the 19th century.[1]
   If you've spent any time in a church pew you will immediately remember Samuel Sebastian Wesley's famous composition that accompanies the following song:

The church's one Foundation
Is Jesus Christ her Lord;
She is his new creation
By water and the Word:
From heav'n he came and sought her
To be his holy bride;
With his own blood he bought her,
And for her life he died.

   All periods of great revival are preceded by a series of miraculous events. The revivals of the 18th and 19th centuries were no exception. Although many gifted song writers and composers contributed to the music of the period, and I'm sure many were accompanied by their own miracles, this is the story of the miracles concerning the Wesleys and the man who carried on their legacy both before and after his own death, Martin Madan.
   John Wesley, the founder of the Methodists was the 15th of 19 children [miracle 1] born to Susanna Wesley, wife of the Reverend Samuel Wesley. Susanna gave birth four more times [miracles 2-5]. One of those children was Charles. Now Martin Madan was an attorney and a great impersonator. One evening when he and his fellow attorneys were kidding around, one of them challenged him to go watch the famous evangelist, John Wesley, and then to come back and entertain them with an impression of the great evangelist. That very night, Martin Madan not only met John Wesley but he was introduced to the Lord Jesus in such a powerful way that it changed his life forever [miracle 6]. Martin Madan began preaching and teaching the gospel. Now this powerful conversion of Martin Madan was no exaggeration for he was so interested in reaching the lost for the Lord that he took the chaplaincy of the London Lock Hospital, a hospital that treated those afflicted with venereal diseases. He knew that he had found a place where he could not only reach the lost but involve himself in his music ministry, a ministry which was to take up the greater portion of his career. It was during this time that he penned the words to the following famous hymn:

Redeeming Love

Now begin the heav’nly theme,
Sing aloud in Jesus’ Name;
Ye, who His salvation prove,
Triumph in redeeming love.

Ye, who see the Father’s grace
Beaming in the Savior’s face,
As to Canaan on ye move,
Praise and bless redeeming love.

Mourning souls, dry up your tears,
Banish all your guilty fears,
See your guilt and curse remove,
Canceled by redeeming love.

Ye, alas! who long have been
Willing slaves to death and sin,
Now from bliss no longer rove,
Stop and taste redeeming love.

Welcome all by sin oppressed,
Welcome to His sacred rest;
Nothing brought Him from above,
Nothing but redeeming love.

When His Spirit leads us home,
When we to His glory come,
We shall all the fullness prove,
Of our Lord’s redeeming love.

Hither then your music bring,
Strike aloud each cheerful string;
Mortals join the host above,
Join to praise redeeming love.

   In reading the lyrics to Redeeming Love it's easy to see how songs such as this, combined with the preaching of God's  word by the Reverend Martin Madan, would pierce even the hearts of lost prostitutes who had nowhere to go but the London Lock Hospital. As they lived out their days suffering and often dying from the scourge of venereal disease they found redemption and then joy in singing praises to God.
   The Lord blessed Martin Madan's ministry. The very people he reached through his music ministry and with the gospel, those same lost souls who were saved, became his choir. They who had been cast aside by polite society came to know a greater friendship in the Lord through the Reverend Martin Madan and his ministry. His choir was no ordinary choir. The pews were full of both the lowly and the high born. He became famous for preaching as well as for his choir and mastery of harmonies. His chapel seated 800 and an empty seat was rarely found. Since the pews were not enough, people would crowd into the aisles and wherever they could hear the message and music.[2] He preached chastity in the pure form found only in the pages of the Bible such as has not been heard in any church up to this day. The lives he touched by not giving in to cultural bigotry but preaching straight from the word cannot be understated.
   During Martin Madan's years at the Lock Hospital, he produced (at his own expense) the first hymnal to be widely distributed [miracle 7]. His hymnal contained the hymns of not only the Wesley brothers, but Isaac Watts, George Whitfield, and the other greats of the 18th century. Martin Madan's Hymnal, later to be known as the Lock Hospital Collection, was the very hymnal used in the great Methodist revivals of the Americas. The Baptists didn't even have a hymnal till 25 years later.
   Both in England and in America HUNDREDS of THOUSANDS of souls were brought to the Lord through the music reproduced from Martin Madan's hymnal. In his dedication of the hymnal to the hospital he wrote:

"This Collection of Hymn and Psalm Tunes is presented as a benefaction to the Hospital, that the profits arising from the sale of it may be applied for the benefit of the Charity."

   Martin Madan was no stranger to the fact that many, if not most of the prostitutes suffering from venereal diseases at the London Lock Hospital, were abandoned mistresses who had been forced to enter prostitution rather than see their children starve. After years spent ministering to the abandoned and now diseased mistresses of the London "gentlemen," Madan released his book called Thelyphthora [miracle 8]. Attorney that he was, he put forth his case, from the Bible, that polygamy must be accepted by the church and society. Part of the book also set forth the case that the men who impregnated these prostitutes must be forced to support them as wives. His years as an attorney had served him well. He so forcefully exposed the hypocrisy of the day that his book was met by no less than 19 rebuttals written by prominent English moralists. None, however, could match his prowess in biblical exposition and his book remains unmatched to this day in its full treatment of the arguments favoring the acceptance of polygamy as a valid form of Christian marriage.
   During many of these years, Martin Madan's godson, Samuel Wesley, had been spending a lot of time with him. Oh, did I fail to mention that Martin Madan was so beloved of Charles Wesley that he was named godfather to Samuel? Now Samuel, this son of Charles Wesley, had musical talent to match his father's lyrical talent. Martin Madan would take him along with him on visits to friends and the two made any Christian gathering a festive musical occasion. During this time his godfather did not fail to teach him the things he'd written in Thelyphthora, his pro-polygamy book. It's clear that Samuel agreed with his godfather for he wrote the following concerning his first wife prior to his licensing their already consummated marriage.

   "She is truly and properly my wife by all the laws of God and nature. She never can be made more so by the mercenary tricks of divine jugglers but yet, if a million of ceremonies, repeated myriads of times, by as many successors and imitators of Simon Magus, can serve to make her more happy, or more honourable, I am ready to pay them for their hocus pocus, for I am told that in this evangelical age, the gift of God is not to be purchased without money."[3]

   Samuel Wesley had learned well. He knew that no license was needed to be wed and he learned that he could have more than one wife from the Bible under his godfather's able instruction. Now it must be said that many years prior to Samuel's taking Pexy (Sarah Suter) as a wife, that he may have had another wife but there is little known about her. She was his sister Sarah's best friend, Anne Dean. One of the reasons that little is known about her may be that Samuel continued the relationship but hid it. We can't know for certain since there is no physical evidence of their consummating a marriage as was the case with Pexy, the physical evidence being the 9 children which she bore him.
   Charlotte, Samuel Wesley's first wife, was leery from the start of letting Pexy come to live with them as a maid. Her resistance is understandable considering that Samuel would have been as vocal concerning the biblical acceptability of polygamy as any of today's Christian polygamists, after all, his godfather had written the book on Christian polygamy. Pexy's coming to stay with them would put such a relationship within reach, quite literally. Despite Charlotte's misgivings, Pexy came to live with them as their maid and soon after she was pregnant by Samuel. It was now visibly apparent to Charlotte that her husband had indeed taken Pexy as a wife [miracle 9] but Charlotte didn't leave this polygamous relationship immediately. She remained in what was certainly one of the most unusual of living arrangements of the day for months after Pexy had conceived. Charlotte Wesley left her husband Samuel by some estimates as late as May of the year 1810. Pexy gave birth to Samuel Sebastian Wesley, the first child of nine that she would bear to her polygamous husband, Samuel, in August of the year 1810. It's apparent that Charlotte was considering remaining in this polygamous marriage based on the fact she remained far beyond the time at which Pexy was visibly pregnant but such was not to be the case. Her Victorian upbringing, despite her initial unconventional marriage to Samuel, won out. Samuel and Pexy's firstborn son, Samuel Sebastian Wesley, went on to be the greatest composer of Christian hymns of the 19th century.
   Without Martin Madan's hymnal the revivals to follow would have been delayed. Without his teachings on polygamy, the greatest Christian composer of the 19th century would not have been born.
   What may be the most amazing miracle of all is that Samuel Sebastian Wesley, Samuel's son through Pexy, was never considered illegitimate by the church or society [miracle 10] and Samuel was recognized as being married to Pexy despite the fact that he remained legally married to Charlotte throughout his life. The hypocrisy of today's churches is in stark contrast to the churches of that time in that fornicating ministers and musicians, even adulterers and adulteresses, are tolerated today but one who might take a wife without a license or take a second wife while still married to the first wife are cast aside as useless.
   Samuel Wesley, son of Charles Wesley, the greatest hymn writer of the 18th century, was indeed the most famous polygamist to worship the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob since Solomon. Samuel Wesley, the most famous Christian polygamist of all time.

Coming soon! Read how the sister of John Wesley, founder of the Methodists, married a polygamist. Read how it wasn't Martin Madan who introduced polygamy to the Wesleys but it was likely the events in the life of John Wesley's sister that opened Martin Madan's eyes to this subject.

The author, H.D.M. Spence, criticizes King David for something that the Bible NEVER criticized him for, polygamy. The Bible says in 1 Kings 15:5 that

"David did [that which was] right in the eyes of the LORD, and turned not aside from any [thing] that he commanded him all the days of his life, save only in the matter of Uriah the Hittite."

The author disagrees with the Bible when he writes,

"David’s public and private career was necessarily the better for the presence in his home of such a woman, {Abigail} though the elevating influence of her character was impaired by his adoption of polygamy. Many are the counteracting influences under which the best of men develope, and Scripture, by thus calling attention to David’s domestic affairs, gives us a clue to some of the circumstances amidst which his virtues and failings appeared."

Again he writes:

"Yet it is open to us to note how, at a time when polygamy was “winked at,” and no sin was necessarily to lie on this account at the door of David, yet by this very thing he was undermining the peace and unity of his own family."

This is double speak. On the one hand Spence says that "no sin was necessarily to lie on this account at the door of David" and on the other he says that David was "undermining the peace and unity of his own family" and that David "impaired" Abigail's "elevating influence." To this I ask, Does Spence think that Abigail was so base as to let her husband David's marriage to additional wives keep her from maintaining a right relationship with her husband and with the Lord? By accusing David he acuses Abigail. Neither can defend themselves here but I would say that the Psalms are quite a defense in themselves against attacks by those who prostrate themselves at the Golden Calf of Monogamy. It is clear in the Psalms that David understood more about a right relationship with the Lord than any of us. Can I get an Amen to that?

Sin is what the Bible calls sin and the Bible never calls polygamy a sin. The nation of Israel came from four wives of the same man. I suppose that Jacob sinned by carrying out the Lord's plan to bless him? To believe such a thing borders on anti-Semitism. By focusing on polygamy and claiming that it was the cause of so many a biblical character's downfall, our eyes are turned away from our own sinful nature as a reason for failure. We are become like the man who stood in front of the temple and prayed "God, I thank thee, that I am not as other men [are], extortioners, unjust, adulterers, or even as this publican." Christians should pray like the publican whom Jesus praised, "God be merciful to me a sinner."

If you like cultural pap disguised as theology then you will like what Spence has written. If you prefer the truth then find a good Bible and you'll learn that neither Christian monogamy nor Christian polygamy are taught but simply Christian marriage which includes the right of a man to have more than one such marriage at the same time.

Please note that my comments should never be construed to question any author's salvation nor should any reader here question my salvation if they in like fashion disagree with me on the topic of marriage.

If you have questions or comments concerning this article please click here to send a message to Pastor Don.

It's not surprising that we live in a nation of harlots since most ministers can't even define the word harlot or tell you where it first occurred in the Bible. The primary reason for this is that they fear teaching chastity from the Bible because it requires them to teach from the Old Testament and if they teach from the Old Testament they'll have to admit that polygamy is not a sin or lie by claiming that it is. In order to avoid either of those, they just don't teach chastity from the Bible. Instead, they rely on societal taboos but today, those taboos have vanished and without "the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God"* their flock is defenseless against the onslaught of permissive messages from American society.

The first use of the word harlot concerned Dinah, Jacobs daughter. She had been taken for sexual relations without the benefit of marriage by a Hivite prince named Shechem. Genesis 34:2 Shechem dearly loved Dinah for the Bible tells us, "his soul cleaved to Dinah the daughter of Jacob, and he loved the young woman, and spoke kindly to the young woman. And Shechem spoke to his father Hamor, saying, Get me this young woman for my wife! Genesis 34:3,4

Now when the sons of Jacob discovered that Shechem, the Hivite prince, had defiled their sister by having sex with her without marrying her first, they killed all the Hivite men, and explained the reason to Jacob their father, saying:

"Should he deal with our sister as with a harlot?" Genesis 34:31

Let's look at what happened to cause Jacob's sons to say that Dinah had been dealt with by Shechem as a harlot? What had Shechem done with Dinah? He'd had sex with her without the benefit of marriage. That's it. There are no claims that she resisted or that he forced himself upon her. Now you have the definition of harlot; a woman who has sex without the benefit of marriage, so let's look at how much worse it is to have sex with a boyfriend than to be paid to have sex.

"And the contrary is in you from other women in your whoredoms, whereas none follow you to commit whoredoms: and in that you give a reward, and no reward is given to you, therefore you are contrary." Ezekiel 16:34

So we have the Lord stating here that a woman who gives a reward to the man who she has sex with is worse than the woman who is paid to have sex. This doesn't mean it's not a sin to have sex for money. It is a sin. But horrible sin that selling your body is, it is a worse sin to give it away! Do you know any women who give presents to their boyfriends? Have you given gifts to your boyfriend? Has your girlfriend given gifts to you? When women have sex with their boyfriends and give them gifts they are the worst kind of harlots according to the Bible.

The Lord says of such women:

Ezekiel 16:35,36 Wherefore, O harlot, hear the word of the LORD: Thus saith the Lord GOD; Because thy filthiness was poured out, and thy nakedness discovered through thy whoredoms with thy lovers, and with all the idols of thy abominations, (today - materialism) and by the blood of thy children, (today - abortion) which thou didst give unto them; Behold, therefore I will gather all thy lovers, with whom thou hast taken pleasure, and all [them] that thou hast loved, with all [them] that thou hast hated; I will even gather them round about against thee, and will discover thy nakedness unto them, that they may see all thy nakedness.

There is no difference between the women of today who have abortions or take RU-486, the abortion pill, and the women in Old Testament times who sacrificed their live newborns at the alter of Molech. Today's woman has simply switched gods. Instead of sacrificing to Molech, she sacrifices to the god of materialism and convenience.

This nation is full of women who have sex outside of marriage (the Bible calls them whores and harlots) and who give gifts to the men who fornicate with them. Half of the country is or has been a harlot or fornicator. If you still haven't understood what the Bible teaches concerning harlotry, let me make a final attempt to clarify. If you are a woman who lost her virginity prior to marriage and it was not due to rape, you are a harlot; a whore. You've heard of Rahab the harlot? Well if you're what I just described then you're ___________ the harlot. Just fill in the blank with your name.

Why have I focused on American harlots and fornicators in this article? Because the United States has one of the highest percentages of "Christians" of any nation in the world and yet it also has one the highest percentages of harlots and fornicators in the world. Our ministers, however, are not the only ones responsible for this decline. Every person who considers their self a Christian is responsible for their own behavior. Most homes have more than one Bible. Anyone reading this as an Internet article has online access to hundreds of Bibles. There is no excuse for any Christian not to know what the Bible teaches about chastity. Paul said, "Flee fornication. Every sin that a man doeth is without the body; but he that committeth fornication sinneth against his own body." 1 Corinthians 6:18 But you can't flee fornication if you don't know what it is. This is why it is absolutely necessary that all Christians familiarize themselves with all the teachings in the Bible concerning chastity.

In addition to the the sin of harlotry and fornication, harlots and fornicators who call themselves Christians are causing others to stumble by their poor example of what Christians are.

Now if you're a harlot or a fornicator, or a minister or brother or sister in Christ who has failed to teach chastity in accordance with the Bible, I'm telling you this for a reason. I want you to know that you have sinned and you have sinned greatly. I want you to know this so that you will be led to turn from your sins, turn to God, and begin reading and teaching from the bible. The American form of harlotry, where women give their boyfriends presents and shack up with them, even paying rent and car payments, is the WORST kind of harlotry as I have outlined here but the Lord is still able and anxious to forgive. Are you able and anxious to accept that forgiveness? Can you accept what is taught in the Bible that there is a right way and a wrong way to have sex and that the right way is in marriage? Are you ready to turn away from sin and turn to the Lord? Maybe you're already saved but just don't realize the depth of forgiveness that the Lord has given you. If you'll think about how He has forgiven you for crimes worse than those that a prostitute commits then you can experience the great love and thankfulness that those of us who have sinned greatly feel toward the Lord when we accept His forgiveness. Don't try to hide your sins from yourself no matter what those sins have been. Let the Lord "hide His face" (psalm 51:9) from those sins and cleanse you from all unrighteousness. He'll not only hide His face from them, He'll take them away as "far as the east is from the west." Psalm 103:12  It is His power and His grace that is made even more awesome when we see the great sins that He has freed us from.

If you are a harlot or fornicator let it be said about you:

Such were some of you: but ye are washed, but ye are sanctified, but ye are justified in the name of the Lord Jesus, and by the Spirit of our God. 1 Corinthians 6:11

For:

If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive us [our] sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness. 1 John 1:9

Rom 8:1 There is therefore now, no condemnation to them which are in Christ Jesus, who walk not after the flesh, but after the Spirit. Romans 8:1

May the psalmist's prayer be yours:

"Hide thy face from my sins, and blot out all mine iniquities. Create in me a clean heart, O God; and renew a right spirit within me. Cast me not away from thy presence; and take not thy holy spirit from me. Restore unto me the joy of thy salvation; and uphold me [with thy] free spirit. [Then] will I teach transgressors thy ways; and sinners shall be converted unto thee." Psalms 51:9-13 Praise the Lord!

Will you join me in teaching transgressors the ways of the Lord so that sinners can be converted?

Shame on those ministers who read but don't preach the Bible. They are stumbling blocks. May each of us know the greatness of God's salvation by understanding the depth of our own depravity. In this way we can know His great love for us. May you and I learn every day how great the Lord's love is when He shows us the error of our ways. Better yet, may He deliver us from temptation!. Amen? Amen!

A final word:

You alone are responsible for the path you take. Despite the guilt of any minister or other Christian in failing to teach you from the Bible, you have a Bible yourself and may read from it at any time.

May your prayer again be as the psalmist's:

Make me to go in the path of thy commandments; for therein do I delight. Psalm 119:35

These excerpts are from The Prince of Sumba, Husband to Many Wives.
Copyright 1998 Don Milton All Rights Reserved.
All Copyright Laws Apply - Thou Shalt Not Steal

Chapters: [Prologue] [1] [2] [3] [4] [5] [6] [7] [8] [9] [10] [11] [12] [13] [14] [15] [16] [17]  [18]  [19]  [20]  [21]  [22]  [23]  [24]  [25]

Prince of Sumba - Select Passages - Romance, Prose, Humor, and Insight

   If you're not sure what the Prince of Sumba is about, the following excerpts will give you the flavor. If you like it, please read. For now it's available for viewing on this website.

   I'll begin this section with a few paragraphs that I think you'll like. I'll follow those with a chapter by chapter excerpting of what you can find here on this website.

~~~~~~~

   For a moment there was silence. Then Sarapita, my precious bride, spoke.

   "My prince. May I be as a shadow when there is light and as a dream at night, ever with you. May you know that I love you even when I don't say it, and may you know that you are as the Lord to me. May you know that your greatest hopes are mine as I pray that our Lord shall guide you. I am yours. The cloth for the tokens of my virginity has been placed upon our bed of love. Take me now."

   If a man can still live without breathing, I am proof. As I looked upon Sarapita that first night of love there was no room left within me for anything but her. She immersed me in a most splendid suffocation. Her scent filled my lungs, her kisses stopped my breathing, and her love beat within my heart. May every man who loves the Lord experience such a love as this.

Click here to read all of Chapter 16 - 'There Is No Other Way to Have a Man!'
~~~~~~~
Prologue
There were some however, who called themselves brothers, yet like Jonah were "angry with us enough to die" and would have preferred to continue wasting water on a "withering vine."

   But it came to pass that the Lord's Spirit was poured out upon us. He softened our hearts so that we might "take away the reproach" of our women and "prepare the way of the Lord" for that great opening of Asia, Africa, and the Middle East.

Click Here to read all of the Prologue
Chapter 1 - Mission Mindanao

   Suni, in sharp contrast to the delapidated sari-sari store, looked more like a fashion model than a poor roadside vendor. Her lips were glossed and her fingernails glistened in the sun. When she walked her toes would peek out from her long skirt revealing their stylish pedicure and then hide themselves again. Her hips swayed each time she came around the corner to put another snack in front of us. I know. Such things are to be far from a missionary's mind but that was why I was so blessed to have Mary, my wife. It seems my youthful drive had never left me. I knew that I must be a married man or face the possibility of fornication and disgrace each time a beauty such as Suni sauntered by.

Click Here to read all of Chapter 1 - Mission Mindanao
Chapter 2 - The Arrival

   Among themselves pastors tend to be fond of joking and making puns. A pastor's congregation often takes him so seriously that it isn't kosher to kid, so he relishes getting visits from other pastors who can cut the mustard and in this way he avoids getting into a pickle with his congregation.

Click Here to read all of Chapter 2 - The Arrival
Chapter 3 - Humble Adobo  

   Then I smelled it, a stench!
   I said to Mary, "Do you smell that?"
   She sniffed, "Eww, what is it!"
   We both sniffed again to try to determine the location of the smell, then Mary looked at me with one of those crooked little expressions she gets.
   She leaned over and whispered, "It's you!"
   She was right. It was me! My body had not yet accustomed itself to the tropical climate. I guess you could say my clothes were beginning to ferment. Fortunately, Tony had left our bags sitting next to the door and I got out a change of clothes. I hurried to one of their many bathrooms and showered. Intay, one of the maids, walked by the bathroom just as I was coming out. I was wearing my clean change of clothing and was no longer ashamed, so I asked her help.
   "Excuse me, could you be so kind as to put my dirty clothes in the wash?"
   She squatted next to the clothes, poked them with one end of her broom stick and said, "Eww!"
   Apparently she'd been watching when Mary and I had discovered the smell. Sisiw, one of the other maids, went into the bathroom and knelt down next to Intay to help her. She held the dust pan while Intay pushed my clothes in with her broom stick. Pretending that my clothes carried some contagious disease, she yanked her fingers back and squealed when the clothes nearly touched them. Both maids now looked up at me, repeating in unison the new word they'd learned, "Eww!" In their scrunched down positions they now fell backwards laughing. I couldn't help but laugh with them.
   "I'm Ish." I said as I reached down with both hands to help them up to their feet.
   "I'm Intay and this is Sisiw."
   Sisiw matter-of-factly lifted up my arm now and sniffed my armpit. "Ah, much better. Your wives will be very happy now. Ah, sorry sir, I mean your wife will be very happy now." They giggled all the more.
   "Please just call me Ish." I wasn't sure whether Sisiw was kidding with the 'wives' comment or if it really was a slip of the tongue.
   I remembered the missionary who was sent home for insulting the hotel clerk. I said a silent prayer for him right then that he'd stop taking the little things in life too seriously and start enjoying life's blessings. How wonderful it is when the help can make fun without fearing for their jobs. My request to take my clothes to the laundry had become an introduction to a pair of adorable young ladies.

Click Here to read all of Chapter 3 - Humble Adobo
Chapter 4 - Sisters in Need
   I don't know why they called the after service get togethers "coffees." The members put more cream into those cups than coffee. o­ne of the young ladies joked with me,

   "Do you take coffee in your cream or do you drink it white?"

   "Black," I said.

   "Black cream!" she giggled,    "Whoever heard of such a thing?"

   She grasped my hand as she poured the hot coffee into my cup, not wanting to scald me with it. You could tell how much this opportunity to mingle and kid around meant to her. Was she flirting with me or was it simply my fertile imagination that noticed a slight wink as she turned to serve the others?

Click Here to read all of Chapter 4 - Sisters in Need

Chapter 5 - The Barbecue
   "You will know them by their fruit," Sam answered. "Modelisa is responsible for half of the women you see here at this gathering coming to a saving knowledge of the Lord!"

   I looked out at all the single ladies there. All of those from his church were there; over 700.

   I spoke, my throat now tightening, "You're telling me that Modelisa has brought over 300 women to Christ?"

   "More." Sam responded. "There are other churches here besides Tigas View."

   My tears gushed from my eyes. I could barely get out the words, "Excuse me."

   Suni took me to her apartment where I sat down for a few minutes and wept privately.

   Mary walked in and said, "What's the problem, Ish?"

   I started to try to tell her but the tears started gushing again. Sam was standing outside the door so Mary went out to ask him.

   "It's about Hope; how she's brought hundreds to a saving knowledge of our Savior."

   I could hear Mary whisper to Sam, "Oh, Ish is always crying about something. He'll get over it."

   Mary didn't realize I could hear her. It cut me deep. Not because it was disrespectful to me but because of the way my wife had reacted to Hope, the greatest evangelist I had ever met. How could it be that Mary had no awe for the great power that God had given that woman?

   Sam walked over, "Now that you've gotten to know the ladies, don't you think it's time for a Bible study? The girls have been waiting for this moment."

   "Sure," I said, "But I'll need some water first."

   Suni already had it poured. "My father used to cry when he preached." She said. "I was responsible for the water. He'd go through two liters in o­ne sermon."

   Suni's caring words warmed me. "C'mon Ish. The other girls are waiting." Suni took my hand and led me out to the center of the courtyard.

Click Here to read all of Chapter 5 - The Barbecue
Chapter 6 - Cherry the Harlot

 "All right, since I have a volunteer, I'd like to use her. Come over here Sexy." I was certain that calling Suni by her nickname, "Sexy" would keep the crowd's attention and it did. A slight tittering of "uhhhhh~" could be heard again from the girls in the audience.
   "You're going to be the single lady, Sexy. Stand over there."
   Sexy put on a pouting face.
   "I wanted to be the married lady!" She said, stomping her feet like a spoilt toddler.
   "Yes, let her be the married lady!" The girls shouted.
   No more had I gotten out the words,
   "Okay, so you're the married lady." than Suni said,
   "Who's my husband?"
   Exasperated I replied,
   "Okay, so you want a husband. Let's see, who do you argue with most."
   "I'm arguing with you right now." She snapped.
   Again the crowd interrupted with their chorus of "uhhhh~"
   "Okay, so you're my wife."
   "Whatcha want for dinner honey?"
   I turned to the side shaking my head. Sexy was a natural when it came to tickling the crowd. I could barely keep a straight face. My wife, Mary, was watching from the front row and having just as much fun watching Sexy pretend to be my wife as Sexy was having playing the part.
   "All right, all right, let's get on with this."
   "Well we better. We're married. If we don't get on with this you'll have me to deal with when we get home."
   The girls giggled. I looked out at them scratching my head.
   "Does she always act like this?"
   "Oh not at all," Asina shouted, her voice ever loud, "she's never been married before. Maybe you should try making up with her."
   "Yes, let's kiss and make up." Sexy pouted again.
   "Well, you guys, like it or not, I'm going to get on with this."
   "I knew you'd agree." Sexy closed her eyes and puckered her lips.
   "That's not what I'm talking about!"
   The ladies roared with laughter.
   Sexy and I couldn't have put on a better show had we planned it. But this was supposed to be a Bible study and I was determined not to let their desire for entertainment stop me from my duties.
   "Sexy, I know you're enjoying being my wife but I've got to get on with my duties."
   "Oh, aren't you fresh!"
   "Fresh? What are you talking about, Sexy?"
   "Isn't it a little bit early in the day to be performing your marital duties."
   "This is nuts. Okay, you're my wife. That means that I have rights too. Like to ignore you while I read the newspaper."
   "I thought this was a Bible study."
   "It is, it is a Bible study."
   "Ya see, sometimes it takes a wife to set things straight. How are ya feeling now that I've helped unconfuse you?"
   The girls were in fits of laughter by now. I just had to ignore Sexy for the moment and continue as if she weren't there. I did as best I could to compose myself.

Click Here to read all of Chapter 6 - Cherry the Harlot

Chapter 7 - Loaves of Bread, Fish!

 As the members of Sam's church and the volunteers from other churches went among the crowd, the newly saved were crying out with sobs of repentance and praises to Jesus for His Free Gift of Salvation. I could hear continued shouts and screams of "Alleluia" and "Thank you Jesus" each time one of them rose out of the baptismal. It's astounding how the mouths of new converts can be so suddenly filled with praises for God.
Those who had come simply to see what all the noise was about were each having their own face to face with God's Spirit as the Lord's Presence continued to move powerfully through the crowd.
"Unclean, I'm unclean!" A nun screamed as she ran to the front of the stage.
"I'm full of pride! Help me. I hate Born Agains! I'm in bondage to rules but have never known the Lord. Pray for me father."
I stepped down for a moment to speak with her, microphone attached.
"I'm not your father. Other than the man who conceived you with your mother you have just one Father and He is in heaven."
"Blasphemy! I'm a blasphemer!" She shouted. "I have called the pope Holy Father. The pope is a blasphemer!" She now shouted.

 Click Here to read all of Chapter 7 - Loaves of Bread, Fish!

Chapter 8 - The Market

   I had heard about the brass market. It was a place where mountain men and lowlanders mixed in a clattering of brass from all over the island. Sam said we might inquire as to some remote places to go where the inhabitants weren't entirely hostile to "foreign missionaries." Our purpose for coming here, after all, had been to go on a mission. What better way than to spontaneously set out in search of adventure?
   As we got closer to the market the pot holes increased as well as the noise. I had a hard time telling between the the clattering of Sam's truck and the chattering of my teeth. Had I really had that much dental work? Now I understood what Paul meant when he said in his letter to the Corinthians that practicing gifts without love is as sounding brass. What a racket! Between the pounding in the brass market and Sam's Ford Fiera growing ever closer to its final bump, I was able to make out that one joyous sentence from Sam.
   "There's a parking stall. Shall I pull in?"
   "PLEASE!" We shouted in unison.
   "Well it's good to hear that we're all of one voice!" Sam shouted back.
   We beeped and edged our way past carts and vegetables laid out on woven mats to squeeze into what I was sure would be the final resting spot for Sam's truck. The sputtering sound when he turned off the key convinced me that we'd surely have to find another mode of transportation for our return home.

 Click Here to read all of Chapter 8 - The Market

Chapter 9 - John's Place

   Ruth now opened the huge decorative oyster shell that was in the middle of her platter. There were tiny oysters floating in sauce.
   "Oysters in cashew sauce with ginger and diced lamb. This is our customary dish for a groom on his wedding night, and this time I'm not kidding, Ish."
   As well I knew. All four ingredients were high in zinc. I remembered what I had studied; that the Israelite men were believed to have been extremely fertile because of their high intake of lamb. I wondered, why was Ruth feeding me as if it were my wedding night? Did she have plans for me? or did they simply have a custom to feed their guest of honor by the hand of their most beautiful maiden.
   Ruth raised the spoon again to my lips. It was exquisite. I could taste each ingredient and yet they combined into something entirely different. I let her feed me till I had finished all of it. She then put her delicate fingers into the sauce that remained in the bottom of the oyster shell and pulled out a small pearl. Wiping it with a cloth, she handed it to me.
   "This is for you to remember this day."
   "Thank you Ruth, I will."
   I wondered if there was some hidden meaning behind Ruth's gesture with the pearl. Nonetheless, I would remember this day. I couldn't help but think that John had given me the highest honor a guest could have; to be entertained by his maiden daughter.

Click Here to read all of Chapter 9 - John's Place

Chapter 10 - A Hard Teaching

   "Back to your family, John. We want to make sure you know that even if we disagree with you concerning your marrying more than one wife;" Mary paused, looking at me as if seeking some outward sign of agreement. I gave none. She continued. "We want to know everything about your family and couldn't imagine you having even one wife less."
   The applause were now for Mary. Everyone stood and one of John's older sons shouted,
   "A toast for Mary, 'Favour is deceitful, and beauty is vain: but a woman that feareth the LORD, she shall be praised.'"
   "Here here," another son said, "and give her of the fruit of her hands; and let her own works praise her in the gates."
   Ruth completed the stream of thought by quoting one more verse from proverbs,
   "She openeth her mouth with wisdom; and in her tongue is the law of kindness."
   At that, a tear began to form in one of Mary's eyes. She was not used to such compliments and certainly not to being the center of attention. Asina now showed her softer side using humor to get Mary out of the spotlight. She proudly quoted Proverbs again.<br>    "'She layeth hold of the spindle, and holds the rod for spinning thread.' Mary, you don't suppose you could help me sew this button back onto my blouse." She held up a button which she'd secretly removed just for effect.
   Now Mary was laughing and so were the rest of us. I was impressed with Asina's character. In fact, I was impressed with everyone I'd met since setting foot on this island.

Click Here to read all of Chapter 10 - A Hard Teaching

Chapter 11 - Zealous Women

   "Well then who do you propose, no pun intended, that Adam married?" I had to ask.
   "Well Mr. Joker," Ruth replied, "He could have married his daughter, his granddaughter, his great granddaughter or any of his various progeny because incest wasn't banned until Moses received the law on Mount Sinai. My point in this discussion is simply that there is no logic in claiming that Adam had only one wife based on the false premise that God created only one woman. God created every woman who was born to Eve. God likely created dozens, if not hundreds, of women before Seth was born. He 'created them' through Adam and Eve, and it is likely that he also 'created them' through Adam and his female progeny. After all, the pastors always say that Cain and Seth must have married their own sisters. Why would they make that conclusion with such ease but cannot consider the possibility that Adam married his own daughters. He did have other daughters as the Bible clearly states and it does not stipulate that he had those daughters only after the birth of Seth, or Abel or even Cain for that matter. He could have had them fifty or even a hundred years before the birth of Cain. Now let's keep in mind that Adam's daughters probably begged him to give them children and especially if they were born that many years before any male children were born. We see in the story of Lot's daughters, when they were confronted with what appeared to be a world without men, that they took their father as their husband. They bore children, Moab and Ammon, and there was no condemnation of their making love with him. This is because their union took place before such relations were forbidden. In fact, the Lord set aside a portion for the children of Lot; the land of Ar. Listen to what Lot's daughters said:
   And the firstborn said unto the younger, 'Our father is old, and there is not a man in the earth to come in unto us after the manner of all the earth.'
   They go on to say:
   'We will lie with him, that we may preserve seed of our father.'
   You'll find that in Genesis 19:31&32"
   Ruth surely had the gift of Biblical exegesis but she wasn't finished making her point.

Click Here to read all of Chapter 11 - Zealous Women

Chapter 12 - Rites of Manhood

    John now turned to Ruth.
   "Could you please read what Princess Kasmina wrote in the memoirs that she gave to Tika when they met?"
   "Sure daddy." John took out the now well worn papers that he had tucked inside his pocket and handed them to Ruth.
   "Prince John did more than warm the hearts of his admirers. He knew well the spell he could cast with a smile and I, Princess Kasmina, was not immune to his charms. I treasure still the small gifts he gave me as a child. Ever since I was a little girl my heart beat faster when the prince approached. I dreamed of Prince John at night and when I awoke my daydreams of him would begin. I dreamed of riding off into the sunset on royal stallions, the prince escorting me through his island paradise. I dreamed of ascending mountain peaks, John at my side, to gaze at distant islands embraced by the sea's warm blue waters. Would that I were one of those islands and John were the sea. Tall and strong, John should be mine! However this could not be. All the palace princesses knew John was first in line to the throne. As such, he was expected to take many foreign princess brides to strengthen the now delicate alliance. Yet Prince John was all my little heart desired. Only the year before John's manly voyage, I, Princess Kasmina, was a little girl. Now I was thirteen and required to wear a veil since I was of marriageable age. Though a princess rarely marries that young, the veil was our custom and I looked forward to wearing it as an indication that I was a maiden. I was convinced Prince John was secretly in love with me and I prayed five times daily that he would defy custom and take me as his bride. I wished I could run away to return secretly behind my veil as one of his 'foreign' brides. I knew he could easily keep me in his harem without anyone's knowing my true identity. After all, it would be better to have one tenth of John then 100% of any other man. Alas, poor Kasmina, I knew only too well that I could never bring up such a plan to the prince for the mere doing so would be scandalous and would lower me in his eyes. It was my lot to keep my love for John as secret as my dreams. I wondered if he could see the loving looks I gave him from behind my sheer veil as I looked at him adoringly each time we spoke. I wanted to shout out my love for him but destiny had other plans. There would be a husband for me, that one and only, who had truly been selected by the hand of the Lord. I still pray five times a day for John, not that I may have him but that he would continue on his pursuit of the destiny that the Lord has placed before him. The Lord has already led him to many destinies. I have met some of them."
   As Ruth read these last words of Princess Kasmina's memoirs, a loud crashing came from the hallway. John's four wives as well as Mary, fell into the room. Apparently they'd all been leaning against the door listening. They got up giggling and John's wife, Tika, feigned a swoon.
   "Wow, I'm a destiny!"
   At this, we all broke into a fit of laughter. The tension that had been building in John's story, the women falling through the door, and Tika's comment, had all combined into a funny bone elixir more potent than John's mountain grown coffee. After each of us had thoroughly discovered the others' particular way of giggling, moaning, chuckling, and guffawing, we gained our composure.

Click Here to read all of Chapter 12 - Rites of Manhood

Chapter 13 - Treasures or Troubles

    I woke up early enough to see the sun rising over this island of mystery as surely as I had seen it set behind Captain Stephen's ship the night before. I greeted the day sensing we were not far from the treasures we sought. I knew the crew didn't share my enthusiasm for exploration but Captain Stephen wasn't going to let me, a prince, return from my manly voyage empty handed, so after a healthy breakfast we started out with determination.

Click here to read all of Chapter 13 - Treasures or Troubles.

Chapter 14 - Dreams & Visions

   "Praise God!"
   "Alleluia"
   "The Lord is wonderful!"
   The table erupted with shouts. I'd never heard such a joyous commotion.
   "Excuse us John!" Sarapita was dancing as she laughed and sang, shaking a tambourine. "We've never heard this story before. It's so wonderful. God has blessed us so much that you brought this book. We were told of its existence but only now do we know its wonder!"
   Sarapita's voice was like nothing I'd ever heard. The melody and words sang praises to an Almighty that I had known far too little. She sang with joy of His love and of His forgiveness. She sang as if He Himself were holding her in His hand as she danced, and truly, it were as if suspended in air, she moved about.

Click here to read all of Chapter 14 - Dreams & Visions.

Chapter 15 - Coming of Age

 "Tatang proclaims:
   'My daughter is yours. May the Lord bless you and keep you...safe from those who wish to harm you. May your wives bless you with many children and let their arguments be over you, not with you. The maidens Zuah and Saldexa shall be your only guests at Sarapita's Coming of Age party since she is yours already. Love her and love your other wives for that is the command of the Lord. I am a happy father this night. May you and your wives live to see each one of your many children celebrate such an evening.'"
   Now Zuah and Saldexa quickly checked their work.
   "Make sure there is no dirt on him. He must be spotless for the princess." Zuah warned.
   They each looked over my face as if I were a child going to Sunday school. They were searching for the tiniest imperfection, a misplaced hair, a piece of dandruff. They even sniffed me.
   "Umm!" Saldexa said as she pinched my cheek. "He looks good!"
   "Num!" said Zuah, "Ang sarap!" (tasty)
   What was I? A man or a boy, or a piece of food? I felt like all of that, but when Sarapita entered the room singing and dancing to the music which was playing outside the marriage chamber I was a groom on fire for his bride!
 I had only seen such artistry in the hand crafted music boxes that my mother kept. Sarapita missed not one beat, nor was any note untrue as she sang and danced around me. Her performance lasted hours but I cannot tell you any more about it or I might cause the men here to sin by coveting her.

Click here to read all of Chapter 15 - Coming of Age.

Chapter 16 - 'There is no other way to have a man!'

   I sent my maids in to attend to Sulpicia's needs. After they'd finished bathing her I could hear her pleading with them to leave.
   "Please go, I'm just a simple girl. John loves me as I am. What? What is this? Mm, delightful, and this? Ah."
   I chuckled to myself. They had presented her with my gifts; colognes and lotions of the kind found only on night stands of princesses and rich men's wives. Amazing what the right gifts can do to a simple girl. One moment a girl, the next a princess. As they applied the lotion to my Sulpicia's ticklish back, I could hear her giggling. She inhaled deeply as they anointed her arms and ankles with cologne.
   "Am I to be in chains!" She nearly set me running in to see what was wrong.
   "No, no princess. You must not be naked as a peasant on your wedding night." I could overhear the maids. "You must wear these."
   "They're heavy. Too heavy, what is this?"
   "It is gold, pure gold. If you do not want them we cannot force you."
   "Oh no, please. Put them on me. Oh, they're so heavy!"
   "Your lord's love is heavy for you. We do not know where he got these but there are no such chains in the kingdom. Surely he loves you dearly."
   The maids amused me. They had told Sulpicia that she must wear her bank around her wrists, ankles, and neck. The reason that they believed there were none like them in the kingdom was because my other wives kept theirs safely locked away. Seventy pounds of gold is a bit much to wear, even for a princess.

Click here to read all of Chapter 16 - 'There Is No Other Way to Have a Man!'

There are now over seven million "Born Again" Christians in the Philippines. It has been one of the most fertile fields for evangelism in the history of mankind. Today, they are facing a crisis of epic proportions. There are nearly two million more women who are Born Again Christians in the Philippines than men!

The Born Again Christian ministers of the Philippines continue to commit a grave sin by denying these women husbands. As all Christians know, we are not to be unequally yoked with unbelievers, however, these "ministers," claiming annointing from God, are denying these women husbands by forbidding them to become second or third wives to Born Again Christian men who are willing to marry them.

These pastors continue to fall into the trap that the government controls marriage. The Bible defines marriage and any pastor who refuses to teach this is bowing to Rome.

The number of Born Again Christian women in the Philippines is only going to increase in numbers as well as in the percent of believers. The primary reason that their numbers will grow is that Single Born Again Christian Women primarily evangelize other single women. To evangelize men would be to participate in what has been referred to as "flirty fishing."

Since single Born Again Christian women primarily evangelize other single women, the numbers of single women who cannot find a husband in Philippine Born Again churches will continue to increase as new converts take their places in the churches with no end in sight. It is conceivable that within 5 years that the number of Born Again Christian ladies in the Philippines who exceed the number of Born Again Christian men will reach 5 million!

We'll be considering outreach programs and solutions for these women in upcoming articles on this site but our first plea is to Philippine pastors. Stop treating your single women like dirt. They are not just a statistic. With current trends there will be more unmarried Born Again Christian women in your churches than all other members put together, if that isn't already the case. Do you have the courage to deal with this in accordance with the Bible or will you continue the hardness of your hearts? Are you going to give these women no alternative but to marry outside the church? If you do this then you are just as guilty of their fornication as they are and you may multiply that guilt times the number of them that have taken that as their only alternative. If you are a Born Again Christian Pastor in the Philippines and would like to discuss this issue confidentially with me. Please contact me by clicking the link below:

Click HERE to Contact Pastor Don Milton

This excerpt is from The Prince of Sumba, Husband to Many Wives.
Copyright 1998 Don Milton All Rights Reserved.
All Copyright Laws Apply - Thou Shalt Not Steal

Chapters: [Prologue] [1] [2] [3] [4] [5] [6] [7] [8] [9] [10] [11] [12] [13] [14] [15] [16] [17]  [18]  [19]  [20]  [21]  [22]  [23]  [24]  [25]

Prologue

   My name is Ishmael David. Of course it's an unusual name for a gentile believer. However, it's the name my grandfather gave me and in it are represented two prophesies. He prophesied that I would be a rebellious youth but would return to the fold and enjoy the good fruit of repentance and joy in the Lord. That prophecy came true.
   He also prophesied that I would be a witness to the Asiatic peoples. That is what this story is about. Not about me but about all of us who took part in that greatest of awakenings the world has seen since God's great Gift walked among us over 2000 years ago.
   We witnessed with inexpressible joy the pouring out of God's Spirit upon those millions upon millions of lost souls who found the Truth for which they had been longing.

If there is o­ne word in the Bible that modern day Christians can be said to discuss most but understand least, it is the word adultery as it pertains to marriage.

If I were a betting man, I'd bet that 99% of you cannot properly define the word adultery.

Here's a simple test:

If a married man has sexual intercourse with his single secretary, has he committed adultery?

If you answered yes then you don't know the definition of adultery.

The fact is that anyone who has sexual intercourse outside of marriage has indeed committed a sin (harlotry*) but if the woman involved is not a married woman then it is not called adultery.

It is impossible for a single woman to commit adultery.

Adultery refers to a specific kind of sexual sin; Sexual intercourse with another man's wife or a woman betrothed to another man.

That's it. Nothing else.

This is the definition provided by Strong's Exhaustive Concordance which is the concordance favored by theologians.

But even without the Strong's Concordance we can understand the definition of adultery by the dozens of verses referring to it in the Old Testament, the Bible that Jesus quoted.

The first reference to the word* adultery is found in the 7th commandment.

Thou shalt not commit adultery. Exodus 20:14

The second reference to adultery defines it and gives the penalty for it.

And the man that committeth adultery with [another] man's wife, [even he] that committeth adultery with his neighbour's wife, the adulterer and the adulteress shall surely be put to death.Leviticus 20:10

The verse above is word for word and bracket for bracket what is written in the King James Bible.

Every reference to adultery in the entire Bible concerns sexual intercourse between a married or betrothed woman and a man other than the o­ne to whom she is married or betrothed.

Solomon clarifies that adultery is a crime against men in Proverbs 6:32-35

But] whoso committeth adultery with a woman lacketh understanding: he [that] doeth it destroyeth his own soul. A wound and dishonour shall he get; and his reproach shall not be wiped away. For jealousy [is] the rage of a man: therefore he will not spare in the day of vengeance. He will not regard any ransom; neither will he rest content, though thou givest many gifts.Proverbs 6:32-35

The Bible is gender specific when it comes to marriage. It does not use the word spouse except in the Song of Songs where in fact it is not gender neutral, it refers to the writer's bride and is translated in all other places in the Bible as daughter-in-law or bride.

The rights of women and the rights of men are very different in the Bible. Women have some rights that men don't have and men have some rights that women don't have.

We can now more easily understand Matthew 5:27&28, the verses that speak of "adultery in the heart," but there are two more words that we must define in order to fully understand it:

Lust: to desire something forbidden
Romans 7:7b - "for I had not known lust, except the law had said, Thou shalt not covet."

Woman: both the Hebrew word and the Greek word for woman can also be translated as wife.

Now that you know the meanings of the words let's go to the context.

Let's start with the first verses found in Matthew 5 that have a similar structure to the o­nes we're studying, namely, they begin with "Ye have heard" and are followed by "But I say unto you."

Ye have heard that it was said by them of old time, Thou shalt not kill; and whosoever shall kill shall be in danger of the judgment: But I say unto you, That whosoever is angry with his brother without a cause shall be in danger of the judgment: and whosoever shall say to his brother, Raca, shall be in danger of the council: but whosoever shall say, Thou fool, shall be in danger of hell fire. Matthew 5:21&22

Notice that Jesus is referring to the 9th & 6th commandments:

Exd 20:16 Thou shalt not bear false witness against thy neighbour.

Exd 20:13 Thou shalt not kill.

Jesus shows here that there is a sequence of events that leads up to murder. First; unjustified anger, second; bearing false witness, and third; murder.

Jesus uses the same method to explain the steps that lead to adultery in Matthew 5:27&28

Ye have heard that it was said by them of old time, Thou shalt not commit adultery: But I say unto you, That whosoever looketh o­n a woman to lust after her hath committed adultery with her already in his heart.Matthew 5:27&28

Notice that he's referring to the 10th & 7th commandments:

Exd 20:17 ...thou shalt not covet thy neighbour's wife...

Exd 20:14 Thou shalt not commit adultery.

Jesus shows here that there is a sequence of events that leads up to adultery. First; Looking upon another man's wife; second; lusting after her, third; committing adultery with her.

What is often not perceived by modern readers in our modern culture is that the admonition not to "looketh o­n a woman to lust after her" is an admonition not to break the 10th commandment; not to covet thy neighbor's wife because that will lead to adultery, the crime of having sexual intercourse with another man's wife.

In the two cases above, murder & adultery, Jesus explains the importance of not speaking ill of others and of not desiring forbidden things because doing so will lead to murder and adultery.

Jesus did not give a new command here to deny your sexuality. It is natural for men to desire women and for women to desire men otherwise nobody would ever get married. Properly directed sexual desire is God given, it is good. It shows that you're healthy.

Jesus words must be understood in the context of the meaning of each word as well as the context of each paragraph. A man or woman who has a strong sexual desire for the person they expect to marry or would like to marry is not sinning.

Here is Matthew 5:27&28 with the meanings of the words inserted for greater clarity:

Ye have heard that it was said by them of old time, Thou shalt not commit adultery [with thy neighbor's wife] but I say unto you, That whosoever looketh o­n a [married] woman to [covet] her  hath committed adultery with [another man's wife] already in his heart.

Finally, I am saddened at the number of times that I have seen Kirk Cameron o­n his T.V. show, "Way of the Master" improperly training the Christian audience o­n how to witness to unbelievers. I wrote Kirk Cameron complaining about his sin and I was responded to by Judy Notchick who sent a copy of her response to S.G. Scott. The accusation has been made therefore, to the man, Kirk, and before two or three Witnesses, S.G. Scott & Judy Notchick. So now it's time to bring it before the Christian community.

Here is the sin that is repeated over and over again o­n Kirk Cameron's The Way of the Master Television show. With the T.V. cameras taping, Kirk or his sidekick Ray Comfort says to a woman:

"Jesus said, If you look with lust.You have already commited adultery in your heart."
"Have you ever looked with lust?"
The unsuspecting woman says, "Yes, of course."
The average person o­n the street will think that the Bible meaning of the word lust is the same as the common English usage of the word, so they say yes. Yet the Bible's usage means to desire something forbidden. If the single woman is desiring the man she is hoping to marry someday then certainly she hasn't sinned. But Kirk or Ray continue without explanation.
"Then you've committed adultery in your heart. Do you know what the penalty for adultery is?"
The unsuspecting woman says, "No."
The response is, "Death."

This is supposed to lead people to Christ? It's disgusting. It's a lie first of all. Sexual desire does not equal lust. Lust is to desire something forbidden, to covet. The sin Jesus spoke of in Matthew 5:27&28 is to look upon a married woman with lust in your heart as you have learned in this study since the definition of "lust" is to desire something forbidden and the definition of "adultery" is sexual intercourse with another man's wife. In fact, it is impossible for a single woman to commit adultery!

THE PROBLEM with calling normal, healthy desires adultery is that it is a LIE!

Secondly, those who are not Christians will believe that it is impossible to be alive without continually committing adultery in the heart when in fact it is quite easy. Many men do live without committing adultery in the heart. They don't look at other men's wives with lust. They have the entire world of available women to look at. They don't need to look at other men's wives. Furthermore, non-Christians will believe that when they become Christians they'll be expected to pretend that they have no desires because Kirk and Ray have labeled most normal sexual desires, (as opposed to the forbidden sexual desire for another man's wife) adultery! Is it any wonder that young men are not to be found in the churches?

Yes, nearly everyone has committed some kind of sexual sin in their heart but let's at least get our definitions right. If we're going to be godly witnesses then we must tell the truth. Becoming a Christian does not mean that we are to pretend that we do not thirst for water. Why should we teach that it means that we do not desire the "bone of my bones" as Adam so poetically stated and as the pages of the Song of Songs so wonderfully describe?



Some of you may not have paid any attention to what I have just explained and are asking, "Then why didn't Jesus just say wife?" For you, I must say please please, read and understand. We have already discussed how the "Greek" attributed to Jesus in this passage was NOT the English word wife but a "Greek" word that can be translated both as wife and as woman. This Greek word, "gune", was translated in 92 other places in the New Testament as wife or wives. Had Jesus specifically defined woman in this context (lust) he would had to have said, "whosoever looketh o­n another man's wife or a woman betrothed to another man to lust after her hath committed adultery with her already in his heart." That would have been redundant since He had already used the word "lust" which specifies a forbidden woman and adultery which specifies the type of forbidden woman; the wife of another man or a woman betrothed to another man. There is no Greek word used in the New Testament that always means wife and never means woman. Greek is not English. The o­ne word, gune, means either wife or woman but never means exclusively o­ne of those except as determined by the context.

Now your final test question:

If a married woman or a woman who is betrothed has sexual intercourse with with her administrative assistant, has she committed adultery?

If you said no then you still don't get it.

The definition of adultery is simple.

Sexual intercourse between a married or betrothed woman and any man other than her o­ne and o­nly.

That's it.

What Is Fornication? Click Here.

Many ministers refer to Rahab as a prostitute and wax eloquent with stories (made up) of what her life may have been like before Israel gave her protection. In fact, in the least inclusive sense of the word "harlot" she could have been a never married woman who was not a virgin; also known as a whore. For those of you who are shocked that I call a woman who has had sexual relations without the benefit of marriage a whore, get out your Bible and read it. You'll find that it is the Bible that calls women who have had sexual relations without the benefit of marriage fornicators and whores. Click Here - to read my article with the scriptural proof.

So if you're a whore or a man who fornicates by having relations with your whore (you probably call her your girlfriend) is there anything you can do? Yes, first recognize who you are. You're a fornicator. Second turn away from your wickedness and turn to the Lord.

By faith the harlot Rahab perished not with them that believed not, when she had received the spies with peace. Hebrews 11:31

Turn to the God of Israel and be saved. Turn away from your sins. Rahab turned to God and her name now appears in the pages of the Bible! Yes, Rahab was a whore just like you may be but after she turned to God in faith she became a woman of faith. She even made it into the geneology of Jesus.* If you think you are a woman or man of faith but are having sexual relations without the benefit of marriage then you are lying to yourself. You are not a woman or man of faith. You are a fornicating dog and will return to your vomit or a sweathog who will return to your filth.*

Isaiah 55:7
"Let the wicked forsake his way, and the unrighteous man his thoughts: and let him return unto the LORD, and He will have mercy upon him; and to our God, for He will abundantly pardon."

*Matthew 1:5&6 And Salmon begat Boaz of Rahab; and Boaz begat Obed of Ruth; and Obed begat Jesse; And Jesse begat David the king; and David the king begat Solomon of her [that had been the wife] of Uriah;

*2Peter 2:22 But it is happened unto them according to the true proverb, The dog [is] turned to his own vomit again; and the sow that was washed to her wallowing in the mire.

Some of this story actually happened and some didn't.

My son, Josiah, poked his head in the door and said, "Johnny's saying a bad word."

"What bad word?" I said.

"He keeps saying 'Oh my God.' and he won't stop."

"Tell him to stop saying it or he has to go home."

"I did but he won't stop."

I leaned out the door and said to Johnny.

"Johnny, we don't say 'Oh my God' o­n this property. If you want to say that you'll have to go home. When you say 'Oh my God' you're making God into a tiny thing. God is not some tiny expression. He made the world."

Johnny came back later that day. My son, Josiah came in again saying, "Johnny's saying a bad word again."

"What's he saying this time?" I said.

Gay Marriage or Same Sex Marriage is not marriage at all. It is easiest to explain this by explaining the basis for marriage. Marriage began with the removal of a rib from Adam. God formed Eve from that rib and ever since that day, man has naturally been drawn to his rib, to his Eve and that rib, that Eve, has been drawn back to her man, her Adam. Regardless of what attraction a person may feel toward another person, it is impossible for it to be that same attraction between the sexes that began with the removal of Adam's rib if that attraction is not for a member of the opposite sex. Men who are drawn to the false god of homosexuality must renounce this form of idolatry and turn to the Lord in repentance.

If you were to ask the average man or woman o­n the street to define Christian Marriage they'd likely give you a long list of what it is not. In fact, their list would likely include most of the Characteristics of Matriarchal Christianity Marriage, the brand of religious marriage taught by the Western Church which frequently includes "mutual submission."

• Then what is Christian Marriage?

Christian Marriage is marriage taught according to the Bible. Those who teach it usually refer to themselves as Patriarchal Christians. Patriarchal Christianity is o­ne of the world's fastest growing denominations and its teachings are simple: Follow God's Word.

• Why the name Patriarchal Christianity?

The flag, improperly used, can become an idolatrous image. Keep in mind that Christians are not to pray to images of our Lord, even if we knew what He looked like. Likewise, we are not to pledge to an image although pledging to a country would be perfectly acceptable. The Pledge of Allegiance must be rewritten so that it is not an idolatrous act. Christians should demand this. Not o­ne of the Founding Fathers of these great United States said the Pledge of Allegiance.