Ray Coates, a teacher in the Body of Christ, opened his sermon by thanking his Savior and Deliverer Jesus Christ for setting him free from bondages, his Healer who has healed his life in several areas, and in general the One he calls Lilly of the Valley and several other names attributed to the Savior. Yet he is quick to concede mere language cannot adequately describe Our Lord. Jesus Christ is beyond verbal description!
He also thanked his grandmother for praying for him behind the scenes, and thanked several pastors who have positively influenced him. These include the Reverends Les Wooten, Russell Craft and Bob Cammack, all from his church–Longview Christian Fellowship. He also thanked other local pastors for giving him opportunities to actively work for the Lord. These were James and Joetta Taylor, Lamar Jones, Homer Rockmore and Timothy McNeil and many others.
Most of all, he thanked his wife Carol Coates for always cheering him on to victory.
“She has lived with me through what most women would have left,” he said. “She is my biggest fan.”
Lastly, though, he thanked Growing Valley Baptist Church Pastor Charles Faulks for inviting him to preach. Coates took his sermon from Romans 3:4. “…Let God be true, and every man a liar.”
Coates told the congregation this means God will keep His promises, His Word will do what it says even if the rest of the world is lying through its teeth. Coates agrees it is OK to have an opinion, but always remember the Word of God endures forever. Some have asked him how the Word of God can still be the solution when the world has changed so much since the scriptures were written? Others say the Word is not for every situation, or that it does not apply to some people. This is far from the truth, and Coates did not mince words when he declared: “If your opinion does not line up with the Word of God then there is something wrong with your opinion and you must go back to the Word of God.”
This servant of the Almighty does not beat around the bush. He sees everything in black or white.
“You do not end up in someone’s bed having sex and call it an accident, and by the way this is happening to people in the church,” he said.
He described how his own younger days he was perceived as harsh, and his training in the United States Marine Corps did not make his life any easier with that perception. But, having a wonderful wife helped immensely. He was angry with himself and projected the anger to those around him, but His Lord’s blessings of mercy came through his wife. Today Coates is still direct but gracious.
“Having a good wife who is gifted in mercy helped me,” he said.
Coates teaches that the Bible’s text makes it clear that it is up to the individual to decide whom he will believe. Everyone has two choices.
Listen and follow the world’s Xenical standard, or listen and follow the Word standard,” he admonished. “Get into the Word. The Word will work in any situation for anyone who consistently studies and applies it to their life.”
Furthermore, the world’s standards are in conflict with the Word’s. The world is always changing, but the Word, like the Lord, changes not. He used the family to demonstrate these opposites. He compared what the world says to what the Word says.
1. The world says marriage is a 50-50 contact. The Word says it is a Covenant.
2. The world says the one who makes the most money makes the decisions, while the Word says the husband is the head of the household. If he does not know how to be the head, he simply needs mentoring. He is still the head.
3. The world says that if a marriage does not work out, no big deal–just get a divorce. The Word says the husband is responsible cialis dosage for the condition of his family. He sets the standard via the Word regardless of how he was raised. The husband is to love his wife as Christ loves the church. Divorce is not a Christian option. The wife is to submit to her husband. In no way does this mean she is to be his personal slave. It means recognizing his position as the family’s head and putting him ahead of all others.
On raising children:
1. The world says if you spank a child you hurt his psyche.
2. The Word says raise a child in the way he should go, and when he is older he will not depart from the true path. This means taking into account what a child is like, and shaping and molding him into what is right, including spanking for stubborn and disobedient children. However if a parent takes a child with, say, an artistic inclination and tries to force him to be, for example, an athlete this child may become rebellious and reject God altogether.
There is nothing in the Word about standing children in corners or taking away their privileges. Also, in the books of Leviticus and Deuteronomy there are outlined the consequences for our own misbehavior. Truly, we reap what we sow. We make our own choices. Neither God or Satan forces us to sin. You decide whether you are blessed or cursed, and you choose what you want.
