| Subject: Destroyed For Lack Of Knowledge |
Author:
wally duncaster
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Date Posted: 07:21:15 03/07/03 Fri
My people are destroyed for lack of knowledge. Because you have rejected knowledge, I also will reject you from being priest for Me; Because you have forgotten the law of your God, I also will forget your children. Hosea 4:6
Are they not all ministering spirits sent forth to minister for those who will inherit salvation? Hebrews 1:14
It’s a fact that many of God’s people are destroyed for lack of knowledge of God’s word and failure to claim great and precious promises given by God including that the fact that angels are spirits sent forth to minister for those who will inherit salvation! Hence they don’t use the word of God or angels who are available to help them and minister to them in time of trouble or testing just like Jesus did. The bible records for our profit and instruction:
Then as he lay and slept under a broom tree, suddenly an angel touched him, and said to him, "Arise and eat." Then he looked, and there by his head was a cake baked on coals, and a jar of water. So he ate and drank, and lay down again. And the angel of the LORD came back the second time, and touched him, and said, "Arise and eat, because the journey is too great for you." 1 King 19:5-7
But He answered and said, "It is written, 'Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that proceeds from the mouth of God.' Matthew 4:4
Then the devil left Him, and behold, angels came and ministered to Him. Matthew 4:11
"Or do you think that I cannot now pray to My Father, and He will provide Me with more than twelve legions of angels? Matthew 26:53
But those who are wise and see with the eyes of faith claim and stand on all the promises of God given in His word and they send out angels to do their bidding such as bringing deliverance and changing things for God’s word is unchanging:
The angel of the LORD encamps all around those who fear Him, And delivers them. Psalm 34:7
"Therefore thus says the LORD concerning the king of Assyria: 'He shall not come into this city, Nor shoot an arrow there, Nor come before it with shield, Nor build a siege mound against it. By the way that he came, By the same shall he return; And he shall not come into this city,' Says the LORD. 'For I will defend this city, to save it For My own sake and for My servant David's sake.' "
Then the angel of the LORD went out, and killed in the camp of the Assyrians one hundred and eighty-five thousand; and when people arose early in the morning, there were the corpses-all dead. So Sennacherib king of Assyria departed and went away, returned home, and remained at Nineveh. Isaiah 37:33-37
Fear not, for I am with you; Be not dismayed, for I am your God. I will strengthen you, Yes, I will help you, I will uphold you with My righteous right hand.' "Behold, all those who were incensed against you Shall be ashamed and disgraced; They shall be as nothing, And those who strive with you shall perish. You shall seek them and not find them- Those who contended with you. Those who war against you Shall be as nothing, As a nonexistent thing. Isaiah 41:9-11
Yes God has promised that all those who were incensed against you Shall be ashamed and disgraced; They shall be as nothing, And those who strive with you shall perish. You shall seek them and not find them- Those who contended with you. Those who war against you Shall be as nothing, As a nonexistent thing. And God doesn’t lie He keeps His promises for those who believe them and are righteous, each and every one of them!
Our former pastor who son was being tried for being a liar and thief in a criminal court sent out angels to speak to the ear of the judge and jury about his son. Well it worked because a jury of his peers found the son guilty and the judged sentenced him to jail for forty five years.
The name Strader carries weight in charismatic circles. Strader, 72, has been pastor of Carpenters Home for 35 years and has ministered at various churches nationwide. A Pentecostal church under the Assemblies of God denomination, Carpenters Home has owned radio stations, hosted concerts and conferences featuring big names in Christianity, such as evangelist Rodney Howard-Browne, gospel singer CeCe Winans and Christian music artists Jars of Clay and Michael W. Smith reported the St. Petersburg Times.
But the past 15 years have also carried controversy. Some Assemblies of God leaders, including televangelist Jimmy Swaggart, have publicly questioned Strader's theological teachings, according to the Lakeland Ledger.
"We've been to hell and back," Strader said during a recent church service. About 800 of Strader's members left to form their own church in 1989, after a dispute over his leadership.
Then in 1994, Strader's son, Daniel, was arrested on fraud charges. He was convicted the next year and is serving a 45-year sentence in federal prison. A small number of fraud victims were members of the church, causing further tension. Strader said he believed his son was innocent and was treated unfairly by the system. But his son's appeals have been denied. Strader asked members of Without Walls to pray for his son's release, saying seven years behind bars was enough for a "white collar crime."
At one time membership rolls swelled to about 5,000. Strader and a jubilant congregation had the 10,000-seat auditorium built, believing that in time it would be filled to capacity. Instead, attendance dwindled. (Published the St. Petersburg Times August 12, 2002)
In our local news recently is a report that the Carpenter's Home Church, under the leadership of Karl Strader, will be sold.
I wish The Ledger would investigate and publish the finances of this deal. The Carpenter's Home Church started out as an Assembly of God church before Karl Strader took control.
I have relatives who were members of that church since the 1940s, and they helped pay for it.
I have visited often in the past and heard many of Rev. Strader's sermons. I was puzzled why he often said in his sermons that anyone who disagreed with him should not make a fuss, just walk out the back door and leave.
His congregation has now dwindled down and he is left with a multimilliondollar facility.
My relatives left after Rev. Strader became a more-autocratic minister, there were questions about his family being given jobs at the church and his son was convicted of defrauding church members (mostly elderly ones) out of their life savings.
It seems to me part of the problem is that the Assembly of God denomination allows ministers to preside over board meetings instead of a church member, as in other more democratically operated Protestant churches.
Nonetheless, it was good Assembly of God people who paid for that Carpenter's Home Church property, and any benefits from the sale should go to the Assembly of God denomination.
The question before the public is, will it?
TRAVIS EPSHIRE (Published The Ledger Saturday, August 31, 2002)
Daniel Strader's brother, Stephen Strader and his sisters, Karla and Dawn also wrote a letter which was also reprinted in the Ledger. The letter solicited funds for Strader's legal defense. Investigators were charging him with 259 felony counts and for scheming to defraud Central Florida's elderly residents. The letter didn't talk about the real victims of Dan's crimes but stated:
"Dan is facing bankruptcy and life imprisonment because of mistakes he made in his business. Because of these mistakes and the economy, some of Dan's business clients have suffered losses. While many of these good people have been willing to give Dan the opportunity to recovery financially, others have been unwilling or unable to give Dan more time to make things right.
The system which holds Dan's fate in its hands seems almost sinister in its inclination, conscious or not to damage Dad and the church. The press and some of Dan's investors have not hesitated to drag out Dad and the Church into the mire."
All we want for Danny is that he be treated fairly, and that he be given the opportunity to set things right. He has been faithful to the Church and to his small family [ whose electricity was cut off 14 times in one year because of non payment of bills by Dan ]. He loves God and feels the call of God on his life. He is seeking the Lord now more than ever in his 6 by 10 cell with only his Bible. Being human, Danny has made mistakes, but he is sincere in his desire to make things right. He wants all of his investors and business associates to be made whole."
Our reasons for contacting you is to let you know about this trouble, because we know that you will want to show your love and support to our parents. We also want you to know how critical this situation is. Dan has no money, and cannot afford to pay a qualified lawyer to defend himself. Our parents cannot afford to handle the expenses of Danny's defense by themselves."
Mary wrote a letter to the Editor titled "Strader gutless, selfish" which was printed in February, 1995, in the Ledger, concerning Daniel's decision to withdraw his guilty plea. For Strader was accused of soliciting investments in income producing properties and in his company and instead the money was converted to cash and deposited for his personal use and pleaded guilty. She stated:
A truly revolting and shameful display. The Reverend Strader should be double ashamed - not only did he raise a criminal, he raised a gutless selfish whiner.
Later, we were to learn that Dan's parents, the Straders, lived in a debt free $400,000 home on a lake next to a golf course drove two luxury Lincoln towncars and made a salary in the six figure bracket not including special perks.
While other parents, who sold their homes and possessions to help one of their daughters or sons in their time of trouble, the Straders in their usual style asked others to contribute and made only small token contributions themselves. For their other children protested that dad was not to spend their inheritance in defending Dan.
If Dan was innocent as Pastor Karl Strader said many times, why didn't Karl Strader, as a concerned parent sell any of his assets, especially the luxury towncars to help him? This was something that haunted me and spoke loudly to me that something was really wrong in the pastor's behavior and actions as a Christian.
Dan Strader, who earned in prison in Florida a Master's degree in Theology and plans to co-author a book with his father, his silent thieving partner, also wrote a letter that stated:
Why Hasn't God Answered My Prayer?
God has really missed some great opportunities to rescue me from my present circumstances. Have you ever felt that way? I certainly have. Many times. Shortly after being sent to prison, I tried to disentangle my negative circumstances. I was hoping to make some sense out of the erroneous outcome.
Less than 5% of those incarcerated have actually taken their cases to trial. I am one of them. However, I learned quickly that the criminal justice system isn't just about guilt or innocence: for it rarely sticks with the rule of law or fairness. It seemingly deteriorates into a contest between officers of the court who are primarily concerned with winning at any cost. Consequently, if you happen to be the accused facing an unscrupulous adversary, your chances of acquittal are minimal.
With so much injustice being done concerning my case, I reasoned, surely God will rescue me . . . immediately! Nothing happened. Moreover, my inability to change the continual negative circumstances has often left me feeling angry and frustrated. Why hasn't God answered my prayers? Is it a lack of faith?
Fortunately, Jesus addresses this human disposition in two parables: The Importunate Friend (Luke 11:5-13) and The Unjust Judge (Luke 18:1-8). Both of these stories contain invaluable lessons to getting our prayers answered. I can particularly identify with the widow as she pleads her case before the unjust judge: "Avenge me of mine adversary" she cries. Undoubtedly, circumstances necessitated her repeated visits to attain relief. Her request, however, was being denied. The prayers were going unanswered. The judge's indifference to her case is evident by his thoughts. "Though I fear not God, nor regard man; yet because this widow troubleth me, I will avenge her, lest by her continual coming she weary me." Jesus then says, "Hear what the unjust judge saith. And shall not God avenge his own elect, which cry day and night unto him, though he bear long with them? I tell you that he will avenge them speedily."
Dan Strader even though he is the son of a preacher and earned a master degree in Theology doesn't know what he is talking about in Luke 18. Dan is in prison because his victims prayed for avengement just like Jesus told them too. Dan cannot accept the fact of his guilt in real crimes of praying with and preying on the members of his father's church with the help of his father. Deceived Dan doesn't understand that God resists the proud and gives grace to the humble for Roy Aldrich, a retired school teacher, died prematurely at the age 65, as a direct result of the stress and betrayal by his friend and pastor, Karl Strader, and the deeds and actions of his son, Daniel Strader. Roy wrote the following:
Dan Strader was convicted of stealing our life savings of $ 100,000.00 by using lies and deceit and since your question about the effect on our lives is probably the must important factor to you and the Parole Commission, let me simply repeat the words of Jerry Hill, state attorney of Polk County: "The crimes of Dan Strader have done more damage to more elderly people than any homicide that I have prosecuted "
Dan's thefts have forced us to sell our house and most of our personal possessions and move into a trailer. He has shown absolutely no remorse and Judge Robert Doyel who presided over this case stated: "The first step toward rehabilitation is admission of wrong doing, and therefore I feel that Dan Strader will never be rehabilitated."
What Mr. Strader did was calculated and carefully planned with a willful disregard for the lives of others to such an unbelievable degree of extremity that my wife and I still cannot understand why anyone would try to destroy us in this fashion, especially since we had given faithful service to the Carpenter's Church in Lakeland pastored by Karl Strader, Dan's Father.
The leadership of the Assembly of God denomination both in Lakeland and Missouri would not accept the testimony of Roy Aldrich that he was robbed and raped by money changers and wolves in sheep's clothing in the house of God. But the State of Florida who cared about justice, righteousness and truth accepted the words and testimony of Roy Aldrich about the Strader's.
The State prosecutors proved their case and convinced the jurors that Dan Strader devised an elaborate scheme to attract cash in the real-estate and mortgage investments. He was selling the securities without a license and that the securities were unregistered. This was done in an organized method amounting to Racketeer-Influence and Corrupt Organizations, or RICO Act.
As a result Daniel Strader, 37, was sentenced to 45 years in prison in August 1995. He was convicted of 238 felony counts for bilking 57 mostly elderly investors, some members of the church, out of $2.3 million by selling investments in properties that didn't exist or already had liens against them.
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