Message to Ministers in India for 2011

New Paths, but we have never gone there before!

Spreading the Gospel of Christ often requires God’s servants to go places where they are not familiar with, to those areas that seem to be off limits or at least should have a sign of high caution to such adventurous leading's.

Yet at times our Father calls us to step out into those areas for a purpose and as well for faithfulness to hearing His voice.

Isaiah, the Prophet of God spoke to Israel during a time of captivity and a period of diminished people. Israel felt alone at this time in their history and spiritually childless as a symbol of their poor outlook for the future. Perhaps they saw the future as off limits or there was a fear of never stepping beyond their current condition. (Isaiah 54:1-3 English Standard Version)

Isaiah calls to them: "Sing, O barren one, who did not bear; break forth into singing and cry aloud, you who have not been in labor! For the children of the desolate one will be more than the children of her who is married," says the LORD. "Enlarge the place of your tent, and let the curtains of your habitations be stretched out; do not hold back; lengthen your cords and strengthen your stakes. For you will spread abroad to the right and to the left, and your offspring will possess the nations and will people the desolate cities.

As God's servants and ministers of the Word, we can look back at the greatness of God's work in 2010. Yet, there should be an urging to step out of some of the areas that we felt captive in. Places that seemed barren to us. This is where Isaiah speaks to us. Perhaps we have become more or less permanent in our minds as to those places we can witness in or to expand the influence of the Gospel of Christ. God would have us to enlarge our hearts and spirits to the places of habitation that include areas we have never walked in before or even considered. It is a time to become impregnated with a new vision that calls for us to spread abroad, beyond the areas we have become comfortable with.

As Isaiah said, "Enlarge the place of your tent, and let the curtains of your habitations be stretched out; do not hold back; lengthen your cords and strengthen your stakes. For you will spread abroad to the right and to the left, and your offspring will possess the nations and will people the desolate cities.".

As ministers, servants of the Word, press on into those areas in your personal life and as well in the surrounding areas of your churches. Reach out further than ever before. Strengthen yourselves in the Word of God and allow prayer as the stake of position; spread out to the left and right to inhabit the places that the enemy seeks to possess and enslave with his desolate message of hopelessness.

Let it not be said of us as Jeremiah spoke: "My tent is destroyed, and all my cords are broken; my children have gone from me, and they are not; there is no one to spread my tent again and to set up my curtains." (Jer.10:29)
Instead begin to sing and cry aloud for a birthing of such new paths in your lives. If you do this, the year 2011 will be a year of New Paths, that will be a sign to all those around you, that God is your Father and He is wedded to His Church. Let us take hold of the promise of Acts 1:8 “But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes on you; and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth.”

This is the Promise for your New Paths in 2010. He will empower you to enlarge the curtains of your habitations, to not hold back, but instead to stretch forth in faith and go to places that you have never been to before right in the areas of your own churches. He is with you and will guide you into New Paths. May God grant you the vision to see this coming in 2011.

In His Grace and Desire to see you blessed as you travel these New Paths… Brother James L. Ulmer

A Message to Ministers in India - Forbearance

Forbearance verses Tolerance



Scriptural Text: KJV - Colossians 3: 13 "Forbearing one another, and forgiving one another, if any man have a quarrel against any; even as Christ forgave you, so also do ye."

(Amplified Bible) "Be gentle and forbearing with one another and, if one has a difference (a grievance or complaint) against another, readily pardoning each other; even as the Lord has [freely] forgiven you, so must you also [forgive]."

Thoughts: Ministers often struggle with the art of forgiving one another at times. Mainly because of pride being the restraining order that seems to rise up in their hearts. And it is not just among their fellow ministers, but even forgiving those who attend their fellowships. What makes it so hard to simply forbear with differences of opinions?

The words forbearance and tolerance mean the same thing, but often they are not proclaimed the same way. Take for instance the idea of tolerance in building something or making an item. If a maker of steel bolts says there can be a tolerance of .01 of an inch either way on a 2 inch bolt then there is allowance for it to work with a little more or less of the required size.

Often a person may say "I cannot tolerate that person." That means they simply will not allow that person lee way. Yet the meaning of Tolerate is: "to treat with indulgence, liberality, or forbearance." What causes the opposite, it is the word: "cannot".

What really is happening here is that Mercy and Grace are left out. Here is a good quote on forbearance: "... "to keep silent or to be still," "to stop or leave off doing something," "to withhold from," or "to spare another." Another means "to draw or to stretch out" or "to prolong," for instance, as in prolonging, drawing out, or stretching out another's period of grace to repay a debt. Another one means "to contain or hold in," as in self-restraint. One holds in what he feels like doing; he restrains himself from lashing out at another."

So ultimately what forbearance and tolerance stand for is Mercy and Grace. Mercy is not applying what one really deserves because of a sinful act or attitude. Grace is giving to a person that which they do not deserve because of sinful acts. It reminds me of Jesus with the woman caught in adultery. He could have stoned her. Instead he showed her mercy and grace. He forgave her and did not give her what she deserved; instead he gave her what she could not deserve and that was freedom from the bondage of intolerance of others. He simply said you are forgiven, go and sin no more.

It seems that applying Forbearance & Tolerance is a must in the ministry. Paul said that we are do this because Christ did it for us. What an awesome ministry builder that would be. We look for those that have wronged us and we forgive them. We look for those that we struggle to have a relationship with because of their personal actions and we give them forbearance. It does not mean we tolerate their sin, but we look at how Christ forgave us and we take that mantle of love upon us and do the same.

Ephesians: 4:32-5:2 “And be kind to one another, tender-hearted, forgiving each other, just as God in Christ also has forgiven you. Therefore be imitators of God, as beloved children; and walk in love, just as Christ also loved you, and gave Himself up for us, an offering and a sacrifice to God as a fragrant aroma.”

A fragrant aroma of Grace and Mercy applied through Forbearance and Tolerance. Perhaps, tomorrow would be a good time to begin this ministry. May our Father guide you to do so.

Serve Him well my brothers as He works these thoughts through your hearts. Bro. James Ulmer

True Fellowship is a Interdependent Life Style

The Greek word for fellowship is "Koinonia" which comes from the root word "Koinos". Koinos is the word for common. It indicates something held in common. Such as a shared use of a house, garden, a mother, father, etc. It is the idea of a relationship that is dependent upon something held in common and is interdependent for its true meaning. That which caused the first Disciples of Christ to be in Koinonia was not that they gathered together to talk about Jesus, but rather that they lived interdependent with each other in Christ.

Acts 2:42-44 "And they devoted themselves to the apostles teaching and the fellowship, to the breaking of bread and the prayers. And awe came upon every soul, and many wonders and signs were being done through the apostles. And all who believed were together and had all things in common." (English Standard Version)

We need a depth of Fellowship that will show our union before others, a union that would cause others to long to be with us. Most groups gather under the banner of shared beliefs rather than "all things in common". That which drove the early Christians to a communal life style was the era of time and the need for a shared source of provisions to survive in those hard times and not least of all, was the sharing of the common bond of Christ in their hearts.

1 John 1:5-7 (ESV) “This is the message we have heard from him and proclaim to you, that God is light, and in him is no darkness at all. If we say we have fellowship with him while we walk in darkness, we lie and do not practice the truth. But if we walk in the light, as he is in the light, we have fellowship with one another, and the blood of Jesus his Son cleanses us from all sin.”


Believers are to find fellowship in the Father in order to have fellowship with others. True fellowship, with the Father, is living in His light and practicing the truth in all areas of our lives. Notice the Scriptures preface our living in the light as a prerequisite to “having fellowship with one another”.


Fellowship first is through the Father & our obedience to His will in our personal lives. The journey continues, into the broader reality of Koinonia of “living in common”, through an interdependent supporting life style. It is the Church living before others in all things, where Christ is Lord of all of our lives and we are a family that shares our relationship with God the Father, through Jesus Christ, His son, and we are empowered to this Koinonia with each other through His Holy Spirit.


Do we sell everything and move into a common house? No, it is the selling out of self into fellowship with the Father & learning to be interdependent with those God has placed us with and over as His shepherds of the Gospel of Christ. The moment we do this, there will begin to be a unity that will allow awe (the rapt attention & deep emotion caused by the sight of something extraordinary) to come upon those that see and know us. It will open the doors for unbelievers to see God at work through signs & wonders that are beyond our abilities when we simply are held together by a common belief. Because now we are in Fellowship – Koinonia – held together by His presence, His life lived in & through our lives as the Church. The Greek word for church is Ekklesia & its root form means "called out". The depth of that word is the assembling together for a particular cause or purpose which is fellowship in its truest meaning.


Our purpose in this life is to live in Fellowship with the Father, through His “Called Out People”, for the purpose of causing “awe and wonder” to come upon those around us, so that they will seek to know the One who causes us to have Fellowship. No longer do we walk independent in our Faith but rather interdependent I Peter 2:5 “you yourselves like living stones are being built up as a spiritual house, to be a holy priesthood, to offer spiritual sacrifices acceptable to God through Jesus Christ.” I Colossians 2:2 “that their hearts may be encouraged, having been knit together in love, and attaining to all the wealth that comes from the full assurance of understanding, resulting in a true knowledge of God's mystery, that is, Christ Himself.”.


What a blessing the Word is. It brings clarity to the reality of Fellowship. We are not left alone to figure out how to have fellowship among fellow believers. Fellowship is the assembling together for a particular cause or purpose which is fellowship in its truest meaning. We cannot do this on our own. It is an empowerment that comes to us as a result of our fellowship with the Father.


My Brothers in Christ seek to have your fellowship in order with the Father and then you will have the ability to take to the congregations, that you pastor, this same fellowship. That fellowship will be seen by those outside of Christ, which will bring awe to their hearts and draw them to desire the same hope that you all are living.


Let the Fellowship of Christ reign in your hearts!

Appointed Times to Witness

Message: "Appointed Times to Witness"Passage: Luke 24:13-35 Key Verse: 32....Key Thought: "Life's encounters can be Appointed Times."

Dear Brothers in Christ, I pray this message will set you on a road of discovery of those special moments when the Father uses you to bring spiritual life and light to the spiritually blind eyes of a lost soul.

Each of you as His Servants/Ambassadors represents the Father wherever you are at any given time. You are empowered to speak life into a conversation. "But if the Spirit of Him who raised Jesus from the dead dwells in you, He who raised Christ Jesus from the dead will also give life to your mortal bodies through His Spirit who dwells in you." (Romans 8:11) This life is spiritual and those appointed times are moments when the Holy Spirit is moving upon the ones whom you will speak to.

Not only can you speak life, you have the liberty to do so. "Now the Lord is the Spirit, and where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is liberty." (II Corinthians 3:17) This liberty sets you free to minister, knowing that the one who gives liberty is the one leading you!

As God’s servants we all need to consider that not all encounters are simply chance meetings in this world. There are those moments that we sense this "Appointed Time". There is a flow of discernment from the Holy Spirit that this is going to be the moment like the two disciples on the road to Emmaus, encountered "...their eyes were opened and they recognized him."

Take note of the Ethiopian eunuch in Acts 8 who was so concerned about his understanding of the testimony of Isaiah, that God appointed a time for him to meet Philip. This man's eyes were opened and he proclaimed "I believe that Jesus Christ is the Son of God". This meeting was not by chance but by God's design.

A Life's encounter may be an appointed time where you will experience God's timing for the removal of spiritual blindness from the one you are speaking to. It is a moment that you as a servant will speak life and bring liberty to a lost soul.

Not all of life's encounters are specifically designed by God, but they are there and what makes your walk exciting is that as you are faithful in the small things... you will hear these words and experience its promises: "His master said to him, 'Well done, good and faithful slave (servant) You were faithful with a few things, I will put you in charge of many things; enter into the joy of your master." This statement streams from the parable of the talents. When the slaves/servants where found faithful, their reward was increased by the master.

In your faithfulness to the Word of God, to Fellowship in the Holy Spirit, and taking hold of the Bread of Life daily, you will have your eyes opened to “Life's Encounters”, that well may be Appointed Times.

In the days ahead, believe with all your heart and mind that there is a stirring in the heart of someone to know more about God. That you will be that Life Encounter and Appointed Time for them to have their Spiritual eyes opened. That you own heart will burn with fervor as you open up the Scriptures to them. Then come back together and share the victories with each other of your Appointed Times to Witness.

Perhaps this will be your Emmaus week for an appointed time. My prayer is this for you "That the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of glory, may give to you a spirit of wisdom and of revelation in the knowledge of Him." Ephesians 1:17

In His Grace and Love for you all.......... Brother James Ulmer

Calvinism and Arminiansim: Two Gold Calves

Calvinism and Arminianism: Two Golden Calves I Kings 12:28-29 (NAS) "

So the king consulted, and made two golden calves, and he said to them, "It is too much for you to go up to Jerusalem; behold your gods, O' Israel, that brought you up from the land of Egypt." And he set one in Bethel and the other he put in Dan."

Deuteronomy 6:12-14 (NAS) "...then watch yourself, that you do not forget the LORD who brought you from the land of Egypt, out of the house of slavery. You shall fear only the LORD your God; and you shall worship Him and swear by His name. You shall not follow other gods, any of the gods of the peoples who surround you,.."

Matthew 4:10 " The Jesus saith to him," Away with you, satan! For it is written, YOU SHALL WORSHIP THE LORD YOUR GOD, AND HIM ONLY WITH YOU SERVE."

I woke up from a long night of sleep with two passages on my mind. I Kings 12:14 and 14:12. This stirred me to read Chapters 12 through 14. So much is there about people choosing their ways over God's commands. They considered what they thought was best and moved forward with their plans. One can extrapolate many things from all of the events, but what stood out to me was the disobedience to God's directives and the creation of a better way in the eyes of those that wanted to build their way of reaching God.

John Calvin and Jacobus Arminius, men of God, from the 16th century sought to help the church and rebuke heresy from the philosophers and as well within the church of their time period. Each felt that their interpretation of Scriptures would bring forth a truer understanding of God's work of salvation. Little did they know that these two forms of Soteriology would become golden calves for the church to argue over for the next 500 years.

This writing is not to define nor to refute either teaching, but rather to give warning of the dangers of placing man's interpretation of the Scriptures in to a system of doctrinal laws of faith.

The passage below reminds me of the dangers of self-directed, systematic created interpretations to "be right". Matthew 23:22-24 (Message Bible) "You're hopeless, you religion scholars and Pharisees! Frauds! You keep meticulous account books, tithing on every nickel and dime you get, but on the meat of God's Law, things like fairness and compassion and commitment—the absolute basics!—you carelessly take it or leave it. Careful bookkeeping is commendable, but the basics are required. Do you have any idea how silly you look, writing a life story that's wrong from start to finish, nitpicking over commas and semicolons?

Does it mean that there is not gold in the searches of these men of God, Calvin and Arminius, to know more fully the grace and mercy toward mankind? Absolutely not! God allowed the Hebrews to retain gold on their way out of bondage. Yet, they took that which was to be used for other purposes and erected idols of their own creation to worship God in the way they deemed best. Can it be that in their searching, the Israelites, rather than simply bringing the gold along with them and seeing to its purpose, perhaps of making vessels of service toward His grace and mercies toward them, they instead made idols they could see and touch?

Has the Church for the last 500 years done the same thing in many ways? It has taken the grappling and wrangling over two men's teachings and thus created two golden calves that have taken the eyes of millions off of the worshipping of the Father to the worshipping of two sets of doctrines of how God chooses or does not choose to have relationship with His own creation?

The names Dan and Bethel seem to point toward something. Dan means Judgment and Bethel means House of God or Gate of Heaven. Have Calvinism and Arminianism become a point of contention that each proponent of these teachings are trying to say we are the best Judgment or the Gate of Heaven? Both groups when broken down into groups of Christians give forth an air of superiority to the other. Jeroboam sought to set up two places for Israel to worship so they would not go to Jerusalem.

I am thinking that the enemy has set up the Two Golden Calves (Calvinism and Arminianism) and people bow down to them rather than bowing before the Father and worshipping Him. The end result that Jeroboam wanted was to redirect the people away from facing God.

Now, we have had 500 years of debate over this issue. The Southern Baptists has been redirected for the past years over this issue. It is not in my heart to debate, prove my point or have someone prove their points of these issues. I find that it will redirect our attention from God by creating a false sense of security that we are going to find the right system of teachings which will make us better Christians or at least give a sense that we have the right doctrines to offer those who come to church.

Yes, it is good to look at how we express our Soteriology, for it tells the story of God’s love for mankind. For me, looking at both systems of teaching and drawing from them truths that are plainly in the Bible is spiritually healthy. And being able to articulate our understanding of God’s Grace and Mercy toward the lost is a must.

But to choose one over the other simply means someone has convinced us that their research is better than the other. As a result you are going to have to declare that the Holy Spirit led you to that belief, and that decision declares that all others are not being led by the Holy Spirit in their research and conclusions. This is our own Holy Wars/Crusades in the Southern Baptist Convention and no one is going to come out of it any closer to God by taking a side in this Theological quagmire. As a matter of fact, it will divide many who are simply on the outskirts of these camps. And for those of us who hold strong convictions it will cause us to always wonder about the speech of others as they share their faith, considering that someone may not tell the “Gospel Truth”.

We need to remind ourselves of this passage. Matthew 6:33 “But seek ye first the kingdom of God, and his righteousness; and all these things shall be added unto you.”

Take off Your Sandals !!

Have you had your Holy Ground Moment ??

"God replied, " Don't come any closer. Take off your sandals--the ground where you are standing is holy." Exodus 3:5 (CEV)

Because of the pressing pull on our lives to attend to everything but our own selves, we allowed the dust of life to pile up on our Sandals of Life. Perhaps it is time that we all learn how to pull aside to see the burning presence of the Lord our God.

Have you felt that way lately? Take time today to remove your sandals of life off and spend time all allowing Christ to towel your feet clean with His presence and love and in the process seeing the burning presence of God's grace and mercy for you in the midst of life's responsibilities.

Orthopraxy Orthodoxy What did you say ?

Orthopraxy equals correct activity or actions. For Christians that means that their daily living in all situations is guided by the desire to live in Orthopraxy. Orthopraxy has to have guidelines, thus there is a need for Orthodoxy. Orthodoxy equals right thinking. Orthopraxy and Orthodoxy are intertwined with Dogma. Dogma equals one belief or Doctrines which is a system of beliefs or body of teachings that lay out what is Orthodoxy and that in turn leads to Orthopraxy.

Whether one wants to admit it or not, these words: Orthopraxy, Orthodoxy, Dogma, and Doctrine guide one’s opinion of Theology. Theology equals God reasoning or how one believes God operates or a discourse about God.

Jews, Moslems, Christians experience those words in their respected religious understanding. Whether it is the Bible, Torah, or Koran, they each derive their Theological teachings from their book of Faith.

Since I am Christian, I will restrict myself to speaking to the issue of the Christian Faith and its practitioners. Followers can be anyone who is interested and likes what they see, but are not necessarily Orthodox in their Orthopraxy as they follow the Dogmas of their Theology.

Who determines the internal realities of these words? What is the driving force that brings these things to life in the lives of those that profess to be true believers? For the Christian, it has been three things: the witness of the Scriptures, the witness of the Holy Spirit within the believer, and the history of the church (which includes its Theological teachers and their Doctrinal understanding of the Bible).

Here in lies the problem for the followers of the teachings of Christ. Which Christian group is right? Whom among the myriads of groups/denominations, etc does one align with so he or she can be Orthodox in his Orthopraxy as they follow the Dogmas of Theology.

A lot of folks simply say I will just follow Jesus and not be worried about all of this. Those who say this are basically claiming to be an island of Theology that is understood only by themselves and their personal interpretations of the inspired writings of the Christian Faith. Such people have created untold number of false teachings and have led many into a false sense of being the only ones that are right.

So what does one do? Perhaps bend over and kiss their little theological posterior goodbye, because there is no way to apprehend in this world who is right and who is wrong in their group's theological grapplings. Perhaps, move out to the mountains, burn the theological books, and just get under the glory spout of God? Well, to be honest none of these will solve your dilemma.


Here in is the crux of living in community with God's people. How do I live in the midst of fellow believers whom hold to different beliefs within the Common Faith? For me it is to recognize that we as finite beings are simply not going to be perfect in our Theology. Simply and plainly all of us have looked through the lens of others in regards to what we believe that God would have us to hold as Orthodoxy and to walk in Orthopraxy of the Dogmas of our Theology.As much as my heart and mind tells me that the Bible is my sole authority, I still will be inclined to follow certain practices that "feel" right to me, seem "logical", or just plain have to be the right "authority" because I can prove it through my personal studies. I am still just finite in my abilities. Yes, I have the Holy Spirit that my spirit bears witness with and I also have the written witness of the Scriptures, yet I am still bound by my finiteness compared to the infinite wisdom of our Father.

Paul the Apostle said it best: 1 Corinthians 13:11-13 (King James Version) "When I was a child, I spake as a child, I understood as a child, I thought as a child: but when I became a man, I put away childish things. For now we see through a glass, darkly; but then face to face: now I know in part; but then shall I know even as also I am known. And now abideth faith, hope, charity, these three; but the greatest of these is charity. "


I do not wish that you would consider that there is no use to setting forth correct teachings and correct practices within your understanding of the Scriptures. Rather, it is my wish that we all might consider our plight in a fallen world, awaiting for our full revelation of who we are in Christ, that we need God in our lives rather than fitting God in our ways and means of seeking to please Him.

These two passages highly paraphrased in simple language perhaps say it best .

Ecclesiastes 8:16-17 (The Message Bible)"When I determined to load up on wisdom and examine everything taking place on earth, I realized that if you keep your eyes open day and night without even blinking, you'll still never figure out the meaning of what God is doing on this earth. Search as hard as you like, you're not going to make sense of it. No matter how smart you are, you won't get to the bottom of it."

Colossians 3:16 (The Message)"Let the peace of Christ keep you in tune with each other, in step with each other. None of this going off and doing your own thing. And cultivate thankfulness. Let the Word of Christ—the Message—have the run of the house. Give it plenty of room in your lives. Instruct and direct one another using good common sense. And sing, sing your hearts out to God! Let every detail in your lives—words, actions, whatever—be done in the name of the Master, Jesus, thanking God the Father every step of the way."

Have you ever thought of yourself as a robber?

What about Spiritual Robbery? Proverbs 1:19 (GNB) "Robbery always claims the life of the robber -- this is what happens to anyone who lives by violence"

Is it possible there are things that we are doing that could be robbing God? And in turn is claiming our lives? James 1:15 (NASB) "Then when lust has conceived, it gives birth to sin; and when sin is accomplished, it brings forth death." Both passages speak of an end to the results of choosing a lifestyle that brings violence into play.

I am speaking of actions in ones life that steal ones soul (mind,emotions, and will). What are the things that one can choose, that steal from their own self? Is there violence happening to that person's soul when he or she chooses to commit actions that is in opposition to the life God calls them to?

It is always good to say "Choose what is right","Speak Positive", and you will be fine in your walk with the Lord. Yet, there is always this corrective measure that the Word of God calls for and generally there is "Don't do that". So, if there are things in our lives that robs God and we as the robbers are having our lives claimed or as Apostle James puts it "and when sin is accomplished, it brings forth death.", what should we do?

Perhaps we have to root out the things that rob us of our lives. Similar to those little grub worms that lie beneath the surface around a plant. One cannot see it, but it will soon rob the life of that plant and it will bring death. Perhaps there are things that we participate in that are robbing God of His claim to our lives. In essence we are committing violence against our souls. Matthew 21:13 (KJV) "And said unto them, It is written, My house shall be called the house of prayer; but ye have made it a den of thieves."

Perhaps we should consider what we are allowing into our house (wills,emotions,minds)1 Peter 2:5 (AmpBible) "Come and, like living stones, be yourselves built into a spiritual house, for a holy (dedicated, consecrated) priesthood, to offer up [those] spiritual sacrifices [that are] acceptable and pleasing to God through Jesus Christ."

Perhaps it is time we see if we are allowing our lives to be claimed through participating in robbing God and thus robbing(bringing death) to ourselves. When one does this, it it is call "Confessing sins". Then "repenting of those sins" will bring life to those robbed areas of one's life and Spiritual Blessings will begin to flow.