Tuesday, December 6, 2011

Winning The Christian Race !

"Not that I have already obtained all this, or have already arrived at my goal, but I press on to take hold of that for which Christ Jesus took hold of me.  Brothers and sisters, I do not consider myself yet to have taken hold of it. But one thing I do: Forgetting what is behind and straining toward what is ahead,  I press on toward the goal to win the prize for which God has called me heavenward in Christ Jesus. "


"Not as though I had already attained!" This is the statement of a great Christian who never permitted himself to be satisfied with his spiritual attainments. Obviously, Paul was satisfied with Jesus Christ (Phil. 3:10), but he was not satisfied with his Christian life. A sanctified dissatisfaction is the first essential to progress in the Christian race.

Harry came out of the manager's office with a look on his face dismal enough to wilt the roses on the secretary's desk.

"You didn't get fired?" she asked.

"No, it's not that bad. But he sure did lay into me about my sales record. I can't figure it out; for the past month I've been bringing in plenty of orders. I thought he'd compliment me, but instead he told me to get with it."

Later in the day, the secretary talked to her boss about Harry. The boss chuckled. "Harry is one of our best salesmen and I'd hate to lose him. But he has a tendency to rest on his laurels and be satisfied with his performance. If I didn't get him mad at me once a month, he'd never produce!"

Many Christians are self-satisfied because they compare their "running" with that of other Christians, usually those who are not making much progress. Had Paul compared himself with others, he would have been tempted to be proud and perhaps to let up a bit. After all, there were not too many believers in Paul's day who had experienced all that he had! But Paul did not compare himself with others; he compared himself with himself and with Jesus Christ! The dual use of the word "perfect" in Philippians 3:12 and 15 explains his thinking. He has not arrived yet at perfection (Phil. 3:12), but he is "perfect" [mature] (Phil. 3:15), and one mark of this maturity is the knowledge that he is not perfect! The mature Christian honestly evaluates himself and strives to do better.

Often in the Bible we are warned against a false estimate of our spiritual condition. The church at Sardis had "a name that thou livest, and art dead" (Rev. 3:1). They had reputation without reality. The church at Laodicea boasted that it was rich, when in God's sight it was "wretched, and miserable, and poor, and blind, and naked" (Rev. 3:17). In contrast to the Laodicean church, the believers at Smyrna thought they were poor when they were really rich! (Rev. 2:9) Samson thought he still had his old power, but in reality it had departed from him (Jud. 16:20).

Self-evaluation can be a dangerous thing, because we can err in two directions: (1) making ourselves better than we are, or (2) making ourselves worse than we really are. Paul had no illusions about himself; he still had to keep "pressing forward" in order to "lay hold of that for which Christ laid hold" of him. A divine dissatisfaction is essential for spiritual progress. "As the hart panteth after the water brooks, so panteth my soul after thee, O God. My soul thirsteth for God, for the living God" (Ps. 42:1–2).


Tuesday, November 29, 2011

When Christians talk

Matt 12:36  

" I tell you, on the day of judgment people will give account for every careless word they speak,

for by your words you will be justified, and by your words you will be condemned."

 

Ephe 5:4 

"Let there be no filthiness nor foolish talk nor crude joking, which are out of place, but instead let there be thanksgiving." 

 

Ephe 5:11

"Take no part in the unfruitful works of darkness, but instead expose them." 

 

Everyone likes to talk, some very much, some not too much. Some talk because they have a lot of things to say, somebecause they just like to talk. The power of language is huge; communication (speaking) is a very strong tool. It is by it means that we communicate ourthoughts. It is by its use that messages are sent to everyone. If someone wants to share his ideas or thoughts, he just needs to talk, that simple. It is so powerful that whatever is said, people hear and believe in that.

 

For each speaker there is a listener, for every word spoken, there is someone who hears this. 

We all know that faith is a gift from God, but that faith comes from what we hear, and what we hear is the Gospel. 

 

Everyone talks everyday, most people talk about something they have heard, directly or indirectly (sometimes they talk about things that have been reported to them).

 

In our society, radio stations have so much success because they understood that people like to listen and to hear. The medias have understood that, and they are using this to promote everything. Many companies make use of radio to have their messages relayed to the population, because they know that people listen and that they believe in what they hear. It is something real that many have understood.

 

What does all this have to do with our Christian life? It would not matter if the Bible did not talk about our words. As Christians, we know that the Bible is the INSPIRED word of God. When we read our Bibles, it is as if God is talking to us directly. So we know that if something is in the Bible, it means that God wants us to consider what he has to say and to abide to it.

 

I came across those three verses in my Bible and since I read them, I have come to realize that our talk is important. In Matthew 12:36, Jesus says that on the judgement day, we will all need togive account for every careless word we have spoken, because we will be justified by our words or we will be condemned by our words. It cannot be clearer I think, the words speak for themselves; For every words we say, wewill be judge for it, it can bring us justification or condemnation. There is an important word there: careless. Careless means that we do things withoutcaring or thinking what outcome it can bring. Whatever we say, it has an effect on the people hearing and listening. It can be positive or negative, it canbring joy or it can bring sadness, it can bring edification or destructiveness.

Jesus is asking, is that we need to think carefully before we speak. We need to analyse what effect we can cause with our words. For if we cause harm, we will be condemned for that, but if we causejoy, love or edification we will be justified by these very words.

 

Jokes and stories form part of what we call socializing, we all like to laugh, to have a "good time" and to "chill", and its normal. However, we need still to make sure that we abide to Our Lord, for he tells us that filthiness, foolishness and crude joke should not be found in our talks. This indicates that even in our talking we need to be Holy. We know that we love to joke, but we cannot just joke about anything, we need to laugh, but we cannot laugh about anything. When we are in our close group of friends, we sometime joke about things that we would normally not joke with other people. It not unusual to find some sex-related Jokes, even if it not of pornographic character, most of the time it is related to sexual activities; we joke about our friends who are too sexually active, or those who are not too sexually active etc. I am sure you know what I am talking about!

 

 We think that we are in control and that we are not being out of respect, after all, we are among our friends and this is not to harm. The reality is that among our friends there is someonegreater and that is our God Almighty. Would we have such talks if we were in his presence? I do not think so. However we know that he is with us everywhere and every time. Would we be talking about these in church or in the temple? I think not! However we ARE the temple of God, so we cannot behave like this. We need to understand that God has called us to live Holy Lives, he has called us to be Holy, it is ours to see that we keep from everything that can corrupt us, we have no excuses because Jesus Christ by his death and resurrection has given us victory over all that is evil. 

 

It is true that these talks and jokes are part of our day-to-day life, but now, we live by the spirit and we are to exhibit the fruit of the spirit. This is our calling; this is what we are in Christ. I really do not think that Jesus was joking about other people, he was not joking about those who are thin or those who are fat, and He was not joking about other physical differences. A joke we say is no harm, but I do no think so, every joke off someone is harm.

 

We are the light of the world, we are the salt of the earth, and we are the witnesses of Jesus Christ. We need to be talking about the Gospel, we need to be talking about hope, love, compassion, Joy, peace and Salvation in Christ. It will surely do more good the person to share some words of encouragement, some words of the Gospel than to be laughing about stupid things. We can laugh for many things, we can joke on many things; however, remember that we are told that in whatever we do, we should be glorying theFather in the name of the Son. Are we doing this every time we open our mouth?

 

 

 

Tuesday, November 1, 2011

Prosperity Gospel - The LIE


Nineteenth-century pastor and author E.M. Bounds, who is well known for his writings on the subject of prayer, said it best, “Prayer honors God; it dishonors self” (Purpose in Prayer [Chicago: Moody, n.d.], 43). The scribes and Pharisees never understood that truth, and I fear the same is true for much of today’s church.
The waves of our indulgent, selfish, materialistic society have washed ashore on Christian theology in many forms, including the prosperity gospel. Although the Bible teaches that God is sovereign and man is His servant, the prosperity gospel implies the opposite. Teaching that claims we can demand things of God is spiritual justification for self-indulgence. It perverts prayer and takes the Lord’s name in vain. It is unbiblical, ungodly, and is not directed by the Holy Spirit.

Prayer begins and ends not with the needs of man but with the glory of God (John 14:13). It should be concerned primarily with who God is, what He wants, and how He can be glorified. Those who teach otherwise are not preoccupied with the extension of Christ’s kingdom or the glory of God’s name but with the enlargement of their own empire and the fulfillment of their own selfish desires. Such teaching attacks the heart of Christian truth—the very character of God.

It is a reality that the prosperity Gospel, described as “Jesus has your solution to all your financial problems. In Faith you will all be rich because God wants to bless everyone in abundance.” is very present in our church today. We have all come across those scripture verses that tell about the great blessings that come with faith and live under the reign of God.

The very poor (financially) non-believer, the struggling one or even the one who wants his life to be a success is easily attracted to this claim, that coming to Jesus, all his needs will be met and much more, he will live in abundance. Who on earth, will not be willing to have that? After all, it’s just asking to become a Christian!
While very popular in the African region, we have heard this teaching so many times on the biggest Christian TV channels, by the most popular and influential teachers and pastors. It is true also that so many small churches have turned into mega-money rich churches, and the Leaders of those are really wealthy, much to the blessings of the Lord as they say.

Most of the Pentecostal churches boast that message; and indeed many people have come to church with that idea, that somehow, their financial problem will be solved.
The outcome is that some (not a majority) are indeed saved (talking about their financial burden), but most people still struggle to get out. It is not a surprise to see that some people then change denomination, some after several tries, just abandon the “faith” (can we call that faith here then?) I have heard some time that the blame falls on the believer, as their faith is not strong enough to “create” the miracle.
A well-known saying is that you will receive as per your faith. I have some serious questions about this.
  • Is the reason here to become Christian is based on faith? More, are those people really saved?
  • Are those people aware of the sacrificial life of Jesus Are they aware of the judgment of God for those who still stay in SIN?
  • Are they aware of the true gospel?
  • Why do some succeed and why some fail?
  • Is the prosperity gospel right or wrong?
  • Is this a real doctrine? Do we need to be saved or to know Jesus to be financially at ease or blessed?
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I personally don’t think that it is right for it to become a doctrine, if we really understand what a biblical doctrine is, and then I am sure you will agree with me. Is prosperity or financial blessings a reality in the bible and is it biblical? Yes it is there, no doubt about that! Abraham, Job, Jacob, Isaac and some more were financially blessed.
BUT, the financial blessings were not the most important part of the blessings, nor did it come as THE reward for walking with God.

If we do a real study of those people, we will see that though they were financially at ease (Blessed) (at those time, they were wealthy, not necessarily having a lot of cash but in terms of herds etc. they were very rich), this was not their pleasure. They all preferred their sacred and trustful relationship with their creator GOD. Their main pleasure was to be able to dwell with God, to be able to stand in his presence, to be able to hear his voice and to ‘talk” to God. Being rich was not as important as being with God, as being faithful to God, as being obedient to the word of God. This is what their treasure was!

What then is so wrong with the Prosperity Gospel?
  1. It implies that every Christian MUST be financially blessed, proof of a blessed and saved life.
  2. It implies that every Christian must me having the best of what the world has to offer. (Best food, best car, best house, and best jobs, best everything!)
  3. It implies that every poor should once converted to Christianity, become rich and no longer be in need.
  4. It implies that we will be so rich that we will be living in great abundance.
  5. It carries the rule that to be blessed, one has to be giving and will be receiving more that he is sowing.
  6. It implies that if we are not giving (tithing), we will not be blessed as we are not respecting the rule of“giving to be blessed”
  7. It implies that only Christian must be rich, for God blesses all his sons.
1. For this to be a biblical doctrine it has to be a sort of rule that is very true in all aspect from the bible, that is, every single Christian MUST be financially at ease. It is not the case in the real world, we can choose: - Africa – India – China – Mauritius – Madagascar. There are many Christian in those countries; good, strong of faith, happy but poor Christian. They are still struggling financially, but they are at peace and in love with God. Then what should we say about them? Are they not saved and blessed?

2. Putting aside the “poor” Christians, we consider those who are not poor, but those who the society will classify as middle range; they do not have the best car, nor eat the best food, nor wear the best clothing, nor have the best jobs etc. But still they are very happy with what they have and have a true relationship with their Lord and Saviour Jesus. What should we say about them? Are their faith better that those above but still not strong enough?

3.Now we can also consider all the poor in every type of society, those who work hard every day, those who struggle to make a living; when they meet the Christ and start going to church, they still live in the same condition but are now anchored in God’s word. What do we make of them? What went wrong in their faith for they are still poor, and still in need?

4. This is the most common promise! What do we make of converted Christian who get only what is necessary to live, they are not in need, but not in excess to be taking pleasure of holidays, travelling, having big houses, no car, not even a bicycle! Where is the abundance promised? Are they also not enough strong of faith? Is their faith too small to “open the flood gates of heaven”?

5. Again, we need to turn to the poor; they do not have anything for themselves. Does that mean that they will not be blessed because they are not giving (tithing)? Are they out of the financial blessings because they are not tithing? Should they then from the little that they have (sometime not even enough to pay their food, or house rental) and give in hope to receive more? IS that the rule? Is that a lack of faith for not doing so, that is keeping them from being blessed?

6. What about those Christians who are involved in supporting the poor from all over the world? What about those Christian who do struggle but still find it possible to help the needy neighbor (even non-Christian – which is a very good thing) They readily give whatever they have to the needy, but because of so much issues inside the church, as they know that the money is wrongly utilized, they do not give to the church. Are they also doing wrong? Are they also not financially blessed because of that? Many Christian falls into that category, some might be giving to the church, but unable to give the 10%, for their salary is just enough to cover their basic needs. They give what they can. What about them? Have they also done something wrong for not being blessed? And what about those who make it a must to give 10 % of their earning every month but do not see any growth or any abundance? They do not get poorer, but they are “stagnant” if we can say so (financially speaking)

7. Lastly, why is it that so many non-Christians are so rich and wealthy? Why is it that so many people who we know have very bad moral, who are very active in sins, who have no respect for God, who despise our Christian faith, why are they so “blessed”? SO it seems that being a Christian is not a requirement to become rich, to be blessed. IS that not a blessing not to have money problems? Is that not a blessing to have abundance? Is that not a blessing to have the best of what the world has to offer?

The Bible has other views of Prosperity and Suffering!


One of the reasons it consider the “Prosperity Gospel” as being false is because there are so many places in the Bible where it is mentioned that suffering, poverty, hardship and other kind of struggling are part of our life. Poverty is not a sign of lack of faith; moreover, faith in such setting is even blessed by God. God ask of us to show faith, patience and faithfulness in whatever situation we are; giving thanks and praises to the Lord in Heaven. I want to walk you through some of these verses that talks about faith, blessings, faithfulness, without financial blessings, but where suffering (in whatever condition) is better.
Let’s consider the following biblical verses
1 Peter 3
“Whose adorning -- let it not be that which is outward, of plaiting of hair, and of putting around of things of gold, or of putting on of garments, but -- the hidden man of the heart, in the incorruptible thing of the meek and quiet spirit, which is, before God, of great price, For `he who is willing to love life, and to see good days, let him guard his tongue from evil, and his lips -- not to speak guile;”
“Let him turn aside from evil, and do good, let him seek peace and pursue it; because the eyes of the Lord [are] upon the righteous, and His ears -- to their supplication, and the face of the Lord [is] upon those doing evil;' and who [is] he who will be doing you evil, if of Him who is good ye may become imitators? But if ye also should suffer because of righteousness, happy [are ye]! And of their fear be not afraid, nor be troubled, and the Lord God sanctify in your hearts. And [be] ready always for defense to every one who is asking of you an account concerning the hope that [is] in you, with meekness and fear”
Here, Peter is talking about what is best toward God, notice that he mention that it is not what is outward (mention of gold, best garments etc.) that will make us better, or that will prove to be a good living for God. It is our meekness, our inside heart, our quiet spirit and our dedication to turn from evil. He even mention that if we are suffering, because of righteousness (an example could be refusing to pay to get more business, refusing to work unethically even if that means not getting better business), we should be happy and neither afraid nor troubled because the Lord is with us!
The way of the Lord is one of purity, love and holiness. We live in a world where everyone is running after happiness, and many think that money will bring happiness. Doing so, they run after money. Many will do anything to get more and more, forgetting about the real value of life, forgetting about moral values, forgetting about what The Lord really requires from us. In their fight to get the best, in their quest to achieve
the highest point, they will “survive” at all cost. There are illicit business practices and everyone does that. BUT it is not because everyone is doing it that it is good! As Christian, we have a rule: Whatever we do, we do it in the name of Jesus for the Lord. If the Lord takes pleasure in what we do, then it is okay. We should not be doing as the world is doing. We should win business in clean ways.

Driving the best cars, having the best brand garments will not be a proof that God is blessings us. Even the ungodly have those riches, what really counts is what our relationship is growing, how much we are putting into practice what we have learned from Jesus, hoe much we are obeying his commandments! This is the true sign that we are pleasing God

1Peter 4


“Christ, then, having suffered for us in the flesh, ye also with the same mind arm yourselves, because he who did suffer in the flesh hath done with sin, no more in the desires of men, but in the will of God, to live the rest of the time in the flesh;”
Beloved think it not strange at the fiery suffering among you that is coming to try you, as if a strange thing were happening to you,
“But, according as ye have fellowship with the sufferings of the Christ, rejoice ye, that also in the revelation of his glory ye may rejoice -- exulting; if ye be reproached in the name of Christ -- happy [are ye], because the Spirit of glory and of God upon you doth rest; in regard, indeed, to them, he is evil-spoken of, and in regard to you, he is glorified; or let none of you suffer as a murderer, or thief, or evil-doer, or as an inspector into other men's matters; and if as a Christian, let him not be ashamed; and let him glorify God in this respect; because it is the time of the beginning of the judgment from the house of God, and if first from us, what the end of those disobedient to the good news of God? And if the righteous man is scarcely saved, the ungodly and sinner -- where shall he appear? So that also those suffering according to the will of god, as to a steadfast Creator, let them commit their own souls in good doing.”


Peter is talking about how Jesus endured a hard time paying our debts of SIN. Then he urges us all to have the same mind and be ready to suffer. It is a very deep call. What does that really mean? What is Peter talking about here? I think that the key word here is “same mind”, it refers to have the same mindset as Jesus had. Jesus came to save the sinners, so should we (though we cannot save them but we can share the Gospel to them).

Jesus came to heal the poor, to attend to the needy and to take care of others, most of all, Jesus came to make a gift of Himself and not seek his won pleasures, not seek to gain pleasure but rather to take the suffering of others and relieve them. This is exactly what Peter is calling us to do. This is the essential message that Jesus has been giving; Do not seek to gain, but seek to Give.

Again Peter mentions that suffering is part of our Christian life, and again, we should suffer everything except for the worn reasons (being condemned for some wrong doings). Verse 19 mentions that if we are suffering according to the Will of God, let us do it gladly. We should be rejoicing and happy in our suffering for we know that the Spirit of God is upon us, that is all that we need! Nothing more nothing less! His Grace is enough and we should be thankful and full of praise in every second of our lives because we KNOW that God is in Control and that our life is in his hands.

Matthew 5 – The Sermon on the Mount – The Beatitudes

“And seeing the multitudes, he went up into a mountain: and when he was set, his disciples came unto him: And he opened his mouth, and taught them, saying,
Blessed are the poor in spirit: for theirs is the kingdom of heaven. Blessed are they that mourn: for they shall be comforted. Blessed are the meek: for they shall inherit the earth. Blessed are they, which do hunger, and thirst after righteousness: for they shall be filled. Blessed are the merciful: for they shall obtain mercy. Blessed are the pure in heart: for they shall see God. Blessed are the peacemakers: for they shall be called the children of God. Blessed are they, which are persecuted for righteousness’ sake: for theirs is the kingdom of heaven. Blessed are ye, when men shall revile you, and persecute you, and shall say all manner of evil against you falsely, for my sake. Rejoice, and be exceeding glad: for great is your reward in heaven: for so persecuted they the prophets which were before you.”


Reading the passage above, I do not see any mention of financial blessings, and we all know that those are the blessings that Jesus himself is proclaiming to all of us. I will not write a lot on this, please do consult my other article “ The Beatitudes – A Study of Christ Blessings” for more detailed insight.
Mark 10:20-25


“And he answered and said unto him, Master, all these have I observed from my youth. Then Jesus beholding him loved him, and said unto him, One thing thou lackest: go thy way, sell whatsoever thou hast, and give to the poor, and thou shalt have treasure in heaven: and come, take up the cross, and follow me. And he was sad at that saying, and went away grieved: for he had great possessions. And Jesus looked round about, and saith unto his disciples, How hardly shall they that have riches enter into the kingdom of God! And the disciples were astonished at his words. But Jesus answereth again, and saith unto them, Children, how hard is it for them that trust in riches to enter into the kingdom of God! It is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle, than for a rich man to enter into the kingdom of God.”


In those Days, it was common that the Jews were very rich people, their were some who were devout followers of the laws and were really doing there best to be admitted in the circle of “God’s People”. While Jesus was preaching one day, there came a man who asked him how to get to heaven. Now this is a very important passage because it deals with our dealing with money and things from the earth. The first thing that Jesus asks of him is to go and sell all his possession (on earth) so that he can get a treasure in heaven (eternal life). This is to show that we should not be attached to whatever material things we have, they are not important; God is, and should be the one thing we are attached to.

Unfortunately the young man was very attached to his great possessions and he went away grieved, meaning that he could not get this part done. He has worked so hard to get to this position but now he needs to turn away from that. Then follows this great remark from Jesus: “It will be hard for them that trust in riches to enter the kingdom of God” and again “It is easier for a camel... than for a rich man to enter the kingdom of God”. I have some questions about this; why did Jesus ask this young man to give away his riches? Remember that Jesus knew he was a good man (Jesus Loved him). I see that Jesus is here making a point about the riches that the world can give, and pointing to the riches that Heaven provides! We should understand from here that the priority is not to get rich in this world, but to be rich in heaven (in our faith). Jesus is certainly not telling that Prosperity is a sign of blessings, rather giving up everything is what is asked of us (or minimum, we should have a heart ready to do so)

Would Jesus ask this from that man if his gospel were about Prosperity Blessings? Why would Jesus wants us to have so much money if he requires us to be willing to give all these away and follow him?
Some might argue that Jesus is talking to those who like money in a metaphor, but no, he is talking about the money and financial ease we are dwelling in. There is a reality, those who have money do not think they have any needs; they rarely go to God, it is not same for all people, but most are like that. But those who are poor, those people constantly turn to God and cry out to God to come to them and save them. They are the one that always give praise and thanks for whatever they receive and always see the grace of God in everything they receive. This is the heart that God is looking for.

Prosperity Theology

The strain of false teaching known as prosperity theology or the “health and wealth” gospel is a distortion of a few proof texts on God’s willingness to bless His children. While God does bless His children, most of His blessings are internal, those that form Christ in us (see Gal. 4:19).

One often misunderstood passage is Mark 10:29–30:

“I tell you the truth,” Jesus replied, “no one who has left home or brothers or sisters or mother or father or children or fields for me and the gospel will fail to receive a hundred times as much in this present age (homes, brothers, sisters, mothers, children and fields—and with them persecutions) and in the age to come, eternal life.”


The promise that the disciples would receive a hundredfold cannot be meant materially—how can one receive a hundred mothers, except figuratively? The idea is that leaving worldly wealth behind is rewarded in this life by the fact that, while having nothing, he yet possesses everything (see 2 Cor. 6:10). Prosperity theology is an attempt to justify greed.6

Abraham Promise: Gen 12:1-3
“And Jehovah had said to Abram, Go out of thy land, and from thy kindred, and from thy father’s house, to the land that I will shew thee. 2 And I will make of thee a great nation, and bless thee, and make thy name great; and thou shalt be a blessing. 3 And I will bless them that bless thee, and curse him that curseth thee; and in thee shall all families of the earth be blessed.”


The same thing can be said of the promises made to Abraham, that he was to be very prosperous and that trough him all the nation will be prosperous. This promise has been taken out of context by people who has not done a proper bible study (with the Holy-Spirit); They have just been reading and placing their faith on very old teachings that have been passed down up to now. There is a very strong reason why God has blessed Abraham and those that followed that much. His plan was to show to other people or nations; all of them were Pagan and did not “Know” God; that those who walked with him, that those who obeyed him will be blessed by him. Abraham was called from Sumerian paganism to faith in the living God.

IN doing so, God’s plan was to show to everyone that he holds blessings and that HE was the REAL and ONLY God. He had to establish a nation, and he had to build his temple. He was to bless his nation so that they could become strong and rich enough to be able to grow into a strong nation. The blessings came in various ways (intelligence, wisdom, financial- large flock of animals etc.). God was in motion to create out of nothing a strong nation that will carry his name.

Joseph Blessings to become the richest man Gen 39:1-41:57
“And Pharaoh said to Joseph, Since God has made all this known to thee, there is none so discreet and wise as thou. Thou shalt be over my house, and according to thy commandment shall all my people regulate themselves; only concerning the throne will I be greater than thou. And Pharaoh said to Joseph, See, I have set thee over all the land of Egypt. And Pharaoh took off his ring from his hand, and put it on Joseph’s hand, and arrayed him in clothes of byssus, and put a gold chain on his neck. And he caused him to ride in the second chariot that he had; and they cried before him, Bow the knee! And he set him over all the land of Egypt. And Pharaoh said to Joseph, I am Pharaoh; and without thee shall no man lift up his hand or his foot in all the land of Egypt. And Pharaoh called Joseph’s name Zaphnath-paaneah, and gave him as wife Asnath the daughter of Potipherah the priest in On. And Joseph went out over the land of Egypt.”
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What can we say or learn from Joseph’s life? He was blessed; he became the richest man of the World and had every man (except pharaoh) kneel before him. But we need to read the whole context to understand the real plan of God. There was much more that just simple blessing Joseph. God’s plan was to save the People of Jacob and he was at work again to show that he is the Great One.

He demonstrated through Joseph that he was the one TRUE God who could give the explanation to the dreams (remember that none of the priest could do it). He also blessed Joseph to show that HE alone provides wisdoms and that no man can make up to God’s wisdom. Do note that Joseph had to endure a very long moment of suffering and hard time. But he just maintained his faith in God.

From my study on that matter, from some small-group study we had, from some proper bible study and reading, I can say with certainty that the “Prosperity Gospel” is a wrong one. I even can say that this is a perversion of what the Bible teaches on prosperity and blessings.

Indeed God brings material blessings (this can be anything staring from crops – to animals etc.), God do provide financial blessings, but it is not an automatic stuff. Not everyone is blessed financially. We need to remember the teachings of our Lord Jesus against money, not that money is bad. Remember the parables of the rich man, how he was asked to leave all his wealth. Remember that we are to seek for things of the kingdom and not those of the world. Remember the Sermon on the Mount.

Most of all, the blessings came surely to those who has been very faithful to the lord and to whom God had great plan to show his greatness. Though some time required, it is not a necessity, and we cannot make a doctrine out of this.

For, the truth is that it’s not an automatic thing to be materially blessed; it is not a certainty or an obligation to God that everyone will be financially in abundance and having the best that the world has to offer.
There is no place where it is mentioned that financial blessings will be a sign to all believers that God is with them. In so doing, the “prosperity Gospel” teachers are making Christians worshipper of money, for they give birth to the “need” or “will” to be financially blessed. This develops in certain individual the sin of envy, and we know that with envy, we can fall into all sorts of traps, thinking that God is behind any opportunities that can bring financial growth.

We lose our sense of discernment and we leave place for greed and cupidity.

It is a lie indeed or a perversion, to put forward the financial gain in trusting Jesus. Because, we are “selling” faith, we are coming back to the "indulgences” once sold by the Catholics to reserve a place in heaven.
The impact of this gospel is very deep, it has tremendous implications in church administration and level, it has tremendous implication in the way we believe, in the way we see ourselves, and in the way we see others.
The saddest part is that this kind of gospel is being preached by most of our churches nowadays, and it practically a SIN now, if you talk against that!
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Monday, September 5, 2011

Quest for Knowledge or Quest for Ego ? The wrong Bible Study.

It is well known that knowledge is needed if we want to be free. If we have little knowledge , little can we do , for we do not know what is available to us.

Same goes for our Christian life, the less knowledge we have , the less we can benefit from what God has for us.

Hosea 4:6 says :

“My people are destroyed for lack of knowledge: because thou hast rejected knowledge, I will also reject thee, that thou shalt be no priest to me: seeing thou hast forgotten the law of thy God, I will also forget thy children.”

It is undeniable that we need to know God. For without knowledge of his Word, we cannot do what is pleasing to him and keep from what is abomination to him, nor can we find pleasure in the blessings HE has for us, nor learn the marvels that our ancestors have accomplished by faith.

But there is a real danger in that quest for knowledge, there is that ego of many people to KNOW MORE.

This is what is destroying the church today , it is also destroying individuals and families. We see a lot of people coming forward with Revelations from the Bible, with new Knowledge, new Doctrine.

It seems that a lot of people think that the BIBLE is full of codes, that the true meaning is hidden and that only a few enlighten people can get access to that “truth”. I have been surfing on the internet to see how many claims there are and it is amazing how much “truths” we find out there, incidentally most of these “truths” are not mentioned in the bible and those people claim that the Holy-Spirit “REVEALED” that to them. Of course the Holy-Spirit is here to "REVEAL to us the word of GOD. But the Holy-Spirit is OF God and FROM God; and the Bible being the WORD of GOD , has to be the real thing. How come that the Holy Spirit then can reveal something that is AGAINST the WORD of GOD ?

The Davinci Code , the Gospel of Judas and so many more has not help ! I wonder how people believe in such things, How strong is their faith , for they just turn to any new things that comes up. Have they been experiencing a relationship with God ?

The World runs after the sensational, new ideas, and new ways of life; I think that some Christian has fallen into that trap. they are caught up into that need to be the new Einstein or the new Luther, Calvin , Wesley or even the new Jesus ( I have heard that one also ! ) and in that making, they are studying the Bible for the wrong reasons.

Why ? because the reason for their study is to find new things that will change or revolutionise the Christian World, they want to bring a new revelation ! They want to find hidden meaning, hidden codes or other rubbishes that is really polluting us ! The agenda is very personal, because they want to be acclaimed, they want to THE reference, they want to be known as a Wise Man, they want the world to recognise them as someone who has found the real truth behind the truth !!

The danger is that those Wise man are doing things to please the World, they want to be accepted. Yes indeed God is Love, for he commands us to Love our neighbour as ourselves ! But we do all these out of respect and in relation to the commandments of GOD. Whatever we do or say out-of-love cannot be abomination to our God and his commands.

We all know that God forbids many practices, HE knows all, and he must have a reason to forbid these. Faith is not a to do list of course, but it is highly related to obedience to GOD. For Sure we live under Grace now, but how many understand that Grace ? How many do really know what that Grace means and what God expects from us ?

Today, spirituality is the most talked topic. Everyone wants to be spiritual.  What does that mean ? It means being in touch with the spiritual world and it is possible to attain that. There are various ways to attain that, but only one is good and permitted, the other ways or not good, plain simple. I do not wish to talk on spirituality today, but this is what made so many people desperately go astray !

Even Rob Bell with Everything is Spiritual wanted to do something good, but in his quest, he has gone away from the fundamental teaching, that GOD is the Authority and the Bible is HIS Word.

2 Kings 21:6 He sacrificed his own son in the fire, practiced sorcery and divination, and consulted mediums and spiritists. He did much evil in the eyes of the LORD, provoking him to anger.

Jeremiah 27:9 So do not listen to your prophets, your diviners, your interpreters of dreams, your mediums or your sorcerers who tell you, 'You will not serve the king of Babylon.'

Deuteronomy 18:14 For these nations, which thou shalt possess, hearkened unto observers of times, and unto diviners: but as for thee, the LORD thy God hath not suffered thee so to do.

Leviticus 20:6 "'I will set my face against the person who turns to mediums and spiritists to prostitute himself by following them, and I will cut him off from his people.

Deuteronomy 18:10 Let no one be found among you who sacrifices his son or daughter in the fire, who practices divination or sorcery, interprets omens, engages in witchcraft,

There is that sense of being the one who speaks on behalf of God. Or that  sense of being THE chosen one with the new revelation from GOD. SO many “Godly” people fall into that trap, that makes me wonder if they were ever Godly ! Another question might be : What is a Godly Man ?

The thing is, we see many people rise all over the world with some ay followers , and I do not understand why those people don't read their bible themselves and let the true Spirit teach them. Why do they desperately want the bible to have another meaning ? Why Will GOD HIDE what he as for us ?

Jesus used Parables because in his time, he was following GOD’s Plan for that particular time, Even Daniel was told to hide his revelations until the proper time.

Now those new wise men make allusion to Daniel and the Parables to explain that God has hidden some meaning in the Bible and that they are the one who can find those Divinely !

They have missed something that true faithful believers have found ! Jesus when he ascended has sent us the Comforter, the Teacher and the Helper ! Jesus has been revealed and there is nothing more hidden !

What is even more bizarre is that their knowledge of the bible is most of the time based out of the Bible, they explain those new revelation based on other mystical books that they have read (Monks, New Age, Hinduism, Buddhism , Sufism etc.) I wonder how so many people has done down the centuries without those new revelations ! are they lost ?

I am really concerned about this, because this is the world of tomorrow, the long term effect of such people is the complete denial of biblical truths or worse the complete miss-interpretations of Sound Biblical doctrines that will lead to a complete God-Less world or as my dear friend Dr JOnes would say, in a One-IST World , where everything is GOD and GOD is Everything.

Thursday, August 18, 2011

Judge Not ?


By Yomi Adegboye

Many times, Christians throw the phrase, “Judge not!” at those who in obedience to Scriptures exercise discernment in refuting error and exposing falsehood in the Church. Here I present a detailed study of what the Bible says about judging or not judging.

Introduction: A key to rightly interpreting Scriptures is to see the meaning of a statement within the immediate context in which it is used. This helps us to see clearly what is being said in order to avoid arriving at wrong conclusions. The word often translated “judge” are the verbs krino, anakrino, and diakrino. They primarily denote “to determine, pronounce judgment, examine, investigate, question, to exercise discernment, to contend, consider”.

Do Not Judge Hypocritically:

  • Matthew 7:1-5 1 “Judge not, that you be not judged. 2 “For with what judgment you judge, you will be judged; and with the measure you use, it will be measured back to you. 3 “And why do you look at the speck in your brother’s eye, but do not consider the plank in your own eye? 4 “Or how can you say to your brother, ‘Let me remove the speck from your eye’; and look, a plank is in your own eye? 5 “Hypocrite! First remove the plank from your own eye, and then you will see clearly to remove the speck from your brother’s eye.

Looking at the context of what Jesus said above, He was not commanding us not to judge. He was commanding us not to judge if we are guilty of the same thing we are seeking to correct. In other words, don’t be a hypocrite.

In verse 6, Jesus said: “Do not give what is holy to the dogs; nor cast your pearls before swine, lest they trample them under their feet, and turn and tear you in pieces”. But there is no way we can tell who is a “dog” and who is “swine”, except we judge. But we must not judge as hypocrites.

A few verses later Jesus said, “Beware of false prophets…You will know them by their fruits” (Matthew 7:15,16,20). Again Jesus demands spiritual discernment. In Jesus’ view it is not “judging” to conclude that someone is a false prophet.

Judge Not In Non-essentials:

  • Romans 14:1-6 1 Receive one who is weak in the faith, but not to disputes over doubtful things. 2 For one believes he may eat all things, but he who is weak eats only vegetables. 3 Let not him who eats despise him who does not eat, and let not him who does not eat judge him who eats; for God has received him. 4 Who are you to judge another’s servant? To his own master he stands or falls. Indeed, he will be made to stand, for God is able to make him stand. 5 One person esteems one day above another; another esteems every day alike. Let each be fully convinced in his own mind. 6 He who observes the day, observes it to the Lord; and he who does not observe the day, to the Lord he does not observe it. He who eats, eats to the Lord, for he gives God thanks; and he who does not eat, to the Lord he does not eat, and gives God thanks.

If you look at this passage, it is with reference to judging others about “doubtful things” (see verse 1). These are issues the Bible gives no commandments about e.g. what to eat, which day to fellowship etc. We are not to judge anyone on such issues.

Other references: 1 Corinthians 10:23-33; Colossians 2:16-17

Handling Personal Issues: In handling personal disputes, the Bible tells us not to take our brother to a court of law, but that a believer among us is to do the judging.

  • 1 Corinthians 6:1-5 1 Dare any of you, having a matter against another, go to law before the unrighteous, and not before the saints? 2 Do you not know that the saints will judge the world? And if the world will be judged by you, are you unworthy to judge the smallest matters? 3 Do you not know that we shall judge angels? How much more, things that pertain to this life? 4 If then you have judgments concerning things pertaining to this life, do you appoint those who are least esteemed by the church to judge? 5 I say this to your shame. Is it so, that there is not a wise man among you, not even one, who will be able to judge between his brethren? 12 For what have I to do to judge them also that are without? do not ye judge them that are within?

As we can see from the context, Christians are to be able to judge or mediate in inter-personal affairs, and this should be done privately. This is about a brother wronging another, not about public false teaching. It also makes it clear that we are not to expect unbelievers to live by Bible standards, since they do not know God anyway.

We Are To Judge Righteously:

  • John 7:23-24 23 “If a man receives circumcision on the Sabbath, so that the law of Moses should not be broken, are you angry with Me because I made a man completely well on the Sabbath? 24 “Do not judge according to appearance, but judge with righteous judgment.”

We are not to judge using appearances such as our opinion, society, human wisdom, or culture as standards. The right standard to use in making a judgment is God’s Word.

If One Is Spiritual, One Should Judge All Things:

  • 1 Corinthians 2:13-15 13 These things we also speak, not in words which man’s wisdom teaches but which the Holy Spirit teaches, comparing spiritual things with spiritual. 14 But the natural man does not receive the things of the Spirit of God, for they are foolishness to him; nor can he know them, because they are spiritually discerned. 15 But he who is spiritual judges all things, yet he himself is rightly judged by no one.

We Are To Judge What Ministers Teach and Say:

Acts 17:10-12 (Anakrino = Searched, Scrutinize, Investigate, Interrogate, Determine, Question, Ask, Discern, Examine, Judge)

  • 10 And the brethren immediately sent away Paul and Silas by night unto Berea: who coming thither went into the synagogue of the Jews. 11 These were more noble than those in Thessalonica, in that they received the word with all readiness of mind, and searched the scriptures daily, whether those things were so.

They “judged” Paul’s teachings. Even Paul made it clear that he required people to judge the things he told them:

  • 1 Corinthians 10:15 15 I speak as to wise men; judge ye what I say.

Prophecies and supernatural manifestations are to be judged:

1 Corinthians 14:29 (Diakrino = Separate Thoroughly, Discern, Judge, Contend, Discriminate)

  • 29 Let the prophets speak two or three, and let the other judge.

Unless You “Judge”, Then You Cannot Obey Many Scriptures: The Bible gives many instructions that require exercising judgment. Without judging, obedience to those commandments is not possible. If you do not judge or exercise judgment, you cannot obey:

  • 1 Corinthians 5:11 11 But now I have written unto you not to keep company, if any man that is called a brother be a fornicator, or covetous, or an idolater, or a railer, or a drunkard, or an extortioner; with such an one no not to eat.

Or this:

  • 2 Timothy 3:5 (Apotrepo = Turn Away, Deflect, Avoid) 5 Having a form of godliness, but denying the power thereof: from such turn away.

Or this:

  • 1 Timothy 6:3-5 3 If anyone teaches otherwise and does not consent to wholesome words, even the words of our Lord Jesus Christ, and to the doctrine which accords with godliness, 4 he is proud, knowing nothing, but is obsessed with disputes and arguments over words, from which come envy, strife, reviling, evil suspicions, 5 useless wranglings of men of corrupt minds and destitute of the truth, who suppose that godliness is a means of gain. From such withdraw yourself.

Or this:

  • Romans 16:17 17 Now I urge you, brethren, note those who cause divisions and offenses, contrary to the doctrine which you learned, and avoid them.

Or this:

  • 2 Thessalonians 3:6 6 Now we command you, brethren, in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, that ye withdraw yourselves from every brother that walketh disorderly, and not after the tradition which he received of us.

Or this:

  • Titus 1:10-14 10 For there are many insubordinate, both idle talkers and deceivers, especially those of the circumcision, 11 whose mouths must be stopped, who subvert whole households, teaching things which they ought not, for the sake of dishonest gain. 12 One of them, a prophet of their own, said, “Cretans are always liars, evil beasts, lazy gluttons.” 13 This testimony is true. Therefore rebuke them sharply, that they may be sound in the faith, 14 not giving heed to Jewish fables and commandments of men who turn from the truth.

For example, those who say “Judge not!” in response to a Christian exercising discernment in matters of doctrine and behaviour immediately make themselves hypocrites. For in saying “Judge not”, they themselves have judged. Judging is an integral part of the Christian life. We only need to see clearly where we are commanded to or not to judge and act accordingly.

The Unity of the Body

The teachings of Jesus and the apostles make it clear that we are to discern (judge) false teachings and false teachers, and to stay away from such people. See Romans 16:17; 1 Timothy 6:3-5. Romans 16:17 in particular tells us that it is those who teach things contrary to what Jesus and the apostles taught that are dividing the Body of Christ. That is why we are told to stay away from them. Those correcting and judging are the ones mending the division.

Jesus Judged

  • Matthew 3:7 7 But when he saw many of the Pharisees and Sadducees coming to his baptism, he said to them, “Brood of vipers! Who warned you to flee from the wrath to come?”

And in the following passage, the most Spirit-filled man that ever lived, used some amazing language in judging and rebuking certain men:

  • Matthew 23:29-33 29 “Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! Because you build the tombs of the prophets and adorn the monuments of the righteous, 30 “and say, ‘If we had lived in the days of our fathers, we would not have been partakers with them in the blood of the prophets.’ 31 “Therefore you are witnesses against yourselves that you are sons of those who murdered the prophets. 32 “Fill up, then, the measure of your fathers’ guilt. 33 “Serpents, brood of vipers! How can you escape the condemnation of hell?

Paul Judged

Paul judged Elymas in Acts 13: 9

Then Saul, who also is called Paul, filled with the Holy Spirit, looked intently at him 10 and said,

  • ‘“O full of all deceit and all fraud, you son of the devil, you enemy of all righteousness, will you not cease perverting the straight ways of the Lord?

Paul judged the fornicator among the Corinthians and encouraged them to do so too:

  • 1 Corinthians 5:3 3 For I indeed, as absent in body but present in spirit, have already judged (as though I were present) him who has so done this deed.

Paul judged Peter’s actions:

  • Galatians 2:11 11 “Now when Peter had come to Antioch, I withstood him to his face, because he was to be blamed.”

Paul judged Hymenaeus and Philetus:

  • 2 Timothy 2:15-18 15 Be diligent to present yourself approved to God, a worker who does not need to be ashamed, rightly dividing the word of truth. 16 But shun profane and idle babblings, for they will increase to more ungodliness. 17 And their message will spread like cancer. Hymenaeus and Philetus are of this sort, 18 who have strayed concerning the truth, saying that the resurrection is already past; and they overthrow the faith of some.

Peter Judged

Peter judged in the case of Ananias and Saphirra (Acts 5:1-10). The two of them ended up dead.

Peter Judged Simon in Acts 8:20-23: 20

  • But Peter said to him, “Your money perish with you, because you thought that the gift of God could be purchased with money! 21 “You have neither part nor portion in this matter, for your heart is not right in the sight of God. 22 “Repent therefore of this your wickedness, and pray God if perhaps the thought of your heart may be forgiven you. 23 “For I see that you are poisoned by bitterness and bound by iniquity.”

Jesus Commended Believers Who Judged Ministers

Jesus commended the Ephesians for testing and exposing certain men who claimed to be God’s ministers as liars:

  • Revelations 2:22 “I know your works, your labor, your patience, and that you cannot bear those who are evil. And you have tested those who say they are apostles and are not, and have found them liars; Jesus didn’t strike the Ephesians with sickness or pestilence for “touching the Lord’s anointed”.Rather, He commended them for a job well done. In the passage below, we also see that He rebuked those who tolerated false teachings and refused to judge the teachers behind the falsehood:
  • Revelations 2:20 20 Nevertheless I have a few things against you, because you allow that woman Jezebel, who calls herself a “prophetess, to teach and seduce My servants to commit sexual immorality and eat things sacrificed to idols.

If we do not do a balanced study of the Bible on any subject, we will arrive at wrong conclusions, and be found guilty by God. The Bible tells believers not to judge in certain ways and on certain issues, but also commands us to judge in others.

Where are the Preachers who will Obey Scriptures?

Those who are ministers especially have a strong role to play here. Instructions to Timothy and Titus (ministers) specifically require them to judge and rebuke sharply (2 Timothy 4:2-4; Titus 1:13). We see that Jesus, John the Baptist, Paul and Peter did this. They rebuked false teachings and teachers and wrong practices sharply. As strong as their words were, it was all in love, and perfectly Scriptural.

We also see that their “judging” and rebukes, often done publicly, did not divide the Body. It is God’s way of righting wrongs and keeping the leaven of errors from spreading. Yes; those exposed and rebuked did not always repent, but that is between them and God.

Biblical judgment, discernment and rebuke is required if the purposes of God are to be fulfilled. As it is written, indeed, “Faithful are the wounds of a friend; but the kisses of an enemy are deceitful.” (Proverbs 27:6).

Judging False Teachers Not fruit of the Spirit? A number of people have gone over the top about the fact that I personalize points when I refute error, and especially that I dare to agree with what Scriptures say about a category of men.

In the words of one of them, “All he does is ridicule Christian Ministries all over the world with his arrogant, haughty, self righteous, wicked, insulting, holier than thou tone! (I don’t see the fruit of the spirit in any of those characteristics)”

But if judging with sharp words is not the fruit of the Spirit, how do we explain the often harsh, judgmental and intolerant language of God’s most faithful in the Bible? All through the Old and New Testaments, those who loved God the most used the very harshest of words on false teachers and prophets. Were they not Spirit-filled? Were they not walking in love?

Here are a few examples from Scriptures.

Hear Jesus

  • Matthew 23:27 27 “Woe unto you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! for ye are like unto whited sepulchres, which indeed appear beautiful outward, but are within full of dead men’s bones, and of all uncleanness.”

I am also wondering how much of the fruit of the Spirit modern Christians would have seen in Jesus when He drove people out of the temple in Jerusalem the way He did? Does this Man overturning tables and throwing things around sound like the sweet Jesus that deceived men have taught us? Our generation does not seem to know the real Jesus. They’ve been told about another person who is so tolerant that he smiles at everyone and pronounces blessings on evil-doers.

Thank God the real Jesus was – and is – nothing like that. And He is not the only one who walked this intolerant road.

Hear Stephen

Stephen is a man the Bible refers to as full of the Spirit and wisdom. See his presentation of the good news:

  • Acts 7:51-54 51 “You stiffnecked and uncircumcised in heart and ears! You always resist the Holy Spirit; as your fathers did, so do you. 52 “Which of the prophets did your fathers not persecute? And they killed those who foretold the coming of the Just One, of whom you now have become the betrayers and murderers, 53 “who have received the law by the direction of angels and have not kept it.” 54 When they heard these things they were cut to the heart, and they gnashed at him with their teeth.

Certainly doesn’t sound like good news. At least to the postmodern, liberal believer. Certainly very holier-than-thou, it sounds. Certainly not a ‘humble’ way to present the Gospel to people. The rebuke was so stinging that the hearers were cut to their heart and gnashed their teeth.

Hear Paul

Apostle Paul was ‘bad’. Hear him:

  • Galatians 1:8, 9 8 But even if we, or an angel from heaven, preach any other gospel to you than what we have preached to you, let him be accursed. 9 As we have said before, so now I say again, if anyone preaches any other gospel to you than what you have received, let him be accursed.

I haven’t even started with woes and curses yet, and I have been branded ‘the accuser of the brethren’.

Hear Peter

Simon, the ex-sorcerer, had just gotten saved. Then he offered the apostles money, believing to share in their anointing. That’s much like what we see going on today. A young minister takes a ’seed’ to an ‘anointed man of God’ because he wants to tap into the man’s ‘anointing’. What’s so bad with that? But hear Peter:

  • Acts 8:21-23 “Your money perish with you, because you thought that the gift of God could be purchased with money! 21 “You have neither part nor portion in this matter, for your heart is not right in the sight of God. 22 “Repent therefore of this your wickedness, and pray God if perhaps the thought of your heart may be forgiven you. 23 “For I see that you are poisoned by bitterness and bound by iniquity.”

That sounds very judgmental. For one, the guy is a ‘baby’ Christian; why not give him the benefit of doubt? He probably made a mistake. Peter didn’t think so. Peter’s words were as bad as it can be.

Rebuking in Love

Blind, deceived people may holler all they like about us not walking in love when we rebuke false teaching and their teachers. They know not the Scriptures, nor the power of God. Jesus was walking in love when He rebuked those religious leaders of His day who were twisting God’s Word for their own ends. Stephen was walking in love and full of the Spirit when he rebuked those who eventually killed him. Peter was walking in love when he hit Simon hard. Paul was walking in love when he ‘cursed’ (or whatever we choose to call what he did) those teaching error to the Galatians.

Note that these rebukes were often to ‘insiders’; yet they were sharp and may sound very judgmental. But they were in love all the same.

Let me say it up front: I do not care a chicken leg what I am called. Like the early apostles, I consider it a privilege to suffer so for the sake of the Kingdom. I have presented clear Biblical arguments to show that exposing false teachers and prophets is Scriptural. Those of us who God has brought out of the grand deception of postmodern Christianity in all its shades and hues will continue to refute, correct, exhort, and – yes – rebuke with all authority.

Those who are cut to the heart by our rebuke and who are gnashing their teeth are the very ones the rebukes are for. The fact that they are raving stark mad about it is firm proof that their hearts are not right. The ball is in their court.

What Should Be Our Attitude to False Teaching and Teachers?

I am a crusader for Biblical truth. I do not mean some personal revelation someone claims to have on a topic, because to all intents and purposes, that leads to error. The Bible is the revealed Word of God to us. We do not need any extra revelation to understand God, His plans and His ways. Unfortunately today, we have placed “rhema”, “new revelation” and the like above a logical, systematic understanding of the Bible. And that has created more problems for the Church.

Generally, I am uncomfortable that a number of those teaching and practicing error are regarded as leaders of the church. I find it embarrassing that they represent the faith to millions. Any sincere person cannot look at the state of the church today and not see how much nonsense is being peddled in the Name of our Lord Jesus Christ.

Every now and then, someone asks me why I seem to take this personal. Christianity is not just a life. It is also doctrine. Truth. Without truth, we erode the foundations of our faith. That is why I cannot shut up about the errors being peddled all over the place. And here are a few things the Bible has to say about what our attitude should be on the issue:

  • Titus 1:10,11 10 For there are men who are not ruled by law; foolish talkers, false teachers, specially those of the circumcision, 11 By whom some families have been completely overturned; who take money for teaching things which are not right; these will have to be stopped.

Have you noticed that most of the ministers and ministries involved in these errors have one common denominator? They are all money-centred: they call for your money via tithes, seed-faith, and all what-not's. The Bible says they must be resisted.

That is why I won’t keep quiet.

  • Romans 16:17,18 17 Now, it is my desire, brothers, that you will take note of those who are causing division and trouble among you, quite against the teaching which was given to you: and keep away from them. 18 For such people are not servants of the Lord Christ, but of their stomachs; and by their smooth and well-said words the hearts of those who have no knowledge of evil are tricked.

Take note. Paul said to keep away from them. They are NOT servants of the Lord but are out for their stomachs, wallets and bank accounts. Take note that verse 18 mentions “well-said” words. The KJV version calls it “good words and fair speeches”. Sounds familiar? I’m thinking of the numerous smooth-talking pastors we see on television daily.

Using Sharp Words

  • 2 Timothy 4:2-4 2 Be preaching the word at all times, in every place; make protests, say sharp words, give comfort, with long waiting and teaching; 3 For the time will come when they will not take the true teaching; but, moved by their desires, they will get for themselves a great number of teachers for the pleasure of hearing them; 4 And shutting their ears to what is true, will be turned away to belief in foolish stories.

Yes; there are times we have to use sharp words. To the simple and undiscerning, it may look like we are not walking in love using such words, but there it is in black and white. People sometimes need to be jolted out of their hardness of heart.

Some like to stay on the fence preaching “love” and “unity”. But we see from the Bible what God’s stand on the issue is. In our day there seems to be more concern about “not touching the anointed of God”, and “not judging”; both teachings arrived at by the same twisting of Scriptures that produces all errors.

Taking a Stand

Someone has asked: Why won’t the church take a stand? I have asked myself that question over and over. Are we afraid to attack evil in the supposed name of unity? Is it that we are so far gone that we figure that it does not matter what you believe as long as you “love Jesus”?

If so, let’s quit calling other religions false and accept the cults into our fold. Let’s bring in the Jehovah’s Witnesses who love their Jesus (even though to them he is the archangel Michael, the first and greatest created being). Let’s bring in the Mormons, and the Unitarians, etc. Let’s say good-bye to the creeds and sound doctrine. Let’s forget the stern warnings of the Apostle Paul to beware of false teachers and false doctrine which spreads like gangrene. Let’s all just “love Jesus” (whoever that Jesus might be to us)?

NO! We cannot forget the creeds, we will not abandon truth. We must obey our Lord when He tells us to “Beware of the false prophets, who come to you in sheep’s clothing, but inwardly are ravenous wolves. You will know them by their fruits” (Mat. 7:15-16). The fruit of the Word-Faith teachers is none other than the fruit that the devil deceived our ancient mother Eve with. It is still as deadly and still as putrid in God’s sight as it was then. The Word-Faith teachers and their movement must be actively opposed and rejected as non-Christian! Who will stand for Christ?

People don’t take a stand for the simple reason that they love the praise of man more than the God they profess to serve.

If we won’t take a stand, we might as well throw in the New Age movement. Oh, don’t forget people like Dan Brown of the DaVinci Code fame. After all, it does not matter what we teach, believe and practice, so long as Jesus is in the picture; right?

What should be your attitude to false teaching and teachers? Keep away from them. Reprove their teachings, mention names where necessary so people know who to be on guard against. We see all that in Scriptures. Jesus did that. Paul did. Others like them did too. Take a stand, brothers and sisters!

Say NO to false teachers and ministries. Don’t stay in their churches, stop throwing your money their way, don’t buy their books or attend their meetings. Talk about their lies. Expose their deception everywhere you go. Even if those deceivers and their deceived followers do not turn to the knowledge of the truth, your taking a stand strengthens the truth you and others have been taught, and will also help some who are not yet caught in their traps.

Here is a direct instruction to us from the apostles of our Lord Jesus Christ:

  • Finally, Therefore, brethren, stand fast, and hold the traditions which ye have been taught, whether by word, or our epistle (2 Timothy 2:15 ).

If you truly are a follower of the Lord Jesus Christ, your obedience will speak of your allegiance to Him as you obey Him in judging the fruits and works of false teachers in our day and age. Praise and glory be to His Name for ever.