For the time will come when men will not put up with sound doctrine. Instead, to suit their own desires, they will gather around them a great number of teachers to say what their itching ears want to hear. 2 Timothy 4:3
For if someone comes to you and preaches a Jesus other than the Jesus we preached, or if you receive a different spirit from the Spirit you received, or a different gospel from the one you accepted, you put up with it easily enough. 2 Corinthians 11:4
Lately, I have felt a deep sense of unease.. I can't really explain it other than the fact that as I continue to pray for spiritual discernment, I feel Christ showing me that things are desperately wrong within the Body of Believers.
I feel a source of tension as war is looming between Israel and Gaza and the economy of our nation hangs in the balance. I am certain that God does not want us to fear, but yet I feel that the pangs that we will feel as a result of world unstability is inevitable.
For the past two weeks, I have had a thorn lodged in my thumb. Yesterday, my entire hand started hurting. Today, I noticed that the thorn had caused my entire thumb to swell. I started secretly wondering if my hand wasn't becoming infected. At one point, I actually wondered if an infection could find it's way into my bloodstream and ultimately lead to my death.. I know it sounds far fetched, but I have heard of fatal blood infections that begin with something very small and simple.. like a thorn..Last night, I was at work and my hand was throbbing. I actually had trouble perfoming basic job tasks.
Lately, I feel as if Christ has pointed me to research and learn about false teachings. He has been leading me to read about it in the Bible. Today, He gave me an illustration. False teachings are like the tiny thorn. They seem tiny and insignificant, but they begin to infect the Body of Believers in very serious ways. They get into the bloodstream, and like a poison, they make their way into the heart. Before you know it, the entire Body is sick and infected. The fruit becomes evident..selfishness, greed, and a severe lack of love. As a Body of Believers, we each have talents and gifts. We are anoited of the Holy Spirit and false teaching and lies are hurting the Body of Believers in that they are keeping us from performing the tasks or jobs for which we are created.
One word that I have heard as of late is "complacency." We have become content in our walk with Christ, and truthfully, I blame the permeance and infiltration of false teachings.
They have become so mainstream that they are truly hard to discern. For the past week, I have felt weird. I feel a disconnect from others in way that almost frightens me to some extent. While other women my age are out getting manicures, I feel as if God is calling me to point out the dangers of seed faith, and The Word of Faith Movement, the Little god heresy, and the prosperity gospel.
It is a humbling and very lonely place to be.
For if someone comes to you and preaches a Jesus other than the Jesus we preached, or if you receive a different spirit from the Spirit you received, or a different gospel from the one you accepted, you put up with it easily enough. 2 Corinthians 11:4
Lately, I have felt a deep sense of unease.. I can't really explain it other than the fact that as I continue to pray for spiritual discernment, I feel Christ showing me that things are desperately wrong within the Body of Believers.
I feel a source of tension as war is looming between Israel and Gaza and the economy of our nation hangs in the balance. I am certain that God does not want us to fear, but yet I feel that the pangs that we will feel as a result of world unstability is inevitable.
For the past two weeks, I have had a thorn lodged in my thumb. Yesterday, my entire hand started hurting. Today, I noticed that the thorn had caused my entire thumb to swell. I started secretly wondering if my hand wasn't becoming infected. At one point, I actually wondered if an infection could find it's way into my bloodstream and ultimately lead to my death.. I know it sounds far fetched, but I have heard of fatal blood infections that begin with something very small and simple.. like a thorn..Last night, I was at work and my hand was throbbing. I actually had trouble perfoming basic job tasks.
Lately, I feel as if Christ has pointed me to research and learn about false teachings. He has been leading me to read about it in the Bible. Today, He gave me an illustration. False teachings are like the tiny thorn. They seem tiny and insignificant, but they begin to infect the Body of Believers in very serious ways. They get into the bloodstream, and like a poison, they make their way into the heart. Before you know it, the entire Body is sick and infected. The fruit becomes evident..selfishness, greed, and a severe lack of love. As a Body of Believers, we each have talents and gifts. We are anoited of the Holy Spirit and false teaching and lies are hurting the Body of Believers in that they are keeping us from performing the tasks or jobs for which we are created.
One word that I have heard as of late is "complacency." We have become content in our walk with Christ, and truthfully, I blame the permeance and infiltration of false teachings.
They have become so mainstream that they are truly hard to discern. For the past week, I have felt weird. I feel a disconnect from others in way that almost frightens me to some extent. While other women my age are out getting manicures, I feel as if God is calling me to point out the dangers of seed faith, and The Word of Faith Movement, the Little god heresy, and the prosperity gospel.
It is a humbling and very lonely place to be.
So now the question remains:
What do we do when we are sick? The answer is simple..
We go the One who Heals. We go straight to the source of His Word.
What do we do when we are sick? The answer is simple..
We go the One who Heals. We go straight to the source of His Word.
Today, I see many people listening to other people’s interpretation of the Bible. We live an age where people in pulpits are distorting the gospel in such a way that it is barely recognizeable. It has become a doctrine where we line up with “itching ears” to hear the latest self help sermon. We have replaced the Jesus of Humility with the Jesus of Prosperity, and, in doing so, we have truly lost our way.
Look around. The sickness is evident. We ignore the needs of the poor and seek to largely serve only members of our own congregations. We expect others to pour into our churches, but we forget that the church is not about a building, but rather a Body of Believers who should seek to care about the lost enough to minister to them by telling them the Good News.
I do not believe that we are justified by works. However, I do believe in the verses that say that we should not be hearers of the word only. In doing so, We deceive ourselves and The truth is not in us..
I refuse to ignore the verse that says, “narrow is the path and few will enter. Work hard to get in.”
I refuse to ignore the verse that speaks about the sheep and the goats, telling us that we should feed the hungry and clothe the naked.
I am forced to believe that these verses are not mere suggestions.
I believe that each of us should serve a significant function in the Body of Believers, but we have become so trapped in routine that we have lost our ability to work together as a whole.
We are sick. We are deluded that if we do not pay our tithes, then we are robbing God. We rob God when we don’t heed His Word. I recently learned that we are no longer bound by the Old Law, but Through the New Law..Christ died for our sins..His Spirit should fill us such that we should want to give cheerfully, and not under compulsion.
Christ says that we are called to Freedom and that our freedom should be used, not to return to our sinful natures, but to serve one another in love..
Can we say that we are functioning in this capacity in our churches?
Instead, we serve only those who are members of our donominations, and we miss the point of the gospel entirely.
We are bound by religious hatred. We see others as our enemies..and we forget the fact that Jesus came to save both Jew and Gentile..… Jeus died for people… People of all religions…"He is the atoning sacrifice for our sins, and not only for ours but also for the sins of the whole world" 1 John 2:2
Many of us, chasing after prosperity and accepting lies that diminish the true nature of the Cross.. forget the verse that says those who say lord lord..will not enter the kingdom.. Matthew 7:21-27 "
Matthew 7:21-27
NewTrue and False Disciples
21 “Not everyone who says to me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ will enter the kingdom of heaven, but only the one who does the will of my Father who is in heaven. 22 Many will say to me on that day, ‘Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in your name and in your name drive out demons and in your name perform many miracles?’ 23 Then I will tell them plainly, ‘I never knew you. Away from me, you evildoers!’
The Wise and Foolish Builders
24 “Therefore everyone who hears these words of mine and puts them into practice is like a wise man who built his house on the rock. 25 The rain came down, the streams rose, and the winds blew and beat against that house; yet it did not fall, because it had its foundation on the rock. 26 But everyone who hears these words of mine and does not put them into practice is like a foolish man who built his house on sand. 27 The rain came down, the streams rose, and the winds blew and beat against that house, and it fell with a great crash.”
We need to get back into the word and listen to what God has to tell us..
We should take heed to remember the verses that say..”if you have two coats, give one away.’
Do we think that this is mere suggestion or do we think that we should have a closet full of the finest coats because God wants us to be rich.? If we have an issue with giving and we have excess, we need to find out the reason why.. We truly need to seek His face and ask for His help in these matters, because I am confident that He will answer.
One thing that I realize is that Christ wants to carve us into His image. Christ was humble, and it is His desire for His chuch to be humble. Many churches preach against poverty. They say that poverty is a curse.. But we forget the verses that say,"God blesses those who are poor and realize their need for him, for the Kingdom of Heaven is theirs." Matthew 5:3
We forget the warning to the rich man and the verses that tell us not to conform to the patterns of the world.
We forget the warning to the rich man and the verses that tell us not to conform to the patterns of the world.
We forget the verses that say tha Christ will take care of our needs, if we would only trust in Him.
Sigh.
I think you get the point. The Body is ill, and it has everything to do with the fact that we are being deluded by lies that have been passed off as truth for years. Often, when we trace something back to its roots, we find something very dark..
There are many movements today that began in darkness.
One is seed faith.
Another is the Word of Faith of movement which has it’s roots in a new age practice of “projecting”
Christians, today are procting their thoughts toward God and we think that it is His cosmic duty to succumb to our every wish. We call it faith, but it is really a perversion and misuse of Christ.
The other day I saw a book that tells us how to pray for “our wishes to come true”
Christ tells us how to pray in His Word..
Our Father,
Your kingdom come, Your Will be done, On Earth , as it is in Heaven..
Jesus showed me something the other day.. It was profound.
When we do His Will… His Kingdom comes to Earth. His peace, his fruitfulness, His divine and perfect love, …It plays out in our own lives and it spread into the lives of others.
The will of Christ leads us into humility and humility is the complete expression of love.
Love changes things.. Christ’s love is Life changing!
When His will comes to this earth..It sets people free!
But we no longer trust Him with His will. Instead we follow word of Faith preachers to “tickle our ears” and tell us a distorted gospel. The result is a brand of selfishness and greed that is unprecedented.
It saddens me, and while I do not judge those who follow this movement.. It is my duty as a Christian,
To “contend for the faith, and to shine the light of Truth into the darkness.
The other day I read the verse that says “For I have come not to bring peace, but the sword. I had never understood this verse, and I once thought it sounded harsh, but the other day I finally understood.
The sword is the Truth, and when we receive the real truth, if often hurts. It digs deep. Christ didn’t come to tickle our ears..Instead, He came with a message that said, “Take up your Cross..Follow me.(Mark 8:34-35). This is a hard path and not everybody is going to make it.( Matthew 7:14) But even though it is hard, it is the Only road that leads to life. Work together. Share with one another..(1 John 3:16-18)
Life is difficult, but on this path, there is joy ( Colossans 1:24). There is true joy.. He says my burden is light and when you are tired,, then I will give you rest.(Matthew 11:30)
Life is difficult, but on this path, there is joy ( Colossans 1:24). There is true joy.. He says my burden is light and when you are tired,, then I will give you rest.(Matthew 11:30)
Work hard to get in. You will be persecuted for my names sake, but I have rewards and a mansion for you in heaven.. (Matthew 6:19-20) As a matter of fact, if you can make it through this hard life, then your wildest imagination cannot even conceive what I have in store for you.. ( 1 Corinthians 2:9)
Friends, that is the gospel of the Bible.
This walk is hard.
The other day I was amongst someone I know and I was berated for posting scriprure on face book. I have been berated for writing a blog.. I have been criticized..
But do you want to hear some good news..
Jeus says, Blessed are the persecuted, for the kingdom of heaven is theirs..but Jesus said to pray for those who persecute you..
It’s time that we go to the Physican, get into His Word and listen to what He has to say about things.
Chances are you won’t like what you hear…. But if He asks you to do something hard..he gives us the verse that says that We can do all things through Christ Jesus who gives us strength.. Phillipians 4:13
I have heard this word twisted to mean that Christ wants us to be rich and that he gives us the strength to store up earthly treasures.. Want to hear something disturbing. It was said by a famous woman whose status updates we follow on face book. ---a doctrine of man being twisted and passed off as the word of God..
And like sheep being led to the slaughter, we accept everything we ear..with eagar hearts…but the truth and it is a sad one… is that our body is desperately hurting and we are sick.
It’s time to get back to The Great physican and let Him truly heal us.
These days we are miracle seekers and we look for “experiences”. I am a firm believer in miracles, but I truly believe that they happen when we lay down our lives, take up our cross, and trust Him. This week I heard stories of Jesus planting gold teeth in people's mouth's. I also heard stories of Jesus sightings across the Muslim World. I believe in miracles. I have experienced the power of God..but I am forced to remember the verses that say in the last days, there will be false miracles that will deceive even the elect. The Bible also says that many will claim to see Jesus physcially apperaing before people.. . Here's a verse from Matthew Chapter 24
23 “Then if anyone says to you, ‘Look, here is the Christ!’ or ‘There!’ do not believe it. 24 For false christs and false prophets will rise and show great signs and wonders to deceive, if possible, even the elect. 25 See, I have told you beforehand.
26 “Therefore if they say to you, ‘Look, He is in the desert!’ do not go out; or ‘Look, He is in the inner rooms!’ do not believe it. 27 For as the lightning comes from the east and flashes to the west, so also will the coming of the Son of Man be. 28 For wherever the carcass is, there the eagles will be gathered together.
So, from that verse we can gather that there will be "sightings of Jesus" only it won't be the true Jesus.
Want to hear something even stranger?
Benny Hinn is preaching that Christ will be appeaing at his crusades. It is false. It is a lie,and yet thousands or millions rush toward the experience rahter than searching the scriptures.
Also, I can't help but wonder why Jesus would put gold in someone's mouth when he preached against the allure of riches and wealth. The Bible says to test all things, and I encourage you to test these stories because I don't believe that they are true.
23 “Then if anyone says to you, ‘Look, here is the Christ!’ or ‘There!’ do not believe it. 24 For false christs and false prophets will rise and show great signs and wonders to deceive, if possible, even the elect. 25 See, I have told you beforehand.
26 “Therefore if they say to you, ‘Look, He is in the desert!’ do not go out; or ‘Look, He is in the inner rooms!’ do not believe it. 27 For as the lightning comes from the east and flashes to the west, so also will the coming of the Son of Man be. 28 For wherever the carcass is, there the eagles will be gathered together.
So, from that verse we can gather that there will be "sightings of Jesus" only it won't be the true Jesus.
Want to hear something even stranger?
Benny Hinn is preaching that Christ will be appeaing at his crusades. It is false. It is a lie,and yet thousands or millions rush toward the experience rahter than searching the scriptures.
Also, I can't help but wonder why Jesus would put gold in someone's mouth when he preached against the allure of riches and wealth. The Bible says to test all things, and I encourage you to test these stories because I don't believe that they are true.
But Yes, I do believe in miracles. The other day Jesus showed me something about his miracle with the loaves and fishes.
On the day when He fed the crowd of five thousand.. There were hungry people by the droves.. but there was no food to be found... Jesus didn't have any butlers to arrange for His feast....instead, there was a boy walking with some bread and fish. Jesus asked the boy if He could have the fish and the boy agreed to give up his only meal..
Jesus took the meal, gave thanks...and showed the crowd..that when we share...there is more than enough... There is supernatual provision when we humble ourselves to do the will of Christ.
I also think of the story of Jesus walking in the desert. He walked in the desert for 40 days and nights. He went without food and water. He endured temptation, but when he came out of the desert, He began His ministry. It was then that the Bible mentions Jesus' healing of the blind and the lepers and the sick.
Many of our prosperity pastors today are quick to offer the blessings of the resurrection, but in thier lives, they deny the power of the Cross.
The power is in the Cross.. It is in the verse that says, In order to have life, we must first DIE TO SELF.. that means foregoing many of our carnal and earthly tempations..
that means..being willing to be set apart...Whoever finds his life will lose it, and whoever loses his life for my sake will find it.Matthew 10:39
The Power is in the Cross.. without a death, there is no new life.. Without a Death, there could be no resurrection.
When we speak His name, but don't carry our Crosses, are we, in essence..claiming to have a form of godliness but denying the power, thereof..
The power is in the Cross of Christ, and that is something that today's TBN preachers and many others aren't preaching.
The miracles come when our lives look like Jesus... but rarely will you find a George Muller or a Hudson Taylor... and I haven't finished the book, but I think I can see it in the L'ABRI story or the stories that resemble Koinonia, mentioned in the Book of Acts.
On the day when He fed the crowd of five thousand.. There were hungry people by the droves.. but there was no food to be found... Jesus didn't have any butlers to arrange for His feast....instead, there was a boy walking with some bread and fish. Jesus asked the boy if He could have the fish and the boy agreed to give up his only meal..
Jesus took the meal, gave thanks...and showed the crowd..that when we share...there is more than enough... There is supernatual provision when we humble ourselves to do the will of Christ.
I also think of the story of Jesus walking in the desert. He walked in the desert for 40 days and nights. He went without food and water. He endured temptation, but when he came out of the desert, He began His ministry. It was then that the Bible mentions Jesus' healing of the blind and the lepers and the sick.
Many of our prosperity pastors today are quick to offer the blessings of the resurrection, but in thier lives, they deny the power of the Cross.
The power is in the Cross.. It is in the verse that says, In order to have life, we must first DIE TO SELF.. that means foregoing many of our carnal and earthly tempations..
that means..being willing to be set apart...Whoever finds his life will lose it, and whoever loses his life for my sake will find it.Matthew 10:39
The Power is in the Cross.. without a death, there is no new life.. Without a Death, there could be no resurrection.
When we speak His name, but don't carry our Crosses, are we, in essence..claiming to have a form of godliness but denying the power, thereof..
The power is in the Cross of Christ, and that is something that today's TBN preachers and many others aren't preaching.
The miracles come when our lives look like Jesus... but rarely will you find a George Muller or a Hudson Taylor... and I haven't finished the book, but I think I can see it in the L'ABRI story or the stories that resemble Koinonia, mentioned in the Book of Acts.
Yes, I know this is a lot of meat... and now I simply want to encourage you to Seek.. because He says that when you seek, you will find. I encourage you to turn of Christian networking and TBN. I encourage you to pray and get deep into the word and listen to what God says through it.. Ask for the guidance of the Holy Spirit..
Knock and Keep on knocking.. He hears you
Easy: you concoct the "prosperity gospel" that will ease your followers' cognitive dissonance.
It's convenient to ignore the poor when everyone is shouting about how God wants us to be rich.
Jesus was poor, BUT He was not Lacking. By Doing the Will of His Father, God provided His needs.
It's convenient to ignore the poor when everyone is shouting about how God wants us to be rich.
Jesus was poor, BUT He was not Lacking. By Doing the Will of His Father, God provided His needs.
Lukewarm people attend church fairly regularly, are perceived as good Christians, give money to charity as long as it doesn't impinge on their standard of living, choose what is popular over what is right when they are in conflict, are moved by stories about people who do radical things for Christ but fail to act, rarely share their faith, say they love Jesus and that He is a part of their lives, try to assure you that radical devotion is not possible for the average person, think about life on earth much more than eternity, are thankful for their luxuries, feel called to minister to people in their socioeconomic status, do anything to keep from feeling guilty, play it safe, were baptized, structure their lives so they do not have to live by faith, drink and swear less than the common man, and equate their partially sanitized lives to holiness.
Their lives wouldn't look much different if they stopped believing in God."
- Francis Chan
Now, here are my favorite verses...
Because you have loved much, much you will be forgiven...Go in peace and sin no more..Jesus said this to the prosititute who washed His feet..
Your faith hath made you well - Jesus to the woman who reached for the hem of His garmet
In this life you will have many struggles, but take heart, for I have overcome the world
God is love.
God is a light and in Him there is no darkness at all.
God is merciful
Blessed are the merciful for they shall receive mercy
For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whosoever believes in Him should not perish, but have everlasting life.
The enemy comes to steal, kill, and destroy, but I have come that you may have life and have it to the full.
Now, here are my favorite verses...
Because you have loved much, much you will be forgiven...Go in peace and sin no more..Jesus said this to the prosititute who washed His feet..
Your faith hath made you well - Jesus to the woman who reached for the hem of His garmet
In this life you will have many struggles, but take heart, for I have overcome the world
God is love.
God is a light and in Him there is no darkness at all.
God is merciful
Blessed are the merciful for they shall receive mercy
For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whosoever believes in Him should not perish, but have everlasting life.
The enemy comes to steal, kill, and destroy, but I have come that you may have life and have it to the full.
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