Christianity under Attack

With the current fiasco about the National Day of Prayer going on it reminds me that Jesus made a point in Matthew 24 and Luke 21 that we will be hated because we follow him.

Luke 21: 12-18

“…. they will lay hands on you and persecute you. They will deliver you to synagogues and prisons, and you will be brought before kings and governors, and all on account of my name. 13 This will result in your being witnesses to them. 14 But make up your mind not to worry beforehand how you will defend yourselves. 15 For I will give you words and wisdom that none of your adversaries will be able to resist or contradict. 16 You will be betrayed even by parents, brothers, relatives and friends, and they will put some of you to death. 17 All men will hate you because of me. 18 But not a hair of your head will perish. 19 By standing firm you will gain life.” NIV

Psalm 14:1 and 53:1 reminds us:

The fool says in his heart, "There is no God." They are corrupt, their deeds are vile; there is no one who does good. NIV

We must keep these verses in mind as the assault on our GOD and his Son and our savoir Jesus Christ escalates. These things must take place before his return. He said it would be so and I believe it. I know it is difficult but please stand firm. Take heart for we know:

Luke 21:28

“When these things begin to take place, stand up and lift up your heads, because your redemption is drawing near." NIV

Until next time, may the LORD bless us and keep us, In Jesus name I pray.

Is God a God of Prosperity – Part 2

Another verse misused by advocates of the prosperity gospel is Matthew 6:33

“But seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well. “

Prosperity doctrine advocates conveniently overlook the Lords emphasis in verses 6:19, 24 which are admonitions against seeking material wealth and exhortations to seek Godly things. The Lords intention in verses 19 through 34 of Mathew chapter 6 in it full context is clearly an emphasis on spiritual growth, not material growth. In fact verse 33 is clearly his exhortation to seek the spiritual, not the material, as our other needs will be met when we do so. One of the parallel verses in Luke puts it this ways and solidifies the point:

“13 No servant can serve two masters. Either he will hate the one and love the other, or he will be devoted to the one and despise the other. You cannot serve both God and Money.” NIV

Here is another verse that is widely misused. III John verse 2 and many use the King James version to claim it as a prosperity verse. Lets compare the KJV to the NIV.

"Beloved, I pray that you may prosper in all things and be in health, just as your soul prospers." KJV
"Dear friend, I pray that you may enjoy good health and that all may go well with you, even as your soul is getting along well." NIV

This is a simple greeting, no more, no less, and has nothing at all to do with a believers “entitlement” to prosperity. It’s the same as me saying to somebody I haven’t seen in a while, “Hello, I trust you are doing well”. Several popular prosperity ministers have recanted their belief that this is a prosperity verse, while many others still insist on it.

There are too many other examples of turning the Bible on its head to fit this particular “ology” to mention here. One day I may write a book to cover all of the issues with it but the example stated will suffice for now. The bottom line to me is that none of this has anything to do with getting the Gospel out.

Any “ology” or “ism” that takes focus off CHRIST, any “ology” or “ism” that detracts from the Gospel message is to be avoided, period! Please, find another church or change the station.

Beware of cut and paste theologies that lift verses and sometimes half verses out of context to create a pretext that upon close examination create at best inconsistencies, and at worst contradictions with other parts of the Bible, for where there is inconsistency or contradiction there is error.

Until next time, may the LORD bless us and keep us, in Jesus name I pray.

Is God a God of Prosperity? Part 1

As a follow up to the post from a few weeks ago on Christian Television the question has been raised , Is God a God of prosperity? I believe this concept is limiting and is open to attack by the adversary and displays a fleshly desire that has nothing at all to do with the Gospel.

Leave it some misguided Christians in the United States back in the early 1900’s to come up with a prosperity doctrine that puts on display the most base of human desires, the attainment of wealth and makes it an entitlement. If you are a believer and your faith is strong enough you should be materially prosperous. WRONG!!!!!

But Dan, John 10: 10 says “The thief does not come except to steal, and to kill, and to destroy. I have come that they may have life, and that they may have it more abundantly.”

The thief here is the devil, the adversary. Abundantly refers to spiritual things that the adversary wants to deprive us of.

I’m sorry if I repeat myself but I feel I must. For those who think that abundantly means having more material wealth, more stuff, more money, I need to point out that this belief flies in the face of the following scriptures:

Matt 6: 19-21, 24

19 Do not store up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and rust destroy, and where thieves break in and steal. 20 But store up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where moth and rust do not destroy, and where thieves do not break in and steal. 21For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.

24 No one can serve two masters. Either he will hate the one and love the other, or he will be devoted to the one and despise the other. You cannot serve both God and Money. (NIV)

1 Tim 6; 3-10

3 If anyone teaches false doctrines and does not agree to the sound instruction of our Lord Jesus Christ and to godly teaching, 4he is conceited and understands nothing. He has an unhealthy interest in controversies and quarrels about words that result in envy, strife, malicious talk, evil suspicions 5and constant friction between men of corrupt mind, who have been robbed of the truth and who think that godliness is a means to financial gain.

6 But godliness with contentment is great gain. 7For we brought nothing into the world, and we can take nothing out of it. 8But if we have food and clothing, we will be content with that. 9People who want to get rich fall into temptation and a trap and into many foolish and harmful desires that plunge men into ruin and destruction. 10For the love of money is a root of all kinds of evil. Some people, eager for money, have wandered from the faith and pierced themselves with many griefs. (NIV)

Hebrews 13:5 "Don’t love money; be satisfied with what you have. For God has said,

“I will never fail you.
I will never abandon you ". (NLT)

The admonition of 2 Peter 2: 3

"In their greed they will make up clever lies to get hold of your money. But God condemned them long ago, and their destruction will not be delayed." (NLT)

We all know that the bible does not contradict itself but people can create contradiction via misunderstanding. When used in context with the above scriptures it becomes clear that an abundant life spoken of in John 10: 10 refers to a spiritual life.

God is not only a God of prosperity he is the God of the universe, the creator of all things. Having access to Godly wisdom is wealth and prosperity beyond all comprehension. Living and walking in the will of GOD, within the plan he has for our lives is true prosperity.

Part II next week.

Until next time may the LORD Bless us and keep us, in Jesus name I pray.

If You Can Find a Better Deal, Take It!

I heard about an article written by Ann Coulter a few months back where she came to the defense of Fox political analyst Britt Hume who had the audacity to suggest that Tiger woods seek forgiveness from GOD for his indiscretions. Predictably the worldly reporters wrote column after column about decrying Christianity as intolerant, hateful, exclusive, judgmental, etc, all of which pointed to their ignorance of basic Christianity.

Here is an excerpt from the article explaining basic Christianity :

“In the no-frills, economy-class version, you don't need a church, a teacher, candles, incense, special food or clothing; you don't need to pass a test or prove yourself in any way. All you'll need is a Bible (in order to grasp the amazing deal you're getting) and probably a water baptism, though even that's disputed.

You can be washing the dishes or walking your dog or just sitting there minding your business hating Susan Sarandon and accept that God sent his only son to die for your sins and rise from the dead ... and you're in!

"Because, if you confess with your mouth that Jesus is Lord and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved." Romans 10:9.

If you do that, every rotten, sinful thing you've ever done is gone from you. You're every bit as much a Christian as the pope or Billy Graham.

No fine print, no "your mileage may vary," no blackout dates. God ought to do a TV spot: "I'm God Almighty, and if you can find a better deal than the one I'm offering, take it."

The Gospel makes this point approximately 1,000 times. Here are a few examples at random:

"For God so loved the world, that he gave his only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life." John 3:16.

"For by grace you have been saved through faith. And this is not your own doing; it is the gift of God." Ephesians 2:8.

"For the wages of sin is death, but the free gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord." Romans 6:23.

In a boiling rage, liberals constantly accuse Christians of being "judgmental." No, we're relieved.

Christianity is also the hardest religion in the world because, if you believe Christ died for your sins and rose from the dead, you have no choice but to give your life entirely over to Him. No more sexual promiscuity, no lying, no cheating, no stealing, no killing inconvenient old people or unborn babies -- no doing what all the other kids do.

And no more caring what the world thinks of you -- because, as Jesus warned in a prophecy constantly fulfilled by liberals: The world will hate you.

With Christianity, your sins are forgiven, the slate is wiped clean and your eternal life is guaranteed through nothing you did yourself, even though you don't deserve it. It's the best deal in the universe.”

Thank You Miss Coulter!

I think she was spot on with this. No “ologies” or “isms” pure basic core Christianity. It is so simple, so beautiful, so perfect, no man could have ever devised such a plan of salvation. Yet it is beyond the grasp of many.

The next time "religion" comes up and somebody starts with the usual mantras decrying Christianity simply say to them, “If you can find a better deal, take it”.

Think about it, pray about it.

Until next time may the LORD Bless us and keep us, in Jesus name I pray.

Are You Ready?

I'm a day early this week because of Easter and what it really means. It is not about Easter Bunnies, coloring eggs, or egg hunts.
On this Holy Thursday it is a good time to contemplate on the last days of the life of Christ starting with the Last Supper, through his mock trial, death, and glorious resurrection, without which we would all be hopeless. Be mindful; Be alert; Be Ready. Are you ready for his return?

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6xgFJI7wRKM


Think about this real hard and be honest with yourself.

I hope this had helped somebody today. Until next time, may the LORD bless us and keep us, in Jesus name I pray.