Archive for the ‘Amerianity’ Category

Where are the Gifts?

Friday, November 14th, 2008

1 Corinthians 12:1

Amplified Bible:

“NOW ABOUT the spiritual gifts (the special endowments of supernatural energy), brethren, I do not want you to be misinformed.”

Where are the gifts in the church today? Paul says that we should not be unaware as to what they are. Yet, I can recall almost no teaching on the gifts or instruction on their use. Perhaps one great reason is that they are “supernatural” thus making them unusual to our normal day to day life. So unusual in fact that people are afraid of them. Typically we are afraid of what we do not know. It’s a cycle, people who know about the gifts are afraid to use them because they are so bizarre and thus they do not teach the unlearned. So it is difficult to introduce someone to these who has never experienced them.

To the reader who claims that these gifts do not exist for today, I would challenge them this:  Go to a Pentecostal Church for one month and sincerely try to learn all about the spiritual realm and how it effects the Christian. You will see many amazing feats and displays of supernatural power. I also ask why else would Paul write to a church that he did not want them to be ignorent of the gifts and then proceed with an explination? Shall we rip this chapter from our bibles?

Is there not also a realm of spiritual darkness? Of demon possessions, exorcisms, satanism, demonic powers etc? How then should the church be able to combat such things? Did not Christ exercise demons, rebuke spirits, performs healings and other signs to give glory to God? If Christ did these things as well as instruct his disciples to do the same, then instruct his disciples to create more disciples why would they stop? It seems much easier to accept the dark powers of this world rather than to accept the obvious indications that we too can be gifted with these same abilities.

I was talking with my pastor concerning spiritual gifts and he gave a very wise answer. He said that there are many churches like Pentecostal’s that are all about the spirit and spiritual gifts and very light on digging into the word of God and studing it. Then there are churches where they are very dry spiritually but very much wise when it comes to the word of God and study the scriptures dilligently. What lacks greatly in America is a church that embraces the gifts as well as fully digging into the word of God and studing it deeply.

My charge to you is to be sure that you are knowledgable in both things of the Spiritual Realm as well as solid in the Word of God.

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Good Article to Read

Monday, October 27th, 2008

Found this site that hits a lot of the major points that the American Church has landed on that gives a false hope of salvation. One of the good points it brings is that the Christian life will bring good works as evidence that someone has truely been born again. Works are something that does not save us, it’s just an evidence.

DOES SALVATION MAKE A DIFFERENCE? : http://www.wayoflife.org/fbns/doessalvation.htm

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Plans to prosper you? The Propserity Gospel

Thursday, October 23rd, 2008

Jeremiah 29:11

‘For I know the plans that I have for you,’ declares the LORD, ‘plans for welfare and not for calamity to give you a future and a hope.’

Doesn’t that sound nice? Here’s another such verse:

John 10:10 (AMP)

I came that they may have and enjoy life, and have it in abundance (to the full, till it overflows).

Here’s a site that tells about the Prosperity Gospel and just how great the “Christian” life can be:

Life More Abundantly

There’s are the verses that are used to support the Prosperity Gospel. That is the Gospel that provides success and wealth in this life.

What’s Jeremiah Talking about then? Well, if you read the full context, he’s talking to the Jews that are in exile, that God will deliver them. Well, obviously the verse in John is talking about Prosperity right? Yes, but it mentions nothing about fame and financial success. Christ came that we would be spiritually alive and not dead in our sins.

Success, fame and fortune all sound like great things, but being Christian is not about having a better life. How does the Prosperity Gospel explain Christian Persecution? Seems easy to forget this happens living in America, Visit: Christan Persecution News. Look at Jesus, did God have plans to prosper him in his life on Earth? What about the disciples? Paul, Stephen, Barnabas? They were all persecuted to the point of Death.

What Paul said about his suffering:

2 Corinthians 12:7-10

7 So to keep me from becoming conceited because of the surpassing greatness of the revelations, a thorn was given me in the flesh, a messenger of Satan to harass me, to keep me from becoming conceited. 8 Three times I pleaded with the Lord about this, that it should leave me. 9 But he said to me, “My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.” Therefore I will boast all the more gladly of my weaknesses, so that the power of Christ may rest upon me. 10 For the sake of Christ, then, I am content with weaknesses, insults, hardships, persecutions, and calamities. For when I am weak, then I am strong.

This makes the claim, that suffering is good to develop dependence upon Christ.

John 15:1-2

1“I am the true vine, and my Father is the vinedresser. 2 Every branch in me that does not bear fruit he takes away, and every branch that does bear fruit he prunes, that it may bear more fruit.

This verse makes the claim, that if we are being pruned it is that we may bear more fruit. But if we are not being pruned (suffering), that something is wrong.

Paul takes it a step further:

2 Timothy 3:12

12 Indeed, all who desire to live a godly life in Christ Jesus will be persecuted

As to say, if we are living a Godly life we will experience persecution!

To dilute the Gospel down to say that it will make your life better rather than save you from an eternal Hell is not only a lie but a great deception. Those who believe that lie will cling to it and close their mind to the true Gospel. How dreadful! When trials and persecutions come they will turn away from Christ as they weren’t promised persecutions but prosperity. But if they understand that salvation is the free gift of God that saves them from his Wrath due to their own wretched selves, they will fall to their knee’s grateful for their saviors sacrifice.

What a contradiction! Believe in Jesus because he will make your life better Vrs Believe in Jesus because his sacrifice paid for your sins, saving you from Hell.

To conclude, God may have plans to prosper us and give us a full life in the life to come. But as for this one, it’s full of trials and suffering.

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Legalism, Spirit and Letter of the Law

Tuesday, October 14th, 2008

What is legalism? A basic idea is that it is following the letter of the Law and not the Spirit. An example might be driving no faster than 25mph in a 25mph zone. The Spirit of the Law would be driving as fast as you want to in a 25 mph zone as long as you were safe.

In Matthew Ch 5 Jesus emphasizes the Spirit of the Law. The Pharisees were exploiting “loopholes” in the Law. An example would be eye for an eye tooth for a tooth. If one had struck out in violence the victim then had a right to do the same. Jesus clarified this point by saying to turn the other cheek. To not repay evil with evil 5:38-41.

In verse 18 he says that not one dot or tittle of the Law will pass away. 19 doing away with the least commandment will merit someone being called least in the Kingdom of Heaven. 20 says that we must keep the law beyond that of the pharisees. These scriptures clearly point that we must keep the Letter of the Law.

Note that Jesus did not say that the Law wasn’t to be followed anymore, but he came to fulfill it (5:17). Nor did he say just to obey the spirit. If that were the case we don’t need to obey traffic laws as long as people are safe. Following just the Letter of the Law, it would be fine to run people over as long as we went the speed limit. But rather we must follow both. We must drive under the speed limit, obeying the Letter, while making sure we keep others safe, the Spirit.

Often we hear in the Church of Americanity that we just need to keep the Spirit of the Law and were ok. Do we need to follow the Spirit of the Law? What about the Letter? No, if we are born again, we have grace, through Jesus Christ and have no direct consequences. Should we, absolutely not! Paul clearly says that we should by no means continue sinning (Rom 6). If we love God, wouldn’t we want to keep His commandments? We have grace to fall back on when we stumble, but it is not an excuse to stumble.

Jesus concludes chapter 5 by this challenging statement

(Esv) Mat 5:48  You therefore must be perfect, as your heavenly Father is perfect.

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