Bible
Versions tested for accuracy
________________________________________________
Review / Critique
The
majority of new Bible versions being produced today are what the
Bible societies call “CLT’s,” for Common Language Translations.
Such versions are all translated using dynamic equivalency
techniques. “Dynamic equivalency” means that the Bible is
translated thought-for-thought rather than word-for-word. This is
opposed to “Formal Equivalency,” in which the Bible is
translated word-for-word with minimal repositioning of
words to clarify understanding. On a short test, the
Contemporary English Version, a “CLT,” tested only 25% accurate to
the original text of the Bible. This is alarming! Deuteronomy 4:2
says, “You shall not add to the word which I command you, nor
take from it, that you may keep the commandments of the LORD your
God which I command you” (NKJV). If you are having
trouble keeping the commandments of God, could it be related to
the Bible in your hands, which adds to or diminishes from the Word
of God? We recommend Bibles based on Formal Equivalency, not
only because they are truer to the original words of God, but also
because they are better for you, so you may be more completely
fulfilled in doing God’s will. To know God's will, you need
to be able to read what God ACTUALLY said, not what men THINK
He was saying, which leaves little opportunity for the Holy
Spirit's leading.
At some
point we need to decide what we want to read, the Word of God or
the approximations of translators who carelessly reword His
thoughts, sometimes tainting the word with the imaginations of
their hearts and rabid doctrinal bias. It is inescapable that a
dynamic equivalency version or a paraphrase is hardly even a
representation of the Word of God; it is really only a
representation of the biases and thoughts of the translators. The
fact is, thought for thought translation is rendered doctrinally
unacceptable and even heretical by one Bible verse for a start, Isaiah 55:9
which says, " For as the heavens are higher than the earth, So
are My ways higher than your ways, And My thoughts than your
thoughts" (NKJV). It is a total impossibility that man can
replace God’s thoughts with his own thoughts and call it a
translation. The thought that one could do so is to either elevate
man to God’s level or bring God
down to man’s level, and that is absolutely contrary to Scripture.
**
Reliability Comparison via selected passages of Scripture -
results in Alphabetical Order :
American Standard Version - Score: 100%
Analytical-Literal Translation - Score: 100%
Bible in Basic English - Score: 30%
Contemporary English Version - Score: 20%
Douay-Rheims - Score: 80%
Holman Christian Standard Bible - Score: 90%
King James Version - Score: 100%
Literal Version - Score: 100%
The
Message - Score: 30%
New American Bible - Score: 60%
(Not
to be confused with the New American Standard Bible)
New
American Standard Bible - Score: 100%
New International Version - Score: 90%
(Ed. Highly
recommended.)
New King James Version - Score: 100%
(Ed.
Highly recommended - my personal choice.)
New Living Translation - Score: 60%
New Revised Standard Version - Score: 50%
New World Translation - Score: 10%
Today's English Version - Score: 30%
World English Bible - Score: 100%
(Ed. Highly
recommended new un-copyrighted version for the world. Try
it.)
(**
Comparison by Reece Currie... I have selected for comparison
verses that are usually attacked on the grounds of the personal
theologies of the translators. To keep the test quick for you to
use on your own, I have limited it to twelve passages of
Scripture: John 1:1-4, Zechariah 12:10, John 14:26 and
Genesis 1:2 are verses most frequently mistranslated in an attempt
to obscure the Trinity doctrine. John 1:1-4 identifies the Son
(the Word) as being God and being present from the beginning with
the Father. Zechariah 12:10 identifies God Himself as being
pierced; this verse is related to the Son in John 19:37. Zechariah
12:10 further describes God’s gift of the Holy Spirit at
Pentecost. John 14:26 refers to the Holy Spirit as a Person and
Genesis 1:2 refers to the Holy Spirit hovering above the waters
during the creation. I also want to know that all facets of
repentance are covered. First, that repentance was the message
that Jesus preached (Mark 1:15), second, that this is the message
Jesus commanded the disciples to preach (Luke 24:45-47), and
finally, that repentance is granted by God and is a necessary
precursor to belief (Matthew 21:32, 2 Timothy 2:25). Next, I am
concerned that the Bible version does not impose the theological
viewpoint that baptism is necessary for salvation. In Acts 2:38,
the Bible says, “Then Peter said unto them, Repent, and be
baptized every one of you in the name of Jesus Christ for the
remission of sins, and ye shall receive the gift of the Holy
Ghost” (KJV). This is a difficult passage to reconcile with the
many verses that say repentance alone is necessary to receive the
forgiveness of sins. The reconciliation is found in the
interpretation of the word “for.” If “for” is interpreted as “to
obtain,” we have an immediate inconsistency with the verses
claiming only repentance is necessary to obtain forgiveness. But
if “for” is interpreted as “because of,” there is no conundrum
here at all. The King James Version quoted above, while written by
supporters of baptismal regeneration from the Church of England,
nevertheless places a comma after the word “repent,” preserving
the possibility of the correct interpretation. In many modern
versions, we are not so lucky. I have included Acts 2:38 and Mark
1:4 in this comparison to see if baptismal regeneration is imposed
by the translation.)
For further study on this subject:
http://www.compassdistributors.ca/topics/nkjv.htm - The
Reliability of the New King James Version by Reese Currie
http://www.compassdistributors.ca/topics/compare.htm -
Comparing Bible Versions by Reese Currie
http://www.compassdistributors.ca/topics/dynamic.htm -
Dynamic Equivalency Examined by Reese Currie
Why so
many Christian Churches
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Review / Critique
Now here is the big picture that you need to grasp! For the most part,
there are only TWO main branches of
Christianity in our Australian culture. In
days of old, the Church of Rome had things pretty well sown up and
dictated to all and sundry the way things in the church would
operate, and woe-be-tide anyone who disagreed. Torture and death
was often the fate of the uncooperative. But as the Bible became
more accessible, people began to question what the Roman Church
was saying and doing. People began to PROTEST against the
unscriptural stuff being forced on them. These protesters became
known as 'PROTESTANTS'. So there you have it, the two main streams
of western Christianity - the Church of Rome (Roman Catholics) and
the New Testament based Protestant Church. The Church of Rome has
an 'earth-based' governing head and bureaucracy that lords it over
its followers with rules and decrees (dogmas) that are not from
the Bible, and which hold people in fear of the consequences if
they do not obey them. Because of this, there is little freedom of
variation within the Catholic Church and it is easy to recognise
who and where they are.
OK,
but why are there so many 'Protestant' type churches? Firstly
you need to keep in mind that all the Protestant churches are
basically the same in that they reject most of the core teachings
of the Church of Rome in favour of following the clear church
model given us in the New Testament. Here is how Wikipedia
explains all this: "Protestantism is a branch within
Christianity, containing many denominations with some differing
practices and doctrines, that principally originated in the
sixteenth-century Protestant Reformation. It is considered to be
one of the major divisions within Christianity... As such, the term Protestantism is often
used loosely to denote all non-Roman Catholic varieties of Western
Christianity...
Protestantism is associated with the doctrine of sola scriptura,
which maintains that the Bible (rather than church tradition or
ecclesiastical interpretations of the Bible) is the final source
of authority for all Christians. Another distinctive Protestant
doctrine is that of sola fide, which holds that faith alone,
rather than good works, is sufficient for the salvation of the
believer."
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Protestantism
Why
so many Protestant churches? Well, because we can!
Because we have freedom of expression in following scripture and
applying the New Testament (NT) church pattern to our cultural
setting and to our preferences. Christ is the head of a NT church,
not the Pope. The Holy Spirit is God's representative here on
earth, not the Pope. The Bible is our guide, not decrees from the
Vatican. Some Protestant denominations have a more organised
system than others, but this is only for mutual benefit and
support, not as strict governing bodies to rule the local church.
And there are many individual churches that are completely
autonomous. A NT church could consist of a small group of
believers meeting in a home or hired facilities, right through to
mega-churches. As families differ in the way they set up their
homes and in the way they raise their children etc., so NT
churches also reflect different expressions in their style of
worship and modus operandi. Different churches yes, but we are all
related by blood and have the same Father, and read from the same
book. This is why when christians travel they can visit a Baptist
church one week, then a Church of Christ another time, or Open
Brethren, Evangelical Anglican, Evangelical Uniting or Methodist,
or one of the many completely autonomous individual NT churches.
You are able to attend a local NT church and see if it is a
comfortable fit for you and your family. If things do not gel,
then you can try other NT churches in your area knowing that they
hold fast to the basic core principals of the Word of God.
Creation in 6 Days Vs. Evolution
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Review / Critique
Excerpt: "The
Answer Book - Did God create everything in 6 days" by
Ken Ham
...Does It Really
Matter? - Yes, it does matter what a Christian believes
concerning the days of creation in Genesis 1. Most importantly,
all schemes which insert eons of time into, or before, creation
undermine the gospel by putting death, bloodshed, disease, thorns,
and suffering before sin and the Fall, as explained above (see
answer to Objection 1). Here are two more reasons: 1. It is
really a matter of how one approaches the Bible, in principle. If
we do not allow the language to speak to us in context, but try to
make the text fit ideas outside of Scripture, then ultimately the
meaning of any word in any part of the Bible depends on man’s
interpretation, which can change according to whatever outside
ideas are in vogue. 2. If one allows science (which has
wrongly become synonymous with evolution and materialism) to
determine our understanding of Scripture, then this can lead to a
slippery slope of unbelief through the rest of Scripture. For
instance, science would proclaim that a person cannot be raised
from the dead. Does this mean we should interpret the Resurrection
of Christ to reflect this? Sadly, some do just this, saying that
the Resurrection simply means that Jesus’ teachings live on in His
followers. When people accept at face value what Genesis is
teaching and accept the days as ordinary days, they will have no
problem accepting and making sense of the rest of the Bible.
Martin Luther once said: "I have often said that whoever would
study Holy Scripture should be sure to see to it that he stays
with the simple words as long as he can and by no means departs
from them unless an article of faith compels him to understand
them differently. For of this we must be certain: no clearer
speech has been heard on Earth than what God has spoken."
Pure Words - God’s people need to realize that the Word of
God is something very special. It is not just the words of men. As
Paul said in 1 Thessalonians 2:13, “You received it not as the
word of men, but as it is, truly the word of God.” Proverbs
30:5–6 states that “every word of God is pure... Do not add
to His words, lest He reprove you and you be found a liar.” The
Bible cannot be treated as just some great literary work. We need
to “tremble at his word” (Isaiah 6:5) and not forget: All
Scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for
doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in
righteousness, that the man of God may be complete, thoroughly
equipped for every good work (2 Timothy 3:16–17). In the original
autographs, every word and letter in the Bible is there because
God put it there. Let us listen to God speaking to us through His
Word and not arrogantly think we can tell God what He really
means!
...read full article here.
For further study on this subject:
http://www.answersingenesis.org/
-
Study many articles including science-backed examination for
creation in 6 days
Christmas - Santa Claus
___________________________________________________________
Review / Critique
Questions To Parents... When did you decide to lie to your
children? Can your children really trust you to give them
the honest truth? It is a sad situation that even some
christian parents find themselves in. If you think these are awful
questions, your answers could be purely frightening. Jesus said to
his disciples: "Things that cause people to sin are bound to
come, but woe to that person through whom they come.
It
would be better for him to be thrown into the sea with a millstone
tied around his neck than for him to cause one of these
little ones to sin." Luke 171-2. Some time ago I watched a
videoed interview that Dr. James Dodson did with one of Americas
worst convicted serial killers, Ted Bundy, and have never
forgotten one statement he made. Dodson asked Bundy how the
downwards spiral all started for him. Bundy replied something
like, "It was when as a child I found out that my parents had lied
to me about Santa Claus, I never trusted them again!' Is Santa
worth lying to your children over. Has God granted an
exception for us to tell lies to children about Santa and will not
hold us accountable? Sorry, He hasn't. If you find yourself in
this situation, then confess it to God and your children, and
explain that Santa is not the father of Christmas, but that God in
heaven is the true father of Christmas when he gave His one and
only son as a gift for us, so that whoever believes in Him might
be saved.
So what
is it about Santa that is so disturbing for the Christian? The
myth (made-up story) of Santa is partly built on a guy in the 4th
century who gave gifts to the poor - but that is where the truth
ends. The myth developed differently in various countries, but
seems to have had similar pagan god roots from which sprung the
things we often associate with Christmas today, such as: stockings
or socks to be filled; Santa coming down the chimney; elves and
imps (demons in mythology); Yule; giving candy; etc.. Who knows
when your good or bad? God in heaven, and Santa. Who can be
everywhere at the same time? God in heaven, and Santa. Who gives
gifts? God in heaven (he gave us His son), and Santa. Who is the
father of Christmas? God in heaven, and the usurper - Santa Claus.
Santa is not just a "feel good" jolly guy to have a bit of fun for
the kids. Santa stands in place of the One True God to the
world, and he should be despised for that. He should have no place
in the Christian home or the church. What should you be
telling your children about Santa?
For further study on this subject:
www.Wikipedia/santa
-
Every christian should read this truly shocking, eye-opening
history of the myth of Santa
Easter
- Eggs & Bunnies?
_________________________________________________________
Review / Critique
What is the origin of
the Easter bunny? Like the origin of Christmas, the origin of the
Easter Bunny has roots that go back to pre-Christian, Anglo-Saxon
history. The holiday was originally a pagan celebration that
worshipped the goddess Eastre. She was the goddess of fertility
and springtime and her earthly symbol was the rabbit and eggs.
Thus the pre-Christian Anglo-Saxons worshipped the rabbit
believing it to be Eastre's earthly incarnation. When the
Anglo-Saxons were converted to Christianity, the pagan holiday,
which occurred around the same time as the Christian memorial of
Jesus' resurrection from the dead, was combined with the Christian
celebration and given the name Easter. Originally, there were some
very pagan practices that went along with the Easter celebration.
Today, Easter is often commercialized, with all the focus on eggs,
the Easter bunny, etc.. Because of this, many churches are
starting to refer to 'Easter' as Resurrection Day. This is
to reject the pagan-origins and the trappings that have become the
commercial backstay of cards and chocolates. So let us not get
sidetracked away from the death and resurrection of Jesus at this
time of year. Can we celebrate 'Easter' as the world sees it -
probably can. But should we - probably NOT. "So let no one judge
you in food or in drink, or regarding a festival or a new moon or
sabbaths, which are a shadow of things to come, but the substance
is of Christ." Colossians 2:16-17.
Baptism
in the Spirit
_______________________________________________________________
Review / Critique
Christian Brethren
(CB)
adhere to the traditional view that upon true repentance of sin,
personal acceptance of Jesus' atoning sacrifice on the cross and a
heart-changing commitment of ones life to God, that the Holy
Spirit takes up residence in your heart at the moment of
conversion - you become a 'new-creation', a child of God, born
again, etc.. You become 'the temple of the Holy Spirit', and it's
no weekend residence, he is with you 24/7. Let the scripture
speak: "But you are not in the flesh but in the Spirit, if
indeed the Spirit of God dwells in you.
Now if anyone does not
have the Spirit of Christ, he is not His." Rom 8:9. But
many get confused as to how this plays out on a daily bases for
the believer. Many christians look for MORE in their life - seeking
more of the Spirit, seeking a more deeper spiritual experience and
more of God's power in their ministry.
Well
the solution to the problem, according to scripture, is not
MORE but LESS. You grieve and
smother the Holy Spirit when you do things your own way, do not
turn away from sin, make your own plans instead of following what
God has clearly laid out in His Word, chase after worldly gain,
and look for 'silver bullets' (like the so-called 'second
blessing' or 'baptism' of the Holy Spirit') to fix your life, when what you
should be doing is getting rid of the worldly rubbish in your life and sin that
so easily besets us. As John the Baptist said about Jesus, "He
should increase, and I should decrease". It is impossible to
know the fullness of the Holy Spirit when your life and mind has
so much of self, the world and its desires. So this is a daily,
minute by minute battle to yield one's self to Christ and live in
the Spirit, not in the ways of human reasoning and self-centeredness. God has given you all the instructions
you will require already, in his written Word, the Bible. There
are no shortcuts - read and study your
Bible for yourself. Draw closer to God and He will draw closer
to you.
For further study on this subject:
http://www.graceonlinelibrary.org/etc/printer-friendly.asp?ID=583
- A weighty article "Holy Spirit Baptism: Seven Easy Steps?".
http://www.newtestamentpattern.net/biblestudy/baptismintheholyspirit/introduction.htm
- A well grounded, somewhat exhaustive study.
http://biblefreedom.com/baptisminspirit.htm - This article
brings out the "once only'" aspect of the Spirits baptism.
Speaking in Tongues
_____________________________________________________________
Review / Critique
Many people who speak
in "tongues" say that their experience confirms that it is the
Holy Spirit guiding them. Some say that you MUST speak in a tongue
after receiving Christ as saviour or you are NOT a christian at
all. But what does the Bible say about these things. A careful
study of the following will show that the gift of tongues has
indeed actually ceased. 1 Cor 13:8-10 says that tongues will
cease and that prophecy and knowledge will fade and disappear when
'that which is perfect' has come. The inspired writers of the
Bible were given futuristic prophecy and special knowledge.
Futuristic prophecy, such as Revelation, was given to these men to
foretell the things which God wanted to reveal to man.
Supernatural knowledge was needed to explain things like
redemption, Christian living, church guidelines etc. After these
things were recorded in Scripture, this type of prophecy and
knowledge ceased so Scripture cannot be added to
today.
Normal knowledge will never cease but will continue forever and
increase greatly after Jesus' return. Today, we are encouraged to
grow in biblical knowledge and to prophecy in the form of biblical
preaching, as in 1 Cor 14:24-25, which saves and edifies souls.
Tongues is nowhere
said in scripture to be a sign of a Christian being saved through receiving the
Holy Spirit, nor is it said to be either a Prayer Language, the
Baptism of the Holy Spirit or Tongues of Angels. These things can
only be read into the text. The Bible only says that tongues
was a sign to unbelieving Jews, nothing more. The first church
in Jerusalem was entirely Jewish and they badly needed convincing
that Gentiles were part of God's salvation plan as they were
fiercely, often violently, opposed to it. One example in Acts 11
shows this opposition and how tongues was used as a sign to verify
that the Gentiles were in God's plan. Today, we have the Bible to
explain the mystery of the church (Eph 3:1-6). Tongues, prophecy
and knowledge are grouped because they had a limited purpose and
when that purpose was served they were removed. In Mark 16:15-18,
Jesus said that tongues would be one of the signs to follow
evangelists as they preached the gospel. This did occur as Acts
shows. However, about 20 years after Jesus said this, 1
Corinthians was written stating that tongues would cease and this
occurred many years later, when the Bible was completed. The rules
of 1 Cor 14 were given because of the abuse of the gift and didn't
alter the fact that tongues, being just a sign, was to cease later
on. An unemotional study of the Bible will reveal that tongues has
ceased and should be renounced in the Lord's Name.
MP3
audio - listen to Stanley D Toussaint explain "Tongues
& Spirituality"
Read the full article
here at
http://www.christianissues.biz/tonguessummary.html -
Tongues Have Ceased - A Brief Summary by Mick Alexander
For further study on this subject:
http://www.ondoctrine.com/2gcc0201.htm
-
THE GIFT OF TONGUES - A GRACE COMMUNITY CHURCH DISTINCTIVE
Prophets Today -
no 'good' - just plain bad & ugly
________________________________
Review / Critique
It has
has been said that the biggest threat to the church today is the
Prophetic Ministries that abound, because through this false,
"Thus says the Lord...", Satan can introduce any false doctrines
he likes and lead believers away from the Truth of God's Word, the
Bible, that was "once and for all delivered to the saints".
Once someone is hooked into these false prophets, they are taken
further and further away from God's completed revelation in Jesus
Christ and often finish up believing some pretty ridicules
things as is evidenced in the hyper-charismatic movements around
today. People who sit under the teaching of these charlatans
rarely open their Bible to see if what they are hearing is
correct, yet the scripture says, "Be diligent to present yourself
approved to God, a worker who does not need to be ashamed, rightly
dividing the word of truth". 2 Timothy 2:15 NKJV.
Hebrews
chapter 1 makes it clear about the prophets words in the past, and
the Son speaking to us today by the record of the apostles. As
Heb.1 tells us, there were many prophets sent in successive
periods, these were in contrast to the Son who came one time
with a completed message. The Son being not only a prophet but
our priest and king. None of the former prophets possessed the
Spirit continually, He would come upon them for a message, but not
necessarily abide with them. So the prophets were all partial in
the revelations, incomplete. All of these are eclipsed by Jesus
Christ as the final revelator of Scripture. As John the last
apostle living wrote the Revelation of Jesus Christ (Rev.1:1) that
focuses on prophetic events. Paul wrote to Titus (1:9) to “hold
firmly to the trustworthy message as it has been taught, so that
you can encourage others by sound doctrine and refute those who
oppose it.” Doctrine is our scripture, the only true measure of
truth.
As established from God, prophecy is always 100% accurate or it is
not from God. Yet Rick Joyner who is considered a prophet and
visionary says “There is a prophet named Bob Jones who was told
that the general level of prophetic revelation in the church was
about 65% accurate at this time. Some are only about 10% accurate,
a very few of the most mature prophets are approaching 85% to 95%
accuracy. Prophecy is increasing in purity, but there is a still a
long way to go for those who walk in this ministry” (The Prophetic
Ministry, Rick Joyner- Morningstar Prophetic Newsletter. Vol. 3,
No. 2, p. 2).
Does this sound like the biblical prophets from the Bible. Does
this sound like “...I am the Lord, who has made all things, who
alone stretched out the heavens, who spread out the earth by
myself, who foils the signs of false prophets ... who carries out
the words of his servants and fulfils the predictions of his
messengers” (Isaiah 44:24-26). Ezek 12:25 “For I am the
LORD. I speak, and the word which I speak will come to pass; it
will no more be postponed; for in your days, O rebellious house, I
will say the word and perform it,” says the Lord GOD.”‘ Therefore
any prophetic gift they are exercising that is not accurate 100%
of the time is not the same one God gave to the prophets of old.
Can
one actually be considered a “prophet” with an accuracy level of
about 65 percent, or even those who are better at it getting a
somewhat higher rating? We don’t rate them for their effort
and ask them to go home and practice and come back again when they
improve. God is not training His prophetic mouthpieces on
improving in their accuracy! God always rebuked those inaccurate
prophets by calling them "FALSE". It is no different today. We
often hear the excuse, "Well if someone had to think they were to
be 100% accurate they may not try to prophecy". Good! Because it
is a most fearful thing to say, "Thus saith the Lord". And there
are too many people who have practiced this gift as if it is like
teaching. The Bible makes it clear God only gives a true prophet
one kind of prophecy, correct prophecy; 100% of the time.
This is because if ones doctrine is off it will lead to their
prophecy being false. Once their prophesy is wrong, they no
longer speak for God. This is why we are always to test a
prophecy by the prophet’s statements; we are to judge and discern
what is said. What do all false prophets have in common? A hope of
not being tested for what they said! They count on the people not
to test their statements by putting guilt and fear in those that
would dare to question the “anointed ones”, telling the people not
to judge. Time is the enemy of a false prophet, and a bad memory
is their ally. You will find very few people waiting to see if
what was said will come to pass. A true prophet will not avoid
being tested but encourage it.
For further study on this subject:
http://www.letusreason.org/Latrain23.htm
- When a PROPHET SPEAKS and his words
DO NOT come to pass - Let Us Reason Ministries
http://cicministry.org/commentary/issue66.htm - Apostles
and Prophets and the Foundation of the Church - by Bob DeWaay
The 'MONEY' god! - the
wealth gospel examined
_________________________________
Review / Critique
The ATM God by
Anton Bosch
“God wants you to be rich, healthy and happy. If you have
financial problems just become a Christian and all your problems
will go away. Believers can get anything they wish from God by
planting seeds in the form of cash. Every dollar you give God, He
repays ten or a hundred fold,” so say the tele-sprookers.
As a result of this message, millions of people have converted to
Christianity and swelled the coffers of the
TV
stations, preachers and churches that preach this. But we must ask
a few questions: Are they following the God of the Bible, and
are those who teach and believe this message really Christians?
How dare we ask such questions? Well, how dare we not! It
all hinges on one question: Is the god of the prosperity message
the God of the Bible? That should not be hard to answer. All we
need to do is compare the god of the prosperity gospel with the
God of the Bible and it becomes clear that they are not the same.
The god of the health and wealth message can best be described as
the “money god” or the “ATM god.” “For the love of money is
a root of all kinds of evil, for which some have strayed from the
faith in their greediness” (1Timothy 6:10). Yes, I know. it is the
love of money and not the money. But what exactly is it that the
money preachers are appealing to when they promise people that God
will make them rich? It is the love of money. It is not the
love of God. If that were the basis of their appeal they would
encourage people to just give their money to God and not expect
anything back. But they are expressly appealing to, and
encouraging, the love of money. So who promotes the love of money?
God or the Devil? God’s messengers, or the messengers of Satan?
Just think about it a moment before you reach for the mouse to
delete this message. Wait before you sit at the keyboard to fire
off a message telling me I am a heretic. Yes, I agree that God
blesses His children, meets their needs and teaches them to look
to Him for their daily bread. But there is a huge difference
between loving God and loving money.
Millions of people have become “Christians” because of the
promises of health, wealth and happiness. But I wonder if they
would have become Christians if God rather promised persecution,
hardship and problems. But wait! What does the Bible
promise?: “All who desire to live godly in Christ Jesus will
suffer persecution” (2Timothy 3:12). “In this world you will have
trouble” (John 16:33 NIV). And “We must go through many hardships
to enter the kingdom of God” (Acts 14:22). Not only do we have
promises
of
hardship as Christians, but the record of Scripture confirms that
to be the case. Jesus was never rich and had to be buried in a
borrowed tomb. Paul had a few seasons of abundance but mostly his
life was pretty miserable: “From the Jews five times I received
forty stripes minus one. Three times I was beaten with rods; once
I was stoned; three times I was shipwrecked; a night and a day I
have been in the deep; in journeys often, in perils of waters, in
perils of robbers, in perils of my own countrymen, in perils of
the Gentiles, in perils in the city, in perils in the wilderness,
in perils in the sea, in perils among false brethren; in weariness
and toil, in sleeplessness often, in hunger and thirst, in fasting
often, in cold and nakedness” (2Corinthians 11:24-27).
Does that sound like the kind of life preachers are offering
today? Look at the wonderful “prosperous” life the heroes of faith
lived: “Others were tortured, not accepting deliverance, that they
might obtain a better resurrection. Still others had trial of mockings and
scourgings, yes, and of chains and imprisonment. They
were stoned, they were sawn in two, were tempted, were slain with
the sword. They wandered about in sheepskins and goatskins, being
destitute, afflicted, tormented-- of whom the world was not
worthy. They wandered in deserts and mountains, in dens and caves
of the earth” (Hebrews 11:35-38). There are glaring differences
between the promises of the Bible and those of the prosperity
preachers. In fact, they are direct opposites. It is very obvious
that the god of the prosperity message is not the God of the
Bible, and that those who preach that message are not messengers
of God but of Satan. We must then ask whether their followers
are really Christians. If you have been following Jesus for
what He can give you, then you need to repent and turn to the real
Lord Jesus Christ who died for you on the cross. Ask Him right now
to forgive you for following Him for things, when He already gave
Himself as a sacrifice for your sins. God loved you so much
that He gave His only begotten Son; but would you really just have
money and stuff instead?!?
Read the full article
here at
http://herescope.blogspot.com/2010/08/money-god.html
- The Money god! - the ATM God by
Anton Bosch
For further study on this subject:
http://www.bereanradio.org/TNB_Newsletter_Vol_4.htm
-
“Sowing Your Faith Seed” or “Dialing For Dollars? ” –The TBN
Praise-A-Thon by Michael C. Gaudiosi - The Noble Berean
Beliefs & Practice
- Page 1 - Christian Brethren Common Creed
Beliefs & Practice
- Page 2 - A Typical Christian Brethren Church
