Sunday, December 5, 2010
Creating false converts
Is this how you bring children to Christ?
What a shame! When so many churches are not even properly preaching God's Word, the last thing we need are people making false Christians so easily! Oh how far the church has fallen!
How to know when it is time to change churches...
It's all about Me!Does that describe your church? Where the sermons are geared towards "your" felt needs...
Adultery? Do you like to do that? Have you married someone who was married while you were dating him? Not a sin if you find the right churches or hang out with the right so called "christians."
How about lying? Is that something you like to do? Want to know what God thinks of that? NO? Then find a church that never mentions sin and the need to repent of them. Of course you won't go to heaven, but hey, at least you will be happy here on earth. (just remember that time flies and no one knows when they will breathe their last breath on this earth)
What about sex outside of marriage? You know, fornication? Oh yes, the bible does specifically talk about fornicators going to hell. But hey, if you don't like what God's Word says, then find a church that does not mention this as being sin. Find one that says it is okay to be just like the world.
Idol worship? Not a problem here. Worship that boy more than God or worship that girl more than God. See how far you get in the life after you die. So long as you go to a "cool" church where everyone accepts you for loving your sins and does not require of you to repent, then that must the church from God for you.
Honor thy parents? Don't even go there on this one. It is not necessary to honor your parents. You can even go so far as to call them trolls or haters for trying to keep you on the straight and narrow road that leads to heaven. There are churches out there that will encourage you to hate your parents, literally hate them! Find that church, it must be of God if they teach you that!
Homosexuality? Go for it. Yes, the bible does say that homosexuals will go to hell. Find a church that is "soft" on their approach with gays. Find one that will never tell them that they need to repent of their sins. There are plenty of churches out there that do that. Go ahead and find one.
Does all of this sound far fetched?
It's not! This is happening each and every day. It is amazing to see how many people profess to be Christians but will base their search for a church on the very things I mentioned above. Tatoo's?? Don't ever tell someone what the bible says about putting marks on our bodies. If they are pretend christians, they will deny the very Word of God and go ahead and do what they want to do.
How about marriage outside of church? Not bad if a pastor performs the ceremony out in a park setting. That can be quite beautiful. But what if two professing christians (who have been involved in adultery, fornication, lying, dishonoring parents) (doesn't sound like christians to me, does it to you?) what if they are denied the opportunity of a pastor-led wedding? Well, off to the courthouse they go. Did I mention they only knew each other for one month?
See, you can tell when it is time to change churches when the pastor is not truly preaching God's whole Word. If he does not preach on sin and the need to repent of that sin, then he is a terrible pastor and you need to run from him. If he is telling stories of "his" life and not talking about what Jesus taught (repentance from sin and faith in Him) then you need to run from him.
The bible tells us to not have fellowship with the fruits of darkness. And sometimes that is very hard to do with people you love. But if they are professing Christians and are living in a very outwards sinful life without repentance, then you are to leave them to their father (the devil). Otherwise, you are showing the nonchristians that you as a christian approve of their deeds of darkness.
Some people want me to talk about economics and money from a biblical point of view. Why should I do that? Considering Jesus said that it is hard for a rich man to inherit the kingdom of heaven.
No, the thing that needs to be said is this...
REPENT, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand!
In that final day there will be those (supposed christians) who will say Lord, Lord didn't we prophesy in your name...
and He will say to them...
Depart from me you worker of iniquity, I never knew you!
Without repentance there is no salvation and if your church is not teaching you this, then you need to leave and find one that is biblical. Send me a note if you have any questions.
Saturday, November 27, 2010
Marriage, sex, adultery, homosexuality, drugs, etc
This post today is going to hit on several topics, all from a biblical point of view. How will you line up with God's Word when it is all said and done? People will get mad at me and do a lot of name calling towards me but I know that it is not me that they hate, it is God and His Holy Word. The bible tells us that is so.
Luke 6:22
Blessed are ye, when men shall hate you, and when they shall separate you [from their company], and shall reproach [you], and cast out your name as evil, for the Son of man's sake.
John 15:18
If the world hate you, ye know that it hated me before [it hated] you.
The Pharisees hated Jesus so much that they wanted Him dead. He was a threat to their power hungry religious life. Jesus exposed them as the frauds that they were. We are called to expose frauds too. Those false prophets, pastor and all other so called "christians" who are not teaching and living a life truly for the One and Only God, need to be exposed. Why? Because the bible tells us so.
Ephesians 5:11
And have no fellowship with the unfruitful works of darkness, but rather reprove [them].
So now as I go about talking of sin, see if the sin you love is covered here and check to see if your life and devotion to God lines up with His Word. If it doesn't then you need to repent of your sins. People say that God is a God of love. That is true. But He is also a God of wrath and that is the God that people refuse to believe. If they believed it they would not live and enjoy their sin so much. If they truly loved God and believed in His holiness and in His power, they would have a healthy fear of Him. You can see the lack of fear that people have for God by the way they speak, or by the way they act. They say they "believe" in God but only to the point of believing. Unfortunately, they do not know that believing in God is not a ticket into heaven.
James 2:19
Thou believest that there is one God; thou doest well: the devils also believe, and tremble.
Now, if the devils believe AND tremble and we know they will not enter heaven, then what makes you think that "your" belief alone will get you into heaven. The bible tells us that without repentance -- THERE IS NO SALVATION!
Luke 13:2-5
And Jesus answered and said to them, "Do you suppose that these Galileans were worse sinners than all other Galileans, because they suffered such things? "I tell you, no; but unless you repent you will all likewise perish. "Or those eighteen on whom the tower in Siloam fell and killed them, do you think that they were worse sinners than all other men who dwelt in Jerusalem? "I tell you, no; but unless you repent you will all likewise perish."
So here is the problem we have today. We have false prophets, teachers and pastor who refuse to preach the true Word of God. They only tell half of the story. Why? Because they want large mega churches. With mega churches, you get lots of people and with lots of people you get lots of money. Those people refuse to properly teach God's Word because they know enough of the bible to know that if they did teach it the right way, people would become offended. If they become offended by God's Word, they will leave the church and their money will leave with them. That is why you see churches entertaining people now. They blast their music real loud, the pastors try to look "cool" by wearing jeans with holes in them (so he can relate to the lost sinners), he has earrings and tatoos and he is not scared to use cuss words as shock value. He will show entertaining videos and have people come up on stage doing stupid, supposedly funny things in order to get people laughing. He tells jokes to make people feel good. He tells them "God loves you" and sends them home. And look what happens when they go back home...
The following are true stories.
An elder of the church goes home and beats on his wife and kids. He threatens his wife in front of the kids and tells the kids that if a man held a gun to their heads, and told their mom to stop reading the bible or he would kill them, their mom would let them die. She would rather read her bible than save their life.
After finding out that a son of an elderly woman was going to visit a church, the pastor of that church changed his sermon. He found out the boy was gay and he did not want to offend the boy by talking about homosexuality, so he changed his sermon.
After hearing what the bible says about tatoos, a person purposefully goes out and gets more tatoos and says she does it for God's glory. Knowing full well what the bible says about sex outside of marriage this person goes church hopping in hopes of finding a man. She sleeps with several different guys, saying she loves them only to find out later they were not good christian men like they profess to be.
Getting drunk and lying in the road, a "christian" says that God forgives him because he only gets drunk once in a while.
A group of christians from work go out drinking, smoking and cussing up a storm and in the very next breath they will praise God because He is love.
A pastor commits adultery with one of his members in the congregation and says God forgives him. But he keeps on without repenting.
Let's see...
homosexuality, sex outside of marriage, adultery, drugs, alcohol, cussing.
Do those look like the traits that Jesus wants His followers to have?
NO
1 Corinthians 6:9-10
Know ye not that the unrighteous shall not inherit the kingdom of God? Be not deceived: neither fornicators, nor idolaters, nor adulterers, nor effeminate, nor abusers of themselves with mankind, Nor thieves, nor covetous, nor drunkards, nor revilers, nor extortioners, shall inherit the kingdom of God.
Fornicators --
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.
The Greek word for fornicator is "pornos" and we all know how bad that is in God's eyes. It has to do with sex outside of the bounds of marriage.
Idolaters --
An idolater is anyone who worships a false god.
This is one where so many people are guilty. A false god is not just worshipping a bronze calf. It is not jsut worshipping a god of a cult, like mormonism. It is worshipping a god that they have created in their minds. It is worshipping a god that is not the God of the bible. Too many people worship a god that looks the other way at their sins. They feel God will not punish them for living in habitual sins. Is that you? Do you know that God will judge the unrighteous person and that person will be found wanting and be cast to hell for all eternity. Their will be millions of people cast into hell and out of those millions of people, the majority of them would consider themselves to be christians. But just because "you" call yourself a christian, does not mean that God calls you His child. The bible tells us that you are either a child of the devil or a child of God.
Acts 13:10
And said, O full of all subtilty and all mischief, [thou] child of the devil, [thou] enemy of all righteousness, wilt thou not cease to pervert the right ways of the Lord?
Again this all comes down to repentance. If you are not willing to cease to pervert the right ways of the Lord, then you are a child of the devil. And as a child of the devil, you only have hell to look forward to. There won't be card playing and drinking in hell. It will not be one big party as some like to joke about.
Revelation 20:10
And the devil that deceived them was cast into the lake of fire and brimstone, where the beast and the false prophet [are], and shall be tormented day and night for ever and ever.
Many of you who profess to be christians and teach others to sin or participate in sin with them are guilty of deceiving people about who the true God of the bible is. Hell is a very real place of fire and brimstone. It will go on for all eternity. You will never be able to escape the pain and torture.
Adulterers --
Sex with another married person. But Jesus said that any one who lust after another is guilty of adultery. See, God looks at our hearts, not just our actions.
Matthew 5:27-28
Ye have heard that it was said by them of old time, Thou shalt not commit adultery: But I say unto you, That whosoever looketh on a woman to lust after her hath committed adultery with her already in his heart.
Here is a shameful example for you. A girl meets a boy (he is married, separated but in GOD'S eyes, he is STILL married). She claims to be a Christian and yet she sleeps with this boy. In fact, before his divorce is even finalized, the two of them are engaged to be married. In fact, just one week after the divorce, the two of them are getting married. Their total amount of time of knowing each other? As of now, it is about 6 weeks. The marriage takes place in two days in a courthouse and not in a church. Did I mention that he smokes and drinks and calls himself a christian?
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Time to go to church. I will finish this article when I get home from church. Please take time to examine yourself to see if you are truly in the faith. If not, you need to repent and turn to God for forgiveness. Then do the sin no more!
Luke 6:22
Blessed are ye, when men shall hate you, and when they shall separate you [from their company], and shall reproach [you], and cast out your name as evil, for the Son of man's sake.
John 15:18
If the world hate you, ye know that it hated me before [it hated] you.
The Pharisees hated Jesus so much that they wanted Him dead. He was a threat to their power hungry religious life. Jesus exposed them as the frauds that they were. We are called to expose frauds too. Those false prophets, pastor and all other so called "christians" who are not teaching and living a life truly for the One and Only God, need to be exposed. Why? Because the bible tells us so.
Ephesians 5:11
And have no fellowship with the unfruitful works of darkness, but rather reprove [them].
So now as I go about talking of sin, see if the sin you love is covered here and check to see if your life and devotion to God lines up with His Word. If it doesn't then you need to repent of your sins. People say that God is a God of love. That is true. But He is also a God of wrath and that is the God that people refuse to believe. If they believed it they would not live and enjoy their sin so much. If they truly loved God and believed in His holiness and in His power, they would have a healthy fear of Him. You can see the lack of fear that people have for God by the way they speak, or by the way they act. They say they "believe" in God but only to the point of believing. Unfortunately, they do not know that believing in God is not a ticket into heaven.
James 2:19
Thou believest that there is one God; thou doest well: the devils also believe, and tremble.
Now, if the devils believe AND tremble and we know they will not enter heaven, then what makes you think that "your" belief alone will get you into heaven. The bible tells us that without repentance -- THERE IS NO SALVATION!
Luke 13:2-5
And Jesus answered and said to them, "Do you suppose that these Galileans were worse sinners than all other Galileans, because they suffered such things? "I tell you, no; but unless you repent you will all likewise perish. "Or those eighteen on whom the tower in Siloam fell and killed them, do you think that they were worse sinners than all other men who dwelt in Jerusalem? "I tell you, no; but unless you repent you will all likewise perish."
So here is the problem we have today. We have false prophets, teachers and pastor who refuse to preach the true Word of God. They only tell half of the story. Why? Because they want large mega churches. With mega churches, you get lots of people and with lots of people you get lots of money. Those people refuse to properly teach God's Word because they know enough of the bible to know that if they did teach it the right way, people would become offended. If they become offended by God's Word, they will leave the church and their money will leave with them. That is why you see churches entertaining people now. They blast their music real loud, the pastors try to look "cool" by wearing jeans with holes in them (so he can relate to the lost sinners), he has earrings and tatoos and he is not scared to use cuss words as shock value. He will show entertaining videos and have people come up on stage doing stupid, supposedly funny things in order to get people laughing. He tells jokes to make people feel good. He tells them "God loves you" and sends them home. And look what happens when they go back home...
The following are true stories.
An elder of the church goes home and beats on his wife and kids. He threatens his wife in front of the kids and tells the kids that if a man held a gun to their heads, and told their mom to stop reading the bible or he would kill them, their mom would let them die. She would rather read her bible than save their life.
After finding out that a son of an elderly woman was going to visit a church, the pastor of that church changed his sermon. He found out the boy was gay and he did not want to offend the boy by talking about homosexuality, so he changed his sermon.
After hearing what the bible says about tatoos, a person purposefully goes out and gets more tatoos and says she does it for God's glory. Knowing full well what the bible says about sex outside of marriage this person goes church hopping in hopes of finding a man. She sleeps with several different guys, saying she loves them only to find out later they were not good christian men like they profess to be.
Getting drunk and lying in the road, a "christian" says that God forgives him because he only gets drunk once in a while.
A group of christians from work go out drinking, smoking and cussing up a storm and in the very next breath they will praise God because He is love.
A pastor commits adultery with one of his members in the congregation and says God forgives him. But he keeps on without repenting.
Let's see...
homosexuality, sex outside of marriage, adultery, drugs, alcohol, cussing.
Do those look like the traits that Jesus wants His followers to have?
NO
1 Corinthians 6:9-10
Know ye not that the unrighteous shall not inherit the kingdom of God? Be not deceived: neither fornicators, nor idolaters, nor adulterers, nor effeminate, nor abusers of themselves with mankind, Nor thieves, nor covetous, nor drunkards, nor revilers, nor extortioners, shall inherit the kingdom of God.
Fornicators --
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.
The Greek word for fornicator is "pornos" and we all know how bad that is in God's eyes. It has to do with sex outside of the bounds of marriage.
Idolaters --
An idolater is anyone who worships a false god.
This is one where so many people are guilty. A false god is not just worshipping a bronze calf. It is not jsut worshipping a god of a cult, like mormonism. It is worshipping a god that they have created in their minds. It is worshipping a god that is not the God of the bible. Too many people worship a god that looks the other way at their sins. They feel God will not punish them for living in habitual sins. Is that you? Do you know that God will judge the unrighteous person and that person will be found wanting and be cast to hell for all eternity. Their will be millions of people cast into hell and out of those millions of people, the majority of them would consider themselves to be christians. But just because "you" call yourself a christian, does not mean that God calls you His child. The bible tells us that you are either a child of the devil or a child of God.
Acts 13:10
And said, O full of all subtilty and all mischief, [thou] child of the devil, [thou] enemy of all righteousness, wilt thou not cease to pervert the right ways of the Lord?
Again this all comes down to repentance. If you are not willing to cease to pervert the right ways of the Lord, then you are a child of the devil. And as a child of the devil, you only have hell to look forward to. There won't be card playing and drinking in hell. It will not be one big party as some like to joke about.
Revelation 20:10
And the devil that deceived them was cast into the lake of fire and brimstone, where the beast and the false prophet [are], and shall be tormented day and night for ever and ever.
Many of you who profess to be christians and teach others to sin or participate in sin with them are guilty of deceiving people about who the true God of the bible is. Hell is a very real place of fire and brimstone. It will go on for all eternity. You will never be able to escape the pain and torture.
Adulterers --
Sex with another married person. But Jesus said that any one who lust after another is guilty of adultery. See, God looks at our hearts, not just our actions.
Matthew 5:27-28
Ye have heard that it was said by them of old time, Thou shalt not commit adultery: But I say unto you, That whosoever looketh on a woman to lust after her hath committed adultery with her already in his heart.
Here is a shameful example for you. A girl meets a boy (he is married, separated but in GOD'S eyes, he is STILL married). She claims to be a Christian and yet she sleeps with this boy. In fact, before his divorce is even finalized, the two of them are engaged to be married. In fact, just one week after the divorce, the two of them are getting married. Their total amount of time of knowing each other? As of now, it is about 6 weeks. The marriage takes place in two days in a courthouse and not in a church. Did I mention that he smokes and drinks and calls himself a christian?
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Time to go to church. I will finish this article when I get home from church. Please take time to examine yourself to see if you are truly in the faith. If not, you need to repent and turn to God for forgiveness. Then do the sin no more!
Sunday, October 24, 2010
More on Robert Schuller bankrupt church...
I received another email from a faithful member of Schuller's church. While he did not address a single point of the false teachings I posted in the other post, he went on to say some pretty wild things. Read below to see his comments. My comments will be added along side his.
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I read your rantings and your take on things but you completely missed the point. Just because "you" don't agree with what the Chrystal Cathedral does for many millions of people, doesn't mean it's wrong. It's "YOUR" take on it and one that I am sure many may believe in, but that's for them to decide. There is more to life than taking what the Bible reads and making it fit what you feel is proper and right for all people.
I missed the point? I exposed his false teachings and all you can do is say "I" missed the point because you think it is my opinion. Scripture does not lie (unless you don't believe in God's Word as being true!) Taking what the Bible says by using proper use of Scripture (i.e. cross referencing, historical data, etc). Schuller is the one who takes a line of Scripture and twists it to fit his self-esteem garbage.
I have been a Southern Baptist all my life and for the past five years a member of a Non-doniminations church which has a different take on what the Bible says. One I sat still and listened while in the other I raised my hands and praised the Lord during the service. Was I wrong on one and right on the other, or was I more a part of one and less of another.
Guess I am confused. You say here you have been a Southern Baptist all your life and yet in the next paragraph you make it seem like you have been a member of Schullers church for the past 35 years. What you should do is be concerned that two churches have different "takes" on what the bible says. Do you have discernment on knowing how to tell if a church is biblical or not? It is not about the use of hands but about the teaching taking place. Is it biblical or is it filled with heresy?
You can listen, read, talk, point out, complain, yell or whatever a person wishes to do "but" what it in their heart and how the handle themselves in daily life is what counts.
Is there fruit?
I said one time at church, "If I walked out of here today with Bible in hand, dressed for church, praising the Lord and people seeing me here on Sunday, they would pretty much know that I am a Christian or that I claim to me. "BUT" on Monday or other days of the week, without the Bible in hand and no where near the church, do they "still" see me as a Christian through my actions? That's where is counts to me. How I act, how I treat others, etc.
It is not just how you act and treat others. There are many non-christians who are really nice people and treat people in very loving manner, and yet, they are headed for hell.
Roberts Schuller has "never" asked me one time in 35 years to "Let this be the only church you go to"... in fact over the years he has stated to people "Find a home church, I can't walk over a cemetery or hold your hand when you need comfort"..... He has always asked people to have a home church and use the "Hour of Power" for extra comfort and learning.
Of course, he never fails to ask people for their money too!
He has given me more to go on with my daily life than any one person that I know of. How to love the Lord "AND" other people by building them UP and making the know they are "SOMEBODY" and never a "JUST".
Not sure what you mean by never a just. When a person is truly saved they will never never need someone to tell them how to love the Lord and other people.
Just the other night I was headed home after a vacation and we stopped at a place for something "on the run" and there was a young man that was scrubbing the floor. Because of Robert Schuller and how he has treated people I said to this young man "wow, you really have this floor clean" "looks like a hospital floor it's so clean". Now, maybe to you that was silly, but to me and maybe to HIM he realized that he is not "JUST" someone that mops the floor but the "BEST" at what he was doing and does until he finds a job that will propel him to a better income in life.
Really? Because of Robert Schuller you said something nice to someone? Really? Not because Jesus is God, but because Robert Schuller taught you to be nice to someone? WOW? Maybe his income is where he wants it to be. Do you really think that just because he mops floors, that he is a loser who is not happy with his pay? To Schuller, it is about money. But to God, what does it profit a man to gain the whole world but lose his soul?
If you need a lesson on this, try taking your Bible (only) and walk up to anyone you wish and start telling them how they are living in sin, how bad they are, how you are correct and they are wrong and how you know the way to Heaven and they do not. Watch how the accept you for a few seconds and tell you to please move one.
A couple of summers ago, I spoke with over 300 individual people, with Bible in my hand and we spoke about sin, how sinful they are and how they need a Savior. I only had one person act offended. Everyone else was very thankful that I spoke to them. If you do not get them to a point of recognizing their sinfulness, you will create false believers and they will be headed to hell because of not mentioning it to them. Or don't you realize that without repentance of sin there is no salvation?
Now, take that same Bible and put it in Robert Schullers hand and let him tell them their "worth" to God and their "good place" on earth and how they are "SOMEBODY" and then see if they won't listen to him and want to know 'where does this man get this good feeling for life, God, people and share it with me and make me want what he has as well."
Putting the same bible in Schuller's hand will not help a person because he will refuse to share the "whole" gospel with people. He only wants people to feel good. Jesus did not do that. He told them what they needed to hear.
You are a prime example of the type of person that is counter productive to what people need. God is Good....and man should be as well when it come to being a representative of his word.
Would you consider yourself to be good? Seriously, do you consider yourself to be a good person? I highly doubt it!
Learn some of these little sayings and use them and you will be much more intune with life. I got them all from Robert Schuller over the years. They work and I use them all the time. "Inch By Inch, Anythings A Cinch", The Me I See, Is The Me I will Be", If you can dream it, you can be it" "For anything you like to do that is both moral and legal, there is someone out there getting paid to do it" "I AM SOMEBODY", "God loves you and so do I". "If It's Going To Be It's Up To Me" and they go on and on........
WOW, if only Robert Schuller would spend more time teaching God's Word than coming up with silly sayings. Amazing!
1. Inch by inch, anythings a cinch.
I can do all things through Christ which strengthens me!
2. The Me is see, is the me I will be.
Man is depraved sinner. If you don't see yourself as depraved and as a sinner, you will never come to a point of salvation.
3. If you can dream it, you can be it.
IF it is the Lord's will. Just because you say or dream something does not mean that it will happen. Or do you think your words are more powerful than the Word of God? Do you think that God is obligated to do for you something just because you spoke or dreamt the words?
4. For anything you like to do that is both moral and legal, there is someone out there getting paid to do it.
WHAT IN THE WORLD DOES THAT HAVE TO DO WITH BEING A CHRISTIAN?
5. I AM SOMEBODY!
Good for you, the only problem is that we are all somebody and someone's. You are either a child of God or a child of the Devil.
6. God loves you and so do I.
Really? Do you know that there is a literal place called Hell? God's wrath is going to be poured out on the unbelievers.
7. If it's going to be up to me...
I would hate to think what Schuller is trying to teach with that one!
When Jesus began his ministry the first words he spoke were, Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand. In the Book of Revelation, what did He tell the 7 Churches? Repent or else...! read the Book of Amos and see what God tells them. Repent or else!!!! In Schullers version of being a Christian, it is okay to be a homosexual, a blasphemer, a murderer because to him they will all go to heaven. Just so long as you end up being a good person, you will go to heaven. Read 1 Corinthians 6:9-10. Even being a liar will He cast you into the lake of fire! Do you understand what it takes to be saved? Do you truly understand? In your own words or in Schullers words, how can a person be saved?
I hope you have a nice day and btw.. you must REALLY dislike Joel Osteen that smiles and makes people feel good in his ministry as well? He's happy as are the Schullers and those that love them! God Loves You and I am trying!!
First off, Joel Osteen is not a godly pastor. He is a feel good guru. He does not even know Scripture and he admits it. He gets a lot of money to make people feel good about themselves. He and Schuller are alot a like. Do you realize that the bible speaks about men like them? Galatians 1:8-9. Preaching a different gospel is very dangerous and they will be accursed. Read 2 Timothy 4:3 about people wanting to have their ears tickled by feel good messages! The bible says people will turn away from the truth. You and thousands of others have done that. You have followed after man instead of God. You have placed your trust in a man who has given you "sound bites" to remember instead of God's Holy Word. You have only learned about grace without truly understanding just how great His grace really is. You have not learned about our sinful nature. You must tell people both sides of the story not just about grace.
I would love to sit down at a table with you and lovingly share with you the gospel the way it should be shared. You would walk away with knowledge but with a humbleness towards God. My prayers are with you sir.
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I read your rantings and your take on things but you completely missed the point. Just because "you" don't agree with what the Chrystal Cathedral does for many millions of people, doesn't mean it's wrong. It's "YOUR" take on it and one that I am sure many may believe in, but that's for them to decide. There is more to life than taking what the Bible reads and making it fit what you feel is proper and right for all people.
I missed the point? I exposed his false teachings and all you can do is say "I" missed the point because you think it is my opinion. Scripture does not lie (unless you don't believe in God's Word as being true!) Taking what the Bible says by using proper use of Scripture (i.e. cross referencing, historical data, etc). Schuller is the one who takes a line of Scripture and twists it to fit his self-esteem garbage.
I have been a Southern Baptist all my life and for the past five years a member of a Non-doniminations church which has a different take on what the Bible says. One I sat still and listened while in the other I raised my hands and praised the Lord during the service. Was I wrong on one and right on the other, or was I more a part of one and less of another.
Guess I am confused. You say here you have been a Southern Baptist all your life and yet in the next paragraph you make it seem like you have been a member of Schullers church for the past 35 years. What you should do is be concerned that two churches have different "takes" on what the bible says. Do you have discernment on knowing how to tell if a church is biblical or not? It is not about the use of hands but about the teaching taking place. Is it biblical or is it filled with heresy?
You can listen, read, talk, point out, complain, yell or whatever a person wishes to do "but" what it in their heart and how the handle themselves in daily life is what counts.
Is there fruit?
I said one time at church, "If I walked out of here today with Bible in hand, dressed for church, praising the Lord and people seeing me here on Sunday, they would pretty much know that I am a Christian or that I claim to me. "BUT" on Monday or other days of the week, without the Bible in hand and no where near the church, do they "still" see me as a Christian through my actions? That's where is counts to me. How I act, how I treat others, etc.
It is not just how you act and treat others. There are many non-christians who are really nice people and treat people in very loving manner, and yet, they are headed for hell.
Roberts Schuller has "never" asked me one time in 35 years to "Let this be the only church you go to"... in fact over the years he has stated to people "Find a home church, I can't walk over a cemetery or hold your hand when you need comfort"..... He has always asked people to have a home church and use the "Hour of Power" for extra comfort and learning.
Of course, he never fails to ask people for their money too!
He has given me more to go on with my daily life than any one person that I know of. How to love the Lord "AND" other people by building them UP and making the know they are "SOMEBODY" and never a "JUST".
Not sure what you mean by never a just. When a person is truly saved they will never never need someone to tell them how to love the Lord and other people.
Just the other night I was headed home after a vacation and we stopped at a place for something "on the run" and there was a young man that was scrubbing the floor. Because of Robert Schuller and how he has treated people I said to this young man "wow, you really have this floor clean" "looks like a hospital floor it's so clean". Now, maybe to you that was silly, but to me and maybe to HIM he realized that he is not "JUST" someone that mops the floor but the "BEST" at what he was doing and does until he finds a job that will propel him to a better income in life.
Really? Because of Robert Schuller you said something nice to someone? Really? Not because Jesus is God, but because Robert Schuller taught you to be nice to someone? WOW? Maybe his income is where he wants it to be. Do you really think that just because he mops floors, that he is a loser who is not happy with his pay? To Schuller, it is about money. But to God, what does it profit a man to gain the whole world but lose his soul?
If you need a lesson on this, try taking your Bible (only) and walk up to anyone you wish and start telling them how they are living in sin, how bad they are, how you are correct and they are wrong and how you know the way to Heaven and they do not. Watch how the accept you for a few seconds and tell you to please move one.
A couple of summers ago, I spoke with over 300 individual people, with Bible in my hand and we spoke about sin, how sinful they are and how they need a Savior. I only had one person act offended. Everyone else was very thankful that I spoke to them. If you do not get them to a point of recognizing their sinfulness, you will create false believers and they will be headed to hell because of not mentioning it to them. Or don't you realize that without repentance of sin there is no salvation?
Now, take that same Bible and put it in Robert Schullers hand and let him tell them their "worth" to God and their "good place" on earth and how they are "SOMEBODY" and then see if they won't listen to him and want to know 'where does this man get this good feeling for life, God, people and share it with me and make me want what he has as well."
Putting the same bible in Schuller's hand will not help a person because he will refuse to share the "whole" gospel with people. He only wants people to feel good. Jesus did not do that. He told them what they needed to hear.
You are a prime example of the type of person that is counter productive to what people need. God is Good....and man should be as well when it come to being a representative of his word.
Would you consider yourself to be good? Seriously, do you consider yourself to be a good person? I highly doubt it!
Learn some of these little sayings and use them and you will be much more intune with life. I got them all from Robert Schuller over the years. They work and I use them all the time. "Inch By Inch, Anythings A Cinch", The Me I See, Is The Me I will Be", If you can dream it, you can be it" "For anything you like to do that is both moral and legal, there is someone out there getting paid to do it" "I AM SOMEBODY", "God loves you and so do I". "If It's Going To Be It's Up To Me" and they go on and on........
WOW, if only Robert Schuller would spend more time teaching God's Word than coming up with silly sayings. Amazing!
1. Inch by inch, anythings a cinch.
I can do all things through Christ which strengthens me!
2. The Me is see, is the me I will be.
Man is depraved sinner. If you don't see yourself as depraved and as a sinner, you will never come to a point of salvation.
3. If you can dream it, you can be it.
IF it is the Lord's will. Just because you say or dream something does not mean that it will happen. Or do you think your words are more powerful than the Word of God? Do you think that God is obligated to do for you something just because you spoke or dreamt the words?
4. For anything you like to do that is both moral and legal, there is someone out there getting paid to do it.
WHAT IN THE WORLD DOES THAT HAVE TO DO WITH BEING A CHRISTIAN?
5. I AM SOMEBODY!
Good for you, the only problem is that we are all somebody and someone's. You are either a child of God or a child of the Devil.
6. God loves you and so do I.
Really? Do you know that there is a literal place called Hell? God's wrath is going to be poured out on the unbelievers.
7. If it's going to be up to me...
I would hate to think what Schuller is trying to teach with that one!
When Jesus began his ministry the first words he spoke were, Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand. In the Book of Revelation, what did He tell the 7 Churches? Repent or else...! read the Book of Amos and see what God tells them. Repent or else!!!! In Schullers version of being a Christian, it is okay to be a homosexual, a blasphemer, a murderer because to him they will all go to heaven. Just so long as you end up being a good person, you will go to heaven. Read 1 Corinthians 6:9-10. Even being a liar will He cast you into the lake of fire! Do you understand what it takes to be saved? Do you truly understand? In your own words or in Schullers words, how can a person be saved?
I hope you have a nice day and btw.. you must REALLY dislike Joel Osteen that smiles and makes people feel good in his ministry as well? He's happy as are the Schullers and those that love them! God Loves You and I am trying!!
First off, Joel Osteen is not a godly pastor. He is a feel good guru. He does not even know Scripture and he admits it. He gets a lot of money to make people feel good about themselves. He and Schuller are alot a like. Do you realize that the bible speaks about men like them? Galatians 1:8-9. Preaching a different gospel is very dangerous and they will be accursed. Read 2 Timothy 4:3 about people wanting to have their ears tickled by feel good messages! The bible says people will turn away from the truth. You and thousands of others have done that. You have followed after man instead of God. You have placed your trust in a man who has given you "sound bites" to remember instead of God's Holy Word. You have only learned about grace without truly understanding just how great His grace really is. You have not learned about our sinful nature. You must tell people both sides of the story not just about grace.
I would love to sit down at a table with you and lovingly share with you the gospel the way it should be shared. You would walk away with knowledge but with a humbleness towards God. My prayers are with you sir.
Thursday, October 21, 2010
Robert Schuller's bankrupt church
I received an email complaining about how I was bashing Schuller's church (the one that filed bankruptcy for 43 million dollars in debt!). Below is a copy of his letter (no name mentioned)
"I am sure your church and your group has done much and that you have your take on what's good when we worship God/Jesus, but please don't bash a ministry that has been "all over the world" for nearly 40 years helping so much, so well.
No matter what, this church is a product of the downturn in the economy. This was one of the "FIRST" to ever reach out to the WORLD to share the word of the Lord. I have belonged to the Eagle's Club of this church 12 times and did it this year "just because" this church NEEDS to be around. When I see people belittle this church at this time in the life of the Crystal Cathedral, that's the kind of people a ministry needs to preach to and share the gospel with. Dr. Robert H. Schuller is right up there with Bill Graham and others. It's going to be fun watching them pull out of this, be back on top and the "belittlers" looking for someone else to kick...... God forgives, so you are still saved! "Inch By Inch, Anything's A Cinch" when it comes to what God can do!!"
Below is my reply to him. I brought up several of Schuller's false teachings. It will probably do no good, because one thing I have learned over the years is that once a person makes up his mind to follow false teachings or ideologies, it is hard (not impossible) for him to leave that teaching. All we can do is pray!
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Sorry to hear you have been following his false teachings all these years! The first problem with Schuller’s teaching is that he has a man-centered theology as opposed to a God-centered theology. In a very subtle way , Schuller writes that God is not glorified until man is glorified. In fact, he writes, “…it is impossible to glorify God until we glorify his children.”
Schuller has redefined salvation, as well, by teaching that “to be born again means that we must be changed from a negative to a positive self-image….” Hell is redefined as “the loss of pride that naturally follows separation from God…A person is in hell when he has lost his self-esteem.” This is a major alteration of God’s Word because Jesus taught that hell is a literal place of torment (Mk. 9:47-48).
Certainly, one of the most blasphemous teachings by Schuller is that Christ’s death on the cross was for nothing more than protection against His perfect self-esteem from being turned into sinful pride. According to Schuller, Jesus would not even tell us that we are miserable sinners. Quite contrary, Jesus said, “I have not come to call the righteous but sinners to repentance” (Lk. 5:32). Rather than the cross sanctifying the ego trip, it is a testimony of man’s utter depravity and the horrible price that God paid to redeem fallen mankind.
Another dangerous aspect of Schuller’s teaching is “possibility thinking,” which is nothing more than humanistic psychology stressing the powers of the mind. Faith is a force or power that Christians and even non-Christians can use to manipulate energy. By following these techniques man can become co-creators with God. In essence, Robert Schuller’s “possibility thinking” is the same as Eastern practitioners. In conclusion, the church should not accept Schuller’s teachings any longer. One should not seek fellowship where these false teachings are being taught (Rom. 16:17) for they will lead to dangerous consequences (Mt. 7:17; 24:11, 12; Acts 20:30).
Rev. Robert Schuller has devised his own gospel of Christianity and defines his own set of terms in relation to Biblical doctrines that are not orthodox. His gospel is a blend of psychology, positive thinking and New Age mysticism.
Robert Schuller justifies his teachings on the basis that he wishes to attract people to the gospel and not repel them with negative theological doctrine. He claims that the reformers, and all of orthodox Christianity, have gotten the message wrong. He is the standard by which the message of the gospel should be judged. He claims to teach only what Jesus Christ taught and not deal with the negative message taught by the Apostle Paul. By attempting to equate his message with what Jesus taught and rejecting the Apostle Paul, Robert Schuller reveals his true belief regarding the inspiration of the Bible. If the words are not from Jesus Christ, then he believes that he has the right to ignore those words or judge the effectiveness in the use of those words. Since he believes that the Apostle Paul has a negative message, as apposed to his positive message, then he states that he does not teach the message of the Apostle Paul. The Scripture speaks for itself when it says:
All Scripture is inspired by God and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, for training in righteousness; so that the man of God may be adequate, equipped for every good work.
2 Timothy 3:16-17 (NAS)
Robert Schuller measures Scripture against his own pre-conceived ideas, based on what the non-Christian person has told him that they need or want, and so he disregards those Scriptures that do not meet those particular criteria, assuming that some Scriptures are more inspired than others. In other words, he does not believe in the trustworthiness of God's revelation in relation to what God believes and says that man needs, and he does not believe in the sufficiency of Scripture to meet those needs.
By preaching a gospel based on what the non-Christian tells him they need or want, that gospel is of necessity different than what is revealed in the Bible. God has been very specific in noting that what men say they need and want is not what He has declared as their basic need. Robert Schuller claims that people do not come to God because they are afraid, lack self-esteem and believe that they are not good enough to approach God. So, he preaches a message about possibility thinking and the ability of people to achieve anything they wish. It is through this message, that Robert Schuller claims that he can attract men to God.
Perhaps the most incredible aspect of the incident was Schuller's declaration of moral innocence -- "I'm very proud of who I am. I am innocent. I have not broken a single one of the Ten Commandments. I have not broken any of the teachings of Jesus Christ, and so I'm proud of my faith and message," Schuller said at a July 1 news conference after the incident. (Source: 4Q 1997, PFO The Quarterly Journal.)
HORTON: Dr. Schuller, what do we tell someone who says, "I'm already happy and fulfilled, so why do I need the gospel?"
SCHULLER: I don't know ... I can't relate to that
Robert Schuller's gospel is one of his own creation; a gospel of positive self-affirmation and personal goodness. It is a gospel of positive thinking, admonishing people that they can be and do anything that they wish. It is a gospel that affirms the positive and ignores the negative, even in the face or reality.
To a person who already has those beliefs, obtained outside of Robert Schuller's teaching, he has nothing to say, because he cannot relate to a person who has already achieved what he teaches. Self-affirmation is the goal, and for those who attain that degree of self-esteem, there is nothing more to say.
Robert Schuller teaches a different gospel from that in the Scripture.
SCHULLER: Listen, I believe in heaven. I believe in hell. But I don't know what happens there. I don't take it literally that it's a fire that never stops burning.
HORTON: As Jesus said it was?
SCHULLER: Jesus was not literal. See, now this is where you have differences of interpretation. I went to a different theological school than you did. And there are different denominations, like about four hundred in the United States of America, and we don't belong to the same denomination. In my denomination, Jesus stood outside Gehenna, the city dump, and said that's outside the walls, that's hell. And in the dump there were always worms, and there were fires....****
Robert Schuller shows his dishonesty in his approach to the Scripture and in relation to what Jesus Christ said. He is perfectly willing to say that Jesus Christ taught that there is a literal heaven, in Matthew 11:23, but in the same verse only seven words after heaven, the word Hades, or hell, occurs and he claims that is figurative. He is perfectly willing to say that Jesus Christ taught that there is a literal heaven, in Matthew 5:20, but only 2 verses later, in Matthew 5:22, when Jesus talks about hell, Robert Schuller says He is not speaking literally, but figuratively. He blames his training and association with a different school of theology as the reason for his belief, rather than taking responsibility for imposing beliefs that he created himself. He again denies that Jesus spoke about a literal hell in Matthew 5:29, 30. Robert Schuller simply chooses the verses that say the things with which he agrees and then "reinterprets" as being figurative, the verses that deny what he believes. By twisting the words of Jesus Christ, Robert Schuller reveals his true opinion about his accountability under the authority of Jesus Christ. He does not feel any apprehension when changing the words of Jesus Christ, and at the same time has no trouble changing the gospel of Jesus Christ, to fit his own belief.
"He (Jesus Christ) never did call them 'sinners.' He saw great possibilities in each of these men. How He tried to give them the sense of self-worth and dignity that they deserved! After all, they were human beings, descendants of God."
Move Ahead With Possibility Thinking, Robert Schuller, 1967, p. 209
"Christ always tried to give man's self-image a boost. When he met immoral people He never called them sinners. Never!"
Self-Love: The Dynamic Force Of Success, 1969, pp. 87, 88
"He believed in the dignity of the individual. So He never called a person a sinner. He always saw the individual as a saint."
Daily Power Thoughts, Robert Schuller, March 23, n.d.
ON DOCTRINE COMMENT: Just a cursory examination of the Scriptures reveals that Robert Schuller speaks an absolute untruth in relation to what he claims Jesus Christ said. To claim that Jesus Christ never called a person a sinner and saw every individual as a saint, is a blatant and deliberate deception in which Robert Schuller writes the words to his own Bible and ignores the words of the true Scripture. He deliberately ignores the reality of the words and message of Jesus Christ, and claims that Jesus Christ spoke what He did not and did not speak what He did. In order to promote his own agenda, Robert Schuller changes the words that Christ spoke and he claims that Christ did not speak words that are recorded in the Scripture, confirming by his own words that he speaks the words of a Bible that exists only within his own mind.
in his book on self-esteem...
How can we believe Schuller when he says, "'Pride in being a human being' is the single greatest need facing the human race today" (p. 19)? God says, "I hate pride" (Prov. 8:13), and Peter tells us, "God is opposed to the proud, but gives grace to the humble" (1 Peter 5:5; cf. James 4:6, 10).
Schuller has said, "Do not fear pride" (p. 57). Scripture says, "Pride goes before destruction" (Prov. 16:18).
Schuller has said, "What we need is a theology of salvation that begins and ends with a recognition of every person's hunger for glory" (pp. 26, 27). God says, "I will not give My glory to another" (Isa. 42:8; cf. Herod Agrippa, Acts 12:21-23).
Should all men in the world have a high sense of self-worth based on the fact that they are all under the fatherhood of god, since "the Fatherhood of God is built into our subconscious" (p. 54)? But Christ said unsaved men were children of the devil (John 8:44). John adds, "By this the children of God and the children of the devil are obvious: anyone who does not practice righteousness is not of God" (1 John 3:10).
From what Scripture do we learn that the core of original sin is negative self-image or lack of self- esteem, but not wickedness (pp. 67, 98)? Certainly we would have to ask what God meant in Jeremiah 17:9 when He said the heart of man is "deceitful above all things and desperately wicked," or in 1 John 3:4 and 5:17, "sin is lawlessness" and "all unrighteousness is sin."
How can he say, "The cross sanctifies the ego trip" (p. 75), when Scripture presents it as the event most reflective of man's vile, evil nature (Rom. 3:1-20)?
When Schuller says, "The cross protected out Lord's perfect self-esteem from turning into sinful pride" (p. 75), what psychological implications is he relating to the Son of God and what is he saying about Christ's impeccability (p. 75)?
Why does Schuller rank Jesus with Freud, Adler and Frankl, as if He were a psychiatrist (p. 79), when Scripture affirms His utter pre-eminence (Col. 1:15-19)?
Can we believe Schuller who says, "Gods ultimate objective is to turn you and me into self- confident persons" (p. 80), when Philippians 3:3 says, "for we are the true circumcision, who worship in the Spirit of god and glory in Christ Jesus and put no confidence in the flesh"?
Schuller writes: "My friend Fred Smith of Dallas expressed it like this: 'You know what hell would be for me? If, when I stand before God, he would tell me all the things I could have done in my life if I had only had more faith.'
"I agree, it would be hell if God ever told me all of the 'diamond ideas' that I have allowed to flow wastefully through my brain. It would be hell if God ever told me of the beautiful relationships I could have had if only I'd had more courage, or more patience.
"It would be hell if God told me all of the accomplishments I could have achieved in life if I had been willing to pay the price. It would be hell if God should tell me all of the possibilities I wasted.
"It would be hell if God showed me how I could have succeeded if I'd only tried, if I had not quit, and if I'd just hung on a little longer" (p. 93).
Can this be hell when Jesus calls hell and eternal "furnace of fire" (Matt. 13:42, 50)?
Schuller says, "The most serious sin is the one that causes me to say, 'I am unworthy....'For once a person believes he is an 'unworthy sinner,' it is doubtful if he can really honestly accept the saving grace God offers in Jesus Christ" (p. 98).
Is not this opposite the message of the Lord Jesus which confronts a person's sin and calls him to repent and be converted (Matt. 4:17)?
Schuller says: "Salvation. What does it mean to be saved? It means to be permanently lifted from sin (psychological self-abuse with all of its consequences as seen above) and shame to self-esteem and its God-glorifying, human need-meeting, constructive, and creative consequences" (p. 99).
Is this consistent with Scripture's presentation of salvation?
How does the Lord's call for a contrite, broken spirit, a meek and humble repentance permit the idea that "too many prayers of confession of sin and repentance have been destructive to the emotional health of Christians by feeding their sense of nonworth" (p. 104)?
Page 136 offers a summation of this "other gospel." Schuller writes: "Christ must be, at all times, Lord over the Scriptures. I cannot comprehend Christ ever treating any person, lost or saved, sinner or saint, in an insulting manner.
"God is trying to build his kingdom by appealing to our unsatisfied huger for self-esteem. He offers to save us from guilt and shame and insecurity and fear and boredom to a life of security, serenity, stimulation, and self-esteem!
"Here then is a theology of salvation that glorifies God, for it glorifies his children by lifting them from hostility and rebellion-generating doubt and fear to self-confidence-building, creativity- inspiring, human-potential-releasing, human-brotherhood-motivating, self-esteem.
"Here, too is a theology of salvation that inspires the quality of individual life and social behavior which meets the biblical label, 'Good works.' As such, this is a theology that, by its nature, sustains faith, for 'faith without works is dead.'"
Since when do "good works" sustain faith? Are they not the result of faith (Eph. 2:8-10; James 2:18)?
His whole approach brings to mind an article written by Charles Finney 108 years ago. Published in the Advent Review and Herald of the Sabbath (July 29, 1875), it was titled "Mastering the Art of Preaching so as to Convert Nobody." Here, paraphrased, are some of the 42 ways he gave to accomplish this:
1. Let your supreme motive be to secure your own popularity.
2. Aim at pleasing rather than correcting.
3. Let your sermons be literary, flowery, ornate, flowing beautifully so your hearers never remember the lack of content.
4. Be sparing of thought, lest you sermon contain enough truth to convert a soul.
5. Avoid preaching doctrines that are offensive to the carnal mind.
6. Deal with sin in the abstract and make no allusions to the sins of your audience.
7. Preach salvation by grace; but ignore the condemned and lost condition of the sinner, lest he should understand what you mean by grace and sense his need of it.
8. Make no appeals to the fears of sinner; give them the impression that they have no reason to fear.
9. Preach the love of God, but ignore the holiness of His love.
10. Do not rebuke the worldly tendencies of the church, lest you should hut people's feelings.
11. Select your themes and present them to attract and flatter the wealthy, aristocratic, self-indulgent, extravagant, pleasure-seeking classes, and you will not convert any of them to the cross-bearing religion of Christ.
12. Ridicule solemn earnestness in pulling sinners out of the fire and recommend by precept or example a jovial, fun-loving religion.
13. Cultivate fastidious tastes in your people by avoiding all disagreeable allusions to the last judgment and final retribution. Treat, old and uncomfortable doctrines as obsolete and out of place in these days of Christian refinement.
14. exhibit religion to encourage the selfish pursuit of it. Make the impression upon sinners that their own safety and happiness is the supreme motive of being religious.
15. See to it that you say nothing to any hearer that applies to him or her, unless is be something flattering.
Schuller's book falls into this formula of converting nobody. In his attempt to bring a new reformation, he has merely proposed an unbiblical solution to man's need for repentance from sin.
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This is a long response to you sir, but it is needed as you have spent 20 some years in his teachings. The pharisees were blinded to the truth. Mormons are blinded to the truth. You need to have your eyes opened. How many thousands of dollars have you invested in this man's ego trip? What does the bible say about being good stewards with God's money? Irresponsibility in the handling of money is only one of many things that shows this church is not a true church. You cannot blame the economy. If God were truly a part of this church he can take the least bit of money and have it cover all the bills. I am planning now on posting on my blog an entire article on the false teachings of Robert Schuller. My prayers are with you and all of the people in that church. May you one day see the light.
"I am sure your church and your group has done much and that you have your take on what's good when we worship God/Jesus, but please don't bash a ministry that has been "all over the world" for nearly 40 years helping so much, so well.
No matter what, this church is a product of the downturn in the economy. This was one of the "FIRST" to ever reach out to the WORLD to share the word of the Lord. I have belonged to the Eagle's Club of this church 12 times and did it this year "just because" this church NEEDS to be around. When I see people belittle this church at this time in the life of the Crystal Cathedral, that's the kind of people a ministry needs to preach to and share the gospel with. Dr. Robert H. Schuller is right up there with Bill Graham and others. It's going to be fun watching them pull out of this, be back on top and the "belittlers" looking for someone else to kick...... God forgives, so you are still saved! "Inch By Inch, Anything's A Cinch" when it comes to what God can do!!"
Below is my reply to him. I brought up several of Schuller's false teachings. It will probably do no good, because one thing I have learned over the years is that once a person makes up his mind to follow false teachings or ideologies, it is hard (not impossible) for him to leave that teaching. All we can do is pray!
**********************************************
Sorry to hear you have been following his false teachings all these years! The first problem with Schuller’s teaching is that he has a man-centered theology as opposed to a God-centered theology. In a very subtle way , Schuller writes that God is not glorified until man is glorified. In fact, he writes, “…it is impossible to glorify God until we glorify his children.”
Schuller has redefined salvation, as well, by teaching that “to be born again means that we must be changed from a negative to a positive self-image….” Hell is redefined as “the loss of pride that naturally follows separation from God…A person is in hell when he has lost his self-esteem.” This is a major alteration of God’s Word because Jesus taught that hell is a literal place of torment (Mk. 9:47-48).
Certainly, one of the most blasphemous teachings by Schuller is that Christ’s death on the cross was for nothing more than protection against His perfect self-esteem from being turned into sinful pride. According to Schuller, Jesus would not even tell us that we are miserable sinners. Quite contrary, Jesus said, “I have not come to call the righteous but sinners to repentance” (Lk. 5:32). Rather than the cross sanctifying the ego trip, it is a testimony of man’s utter depravity and the horrible price that God paid to redeem fallen mankind.
Another dangerous aspect of Schuller’s teaching is “possibility thinking,” which is nothing more than humanistic psychology stressing the powers of the mind. Faith is a force or power that Christians and even non-Christians can use to manipulate energy. By following these techniques man can become co-creators with God. In essence, Robert Schuller’s “possibility thinking” is the same as Eastern practitioners. In conclusion, the church should not accept Schuller’s teachings any longer. One should not seek fellowship where these false teachings are being taught (Rom. 16:17) for they will lead to dangerous consequences (Mt. 7:17; 24:11, 12; Acts 20:30).
Rev. Robert Schuller has devised his own gospel of Christianity and defines his own set of terms in relation to Biblical doctrines that are not orthodox. His gospel is a blend of psychology, positive thinking and New Age mysticism.
Robert Schuller justifies his teachings on the basis that he wishes to attract people to the gospel and not repel them with negative theological doctrine. He claims that the reformers, and all of orthodox Christianity, have gotten the message wrong. He is the standard by which the message of the gospel should be judged. He claims to teach only what Jesus Christ taught and not deal with the negative message taught by the Apostle Paul. By attempting to equate his message with what Jesus taught and rejecting the Apostle Paul, Robert Schuller reveals his true belief regarding the inspiration of the Bible. If the words are not from Jesus Christ, then he believes that he has the right to ignore those words or judge the effectiveness in the use of those words. Since he believes that the Apostle Paul has a negative message, as apposed to his positive message, then he states that he does not teach the message of the Apostle Paul. The Scripture speaks for itself when it says:
All Scripture is inspired by God and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, for training in righteousness; so that the man of God may be adequate, equipped for every good work.
2 Timothy 3:16-17 (NAS)
Robert Schuller measures Scripture against his own pre-conceived ideas, based on what the non-Christian person has told him that they need or want, and so he disregards those Scriptures that do not meet those particular criteria, assuming that some Scriptures are more inspired than others. In other words, he does not believe in the trustworthiness of God's revelation in relation to what God believes and says that man needs, and he does not believe in the sufficiency of Scripture to meet those needs.
By preaching a gospel based on what the non-Christian tells him they need or want, that gospel is of necessity different than what is revealed in the Bible. God has been very specific in noting that what men say they need and want is not what He has declared as their basic need. Robert Schuller claims that people do not come to God because they are afraid, lack self-esteem and believe that they are not good enough to approach God. So, he preaches a message about possibility thinking and the ability of people to achieve anything they wish. It is through this message, that Robert Schuller claims that he can attract men to God.
Perhaps the most incredible aspect of the incident was Schuller's declaration of moral innocence -- "I'm very proud of who I am. I am innocent. I have not broken a single one of the Ten Commandments. I have not broken any of the teachings of Jesus Christ, and so I'm proud of my faith and message," Schuller said at a July 1 news conference after the incident. (Source: 4Q 1997, PFO The Quarterly Journal.)
HORTON: Dr. Schuller, what do we tell someone who says, "I'm already happy and fulfilled, so why do I need the gospel?"
SCHULLER: I don't know ... I can't relate to that
Robert Schuller's gospel is one of his own creation; a gospel of positive self-affirmation and personal goodness. It is a gospel of positive thinking, admonishing people that they can be and do anything that they wish. It is a gospel that affirms the positive and ignores the negative, even in the face or reality.
To a person who already has those beliefs, obtained outside of Robert Schuller's teaching, he has nothing to say, because he cannot relate to a person who has already achieved what he teaches. Self-affirmation is the goal, and for those who attain that degree of self-esteem, there is nothing more to say.
Robert Schuller teaches a different gospel from that in the Scripture.
SCHULLER: Listen, I believe in heaven. I believe in hell. But I don't know what happens there. I don't take it literally that it's a fire that never stops burning.
HORTON: As Jesus said it was?
SCHULLER: Jesus was not literal. See, now this is where you have differences of interpretation. I went to a different theological school than you did. And there are different denominations, like about four hundred in the United States of America, and we don't belong to the same denomination. In my denomination, Jesus stood outside Gehenna, the city dump, and said that's outside the walls, that's hell. And in the dump there were always worms, and there were fires....****
Robert Schuller shows his dishonesty in his approach to the Scripture and in relation to what Jesus Christ said. He is perfectly willing to say that Jesus Christ taught that there is a literal heaven, in Matthew 11:23, but in the same verse only seven words after heaven, the word Hades, or hell, occurs and he claims that is figurative. He is perfectly willing to say that Jesus Christ taught that there is a literal heaven, in Matthew 5:20, but only 2 verses later, in Matthew 5:22, when Jesus talks about hell, Robert Schuller says He is not speaking literally, but figuratively. He blames his training and association with a different school of theology as the reason for his belief, rather than taking responsibility for imposing beliefs that he created himself. He again denies that Jesus spoke about a literal hell in Matthew 5:29, 30. Robert Schuller simply chooses the verses that say the things with which he agrees and then "reinterprets" as being figurative, the verses that deny what he believes. By twisting the words of Jesus Christ, Robert Schuller reveals his true opinion about his accountability under the authority of Jesus Christ. He does not feel any apprehension when changing the words of Jesus Christ, and at the same time has no trouble changing the gospel of Jesus Christ, to fit his own belief.
"He (Jesus Christ) never did call them 'sinners.' He saw great possibilities in each of these men. How He tried to give them the sense of self-worth and dignity that they deserved! After all, they were human beings, descendants of God."
Move Ahead With Possibility Thinking, Robert Schuller, 1967, p. 209
"Christ always tried to give man's self-image a boost. When he met immoral people He never called them sinners. Never!"
Self-Love: The Dynamic Force Of Success, 1969, pp. 87, 88
"He believed in the dignity of the individual. So He never called a person a sinner. He always saw the individual as a saint."
Daily Power Thoughts, Robert Schuller, March 23, n.d.
ON DOCTRINE COMMENT: Just a cursory examination of the Scriptures reveals that Robert Schuller speaks an absolute untruth in relation to what he claims Jesus Christ said. To claim that Jesus Christ never called a person a sinner and saw every individual as a saint, is a blatant and deliberate deception in which Robert Schuller writes the words to his own Bible and ignores the words of the true Scripture. He deliberately ignores the reality of the words and message of Jesus Christ, and claims that Jesus Christ spoke what He did not and did not speak what He did. In order to promote his own agenda, Robert Schuller changes the words that Christ spoke and he claims that Christ did not speak words that are recorded in the Scripture, confirming by his own words that he speaks the words of a Bible that exists only within his own mind.
in his book on self-esteem...
How can we believe Schuller when he says, "'Pride in being a human being' is the single greatest need facing the human race today" (p. 19)? God says, "I hate pride" (Prov. 8:13), and Peter tells us, "God is opposed to the proud, but gives grace to the humble" (1 Peter 5:5; cf. James 4:6, 10).
Schuller has said, "Do not fear pride" (p. 57). Scripture says, "Pride goes before destruction" (Prov. 16:18).
Schuller has said, "What we need is a theology of salvation that begins and ends with a recognition of every person's hunger for glory" (pp. 26, 27). God says, "I will not give My glory to another" (Isa. 42:8; cf. Herod Agrippa, Acts 12:21-23).
Should all men in the world have a high sense of self-worth based on the fact that they are all under the fatherhood of god, since "the Fatherhood of God is built into our subconscious" (p. 54)? But Christ said unsaved men were children of the devil (John 8:44). John adds, "By this the children of God and the children of the devil are obvious: anyone who does not practice righteousness is not of God" (1 John 3:10).
From what Scripture do we learn that the core of original sin is negative self-image or lack of self- esteem, but not wickedness (pp. 67, 98)? Certainly we would have to ask what God meant in Jeremiah 17:9 when He said the heart of man is "deceitful above all things and desperately wicked," or in 1 John 3:4 and 5:17, "sin is lawlessness" and "all unrighteousness is sin."
How can he say, "The cross sanctifies the ego trip" (p. 75), when Scripture presents it as the event most reflective of man's vile, evil nature (Rom. 3:1-20)?
When Schuller says, "The cross protected out Lord's perfect self-esteem from turning into sinful pride" (p. 75), what psychological implications is he relating to the Son of God and what is he saying about Christ's impeccability (p. 75)?
Why does Schuller rank Jesus with Freud, Adler and Frankl, as if He were a psychiatrist (p. 79), when Scripture affirms His utter pre-eminence (Col. 1:15-19)?
Can we believe Schuller who says, "Gods ultimate objective is to turn you and me into self- confident persons" (p. 80), when Philippians 3:3 says, "for we are the true circumcision, who worship in the Spirit of god and glory in Christ Jesus and put no confidence in the flesh"?
Schuller writes: "My friend Fred Smith of Dallas expressed it like this: 'You know what hell would be for me? If, when I stand before God, he would tell me all the things I could have done in my life if I had only had more faith.'
"I agree, it would be hell if God ever told me all of the 'diamond ideas' that I have allowed to flow wastefully through my brain. It would be hell if God ever told me of the beautiful relationships I could have had if only I'd had more courage, or more patience.
"It would be hell if God told me all of the accomplishments I could have achieved in life if I had been willing to pay the price. It would be hell if God should tell me all of the possibilities I wasted.
"It would be hell if God showed me how I could have succeeded if I'd only tried, if I had not quit, and if I'd just hung on a little longer" (p. 93).
Can this be hell when Jesus calls hell and eternal "furnace of fire" (Matt. 13:42, 50)?
Schuller says, "The most serious sin is the one that causes me to say, 'I am unworthy....'For once a person believes he is an 'unworthy sinner,' it is doubtful if he can really honestly accept the saving grace God offers in Jesus Christ" (p. 98).
Is not this opposite the message of the Lord Jesus which confronts a person's sin and calls him to repent and be converted (Matt. 4:17)?
Schuller says: "Salvation. What does it mean to be saved? It means to be permanently lifted from sin (psychological self-abuse with all of its consequences as seen above) and shame to self-esteem and its God-glorifying, human need-meeting, constructive, and creative consequences" (p. 99).
Is this consistent with Scripture's presentation of salvation?
How does the Lord's call for a contrite, broken spirit, a meek and humble repentance permit the idea that "too many prayers of confession of sin and repentance have been destructive to the emotional health of Christians by feeding their sense of nonworth" (p. 104)?
Page 136 offers a summation of this "other gospel." Schuller writes: "Christ must be, at all times, Lord over the Scriptures. I cannot comprehend Christ ever treating any person, lost or saved, sinner or saint, in an insulting manner.
"God is trying to build his kingdom by appealing to our unsatisfied huger for self-esteem. He offers to save us from guilt and shame and insecurity and fear and boredom to a life of security, serenity, stimulation, and self-esteem!
"Here then is a theology of salvation that glorifies God, for it glorifies his children by lifting them from hostility and rebellion-generating doubt and fear to self-confidence-building, creativity- inspiring, human-potential-releasing, human-brotherhood-motivating, self-esteem.
"Here, too is a theology of salvation that inspires the quality of individual life and social behavior which meets the biblical label, 'Good works.' As such, this is a theology that, by its nature, sustains faith, for 'faith without works is dead.'"
Since when do "good works" sustain faith? Are they not the result of faith (Eph. 2:8-10; James 2:18)?
His whole approach brings to mind an article written by Charles Finney 108 years ago. Published in the Advent Review and Herald of the Sabbath (July 29, 1875), it was titled "Mastering the Art of Preaching so as to Convert Nobody." Here, paraphrased, are some of the 42 ways he gave to accomplish this:
1. Let your supreme motive be to secure your own popularity.
2. Aim at pleasing rather than correcting.
3. Let your sermons be literary, flowery, ornate, flowing beautifully so your hearers never remember the lack of content.
4. Be sparing of thought, lest you sermon contain enough truth to convert a soul.
5. Avoid preaching doctrines that are offensive to the carnal mind.
6. Deal with sin in the abstract and make no allusions to the sins of your audience.
7. Preach salvation by grace; but ignore the condemned and lost condition of the sinner, lest he should understand what you mean by grace and sense his need of it.
8. Make no appeals to the fears of sinner; give them the impression that they have no reason to fear.
9. Preach the love of God, but ignore the holiness of His love.
10. Do not rebuke the worldly tendencies of the church, lest you should hut people's feelings.
11. Select your themes and present them to attract and flatter the wealthy, aristocratic, self-indulgent, extravagant, pleasure-seeking classes, and you will not convert any of them to the cross-bearing religion of Christ.
12. Ridicule solemn earnestness in pulling sinners out of the fire and recommend by precept or example a jovial, fun-loving religion.
13. Cultivate fastidious tastes in your people by avoiding all disagreeable allusions to the last judgment and final retribution. Treat, old and uncomfortable doctrines as obsolete and out of place in these days of Christian refinement.
14. exhibit religion to encourage the selfish pursuit of it. Make the impression upon sinners that their own safety and happiness is the supreme motive of being religious.
15. See to it that you say nothing to any hearer that applies to him or her, unless is be something flattering.
Schuller's book falls into this formula of converting nobody. In his attempt to bring a new reformation, he has merely proposed an unbiblical solution to man's need for repentance from sin.
******************************
This is a long response to you sir, but it is needed as you have spent 20 some years in his teachings. The pharisees were blinded to the truth. Mormons are blinded to the truth. You need to have your eyes opened. How many thousands of dollars have you invested in this man's ego trip? What does the bible say about being good stewards with God's money? Irresponsibility in the handling of money is only one of many things that shows this church is not a true church. You cannot blame the economy. If God were truly a part of this church he can take the least bit of money and have it cover all the bills. I am planning now on posting on my blog an entire article on the false teachings of Robert Schuller. My prayers are with you and all of the people in that church. May you one day see the light.
Saturday, August 28, 2010
To all mormons...
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8nwrPJARws
click on the above link. How do you defend the book of mormon from copying out of the book of Isaiah?
besides having the 33 facts that mormons won't tell you and many other posts that I have done, it is a never ending story of deception from the mormon church out of Utah.
If you are involved in this cult, I pray that your eyes be opened.
click on the above link. How do you defend the book of mormon from copying out of the book of Isaiah?
besides having the 33 facts that mormons won't tell you and many other posts that I have done, it is a never ending story of deception from the mormon church out of Utah.
If you are involved in this cult, I pray that your eyes be opened.
Friday, August 27, 2010
Same Message. Different Language. PC
this is a video of a church near my hometown in Illinois. It is disgusting to me to see how far a pastor (and I use that term loosely) will go to advertise himself and his church! Nothing like being what the "world" wants in a pastor. Whatever happened to standing apart from the world and being unlike the world? He obviously did not get the message!
I know there are those who think this man is great. He taught a sermon on how christian people will cry out to you (if you have a tattoo) and say, You are all going to hell. And then he laughs about it. He goes on to teach that Jesus had a mark so it is okay for us to mark up our body's since He did it! What an abusive torture of scripture! He took so much out of context without looking at the proper greek and hebrew wording used. He teaches a lesson of false teachers but he needs to examine himself as he is the prime culprit of a false teacher!
BEWARE people, when you want a pastor that looks worldly,
You will get a worldly pastor!
The bible condemns such a person.
Are you sure you want to follow a person like that?
The choice is yours
You will have NO excuse on the day you see God face to face
WWJT? What Would Jesus Tattoo?
What Would Jesus Tattoo??Is this for real?
This is all done in the name of Christian freedom of expression. How many people each and every day get a tattoo on their body because they want to "express" or "show" the world that they are christians? They want to use their body as an opportunity to get people to come up to them to ask them about their tattoo's so they can ultimately tell the people about Jesus Christ! The sad thing is this...
there are so called pastors who will tell their people that God says it is okay to mark your body (the Holy Temple of God)!
Our prayers are needed for them. They are a lost bunch that needs a renewing of the mind and the heart, that only God can give them. I pray that their eyes be opened soon!
Monday, August 23, 2010
How to know when God has called you...
The telephone rings! You run to the phone only to find out it is a telemarketer. You try to hang up the phone but they are persistent. You remain on the phone and you finally give in and buy what they are offering you.
Does the above scene sound plausible? Can it happen? Does it happen?
Sure it happens everyday. People get on the phone and just do not know how to say "NO" to the telemarketer. They buy into the scheme.
How about scam artists? They make something sound too good to be true and people fall for their schemes everyday as well. Why do we do this?
First off, it is because we want those deals that sound too good to be true. We believe in our heart that maybe, just maybe this is the one true deal that will work for me.
There is another place where people desire something and fall prey to someone selling something.
This involves the matter of God and how He calls you to do something.
I personally know someone that will say at the drop of a hat that God has told her to do something. But the end result is never for God's glory but for her own pleasures.
Let me give you some examples...
God called her to go to a certain church.
On the surface that sounds plausible.
But the underlying reason was to meet up with a man in his mid 20's while the girl is not even 18 yet. It was to date a man who did not display Christian behavior (as in sex outside of marriage).
Do you think this is from God?
NO! God would never put you in a situation where it will cause you to sin. God does not tempt us to sin! He gives us the tools and the weapons to fight against sin. And as far as lust goes, He tells us to flee from it! So if this is not from God, who do you suppose is sending this message to the girl saying it is from God?
That's right, it is the Devil. He prowls around looking for whom to devour.
In our town, this girl claims that God called her to go to at the very least, 3 different churches. And in every case it had to do with meeting up with a boy who was not a true Christian.
One more example of being called to a church.
She was called to a church in a larger town. A mega-church. Where they play rock style music, wear torn jeans and they listen to a pastor destroy God's Word by saying it is okay to put tattoo's on your body. This pastor took scripture and twisted the meanings of it to please and tickle the ears of his audience. When Scripture was read in the proper context to this girl in reference to not marking your body, the Holy Temple of God, this girl went out and still put more tattoo's on her body. All in defiance of God's Word. She claims to know the bible and yet she does not live the bible. And she was still going to this church because it was so filled with the Holy Spirit.
She also met up with a "prophet" of God that told her she did not have a good relationship with her mom (she was 17 at the time, kind of fits every teenage girl's description). He told her that she would go on a mission trip oversea's and that she would have a big dog!
James 3:1 says, My brethren, be not many masters, knowing that we shall receive the greater condemnation.
These teachers who are perverting the Word of God will receive greater condemnation for their poor teachings.
After meeting with this prophet, this girl then said that God was calling her to a Christian school in Colorado, followed by a Christian school in Minnesota and finally a Christian school in southern Illinois. She ended up moving down there because she said God called her there. But she is not going to school as God had supposedly called her to do.
1 Corinthians 14:33 says, For God is not [the author] of confusion, but of peace, as in all churches of the saints.
To this girl, she does not see that her god is confused as to what calling he wants her to follow. Look at all of the examples above. Does that sound like the God of the Bible?
NO!
I write this not to condemn this girl or anyone else for that matter who "thinks" they are hearing from God. But to lovingly warn them that there are deceiving spirits out there that want nothing more to do than cause you to fall.
2 Timothy 3:13 says, But evil men and seducers shall wax worse and worse, deceiving, and being deceived
James 1:22 says, But be ye doers of the word, and not hearers only, deceiving your own selves.
Romans 12:2 says, Do not conform any longer to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what God's will is-his good, pleasing and perfect will.
To not conform any longer to the patter of this world is to not put tattoo's on your body for the sake of reaching other people who have tattoo's. To not be involved sexually with people outside of marriage. To not use language that is coarse (as in Mark Driscoll).
2 Corinthians 13:5 says, Examine yourselves, whether ye be in the faith; prove your own selves. Know ye not your own selves, how that Jesus Christ is in you, except ye be reprobates?
1 John 4:1 says, Beloved, believe not every spirit, but try the spirits whether they are of God: because many false prophets are gone out into the world
When God has truly called you there will be no confusion.
It will always be for His glory and not your own glory or self-gratification.
You were created for His good pleasure, not the other way around!
If you have fallen for false leads in the past, you can be sure that the Devil has got your number and knows how to mislead you.
Have you repented of your sins?
Are you following after the advice of nonChristians, or of God's Holy Word?
If you are a rebellious person (especially with Christians), you can pretty much bet you are following the wrong god. You are following the god of this world.
You need to follow the God of all creation!
1 John 5:4 says, For whatsoever is born of God overcometh the world: and this is the victory that overcometh the world, [even] our faith
Have you overcome the world? Or are you still living to please the world? Sex? money? idols? self-gratification? selfishness? envy? strife?
One is of God...
the other is of the Devil...
Choose this day whom you will serve!
Has God been calling you lately?
or
Has it been that telemarketer by the name of Satan, deceiving you to buy his products?
Examine yourself daily to see if you are in fact, in the faith!
Does the above scene sound plausible? Can it happen? Does it happen?
Sure it happens everyday. People get on the phone and just do not know how to say "NO" to the telemarketer. They buy into the scheme.
How about scam artists? They make something sound too good to be true and people fall for their schemes everyday as well. Why do we do this?
First off, it is because we want those deals that sound too good to be true. We believe in our heart that maybe, just maybe this is the one true deal that will work for me.
There is another place where people desire something and fall prey to someone selling something.
This involves the matter of God and how He calls you to do something.
I personally know someone that will say at the drop of a hat that God has told her to do something. But the end result is never for God's glory but for her own pleasures.
Let me give you some examples...
God called her to go to a certain church.
On the surface that sounds plausible.
But the underlying reason was to meet up with a man in his mid 20's while the girl is not even 18 yet. It was to date a man who did not display Christian behavior (as in sex outside of marriage).
Do you think this is from God?
NO! God would never put you in a situation where it will cause you to sin. God does not tempt us to sin! He gives us the tools and the weapons to fight against sin. And as far as lust goes, He tells us to flee from it! So if this is not from God, who do you suppose is sending this message to the girl saying it is from God?
That's right, it is the Devil. He prowls around looking for whom to devour.
In our town, this girl claims that God called her to go to at the very least, 3 different churches. And in every case it had to do with meeting up with a boy who was not a true Christian.
One more example of being called to a church.
She was called to a church in a larger town. A mega-church. Where they play rock style music, wear torn jeans and they listen to a pastor destroy God's Word by saying it is okay to put tattoo's on your body. This pastor took scripture and twisted the meanings of it to please and tickle the ears of his audience. When Scripture was read in the proper context to this girl in reference to not marking your body, the Holy Temple of God, this girl went out and still put more tattoo's on her body. All in defiance of God's Word. She claims to know the bible and yet she does not live the bible. And she was still going to this church because it was so filled with the Holy Spirit.
She also met up with a "prophet" of God that told her she did not have a good relationship with her mom (she was 17 at the time, kind of fits every teenage girl's description). He told her that she would go on a mission trip oversea's and that she would have a big dog!
James 3:1 says, My brethren, be not many masters, knowing that we shall receive the greater condemnation.
These teachers who are perverting the Word of God will receive greater condemnation for their poor teachings.
After meeting with this prophet, this girl then said that God was calling her to a Christian school in Colorado, followed by a Christian school in Minnesota and finally a Christian school in southern Illinois. She ended up moving down there because she said God called her there. But she is not going to school as God had supposedly called her to do.
1 Corinthians 14:33 says, For God is not [the author] of confusion, but of peace, as in all churches of the saints.
To this girl, she does not see that her god is confused as to what calling he wants her to follow. Look at all of the examples above. Does that sound like the God of the Bible?
NO!
I write this not to condemn this girl or anyone else for that matter who "thinks" they are hearing from God. But to lovingly warn them that there are deceiving spirits out there that want nothing more to do than cause you to fall.
2 Timothy 3:13 says, But evil men and seducers shall wax worse and worse, deceiving, and being deceived
James 1:22 says, But be ye doers of the word, and not hearers only, deceiving your own selves.
Romans 12:2 says, Do not conform any longer to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what God's will is-his good, pleasing and perfect will.
To not conform any longer to the patter of this world is to not put tattoo's on your body for the sake of reaching other people who have tattoo's. To not be involved sexually with people outside of marriage. To not use language that is coarse (as in Mark Driscoll).
2 Corinthians 13:5 says, Examine yourselves, whether ye be in the faith; prove your own selves. Know ye not your own selves, how that Jesus Christ is in you, except ye be reprobates?
1 John 4:1 says, Beloved, believe not every spirit, but try the spirits whether they are of God: because many false prophets are gone out into the world
When God has truly called you there will be no confusion.
It will always be for His glory and not your own glory or self-gratification.
You were created for His good pleasure, not the other way around!
If you have fallen for false leads in the past, you can be sure that the Devil has got your number and knows how to mislead you.
Have you repented of your sins?
Are you following after the advice of nonChristians, or of God's Holy Word?
If you are a rebellious person (especially with Christians), you can pretty much bet you are following the wrong god. You are following the god of this world.
You need to follow the God of all creation!
1 John 5:4 says, For whatsoever is born of God overcometh the world: and this is the victory that overcometh the world, [even] our faith
Have you overcome the world? Or are you still living to please the world? Sex? money? idols? self-gratification? selfishness? envy? strife?
One is of God...
the other is of the Devil...
Choose this day whom you will serve!
Has God been calling you lately?
or
Has it been that telemarketer by the name of Satan, deceiving you to buy his products?
Examine yourself daily to see if you are in fact, in the faith!
Sunday, August 22, 2010
A story of a "church" that fails...
When the church fails to be a true church...
You will find many of the members almost resembling those in this picture.
they put on a happy face around you but inwardly, they are ravenous wolves. You can see the fakeness of what they are trying to present to you. You can feel the evil presence that lies within them.
When the church becomes a part of the world...
You have a church that has failed!
Let me describe a scenario to you.
There is a church (no name mentioned, it could be any church!)
And this church was in need of a new pastor, or should I say they created a need for a new pastor. One of the members remained friends with a previous pastor of this church. The pastor had been out of work for a year. So in order for him to get work the following had to happen.
The current pastor had to be fired or let go in some manner.
The unemployed pastor had to be brought in to "audition" for the opening.
The pastor had to be voted in by the congregation by an overwhelming majority.
So here we go...
In the early fall of last year, the unemployed pastor was contacted by a member of this church that there was going to be an opening and that "he" was going to be the new pastor!
It was decided that the current pastor was making too much money so his salary was going to be cut in half and his insurance was taken away from him.
So, the pastor is now gone.
in comes the new pastor...
Now the normal process is that when there is an opening, it goes through the state office of the denomination and a listing is created that lets everyone know there is an opening at this church. This was not done.
The board members kept telling people in the church that they had only one candidate that had applied for the open position. Of course it was the one pastor that was contacted by the church member. The board continually kept telling the people that this must be from God because no one else applied.
So the unemployed pastor comes in to "audition."
His sermon in the morning was all about himself. It was all about him!
When he did talk about God here is what he said.
There was an elderly lady in his previous church that had a husband that was dying in the nursing home and he did not know the Lord. This unemployed pastor took 6 months before he finally spoke to this dying man about Jesus. How pathetic is that? Six months to talk to someone about Jesus and especially to a dying man!
When it came time for the vote, the board members made sure that many people who never attend church, many people from out of state put in their votes to make sure he got elected. It was brought up that the reason there were no other candidates was because the state did not post the opening. denials ran rampant in the church by the board. Scripture was read and the person was told to sit down because, now get this, this was not the place or the time for scripture to be read!
When it came time to vote, it was mentioned that it would have been nice to have him come back so the people could see if he really would preach biblically. The man who contacted him in the first place said no one was ever allowed to come back a second time, this church just did not do that.
The vote came and he lost! Not only was a new search not made, he was invited back. He was shoved down the throats of the congregation by the board. Talk about not allowing God to lead a church!
The state was mad that this man lost. They did everything they could to hide the dishonest approach that was used. The pastor came in and preached that God called him to this position without mentioning that it was actually a man from the church. Deceit at the highest level in this church! Anger and revenge was the theme of this church towards all who voted against this man.
This story could go on for several more pages! Do you get an idea of how lost this church is? there are many churches in this country in need of prayers. They follow a man and not God.
Many children and youth will follow a man if they see the adults doing it. Where is the example of being like Christ? If you are in a church that acts like this. GET OUT! Find a biblical church. God's Wrath will come down on these false churches! Tell me about the good and the bad churches you have seen.
Friday, January 29, 2010
Zeal Without Knowledge
Romans 10:1-3 says, Brothers, my heart's desire and prayer to God for the Israelites is that they may be saved. For I can testify about them that they are zealous for God, but their zeal is not based on knowledge. Since they disregarded the righteousness that comes from God and sought to establish their own, they did not submit to God's righteousness.
Do you have a zeal for God? Honestly, are you excited about the prospect of going out into the world to preach the gospel to a lost and depraved society? There is much I could write to those of you who have no zeal whatsoever for the Lord and yet call yourself a Christian. No, today, I am writing to those of you who do in fact have a zeal for the Lord.
Having zeal can be a good and a bad thing? How is this possible?
There are two possibilities...
1. Zeal with Knowledge
2. Zeal without Knowledge
Let me attack the second part first.
Zeal without knowledge...
This describes so called Christians. 80% of this country calls themselves Christians and yet by their very actions, they prove themselves to be followers of Satan. They desire the things of the world.
What are the things of the world?
This describes many things...
1. sex outside of marriage
2. using vulgar language
3. dressing inappropriately or immodestly, exposing too much skin
4. listening to music that condones the things of Satan (drugs, sex, violence, etc)
5. tattoo's or marking your skin to be like the world (your body is the Temple of the Holy God)
6. worship of idols such as money, car, home, people, etc
You get the idea? It is doing or saying anything that goes against the Word of God. It is worrying about whether you will be accepted by the world, because you desire to be like the world. Te be accepted by man!
1 John 2:15 says, "Love not the world, neither the things that are in the world, if any man love the world, the love of the Father is not in him."
What do you think it means to know that because you love the world, that the love of the Father is not in you? Many "Christians" will read this and make excuses for why they do what they do. The Bible never tells us to make excuses for our behavior. But to confess to God what we have done. Not only confess because confession without repentance leads to damnation.
Are you still willing to continue doing the things you are doing? Still want to please man? I know some will say that "I only want to please God" but in the next line they will say that they don't "think" that God will judge them. Or they will say it is only my opinion and of course everyone has an opinion. Since when did God's Holy Word, found in the inspired Scriptures of the Bible come under opinions? His Word is easy to understand. To the homosexual, He says they will not inherit the Kingdom of Heaven. To the liar, He says they will not inherit the Kingdom of Heaven. To the one who loves this world and the things of it, He says, the love of the Father is not in him.
To each of these and others, the answer is easy. Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ (and NO, He is not your homeboy!==that is the ultimate in disrespect for the LORD JESUS CHRIST!) A Day will come when you will fall to your knee's and bow down to Him as Lord and Savior. You will not be calling Him your homeboy at that time! You will then realize that you should have feared the Lord your God. A Holy Fear!
These very same people who claim to follow Christ and yet live in absolute disobedience to Him will do more harm to the church than can be imagined. These very people are a cancer to the church. We are told in the Bible to not have fellowship with the works are darkness. We are to rebuke those who are living in sin and if they do not listen, we are to not have anything to do with them. This is a hard one to live with, but for those of us who truly love God, it is most necessary. I do not want to face God and have to answer to Him for why I did not rebuke a sinner and tell them the errors of their ways.
If God's Word tells us to not have fellowship with someone then WE ARE NOT TO HAVE FELLOWSHIP WITH THAT PERSON!
1 John 1:6 says, "if we say that we have fellowship with Him, and walk in darkness, we lie and do not the truth."
Ephesians 5:11 says, "and have no fellowship with the unfruitful works of darkness, but rather reprove them."
If someone is openly living in sin and openly living for the world by the words or their actions, we are to have no fellowship with them. I would not want that kind of person in my church to harm the true believers. That type of person might have all the zeal in the world for the things of Christ, but if they live in sin, they lie! The ultimate liar is Satan and he has a message he wants the church to hear...
surely, God did not say you can't do this or that...
Those of us who truly love God and desire to not be like the world, can see right through this kind of thinking from Satan. But there are many who profess to be Christians who are blinded to the truth. You can tell them what scripture says and they will always fall back on their old standard of...
God surely did not say this or that! It is your opinion. We all have opinions. I choose to listen to the ones who think the way I do!
BEWARE! There are many false prophets among us! You have a zeal for God but your life shows that your zeal for life on this earth is stronger than your zeal for godly living.
sex, drugs, language, tattoo's, idol worship, etc the things that please the world are what rule your life. God's Word tells us that when we are born again, He will give us a new heart and the old self has died away and we become a new creature. If you are still living for the world, you are not a new creature in Christ. hence, you are most likely not truly saved! Are you willing to take that chance by living by your "opinions" of God's Word?
Now let's talk a bit about having a zeal with knowledge of God's Word.
Too few people qualify for this one and that is a shame. Many people claim to know the Word of God but they fail to witness to people. The best example I can think of is way of the master host, Ray Comfort. He has a strong zeal for the Lord and goes out witnessing to lost souls every day. he has a knowledge of what God's Word says and he uses it to bring people to a point of salvation and repentance.
http://www.youtube.com/results?search_query=seal+beach&aq=f
(if above link does not work, go to youtube and search seal beach kid way of the master
ZEAL with or without knowledge.
Which do you have?
Do you even have any zeal at all?
If your zeal is without knowledge, then realize that you will be judged according to how you teach others (and realize this, you teach others not only by what you say, but by how you live)
If your zeal is with knowledge and you are actively out witnessing to people correctly giving the whole counsel of God, then praise God for your faithfulness. May God continue to bless you in all you do!
Only 2% of Christians actively witness to people.
Out of that 2%, are you one of them that is teaching heresy? Are you living in sin?
Now imagine what the percentage truly is with faithful, God-fearing Christians who desire to live for Him and desire to put the world aside for Him!
Scary, isn't it? Is it any wonder why our world is in such as mess.
If it isn't the atheist corrupting the world, it is the so called Christians who corrupt the Word of God. Satan truly has his foot involved in the life of false believers.
Do you have a zeal for God? Honestly, are you excited about the prospect of going out into the world to preach the gospel to a lost and depraved society? There is much I could write to those of you who have no zeal whatsoever for the Lord and yet call yourself a Christian. No, today, I am writing to those of you who do in fact have a zeal for the Lord.
Having zeal can be a good and a bad thing? How is this possible?
There are two possibilities...
1. Zeal with Knowledge
2. Zeal without Knowledge
Let me attack the second part first.
Zeal without knowledge...
This describes so called Christians. 80% of this country calls themselves Christians and yet by their very actions, they prove themselves to be followers of Satan. They desire the things of the world.
What are the things of the world?
This describes many things...
1. sex outside of marriage
2. using vulgar language
3. dressing inappropriately or immodestly, exposing too much skin
4. listening to music that condones the things of Satan (drugs, sex, violence, etc)
5. tattoo's or marking your skin to be like the world (your body is the Temple of the Holy God)
6. worship of idols such as money, car, home, people, etc
You get the idea? It is doing or saying anything that goes against the Word of God. It is worrying about whether you will be accepted by the world, because you desire to be like the world. Te be accepted by man!
1 John 2:15 says, "Love not the world, neither the things that are in the world, if any man love the world, the love of the Father is not in him."
What do you think it means to know that because you love the world, that the love of the Father is not in you? Many "Christians" will read this and make excuses for why they do what they do. The Bible never tells us to make excuses for our behavior. But to confess to God what we have done. Not only confess because confession without repentance leads to damnation.
Are you still willing to continue doing the things you are doing? Still want to please man? I know some will say that "I only want to please God" but in the next line they will say that they don't "think" that God will judge them. Or they will say it is only my opinion and of course everyone has an opinion. Since when did God's Holy Word, found in the inspired Scriptures of the Bible come under opinions? His Word is easy to understand. To the homosexual, He says they will not inherit the Kingdom of Heaven. To the liar, He says they will not inherit the Kingdom of Heaven. To the one who loves this world and the things of it, He says, the love of the Father is not in him.
To each of these and others, the answer is easy. Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ (and NO, He is not your homeboy!==that is the ultimate in disrespect for the LORD JESUS CHRIST!) A Day will come when you will fall to your knee's and bow down to Him as Lord and Savior. You will not be calling Him your homeboy at that time! You will then realize that you should have feared the Lord your God. A Holy Fear!
These very same people who claim to follow Christ and yet live in absolute disobedience to Him will do more harm to the church than can be imagined. These very people are a cancer to the church. We are told in the Bible to not have fellowship with the works are darkness. We are to rebuke those who are living in sin and if they do not listen, we are to not have anything to do with them. This is a hard one to live with, but for those of us who truly love God, it is most necessary. I do not want to face God and have to answer to Him for why I did not rebuke a sinner and tell them the errors of their ways.
If God's Word tells us to not have fellowship with someone then WE ARE NOT TO HAVE FELLOWSHIP WITH THAT PERSON!
1 John 1:6 says, "if we say that we have fellowship with Him, and walk in darkness, we lie and do not the truth."
Ephesians 5:11 says, "and have no fellowship with the unfruitful works of darkness, but rather reprove them."
If someone is openly living in sin and openly living for the world by the words or their actions, we are to have no fellowship with them. I would not want that kind of person in my church to harm the true believers. That type of person might have all the zeal in the world for the things of Christ, but if they live in sin, they lie! The ultimate liar is Satan and he has a message he wants the church to hear...
surely, God did not say you can't do this or that...
Those of us who truly love God and desire to not be like the world, can see right through this kind of thinking from Satan. But there are many who profess to be Christians who are blinded to the truth. You can tell them what scripture says and they will always fall back on their old standard of...
God surely did not say this or that! It is your opinion. We all have opinions. I choose to listen to the ones who think the way I do!
BEWARE! There are many false prophets among us! You have a zeal for God but your life shows that your zeal for life on this earth is stronger than your zeal for godly living.
sex, drugs, language, tattoo's, idol worship, etc the things that please the world are what rule your life. God's Word tells us that when we are born again, He will give us a new heart and the old self has died away and we become a new creature. If you are still living for the world, you are not a new creature in Christ. hence, you are most likely not truly saved! Are you willing to take that chance by living by your "opinions" of God's Word?
Now let's talk a bit about having a zeal with knowledge of God's Word.
Too few people qualify for this one and that is a shame. Many people claim to know the Word of God but they fail to witness to people. The best example I can think of is way of the master host, Ray Comfort. He has a strong zeal for the Lord and goes out witnessing to lost souls every day. he has a knowledge of what God's Word says and he uses it to bring people to a point of salvation and repentance.
http://www.youtube.com/results?search_query=seal+beach&aq=f
(if above link does not work, go to youtube and search seal beach kid way of the master
ZEAL with or without knowledge.
Which do you have?
Do you even have any zeal at all?
If your zeal is without knowledge, then realize that you will be judged according to how you teach others (and realize this, you teach others not only by what you say, but by how you live)
If your zeal is with knowledge and you are actively out witnessing to people correctly giving the whole counsel of God, then praise God for your faithfulness. May God continue to bless you in all you do!
Only 2% of Christians actively witness to people.
Out of that 2%, are you one of them that is teaching heresy? Are you living in sin?
Now imagine what the percentage truly is with faithful, God-fearing Christians who desire to live for Him and desire to put the world aside for Him!
Scary, isn't it? Is it any wonder why our world is in such as mess.
If it isn't the atheist corrupting the world, it is the so called Christians who corrupt the Word of God. Satan truly has his foot involved in the life of false believers.