Welcome to The Elijah Project
Welcome to the Elijah Project Blog.
I’ve had so many people who want to know what it’s like to just "live" a Christian life day to day. I never thought about it but I must say, it isn’t all a bed of roses, especially if you’re going to "fight the good fight" and you’re out there in daily spiritual warfare.
Many people are complacent and content to just sit and do nothing. They have no prayer life other than at meals, they have very little knowledge of the Word of God and rarely, if ever couple their prayer with fasting.
I have been asked several times to help others understand how I extract information from the Word of God in order to present it on The Elijah Project main site. That has been a difficult request for me to honor. I had one young man state he would love to see what goes on in the mind of a "preacher" from day to day. I believe God DID give the preachers a different mind on things, but we’re all still tempted and tried; we face tribulation and persecution; and we have spiritual struggles from time to time.
It is my wish that I can give you a glimpse into some of the things that affect me from day to day and by doing this, perhaps I can encourage you along the way.
Pray for me as I try to place my thoughts on the Word, the world, the bible, faith, and life in general for you to read. I’ll try to write as often as possible and I’ll try to maintain at least a weekly post, but I can’t promise that will happen!
Keep checking back, perhaps I can encourage you from time to time and keep you informed of current issues.
May the Lord Jesus Christ Richly Bless and Keep You,
The Elijah Project
Topics: My 2 Cents | No Comments »
Evolution (EVILution)
Several people have expressed a concern about a particular local church that is now teaching evolution as fact. It is rumored that evolution is the process by which God created all living things. Friend, hate me if you will, but IF and I do want to emphatically stress "IF" evolution is being taught, then it is PURE 100% HERESY.
It is not my desire to alienate or hurt anyone either by accusation or by doubting their word so please allow me to make a comment or two on the matter.
The people who talked with me concerning the subject are reliable and trustworthy and I have no reason to doubt what they say is true. MY issue, however, is that I DO NOT tend to believe rumors (even from trustworthy sources), or gossip until I have either proven them to be true or dispelled them. Please understand, I’m not calling anyone a liar or saying they have fabricated anything. I do know that perhaps sometimes we ALL (myself included) miss some critical information that is needed to piece together the puzzle. Ok…enough of my rambling. Here is my definite stance on all such matters that I hear "through the grapevine".
1 Corinthians 13:4-6 "Charity suffereth long, and is kind; charity envieth not; charity vaunteth not itself, is not puffed up, Doth not behave itself unseemly, seeketh not her own, is not easily provoked, thinketh no evil; Rejoiceth not in iniquity, but rejoiceth in the truth;…"
1 Thessalonians 5:21 "Prove all things; hold fast that which is good."
————————————————
Let me address the issue (not the TOPIC).
Again, let me stress the "IF" statements…..
"IF" evolution is being taught as fact in ANY Christian church, then the leaders of that church are in SERIOUS HERETICAL ERROR. It is heresy: Nothing more - nothing less.
"IF" the congregation buys into the evolution theory and believes it, then the congregation itself has been gravely deceived and are as wandering sheep without a true shepherd over them.
"IF" the congregation DOES NOT believe in evolution BUT chooses to sit idly by, doing or saying nothing while it is taught: That congregation is in serious error and is just as guilty of promoting heresy as the heretic teacher who teaches it. Friend, I can assure you of this one thing: IF any congregation says they have the Word of Truth in them and they WILL NOT stand together against clearly heretical teaching such as evolution, then that congregation DOES NOT have the truth they say they have! Those who champion the truth of the bible would NEVER stand by and allow deceit and lies to be taught.
————
Do my words seem harsh? Do you believe them to be without love? Would you let your children sit under a teacher who claimed that Jesus was evil and that Satan is actually the good one and was creator of the earth? Would you? What would you do to stop it? Would you sit and do nothing or say nothing if someone attempted to teach that lying, cheating, stealing, adultery, fornication, strife, etc. were all good things? Would you?
Why then would anyone sit and listen to someone teach evolution as fact?
My clear thinking on the matter is this: IF you REALLY believed that what was taught was wrong, why do you remain there? I believe there is more to the story than what I’ve heard.
There are usually 3 sides to every story: Side 1, Side 2 and The Truth. I think I’ll choose "The Truth".
————
I’ll post more when I gain more details.
May the Lord Jesus Christ Richly Bless and Keep You,
The Elijah Project
Topics: My 2 Cents | No Comments »
…but they have “THOSE” kind of people there…
Not so long ago, I left a church that had began to turn inwardly with cliques, private (although unspoken) social circles and exclusionary attitudes.
I recently watched that same church shun, turn away from and ignore others who had previously attended their church. What a shame. What a black mark on the name of Jesus and upon Christianity! Are we so small-minded, emotionally and intellectually immature in the church today that we can’t love those with whom we have problems (whether real OR perceived)? Tragically, I have seen this many times over the years. Churches without good solid foundational teaching from the Word of God tend to turn to themselves for social comfort and in so doing, anyone outside their "circle of friends" is considered an outcast, an outsider and worst of all, a backslider from the faith. It is indeed shameful when churches turn to this mindset. The Apostle John said this one best: 1 John 4:20-21 "If a man say, I love God, and hateth his brother, he is a liar: for he that loveth not his brother whom he hath seen, how can he love God whom he hath not seen? And this commandment have we from him, That he who loveth God love his brother also."
Many church cliques try to get around this scripture by stating "well, that person wasn’t my brother (or sister)". How unfortunate for them since there are MANY other scriptures pertaining to this matter. I don’t have time nor space to list them all but here are a couple:
Speaking of a multitude of sinners, Jesus said: Matthew 12:48-50 "But he answered and said unto him that told him, Who is my mother? and who are my brethren? And he stretched forth his hand toward his disciples, and said, Behold my mother and my brethren! For whosoever shall do the will of my Father which is in heaven, the same is my brother, and sister, and mother."
After the story of the good Samaritan, Jesus asked a question in Luke 10:36-37 "Which now of these three, thinkest thou, was neighbour unto him that fell among the thieves? And he said, He that shewed mercy on him. Then said Jesus unto him, Go, and do thou likewise."
Now for the one they can’t deny even if they wanted to: Matthew 5:43-48 "Ye have heard that it hath been said, Thou shalt love thy neighbour, and hate thine enemy. But I say unto you, Love your enemies, bless them that curse you, do good to them that hate you, and pray for them which despitefully use you, and persecute you; That ye may be the children of your Father which is in heaven: for he maketh his sun to rise on the evil and on the good, and sendeth rain on the just and on the unjust. For if ye love them which love you, what reward have ye? do not even the publicans the same? And if ye salute your brethren only, what do ye more than others? do not even the publicans so? Be ye therefore perfect, even as your Father which is in heaven is perfect."
—————–
I had an elderly woman that had been in church for a very long time, make a shocking statement after learning that I was working with a particular ministry that deals with the homeless, drug addicts, alcoholics, homosexuals, etc.
She got this look of disgust on her face and stated "Oh God, they have those "street people" over there".
I guess somehow over the years, she must have missed these scriptures:
Mark 12:31 "And the second is like, namely this, Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself. There is none other commandment greater than these."
Luke 5:32 "I came not to call the righteous, but sinners to repentance."
Apparently, "street people" aren’t worthy of salvation……?
—————————————
May the Lord have mercy upon those who have lost the meaning of Christianity and true Godly Love!
May the Lord Jesus Christ Richly Bless and Keep You,
The Elijah Project
Topics: My 2 Cents | No Comments »
America’s Theology
I was reading some statistics on foundational Christian beliefs and was horrified at the results! The study was conducted and published by Barna Research.
Look at the following facts. If they don’t make you weep for the sins of a nation, I’m not sure what might actually move you.
- Only 32% of all people who claim to be Christians, believe there is an "absolute moral truth".
- The average born-again, baptized, churchgoing person has embraced elements of Buddhism, Hinduism, Judaism, Islam, Mormonism, Scientology, Unitarianism and Christian Science—without any idea they have done so. There is such a lack of foundational biblical doctrines that religions of all types have crept in and corrupted the Christian faith.
- Only 35% of Christians believe Jesus Christ was absolutely, 100% sinless.
- 34% believe the bible is TOTALLY inaccurate and full of errors.
- Only 32% believe Satan is real.
- 57% believe GOOD WORKS will earn you a path to heaven.
- 81% believe that one becomes "saved" or "born again" simply by repeating "the sinner’s prayer". They state that nothing else is required other than repeating the prayer (ie. no repentance, no lifestyle changes, etc).
The one that disturbs me the most is that only 35% believe Jesus was sinless. They in fact, believe that Jesus was "just like the rest of us" when it comes to temptation—fallen, guilty, impure, and many believe He Himself was in need of a savior. Some denominations are teaching that Jesus Himself had to be "born again". Some even go as far as to say that Jesus went to hell and was "born again" in hell (Kenneth Hagin, Kenneth Copeland and others). Friend, it just doesn’t get much more blasphemous or heretical than that.
—-
These things are the direct result of something I’ve been warning against for 20 years. The church has all but removed their knowledge, sound doctrine and education of the Bible and has exchanged it for "experience". I heard a lady in Sunday School less than one month ago, proclaim "You can’t get any more real, than personal experience". She went on to say that personal experience is the one factor that is above all others. Dear ones, if you believe those statements, then you have already denied the clear Word of God! Walking by faith and not by sight has nothing to do with "personal experience". Jeremiah told us that our heart is "deceitful above all things and desperately wicked! Experience can mislead you and deceive you! I can’t count the number of times I’ve heard someone place what they "feel, think or believe" above the written Word of God! THIS SHOULD NOT BE! If what you do on Sunday Morning is wrapped up on what you "feel", then you are in error!
—-
In that same survey as cited above, Christians were asked to quote their favorite verse. The MAJORITY of responses was "God helps those who help themselves". THIS ISN’T EVEN A BIBLE VERSE! It is not found anywhere in the Bible AND it clearly contradicts the clear teaching of scripture! Romans 5:6 For when we were yet without strength, in due time Christ died for the ungodly. If you could "help yourself", you wouldn’t need a savior and you would have been RIGHT (helped) A LONG TIME ago! Examine more facts.
- Abraham, Old Testament Prophets, Death of Jesus, Day of Pentecost. When presented with those choices, less than 33% could place them in chronoligical oder!
- Mose in Egypt, Isaac’s Birth, King Saul’s death, Judah’s Exile. More than 1/2 could not place these in order.
- An astounding 1/3 could not identify Matthew as being an Apostle.
- Bible literacy in churches averages 14%. Bible literacy in homes that did not hold to biblical beliefs was at 28%. THAT is a shame when the world knows more scriptures than the church
—-
So whateve happened to good, old-fashioned SOLID Thelogy?
Whatever happened to good, old-fashioned historical exegesis?
One writer said of modern day beliefs: "Christian faith is not being built on the firm foundation of hard-won thoughts, ideas, history, or theology. Spirituality is being built on private emotional attachments." I’m inclined to agree with him.
—-
I believe the problem MUST be addressed from the pulpits and from Christian leadership. Leaders need to recognize the problem, then DO something about it.
How do you recognize the problem? BY KNOWING YOUR SHEEP! Evaluate them! Ask Questions! "Do you believe Jesus was sinless?", "Can you describe repentance?", "Do you believe the bible is true and reliable?" The answers would shock some leaders, however, it will give expose areas in which their congregation is weak. We MUST get back to TEACHING the Word of God, rather than handing people a sweet morsel or two each week. Taking our theology from bumper stickers just won’t cut it!
Leaders need to begin teaching the bible, book by book, verse by verse IN THEIR HISTORICAL AND GRAMMATICAL CONTEXTS and they must expound upon their SPIRITUAL APPLICATION!
Leaders MUST expose and correct unbiblical doctrine and philosophy that has crept into the church!
We have got to stop acting like a bunch of "know-it alls" when it comes to the gifts of God. Either God called pastors or he did not. Either he called teachers or he did not. Why then, is it so hard for the church to CAST ASIDE personal opinion and recognize a God-Called man? Let’s get back to the place where we can recognize and UTILIZE GOD GIVEN MINISTRY in the church!
—-
2 Timothy 4:3 "For the time will come when they will not endure sound doctrine; but after their own lusts shall they heap to themselves teachers, having itching ears;…"
Unfotunately, we’re in that time. Pray for your pastor, your leaders and for the eyes of our fellowservants in Jesus Christ to be opened!
May the Lord Jesus Christ Richly Bless and Keep You,
The Elijah Project
Topics: My 2 Cents | No Comments »
Terrible Teaching!
Galatians 6:7-8 "Be not deceived; God is not mocked: for whatsoever a man soweth, that shall he also reap. For he that soweth to his flesh shall of the flesh reap corruption; but he that soweth to the Spirit shall of the Spirit reap life everlasting."
Have you heard some of the "biblical" teaching that is being presented to Christians today? (I use the term "biblical" very loosely in this instance). The vast majority of teaching today dwells with the physical and temporal aspects of our lives versus the eternal! I heard one preacher say, and I’m inclined to agree with him: "If it’s not eternal, it’s not God." I think to a great degree, this applies well to what we’re seeing today.
Paul told Timothy that in the last days men would not endure sound doctrine but would "AFTER THEIR OWN LUSTS" (in other words…after what they "felt, thought and believed"…what they desired to hear), heave to themselves teachers, having "itching ears". (2 Timothy 4:3) We’re also told by Paul in 1 Timothy 3:7 that there would be those who would be "Ever learning, and never able to come to the knowledge of the truth."
Additionally, Jesus told us that "…many false prophets shall rise, and shall deceive many." (Matthew 24:11)
I think I can honestly say I’ve never seen a time when there have been so many false prophets, false teachers and deceivers in the church and tragically, Christians are falling for their false teaching head over heels and are embracing false techings and false doctrine as biblical facts. The worst part is that they won’t get into the bible to study the matter for themselves but will simply accept a handful of scriptures that sound good.
Amos said it well: (Amos 8:11-12: "Behold, the days come, saith the Lord GOD, that I will send a famine in the land, not a famine of bread, nor a thirst for water, but of hearing the words of the LORD: And they shall wander from sea to sea, and from the north even to the east, they shall run to and fro to seek the word of the LORD, and shall not find it."
Let me present you with some examples. Over the last couple of years I have heard the following things being taught:
* Note: I DO NOT support, believe, adhere to or teach these things. They are NOT biblical and are NOT presented to us in the Word of God, yet people are embracing them as gospel fact and they are teching others to believe them.
-
There were 2 "great" floods: Noah’s flood and one that occurred between Genesis chapter 1 and Genesis chapter 2.
-
Adam and Eve were not the "only" people God ever created, they were just the first. The speaker went on to say that God created many other people across the face of the earth after he created Adam and Eve.
-
God actually created the earth once in Genesis 1:1 but "re-created" it beginning in Genesis 1:2.
-
God used evolution in the process of creation and allowed everything to evolve naturally over millions of years. This speaker says the bible teaches that the "days" of Genesis chapter 1 were actually thousands or even millions of years. He takes his particular understanding from 2 Peter 3:8.
-
Satan had physical sex with Eve and Cain was conceived. Eve went to Adam and had sex and Abel was conceived. Eve later had twins, one of the "Evil One" (Cain) and one good (Abel). This teaching says the "fruit" Eve ate wasn’t literal fruit but was "sex".
-
Hell is not a real, physical place, but is simply a term for separation from God.
-
Hell is not eternal and those who are sent there won’t burn forever, they’ll just simply perish. There are variations of this, but this particular teacher said it is the "smoke" of their torment , not the people’s burning, that will keep going forever. One other teacher stated that hell was just a place where we "pay for our sins" and after it is done, we’ll be in heaven.
-
It is ALWAYS God’s will to heal us because healing was included in the atonement and it’s a promise of God that we will be healed. The only reason we’re not healed is due to our own lack of faith.
-
Man was promised 120 years of life and the only reason we don’t live that long is because we have a lack of faith. If we had the faith to live 120 years, then the bible guarantees we will have it. Some call this "Abraham’s restored promise". (Supposedly restored to the church through Jesus).
-
God doesn’t choose when we die, he leaves it up to us and our faith. There is no appointed time to die and we make the decision how long we will live.
-
We can speak whatever we want into existence, whether good or bad. It is up to us to create our own "reality", or "paradigm".
-
If you’re sick, you’re not blessed. In fact, according to some of the teaching, the reason you’ve ever been sick is because you had a lack of faith and/or you weren’t blessed of God.
-
If you’re poor, you’re not blessed. After all it’s God’s will to make you rich beyond your wildest dreams while you walk the face of this present earth.
-
If you’ve ever been divorced, you’re not blessed.
-
If you’re paying child support, you’re not blessed.
-
If you’ve ever been to jail, you’re not blessed.
-
If you’ve ever been addicted to anything, you’re not blessed.
-
If you have tribulation and trouble in your life then you’re out of the will of God and you’re not blessed.
-
Satan was bound at the cross and is bound until this day. This is usually followed by the erroneous 1000 years IS EQUAL TO 1 day theology.
-
A divine healing from God sometimes occurs over a period of time.
Allow me to tackle these very briefly. This is by no means a full teaching on the subject, but if you have believed any of those things above, there is a huge problem and flaw with believing them. They contradict (1) logic and (2) the clearly WRITTEN Word of God! ANY teaching that contradicts the written scripture must be construed as a heretical, damnable and false teaching. There is no other explanation for it! I realize many people have gotten caught up in these things and are genuinely sincere in their belief. Tragically, they’re sincerely wrong. If you have believed these things and you are angered by my responses, then I will issue you a challenge right now: prove that what I say is wrong. Remember this though: If you have 10 scriptures that "prove" your doctrine (used in their proper context), BUT you have others that contradict your belief then the problem is either (1) your understanding is wrong, (2) you are missing additional verses that tie the scriptures together or explain them, OR (3) the scriptures are in error. I promise you this: The scriptures are not in error!
My comments below are in Maroon.
-
There were 2 "great" floods: Noah’s flood and one that occurred between Genesis chapter 1 and Genesis chapter 2. The single scripture often quoted in an attempt to "prove" this theory is found in 2 Peter 3:5-6 "For this they willingly are ignorant of, that by the word of God the heavens were of old, and the earth standing out of the water and in the water: Whereby the world that then was, being overflowed with water, perished:…" The emphasis is placed on "the world that THEN was", and those who hold to this theory assume there was some world of men, creatures, beings, etc that existed before Adam was created. They assume that since Satan had already fallen in the Garden of Eden that he must have been the ruler over some past world on this present earth. They also assume that since the bible mentions the waters in Genesis 1:1-10 and mentions that the "dry land" came out of the waters, then there must have been some catastrophic flood beforehand in which God destroyed the world and those who were in it. They say this is how to explain and reconcile evolution with science and arrive at the conclusion that prehistoric men (who supposedly date to sometime before 6000-7000 years ago) were killed in the "first flood". The problem with the theory is found solely in scripture. Since this is neither an extended teaching on the matter, nor an expose’ of the facts, let me give you that scripture and allow you to reconcile it for yourself. Romans 5:12-14 "Wherefore, as by one man sin entered into the world, and death by sin; and so death passed upon all men, for that all have sinned: (For until the law sin was in the world: but sin is not imputed when there is no law. Nevertheless death reigned from Adam to Moses, even over them that had not sinned after the similitude of Adam’s transgression, who is the figure of him that was to come." There was no death upon the earth until Adam! If you would like to know more about disputing evolution, check out Answers in Genesis, Dr. Dino, or Creation Science.
-
Adam and Eve were not the "only" people God ever created, they were just the first. The speaker went on to say that God created many other people across the face of the earth after he created Adam and Eve. Actually this is completely false and can be readily disputed by 2 very powerful bible passages. Acts 17:26 "And hath made of one blood all nations of men for to dwell on all the face of the earth, and hath determined the times before appointed, and the bounds of their habitation;" and Genesis 3:20 "And Adam called his wife’s name Eve; because she was the mother of all living."
-
God actually created the earth once in Genesis 1:1 but "re-created" it beginning in Genesis 1:2. This goes back to the first question above. There is no "gap" between Genesis 1:1 and Genesis 1:2!
-
God used evolution in the process of creation and allowed everything to evolve naturally over millions of years. This speaker says the bible teaches that the "days" of Genesis chapter 1 were actually thousands or even millions of years. He takes his particular understanding from 2 Peter 3:8. This is always amusing. The 1st chapter of Genesis is extremely clear concerning the term "days". In EACH instance, a "day" is described as "the evening and the morning". There is no exception to that. Some want to say the "days" could have been literally millions of years long. This presents a serious problem between the 3rd and 4th days. Grass, Trees, herbs, fruit was created on the day 3. Did the plants thrive with no sunlight OR seasons for millions of years before God created the sun? Not hardly. Some say "well God could have made it last that long". This is nothing more than a feeble attempt to justify the false evolutionary doctrine and is pure subversion of the scripture. Read the following 2 verses to discover how long "A" day is: Exodus 20:11 "For in six days the LORD made heaven and earth, the sea, and all that in them is, and rested the seventh day: wherefore the LORD blessed the sabbath day, and hallowed it…." Certainly Moses didn’t believe "a day" was millions of years long. Read Peter’s statement concerning creation: 2 Peter 3:4 "…all things continue as they were from the beginning of the creation."
-
Satan had physical sex with Eve and Cain was conceived. Eve went to Adam and had sex and Abel was conceived. Eve later had twins, one of the "Evil One" (Cain) and one good (Abel). This teaching says the "fruit" Eve ate wasn’t literal fruit but was "sex". This is an abosolutely false teaching taken from the false prophet William Branham. His supposition is taken from 1 John 3:12 "Not as Cain, who was of that wicked one, and slew his brother. And wherefore slew he him? Because his own works were evil, and his brother’s righteous." Mr. Branham falsely taught that the phrase "of that wicked one" meant that Cain was physically begotten as a result of sex between Satan and Eve. Genesis 4:1 "And Adam knew Eve his wife; and she conceived, and bare Cain, and said, I have gotten a man from the LORD." Cain was a direct physical descendant of Adam and was a result of the SEED of Adam, not Satan. The bible is clear that Eve conceived BY ADAM. Concerning the fruit: the "fruit" was not sex. The fruit was literal! Again, the bible is VERY clear in this: Genesis 3:6 "And when the woman saw that the tree was good for food, and that it was pleasant to the eyes, and a tree to be desired to make one wise, she took of the fruit thereof, and did eat, and gave also unto her husband with her; and he did eat."
-
Hell is not a real, physical place, but is simply a term for separation from God. I wonder if God knows this? While I agree that any separation from God could be construed as our modern day idea of hell, Jesus mentioned hell as a physical, literal place many times. Read Luke chapter 16. Read Mark 9:44-48. Read also Matthew 5:22-30, Matthew 10:28, Matthew 18:9, Revelation 20:13-14. These aren’t all the scriptures dealing with hell but there are enough to indicate that hell is a REAL place. In Luke chapter 16 especially, hell is mentioned as being just as real as heaven!
-
Hell is not eternal and those who are sent there won’t burn forever, they’ll just simply perish. There are variations of this, but this particular teacher said it is the "smoke" of their torment , not the people’s burning, that will keep going forever. One other teacher stated that hell was just a place where we "pay for our sins" and after it is done, we’ll be in heaven. Again, read the above scriptures, especially Mark 9:44-48. Now, I have to agree SOMEWHAT that hell as we know it now is not necessarily eternal, HOWEVER, in the most literal sense of the word, it IS eternal. Here is what I mean…. Revelation 20:13-14 tells us that hell as we know it will cease Revelation 20:13 "And the sea gave up the dead which were in it; and death and hell delivered up the dead which were in them: and they were judged every man according to their works." The crushing blow, however, to those who believe anyone is ever coming out of hell, is found in the next verse, Revelation 20:14: "And death and hell were cast into the lake of fire. This is the second death." The lake of fire is never ending so in that sense, Hell is eternal. If the "worm" dieth not, then there will be an eternal torment and burning for those who wind up there. Just for a bit more to this: look up Isaiah 66:24.
-
It is ALWAYS God’s will to heal us because healing was included in the atonement and it’s a promise of God that we will be healed. The only reason we’re not healed is due to our own lack of faith. I have no clue why people buy into this faith-destroying teaching. It may anger you when I tell you this, but the scriptures often quoted (such as those from Isaiah and 1 Peter) have nothing to do with physical healing. Go back and read them for yourself IN THEIR PROPER CONTEXT and it becomes quickly apparent that it is not physical healing that is promised, but a healing of the souls of men! IN fact,, Mark 2:16-17 records Jesus speaking about "the sick" and in the passage, the sicknesses he referred to were sins! The entire context is speaking of the atonement of Christ; of his shedding of blood and washing away of sins. If it is "ALWAYS" God’s will to heal, then we have a serious problem concerning the greatest Apostle to the Gentiles: Paul. Not only did Paul himself have an infirmity in his flesh, In 2 Timothy 4:20, Paul left Trophimus sick and we read that this wasn’t the first time Paul left someone without a healing touch. Epaphroditus was sick and almost died (Philippians 2:26-27). James 5:14 gives us provision for sickness IF we become sick! I can’t count the times someone has said "I’m going to get MY healing" as if God owes it to them. God has NO obligation to heal us and it is purely and entirely up to God if or when he does!
-
Man was promised 120 years of life and the only reason we don’t live that long is because we have a lack of faith. If we had the faith to live 120 years, then the bible guarantees we will have it. Some call this "Abraham’s restored promise". (Supposedly restored to the church through Jesus). Nowhere but absolutely NOWHERE in the bible is anything like this even presented to us. This is a pure 100% lie. No man is guaranteed any length of life. Babies die. Young children die. Old men die. I’ve buried children from 6 days old up to 96 years old. The time of life is not guaranteed by God and certainly, 120 years not promised to us in this generation, ever. The interesting thing about this is that 120 years was neve promised to Abraham. This was a limit placed by God during the days of Noah but was not intended to be a specific number of years "Guaranteed" or "Promised" to anyone. By the time David wrote Psalms, the average life expectancy was about 70 years (threescore and ten) and David declared that even if you lived to 80 (fourscore) "by reason of strength", it is still certain that we will die (Psalm 90:10). You might want to also read the next question since it goes hand in hand with this "120 year" theory. These 2 questions are getting very close to the heretical teachings presented by men such as E.W. Kenyon, Kenneth Hagin and others that claim we have the power of our own lives in our own hands (because we’re just "little gods").
-
God doesn’t choose when we die, he leaves it up to us and our faith. There is no appointed time to die and we make the decision how long we will live. This is false, NEW AGE religious teaching and is not Christian teaching at all. NO MAN has the power to retain his spirit. Ecclesiastes 8:8 "There is no man that hath power over the spirit to retain the spirit; neither hath he power in the day of death: and there is no discharge in that war; neither shall wickedness deliver those that are given to it." Job 14:14-15 speaks of our "appointed time" and Job 14:5 says God has set months and bounds for men that they cannot pass. Solomon said there is a time and purpose for everything under heaven. Ecclesiastes 3:2 "A time to be born, and a time to die; a time to plant, and a time to pluck up that which is planted;…" Exodus 23:25-26 seems to indicate God has given us a number of days and he can shorten them if HE wishes to do so. This indicates that God himself is in control! David put it very plainly: "Psalms 31:15 "My times are in thy hand: deliver me from the hand of mine enemies, and from them that persecute me…."
-
We can speak whatever we want into existence, whether good or bad. It is up to us to create our own "reality", or "paradigm". I don’t even have the time to discuss this one. This is more New Age philosophical, religious teaching that has infiltrated the church. NO, you DON’T have "creative power" in your words and NO, you don’t "create your own" reality. You may be living in a delusional state of denail, but here is the bottom line: if you believe you can speak whatever you want into existence, then why aren’t you rich beyond compare? Why are your children unsaved? Why do you drive and old car? Why do you struggle with other people from day to day? Why does this post make you mad? If you could just "speak things into existence" you could do what you say you can….you know…things like heal, perform mircles, etc. You say it’s a lack of faith on the part of others? Then you’ve contradicted yourself. If YOU have the power, then YOU can exercise it. On a final note, if you have a problem with me, isn’t that really your fault since you created this "reality" called "me"? Christians are being taught to "confess" they are well when they are sick. They’re told to "confess" they’re wealthy when they’re really poor and they being told to confess things are NOT as they are. I don’t know about you but even if I confess that the sun is not a hot flaming ball in the sky, it still doesn’t make my confession true. If i begin to "confess or "speak" it and believe it, then it makes me (1) a liar and (2) a lunatick. Stop lying and calling that "Christian" or "positive confession"!
-
If you’re sick, you’re not blessed. In fact, according to some of the teaching, the reason you’ve ever been sick is because you had a lack of faith and/or you weren’t blessed of God. What a load of garbage. Epaphroditus was sick, Trohpimas was sick and Paul was sick. James made provision for SAINTS to be healed. If SAINTS can never be sick because they’re "blessed" then we have a contradiction between the bible and this "not blessed if you’re sick" teaching,. Guess what? The bible is not the one that is wrong! We die because these outward bodies are growing more "sick" everyday.
-
If you’re poor, you’re not blessed. After all it’s God’s will to make you rich beyond your wildest dreams while you walk the face of this present earth. Paul was poor, Peter was poor, James was poor, Andrew and Barnabas were poor and Jesus was poor. In fact, the bible is set more AGAINST the rich than it is against any other class of people. If you believe poor people are not blessed because they’re poor, then you have a serious issue with the Word of God especially when you go back and examine the first church. What you are doing is buying into a false gospel…the gospel of Greed. It’s amazing how some have perverted the true Word of God for their own personal gain. 3 John 1:2 "Beloved, I wish above all things that thou mayest prosper and be in health, even as thy soul prospereth." The scripture quoted has nothing to do with material wealth but rather with the prospering of the soul "I WISH" is an indication that the condition of "prosperity" didn’t exist. I WISH it was about 65 degrees outside right now like it is March (It’s January and 24). This isn’t an indication that it is either 65 or March, but is a statement concerning my personal desire. John says "Your soul prospers"…."I wish you could prosper that way". Do your homework and you’ll realize John was speaking to a group of very poor people who remained that way until their demise under the hand of persecution.
-
If you’ve ever been divorced, you’re not blessed. Again, this is almost heretical teaching that attempts to circumvent the clear teaching of scripture. There is not one single passage of scripture that shuns, rejects or demeans divorced people. In fact John 4 should help you understand this and if you’ll read 1 Corinthians chapter 7, there is no prohibition against divorce but there is a PROVISION for it in some cases. Does that rock your theology? Good, then perhaps you’ll read what the Scriptures have to say!
-
If you’re paying child support, you’re not blessed. I actually heard this one for myself a couple of times. What a damnable thing for any pastor to tell someone. We all (well, I guess there are a few people in the world who never sinned huh?), have done things for which we pay consequences. In fact our bodies are perishing every day because of the consequences of sin. This is prima facie evidence that we have ALL sinned. Would you rather see a man pay child support to his children even if he DID make a mistake before he was saved or would you rather see him skip out, pay nothing and have the children suffer? Paying child support has nothing to do with whether you are blessed or not blessed. Those who propose such a notion are nothing more than legalists who are attempting to compare themselves among THEMSELVES! Read 2 Corinthians 10:12.
-
If you’ve ever been to jail, you’re not blessed. Poor Peter, Paul and Silas. They wouldn’t have been received in today’s churches. Paul spent a LOT of time in jails.
-
If you’ve ever been addicted to anything, you’re not blessed. Again, this is more legalism and is based upon the self-righteous attitude of others. God has brought many, many people out of sin and bondage and out of addictions.
-
If you have tribulation and trouble in your life then you’re out of the will of God and you’re not blessed. Again, poor Paul must have been the most rejected man in history. 2 Corinthians 11:23-29 "Are they ministers of Christ? (I speak as a fool) I am more; in labours more abundant, in stripes above measure, in prisons more frequent, in deaths oft. Of the Jews five times received I forty stripes save one. Thrice was I beaten with rods, once was I stoned, thrice I suffered shipwreck, a night and a day I have been in the deep; In journeyings often, in perils of waters, in perils of robbers, in perils by mine own countrymen, in perils by the heathen, in perils in the city, in perils in the wilderness, in perils in the sea, in perils among false brethren; In weariness and painfulness, in watchings often, in hunger and thirst, in fastings often, in cold and nakedness. Beside those things that are without, that which cometh upon me daily, the care of all the churches. Who is weak, and I am not weak? who is offended, and I burn not?" Paul also told us 2 Timothy 3:12 "Yea, and all that will live godly in Christ Jesus shall suffer persecution." Read also Romans 12:12, 2 Corinthians 7:4, 1 Thessalonians 3:4, John 16:33, Acts 14:22.
-
A divine healing from God sometimes occurs over a period of time. There is NO scripture for this. Not one time in the scriptures do you find a divine supernatural healing that took place "over time". There are NONE. Some want to use the example of Mark 8 and the blind man that saw men as trees walking. This is STILL not a healing that took place over a few days, weeks, months or years. Jesus prayed for the man and the man said he saw men as trees walking. Jesus IMMEDIATELY prayed for him again and instantly, the blind man could see! There are NO scriptures that lend creedence to a healing over a "period of time". All such claims are not true.
It isn’t my desire to "rock your faith" or "shake your foundation" unless you’re grounded on false doctrine! Go study these matters for yourself and ask yourself if whatever it is you choose to believe has other scriptures that you avoid. If there are scriptures that contradict your belief you MUST reconcile them! The only way you can do that is to get into the Word of God and see what it REALLY says!
May the Lord Jesus Christ Richly Bless and Keep You,
The Elijah Project
Topics: My 2 Cents | 1 Comment »