I have seen a phenomena in Pentecostal churches that I have visited. The propensity to elevate feelings above Christ. Because of this the people who attended were willing to throw the principles of the Bible under the bus to follow their feelings.
Often one sentence from scripture was removed and place with other passages out of context to construct a desired belief. We see this in other churches too, but the most dramatic I have seen has been in the Pentecostal groups. Since feelings are facts to those who must have their spiritual high, they depend on excitement and euphoria to continue a sense of spirituality. Its fleshly and demonically inspired.
When they were told what they did or said was not Biblical they would tell me that the Holy Spirit told them. When I asserted that the Holy Spirit does not violate His own word and that who they heard was not the Holy Spirit, then they would become angered and fight to defend their disobedience.
I have had Pentecostals twist the Bible to such a degree that it had no resemblance to the meanings God intended. "Out of context" teachings are common in these gatherings, as long as everyone "feels" good about them.
I have even attended Pentecostal women's Bible studies in which the leader would ask the attendees to read a Scripture and then asked "what does that passage mean to you."
When someone asks a woman in the group their interpretation of a Scripture, they are giving the authority of interpretation over to that person instead of God. This makes the Bible a subjective book without accuracy and without authority.
1 Peter 1:20-21 " 20 Above all, you must understand that no prophecy of Scripture comes from the prophet’s own interpretation. 21 For no prophecy was ever brought about through human initiative, but men spoke from God as they were carried along by the Holy Spirit.…"
Since extra Biblical doctrine is added to enhance the emotional experience, there is a hostility that arises when anyone attempts to show the errors that emerge from extracting Scripture from its context.
In one group I attended the leader, who was a woman, became gleeful and excited to tell the group there were angels walking around their chairs. I sat completely unemotional while the room erupted in claps and shouts of amen. I never figured out why that woman told us that, since angels are all around us all the time, we just can't see them. The only reason I could figure that she would tell everyone is that she was elevating herself as one who had something special to see things the others could not see.
Of course she couldn't prove they were there, nor would it matter, we have no need to see angels.
This is the kind of silliness we see happening regularly in the Pentecostal gatherings, they must have an experience they can see or someone who saw it for them, to feel close to God. One can feel close to God while being very far away. Emotions lead us down a deceptive path that creates euphoria but is not real.
2 Corinthians 5:7
"7 For we walk by faith, not by sight."
We see this same mentality in the Catholic church, there must be miracles seen and rituals performed to have a sense of closeness. Sadly this form of closeness does not bring us close to Christ, it detracts from our walk of faith. Faith being the substance of things not seen.
The more we must see with our eyes and do with our hands, the less faith we exhibit.
2 Corinthians 5:16-19 "16 Therefore from now on we recognize no one according to the flesh; even though we have known Christ according to the flesh, yet now we know Him in this way no longer.
17 Therefore if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creature; the old things passed away; behold, new things have come.
18 Now all these things are from God, who reconciled us to Himself through Christ and gave us the ministry of reconciliation, 19 namely, that God was in Christ reconciling the world to Himself, not counting their trespasses against them, and He has committed to us the word of reconciliation."
Our walk with Christ does not hang on events and feelings, it hangs on faith in Him, a daily walk continually consulting Him while praising Him above all experiences, even when life does not give us what we would like, we still praise Him.
Monday, June 25, 2018
An Authentic Prophet is not Wrong
Why do people continue to follow false prophets even when they have been proven to be false?
Ellen G. White had numerous false prophesies, here are some of them;
1. She said that "Old Jerusalem never would be built up",
2. She prophesied that she would be alive during the rapture.
3. She prophesied that Christ would return before slavery was abolished.
4. She said that Adventists living in 1856 would see the rapture.
All of these prophesies were wrong, and yet those who read her writings and follow her teachings still hang onto her as a church prophetess.
Deuteronomy 18:21-22 "…21 You may ask in your heart, “How can we recognize a message that the LORD has not spoken?” 22 When a prophet speaks in the name of the LORD and the message does not come to pass or come true, that is a message the LORD has not spoken. The prophet has spoken presumptuously. Do not be afraid of him."
The Adventist church asserts this: "The Gift of Prophecy: One of the gifts of the Holy Spirit is prophecy. This gift is an identifying mark of the remnant church and was manifested in the ministry of Ellen G. White.
When the works of Ellen G. White are used more than the Bible in any gathering, we can assume that Ellen G. White takes priority over Christ and His Word.
She was a false prophet and yet this organization continues to elevate her to prophet status, directly against the teachings of the Bible.
Ellen G. White had numerous false prophesies, here are some of them;
1. She said that "Old Jerusalem never would be built up",
2. She prophesied that she would be alive during the rapture.
3. She prophesied that Christ would return before slavery was abolished.
4. She said that Adventists living in 1856 would see the rapture.
All of these prophesies were wrong, and yet those who read her writings and follow her teachings still hang onto her as a church prophetess.
Deuteronomy 18:21-22 "…21 You may ask in your heart, “How can we recognize a message that the LORD has not spoken?” 22 When a prophet speaks in the name of the LORD and the message does not come to pass or come true, that is a message the LORD has not spoken. The prophet has spoken presumptuously. Do not be afraid of him."
The Adventist church asserts this: "The Gift of Prophecy: One of the gifts of the Holy Spirit is prophecy. This gift is an identifying mark of the remnant church and was manifested in the ministry of Ellen G. White.
When the works of Ellen G. White are used more than the Bible in any gathering, we can assume that Ellen G. White takes priority over Christ and His Word.
She was a false prophet and yet this organization continues to elevate her to prophet status, directly against the teachings of the Bible.
The Devil Enjoys Destroying God's People
The WAY one thinks will determine their life path. Those who are full of self will always interpret things in terms of the effect on them. Others are not very important to them unless those others can enhance their own life in some way.
It comes down to the WAY the narcissist processes information. They really don't have control over their own mind, the devil is placing thoughts and emotions that are not true, just as he did in the garden with Eve.
He brought thinking to Eve that made her begin to ponder a WAY that was different from what she would have thought before she heard the lies. It was her choice to believe the lies, but the devil planted the seeds of doubt toward God that led her down a path of further deception.
Why did Even not chastise the devil and refuse to believe him because of the knowledge she had of God? That's a very good question isn't it?!
Eve didn't chastise the devil nor did she reject what he was saying because she sort of liked the idea that she could be like God. She embraced the lies to elevate self.
The devil lied against God, used flattery toward Eve and used manipulation to entice, appealing to pride in Eve.
Genesis 3:4-6 "…4“ You will not surely die,” the serpent told her. 5 “For God knows that in the day you eat of it, your eyes will be opened and you will be like God, knowing good and evil.” 6 When the woman saw that the tree was good for food and pleasing to the eyes, and that it was desirable for obtaining wisdom, she took the fruit and ate it. She also gave some to her husband, and he ate it.…"
This is what we notice in gossip, the person gossiping loves to push others down in the eyes of the hearer to elevate themselves. The devil has only one foundational tactic, that is to diminish his target, deceiving them to make them believe others are beneath them, in order to raise themselves up.
Proverbs 26:24-28
"24 He who hates disguises it with his lips,
But he lays up deceit in his heart.
25 When he speaks graciously, do not believe him,
For there are seven abominations in his heart.
26 Though his hatred covers itself with guile,
His wickedness will be revealed before the assembly.
27 He who digs a pit will fall into it,
And he who rolls a stone, it will come back on him.
28 A lying tongue hates those it crushes,
And a flattering mouth works ruin."
This is exactly what the devil did in heaven when he was thrown out and what he did with Eve in the garden to diminish God in her eyes. If he could get the other demons and Eve to see God as the "bad one", then he could get his followers to worship him while hating God.
This principle works well for the devil in human relationships too. When we know that the devil is behind all our relationship problems as well as everything else in the world, we can be at ease when we recognize his strategies.
Keep in mind the devil was not just selfish he was destructive, his goal was to destroy anyone in his path, anyone who might not worship him and to take as many people and devils to hell with him as he can.
The devil has one mission, that is to ruin the witness of believes and to cause unbelievers to hate Christians.These maneuvers are an attack against God. He uses his minions to place thoughts in the minds of people to cause reactions against one another and even toward God.
We do not have to be pawns in the devil's schemes, we can rise above it to be Christlike, no matter who or what comes against us.
Ephesians 6:10-12 "10 Finally, be strong in the Lord and in His mighty power. 11 Put on the full armor of God, so that you can make your stand against the devil’s schemes. 12 For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of this world’s darkness, and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms."
Remember that we are living in the last days, the days of increasing evil, we must recognize it for what it is, call it out and then run from those who enjoy and defend their sinfulness.
It comes down to the WAY the narcissist processes information. They really don't have control over their own mind, the devil is placing thoughts and emotions that are not true, just as he did in the garden with Eve.
He brought thinking to Eve that made her begin to ponder a WAY that was different from what she would have thought before she heard the lies. It was her choice to believe the lies, but the devil planted the seeds of doubt toward God that led her down a path of further deception.
Why did Even not chastise the devil and refuse to believe him because of the knowledge she had of God? That's a very good question isn't it?!
Eve didn't chastise the devil nor did she reject what he was saying because she sort of liked the idea that she could be like God. She embraced the lies to elevate self.
The devil lied against God, used flattery toward Eve and used manipulation to entice, appealing to pride in Eve.
Genesis 3:4-6 "…4“ You will not surely die,” the serpent told her. 5 “For God knows that in the day you eat of it, your eyes will be opened and you will be like God, knowing good and evil.” 6 When the woman saw that the tree was good for food and pleasing to the eyes, and that it was desirable for obtaining wisdom, she took the fruit and ate it. She also gave some to her husband, and he ate it.…"
This is what we notice in gossip, the person gossiping loves to push others down in the eyes of the hearer to elevate themselves. The devil has only one foundational tactic, that is to diminish his target, deceiving them to make them believe others are beneath them, in order to raise themselves up.
Proverbs 26:24-28
"24 He who hates disguises it with his lips,
But he lays up deceit in his heart.
25 When he speaks graciously, do not believe him,
For there are seven abominations in his heart.
26 Though his hatred covers itself with guile,
His wickedness will be revealed before the assembly.
27 He who digs a pit will fall into it,
And he who rolls a stone, it will come back on him.
28 A lying tongue hates those it crushes,
And a flattering mouth works ruin."
This is exactly what the devil did in heaven when he was thrown out and what he did with Eve in the garden to diminish God in her eyes. If he could get the other demons and Eve to see God as the "bad one", then he could get his followers to worship him while hating God.
This principle works well for the devil in human relationships too. When we know that the devil is behind all our relationship problems as well as everything else in the world, we can be at ease when we recognize his strategies.
Keep in mind the devil was not just selfish he was destructive, his goal was to destroy anyone in his path, anyone who might not worship him and to take as many people and devils to hell with him as he can.
The devil has one mission, that is to ruin the witness of believes and to cause unbelievers to hate Christians.These maneuvers are an attack against God. He uses his minions to place thoughts in the minds of people to cause reactions against one another and even toward God.
We do not have to be pawns in the devil's schemes, we can rise above it to be Christlike, no matter who or what comes against us.
Ephesians 6:10-12 "10 Finally, be strong in the Lord and in His mighty power. 11 Put on the full armor of God, so that you can make your stand against the devil’s schemes. 12 For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of this world’s darkness, and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms."
Remember that we are living in the last days, the days of increasing evil, we must recognize it for what it is, call it out and then run from those who enjoy and defend their sinfulness.
Self Esteem will Destroy You and Others
Thinking highly of oneself is the foundation for a downfall.
Ecclesiastes 7:16
"Do not be excessively righteous and do not be overly wise. Why should you ruin yourself?"
Ecclesiastes 7:16
"Do not be excessively righteous and do not be overly wise. Why should you ruin yourself?"
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