Word of Faith teachings concerns Part 2

"I keep asking that the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the glorious Father, may give you the Spirit of wisdom and revelation, so that you may know Him better." (Ephesians 1:17) If there is no sympathy within Christianity, then, there is no understanding when since Word of Faith's effort to popularize the Christian faith has been extremely damaging to Christian faith. Certain biblical words along with certain theological terms what God has given to be intellectually grasped by Christians. It is critically important that the words "prosperity" and "healing" should mean from spiritual point of view because to change the biblical meaning is to invite spiritual disaster. How much more should an average Christian have a clear understanding about the words of prosperity and healing? "Have nothing to do with godless myths and old wives' tales; rather, train yourself to be godly." (First Timothy 4:7). True faith honors God by accepting the biblical revelation of the divine character of God. True faith lets God be who and what He says He is. God, being who He is, cannot cease to be what He is, and being what He is, He cannot act out of character with Himself. He is at once faithful and immutable, so all His words and acts must be and must remain faithful. There are so-called Christians who have become unfaithful out of desire, fear, weakness due to trials, loss of interest due to tribulations, or because of some strong spiritual warfare. Obviously, every Christians should know that none of these forces can affect God in any way. He is His own reason for all He is and does. God cannot be forced, but He will act from within Himself by His own sovereign will as it pleases Him. We are to stand firm with the help from the Holy Spirit. History have demonstrated that almost every heresy that has afflicted Christianity through the years has arisen from believing about God things that are not true, or from over emphasizing certain true things so as to obscure other things equally true. Examples: 1. The Bible teaches that God is love; some have interpreted this in such a way as virtually to deny that He is just, which the Bible also teaches. 2. The biblical doctrine of God's goodness so far that it is made to contradict His holiness. 3. The biblical doctrine of God's compassion cancel out His truth. One of the examples is Faith Healing. Faith healing degrades the reputation of God. True faith means be free from selfishness that a prayer must be within according to the will of God; for the honor of God rather than for the mere fulfillment of carnal ambition. Of course this rules out covetousness, competition and twisting words for ungodly desire. Before asking God to give us the desire of our heart, it is wise to ask Him to form the desire heart according to His will. That will mean heart desires that glorify Him not us and that is to our best interest. We can hold a correct view of truth only by daring to believe everything God has said about Himself. It is a grave responsibility when Christians takes upon themselves when they seeks to edit out of God's self-revelation. This is because they know God is asking them to surrender their own selfish little kingdom and interests. People are so used to seeing everyone serving their own interests that no other kind of spiritual conduct is expected. Sinners are looking for two primary things from God today and they are: Prosperity and Healing. "And anyone who does not take his cross and follow me is not worthy of me. Whosoever finds his life will lose it, and whoever loses his life for my sake will find it." (Matthew 10:38-39). By His words, Christ exposed the evil of self-interest and by His cross He demonstrated pure selfless love. The heart is deceitful above all things and beyond cure. Who can understand it? (Jeremiah 17:9).

Word of Faith teachings concerns

Isaiah 53 is a chapter that has been talked about, debated, and argued over for years, and perhaps will continue to be for years to come. According to most theologists, that there is a sense in which physical healing took place in the atoning work of Christ. But that healing waits to be realized in the future. The healing of the atonement will bring about our resurrection in glory, where there will be no pain or suffering (Rev. 21:1-4; 22:1-3). Jesus died to save us from our sins is clear both in Isaiah 53 and many other portions of Scripture. But there are some teachers often state that Jesus also died to deliver us from our diseases. Most of us do not believe that concept. We may say that God might very well promise healing. Any conclusion that physical healing is secured through Christ's death must be derived from other passages. But all other passages regarding Christ's death have to do with deliverance from sin and reconciliation with God. Isaiah 53:4-6 and Matthew 8:17. It is interesting that in the book of Matthew, there is a passage about "physical healing" (Matt. 8:17) that it has been conjectured by some that disease as well as sin was included in the atoning death of Christ that goes with Isaiah 53:4-6. Researched and found out how the "healing" is being used as part one of a major doctrine by some. Scriptures have stated that the Lord took away the diseases (sin) of sinners by healing them. In other words, Jesus died for our spiritual death (sins), not our physical diseases. The physical diseases in themselves are not "sin" but merely one of the results of our sins. Interesting that Isaiah 53:5-6 prophesies that Christ bear our sins on the Cross as mentioned in 1 Peter 2:24-25 (NIV) "He himself bore our sins in his body on the tree, so that we might die to sins and live for righteousness; by his wounds you have been healed. For you were like sheep going astray, but now you have returned to the Shepherd and Overseer of your souls." Ezekiel 34:11-12 (NIV) 'For this is what the Sovereign LORD says: I myself will search for my sheep and look after them. As a shepherd looks after his scattered flock when he is with them, so will I look after my sheep. Hebrew 13:20-21 (NIV) May the God of peace, who through the blood of the eternal covenant brought back from the dead our Lord Jesus, that great Shepherd of the sheep, equip you with everything good for doing his will, and may he work in us what is pleasing to him, through Jesus Christ, to whom be glory for ever and ever. Amen. He is ABLE to heal, that He does on occasion heal. We have a clear understanding that it MAY not God’s will to heal ALL today as He did in Jesus’ time or in the time of the early N.T. church. It is unquestionable that we see healing as part of God’s wonderful grace in the Scriptures. God's Will Knowing God's Will and Accepting God's Will. There is confusion between the determined Will of God and my responsibility as a Christian. As a human being, I love the familiar of my life, the comfortable of my life and something that I can control my life. Also, as a Christian, I love to receive the promises of God. I need to know and understand the Will of God. It is God's Will to have all of us healed at His appointed time. At the same time, God will decide who will be healed according to the glorification of God's plan. Proverbs 20:24 How can we understand the road we travel? It is the LORD who directs our steps. Romans 8:28 And we know that God causes everything to work together for the good of those who love God and are called according to his purpose for them. Defining the word “will.” The word “will” is from the Greek word thelema, #2307 in Strong’s. It is translated “will” 62 times, “desire” once and “pleasure” once. God's Will is probably the most misuse to fortify an erroneous position. It is very clear, beyond any doubt or question, that you CANNOT always know in advance that it is God's will to heal a particular person, or illness. Especially those who do NOT have a finger, a leg, or a toe. If there was a reliable documented evidence that someone's missing finger have healed by God, we would have know the truth today. "Thousands of babies entered the world with no arms or legs, or with only stumps." (Unknown) "George Bernard Shaw caustically commented that he found the healing shrine at Lourdes unconvincing because it had many crutches and wheelchairs on display, but not one wooden leg, glass eye or toupee." (Unknown) "I have never yet heard an account of miraculous healing of pancreatic cancer (which has a 100 percent mortality rate) or of cystic fibrosis, or a major birth defect, or amputation." (Unknown) "Faith, for instance, is not positive thinking; that is something quite different. Faith is not a hunch that is followed. Faith is not hoping for the best, hoping that everything will turn out all right. Faith is not a feeling of optimism. Faith is none of these things, though all of them have been identified as faith." (Ray C. Stedman, "What Faith Is") Faith believes them and adjusts its life to those facts and walks on that basis. (Ray C. Stedman, "What Faith Is") The Christian walk is a fight of Faith, we have to understand that living (walking) by faith, we accept purpose and plans of God however He sees fit. How does our Christian grow in Faith? We grow through circumstances. Look at it this way, we would not have grown spiritually in the acceptance and understanding of God's grace and ways if God had removed the trial. It takes a great faith for someone to endure the pain, hardship, illness, or whatever is happening in someone's life. It takes more faith to give glory to God while remaining in a wheelchair for the majority of one's life than to be healed. One of my Hall of Faith person is Joni Erickson (who is in a wheelchair). Hebrews 11:39-40 (NLT) All of these people we have mentioned received God's approval because of their faith, yet none of them received all that God had promised. For God had far better things in mind for us that would also benefit them, for they can't receive the prize at the end of the race until we finish the race. There have been many GREAT Christians who are not healed and died without being healed. The key word, "all" will be healed is correct... the only difference is that ALL will be healed after resurrection (or after we die). The Bible is clear on that. The Bible is not clear or even stated that ALL will be healed before we die. There is a huge differences in this healing faith. Consider Christians of the past and today who were or are sick or who suffered or are suffering with seriously ailments. Read almost any biography of wonderful Christians and you will in most cases read of certain physical afflictions which God allowed them to endure. If some think those godly saints did not glorify God or their actions were not biblical, then I do not know how some people come up with the definition of God's Glory. In the scriptures, God said He will use all resources to glorify HIM and He not use healing alone. Do not forget to do good (Hebrews 13:16) to help the poor, the crippled, the lame, the blind, and you will be blessed (Luke 14:13-14). God will be glorified who use their spiritual gift for "help others" and "works of service"(1Corinth. 12:28, Eph. 4:12). So, what is the most balanced biblical statement regarding healing? Healing does happen and at the same time, God will commend you for your faith, if you have not received what has been promised (i.e. healing) before you die. God has planned something BETTER for us so that only together with us would they be made perfect (Heb 11:39-40).

Healing Discernment

Christians need to cultivate a healthy skepticism toward everything that cannot be supported by the plain teaching of the Bible. Belief is faith only when it has God's revealed truth for miracles; beyond that it may be fully as injurious as unbelief itself. "Test everything. Hold on to the good." (First Thessalonians 5:21). When so-called preachers call in the aid of childish stories and shaky illustrations to prove its truth, they do no more than to reveal their hidden unbelief and air their weak credulity. I am praying that God deliver us from those who are masking as God's servants while they resorting to untruthful practices. Christians cannot do the work of the Lord using Satan's tactics and we Christians should be aware of such tactics. Investigations of the past have revealed that so-called servants had been hiring healthy persons to come up on stage and pretend to be healed. This was done, they explained when faced with the deed, to "encourage weak faith." Thus lying and deception were deliberately made a part of the appearance methods of the Holy Spirit. There are others who uses "ministries" on the power of money and personality, yet testify that they are trusting in the power of the Spirit. This is one of Satan's greatest tricks and many introduce into their so called "Christian" work every gimmick known to the world, and so destroy the very thing we Christians cherishes. written in Scripture, an apostle’s own words, is a warning about Christians who used to call themselves Paul’s equals: "For such men are false apostles, deceitful workers, disguising themselves as apostles of Christ. And no wonder, for even Satan disguises himself as an angel of light. Therefore it is not surprising if his servants also disguise themselves as servants of righteousness; whose end shall be according to their deeds." (2 Corinthians 11:13-15). Satan needed to counteract the truth. So he developed lies about God, eternal destiny, and other spiritual truths. The best way to interpret the concept of healing is to let Scripture interpret itself. Peter did just that when he wrote "He himself bore our sins in his body on the tree, so that we might die to sins and live for righteousness; by his wounds you have been healed" (1 Peter 2:24). Peter makes it obvious that the wounds that are healed are spiritual not physical. The Bible contains a number of examples of righteous people who were not healed. Paul admits that "Trophimus I left sick at Miletus" (2 Tim. 4:20). Paul had to rely on God's mercy that his friend Epaphroditus' deathly illness had run its course sparing his life (Phil. 3:25-26). It appears that Paul was unable to help Epaproditus himself. Moreover, Paul was unable to heal himself. In Gal. 4:13-14, he writes "As you know, it was because of an illness that I first preached the gospel to you. Even though my illness was a trial to you, you did not treat me with contempt or scorn. Instead, you welcomed me as if I were an angel of God, as if I were Christ Jesus himself." Paul also suffered from a "thorn in the flesh" which he unsuccessfully petitioned to have the Lord remove (2 Cor. 12:7-9). Neither the example of Paul nor anyone else indicated that they were under the impression that healing here now was guaranteed to all or that it was in any way associated with Christ's work on the cross. They simply accepted their situations and trusted in God's grace for sustenance. The basic theology is that God does not guarantee healing for all believers, at least not in this life, all believers will eventually be healed of all physical aliments as well as spiritual aliments. But just as we still possess a sinful nature, we also possess a body still in bondage to decay. The perfection of all things was brought about the work on the cross; it just has not yet manifested itself and will not until the return of our Lord. Christ did not guarantee physical healing for all. We are still living inside our sinful body with our sinful natures and are still subject to the laws of decay. With many people around the world are SAVED.... it should be noted that there are still many people are not physically healed. It’s a wonder if Faith actually guaranteed, there will be more people physically healed. God does heal but only according to His will, not ours. Those who are not healed are not at fault. Its not about lack of faith or our sins or anything like that. The bible explains that each of our faith always pleases God, because it comes to grips with our own reality. Please be careful how you use the word "faith". Faith is not supposed to be competitive. Faith is not supposed to be 'works'. Faith is supposed to be having a personal relationship with our Savior, God, Holy Spirit... trusting our God that He will provide whatever we need. Don't let anyone discourage you from your joyful relationship with God. Determining a reason why a person is not healed or is struggling If you know someone who is suffering, be careful what you say and keep in mind that your best guess as to the reason for someone's suffering is likely to be way off. Ever heard? "If you are not healed, then your faith in God is not strong enough." "If you are sick, then you must have sinned." There is one person in the Bible that told one person that he believed that if someone's life is messed up, then there is obviously a cause. Later God rebuked this man saying, "I am angry with you and your friends, for you have not been right in what you said about me, as my servant Job was". (Job 42:7) __________________ Sometimes the struggle is exactly what we need to become what God intends us to be (Joanie Yoder, Our Daily Bread) "I have relinquished my destiny to God's will. Nothing, praise God, not even cancer, can thwart His will. I may have cancer, but cancer doesn't have me-God alone has me. So in this light, I would value your prayers that Christ may be magnified in my body, whether by life or by death." Joanie Yoder (Died of Cancer 10/15/2004).

Opportunities

For however severe may be a Christian's trials, keep in mind, they are often do not last very long, and the fruits they bear will last longer over the years. "Blessed are the those who perseveres under trial, because when they have stood the test, they will receive the crown of life that God has promised to those who love Him." (James 1:12). We can rejoice in our sufferings because of what God produces in us through those sufferings. Certain qualities of life are only produced through suffering. There is no other way to experience them. Therefore, the best thing for us is to accept problems as opportunities and to follow Christ.

Denomination Conflicts

Reading many threads regarding denomination issues. In my view, Doctrine of Church is often interpreted as bigotry by the fear-ridden statements and this misunderstanding will get Christians into trouble. The Gospel of Jesus Christ is for all who wants to know and find the truth through Him. As long as we remain in this twisted world, the Church will have her own problems and in reality as history shows, we cannot escape them. God would rather see us accept the problems as opportunities to exercise our spiritual virtues. We the Church can turn problems into useful spiritual growth for the purification and rejoice that we are permitted to suffer with our Lord. It is always easier to bear what we know someone has successfully the trials before us that we can learn from them. Have we not learned? Perhaps part of the problem lies in our emphasis on Church traditions rather than in Christlike living as revealed through the Word of God. Does a Church resemble toddler's playpen rather than groups of maturing spiritual leaders who are forgetting what is truth and straining on toward what is ahead? 'My prayer is not for them alone. I pray also for those who will believe in me through their message, that all of them may be one, Father, just as you are in me and I am in you. May they also be in us so that the world may believe that you have sent me.' (John 17:20–21). Jesus prayed for the unity of believers. Church labels may differ; faith expression vary; biblical interpretation be less than harmonious. Allow the Holy Spirit convict our hearts to follow Jesus Christ regardless what denomination we belong to. Marvel not that I said unto thee, Ye must be born again.( John 3:7). The Holy Spirit allows us to convict us and sense spiritual concerns. These are spiritual matters about which we must be legitimately honest and in which we must seek the discernment of the Holy Spirit. These are things about which we cannot afford to be wrong; to be wrong is still to be lost and far from God. Let us never forget that the Word of God stresses the importance of conviction and concern and repentance when it comes to conversion, spiritual regeneration, being born from above by the Spirit of God. Many did say, "What must I do?" but the Pharisees never did. They never got under conviction, and blindly battled with Christ regarding their traditions as truth. They were so self-righteous that they cannot get under conviction simply because they were blindly following their traditions.

Ecclesiastes & Birthdays

Everyone should read Ecclesiastes on their birthday every year simply because Solomon explained to us the reality of life from God's point of view. I arrived naked from the womb of my mother; I will leave in the same condition--with nothing. There's a right time and way for everything. It's true that no one knows what's going to happen, or when. Life leads to death that life, while it lasts, will soon be over. There's an opportune time to do things, a right time for everything on the earth. A right time for birth and another for death. A right time to plant and another to reap. A right time to get sick and another to heal. A right time to cry and another to laugh, A right time to lament and another to cheer. A right time to make love and another to abstain. A right time to embrace and another to part, A right time to search and another to count your losses. A right time to hold on and another to let go. A right time to rip out and another to mend. A right time to shut up and another to speak up. A right time to love and another to hate. Whether healthy and full of energy or weak and stricken with pain, I can greet a new day and welcome it as an opportunity to praise and worship God. He knows my current state and my tomorrows, if I have one. "This is the day the LORD has made; let us rejoice and be glad in it." (Psalm 118:24). I know God is directing my paths and right now at 47 years old, I still don't know what God has plans for me, however, I have learned and know that all things work for good in my life. A Christian should be best prepared for whatever the New Year brings. I have dealt with life experiences that God have allowed me to experienced. Life experiences have taught me character and hope. Without my trials, testing of my faith, working of my patience, and fighting my good fight.....my life could be really boring. I am to cling to the hope I have, not the things I experience in this life. I can face my tomorrow with a cheerful attitude and be unafraid simply because my yesterdays taught me life's reality lessons. I am here to learn all I can, and with what Christ has given to me, I will make the best and most of the situations in which I find myself into. I am aware that I have spiritual warfare between my flesh and spirit. Believing in God in my heart is important to know who I am is enough. More than enough is the key to a more spiritual and balanced life. Revelation 2:10 says, “Do not be afraid of what you are about to suffer.......be faithful even to the point of death”. Remember, Christ is the reason for my true life experiences (Philippians 1:21) that I am to give thanks to all circumstances I face (1 Thess. 5:16-18). God expects me to grow through my trials (James 1:2-4) and trials helped me develop patience and character (Romans 5:1-5). Christians are to bear one another’s burdens (Romans 12:9-16) and remember that God will use my own circumstances to help comfort others who face similar situations.