Doctrine on Healing

One thing I noticed is that those who are into "Healing Ministry" are not being objective to their spiritual gift. According to 1 Corinthians 12:4-11 says that there are "diversities of gifts" which means healing is NOT the only source that God will provide. I find it very interesting that there is a doctrine that teaches that Christ's Atonement heals people..... then why do Paul list "healing" as part of spiritual gifts. If Christ's Atonement is sufficient, then those with "gift of healing" are not needed. Talk about contradictions. The reason I and other who are faithfully endure regardless of what circumstances (i.e. persecution, physical sufferings and etc), God is with us. 2 Corinthians 3:4-6 "Such confidence as this is ours through Christ before God. Not that we are competent in ourselves to claim anything for ourselves, but our competence comes from God. He has made us competent as ministers of a new covenant—not of the letter but of the Spirit; for the letter kills, but the Spirit gives life." As Jesus said in John 15:5 "I am the vine; you are the branches. If a man remains in me and I in him, he will bear much fruit; apart from me you can do nothing." Because, we have to keep in mind that "The Spirit gives life; the flesh counts for nothing. The words I have spoken to you are spirit and they are life." (John 6:63) 1 Corinthians 13 (NIV) If I speak in the tongues of men and of angels, but have not love, I am only a resounding gong or a clanging cymbal. If I have the gift of prophecy and can fathom all mysteries and all knowledge, and if I have a faith that can move mountains, but have not love, I am nothing. If I give all I possess to the poor and surrender my body to the flames, but have not love, I gain nothing. Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud. It is not rude, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs. Love does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth. It always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres. Love never fails. But where there are prophecies, they will cease; where there are tongues, they will be stilled; where there is knowledge, it will pass away. For we know in part and we prophesy in part, but when perfection comes, the imperfect disappears. When I was a child, I talked like a child, I thought like a child, I reasoned like a child. When I became a man, I put childish ways behind me. Now we see but a poor reflection as in a mirror; then we shall see face to face. Now I know in part; then I shall know fully, even as I am fully known. And now these three remain: faith, hope and love. But the greatest of these is love. Regarding false teachings, those who follow the WORD should know what the WORD says about false teachings. One Example is: 2 Peter 2:1 But there were also false prophets among the people, just as there will be false teachers among you. They will secretly introduce destructive heresies, even denying the sovereign Lord who bought them—bringing swift destruction on themselves. Salvation is always superior than healing therefore healing will NOT always happen in someone's lifetime on this earth but will eternally as Hebrews 11 gave example. Not EVERYONE will be healed regardless how much "faith" they have. Its up to GOD who will He heal. There are those who believes in that all will be healed as part of atonement during their lifetime. There are others who believes in that all will be healed in GOD's time, not ours. God's time is eternal, not temporal. I remember the teachings of Jesus... He healed to show that He is the Messiah. He TAUGHT from spiritual and eternal point of view. He didn't teach very much relating to "temporal" things. The very last 2 verses of Hebrews 11 is a prime example of eternal blessings: 39These were all commended for their faith, yet none of them received what had been promised. 40God had planned something better for us so that only together with us would they be made perfect.Romans 6:23 For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord. Titus 3:7 so that, having been justified by his grace, we might become heirs having the hope of eternal life. 1 John 5:11 And this is the testimony: God has given us eternal life, and this life is in his Son. Jude 1:21 Keep yourselves in God's love as you wait for the mercy of our Lord Jesus Christ to bring you to eternal life. Titus 1:2 a faith and knowledge resting on the hope of eternal life, which God, who does not lie, promised before the beginning of time 1 John 2:25 And this is what he promised us There were number of Christians in the Bible who were not physically healed (i.e. 2 Timothy 4:20 Erastus stayed in Corinth, and I left Trophimus sick in Miletus.) and many Christians today are failing health (i.e. Billy Graham). 2 Corinthians 4:18 So we fix our eyes not on what is seen, but on what is unseen. For what is seen is temporary, but what is unseen is eternal. 1 Corinthians 15:44 "If there is a natural body, there is also a spiritual body."2 Corinthians 4:11 For we who are alive are always being given over to death for Jesus' sake, so that his life may be revealed in our mortal body. Peter said in 2 Peter 1:12-14 So I will always remind you of these things, even though you know them and are firmly established in the truth you now have. I think it is right to refresh your memory as long as I live in the tent of this body, because I know that I will soon put it aside, as our Lord Jesus Christ has made clear to me. Paul said in 2 Corinthians 5:1-10 Now we know that if the earthly tent we live in is destroyed, we have a building from God, an eternal house in heaven, not built by human hands. Meanwhile we groan, longing to be clothed with our heavenly dwelling, because when we are clothed, we will not be found naked. For while we are in this tent, we groan and are burdened, because we do not wish to be unclothed but to be clothed with our heavenly dwelling, so that what is mortal may be swallowed up by life. Now it is God who has made us for this very purpose and has given us the Spirit as a deposit, guaranteeing what is to come. Therefore we are always confident and know that as long as we are at home in the body we are away from the Lord. We live by faith, not by sight. We are confident, I say, and would prefer to be away from the body and at home with the Lord. So we make it our goal to please him, whether we are at home in the body or away from it. For we must all appear before the judgment seat of Christ, that each one may receive what is due him for the things done while in the body, whether good or bad. God never change: Ecclesiastes 3:2-3 a time to be born and a time to die; a time to kill and a time to heal. Ecclesiastes 3:11 He has made everything beautiful in its time. He has also set eternity in the hearts of men; yet they cannot fathom what God has done from beginning to end. Ecclesiastes 7:14 When times are good, be happy; but when times are bad, consider: God has made the one as well as the other. Therefore, a man cannot discover anything about his future. 1 Peter 5:6 Humble yourselves, therefore, under God's mighty hand, that he may lift you up in due time. Hebrews 2:17 For this reason he had to be made like his brothers in every way, in order that he might become a merciful and faithful high priest in service to God, and that he might make atonement for the sins of the people. 1 Corinthians 15:3 For what I received I passed on to you as of first importance : that Christ died for our sins according to the Scriptures, Hebrews 9:15 For this reason Christ is the mediator of a new covenant, that those who are called may receive the promised eternal inheritance—now that he has died as a ransom to set them free from the sins committed under the first covenant. 1 Peter 3:18 For Christ died for sins once for all, the righteous for the unrighteous, to bring you to God. He was put to death in the body but made alive by the Spirit. John 3:16 "For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life." We need to focus in Spiritual life more than temporal life. 2 Corinthians 4:18 So we fix our eyes not on what is seen, but on what is unseen. For what is seen is temporary, but what is unseen is eternal.

Cope Endure

We are to spend more time remembering the eternal blessings God is continually giving us. He gives us forgivenes. He gives us eternal life. My spiritual salvation. Now, that's a great blessing and special gift. I may not be feeling well physically today but I have learned to be thankful anyhow and to rejoice in the promises of God. God's eternal blessings do not depend on how I feel today. If my eternal hope rested on how I felt physically, which is temporal, I might as well forget eternal blessings. The point is this: my feelings (i.e. cope) in no way change my eternal blessings because of great examples in Hebrews 11. I will NOT dare not relate my faith and hope to my emotions of the moment and to how I feel today. My eternal hope depends on God's Word and His decisions because He will make good on His promises at HIS time, not mine. The subject of my human emotions, God does not play on our emotions to bring us to the point of His spiritual decisions. Cope is another word for "persevere". 1 Corinthians 13:7 "It always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres." Hebrews 10:36 "You need to persevere so that when you have done the will of God, you will receive what he has promised." James 1:12 "Blessed is the man who perseveres under trial, because when he has stood the test, he will receive the crown of life that God has promised to those who love him." James 5:11 "As you know, we consider blessed those who have persevered. You have heard of Job's perseverance and have seen what the Lord finally brought about. The Lord is full of compassion and mercy." Persevered is to overcome as you said conqueoror. 1 John 5:4 for everyone born of God overcomes the world. This is the victory that has overcome the world, even our faith. Those who are able to endure with strong FAITH shall overcome. 2 Timothy 2:12 "if we endure, we will also reign with him." Words such as persevere or endure (as well as cope) are VERY important in a Christian's life. In James 1:3 says "because you know that the testing of your faith develops perseverance." Luke 8:15 But the seed on good soil stands for those with a noble and good heart, who hear the word, retain it, and by persevering produce a crop. Job 14:2 He springs up like a flower and withers away; like a fleeting shadow, he does not endure. John 6:27 Do not work for food that spoils, but for food that endures to eternal life, which the Son of Man will give you. On him God the Father has placed his seal of approval." Psalm 86:12 I will praise you, O Lord my God, with all my heart; I will glorify your name forever. For those who say that we do NOT know how to pray or ask for.... is not understanding how God response to our request because one of the greatest example is from Paul: 2 Corinthians 12:8-10 Three times I pleaded with the Lord to take it away from me. But he said to me, "My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness." Therefore I will boast all the more gladly about my weaknesses, so that Christ's power may rest on me. That is why, for Christ's sake, I delight in weaknesses, in insults, in hardships, in persecutions, in difficulties. For when I am weak, then I am strong. Philippians 4:11 I am not saying this because I am in need, for I have learned to be content whatever the circumstances.

Spiritual Knowledge

You can have GREAT knowledge but if you don't have spiritual wisdom, your knowledge is worthless. The heart is the source of our thoughts and motives. The heart is the part of our being where we desire, deliberate, and decide. 1 Peter 1: 13 - 16 Therefore, prepare your minds for action; be self-controlled; set your hope fully on the grace to be given you when Jesus Christ is revealed. As obedient children, do not conform to the evil desires you had when you lived in ignorance. But just as he who called you is holy, so be holy in all you do; for it is written: "Be holy, because I am holy." Spiritual growth requires us to understand the Scriptures and get to know our God the Father, our Savior the Son, and our comforter the Holy Spirit. “Put on salvation as your helmet, and take the sword of the Spirit, which is the Word of God.” Ephesians 6:17 (NLT) (READ your BIBLE and KNOW the Word of God). A teacher who studies the bible to teach does not rely human mind to learn the scripture. Studying the scriptures requires the Holy Spirit which is inward, not outward. It is not good to have zeal without knowledge, nor to be hasty and miss the way. Proverbs 1:7 The fear of the LORD is the beginning of knowledge. Proverbs 19:2 Titus 1:1-2 The knowledge of the truth that leads to godliness— a faith and knowledge resting on the hope of eternal life, which God. Proverbs 2:10 For wisdom will enter your heart, and knowledge will be pleasant to your soul. Proverbs 18:15 The heart of the discerning acquires knowledge; the ears of the wise seek it out. Proverbs 23:12 Apply your heart to instruction and your ears to words of knowledge.

Picking a local church

I have chosen a local church for ONE reason, and that is a church is able to keep out false teachings. I have been in many local churches and I have seen false teachings creep into them. We should all take a long hard look at what things we consider to be important. Christians' conclusions are either ignorance or loyalty to a specific denomination, cause or person. Church divisions have been going on since the New Testament days As Paul wrote in1 Corinthians 12-13 "One of you says, 'I follow Paul'; another, 'I follow Apollos'; another, 'I follow Cephas'; still another, 'I follow Christ.' Is Christ divided?" There are false teachers who are within our faith and using Christianity to lead us from the truth. That is where the most dangerous teachings come from. False teachers can work their way into any denominations and Christ have warned us of those wolves who come into our "Spiritual Church" pretending to be one of us. 1 John 4:1 (NIV) Dear friends, do not believe every spirit, but test the spirits to see whether they are from God, because many false prophets have gone out into the world. Over the years, I decided to choose local churches that have strong "internal spiritual control" regardless of what denominations. I have a list of major spiritual criteria that I follow from the Word of God and if a local church meets all of my "major criterias",then she is a good local church. It is ALL of our responsibilities as Christians to discern and we don't want to be gullible. We either be gullible or discerner. We are to be watching for RED FLAGS. Even the disciples failed to spot the traitor among them (of course Jesus knew); the traitor was Judas himself. Clearly there are deadly deceitful practices exist within the very Christian circles that make pretense of the most advanced type of Christianity. I have been reading and studying denominations over the years including P/C denominations. Its very interesting how quickly denominations have changed in the last 40 years. There are growing number of non-denominational churches which are hard to discern from where I am sitting because we have to know each non-denominational churches from within rather than from outer.

Pastor Requirements

A. W. Tozer's conversion to Christ at seventeen. As a result he gained an insatiable hunger and thirst for the things of God and became a great pastor of his time. Tozer had not attended Bible college or seminary, Tozer received two honorary doctorates. Another person, my mentor, my good friend, my pastor who died of cancer September 10, 1999 at very young age didn't have college education. He was remembered by many that he loved his God, loved his family, and loved his people (Deaf people). His life verse was Jude 1:22, "And of some, having compassion, making a difference." Only eternity will tell how God has used his life and death to influence many Deaf and hearing people here and around the world. For 3 years, Jesus taught His Disciples who became Apostles after His death. What kind of education did Jesus gave them? Reading all of the New Testament, I have come to conclusion that Jesus taught them Spiritual matters. The only Apostle that didn't follow Jesus was Paul however, Paul did have extensive education background regarding Jewish Laws that were very useful for God to use Paul when He wrote the letters of the New Testament. Teachers are to have good reputation. In the book of Titus, the requirements are: Show integrity, seriousness and soundness of speech that cannot be condemned, so that those who oppose they may be ashamed because those have nothing bad to say about them. That teachers are to say "No" to ungodliness and worldly passions, and to live self-controlled, upright and godly lives in this present age. In 2 Corinthians 7:2 says that we "make room for others in our hearts. We have wronged no one, we have corrupted no one, we have exploited no one." This is where "accountability" comes in. In 1 Timothy 3:1-3: If anyone sets his heart on being an overseer, he desires a noble task. Now the overseer must be above reproach, the husband of but one wife, temperate, self-controlled, respectable, hospitable, able to teach, not given to drunkenness, not violent but gentle, not quarrelsome, not a lover of money. Reproach: an expression of rebuke or disapproval; the act or action of reproaching or disapproving ; a cause or occasion of blame, discredit, or disgrace; to express disappointment in or displeasure with (a person) for conduct that is blameworthy 1 Timothy 3:7 He must also have a good reputation with outsiders, so that he will not fall into disgrace and into the devil's trap. God's standards for a teacher is a HIGH spiritual standard and the two men I mentioned have met those requirements. I have a list of many others as well.