Prosperity Gospel and other false teachings

Prosperity gospel has  been around for a long while, but lately it seems to be more common among the Evangelists. 

I will not name anyone in particular, but as the old saying goes if the shoe fits...

Here are a few of the topics I have seen and heard about being preached to the world.

God wants you to be rich.

Let's first look at what the Bible says about it, shall we?

 Mathew 19:24 : "And again I say unto you, It is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle, than for a rich man to enter into the kingdom of God."

Proverbs 23-24 Do not toil to acquire wealth; be discerning enough to desist. When your eyes light on it, it is gone, for suddenly it sprouts wings, flying like an eagle toward heaven.

Why is that? 

Mathew  6:19  Lay not up for yourselves treasures upon earth, where moth and rust doth corrupt, and where thieves break through and steal:

I think what the Bible is saying here is that the pathway to heaven is narrow and long. A person of wealth has aspired to do great here on Earth, but hasn't necessarily done the work of the Lord.  I am not saying money is evil as we need it in our society to live, but the love of money is evil. With money there come earthly power and less reliance on God, 

So does God want you to be rich? According to the Bible no. So that is a false teaching.

God is going to deliver you out of your financial  situation,

Not always, and I am going to tell you why. God doesn't always take away your burden, because he may have sent you a test. I love the saying " You can't have a testimony, without a test." He may be growing you for the future. So things don't always change when WE want them to. They change when HE wants them to. 

So what should you do? Pray, read your Bible and have faith. 

God will provide for you if you are faithful. However, God doesn't want you to sit around and wait for that check to fall from the sky either. 

Proclaiming Rapture dates and times

This seems to be a very common one nowadays since the world seems to be more uncertain than ever, more violent than ever and things really seem to be falling apart. Everyone on Youtube seems to have this special information. The inside scoop if you will. Let me a sure you as you are reading this that no one knows the time or date that the Lord will return. The Bible gives us signs to look for, and tells us what will happen, but there is no date given in fact this is exactly what the Bible says about knowing the time of the Rapture. 

Matthew 24:36 But of that day and hour knoweth no man, no, not the angels of heaven, but my Father only.

Do you know who said that? Not an apostle of Jesus, but Jesus himself said that. So why would a human know? Is he higher  than God in the flesh?

Jesus never claimed to be the Messiah

I think my head is going to  fall off.. lol Seriously? How could this be even taught? Ok so lets look at the Bible, because it is the source of truth. 

 John 4:25-26 The woman saith unto him, I know that Messiah cometh, which is called Christ: when he is come, he will tell us all things. 26Jesus saith unto her, I that speak unto thee am he.

 Mathew 16:16-18
And Simon Peter answered and said, Thou art the Christ, the Son ofthe living God. 17 And Jesus answered and said unto him, Blessed art thou, Simon Bar-jona: for flesh and blood hath not revealed it unto thee, but my Father which is in heaven. 18 And I say also unto thee, That thou art Peter, and upon this rock I will build my church; andthe gates of hell shall not prevail against it.

So I think that is plain enough right?

I hope you found this enlightening and helpful.

The Gifts of the Holy Spirit

Today I wanted to talk a little about the gifts of the Holy Spirit, what they are and what they are not. 

In  I Corinthians 12:7–11 it give the list of the nine gifts of the Holy Spirit. Which are as follows:

• Word of wisdom

• Word of knowledge

• Faith

• Gifts of healing

• Working of miracles

• Prophecy

• Discerning of spirits

• Divers kinds of tongues

• Interpretation of tongues

It also says in Verse 7 that these gifts are given for the profit of all. 
These gifts are not earned, they are gifts from the Holy Spirit. These gifts are also not eternal, as some only last a season. Sometimes the Holy Spirit will give you a gift for one time only. They display the love of God for his Children, God gives these gifts for the edification* of the church and to unify the body Christ. The gift are to show God's Power and to glorify him. I Corinthians 14:12, I Peter 4:11

The gifts are not for the glorification of oneself they are for what the Bible said they are for. One gift isn't more important than another gift, as they all serve the same purpose. 

The word of wisdom – The fact that this gift is described as the “word” of wisdom indicates that it is one of the speaking gifts. This gift describes someone who can understand and speak forth biblical truth in such a way as to skillfully apply it to life situations with all discernment.**

The word of knowledge – Also a speaking gift that involves understanding truth with an insight that only comes by revelation from God. Those with the gift of knowledge understand the deep things of God and the mysteries of His Word.**


The Gifts of Faith- The gift of faith allows the person to live in full , unshakable faith, that builds the church. 
 The Gifts of healing-  The manifestation of God that delivers one from disease and or infirmity. 

The Gifts of Working of miracles - The manifestation of God implementing supernatural events or occurrences to demonstrate his power and glory, to build the church and strengthen faith.

The Gifts of Prophecy - “speak forth” or declare the divine will, to interpret the purposes of God, or to make known in any way the truth of God which is designed to influence people.**

The Gifts of Discerning of spirits - It is the Holy Spirit given ability to distinguish whether divine, demonic or humans are the source of the situation, being spoken or occurrence. 

The gift of Divers kinds of tongues- Speaking in an unknown language through the Holy Spirit. ( this is one of the most debated of all the gifts. nowhere in the Bible does it mention that the Holy Spirit ever talked with tongues.) 

The gift of Interpretation of tongues- This gift goes right along with Speaking in tongues as the Holy spirit Provides someone that can interpret what is being spoken. 

I hope you for found this helpful. Please check out my resources for quotes and definitions of the gifts.  I found the " institute of basic life principles" and " gotquestions.org" to be very helpful in providing some of the definitions I used, which are marked as **.


*Edification- the instruction or improvement of a person morally or intellectually.

Leaning on the everlasting arms

What a fellowship, what a joy divine,
Leaning on the everlasting arms;
What a blessedness, what a peace is mine,
Leaning on the everlasting arms.

Refrain

Leaning, leaning, safe and secure from all alarms;
Leaning, leaning, leaning on the everlasting arms.

O how sweet to walk in this pilgrim way,
Leaning on the everlasting arms;
O how bright the path grows from day to day,
Leaning on the everlasting arms.

Refrain

What have I to dread, what have I to fear,
Leaning on the everlasting arms;
I have blessed peace with my Lord so near,
Leaning on the everlasting arms.

Refrain

John 4:1-42 The Samaritan Woman

So in the beginning of John chapter 4,  The Pharisees, had heard rumors that Jesus's had been baptizing people, more people than John the Baptist . However, Jesus had not been baptizing , his disciples had actually been the ones baptizing the people.

So Jesus decided to leave Judea and head toward Galilee, but had to travel through Samaria on the way.

When he reached  Sychar, which is the city of Samaria Jesus rested from his journey by the well of Jacob. Where he met a Samaritan woman who was drawing water from the well. He asked for a drink , and she was shocked by his request. As back in those times Jews had no dealings with Samaritans. 

Jesus then replied to the woman, “If you knew the gift of God, and who it is who says to you, ‘Give Me a drink,’ you would have asked Him, and He would have given you living water.”

The woman replied, " you have nothing to draw with, and the well is deep." Then she asked, Are you greater than our Father Jacob who gave us the well, and drank from it himself, as well as his sons and his livestock?”

Jesus said to her, “Woman, believe Me, the hour is coming when you will neither on this mountain, nor in Jerusalem, worship the Father. 22 You worship what you do not know; we know what we worship, for salvation is of the Jews.23 But the hour is coming, and now is, when the true worshipers will worship the Father in spirit and truth; for the Father is seeking such to worship Him.24 God is Spirit, and those who worship Him must worship in spirit and truth.”

The woman then replied,  “I know that Messiah is coming” (who is called Christ). “When He comes, He will tell us all things.”


Then Jesus told her, “I who speak to you am He.”

At this point his disciples had returned to him with food. They saw the woman in which Jesus had been speaking to, but never asked what they had talked about. Instead his disciples urged him to eat, and Jesus spoke to them saying, "My food is to do the will of Him who sent Me, and to finish His work. 35 Do you not say, ‘There are still four months and then comes the harvest’? Behold, I say to you, lift up your eyes and look at the fields, for they are already white for harvest! 36 And he who reaps receives wages, and gathers fruit for eternal life, that both he who sows and he who reaps may rejoice together. 37 For in this the saying is true: ‘One sows and another reaps.’38 I sent you to reap that for which you have not labored; others have labored, and you have entered into their labors.”

The woman ran back to the city in which she had came, and spoke to the people there of Jesus, and how he knew her and the things she had done. So the people came because of what the woman had told them.

When they had come to him, they had asked him to stay with them. So Jesus stayed with them for two days. Many more believed in him because of His own word.

 Then they said to the woman, “Now we believe, not because of what you said, for we ourselves have heard Him and we know that this is indeed the Christ, the Savior of the world.”