Wednesday, August 22, 2012

FORMULA versus FAITH

There are no FORMULAS in Scripture by which we can RECEIVE from God…especially in the prayer and giving realm.

A friend I have known for MANY years has been on a Christian network today speaking on some FORMULAS of Scripture. I am sorry…but this is NOT Biblical at all.

God works in ways that we cannot understand. God did not work in only ONE way: God worked, and does work, in a MYRIAD of ways. We cannot establish FORMULAS which will force God to work on our behalf in a certain way! That is false teaching and false doctrine!

To reduce the Word of God to a book of FORMULAS is to distort and misrepresent the truth of God’s Word! If the Bible was written to teach us FORMULAS…then our faith would not be directed to God: our faith would be in the FORMULAS!

Please…take a moment and think soberly…with wisdom: If all we have to do is follow a FORMULA…then we have no need…and then CEASE…to follow JESUS!

We are not called to follow FORMULAS…we are called to follow JESUS! And…we follow Jesus by FAITH! If FORMULAS were truly presented in Scripture…then these FORMULAS would have to work every time. Just as in Chemistry…when you follow a FORMULA you always get a certain and consistent result: when you mix 2 parts Hydrogen with 1 part oxygen, then you will ALWAYS get WATER. That is a FORMULA. When you follow a RECIPE when you cook…you get what the FORMULA creates. I cannot follow a FORMULA/RECIPE for STEW and the resulting dinner turn out to be SPAGHETTI.

Can we pray and give and God actually answer our prayer as we wish? Sure. That can happen. But we can also pray and God can answer in ways that we did not wish.

The point is this: we are not to put our trust and faith in following “spiritual formulas.” If we do…our faith has been transferred to FORMULAS…and our faith is no longer in Jesus! We live by faith…not by formulas. And that faith has to TRUST God whether we understand the way He is working or not!

A FORMULA based spirituality will put its dependence on FOLLOWING SPECIFIC STEPS TO GAIN A DESIRED RESULT. A FAITH based spirituality puts its dependence on the SOVEREIGNTY OF GOD.

Every situation is different. Every person’s experience will not be identical to another person’s experience as they walk with God. Some will experience the loss of a loved one due to cancer…and another may see their love one healed of cancer. From that, it is erroneous to deduce that one followed the proper formula, while the other person failed to follow the correct formula! We are not God. We are not sovereign. We do not know, nor understand, the ways of God in all things. That is why we put our faith in God…not in formulas.

Few realize the dangers of presenting FORMULAS as truth…falsely teaching that Christians can simply follow certain, specific steps to RECEIVE things from God. When this is done, the person falsely presenting these formulas is actually saying that we can BIND GOD by using certain “facts” and “truths”.

Listen to me closely: we CANNOT bind God to any FORMULA! Can we bind the hands of God in our lives? Yes…that is why we have what we call “FREE WILL”. In other words, we can prevent God from working in us the work of SALVATION. But…keep this in mind and I want to make this clear: God can do ANYTHING that He wants to do at ANY TIME He wants to do it! The ONLY place we have control is over our acceptance or rejection of Jesus! Other than that…God can strike us dead at any moment…or He can bring to life someone who has died at any moment!

God…ALONE…is GOD! And to limit Him to FORMULAS is to reduce God to a point where it is actually the FORMULAS that become God! As many are teaching these type things…they are placing FORMULAS on the THRONE OF GOD, as God is simply now the SERVANT of the FORMULAS!

I do not care WHO it is proclaiming FORMULAS…they are NOT of God!

Christians…everyone…ignore and steer clear of ministers who promote FORMULAS TO BLESSINGS…and every other thing which they claim can be gained by following FORMULAS. Sadly, go to a Christian bookstore and see the glut of writings by famous ministers promoting FORMULAS to everything imaginable: success, blessing, favor, riches, etc.

It is time the Church wakes to the TRUTH of Jesus and His precious Word. It is time FABLES and FORMULAS are called out for what they are: false teaching and false doctrine. And, sadly, those who propagate such false theology are called FALSE PROPHETS or FALSE TEACHERS.

It is more important to have the approval of God than the approval of ANY man. Thus…I defend the TRUTH and the FAITH which was “once delivered” by Jesus to the world. And, in so doing, I will ALWAYS defend that faith against false teaching and false doctrine.

I do not know how God will work in your life. But I do know that He WILL work in your life. But He will not do it based on the thought that you followed some FORMULA to get Him to respond in a certain way that meets your desires. God will do WHAT IS BEST for you…and He will do it in a way that requires FAITH.

So…trust the Lord. Do NOT put your faith and trust in a FORMULA. Whatever you face…whatever you need…take it before the Lord in prayer: with no predetermined formula. Just be honest with God. Tell Him your desires….your needs….your concerns. Then…have the FAITH that allows God to work as HE wills to do. In so doing, you will experience the joy of putting your trust and faith in God. Peter, Paul, John, Stephen and the rest of the Disciples and Apostles during Biblical times did just that. And…remember…they ended up having to die for their walk of faith. Did God fail them? NO! NOT AT ALL! God was with them ALL THE WAY. And…their faithfulness won so many people to Christ! And…it won for them the RACE…and the glory that awaited them was FAR GREATER than any results that an earthly formula could ever bring to them.

One day…our FAITH shall become SIGHT! So…do not grow weary in well doing! Trust God and walk with him IN FAITH…not by FORMULA.

In Christ,

Ron

Tuesday, August 14, 2012

Trials: Flying, Sprinting, Enduring

Isaiah 40:31 (NKJV)

"But those who wait on the Lord Shall renew their strength; They shall mount up with wings like eagles, They shall run and not be weary, They shall walk and not faint."

I am reminded today of something about which I have written before. It is in reference to the passage above and the way God may work during trials.

Notice in the passage above that Isaiah did not stop the phrase "with wings as eagles." There is a reason for this...a very important reason.

Many today promote a "gospel" absent of trials and heartache and sickness...and they promote a life full of happiness and wealth and blessings. I do believe that living the Christian life is a blessing, but that blessing is NOT in earthly wealth, etc. Here, Isaiah shows us that God actually has...and will...work IN us as we experience trials...even as He may work WITHOUT us (outside, in the circumstances) in these instances.

First, we see that there are times that we will SOAR ABOVE our trial. In these times, God miraculously works...letting us "rise above" those trials: in these times the trial has almost NO EFFECT on us at all!

Second, we find that there are times that we must go through the trial, yet we VERY QUICKLY "run" through the trial. It is a SPRINT...a quick, fast, speedy advancement through the trial! We might breathe a bit harder, but there is actually a sense of accomplishment...at times...involved in this type of experience.

Third, we discover here what is often the most REWARDING type of trial. We tend to believe that SOARING is the most rewarding...yet, the truth is, we actually increase strength in GREATER PROPORTION when we face STRONGER RESISTANCE! In this trial, we are not able to SOAR: nor are we able to RUN. Here, we find that we can only WALK...with the promise that, in so doing, we will NOT faint! In other words, the Lord says "Walk with me. I promise you that you will indeed make it through. But this slower process allows us more time of intimacy...because you will be relying MORE FULLY on Me! Do not despise this slower process...for it is HERE that you can truly discover the wonderful truth of ENDURANCE and PATIENCE and TRUST in Me."

We must also remember this: there ARE trials that lead us “unto death”. In other words, should the Lord “tarry”, as the term has been used, then there will come the trial of DEATH. And even then, we are to ENDURE to the end. But, as a Christian, that DEATH is but a pathway to ETERNAL LIFE WITH JESUS! So, again, we find that even in the WORST POSSIBLE TRIAL, the believer has that “BLESSED HOPE”!

Regardless of what you are facing, God will bring you through it. If the trial is due to your own failure and sin, then simply REPENT, allowing God the opportunity to show His grace and mercy to you again. Each time we do that…REPENT…we experience ANEW the wonderful love of Jesus! It is often this way: when we did wrong when we were only small children, we received DISCIPLINE. But, after DISCIPLINE came a time of LOVE shown to us by our mom or dad. Jesus is much the same…caring enough to discipline us, but using that time to show His love to us as He once again is able to embrace us as we confess and repent of our wrong…of our sin.

Today…you may SOAR ABOVE the trial. Or…you may only be RUNNING SWIFTLY through the hardship. Or…you may be slowly moving forward (even feeling that there is no progress at all) during this trouble. But, in each case….

…THERE IS AN END IN SIGHT! We just may not possess the SPIRITUAL VISION to see past the circumstances to be able to SOLEY FOCUS on the light shining through the end of the tunnel!

So…stay strong! Stay in the Word of God! Stay focused on Jesus! And do not despise this time…use it to GROW IN THE LORD!

In Christ,
Ron

Monday, August 13, 2012

The Sin of Silence

Many around the world are giving EVERYTHING for Jesus…giving their lives for the cause of Christ! The recent attack and murders of Christians in Nigeria, perpetrated by Muslim gunmen who freely state their desire to murder and kill all Christians, is just one of HUNDREDS of incidents that are going on throughout the world…all focused on the persecution and destruction of Christianity and its believers.

But my thoughts today come to me regarding the vast differences in the Gospel in the majority of the world and the “gospel” being preached and taught and shown in the United States of America.

I just finished mowing the yard. That is a weekly ritual…as it is for most. During this time, I think and pray and ponder what I feel God is speaking to me through His Spirit. Today, God truly dropped these thoughts into my spirit…and I knew that He wanted me to write them here.

Yes, again I sit to write on the direction of the Church and the rampant excesses brought on by false doctrines and the false prophets who espouse the teachings. Do not be surprised…unless you have ignored the New Testament, you will recognize that the subject of FALSE PROPHETS and their selfish teachings are found throughout…culminating in Jesus’ appearing to John on the Isle of Patmos, where Jesus instructs John to write 7 letters to 7 different churches. And contained in those letters is one STRONG unifying theme: the failure of the Church to renounce sin and false doctrine!

As I stated here today from the outset, there are people dying for their beliefs in Jesus Christ even as I write! Simply for taking a stand…attending a gathering or church…witnessing…ANY act or word that promotes Christianity and Jesus…scores of people will DIE today. Throughout the world, serving Jesus is DANGEROUS…PERILOUS…FATAL!

Yet, as many throughout the world give their very lives for simply SERVING JESUS, the masses in America who profess to know and serve the SAME Jesus that those DYING FOR JESUS serve…the “gospel” espoused by most in America bears very little resemblance to the Gospel of Truth which these martyrs die for!

Let me put it the way I feel God dropped it into my spirit:

“Many are DYING for the cause of Christ…while many in America are SEEKING TO GAIN FROM the cause of Christ!”

As I pondered this thought, it became even more clear to me just how WRONG the Church in America has become. Let me qualify that statement: I do KNOW that there are A FEW Churches that have NOT sold out to the FALSE DOCTRINES that promote financial wealth and health and wonderful happiness, all without any worries! But, just as Scripture says, the road MOST taken is the “broad road”…through the “wide gate”…you know, the road that leads to DESTRUCTION. Of course, then we find that FEW…those who realize that it is the “narrow road”…through the “narrow gate”…that TRUTH is found.

The Church in America…for the most part (I will not state again that a FEW Churches cling to truth)…has indeed lost its way, blinded by men and women and ministries that tell them what they WANT to hear…not what they NEED to hear. Ministries are growing and the people are flocking…yet, in reality, it is like the followers of Jim Jones (and the People’s Temple) as they gather to sip the Kool-Aid that is being served: it is sweet and tasty, yet it only brings DEATH!

I KNOW that this word is coming from God…the word that I am speaking. And I am sure that God is saying:

“I did not send these prophets to speak to My people. I did not promise all of the things that they say I have promised. As they speak their words of encouragement to an unrepentant people, they devise these words from their own lusts and desires, gaining “wisdom” from other men and other teachers, while ignoring the truth of My Word. Is there prosperity to come for those who believe in Me? Yes! But that promise is given as the future hope to come: when I establish My Kingdom on the earth that I created, once again bringing peace to my people. In like manner, I promise healing to ALL, when I come again and once again wipe out DEATH and its pain! Even now, many rise up to distort and pollute my true Gospel, making GRACE of no real effect. They speak “FREEDOM!” while actually offering BONDAGE! They equate MY LAW with the doctrines and rules of MAN…and they are NOT the same. I never said GRACE and SALVATION were the same: I said one was the WAY to the other! My Son is the ONLY way to Me…the Father. Yet they teach my people that OBEDIENCE is not necessary, that following My statutes is living by “law”. But I say that if you love Me, you will OBEY Me! Many forget this truth: Yes, I love you and, thus, I sent My Son to die for you. But, just as My mercy did not keep Me silent as the people rebelled in the days of Noah or in the days of Lot…My mercy will not stop Me from sending My Son to go and get His Bride. In so doing, I will save those who have OBEYED Me, yet I will begin to JUDGE those who have NOT obeyed Me. I will pour out my wrath on those who have deceived many…yet I will offer rescue to those who failed to heed My Word before. But then…those who choose ME will finally see what so many in America have failed to see: it is NOT in earthly wealth and pleasures that My people show their belief in Me…it is in DYING that they show their love for Me! Why would I desire My Church to be wealthy by EARTHLY standards when EARTHLY treasures are as DUNG!? As I spoke before, what profit is it to a man to gain the whole world…to seemingly have all the wealth and treasures and pleasures that the world could afford…yet that man would be so bound by those THINGS that he misses ETERNAL LIFE! My people dine on rotten meat…ignoring the life-giving strength of TRUTH! I am desperately trying to speak words of truth to My people…yet they close their ears. Theirs ears belong to another god…the god of SELF. And many are using THEIR “gospel” to fill their own pockets! I am AGAINST these prophets! I want My Church STRONG again. I want My Church filled with TRUTH again! I want MY CHURCH!”

Today, many are speaking lies into the Church as “wolves in sheep’s clothing”, as they “secretly introduce heresies” into the BODY. There are many false doctrines that they propagate, but they all are similar, gaining even their teachings from one another…as opposed to gaining TRUTH from the Word of God. These ministers/ministries include:

Joel Osteen
Joyce Meyer
Kenneth Hagin
Kenneth Copeland
Jesse Duplantis
Creflo Dollar
Benny Hinn
Mike Murdock
Joseph Prince
Tony Sutherland (actually a one-time friend and fellow musician)
Fred K. C. Price
John Avanzini
Robert Tilton
Marilyn Hickey
Charles Capps
Jerry Savelle
Morris Cerullo
Paul and Jan Crouch
Juanita Bynum
Paula White
There are many other followers of these people who are following in the footsteps of their mentors.

These ministers and ministries promote false doctrines that twist and misapply Scripture to the point of heresy, in many (and most) cases. I am sure many who read this will find SOMEONE that they believe DOES NOT belong on this list…yet all of them have espoused very false doctrines which are IN OPPOSITION to the Word of God. Far from just “harmless”, “agree to disagree” teaching, the “gospel” espoused by these and others is hardly recognizable as having anything to do with the truth of God’s Word.

It is time that the TRUE Church speaks out. It is time that the TRUE Church “clears the temple”, so to speak! The Church needs to RECLAIM the PULPITS OF AMERICA for the KINGDOM AND TRUTH OF GOD!

Any time false doctrine is taught from a pulpit…that means truth IS NOT taught from that pulpit! And you never know when that SILENCING OF TRUTH will allow someone to walk out of Church ON THEIR WAY TO HELL!

Time is short! The truth is needed now more than ever! I pray that a revival of DISCERNMENT AND PRAYER will sweep over the Church in America…and that FALSE DOCTRINE and those who propagate it will be either SWEPT UP or SWEPT AWAY! God wants even the false prophets saved…but, if they resist, may they be removed from their pulpits forever!

I write this in grief…not anger. May God use this to bring DISCERNMENT to many. And may the many then take it further.

I believe we can change the course of the Church in America…if we DO NOT sit SILENT as the enemy successfully pushes his false “gospel”.

God bless!
Ron