A Discussion of Biblical Proportions

Earl Gillespie

A Discussion of Biblical Proportions

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In a political correct society, when engaging in a discussion the purpose should be for the  enlightenment of one’s self.  The process of transferring thoughts or ideas is loosing ground to, “We all have the right to believe as we want to.”  When two parties are engaged in a discussion for the purpose of proving their own ideology or advancing their own agenda, an argument usually ensues.  Knowledge can only be transferred when one or both parties are seeking to gain a deeper understanding of a stated subject.   In today’s society the question of what can be gained from entering a discussion should  be answered first,  if you are not prepared to have your faith shaken, it is best to refrain from many non-indoctrinated discussions.

In this day of changing values it has become necessary to mount a decisive battle to undermine the Christian opposition.  The church seems to have shrunk away from its responsibilities by failing to put on the whole armor of God.  Choosing not to be labelled a hater it has become passive and accordance with Jesus it is neither hot nor cold.  The Bible has always been the weapon of choice of the religious hierarchy, it is at the forefront of the battles for control and also the changes that has been viewed as immoral.   The greatest blow to Christianity would be the destruction of the Bible, the foundation upon which Christianity is founded.   It would seem that any attempt to discredit or destroy the Word of God would be met with a swift and decisive battle by the church of God.

Christianity has been made ashamed of its bloody past and the message of salvation has been dumb-downed.  The Old Testiment slaughters, the crusades even the killing of the Jews is a part of Christian history that is being purged.  The God who once said, “I am a jealous God” and went on killing sprees has been recreated as a  God of love standing on the street corner of life passing out blessing.. 

Often, ministers who have no academic background, will base their expertise of Bible interpretation upon the old adage, “What God calls he qualify,” as they stumble over passages of scripture distorting the meaning in the process.   This concept has led to the proliferation of the word of God, thus providing the fuel for discontent within the ranks of the would be believers. Seeds of doubt are sown and the indoctrinated few shouts “Amen.”

Often Christian finds themselves concern about the different translations of the Bible.  Translations will always be relevant to the different languages of the world.   It would be unthinkable that you must learn to read Latin in order to study the Word of God.   The problem arises in the household of faith because there are too many interpretations of the Bible.  When it comes to consistency there is little or none within the many different churches.  There  also is that  ethnic divide that drives a more literal and diverse interpretation of the scripture and it has provided the fuel for a house divided against itself.  It is easy to overlook the Schism and state that my way is right and all others are wrong, thus rendering any debate undebatable and the message unbelievable. 

If the discussion is to prove which translation of the Bible is more reliable, unless experts in the ancient languages are fielding the discussion, the outcome of the discussion is of no concrete value.   Yet, these discussions which have no concrete value can be and often is detrimental to the faith when there is no one to turn to for enlightenment.  

There are historical facts and there are internet facts.  Historical facts must remain true to their own credentials, whereas internet facts are subject to who is providing the citation.  The internet is a viable source for research projects, but if you accept everything that you read on the internet you will be shamefully misled. 

Growing up in a Bible based environment, we were taught that King James was the defender of the faith and that the King James version of the Bible was the true Bible and some even went further to state that all others were false.  Since the early 1600’s the King James Bible has been hailed as the vanguard of all Bibles and its sales has skyrocketed. 

In the early 60 a concerted attack was launched to destroy mankind’s belief of God.  Through a drug induced stupor many gains the courage to publicly denounce God as being dead.  The destruction of God was not forthcoming as planned, it merely allowed for the reinvention of God.  The God of today is more involved than the God of old.  God is performing more miracles than ever before and that ethnic divide is changing the order of worship service.  The fear of God, which once was a part of worship services is slowly fading. 

Now if we were to argue as to which Bible was the true Bible the argument would be without merit because the first question that must be answered is, “do we believe in God.”   If the answer was “yes”,  then the question of the Bible would go away.  Now, if we are guilty of  trying to prove the existence of God, then we must prove which Bible is proper and correct and from the layman perspective this is an impossible task.

A true study of Christianity must include the Roman Empire  in 313 AD under the leadership of Constantine ended the persecution of the Christians.  The Government of Rome and the church began to walk hand in hand.   In 321 the church was granted the right to hold property, Constantine donates the palace of the Laterani to Pope Miltiades. The Lateran Basilica (Basilica of Our Savior) becomes the episcopal seat of the Bishop of Rome or the Catholic Church.  In February 380: Emperor Theodosius I issues an edict, De Fide Catolica, in Thessalonica, published in Constantinople, declaring Catholic Christianity as the state religion of the Roman Empire.  The Council of Rome under Pope Damasus I  in 382 sets the Canon of the Bible, listing the accepted books of the Old Testament and the New Testament. No others are to be considered  as scripture.

In time, several Churches split off from the Catholic Church because of differing opinions of theology. This caused breaks in the Church called schisms. Most schisms happened because people had different beliefs about what is true.  

In 451, a church division happened when all the church leaders meeting at the Church Council in the city of Chalcedon excommunicated (cut off) three leaders, because they held to monophysitism and would not accept the view that Jesus had two natures (fully divine and fully human). These three were the bishops of Egypt, Syria, and Armenia. Of course, these three bishops did not accept being excommunicated either, so the churches under them are still known today as Oriental Orthodox Churches.

In 1054, the Church split in two, in the East-West Schism. The church in Western Europe, which followed the Pope became known as the Roman Catholic Church, and the churches in the rest of the world which did not think that the Pope should lead all Christians became known as the Orthodox Church "Orthodox" means "correct belief", as they believe that they have kept the teachings of the early church and the Roman Catholics have not.

The next split was the Protestant Reformation. Protestants resisted the central authority of the Church in Rome and rejected many practices, beliefs and disciplines. The Reformation started in Germany, where Martin Luther sent his demands for change to the Church. Because of politics in Europe, many nations supported Luther. The Lutheran Church was started. Later the Calvinist or Presbyterian Church started.In England, King Henry VIII started the Anglican church. He wanted to divorce his first wife, but the Pope would not grant him permission. At first, The Church of King Henry VIII later called the Church of England, was very similar to the Catholic Church. The major difference was that the king was the head of the church, instead of the Pope. Later, under his son, Edward VI, the Anglican Church became more reformed or Protestant. Anglicans, and several other Protestant denominations, still believe they are reformed Catholics. Puritanism arose among Anglicans who thought the reforms didn't go far enough.

After the Reformation, many other Churches began because of disagreements over beliefs and practices of earlier Protestant doctrine. According to the 2010 U.S. Religious Congregations and Membership Study this accounts for most of the Protestant denominations in the United States. There are about 314,000 of these. Two examples of these Protestant (or Reformed) churches are Methodist and Baptist.

In todays society splits or schisms have become commonplace, giving vent to the term, the proliferation of the churches.  With the advent of the Pentecostal movement storefront churches became a reality.  It is not uncommon for churches exist across the street from each other.  Many of these new churches are formed claiming to have the seal of God and all others are false. 

From this limited dissertation, we can conclude that all of the different churches that exist today is the result of a split with another church.  To put it in the proper context, churches split because of confusion within the ranks of the leaders or an excessive increase in those that desire to be leaders.  The intoxicating desire to lead or be a superstar, the desire to be noticed many times is the driving force behind  accepting a call from God.  Many of the schisms in the early churches were because of power grabs within the pious elite.

The un-indoctrinated soul who refuse to scream "Amen" wonders how all of this is going to play out in the Kingdom of God.  

To be continued

The Conflicting Nature of Christianity, Part #6

Earl Gillespie

The Conflicting Nature of Christianity

Part #6

The True Message of Christ

"When the messenger does not have a firm belief in the message or lack understanding of the message, often the messenger will change the message to make his views of the message seems more believable."  

Jesus made many declarations of the message that he was bringing to the world and the purpose  of His message is illustrated in John 14:1-3, Let not your heart be troubled: ye believe in God, believe also in me. In my Father's house are many mansions: if it were not so, I would have told you. I go to prepare a place for you. And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again, and receive you unto myself; that where I am, there ye may be also.  From that point forward any message deemed to be from God must coincide with the fourteenth chapter of John.  There is no conflict or confusion in the message set forth by Christ. Christianity, in its attempt to be politically correct, to appeal to the masses has allowed its message to become hijacked and is used as the basis of many get-rich-quick schemes. 

It is not my intend to sound as if I am trying to purport a new message, rather I am trying to question why the message of Christ has been changed.  Ministers of different denominations preaching different messages.  How can this be true?  Is the Kingdon divided against itself?    If the messengers of the Kingdom is divided, either the messenger(s) is false or the kingdom is false.  (Not the true Kingdom.)  To validate  their position in the Kingdom of the Father, many will began with, "I got the Word of God in my Mouth", or "God told me."  . Once an admission of this type is made, no sane, indoctrinated, hijacked christian would dare speak out against the words that flowed from his mouth.  

This is an example of how the message is changing.  `Pope Francis says atheists who do good works can go to heaven. Billy Graham proclaims that you do not even have to know the name of Jesus to be part of the body of Christ. Joel Osteen says he does not know if unbelievers will be lost or saved because he cannot judge. One says he  doesn't want to go to Heaven broke, another says God want you to build up treasures here on earth. These professing Christians are not alone in their views. How sad is that?

I copied this from the internet, the author is unknown to me.  I will be happy to give credit where credit is due.  I think it is a timely piece and worth posting here.

A pastor was traveling last week, he saw an old man, and gave him a lift. While they were gone, the old man said; my son, do you know what happened in Heaven last night?  The pastor was terrified and hurriedly parked his car and asked; Sir, was you sleeping? How did you get the information about Heaven?  The Old man said; last night in Heaven, God became very angry with the man he had created and asked the Angels to blow their trumpets. The angel picked up their trumpet and as they were about to blow, Jesus fell  down on his knees and began to plead with tears. The blood that came out of His hands and body were very fresh. He told God that His death shouldn't be in vain.

God couldn't stand the pains of the saint and the wickedness of the evil ones. So He said; "I AM GIVING THEM THEIR LAST CHANCE." Jesus then turned to the angels and told them to move down in their numerous numbers to tell the world that: "THE END IS NEAR, JESUS IS COMING VERY SOON". The pastor (sweating and crying) asked; sir, how did you know this?

The OLD MAN replied; I am one of the Angels sent to the World. Please use every medium of communication to send this message. No time to waste, Please! And the old man disappeared.

Parts of the story might have a little hard to follow, but the real message of Christ came through clear.

Revelation 3:14-22  And unto the angel of the church of the Laodiceans write; These things saith the Amen, the faithful and true witness, the beginning of the creation of God;  I know thy works, that thou art neither cold nor hot: I would thou wert cold or hot. So then because thou art lukewarm, and neither cold nor hot, I will spue thee out of my mouth. Because thou sayest, I am rich, and increased with goods, and have need of nothing; and knowest not that thou art wretched, and miserable, and poor, and blind, and naked: I counsel thee to buy of me gold tried in the fire, that thou mayest be rich; and white raiment, that thou mayest be clothed, and that the shame of thy nakedness do not appear; and anoint thine eyes with eyesalve, that thou mayest see. As many as I love, I rebuke and chasten: be zealous therefore, and repent. Behold, I stand at the door, and knock: if any man hear my voice, and open the door, I will come in to him, and will sup with him, and he with me. To him that overcometh will I grant to sit with me in my throne, even as I also overcame, and am set down with my Father in his throne. He that hath an ear, let him hear what the Spirit saith unto the churches.

The Conflicting Nature of Christianity, Part #5

Earl Gillespie

  The Conflicting Nature of Christianity

Part #5

Capitalizing On the Power of Prayer

 I am not questioning prayer, nor am I questioning the power of prayer, it is the use of prayer as a salable commodity in today's society that leaves me, as well as many other awash in a sea of confusion.  It is worthy and commendable to use the Holy Scripture as the bases of motivational messages, but to hijack the scriptures in the name of power and greed is evil in its most vile form.  There is a constant barrage of 'prayer calls', but the hidden truth is too many of these 'prayer calls' are self-serving and they are really not effective.  For me to make such a statement is said to border on heathendom, but Christianity as a religion or a way of life should be forced to consider the reality of the hijacked , conflicting and confused front that it has begun to present.  

How often have we heard the prayer for world peace?   Did the Bible say prayer would bring about world peace?  2 Chronicles 7:14  If my people, (In the Old Testament who was referred to as 'My People', it definitely was not the non existent church.) which are called by my name, shall humble themselves, and pray, and seek my face, and turn from their wicked ways; then will I hear from heaven, and will forgive their sin, and will heal their land (What land?, definitely not the world.)  This was God promise to the Jews to restore their homeland if they would humble themselves and pray.  That promise was not fulfilled then and it is not being fulfilled now.  It will only be fulfilled after God has poured out his wrath upon this world.  For what purpose do we shape, and twist the Word of God?  To create confusion and conflicts?  Effective prayer must not end with 'plant a seed and God will bless you'. Is there no shame when it comes to 'hustling in the name of God.'   There are lots of unfilled promised being made in the name of prayer, and many of the unfulfilled promises are because of a lack of understanding of God's word.  What did Jesus say about world peace?Luke 12:51  Suppose ye that I am come to give peace on earth? I tell you, Nay; but rather division:

Several months ago we published a six part study in prayer to minimize redundancy within my blog, I am providing prefaces and links to the six part study. 

A Study in Prayer, Part #1 of 6

Prayer, What Is It?

Lets establish a definition of prayer using, Wikipedia The Free Encyclopedia, online. Prayer is an invocation or an act that seeks to activate a rapport with a deity, an object of worship, or a spiritual entity through deliberate communication. Prayer can be a form of religious practice, may be either individual or communal and take place in public or in private. It may involve the use of words or song. When language is used, prayer may take the form of a hymn,incantation, formal creed, or a spontaneous utterance in the praying person. There are different forms of prayer such as petitionary prayer, prayers of supplication, thanksgiving, and worship/praise. Prayer may be directed towards a deity, spirit, deceased person, or a lofty idea, for the purpose of worshipping, requesting guidance, requesting assistance, confessing sins or to express one's thoughts and emotions. Thus, people pray for many reasons such as personal benefits or for the sake of others. Most major religions involve prayer in one way or another. Some ritualizes the act of prayer, requiring a strict sequence of actions or placing a restriction on who is permitted to pray, while others teach that prayer may be practiced spontaneously by anyone at any time. http://mysearchfortherealgod.blogspot.com/2013/07/a-study-in-prayer-part-1-of-6.html

A Study in Prayer, Part #2 of 6

Praying In The Spirit

Growing up in the church I am familiar with the preacher toning up and shouting, this was said to be the spirit of God. Prayers were issued in the same vernacular and if the person could pray, usually an emotional outburst followed. This was an expression of the spirit also. When asked what does the spirit feel like, the answer was, “when the spirit hit you, you will know it”. Cute cliché and an in your face approach, demanding that God do things because you know he can. When prayer requests would seem to go unfilled, there was always someone to remind you that, “He might not come when you want him, but he is always on time.” Now I know that there will be those who chastise me for saying this, but many suffering souls have been stranded on the roadway of despair, waiting for God to come and deliver them and God show up but he did not deliver them. When you are in need and you are taught all you have to do is ask, Jesus message to the churches in the Book of Revelation about enduring hardship is the furthers thing from your mind.  http://mysearchfortherealgod.blogspot.com/2013/07/a-study-in-prayer-part-2-of-6.html

A Study in Prayer, Part #3 of 6

A Model Prayer

Let’s take a closer or deeper look at how the ancients prayed. Nehemiah was compelled to rebuild the walls of the Holy city, before going before the King to ask his permission, he prayed. Nehemiah 1:11, “O Lord, I beseech thee, let now thine ear be attentive to the prayer of thy servant, and to the prayer of thy servants, who desire to fear thy name: and prosper, I pray thee, thy servant this day, and grant him mercy in the sight of this man, For I was the king's cupbearer.” Nehemiah is praying for mercy and not material things. Another interesting aspect of prayer is how it can change God’s mind. In this example, the prayer was not for God to change his mind, but a prayer for God to remember him. Isaiah 38:1-5, “ In those days was Hezekiah sick unto death, and Isaiah the prophet the son of Amoz came unto him, and said unto him, Thus saith the LORD, Set thine house in order: for thou shall die, and not live. Then Hezekiah turned his face toward the wall and prayed unto the LORD, And said, Remember now, O LORD, I beseech thee, how I have walked before thee in truth and with a perfect heart, and have done that which is good in thy sight, and Hezekiah wept sore.” Then came the word of the LORD to Isaiah, saying, Go, and say to Hezekiah, Thus saith the LORD, the God of David thy father, I have heard thy prayer, I have seen thy tears: behold, I will add unto thy days fifteen years.” His tears moved God. Luke 1:50, “And his mercy is on them that fear him from generation to generation.” Fear of God is a prerequisite for effective prayer. Fear of God would also prevent us from lying on God, or lying to God. The fear of God will also prevent us from trying to share in God's glory.  http://mysearchfortherealgod.blogspot.com/2013/07/a-study-in-prayer-part-3-of-6.html

A Study in Prayer, Part #4 of 6

Lord Teach Me To Pray.

Ephesians 1:3 says, “Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who hath blessed us with all spiritual blessings in heavenly places in Christ.” Now reflect on the above illustrations and ask yourself what are we praying for? Do our prayers reflect the desires of the flesh more than the desires of the spirit? Have we misused the power of prayer in such a manner that it trivialize and render the God of our salvation impotent in the eyes of the world? With all of the righteous prayers going forth the world should be on the brinks of Heaven here on earth. Christianity should be flourishing and the devil ought to be reeling from a knockout blow from the blood of Jesus applied. This is not true Christianity is being suppressed in our schools and in our nation. The religious order is being redefined to allow equal time for the opposing force. The government is beginning to exert more force on the church, and that old Satan has found a new use for the words "Policial Correctness." It is definitely a time for prayer, but the question is what are we praying for?  http://mysearchfortherealgod.blogspot.com/2013/07/a-study-in-prayer-part-4-of-6.html

A Study in Prayer, Part #5 of 6

How Prayer Is Used

Prayer is often used for the enhancement of one’s standing in the church and community. Prayer Warriors represent a class of people that have a close relationship with God. The use of flowery words and much speaking that bring on a state of euphoria that is often mistaken for the Spirit of God. Matthew 6:5-8 And when thou prayest, thou shalt not be as the hypocrites are: for they love to pray standing in the synagogues and in the corners of the streets, that they may be seen of men. Verily I say unto you, They have their reward. But thou, when thou prayest, enter into thy closet, and when thou hast shut thy door, pray to thy Father which is in secret; and thy Father which seeth in secret shall reward thee openly. But when ye pray, use not vain repetitions, as the heathen do: for they think that they shall be heard for their much speaking. Be not ye therefore like unto them: for your Father knoweth what things ye have need of, before ye ask him. Based upon these words of Jesus there is no need to go to God with a shopping list begging for fulfillment.  http://mysearchfortherealgod.blogspot.com/2013/07/a-study-in-prayer-part-5-of-6.html

A Study in Prayer, Part #6 of 6

Repentance, My Testimoney

One of the most profound life's moments was sitting in my Doctor office as he vocalize these harsh words, “You got cancer.” Upon hearing this statement my whole life outlook changed and went spinning out of control. It was a death sentence of a type and you are acutely aware that the majority of those who hear these words will eventually die from the disease. Survival becomes that as of a man drowning and the people on the bank are shouting swim. Only when a young man stepped into the water and began walking towards the drowning man did he realize the depth of his situation. I make this assessment based upon my personal experience, and there are few pastors, ministers or churches folks prepared to minister to this condition. A steady diet of prayer will take your mind off the situation for a while, but late at night when you are alone, sometime talking to God can leave a person feeling as if God does not hear their prayers, especially if someone they know who are suffering from the same illness has just passed on. This is a situation or a condition that many will not admit to because there is more earthly glory in speaking of what God has done rather than testifying of what God has not done. The indoctrination of Christianity does not allow for one to speak in the negative about what God is or is not doing.  http://mysearchfortherealgod.blogspot.com/2013/07/a-study-in-prayer-part-6-of-6.html

Next 

Part #6

The True Message of Christ

The Conflicting Nature of Christianity, Part #4

Earl Gillespie

The Conflicting Nature of Christianity

What is True Faith?

Part #4

Our indoctrination teaches us that it would be impossible to go from day to day without the blessing of God raining down upon us.  Messages and songs are scripted around the concept of, "waiting for the blessing", rather than, "what are you doing with your blessing." 

Throughout the acclamations of praise certain phrases are used to bring about an emotional release, such as If I believe it, I can achieve it, God is a deliverer or I know God is a healer.  Does the true concept of faith means, If I believe in Jesus I can ask for whatever I need and it will be granted?  Many will quickly answer yes, and this is the message of many churches today, but what does the evidence say?  Is there a possibility that we are misunderstanding the meaning of faith?  Paul spoke on many occasions about the virtues of faith, and he extorted others to remain in the faith.  To understand the true meaning of this faith maybe we ought to study the life of Paul.  

We know that Paul was imprisoned in a Roman jail and that imprisonment  ultimately led to his death under Nero's rule.  While imprisoned Paul wrote letters of encouragement to the newly converted follower of Christ and to those he commission to carry his work after he was gone.  

Hebrews 11:1 Now faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen What did Paul hope for, deliverance, healing financial gains?  These seem to be the things that  modern Christianity is obsessed with.  If Paul's hope or faith was based upon the acquisition of these material things, then it seem as if Paul's faith was in vain, yet we know this is not to be true.  We ought to be able to conclude that the faith Paul wrote about was based upon the life he was committed to live. Therefore, based upon the evidence of Paul's life and hope, it should be unthinkable to use his messages as a means to promote financial gains.  

Ephesians 1:15 Wherefore I, also, after I heard of your faith in the Lord Jesus, and love unto all the saints,  To have faith in Jesus Christ, we must believe the conditions of his birth, his life, his death and resurrection. We must believe that he ascended to his father, and if we hold true to this faith,  then shall we reign with him."  The evidence of Paul's life and the evidence that surrounds us allows us to reach no other justifiable conclusion.

Take a closer look at Paul's final message to Tiomthy.  This is the message of a man of faith who is about to be put to death.  Where is that exhortation of praying for his deliverance?

2 Timothy 4:1-8 I charge thee therefore before God, and the Lord Jesus Christ, who shall judge the quick and the dead at his appearing and his kingdom; Preach the word; be instant in season, out of season; reprove, rebuke, exhort with all long-suffering and doctrine. For the time will come when they will not endure sound doctrine; but after their own lusts shall they heap to themselves teachers, having itching ears; And they shall turn away their ears from the truth, and shall be turned unto fables. But watch thou in all things, endure afflictions, do the work of an evangelist, make full proof of thy ministry. For I am now ready to be offered, and the time of my departure is at hand. I have fought a good fight, I have finished my course, I have kept the faith: Henceforth there is laid up for me a crown of righteousness, which the Lord, the righteous judge, shall give me at that day: and not to me only, but unto all them also that love his appearing.

Faith in Christianity is based on the work and teachings of Jesus Christ. Christianity declares not to be distinguished by faith, but by the object of its faith. Rather than being passive, faith leads to an active life aligned with the ideals and the example of the life of Jesus. It sees the mystery of God and his grace and seeks to know and become obedient to God. To a Christian, faith is not static, but causes one to learn more about God and grow, and has its origin in God. 

In Christianity, faith causes change as it seeks a greater understanding of God. Faith is not simply obedience to a set of rules or statements. Before Christians can have faith, they must understand in whom and in what they have faith. Without understanding, there cannot be true faith, and that understanding is built on the foundation of the community of believers, the scriptures and traditions and on the personal experiences of the believer. 

Faith should not be based upon God is going to get us through this situation, but faith should allow us to believe that there is a better day coming. Consider again the life and death of the disciples, Paul and others whose life exemplified the fullness of faith. There is no record of the great patriots begging God to deliver them from the affliction of the world. There was no prayer for prosperity or long life. When death came, they rejoiced in its anticipation, they were prepared and ready to go. In Philippians 1:23-24 Paul puts it this way, “ For I am in a strait betwixt two, having a desire to depart, and to be with Christ; which is far better: Nevertheless to abide in the flesh is more needful for you.” (Not for me, but for you.)

Within the last hundred years Christianity has undergone dramatic changes. There are denominations less than two hundred years old professing to be the only true religion. As a small child, I was confused at the concept of a religion more than two thousand years old being challenged by many newly formed denominations. A split or break-away can be used to purify the faith if it has become polluted, but care must be taken when taking these actions. The motive behind these actions can be nothing more than an attempt to consolidate one's power. The question now presents itself and beg for an answer is, "why does Jesus need so many different churches?" A firm belief in God and the church as the bride of Christ should be a deterrent to spurious actions, but in many instances this seems not to be the case. The formation of many churches is an individual thing; it is designed around the concept of one individual's struggle for power or recognition. Member's joined not because of the message of Jesus Christ, but because of the style or message of the of the individual. Was it the Word of God or the faith in Jesus Christ that allowed the Reverend Ike's of the ministries to fleece millions out of their money so they could retire in luxury? Was it the message of Christ that attracted millions of followers to follow Jim Jones to their death?  Is

Is it the faith that Paul spoke of that allows ministers to shape the scripture and turn the Word of God into a money making propersition?

Now I am about to enter a forbidden territory, because I am about to call out some of our preachers. The prophecy of Isaiah 9:16 For the leaders of this people cause them to err; and they that are led of them are destroyed, still hold true today. My experience with too many ministers of today give credence to Matthew 22:14 For many are called, but few are chosen. What am I trying to say here is that I have a problem with a preacher that will lead a young innocent man down the path of prostitution. I have a problem with a minister of God who will commit rape, then hours latter preaches a message that stirs the whole church. But most of all I have a problem with a preacher that will carry a grudge for  years, and infect others with their lies

Luke 18:8  I tell you that he will avenge them speedily. Nevertheless when the Son of man cometh, shall he find faith on the earth?

Next

"Do God Answer All Prayers?"

Part #5

The Conflicting Nature of Christianity, Part #3

Earl Gillespie

The Conflicting Nature of Christianity

When Is A Miracle a Miracle?

Part #3 of 6

Matthew 5:45  That ye may be the children of your Father which is in heaven: for he maketh his sun to rise on the evil and on the good, and sendeth rain on the just and on the unjust.

What Jesus is saying here is the heavenly Father provide the basic necessities of life for all of his creation, stated simply, it rains on the just as well as the unjust.  These things are decreed by God  from the beginning and they proceed according to their natural course as defined by the laws of nature.  

Standing in the checkout line at the supermarket, I was privy to several conversations going on behind me.  Two ladies were talking about the many things God was doing, they were giving God praise for the miracles that he had performed.  From car repair, money in the bank to finding a job for a daughter, God was busy handing out blessing and performing miracles.   In today's modern society, it is fashionable to reverence God in all of our conversations.  From the wine-o standing on the corner talking about how much God love him, and the drugged out rock star, honoring God for the awards that was won, all are indications of how involved God is today.  In this conversation behind me, thanks were being given for being able to walk around and even seeing another day, yet there was no mention of thanking God for salvation.  I was not inspired by the conversation, I mean is God involved in the car repair business?

Those of us whose indoctrination has become tarnished, have taken a step backward and begun to ask the serious questions.  What is a miracle and is God still performing miracles?  Were these signs Apostostic signs that was necessary during the formative years of Christianity?   Did these signs depart with the death of the Apostles?  In part #4 of this study we will attempt to provide some of the answers to the many questions we have posed.

Once a typical healing service began with, "there is somebody here that has a headache, the Lord say come up here and get your healing."  Those of us who are properly indoctrinated into the church would not dare stand up and question the statement of the speaker, because the indoctrination of the church has taught,  never question what the Lord says, and if a person has the gall to say, "God said ", who are we to say he didn't.  This naive approach opened the door to the wolves in sheep clothes (fancy suits) to come in and scatter the flock.

Walking on water has never been easy, but there are reports where some have tried to perform this miracle to no avail.   Not too many people have the ability.  Let’s see, there’s Jesus, and well, that’s about it.  One preacher tried to prove that he had the power by building an underwater plexiglass stage.  On his first attempt the stage gave away, luckily he was saved by his deacon who was a part of the conspiracy. Unfortunately for one pastor on the West Coast of Africa, his attempt to make this impossible feat a reality cost him his life.  He referenced Matthew 14:22-33, he said that he received a revelation from God which told him that with enough faith he could achieve what Jesus was able to do. He took his congregation out to the beach.  He told them that he would cross the Kombo estuary by foot, which is normally a 20 minute boat ride. Sadly by the second step into the water he found himself completely submerged.  He never returned.

A self-proclaimed Prophet claimed to be able to do what the Daniel of the bible did by walking into a den full of lions.  He was warned numerous times by zoo keepers, the Prophet thought of them as nothing more than enemies of the Word of God.  The Prophet, with a crowd of people watching, put on a long red robe and with much fanfare proceeded to enter the cage full of lions. Within seconds of opening the door, the lions ripped the Prophet from flesh to bone.

A group of church missionaries formed a prayer group for the expressed purposed of conducting house to house prayer services.  They were known as the “prayer warriors”.   Soon afterward they began to testify about how through them God was working miracles.  First, there were healing miracles, then as time progressed, they began to raise people from the dead.   The only verification of these miracles were the words of one person’s testimony.  These missionaries  created a certain level of fear in the community, they also garnered a huge amount of respect within the local churches.   The test of their faith came when a local pastor, one who helped sponsor the group, died in the pulpit.  The call for the  prayer warriors to assemble went unanswered.   As one participant of the group remarked, “God gave you five senses”, as she turned her back on the grieving family. 

During the early sixties many so-called healers got rich preformed for the cameras on live television.  With slight of hand tricks and bloody chicken parts cancer surgery was performed on stage for millions to see.   The art of laying on of the hands became the mainstay of these fakers professions.   A quick movement of the hand, forcing the believer's head back at an angle where the person must make a choice of stepping back or falling down.  To step back to regain your balance was looked upon as resisting the power of God.   It was better to fall out on the floor and kick rather being labelled stiff necked and uncircumcised. 

At this juncture, I must ask the question again, what a miracle is.  This is an important question because Jesus performed many miracles during his ministry.  Today, many are begging for and proclaiming that God has performed a miracle.   When God performed a miracle he did it in such a manner that no one or nothing could explain it other than it was the works of God.  It was done in such a manner that God and only God could get the glory.   When Jesus healed the sick, there was no gradual healing process, he did not ask the sick to plant a seed of faith, out of love he spoke the word and it was done.  The sideshow performances of many professional healers have created a fairy tail concept of God that I am sure he is no more pleased than he was with Moses when Moses struck the rock.  Many churches  have integrated healing services into their worship service and invite people to throw money on the Alter when they come up to get their healing.  Sunday after Sunday these same people stand before the Alter to get a touch from God.  Is God doing what many are claiming he is doing? Is all of this repersentive of what Jesus did?  

When asked about the works of God, the response is, “If he did it once he can do it again.”    Now really, is this an accurate portrayal  of God?   Is this just another cute sound bite?  Why are we speaking of God in such abstract terms.  God parted the Red Sea, if he did it once he can do it again.  

 After going through surgery, radiation and chemo cancer treatments, am I suppose to testify of how God heal me.  Is it a miracle that I am a cancer survivor?  Many will say yes,  Is it a miracle that the sun rises in the morning or is this something God has already ordained from the beginning of time?  

Many beautiful messages are crafted by the intelligent minds seeking to explain how to tap into the power of God.   The blessing of God has been turned into a Multi-Level-Marketing scheme, it allows those at the top level to get rich on the backs those who exist on the bottom level.  To be effective, an avenue must be provided to allow the bottom level to move up the ladder, thus titles and positions are created, and the adage, “give and you shall receive” come into full play The concept of giving becomes a marker of your faith and your support as you move up the ladder.  The media is used to distribute pleas to the faithful to sow a seed of faith as special prayer services are conducted for those who respond.  Promises of healing and miracles are made based upon the sowing of your seed.  Is there anything about all of this in the remotest sense that seems to coincide with the actions of Jesus?  If the prosperity message of today is true, why didn’t Peter, James and John open up a fish market.  With the support of Jesus, they could have amassed a fortune.   Todays revelation teaches us that, “Sinners are poor and Christians are rich”, yet in the real world this is not true.   

When attending a funeral, somewhere amidst the tears and screams of sorrow the question "why" is  often asked of God.   To accept as a conclusion that God does not make mistakes is a statement of fact and it speaks to the abstracts nature of God, it is not the answer to the question of why.  Answering questions in the abstract, often lead to negativism.  If we accept the fairy tale assessment of life and death, that God is like a man walking around with a list, scratching people name off, then it is understandable  that we would ask God, “Why”, when sinners live long and prosperous lives.   Once that door is open then is it fair to ask God why he let the young child go flying thru the windshield of  its drunken mother’s car when she crashed into the utility pole?   It seems as if we can blame God for the things that are happening around us, we sort of let ourself of the hook.   Is there any consolation for the  drunk to say, “God knew what he was doing?”   Maybe, just maybe we ought to ask God to forgive us for the things that we have unjustly blamed him for.

We want to believe that God is directing and guiding the affairs of man.  It makes us feel good knowing that God is in control.  Once we make that assessment no one  who believe in God will dare say God is not in control.  What is the meaning of God being in control?  He most definitely was in control in the Garden of Eden, yet sin entered the garden.  Maybe being in control means God set the boundaries and he allows.  If this is true, then man’s free will does not always follow the direction of God.   God is in control might just mean He can bring this madness to an end whenever he choose to do so. 

Ecclesiastes 9:11  I returned, and saw under the sun, that the race is not to the swift, nor the battle to the strong, neither yet bread to the wise, nor yet riches to men of understanding, nor yet favor to men of skill; but time and chance happeneth to them all.

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Part #4

What Is True Faith?

The Conflicting Nature of Christianity, Part #2

Earl Gillespie

The Conflicting Nature of Christianity

"A Multi-Level-Marketing scheme"

Part #2 of 6

 Matthew 7:15  Beware of false prophets, which come to you in sheep's clothing, but inwardly they are ravening wolves.

It is my intend to make this a six part study and it is my intend to pose more questions than answers.  Many of the questions I pose, I hope you will supply the answers.  Little can be gained in any study if questions are not allowed to form, develop and answers sought after. This is done to prepare the mind; if the mind is not prepared then answers cannot be forthcoming.  The Holy Scripture is not hard or complicated if we would just stop and think about what we are reading.  Too many Christians are content with listening to someone else read the Bible as they look for that moment to shout “Amen”.  When we attempt to segments and spiritualize the Word of God to make it say what we want it to say, it is then we end up with a convoluted and polluted gospel.  If you believe simply because some two-legged person said, “God said it”, you are cheating yourself out of a true experience with God.   Recall a song from the past that stated that there are more questions than answers, and the more I find out, the less I know.   

Beginning with The Doctrine of Prosperity, it is an elaborate ruse, it places an enormous emphasis on blessing your pastor in order to receive a blessing from God.   It is a multi-level-marketing scheme that is purported to be scriptural, but is it really scripture or is it a misreading of the Holy Scriptures.   The prosperity gospel requires that members pay the church first even before paying their own bills. It also numbs the common sense of the members and convinces them that it’s perfectly ok for the pastor to receive all of his wealth from donations made to the church.  The members glory in their Golden Calf, my pastor is Bishop so-and-so and he drive a big car.   Glen W. Turner the grandfather of motivational and inspirational seminars built a hundred-million-dollar business empire by turning a gift for evangelism into a ministry of greed. He would jump, shout and scream, but his plan was not based upon God giving.  He just asked for the money and promised to show you how to make money.  You bought the right to sell his product to others, you started on the bottom and worked your way up. 

Prosperity preachers wrongly use the Bible to sell false hope to poor people that they will be rich if they will support their ministry by giving their hard earned money.  If multiplying their money was so easy, why do prosperity preachers have to ask poor people for their money, instead of just going to the rich for donations or spending the money to and from one another.  How much common sense does it require to realize if this was true, Christians would be rich and sinners would be poor.  Instead, we are encouraged to come to church on Sunday pay out our hard earn cash as we beg God for that blessing, while some fellow wave and scream, "your blessing is coming" and the church says "amen". We should read the Bible more and then we would not be fooled by these prosperity preachers.  Jesus did not come into the world to make us financially rich.  For emphasis I will repeat, Jesus did not come into the world to make us financially rich.  He came that we might be saved from sin and have everlasting life in the glory of God’s heavenly kingdom.  These false teachers do great damage to Gods people. First, by falsely claiming that God works like some kind of cosmic slot machine. But the real damage is in the fact that believers are robbed of the true meaning of Christ teaching.

Obedience is better than sacrifice is a phrase that is often heard within the church when the members are asked to do things that they normally would hesitate to do.  This is the scripture  that a segment is surgically removed and quoted. 1 Samuel 15:22  And Samuel said, Hath the LORD, as great delight in burnt offerings and sacrifices, as in obeying the voice of the LORD? Behold, to obey is better than sacrifice, and to hearken than the fat of rams.   It seems as if Samuel was reprimanding Saul for not follow the orders given to him by God.  He was suppose to kill everything, this was his excuse.  1 Samuel 15:21  But the people took of the spoil, sheep and oxen, the chief of the things which should have been utterly destroyed, to sacrifice unto the LORD thy God in Gilgal.  There is a message and a lesson in this, but it has nothing to do with a person who is asking you for money.   

The surgically dissecting the Bible into sound bites and sculptured statement do not in no way reflect the true thoughts and intent of the writer.  This type of interpretation is articulated by politician and perfected by the media; it can be used to make a person’s words say whatever the speaker wants it to say.   It is equivalent to changing the word of God.  Sound bites are what they imply, sound bites, they are not representative of a thought process, nor are they representative of the intended message.  How often have you heard Mark 16:15 and he said unto them, Go ye into all the world, and preach the gospel to every creature.   This segment of scripture is used to indicate that Jesus is talking to the masses or to the church and it is his directive for the church to go  out into the world and proclaim the Gospel.   There may be nothing wrong with this assessment of the scripture, but if we apply the rule of who is talking and who is being addressed, reading the entire paragraph will give us a different view of the conversation.  Mark 16:14-18 Afterward he appeared unto the eleven as they sat at meat, and upbraided them with their unbelief and hardness of heart, because they believed not them which had seen him after he was risen.  And he said unto them, Go ye into all the world, and preach the gospel to every creature. He that believeth and is baptized shall be saved; but he that believeth not shall be damned. And these signs shall follow them that believe; In my name shall they cast out devils; they shall speak with new tongues; They shall take up serpents; and if they drink any deadly thing, it shall not hurt them; they shall lay hands on the sick, and they shall recover.”

Through the Word of God, we are often privy to conversations between Jesus and his disciples, the same as we are privy to conversations between God and Moses or other great leaders. In our struggle to, “live by every word of God”, we change the application and spiritualize much of the Bible, but by using that technique we are still left with the unexplainable. Many of us have problems with seeing the fruition of the explicit promises made by Jesus when he said, “And these signs shall follow them that believe; In my name shall they cast out devils; (Do we have a problem casting out devils today? When Jesus cast out devils, they departed immediately. The next question would be, do we believe in devil possession? ) …They shall speak with new tongues; (Is this the incoherent mumbling that is often referred to as unknown tongues or was this the disciples' ability to speak so that all of the different tribes could understand them?) They shall take up serpents; (Mainstream Christians have denounced snake handlers as deviants and cultists. But they base their practice on the same passage that faith healer and those that speak in unknown tongues use to justify their faith. Most Biblical scholars believe the verses are a late addition to Mark. But to snake handlers, the words are as meaningful as any others in the Bible. Some churches practice this as a part of their worship service, to them it is a test of faith, other groups claim that it is being taken out of context or they spiritualize it.) and if they drink any deadly thing, it shall not hurt them; (Churches as a rule, refrain from this practice, but Jim Jones and his church really took it to another level) … they shall lay hands on the sick, and they shall recover.” (The laying on of hands is an abused practice. This was one of the first attributes of God that was exploited on live Television.)

How often have we struggled in darkness seeking to manifest our belief in God.. We pray for the healing power of God to manifest itself, only to lose our loved ones to the darkness of death? Is it because we do not believe in the power of prayer or is it because of a lack faith? How many times those with serious afflictions have stood in pray lines praying for the healing power of God to flow, only to see those with headaches and backaches testify of their healing, while those with serious diseases simply die. The common knowledge of humanity tells us that if believing in God and prayer was the answer as many proclaim, many problems we are facing today would have been resolved long ago.  

Next

Part #3

When Is A Miracle a Miracle?

The Conflicting Nature of Christianity, Part #1

Earl Gillespie

The Conflicting Nature of Christianity
"Adrift in a sea of splits and confusion"
Part #1 of 6

2 Timothy 2:14-16, of these things put them in remembrance, charging them before the Lord that they strive not about words to no profit, but to the subverting of the hearers. Study to shew thyself approved unto God, a workman that needeth not to be ashamed, rightly dividing the word of truth. But shun profane and vain babblings: for they will increase unto more ungodliness.

There are those whom we have designated as role models, it is not always clear as to who or what criteria is used to make this designation, but there are a couple of things that stands out, role models must be about making money, they must be inaccessible to their adoring public and the media must seek them out for exposure.   When young men and women see the athletics making a profane amount of money and performing for the national media, it fueled an insatiable desire to be like Mike.  The music industry also stepped up the pace for selecting role models that tarnishes the minds of the younger generations.  Even the drug dealers and gang leaders in our crime infested neighborhoods became a role model.  The devil observing all of this with a smiling demure concluded that it would be great if he could do the same for the church.  Preachers began to learn the technique of becoming a role model.  The problem with this is, Jesus was not accepted as a role model by the population at large, he was crucified.  It would take a special person to want to follow in the footsteps of a person who was crucified.

When Christianity began to flourish during its early day it became the primary focus of the devil to destroy the church.   When the destruction of the church through persecution failed under Roman rule, the devil resorted to his old strategy, he would infiltrate the church and destroy it from within.   To achieve this, the devil would rely on the same technique he used when he infiltrated  the Garden of Eden.  Please note, he was successful then, but it proved to be unsuccessful when he tried the same trick with Jesus on the mountain.  Matthew 4:8-9  Again, the devil taketh him up into an exceeding high mountain, and sheweth him all the kingdoms of the world, and the glory of them; And saith unto him, All these things will I give thee, if thou wilt fall down and worship me.  The devil’s plan to destroy the church was to offer the Christians through a message of earthly prosperity and favors all of the things he offered Jesus.  To accept the devil’s offer the church began the process of changing the Word of God.    With the evolution of these changes the churches and the pastors that Jesus ordained, became rich and adrift in a sea of splits and confusion.  In the Book of Revelation, Jesus condemns the same church that he founded through the shedding of his precious blood.  Revelation 3:17  Because thou sayest, I am rich, and increased with goods, and have need of nothing; and knowest not that thou art wretched, and miserable, and poor, and blind, and naked:

When I was young, Sunday was a wonderful day, that first day of the week when we would go to church and sit in solemn repose, hearing, contemplating and meditating on the Word of God.   Our faith and our hope were simple; it was based upon John 3:16, “For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believes in him should not perish, but have everlasting life”.  As the interpretation of the Bible began to evolve, we began to hear many reports of the things we were doing were wrong.  John 8:32 said, “And ye shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free”.  With the changing interpretation of the Bible, a conflict within the rank and file members of Christianity began to emerge as we were constantly reminded that the Word of God never changes.  Naturally, the question began to evolve as to what is the truth and with that evolution many came forward as the possessors of the truth.  Biblical truths began to contradict Bible truths and each truth sprouted its own denomination.  The battle of the denominations peaked with splits resulting in more splits and church shopping became a new way of finding God.  Preachers would bust up churches and members would often leave one church in search of another.  This was the age of the proliferation of the churches and the Word of God.  In my younger days the truth was simple.  Going to church was about our struggle to obtain eternal life for the spiritual soul.  It was about believing in God.  There was no promise of earthly richness and glory; these things were left to our proclivity.  The promise was simple, everlasting life, Heaven or Hell.

During the week we worked or went to school to survive or to learn how to survive in the natural world, then on Sunday we went to church to learn about the spiritual world.  Emphases were placed on the fact that we were going to leave this place, ready or not.  As Jesus indicated, there was or is a gulf that separates the two worlds and as long as we maintained that separation serving God was simple and refreshing.  To sustain our belief we believed in the natural world and we believed in the spirit world.  During the old days believing in a spiritual God was easy, we believed in God, we believed in ghost and we believed in Santa Claus.  Today our belief in ghost and Santa Claus has been cast aside and the belief in God is being tested.  Men have turned the Word of God into a corporation or big business where profits are the main goal and not salvation.

The charlatans devised schemes to fleece the sheep of God’s pasture. Rock-star preachers hiding behind the sacred cloak of the Word of God, according to Romans 1:25, “Who changed the truth of God into a lie, and worshipped and served the creature (earthly goods) more than the Creator (God and salvation), who is blessed forever. Amen”.   They came forth with messages that soothe the spirit and the God of our salvation emerged as a loving and giving God. Once the churches became contented with the Lord giving out conflicting messages every Sunday it became easy to lead the followers down the wrong path.   When the messenger of today stands before those who have been indoctrinated in the Word of God and proclaim they have a message from God, the congregation is ‘awed’ into submission.  Emotions play an important part in these messages and these emotions are defined as the spirit of God.  As the church moves into the creative entertainment phase of spiritual worship, the emotional outburst that once was common in the entertainment arena has now moved into the church.   The ‘James Brown effect’ is a viable tool that is being used to attract people into the church.   At the end of the day checks are being drawn in the name of God, and God is not honoring those checks.

I exist on the outside of the professional religious institution, that institution that I once was a part of the inner circle until I became disillusioned with the hypocrisy that I had become a part of.  It was hard for me not to wonder how all of this was going to play out in the Kingdom of God.  As we each go about establishing our own little kingdom here on earth would we be able to come together as the one body of Christ.  The church, as the bride of Christ should project the teaching of Christ, but the church as a body seems to have splintered into a disorganized body.  Was this what Jesus was referring to when he said, “in my father’s house there are many mansions?” , but if the Saints is suppose to judge the world how can we do that when we are so divided here on earth?  Will there be a special section of the Baptist, the Pentecostals or the Jehovah Witness?  It seems as if the oneness of the bride of Christ is a confusing entity.   

The people of God were drawn to the pageantry and the golden imagery of idol worship after witnessing one of the greatest acts of deliverance in the wilderness.   They had the audacity to address the golden calf as the God that delivered them out of the hands of the Egyptians.   There is that insatiable need to elevate and be elevated to positions of power and respect.  The football players, the rock stars, the movie star and even the preachers are elevated to positions of power and respect, not because of the life they live but because of their ability to entertain the crowds.  If it were announced in the local newspaper that Bishop Somebody was speaking at a local auditorium and tickets were on sale, imagine the turnout.   Now imagine the same scenario only replace the speaker with Minister Nobody.  Remove the ticket sale, now imagine the turnout.  There are two scriptures that come to mind, Matthew 11:7 and as they departed, Jesus began to say unto the multitudes concerning John, What went ye out into the wilderness to see? A reed shaken with the wind? Luke 4:24 and he said, Verily I say unto you, No prophet is accepted in his own country.

A poster appeared on the social media page that showed a line of people marching off into a tunnel of light, the caption said, "Lord, I want to be in that number, when the saints go marching in."  A vision of the New Orleans street scene filled my mind, the Jazz beat with people dancing and marching down the street.   I began a mental search of the scripture hoping to find a verse that gave a certain amount of credence to that supposition that we were going to go marching into Heaven.   Unable to find one that was supportive of that idea, I was left with the message of Paul to the church at Thessalonians.  This may or may not allow for that grand march. 1 Thessalonians 4:16-17 For the Lord himself shall descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of the archangel, and with the trump of God: and the dead in Christ shall rise first: Then we which are alive and remain shall be caught up together with them in the clouds, to meet the Lord in the air: and so shall we ever be with the Lord.  

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Part #2

"A Multi-Level-Marketing scheme"