I have been doing some recent reading on a Theological perspective that has the Presbyterians and other denominations in turmoil. This theology is called "The New Perspective". Perhaps at another time, I will discuss this and how it is effecting many organized institutional "churches".
I did want to quote something written by a Reformed Theologian who has wrote a paper about this subject. My reasoning for doing so will be explained after his statement.
*We can become preoccupied with debate –making faith an expression of cerebral competition and intellectual arrogance rather than heart engagement and spiritual dependence. If our ministries only become battlegrounds for sacramental correctness rather than instruments for promoting the Gospel of grace, then we and the Church will have lost much. We all must pray earnestly for the work of the Spirit in our hearts to help us determine whether our efforts are turning the Church toward ever-greater introspection and isolation, or whether we are preparing the Church for Gospel-true priorities and progress. Each must examine his own heart to ask if what he is doing and teaching is creating greater love for Jesus that liberates the soul to serve Him, or is binding God’s people to standards of ecclesiastical correctness rooted in our own doctrinal insecurities and preferences.
We need the Lord’s wisdom to know what needs to be defended, what needs to be denounced, and what needs to be ignored because it only appeals to our appetite for argument.
Dr. Bryan Chapell - President and Professor of Practical Theology- Covenant Theological Seminary. From his writing on "an Explanation of the New Perspective - for friends of Covenant Theological Seminary.
His final statement as written, is important.
Now, I ask myself, why do I so want to attack Dispensationalism as it is especially presented into today's churches by people like the Reverend Hagee and others.
I can tell you, with heartfelt sincerity and Spirit taught truth and a longing deep desire to see Christ as center of whatever we do or say, this is my reason for the debate.
I wholeheartedly believe that at the heart of this false teaching and other teachings is a subtle demon leading people from Christ and His teaching on the Sermon on the Mount, Paul's declarations on salvation, and who Israel is and what is the Kingdom of God and where does God reign, in the heart of the believer or in a man instituted government that will restore the shadow of the things that Christ has removed from us. The very things that He has revealed in truth to, his life, death and resurrection, Pentecost and the continued life of Christ in the believer is at risk of being degrinated, and shunned, for a false teaching that has existed throughout man's history, dominance over another man, and their land or their goods dictated by another men.
Historically, it always results in war and blood shed and a totalitarian existence for those conquered.
I don't argue for the sake of argument. I believe that the subject of Dispensationalism, Christian Zionism and Christian Nationalism are the most dangerous prevailing doctrines to the truth of scripture and Christ. These subjects that have become so very popular with the "church", I believe in my heart will lead to totalitarianism, a police state, apartheid government, a false Theocracy and the suffering that will come will be upon the Christian, those who truly hold the truth's of the Sermon on the Mount, and all of the work of Jesus to bring salvation to us, and those living out Christ in them, the hope of glory, will be killed at the very hands of those that now are the tares amongst the wheat in the organized "church".
In all of this, there will come more and more of a propensity to drive law towards more and more capital punishment for minimal crimes.
Just as in Saudi Arabia, you can chop of the hands of someone who steals, I believe the whole concept will lead to a bloodthirst of others, which the "church" will relish seeing and watching, and calling what is evil - good.
These things are already happening, but the uneducated on the real news going on around the world, and the real autrocities going on even at the hands of America and Israel are often times hidden from the populace or they just choose not to look at it to believe the lie.
We have made an unholy alliance that will lead more and more down the road to eliminating everything that we say we are fighting for - freedom. Without this freedom, there will be only the freedom to choose between the interpretation of things by the elite few, the religious leaders like Hagee, Robertson and others who think they can establish a Theocracy or the freedom to have death for opposing their views and the views of the prevailing majority who will be seriously blinded by the "god of this age"- Satan.
The spirit of anti-christ is here, now. I will say in all seriousness, it can be found in the warmongering, bloodthirsty mouths of all those in organized religious leaders spewing out of their mouths the lie of Dispensationalism, which has lead them into a pro-zionist view, that has become in their minds a Christian nationalist view. I pity them for not seeing Jesus anymore.
I pity them for leaving their first love. I pity them for turning to a false gospel of violence from the Prince of Peace. I pity them, that they have quenched the voice of the Holy Spirit in their hearts.
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False prophets appeared in the past among the people, and in the same way false teachers will appear among you. They will bring in destructive, untrue doctrines, and will deny the Master who redeemed them, and so they will bring upon themselves sudden destruction. Even so, many will follow their immoral ways; and because of what they do, others will speak evil of the Way of truth. In their greed these false teachers will make a profit out of telling you made-up stories. For a long time now their Judge has been ready, and their Destroyer has been wide awake! from 2 Peter Chapter 2
Nothing can better describe many of these ministries, then they deny the Master who bought them, and they do it to make merchandise of you. They preach for profit, and riches and to make themselves important.
Did you know that Pat Robertson has a jet given to him by the Israeli government, and that he has a jet he leases out to others to fly, and makes a profit off this as well, all money provided by the "faithful".
These may all be facts to some of you, but you have been so blinded to truth, it won't bother you.
You will say, oh well! what's wrong with giving to those who preach the gospel.
First. I will declare they are presenting a false gospel.
Second listen to Paul - the greatest preacher of the true Gospel since.
You yourselves know very well that you should do just what we did. We were not lazy when we were with you. We did not accept anyone’s support without paying for it. Instead, we worked and toiled; we kept working day and night so as not to be an expense to any of you.
2 Thessalonians Chapter 3
Paul was a tentmaker and anyone with common sense and reading of these scriptures knows until Paul was imprisoned, he drew no financial support by demand, salary or hourly. He did recieve gifts from time to time, but never a "tithe" for his missionary work.
He was self sufficient in Christ, and many times this resulted in the following "prosperity" for him. I have placed this prosperity in bold.
But if anyone dares to boast about something—I am talking like a fool—I will be just as daring. Are they Hebrews? So am I. Are they Israelites? So am I. Are they Abraham’s descendants? So am I. Are they Christ’s servants? I sound like a madman—but I am a better servant than they are! I have worked much harder, I have been in prison more times, I have been whipped much more, and I have been near death more often. Five times I was given the thirty-nine lashes by the Jews; three times I was whipped by the Romans; and once I was stoned. I have been in three shipwrecks, and once I spent twenty-four hours in the water. In my many travels I have been in danger from floods and from robbers, in danger from my own people and from Gentiles; there have been dangers in the cities, dangers in the wilds, dangers on the high seas, and dangers from false friends. There has been work and toil; often I have gone without sleep; I have been hungry and thirsty; I have often been without enough food, shelter, or clothing. And not to mention other things, every day I am under the pressure of my concern for all the churches. When someone is weak, then I feel weak too; when someone is led into sin, I am filled with distress.
If I must boast, I will boast about things that show how weak I am. The God and Father of the Lord Jesus—blessed be his name forever!—knows that I am not lying.
2 Corinthians Chapter 11
If anybody was preaching health, wealth and prosperity - it sure wasn't Paul. He knew that being a Christian was counting the cost, and the cost was great!
Opulent lifestyles, big caravans, fancy homes, lots of cash, sure wasn't the story the Apostles nor the Lord Jesus Christ could boast about while they ministered. They had no home, no place to rest their heads, because their call was greater than all that. There call was a higher call.
The lie of health, wealth and prosperity teaching has stolen from the Gospel and Christ as well, and right along with Dispensationalism, Escapism Rapture, Christian Zionism, and Nationalism, these are made up of three things of this world.
Lust of the eye, lust of the flesh and the pride of life!
Do not love the world, nor the things in the world, if anyone loves the world, the love of the Father is not in Him
We are to contend for the Faith always and hold to the traditions that have been taught to us by Christ and the Apostles.
We cannot make the same mistake that Israel did, and explain away the Word of God for the traditions of men.
Christians that say they believe in "justified war" can give no answer to Christ teaching on "love your enemy". Then to deny it.
The Dispensationalist can give no answers to Paul's writing that both Gentile and Jew are "one" now in Christ. Then to deny it.
The Health, Wealth and Prosperity teachers can give no answer for the suffering of all saints through the ages. When they do offer answers, they are nonsense, and scripture twisted to benefit them. They deny the truth for greed.
I know that surely, more sermons today are preached toward making the flesh feel good, then there are sermons that make a broken and contrite spirit before a Holy God, that would make us beat our chest and say "have mercy upon me a sinner".
No, our days are the days of Pastor or Reverend- Feel Good.
Please make me feel good about my materialism, my nationalism, my hatred for those that don't fit my image of God (which is an image of my self), hatred for anyone I prefer to hate and help me justify it. Help me Lord to take and get all I can get in this life, "as I only go around once, so I got to grab all the gusto I can". We enter a false temple, to get a false sense of well being, from a false priest too often.
I am sickened by the "me" sermons. What's in it for me? Yea, preacher, preach it, it makes me feel good, it pumps up my human drive to accomplish great things in this world for myself.
It makes me excited, it's like those sales seminars I go to, I love it man, preach it. I can go out of here and conquer the world for my flesh.
The question we should be asking, is what is in it for our heavenly father and the Kingdom of God (his rule in my life) and sacrificial love expressed to others. A love that puts others first over the "me". If worship is nothing more than pumping up the human spirit, I know some better speakers than a lot of preachers in that area. This is where we have gone, the better Dr. Feel Good is at making me feel good, the bigger the numbers become, and the more money there is to build a temple unto myself. Bigger crowds means more money, and more praise for my flesh.
My stomach is sickened when I hear the feel good sermons, not that Our heavenly Father doesnt want us to feel good.
The Kingdom of God is about the Holy Spirit, it is about joy, peace and righteousness in Him, all these things can bring psychological and emotional "feel goods".
The reason most often we don''t have this is that we have not given recognition to our need to let go of all the other things that substitute for this.
Material wealth, perfect health, being the top dog, etc. Our idea to be the best over others, etc.
The guy with the biggest toys when he dies, wins! That's the exclamation of the new "me" crowd and the preachers who drive them with their humanistic sermons.
I would go even as far to say, it is because of these false teachings and the false gospels, that more church going Christians, suffer depression and anxiety, than those that aren't proclaiming to be Christian or those who have "come out of her", the institutional organizational Babylon.
Why is this? because of a false gospel they are living in the flesh as carnal Christians, the flesh wars with the Spirit, and as long as you sow to the flesh - it's what you get - more of it. There is a clear dictomomy between the flesh and the spirit once you have been given the new birth in Christ by the Holy Spirit. You will be in a stuggle, yes, but it is a struggle that can only be won in the Spirit and by the Spirit. You must fall into the arms of Jesus and rely upon his resurrected power to overcome the flesh and this means having a paradigm shift of thinking as well, and this comes through the study of God's Word, without commentary at hand, without interpretation from some super spiritual teachers, or school. It comes as we open ourselves to the Holy Spirit as our one and only true teacher of the Word. Soak your self in the Word, fill you heart with it , breathe it, eat it, and love it, and change will happen.
David put it this way, let me hide your Word in my heart that I might not sin against YOU!
Then, go back and read all the traditions of men, and you will have a huge paradigm shift of thinking, because now you will see things through the eyes of Christ and not the organization you belong to, not to any denominations doctrine, you will see God for the first time - in your heart and your need for Him in every aspect of your life, above all things. You will see and realize how wonderful it is when He grants the grace not only for us to believe but to live the Christian life.
Then stand fast to the traditions taught you by the Word of Christ, no matter what.
He is the ulitmate authority for all things doctrinal or "sacramental" or other.
No man can give you what the Father will - TRUTH!
In all the false teachings that are going around, these teachings, disturb me the most, and I will shout it out from the house tops if I have too. False teaching is false teaching and their is no compromise with darkness. We are to abstain from even the appearance of evil.
Greed, war, hate, pride, all these things, all come from evil. Satan is disguising himself as an angel of light, in his ministers.
So, if you read my editorials, comments or news, you will find, often that I appear negative.
I am not negative, I believe in the most positive thing that ever happened to mankind, the love of God expressed in Christ toward us.
I do pray and hope that my writing will make believers more like the Bereans when they heard the Gospel preached.
The Bereans "received the word with all readiness, and searched the Scriptures daily to find out whether these things were so" (Acts 17:10-11)
If I accomplish this one thing, if I give you a readiness to recieve God's word, and to make a sincere search and study for yourself, of scripture, politics, history and all these that are associated in many ways, I will have accomplished my calling from God, it is to stir the gift within you, the gift of the Holy Spirit who brings holiness into your life.
My calling is the ministry of reconcialation, and that calling is to express to as many men, women and children, God reconciling men unto himself through Christ and how that reconciliation should affect us in every area of our lives in being reconciled to all people, of all races, economics, culture and life. The Gospel is the only thing, when taught in truth that brings peace and love, to a world that is torn by hate, war, greed and pride.
Jesus is the Prince of Peace. Do you really want peace in your heart, that is everlasting, that provides greater joy than all the things material that we could ever buy or own, greater than all the position you could hold, greater than the day your first child was born, come to Yeshua Messiach - Jesus the Messiah. Come to the King of Kings, the Lord of Lords who offers a Kingdom that is everlasting and takes in all men, that have recieved him with joy.
So, my arguments are presented "for the sake of Christ".
With that said, I will continue to Contend for the faith always. I will always, God help me, stand up and speak out against error and false teaching. Christ first always!
Dr. J.
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