The Halfway Covenant – Precursor to today’s materialistic and Spiritually dead churches?

An interesting piece of Church history is found here: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Half-Way_Covenant

Go read it – it is a short article and will only require about 60 seconds.

I believe that this (yet another) lie of Satan, explains:

1. The modern day infatuation with material riches, even in the Church;

2. Why there are so many people sitting in Churches, Sunday after Sunday, that are not born again, and have no relationship with Christ;

Another lie of the devil. No one can be a “half member” of the Body of Christ – you either are, or you are not. You are either born again, or you are not.

The Problem with the world’s system

The problem with the world’s financial system is that people in it believe in the approach of DO-HAVE-BE: A person needs to DO certain things, in order to HAVE certain things and possessions, to BE defined by those things and possessions that he or she has.
The root of the problem here is the belief that what I have, defines who I am. The kind of car I drive, the size of house that I live in etc., defines who I am. My worth is determined by these things, and therefore to increase my self-worth, I have to strive to have more things and possessions.
In order to have more things, I have to do certain things: work harder, outwit my competition, do what I need to do to come out as the winner, even if it means that another becomes a victim in the process. In the worst case, the ‘end justifies the means’, and therefore I may (if I believe in this approach) do things that are less honourable to get to where I want to be, or have what I want to have.
This approach is inherently flawed, because it is all about me, my needs, my desires, my life and what I want. I am on a mission, and that means that I cannot afford to help my fellow man, since it will reduce the level of result that I will enjoy in my life. God forbid that I will do something that will put him at an advantage over me.
This is how most people in the world approach life. Even those that deny this, subconsciously live out this credo. Many in the Body of Christ live this way too. This is a false premises to build one’s life on, and ultimately only leads to an insatiable craving for more and more.
The correct sequence should be BE-DO-HAVE.
I need to know who I am in Christ (the “BE” part), then in obedience to the Father DO His will, and as a result I will HAVE the things that I desire, given to me as a reward from Father God, for being obedient to His will.
The Bible is full of promises of blessing for those who know who they are in Christ, that they are in covenant with God, and as a result seek His will for their lives.
It should thus not be DO-HAVE-BE, but rather BE-DO-HAVE.

Love in our differences

Many times in my Christian walk have I been faced with a situation where I differ from a fellow Christian over some or other theological truth or principle. I believed I was right, and they believed that they were right.

I have come to the realization that most of the time the issues that we are differing on, whatever it may be, are often not that important.

Surely whether you are right or wrong about what form of baptism is the correct one will not determine whether you will spend eternity with or without God? Whether Jesus returns before, during or after the tribulation will not be that important. What matters is that whatever happens, I will be with Him for ever and eternity.

We all know the following passage of scripture:

“¹Though I speak with the tongues of men and of angels, but have not love, I have become sounding brass or a clanging cymbal. ²And though I have the gift of prophecy and understand all mysteries and all knowledge, and though I have all faith, so that I could remove mountains, but have not love, I am nothing. ³And though I bestow all my goods to feed the poor, and though I give my body to be burned, but have not love, it profits me nothing” [1 Cor 13:1-3, New King James version, italics added].

The above passage clearly warns that I can believe and do the right things (know the correct theology and doctrine), can be of strong faith, and do the greatest deeds of charity, but if my motive is not love (in all its various forms), it is all in vain.

God is not so much concerned about the ‘correctness’ of our theology or doctrine. He is much more concerned with the motives of our heart. Are we acting out of love?

Conversely, I believe that, even if a person may be theologically or doctrinally wrong, if he or she has love in their heart, and if that love forms the motivation for what they do, they will still be pleasing to God and enjoy His blessing.

There are many doctrines and theologies that people adhere to – it is a natural result of the centuries over which our faith has developed.

The one truth, however, that we should never differ and compromise on, is that Christ Jesus is the only Son of God, who died on the cross of Calvary, a sinless man, to pay for our salvation, and that faith in Him is the only way to the Father and to eternal life. As long as we both believe and agree on this, the differences we may have over doctrinal or theological issues are not really that important.

One thing I have learned: if the enemy can get us to differ from each other to the point that we leave each other in a state of offense at each other, he has won a major victory, because he has managed to destroy our Christian unity, without which we will never be effective for Christ and the Kingdom of God.

The Odor of Love

From the pen of Reinhardt Bonnke:

A prostitute once came tripping into a banquet, eyeing up the men. Jesus was there. Their eyes met. She, the used and dirtied harlot. He, divine love incarnate. The ancient miracle again began. Wonder swept over her, catching her breath, as if she had glimpsed the shores of some warm Promised Land across the wild cold waters of her life. Surprised by joy, music within her, no ear had ever heard, she wept with relief, stooped, kissed Christ’s shoeless feet. Her reddened lips and tears mingled with rouge and mascara marking His pure flesh. She gasped… [Read more]

His choice

Jesus Christ was the only human being that ever CHOSE to be born. Why? He had a purpose to fulfill. Our lives should also be filled with His purpose:

Luke 19:10 – “I have come to seek and to save those who are lost”

John 20:21 – “As my Father has sent Me, so send I you”

Jesus Christ vs Santa

This article has some hair raising truths about Santa…

When we carefully compare the myth of Santa Claus versus the real Biblical story of Jesus Christ, we are presented with the shocking truth that Santa has been thoroughly created to replace Jesus Christ in too many people’s lives. [Read more]

Originally published on http://www.cuttingedge.org

Be careful who you listen to

I have realised that one must be very careful whose teachings you listen to. I know of people that ‘runs after’ every second teacher they come accross, and in the end of the day they are more confused than they would have been without!

We should (with the guidance of the Holy Spirit) select a small handful of biblical teachers who have proven themselves, to listen to and to speak into our lives. This does not mean that one should listen to no-one else, but simply that we should not run after many other teachers.

Everone must make it out for him or herself, but I have decided to listen only to the following four preachers/teachers:

1. Ps At Boshoff – my spiritual father and mentor  (http://www.atboshoff.com/)
2. Joyce Meyer (http://www.joycemeyer.org/)
3. Dr Creflo Dollar (http://www.creflodollarministries.org/)

4. Reinhard Bonnke (http://www.cfan.org/)

All four has been proven to hear from God, and the fruit in their lives (very important) bear witness.

My dream is to also one day reach the level of spiritual maturity they have reached.

One last thing – be VERY wary of any teacher that does not use the Word of God as the basis of his/her teaching. If they are bold enough to say that the Bible is ‘out of date’ or that they have new revelation, run fast and run far!

All Kenneth CopelandBVOV teachings here

This page has an index and links to all of the Kenneth Copeland/BVOV teachings over the past couple of years.

http://www.bvov.tv/kcm/ondemand/index.php

Prophetic Praise and Worship

“I was glad when they said to me, “Let us go into the house of the Lord”” (Ps 122:1)

Do you sometimes stand in a worship service, and feel guilt, rather than gladness, because the words that you sing to God are simply not true of your life?

Many times I have experienced this conflict of emotions. I felt guilty because I was singing the words of a song, but those words were simply not true of the condition or testimony of my life.

Then, one day, God in His infinite love and grace told me the following: “My child, whenever you come across words like these, simply sing it in faith, as a prophetic song of how your life will change.”

That revelation from God was what set me free from those negative feelings. Ever since, I have been able to praise and to worship Jesus freely, without even a slightest feeling of guilt and condemnation. As a bonus, I also do not care anymore what other people think about my expression of worship, since I am standing before God.

Everything in the Kingdom operates by faith. Without faith it is impossible to please God (Heb 11:6). When I worship in this manner, I am placing faith in the transforming power of God to change my life for the better. I believe that the words that I sing will eventually become true of my life and relationship to Him.

“Now faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen” (Heb 11:1, italics mine). When I sing and I close my eyes, I make it a habit of seeing my life as it should be, as the words of the song that I sing, though perhaps not yet real in my life, becomes a reality.

This is also prophetic, in that it proclaims the will of God in my life, and in so doing, I am complying to the prophetic call and function of every believer in the Body of Christ.

As you go this weekend to the place where you worship God, remember this truth, and let it set you free from guilt and condemnation. Embrace Jesus’ love for you, knowing that His transforming power can change you. It will change your life.

When are we REALLY serving God?

As I look around me at fellow Christians, I see different people doing different things in their (mostly sincere) desire to serve God and be pleasing to Him.

Some have taken a vow to deny certain things of the world, to sacrifice worldly pleasure and gratification in a quest to obtain holiness and sanctification.

Others have shrugged off what they would call “the shackles of religious tradition” to serve God with freedom in the Holy Spirit, to offer to Him a sacrifice of worship through freedom of expression and the belief that all good things are to be enjoyed, and aimed for, in life.

Although I am convinced that both of these (albeit extreme) groups, and most people that are in between, are sincere in their desire to serve God in the way that they have chosen, I have come to ask the following question:

Is self denial or freedom in the Holy Spirit, or anything in between, really the way that we should serve God? Does all the things that we have chosen to do, to express our devotion to Him, really matter to Him?

In answer, the Holy Spirit (who searches the deep things of God - 1 Cor 2:10) took me to the following scriptures:

1 Sam 15:22 – “Has the Lord as great a 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.” [Amp, Italics mine]

Mark 12:33 – “And to love Him with all the heart, with all the understanding, with all the soul, and with all the strength, and to love one’s neighbor as oneself, is more than all the burnt offerings and sacrifices” [NKJV, Italics mine]

The answer that I got from the above two scriptures is that God desires obedience and love for Him and our fellow man, more than sacrifices (burnt offerings) or even our worship (the fat of rams).

Our moments of decision

This led me to the revelation that it is in our moments of decision that we really serve God.

When confronted with a choice or decision in our daily life (especially where we could take a decision or make a choice that would benefit ourselves to the disadvantage of another), where we have to make a choice for good or for bad, to be obedient to God’s will or not, and we do the right thing, and make the right choice, that we are really serving Him.

“Behold, to obey is better than sacrifice. . .” When we make the right decision, in obedience to God’s voice in our innermost being, even when it is to our disadvantage, we are serving Him at a level far higher than ‘sacrifices’, than religious form or freedom.

Why is it so important to God that we rather be obedient to His will, in our decision making, than to worship Him with sacrifices?

The answer lies in the simple truths that, firstly, if we do so, we are thereby automatically confirming our love for Him, and secondly, ensuring that we will love our neighbor, as commanded (Mark 12:33) – there is simply no way that we could obey God’s voice and not love our neighbor in the process.

A closing thought: just imagine if all of us made it a matter of devotion to God to always make the right choice in our moments of decision, what a better place this world will be?

(Please share your thoughts with me in the Comments box below.)