Perilous Times Has Come: From Within The Church

This know also, that in the last days

perilous times shall come. For men

shall be lovers of their selves, coveteous,

boasters, proud, blasphemers, disobedient

to parents, unthankful, unholy, without

natural affection, trucebreakers,

false accusers, incontinent, fierce,

despisers of those that are good,

traitors, heady, highminded, lovers

of pleasure more than lovers of God;

having a form or godliness, but denying

the power therof: from such turn away.

2Timothy 3:1-5

     Yesterday I spoke with two Jehovah Witnesses and asked a couple of questions looking for them to give some sort of explanation why they interpret Scripture as they do and all that I got was simple incomplete answers that showed that they had very little, if any, knowledge of grammar, not just Greek. Even so far as to go and use proof Scriptures out of context. I am afraid that this lack of knowledge exist in far too many Churches and with too many Christians. It seems as though many Christians know and can repeat easy to believe verses but when it comes to the more difficult verses, not grammatically but pragmatic use of those Scripture they are ignored. 

     Paul warns Timothy and us that in the "last days" perilous times would come and they have come and over time have become a blight upon the Church for the blight comes from within the Church, not just from those outside the Church, they do, and I will address that in a later blog.

People today are more than ever lovers of themselves and this is easy to see from the lifestyles and desires of people, even people in the Church who look for an easy religion. One such person willing to provide that easy, sound good, theology is Joyce Meyer. To listen to her you may be moved and impressed for she tells a compelling story how she overcame difficulty. She gives lots of advice and much of this advice is helpful if a person is in a crisis but her teaching is deadly heresy. Her teaching on Jesus is blasphemy for she teaches that Jesus literally stopped being the Son of God on the Cross. "He could have helped himself up until the point where  he said I commend my spirit into your hands, at that point he couldn't do nothing for himself anymore. He had become sin, he was no longer the Son of God. He was sin." (Italics mine).
     This is blasphemy for God is immutable and lives in no time, was always, and is always, and foreknew and foreordained nothing in relation to time, as He has not beginning, being eternal and unchangeable all that God does is His eternal will, no new plan,no new arrangement, no new decision. Nothing is accidental to His divinity and in His deity, therefore Jesus is God and is the eternal One and nothing can change that fact. Jesus was not helpless for in His eternal plan He came to earth, called the Son of God to die to pay this debt owed to Him Himself and this He did on the cross. Jesus eternally was and is the Son of God.
     Furthermore, Joyce Meyer teaches that Jesus went to hell and become the first-born again man. "Do you know something? The minute that blood sacrifice was accepted Jesus was the first human being that was ever born again. Now that was real it happened when he was in hell." (Italics mine).
     Over time the word "hades" or in English "hell" has come to be known as a place of fire and brimstone of anguish, and pain. The Greek word "άδης" corresponds to the Hebrew word "Sheol." This is the place for departed souls, both the lost and includes the blessed dead until the ascension of Jesus Christ (Strong's #86). This acceptance of the blood of Jesus occurred when Jesus was on the cross, not in hell. In hell Jesus awaited until He resurrected Himself and by this became the firstborn of the dead, that is, to be now in this everlasting body and sin no longer had hold on Him. 
     Joyce Meyers teaches that Jesus paid for our sins in hell.
 "There is no hope of anyone going to heaven unless they believe this truth I am presenting. You cannot go to heaven unless you believe with all your heart that Jesus took your place in hell" -From The Most Important Decision You Will Ever Make (Italics mine).
     Jesus did not take your place in hell, you will die and you will go to hell. Not as is taught by too many Churches but as the word actually means and think on this: hell will be thrown into the lake of fire, Gehenna, and from that their is not escape. Jesus paid for your sins on the cross.
     Joyce Meyer teaches that you need special revelation form God to understand what she teaches because it is NOT contained in the bible. HUH! "The Bible can't even find any way to explain this. Not really. That's why you've got to get it by revelation. There are no words to explain what I'm telling you. I've got to just trust God that He's putting it into your spirit like He put it into mine." From "What Happened From the Cross to The Throne.""Now spirits don't have bodies, so we can't see them. Okay? There probably is, I believe there is, and I certainly hope there is several angels up here this morning that are preaching with me. I believe that right before I speak some anointed statement to you, that one of them bends over and says in my ear what I'm supposed to say to you." From "Witchcraft & Related Spirits" (Part 1) - 2 A-27 Audiotape) (Italics mine). 
     I could go on about this heretical person who teaches heresy. Her hermeutics are terrible and she seems as do most of these preachers has an unrestrained love for money and applause. If you have been one who has trusted here, one that is so wrong, with so much influence who may have influenced you, she is a false teacher and needs to be rejected. Joyce Meyers thinks and teaches that she has a form of godliness, when she is examined, it is found that she is as Paul said: one who loves themselves more than God. 
Run to the truth! Run from these heresies! 

Behold, these caused the children
    of Israel, through the counsel 
of Balaam, to commit trespass 
     against the LORD in the matter
of Peor, and there was a plague 
    among the congregation of the LORD.
                    Numbers 31: 16

Read the Word Of God: There is truth

Richard L. Crumb

Removing The Veil From False Teachers

Flee also youthful lusts: but

follow righteousness, faith,

charity, peace, with them

that call on the Lord out 

of a pure heart. But foolish

and unlearned questions avoid,

knowing that they do gender

strifes. And the servant of the

Lord must not strive; but be gentle 

unto all men, and to teach, 

patient, in meekness instructing

those that oppose themselves;

if God peradventure will give

them repentance to the

acknowledging of the truth;

and that they may recover

themselves out of the snare 

of the devil, who are taken

captive by him at his will.

2Timothy 2:22-26

     It is not just questions that we are to avoid, no we are to question everything (1Thessalonians 5:21). But, we are to be wise to know when a question is just a ploy to cause an argument that has no real foundation only an attempt to cause confusion, or to just simply make a person seem right. It isn't the devil himself that causes us to fall away from our faith, no, he uses snares and those snares are often within a Church or with a Church leader, one who is teaching what seems Scriptural but upon examination it is found to be another gospel and not the Gospel. The devil is a single being, but he has a horde of fallen angels that is used to mislead people, and then by those people more people are mislead. In this sense, the devil made me do it.  Remember this: the best way to put forth a lie is to encase it in truth and this is what is being done by many people claiming to teach the "truth." 

     John recorded these words of Jesus: "He that believeth on me, as the scripture hath said, out of his belly shall flow rivers of living water" (John 7:38). Jesus did not say that the person who believeth shall realize the blessing of the fullness of God, but He did say that the one believing in Him shall have the living water flowing out of the one believing, that which he has received flows out from him. The purpose of God is not the development of a man as taught by such men as Joel Osteen, or Joyce Meyer as will be shown. The purpose of God is to make a man exactly like Himself and to have the characteristics of the Son of God, this is self expenditure. If we believe in Jesus it is not what we gain, but what Jesus pours through us that counts. Spiritually we cannot measure our life by our success, but only by what God pours through us, and that we cannot measure. It is time that we break the life seeking fame, fortune, success, craving for worldly pleasures to find satisfaction. It is time to take in the truth of God's word, and then allow Him to pour out through us living waters, that is the Gospel. The question is: will be do it for Him?

     One such person teaching what seems to be Scriptural is Joel Osteen who teaches a prosperity gospel, even though when cornered he will say that he does not. But does he? Let us examine this.  Joel Osteen on the surface seems to have some really great things to say. He is encouraging and the man is certainly happy. This should not be held against him. Joel Osteen has had to backtrack often so if we take him at his word, we can only conclude that he is either incapable or unwilling to explain the Gospel and how the Gospel actually intersects with life. Faith is required for the Prosperity Gospel for this doctrine uses faith as a tool, a tool that teaches that by doing good things a person can leverage God to get material blessings. Now, we must not take one things said about this but we can look at what was written by this man to get proof that he does teach this: "God has already done everything He's going to do. The ball is now in your court. If you want success, if you want wisdom, if you want to be prosperous and healthy, you're going to have to do more than meditate and believe; you must boldly declare words of faith and victory over yourself and your family" From Your Best Life Now, p.132. "If you are believing for your child to find God, go help somebody else's child to develop a relationship with God. If you're struggling financially, go out and help somebody who has less than you have ... f you want to reap financial blessings, you must sow financial seeds in the lives of others ... If you want to see healing and restoration come to your life, go out and help somebody else get well" From Your Best Life Now, pp. 224, 250-51. This is teaching that by doing you can leverage God to gain. This is false, a false gospel, one that teaches that if we open ourselves to God we can get more from God. Furthermore, he teaches that if we use our words to speak into existence a better reality. This is what the Faith Movement teaches but is not what the Bible teaches. Sounds good, it tickles our ears, is this not what we all want? Yes! But is this what God wants from His children? No, and I wrote on this in the opening of this blog. This is a name it and claim it theology and is not what Scripture teaches. 

     I, having allowed myself to be led into a cult early in my life and still had questions I began to look into the Bible and found that what I was being taught was untrue. It took time to process this new understanding and by reading the Bible, other books by many different authors who presented different ideas I knew that I needed more and that more was a better understanding of the original languages. I try to apply understanding of Greek words so that a person can find out by their study the truth or a better understanding of what was written so that their, (mine) faith will not be misled. Discernment is a missing element in many peoples life but discernment is necessary to be applied when hearing or reading what a person is teaching or saying. If not then you will be vulnerable to false doctrine. 

     Tomorrow I will address another famous teacher and see if this person is teaching truth or another gospel. This is so that we become a true servant of God and allow Him to flow living waters through us. What a blessing to be used by God. It will require much time and study, prayer, meditation, and then action but it is what God requires and God is who we follow, not a man.

Nevertheless the LORD 

     raised up judges, 

which delivered them

    out of the hand of

those that spoiled them.

                 Judges 2:16

Make yourself available to God

Richard L. Crumb

.

 

The Calling By God To Holiness

Nevertheless the foundation of God

standeth sure, having this seal, 

The Lord knoweth them that are

His. And, Let every one that 

nameth the name of Christ

depart from iniquity. But in a 

great house there are not only

vessels of gold and silver, but 

also of wood and of earth; and

some to honor, and some to

dishonor. If a man therefore purge 

himself from these, he shall be a

vessel unto honour, sanctified and 

meet for the master's use, and

prepared unto every good work.

2Timothy 2:19-21

     In yesterday's blog I began naming names for you to examine and determine if whether or not they are teaching heresy, or in the least false understanding of Scripture. First I wrote what they have had to say and given references for you. I pray that you will take this time. Why?

     "Because it is written, Be ye holy; for I am holy" (1Peter 1:16). What is the purpose of your life? When you come to know it, restate it to yourself. Much preaching today is all about what God will do for you, prosperity, health, happiness, etc., but this is not the destined end of man, only holiness. Today people are running to and fro for some form of euphoric happiness, or some entertainment (which is not all bad) that will cause joy. We are dissipated (scattered in various directions), to indulge in extravagant, intemperate, or dissolute pleasure. We will find or give to them some right, good or noble affinity (not all bad), that we have come to believe will in time find their fulfillment. Churches have become a social (which in its good use is good) entity, filled with exciting entertainment that is more like a concert by the world than entertainment that leads a person to worship God in truth. God must atrophy them. The real matter is: whether a man will accept God 

Who will make them holy. At all costs a man must be rightly related to God. 

    Listen to some of the preachers: shouting, sweating, dancing, crying, and teaching a gospel that is not the Gospel. Or they are holding up a Bible saying that what they are teaching is Scripture and this is what I will be doing for the more famous of those preachers who teach falsely. At least I have found this to be true and will give you their words so you can check this out, by Scripture.

     Do you believe that you need to by holy? Do you believe that God can enter into you and make you holy? Here is where much preaching as gone askew: they teach a soft gospel making Jesus to be a teddy bear, and if you are "good" enough He just might save you. But if the preaching is to convince me that you are unholy, you resent it. Is this not what the Gospel does? You when hearing the truth about yourself you are awakened to an intense resentment because it does reveal that you are unholy. On the other hand: you are awakened to an intense craving, craving to be holy. Your sanctification will not be complete this side of heaven, only until you are before the throne of God will you achieve the holiness that God has determined for all His children. This is the destined end that God has for those to whom He has enabled and called. God desires to produce saints. Not someone that has been determined to be called a saint, but saints who live a holy life. 

     God is not an eternal blessing machine for man. This is what is being taught by men such as T.D. Jakes, and other as will be shown. Those teachers, preachers who are duping people to believe another gospel outside the true Gospel of the Bible. God did not come to earth to live, die, and be resurrected, and to ascend into heaven out of pity. No! He paid that debt we owe to Him, Himself. God came to enable, to call, to save men because He created them to be holy. Atonement, a word tossed around in Churches but few understand its real meaning: Atonement means that God can put you back into perfect union with Himself. God can take away that wall, which is a shadow,"Though thou hast broken us in the place of dragons, and covered us with the shadow of death. If we have forgotten the name of our God, or stretched out our hands to a strange god; shall not God search this out? For He knoweth the secrets of the heart" (Psalm 44: 19-21). This He did by means of the death of Jesus Christ.  

     Are you sympathetic to yourself, or with others who practice that which is not keeping with a holy God? Holiness means an unsullied walk with God, daily, with your tongue, with your mind, every detail of life is to be under the scrutiny of God. Holiness is not only what God gives me, but what a person manifests what God has given a person. 

     Tomorrow I will examine another preacher to see if what he believes and teaches is Scriptural. 

And now for a little space 

    grace hath been shown 

from the LORD our God, 

    to leave us a remnant 

to escape, and to give us

    a constant and sure abode

in His holy place, that our

    God may enlighten our

eyes, and give us a little

    reviving in our bondage.

                      Ezra 9:8