Thursday, February 3, 2011
Wednesday, February 2, 2011
Monday, January 31, 2011
Who is Joseph Prince?
If you live in Australia and, especially, are a believer who attends a pentecostal/charismatic church it is highly unlikely that you would not have come across Pastor Joseph Prince of New Creation Church in Singapore. I was introduced to this gentleman when visiting some dear Christian friends who suggested we watch a DVD in which he expounds very clearly what Paul means in 1 Cor 11:29 about 'not discerning the Lord's body'. Since we're always glad to hear good biblical teaching, we heartily agreed. For the life of me, I couldn't figure out what the fuss was all about. There was a lot of hype and he was quite a confident and engaging speaker but the teaching itself was, in my opinion, rather lightweight and vacuous. I was left wondering, at the end, just what exactly it was he was trying to say?
Anyway, since then, I've discovered that Joseph Prince's star is soaring high in the Christian TV/charismatic world. His weekly broadcast, called "Destined to Reign" is shown on Trinity Broadcasting Network (TBN) as well as a number of other channels and beamed all over the United States, as well as his native Singapore and Australia (Australian Christian Channel). Every time I come across any of his material on the internet or in a Christian bookshop, I often wonder what exactly it is that he teaches. He comes across as a charismatic personality, well spoken, and wants everyone to enjoy the blessings of God. Plus, he's not American! All good points. However, that's the impression I used to have of teachers like Kenneth Copeland - until I started to delve into his teachings and came across stuff that is so unbiblical the mind boggles that any sane believer would accept it. So, whether rightly or wrongly, my 'heresy-sensor' is always on alert these days whenever I came across any prominent preacher.
It is high time therefore, that I did some digging around into Pastor Joseph Prince and understand exactly what it is he teaches, so that I can know for myself whether his teachings line up with Scripture or not.
Lest this sound like some sort of pitiful witchunt by an unknown trying to 'take down' 'God's anointed man', be advised that it is important to know what people really teach versus the Bible. We are commanded to test everything in the Word. No man is more important or greater than God's written Word. No matter how high or popular he is, if what he teaches is not in line with Scripture, we've got a problem.
Watch this space. To be continued.
Anyway, since then, I've discovered that Joseph Prince's star is soaring high in the Christian TV/charismatic world. His weekly broadcast, called "Destined to Reign" is shown on Trinity Broadcasting Network (TBN) as well as a number of other channels and beamed all over the United States, as well as his native Singapore and Australia (Australian Christian Channel). Every time I come across any of his material on the internet or in a Christian bookshop, I often wonder what exactly it is that he teaches. He comes across as a charismatic personality, well spoken, and wants everyone to enjoy the blessings of God. Plus, he's not American! All good points. However, that's the impression I used to have of teachers like Kenneth Copeland - until I started to delve into his teachings and came across stuff that is so unbiblical the mind boggles that any sane believer would accept it. So, whether rightly or wrongly, my 'heresy-sensor' is always on alert these days whenever I came across any prominent preacher.
It is high time therefore, that I did some digging around into Pastor Joseph Prince and understand exactly what it is he teaches, so that I can know for myself whether his teachings line up with Scripture or not.
Lest this sound like some sort of pitiful witchunt by an unknown trying to 'take down' 'God's anointed man', be advised that it is important to know what people really teach versus the Bible. We are commanded to test everything in the Word. No man is more important or greater than God's written Word. No matter how high or popular he is, if what he teaches is not in line with Scripture, we've got a problem.
Watch this space. To be continued.
Saturday, January 29, 2011
Friday, January 28, 2011
The unthinkable - coming soon to a church/bible study group/Christian conference near you
If you, like me, are one of those who laboured under the delusion that those who call themselves believers in the Lord Jesus Christ would be easily able to discern at least the basic 'rights and wrongs' such as the difference between biblical faith and occultic meditative practices masquerading as spirituality - well, it's time to wake up and smell the unprintable. If you thought that Deepak Chopra's teachings were relegated to the world of Oprah, where the sycophantic faithful lap up the next fad in their quest to be healthy, wealthy and wise without God - think again.
What would you say if I came to your church and urged you to learn spiritual practices from the Dalai Lama's Tibetan Buddhism or Zen Buddhism or even Transcendental Meditation (TM) in order to draw closer to God? You'd kick me out (Ok, unless – perhaps - you're a certain RW of SCC). You'd rightly point out that these teachings are not biblical and such practices have nothing to do with true faith and everything to do with the occult and false religion.
Ok.
But wait – what if I came and brought to you the works of Thomas Merton, a deceased Catholic Trappist monk and Richard Foster, a Quaker mystic who urge us to experience God mystically? In fact, the very same thing previously offered but this time they speak to us as believers in the God of the Bible...right? What would you do then? Kick me out? Or, because I name the name of Christ, invite me in and see what I have to say?
Well, it seems a lot of churches, particularly in western countries, have done just this. They have invited into their midst gentle, peaceful men and women who bring with them a teaching that is so reasonable and so apparently divinely inspired – to recover lost spiritual practices and learn the peace that comes from what they call variously 'Christian mysticism', 'Contemplative prayer', 'Centering prayer', Christian meditation' among others. These are the more common of the terms used to describe these spiritual practices that, they tell us, were intrinsic to the historical church but were lost to Christianity but, praise God, He has brought teachers into our midst now who have recovered these lost arts and are sharing them with the body of Christ so that we can all 'know God'.
How does that sound? Very reasonable, right? Who would say no to 'knowing God'?
The strangest thing about these practices that we are invited to partake of is that they are indistinguishable from those offered in Buddhism, Hinduism or other eastern religions in essence. The same requirement for solitude, calming ones mind, emptying one's mind, use of a sacred repetitive word or mantra, etc. I'm not making this up! Check it out for yourself! It's exactly the same.If these are not biblical, why would they be considered acceptable with a 'christian' mantle?
Well, let me not attempt to talk too much of something that I have done very little research on and know only a little about – other than that it shouldn't be touched with a barge pole. Others, far more eminently qualified than I am, have produced well researched material on this phenomenon that appears to be sweeping across pastors and churches across most of the Western world. Visit the links provided and read through. Prepare to be shocked, if you know nothing about this.
PS. I will keep putting additional links on here on an ongoing basis.
PS. I will keep putting additional links on here on an ongoing basis.
http://apprising.org/2008/09/21/meditating-on-contemplativecentering-prayer-part-2/
This is a particularly good article: A Review of Dallas Willard's book, The Spirit of the Disciplines
This is a particularly good article: A Review of Dallas Willard's book, The Spirit of the Disciplines
Thursday, January 27, 2011
Do you hate sin?
Do we really know, do we really understand what sin is? Do we understand how vast a chasm exists between the holiness of God and sin? Do we then understand exactly what it is that Christ has done for us that "...He hath made Him to be sin for us, who knew no sin; that we might be made the righteousness of God in Him?
What is sin, when we get down to brass tacks? Let's look at the classic definition. I looked it up in Strong's dictionary and did a double take when Strong's came back with 45 definitions. Going through them all, however, many are variations of a basic definition and it turns out there are a core of various words used to name sin:
guilt, to miss, crime, offence, soiled, impious, treachery, transgression, perversity, iniquity, mischief, revolt/rebellion, to stray or mislead, to turn aside from what is right.
In 2 Cor 5:21, the Word of God declares that God made Him (Jesus) to be sin (hamartia - offence) for us , who knew no sin (hamartia - offence).
Sin is offence. Period.
Sin is offence to, and against, God who is HOLY.Sin is offence, it is rebellion, it is treachery, a crime against God!
And we are ALL guilty! 1 John 1:8 - If we say that we have no sin (hamartia - offence), we deceive ourselves and the truth is not in us.
We are guilty of SIN, guilty of offence against a holy and righteous God.
Do you get it? Read 2 Cor 5:21 again. Jesus, the spotless, sinless Lamb of God who knew NO sin (Hebrews 4:15, He was without sin; again hamartia - offence) to become sin for us, or on our behalf! Jesus, completely innocent of offence against God was made an offence to God on our behalf.
Think about that. Just stop and THINK about that.
The wages of sin is death. DEATH!!!! And we (mankind) are guilty of sin. We deserve DEATH!!! Not just physical death but eternal separation from God - damnation forever.
And, yet, Jesus Christ was made sin, made an offence to the Holy God, on our behalf - in our stead - that "we might become the righteousness of God in Him". (2 Cor 5:21)
Can we grasp the enormity of what the cross means? Can we begin to understand what the price paid for our salvation is? Do we realise why Jesus was in anguish in Gethsemane? Why He prayed that, if possible, the cup might pass from Him? Do we have ANY idea at all the depth of Christ's suffering when he cried out "My God, my God, why hast Thou forsaken Me?"
How tritely we often sing about Him dying for our sins.
Do we understand what it cost Father and Son to make atonement for our sin? The Bible says it pleased God to bruise Jesus (Isaiah 53:10) - why? For God so loved the world.....the Weymouth translates it "For so greatly did God love the world" (John 3:16), that He did not withhold His own Son (Romans 8:32). For God desires that NONE should perish, but that all should come to repentance (2 Peter 3:9). It pleased God to bruise Jesus, to afflict Jesus, to lay upon His pure, spotless, sinless Son the iniquity of us all (Isaiah 53:10) that His created beings - fallen, sinful, wicked - might become His righteousness in Christ Jesus.
The wages of sin is death. Separation from God, for God does not simply turn away from sin, but God judges it because He is holy and righteous and His justice demands that sin be judged and punished. God did not merely turn His face from Jesus, but judged Him an offence and laid upon Him the punishment that should have been ours.
May the Holy Spirit of God move our hearts to grasp this truth! Sin is abomination to God (Pro 15:9). Abomination is "tô‛êbah", that variously means disgusting, abhorrent - an abomination. When the Bible declares that Jesus was made sin for us, this is what the Word means. Jesus was made abhorrent to God, on our behalf.
Oh, the terrible, terrible enormity of the cross! Physical death was not Jesus' concern - becoming abhorrent to His Father was the thing that drove Him to sweat drops of blood in His anguish in the garden.
We who are called to be a "holy people", and to "be holy as God is holy" - can we hate sin as God hates it? We should. God loves you and me, but His justice will not allow us to enter His presence because of our sinful state - Jesus death on the cross satisfied His justice and makes a way for us to now enter into the Holy of Holies. Can we hate sin?
Do you hate sin?
What is sin, when we get down to brass tacks? Let's look at the classic definition. I looked it up in Strong's dictionary and did a double take when Strong's came back with 45 definitions. Going through them all, however, many are variations of a basic definition and it turns out there are a core of various words used to name sin:
guilt, to miss, crime, offence, soiled, impious, treachery, transgression, perversity, iniquity, mischief, revolt/rebellion, to stray or mislead, to turn aside from what is right.
In 2 Cor 5:21, the Word of God declares that God made Him (Jesus) to be sin (hamartia - offence) for us , who knew no sin (hamartia - offence).
Sin is offence. Period.
Sin is offence to, and against, God who is HOLY.Sin is offence, it is rebellion, it is treachery, a crime against God!
And we are ALL guilty! 1 John 1:8 - If we say that we have no sin (hamartia - offence), we deceive ourselves and the truth is not in us.
We are guilty of SIN, guilty of offence against a holy and righteous God.
Do you get it? Read 2 Cor 5:21 again. Jesus, the spotless, sinless Lamb of God who knew NO sin (Hebrews 4:15, He was without sin; again hamartia - offence) to become sin for us, or on our behalf! Jesus, completely innocent of offence against God was made an offence to God on our behalf.
Think about that. Just stop and THINK about that.
The wages of sin is death. DEATH!!!! And we (mankind) are guilty of sin. We deserve DEATH!!! Not just physical death but eternal separation from God - damnation forever.
And, yet, Jesus Christ was made sin, made an offence to the Holy God, on our behalf - in our stead - that "we might become the righteousness of God in Him". (2 Cor 5:21)
Can we grasp the enormity of what the cross means? Can we begin to understand what the price paid for our salvation is? Do we realise why Jesus was in anguish in Gethsemane? Why He prayed that, if possible, the cup might pass from Him? Do we have ANY idea at all the depth of Christ's suffering when he cried out "My God, my God, why hast Thou forsaken Me?"
How tritely we often sing about Him dying for our sins.
Do we understand what it cost Father and Son to make atonement for our sin? The Bible says it pleased God to bruise Jesus (Isaiah 53:10) - why? For God so loved the world.....the Weymouth translates it "For so greatly did God love the world" (John 3:16), that He did not withhold His own Son (Romans 8:32). For God desires that NONE should perish, but that all should come to repentance (2 Peter 3:9). It pleased God to bruise Jesus, to afflict Jesus, to lay upon His pure, spotless, sinless Son the iniquity of us all (Isaiah 53:10) that His created beings - fallen, sinful, wicked - might become His righteousness in Christ Jesus.
The wages of sin is death. Separation from God, for God does not simply turn away from sin, but God judges it because He is holy and righteous and His justice demands that sin be judged and punished. God did not merely turn His face from Jesus, but judged Him an offence and laid upon Him the punishment that should have been ours.
May the Holy Spirit of God move our hearts to grasp this truth! Sin is abomination to God (Pro 15:9). Abomination is "tô‛êbah", that variously means disgusting, abhorrent - an abomination. When the Bible declares that Jesus was made sin for us, this is what the Word means. Jesus was made abhorrent to God, on our behalf.
Oh, the terrible, terrible enormity of the cross! Physical death was not Jesus' concern - becoming abhorrent to His Father was the thing that drove Him to sweat drops of blood in His anguish in the garden.
We who are called to be a "holy people", and to "be holy as God is holy" - can we hate sin as God hates it? We should. God loves you and me, but His justice will not allow us to enter His presence because of our sinful state - Jesus death on the cross satisfied His justice and makes a way for us to now enter into the Holy of Holies. Can we hate sin?
Do you hate sin?
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