christianity – FREEDOM IN CHRIST

The Real Word of Faith pt 2

Last time…. we looked at God’s will to prosper us!

Moving on to speaking out in faith. The condemners of the word of faith idea make the great mistake of ignoring, or not even accepting things that the word of God says. Even denying some things that Jesus actually said. Theologising away the true meaning of Jesus words.

And Jesus answered saying to them, “Have faith in God. Truly I say to you, whoever says to this mountain, ‘Be taken up and cast into the sea,’ and does not doubt in his heart, but believes that what he says is going to happen, it will be granted him. Therefore, I say to you, all things for which you pray and ask, believe that you have received them, and they will be granted you. Mark 11:22-24

It is clear, that Jesus meant what He said above. It was in response of the disciple’s amazement that the fig tree that was spoken to the day before by Jesus, had died. Jesus tells us to Speak in faith and not doubt in the heart. Believe what you says is going to happen, it will be granted. Jesus then doubles down on what He is saying by adding for prayer, believe that you have received What you asked for, and they will be granted you. This scripture even has a type of decreeing and declaring as part of prayer. Whoever says to this mountain!

Jesus tells us, “Whoever says to this mountain.” This tells us that we have authority over the earth, that we can speak to things and what we speak will happen. The prerequisite is to have faith in God. It does not have to be a great faith! Faith of the size of a grain of mustard seed. Elsewhere we are told that we will not enter the Kingdom of God unless we have a child like faith! We just need a simple faith and nothing shall be impossible to us.

Again, Jesus states this truth, yes, it is a truth not just a good idea or manmade doctrine. After disciples could not cast out a demon, let’s remember that previously the disciples had been casting out demons. They had marvelled at the power that they had. It could be said that they kind of boasted about it. This was not just the twelve, it was also the, another seventy.

Then the disciples came to Jesus privately and said, “Why could we not drive it out?” And He said to them, “Because of the littleness of your faith; for truly I say to you, if you have faith the size of a mustard seed, you will say to this mountain, ‘Move from here to there,’ and it will move; and nothing will be impossible to you. Matthew 17:19-20

‘The littleness of your faith.’ Could this be some reason we do not see these signs in our day. There are many preachers that will tell us that these kinds of things passed away with the death of the last of the apostles during the first century after Christ death and resurrection. Jesus tells His disciples that if they had faith the size of a mustard seed, nothing will be impossible to them. Again, we see that it is all about speaking out in faith! Jesus is not specifically talking about mountains, but anything that we declare or ask of the father.

When we put together all of the prayer promises of Jesus teaching, anything means anything. When we are led by the spirit to pray and ask for things, be it healing, casting out demons, or even provision for our needs. This is clear teaching of Jesus. But for so long we have been told by some preachers and teachers that this is not what Jesus actually meant. That God does not really desire for us all to prosper. Hearing this promotes doubt in the hearts of people.

Now faith is the assurance of things hoped for, the conviction of things not seen. For by it the men of old gained approval. Hebrews 11:1-2

If you Have a small amount of faith, we should be able to do the works of Jesus and more! Nothing should be impossible for us. That is what Jesus said! These are the plain and simple to understand words of Jesus. Anyone who says that the speaking or declaring things as form of prayer is not found in the Bible are denying the words of the Lord Jesus. “If you speak to the mountain,” “If you speak to the tree to be removed to the sea, it will be done for you.”

The apostles said to the Lord, “Increase our faith!” And the Lord said, “If you had faith like a mustard seed, you would say to this mulberry tree, ‘Be uprooted and be planted in the sea’; and it would obey you. Luke 17:5-6

Is this not decreeing and declaring? Just a small amount of faith should enable us, with the Holy Spirit residing within us, to speak and see impossible things happen. We all know that it does not seem to work for a lot of the time. That is not a reason to not believe what Jesus said. We tend to doubt when the thing we pray for, declared does not happen miraculously, immediately. The doubters and critics who put down this kind of prayer seem to have the Gospel, a form of godliness but deny the power of it. The words of their mouths relay the state of their hearts.

I have watched many hours of some of these people who seem to think that they have a ministry of calling out who they think are false teachers. There is no such ministry listed in the New Testament. There are examples of Paul seemingly calling out some false teachers. They are public to us as we can read about them. They are not an open public calling out, they are private, written to individuals, and individual churches.

Paul also wrote to Timothy that he should study and be careful of what he preached, taught. I see that most of these accusers claim to be cessationists, and reformed, Calvinists, who have doctrines and teachings that are suspect. What I have heard from watching some of the apologetics that they use, they twist scripture so much more than the people that they are talking about. They do this to try to scripturally make their point.

It is true that some people have got rich through their ministry, not all of these are wolves in sheep’s clothing. Many people, even millions, have come to know the Lord through the Gospel that was preached by these people. A Gospel that includes salvation, healing, and prosperity. The Good news that the promises of God to the Hebrews of the Old Covenant are the same promises for us under the New Covenant, without the curse of failing to obey the law.

Under the Old Covenant sickness was a curse of the law, poverty was a curse of the law. The curse of the law comes as God removes His protection and blessing. God’s blessing of Abraham was not just the land of Caanan, the promise of a future Messiah, it is clear that God greatly blessed Abraham in wealth and possessions. We are supposed to be blessed with the blessing of Abraham which was before the law of the Old Covenant.

The blessing of Abraham is that all the world would be blessed with salvation through the descendant of Abraham, Jesus. Abraham was blessed through his faith in the promises of God. Pomises not promise, the Saviour of the world.

We can say that the promise, blessings of Abraham were demonstrated to the Hebrews, in them possessing the promised land of Caanan. They were blessed with victories in battle in supernatural ways. They were blessed as Abraham in prosperity, in livestock, fruit of the land, children and more. The Hebrews prospered as God had promised them also through Moses in Deuteronomy 28. They also suffered the curse of the law through disobedience.

Bless the Lord, O my soul, and forget none of His benefits; Who pardons all your iniquities, who heals all your diseases; Who redeems your life from the pit, who crowns you with lovingkindness and compassion; Who satisfies your years with good things, so that your youth is renewed like the eagle. Psalms 103:2-5

Decreeing and declaring can be seen as proclaiming the word of God, the promises of God in situations. For instance, God is our healer, it is God’s will to heal us. So many in the church in general have forgotten this truth. Even leaders will admit that is not God’s will to heal everyone. That is not what was displayed in the ministry of Jesus.

Sickness is a curse of the law. The whole world is under the curse of the law, a part of the curse that came upon the world through the sin of disobedience of Adam. Jesus told his Disciples that those who believe in Him will lay hands on the sick and the WILL be healed. Jesus gave more detail than this though. He said those who believe because of the word preached by the Disciples will heal the sick and cast out demons!

These signs will accompany those who have believed: in My name they will cast out demons, they will speak with new tongues; Mark 16:17

The Word of Faith is declaring the Word of God in our lives. There are those who think this is heresy. They are wrong as they deny the power of the Word of God. They deny the power of the Gospel. They deny the power of God the Holy Spirit that lives within us.

The world has taken the word of faith from the Bible and used it to great effect. It has become a way of the world, but it is counterfeit to the real word of faith as taught by the Word of God, through faith in the Lord. The world has faith in their own ability to prosper, not faith in the Lord.

We are to Have Faith in God, and speak to the mountains that come up in life, and tell them to be remove, they will god through faith, not with doubt in our hearts. Mountains of sickness and disease, Mountains of poverty and of lack, mountains of struggle and opposition.

We just need to have a small amount of faith the size of a grain of mustard seed, and nothing should be impossible to us

Be Blessed

Charlie

The Real Word Of Faith pt. 1

The Real Word Of Faith!

I thought that I would do a message about the word of faith. Partly because I am sick of all the people of social media who rubbish, lay into the so-called word of faith movement. It has been labelled the word of faith movement because that is the name of the monthly magazine produced by Kenneth Hagin Ministries. Through this they call Kennth H. the father of the word of faith movement.

Now let me clear something up. The word of faith got mixed up and intertwined with the so-called prosperity gospel movement. What I mean is that some sinister preachers saw a way to use the true word of faith to make themselves rich. This has nothing to do with the living in faith for God’s provision that Kenneth Hagin promoted.

I admit that there are some unscrupulous persons within the word of faith believers that have taken things too far and created a false doctrine of the word of faith. Just as there are false doctrines in many other Christian groups. Such infant baptism; the Catholic sacrament of communion; cessationism; adherence to the Jewish law or part of it; that God’s only means to talk to us is through the Bible, double predestination of the Calvinists. These are all perversions of the Gospel in some way.

The doctrine that it is God’s will to prosper us Spiritually, physically and financially is all part of the Gospel of Jesus. Jesus healed all who came to Him, except some because of the lack of people’s faith. (Lack of Faith)! Jesus and His disciples never had a lack of finances. They gave to the poor! It was God’s will for His people to prosper in all areas of life, under the Old Covenant. Would our Father take away that will for His people under the New Covenant. A better Covenant with better promises.

Peter said, “Behold, we have left our own homes and followed You.” And He said to them, “Truly I say to you, there is no one who has left house or wife or brothers or parents or children, for the sake of the kingdom of God, who will not receive many times as much at this time and in the age to come, eternal life.” Luke 18:28-30

Jesus said, “Truly I say to you, there is no one who has left house or brothers or sisters or mother or father or children or farms, for My sake and for the gospel’s sake, but that he will receive a hundred times as much now in the present age, houses and brothers and sisters and mothers and children and farms, along with persecutions; and in the age to come, eternal life. Mark 10:29-30

These scriptures clearly show that the blessing of God upon those who choose not to trust/have faith in their own possessions, count them as nothing compared to following Christ, will see increase in prosperity in friends and family as well as possessions. Notice that it makes a differential between this life and the life to come. God’s will is for us to prosper in this life, age! There is also the notice in marks Gospel, that those riches will have persecutions accompanying.

The psalms are a great place to see what God’s will and grace towards His children is. In fact, God’s will to prosper His people/children can be found all through the whole of the Bible. Some can be attributed as specifically to the children of Israel, in the promised land. The truth about God is that He only desires what is good for His children.

O taste and see that the Lord is good; How blessed is the man who takes refuge in Him! O fear the Lord, you, His saints; For to those who fear Him there is no want. The young lions do lack and suffer hunger; But they who seek the Lord shall not be in want of any good thing. Come, you children, listen to me; I will teach you the fear of the Lord. Who is the man who desires life and loves length of days that he may see good? Keep your tongue from evil and your lips from speaking deceit. Depart from evil and do good; Seek peace and pursue it. The eyes of the Lord are toward the righteous And His ears are open to their cry. Psalms 34:8-15

Trust in the Lord and do good; Dwell in the land and cultivate faithfulness. Delight yourself in the Lord; And He will give you the desires of your heart. Commit your way to the Lord, trust also in Him, and He will do it. He will bring forth your righteousness as the light and your judgment as the noonday. Psalms 37:3-6

These Psalms clearly show the heart of God to prosper His children in their lives, in this life. It is a question of faith in the Lord. Cultivate faithfulness and He will give you the desires of your heart. Taste and see that the Lord is good. They who seek the Lord will not be in lack of any good thing!

Bless the Lord, O my soul, and all that is within me, bless His holy name. Bless the Lord, O my soul, and forget none of His benefits; Who pardons all your iniquities, who heals all your diseases; Who redeems your life from the pit, who crowns you with lovingkindness and compassion; Who satisfies your years with good things, so that your youth is renewed like the eagle. Psalms 103:1-5

The benefits of trusting and worshipping the Lord are forgiveness of all our sins, all of our sins. The healing of all our diseases. Crowning us with His loving-kindness and His compassion. He will satisfy our years with good things, so that our youth shall be renewed as the eagle. This sounds much like a Gospel of prosperity! It includes forgiveness, healing and prosperity!

The preaching, teaching that God’s will is to prosper us is not unbiblical in any way. Again, I agree that a few people have taken this to extreme in a very wrong way; for their own personal gain. Just because some preachers have gone wrong, does not make the prosperity message as a whole, as being unbiblical. God’s desire is to bless His children with good things. That includes monetary wealth and healing. To take these things out of the Gospel is to not preach the whole Gospel.

When some people say such things as, prosperity preachers are going to hell for leading people astray, they are in danger of ending up in hell themselves. This kind of judgement that they make as to condemning people to hell is solely God’s to make.

The word of faith message is straight out of the Word of God!

Be Blessed

Charlie

God’s Word, Our Shepherd!

God’s Word Our Shepherd

Some may find this title surprising, but I read 1 Peter 2:25 and it came to me. I said to myself yes that is true. Then I read the whole of the chapter, and other verses came into mind to support this thought. There are so many that I cannot put them all in this part, 544 but we will see what we can fit in.

Peter wrote this book to Christian Jews who had been scattered to various places (see 1 Peter 1:10). Basically, he is saying to these people that they by becoming Christians, have returned to the shepherd and guardian of their souls. Now they have been born of the Spirit and are making the choice with their minds to follow Jesus, The Word!

The key word for me in this is ‘Returned.’ Before being born again they were straying sheep. Straying from what though? It was straying from the truth of God’s word. God’s word to them is our Old Testament, which is full of the promises of redemption that was to come in Jesus. Even the Law! Full of promises of blessing to them. Even the blessings of Abraham. So, who is the Shepherd and Guardian of their souls? Of course It is Jesus The living word of God.

He Himself bore our sins in His body on the cross, so that we might die to sin and live to righteousness; for by His wounds, you were healed. For you were continually straying like sheep, but now you have returned to the Shepherd and Guardian of your souls. 1 Peter 2:24-25 NASB

If we are only taught the law and not the Grace of God, we get into bondage to the law. If we try to live according to the law of sin and death, we will live in bondage to it. Grace set us free. The grace of God is that He loved the world so much he sent His son, The Word. He sent His Son to redeem the world. The redemption price was paid, because God love everyone. The price was paid for everyone. We are saved by grace through faith in the Word.

So, if the Son makes you free, you will be free indeed. John 8:36 NASB

Returning to the guardian and shepherd of their souls is returning to a life of faith in the Word of God. If you look at the 10 Commandments and think about them along this line. They are commandments of Love. If We love God and our neighbour, we will not break any of the other commandments. That is why the Word says that Jesus was the fulfilment of the law.

Now the Word (Jesus) being the shepherd of our souls. Here is a verse that says something similar. Because all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God, God had to do something to try to protect His people. He gave them the law, His Word. Not so they could be condemned for not obeying, but to show them right from wrong. To protect them from the evil that was being done by the people they were driving out of the promised land, and the peoples that were around them too. To make the point here are three different translations of the next verse.

But before faith came, we were kept in custody under the law, being shut up to the faith which was later to be revealed. Galatians 3:23 NASB

So until the revelation of faith for salvation was released, the law was a jailer, holding us as prisoners under lock and key until the “faith,” which was destined to be revealed, would set us free. Galatians 3:23 TPT

Until the time when we were mature enough to respond freely in faith to the living God, we were carefully surrounded and protected by the Mosaic law. The law was like those Greek tutors, with which you are familiar, who escort children to school and protect them from danger or distraction, making sure the children will really get to the place they set out for. Galatians 3:23 MSG

The Law was the Guardian and shepherd of the Jewish people until Jesus, The Word became flesh, until He could come and set them free. Faith comes by hearing The Word of Christ. The Word of Christ is the living Word of God. Even more than that Christ is the living Word of God. So, when Jesus said, “I am the Good Shepherd,” He is saying that the Word is our shepherd. The word is a lamp to our feet and a light unto our path. That is Jesus the light of the world.

In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. And the Word became flesh, and dwelt among us, and we saw His glory, glory as of the only begotten from the Father, full of grace and truth. John 1:1,14

God said through King Solomon, a wise man! Give attention to My Words, they are life to those who find them and health to all their flesh. All the wisdom that we need is within God’s word. God’s word is life to us. Not our Blood, that is life to our bodies, to a point. Our life that keeps our bodies going is the life of our spirit. Without our spirits our bodies are dead. So, the life of the Word of God is a Spiritual life that affects our bodies.

The point is this, it is the word of God that we should be into as much as we possibly can. It is the truth, and the truth sets us free from the bondage of sin and death to eternal life. It is the Word that is our shepherd. What is it that we walk by faith in? It is the Word of God. How do we know God and Jesus The Word? By meditating on the Word of God

If eternal life is knowing God and Jesus His son, John 17:3, then we have eternal life by knowing His word. Thinking about this, it seems that may just be the answer why so many people/Christians are still in bondage and not the freedom which was brought for us with the price of the life/death of our Lord Jesus. They do not know the Word of God, so they do not know God and Jesus His Son.

Your word is a lamp to my feet And a light to my path. Psalms 119:105

This verse from Psalms tells us that wisdom is found in God’s word. It says that if we want to see which way to go in life then we have the Word of God to lead us. The Word of God is our shepherd, Jesus, The Word, is the one who will lead us through any trial or tribulation, to still water and green pastures, as it says in Psalm 23. God’s word is truth, and Jesus said that the truth will set us free. We become free through the knowledge of God’s word, as we allow it to lead us in the way that we should walk.

Be Blessed

Charlie

The Deception Of The World

Acceptance Of Sin!

There is massive deception that is spreading across the world. It is the acceptance of sin, sinful practices, as normal. We are told to put on the full armour of God for us to be able to stand against the schemes of the devil. The devil is a liar and the father of lies, and he has and is feeding lies to the world that many types of sin are OK.

You are of your father the devil, and you want to do the desires of your father. He was a murderer from the beginning and does not stand in the truth because there is no truth in him. Whenever he speaks a lie, he speaks from his own nature, for he is a liar and the father of lies. John 8:44

There are many lies that the world chooses to accept, but we as Christians do not have to accept the so-called political correctness that try to invade our churches. The world without Christ is still under the curse of the law. We have chosen the path of righteousness; the world chooses to follow the deceptions of the devil. The way of the world.

For this reason, God gave them over to degrading passions; for their women exchanged the natural function for that which is unnatural, and in the same way also the men abandoned the natural function of the woman and burned in their desire toward one another, men with men committing indecent acts and receiving in their own persons the due penalty of their error. And just as they did not see fit to acknowledge God any longer, God gave them over to a depraved mind, to do those things which are not proper, Romans 1:26-28

There are degrees of sin,

This is something that we need to understand. Equality, diversity and inclusion laws that are forced upon us are not Godly. They have become a way to force all to accept sinful lifestyles and ideas. In parts they are demonic, they are schemes of the devil.

The Word of God clearly states truths to us that we should stand upon. People are deceived into believing they are something that God never created them to be. I am talking about gender ID, and homosexuality. The scripture above says that God has given them over to a depraved mind. That means that their minds have become blind to what is right. They think that what they choose to do is good. It has gone so far that people can question whether they are male or female. Even worse that than that, that we should stop teaching children that they are boys or girls.

But from the beginning of creation, God made them male and female. For this reason, a man shall leave his father and mother, and the two shall become one flesh; so, they are no longer two, but one flesh. Mark 10:6-8

I was at a child protection and safeguarding course for swimming teachers a few weeks ago. This covers children from birth to 18 years old. We were told that if fully developed teenage girl came to the pool to swim in men’s swimming trunks because she identified herself as male, it is acceptable. That she cannot be challenged!

We can see clearly the direction that the world chooses to go in acceptance of these things. As Christians we should not go along with the world’s views. We are to love the people as God does, but not be condoning the sin that they live in. We should be showing the love of God towards them by sharing with them the truth found in God’s Word.

We are not to judge people in sin to condemnation. We are to stand upon and declare the truth of God’s word, hoping to bring people to transforming forgiveness that is in Christ. We know our eternal destination in Christ, and the eternal destination for those who end life without Christ.

Or do you not know that the unrighteous will not inherit the kingdom of God? Do not be deceived; neither fornicators, nor idolaters, nor adulterers, nor effeminate, nor homosexuals, nor thieves, nor the covetous, nor drunkards, nor revilers, nor swindlers, will inherit the kingdom of God. Such were some of you; but you were washed, but you were sanctified, but you were justified in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ and in the Spirit of our God. 1 Corinthians 6:9-11

God loved the world so much that He sent Jesus to die that the world’s sin might be forgiven. It is forgiven, the only sin not forgiven is unbelief in Jesus. To choose to continue in sin is to reject the forgiveness that comes through belief in Christ. I am talking about a lifestyle of sin, of which homosexuality and gender dysphoria is. These are Spiritual problems that effects the thought processes in what is right and wrong.

There are those who will never accept the truth of God’s word, to repent and accept God’s grace in forgiveness. They will reject The Lord Jesus and His payment for their sin. This is because they will refuse to acknowledge that their sin, is sin! This comes because of the acceptance by the world of the sin’s normality. They call what is bad as good, what is good bad! But God says:

Woe to those who call evil good, and good evil; Who substitute darkness for light and light for darkness; Who substitute bitter for sweet and sweet for bitter! Woe to those who are wise in their own eyes and clever in their own sight! Isaiah 5:20-21

Jesus tells us that way to eternal life is narrow, and few will travel on that road; that wide is the path to destruction and many will go down that road. This indicates that in comparison there will be few who will accept the goodness of God’s forgiving redemption, compared with those who reject it.

As Christians, we are not responsible for who will or will not come to repentance. Every person is responsible for their own direction for their lives. We can just deliver the good news of God Kingdom of grace and forgiveness. The response of people is down to individual choice.

“Enter through the narrow gate; for the gate is wide and the way is broad that leads to destruction, and there are many who enter through it. For the gate is small and the way is narrow that leads to life, and there are few who find it. Matthew 7:13-14

There is only one way to eternal life, that is through accepting the payment made by the death Jesus Christ. It cannot be that people accept that sinful lifestyles are normal and not sin, that is to call God a liar. For God has made a way of escape from the judgement that leads to the second death; being cast into the lake of fire, from which there is no escape.

God is extending grace, forgiveness of sin through Jesus. It is just a simple choice. Reject The Lord Jesus or confess that Jesus is Lord now in this life.

But what does it say? “The word is near you , in your mouth and in your heart ”that is, the word of faith which we are preaching, that if you confess with your mouth Jesus as Lord, and believe in your heart that God raised Him from the dead, you will be saved; for with the heart a person believes, resulting in righteousness, and with the mouth he confesses, resulting in salvation. Romans 10:8-10

The truth is this, that God has already forgiven all sin except rejection of Jesus, if we say that have not sinned, we make God a liar. Everyone has to come to a place where we repent of our sin and accept God’s forgiveness through Jesus Christ. To not do this is rejection of God’s forgiveness.

“For God so loved the world, that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him shall not perish, but have eternal life. For God did not send the Son into the world to judge the world, but that the world might be saved through Him. He who believes in Him is not judged; he who does not believe has been judged already, because he has not believed in the name of the only begotten Son of God. John 3:16-18

What choice will you make?

To repent from accepting what God calls sin and stand for truth? Or to go with the world and stand on the side of the lies of the devil? It is a choice that needs to be made. This is the biggest choice that anyone will have to make in this life. It will determine our eternal destination!

Be Blessed

Charlie