1. Come to the Scriptures prayerfully. Most of the great Bible interpreters were guided by prayer in their studies. The necessity of the involvement of the Holy Spirit is vital!

2. Allow Scripture to interpret itself and refuse to be clouded by personal doctrinal presuppositions. This really sets the great Bible expositors apart from those who refuse to depart from their denomination's guidelines.

3. Begin with understanding what the passage actually says, and yet always ask, "What does the passage really mean?"

4. Pay as much attention to the original Hebrew and Greek as your learning will allow you. (For those without language training, an interlinear Bible can be very helpful as can be a Bible dictionary).

5. Never use one of the paraphrased (very loose) translations to establish doctrine! The KJV, NKJV and NIV are very sound primary study translations, but the more paraphrased versions, such as the NLT, have a place in more devotional reading.



’6. If you are an absolute novice (quite new in the Faith), don't try to tackle deeper theology before you attain some basic knowledge; I find that many make this mistake and just become very confused, then they often accuse the article writer of being 'confused' - but, so often, the problem is that they are just not used to the discipline of theology! Being a good, clear logical and linear thinker is essential for the discipline of theology. Those who are inclined to bring presupposition and emotion to their study and who tend to think laterally often never come to grips with this discipline, but - take heart - illogical thinking can be corrected! But first learn the Christian 'basics' - Don't attempt to run before you can walk!



7. Always take into account the full context of the passage. Read verses in the context of the whole passage, the chapter and even the book. And, of course, always keep in mind the larger context of the New Testament or Old Testament.

8. The Bible is progressive revelation. This means that, generally speaking, the New Testament specifically interprets the Old Testament. Don't forget that the Old Testament can be called 'The Book of the Old Covenant', but Jesus inaugurated the 'New Covenant' - it doesn't mean that the Old Testament can't teach us anything - it has many lessons for us - but that one should never, ever, use a vague or cloudy verse in Leviticus to overthrow a clear statement of Jesus or Paul.



This has been a major error of the cults and sects! This can be very well demonstrated in our attitude to the Sabbath. Various seventh day groups will ask, 'Which day is the Christian Sabbath?' - but even in asking that particular question they are revealing very flawed biblical exegesis; they are taking a topic of Old Testament importance (the Sabbath), but imposing an equal New Testament concern for the subject (which, truthfully, does not exist), by employing the word, 'Christian' - a far better question would be 'What did Jesus show us about the real meaning of the Sabbath?' (Matthew 11:28-30, Mark 2:23-28).


9. Always consider all the passages dealing with a particular topic. For instance, don't try to understand faith by only looking at a few more sensational 'faith verses' (as the Word-faith people do), but get a thorough grounding in what the whole Bible says about faith. A Bible concordance will prove essential here.



10. Always interpret the more difficult or unclear passages by the clear ones. A favourite device of the cults is to choose a difficult passage and build their unique doctrines upon it.

11. Always take into account the different genres of writing within the Bible - here again, the cults and sects have regularly stumbled! The Bible contains different forms of writing; there is history, proverb, parable, apocalyptic, letters (epistles), Old Testament prophecy, genealogies and other elements too. We must respect what these different forms of writing set out to achieve! Sometimes the cults could not find some detail they were looking for within prophecy, so went looking for it in other biblical genres which are unconcerned with prophecy! (Of course, this is not to suggest that there are no prophetic statements in places like the Psalms and the Epistles - there certainly are, but - in general terms - a good Bible expositor must keep in mind what the original biblical writing genres were primarily concerned with). To be completely dismissive of the differences of literature types within the Holy Bible might be compared to reading the main news in a newspaper, perhaps an article about President Bush or Tony Blair, finding a vital detail had been left out, so going looking for that detail in the newspaper's 'gardening section', or 'sports section' or 'television programmes section' - plainly quite daft!! The founders of the cults and sects were unabashed about abusing the Scriptures in this way, mainly because of their lack of knowledge, but we can learn from their shortcomings!

12. Beware of novel, new, or unusual interpretations, always check various conservative commentaries on the passage. There is really very little that is new under the sun, as the saying goes, 'The gospel is the gospel is the gospel!' Many of the heresies of the cults have been dealt with thoroughly in various well-authenticated works. It is also interesting to note that even though there are many Christian denominations, their opinions never differ very greatly on the essential doctrines! There is solid agreement on the pivotal doctrines of the Christian Faith.

What God Offers Humanity

What God Offers

goes far beyond rituals. He offers salvation... Forgiveness for sin and eternal life. . He Offers us Jesus. without whom you cannot have forgiveness of sin and eternal life.

If you find yourself in court with a $50,000 fine, a judge will not let you go simply because you say that you are sorry and that you won't commit the crime again. However, if someone stepped in and paid the $50,000 fine, then you would be free to go from the demands of the law. God releases us from the demands of eternal justice on the basis that someone else paid our fine. Two thousand years ago Jesus Christ paid in full for the sins of the world. His words on the Cross were, "It is finished!". Our case is dismissed on the basis of His suffering death.

Jesus said,

“I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me” (John 14:6).

Jesus is not one of many ways to heaven; He is the ONLY way.

Psalm 51...The Blueprint for Repentance

We will begin now in the verse by verse study of the 51st Psalm.
Psalms 51:1 "{To the chief Musician, A Psalm of David, when Nathan the
prophet came unto him, after he had gone in to Bath-sheba.} Have mercy
upon me, O God, according to thy lovingkindness: according unto the
multitude of thy tender mercies blot out my transgressions."

The prayer of every person who ever came to God is spoken in the
verse above. Have mercy, on me a sinner. We know that the Bible says,
all have sinned and come short of the glory of God. Then we are
classed as sinners. Some of us sinners have been to the fountain, and
been washed in His precious spotless blood, and made righteous in the
sight of God. This is definitely David speaking here. Notice, David
comes not in his own righteousness. He pleads for the mercy of God.
David comes empty handed, just as we do. David, at this point, has
nothing to offer God, but a broken spirit full of repentance. These
requests are made according to God's lovingkindness. David is like
many of us who have sinned. He knows God is full of love, and
kindness, and mercy. The sin that David committed here is carved into
his heart. David's heart is breaking. How many times have we done some
terrible thing and wished that God would just completely blot it off
the record? David does not want this sin covered up, he wants it
completely blotted out.

Psalms 51:2 "Wash me throughly from mine iniquity, and cleanse me
from my sin."

Sin causes a person, who is at all conscious of God, to feel
dirty. In David's case here, he feels dirty from within as well as
outside. The word throughly, above, is a different word than
thoroughly. Throughly indicates a cleansing from within, as well as an
outward washing. The sins that hurt the worst are the sins that the
world is not aware of. Just as it helps a child to get over doing
something wrong when his parent spanks him, David would feel better if
this sin is brought to light where he could be punished for it. We
must not overlook the prophetic message, here, as well. Wash me with
your unstained blood, O Lord, and I shall be white as snow. The only
way to be clean, within and without, is to be washed in this precious
blood of the Lamb, Jesus Christ our Lord.

Psalms 51:3 "For I acknowledge my transgressions: and my sin [is]
ever before me."

Sin, that has not been forgiven by the washing of the blood of
the Lamb, is constantly on your mind. David admits he has sinned, and
that is the first step to being forgiven.

Psalms 51:4 "Against thee, thee only, have I sinned, and done
[this] evil in thy sight: that thou mightest be justified when thou
speakest, [and] be clear when thou judgest."

This sin is devastating David. He feels so guilty, because he was
the chosen of God. He had even been anointed with oil by the prophet
of God, and yet he committed this sin. David is saying, here, God I
sinned against heaven and You and whatever punishment You see fit to
do, I deserve it. David knows that whatever judgement God makes on
this matter, it will be fully deserved.

Psalms 51:5 "Behold, I was shapen in iniquity, and in sin did my
mother conceive me."

David is saying that he was born in sin. He is blaming his sin on
the fact that he was a flesh man.

Psalms 51:6 "Behold, thou desirest truth in the inward parts: and
in the hidden [part] thou shalt make me to know wisdom."
I have been saying, all along that God looks at the inside of
man. He looks at the heart and examines the condition of the heart.
David's heart was always stayed upon God. It was the desire of David's
heart to do what was right in God's sight. David fell prey to the
desires of his flesh, when he sinned with Bathsheba. I have said, over
and over, that we must let our spirit rule over our flesh. The flesh
of mankind must be crucified with Christ that we might live victorious
lives.

Psalms 51:7 "Purge me with hyssop, and I shall be clean: wash me,
and I shall be whiter than snow."

Hyssop was used to apply the blood of the Lamb. David knows that
only the blood of the precious Lamb of God can wash him and make him
white as snow. Purge, in the verse above, is speaking of purifying his
inward man. He is saying, Lord, you burn out all the evil within me,
and wash me with your blood, and make me white as snow. This is a
white that is so white no fuller on earth can compare with it. This is
not David washing, this is God washing David. This is the white that
we all receive from the Lord, when He washes us in the blood of the
Lamb.

Psalms 51:8 "Make me to hear joy and gladness; [that] the bones
[which] thou hast broken may rejoice."

David is speaking of his bones even aching from the sin he has
committed against God. All joy and gladness had been missing from his
life. One of the side benefits from being forgiven and knowing you are
forgiven, is the overwhelming joy that comes from the forgiveness.

Psalms 51:9 "Hide thy face from my sins, and blot out all mine
iniquities."

It is so beautiful when we are living the life we believe will be
pleasing to God. Then we want Him to look at us. When we feel as if we
have disappointed God, we want to hide from Him. The sad thing is
there is no place to hide from God.

Psalms 51:10 "Create in me a clean heart, O God; and renew a
right spirit within me."

David is very wise. To get a clean heart, we must allow God to
wash our old one in the blood of the Lamb. We must allow the old man
to die that we can become a new creature in Christ Jesus. Spirit, in
the verse above, has to do with breath. God breathed the breath of
life into man when He first created him. I believe this breath
{spirit}, here, means new life. David is saying, I want to be born
again with a spirit stayed upon God.

Psalms 51:11 "Cast me not away from thy presence; and take not
thy Holy Spirit from me."

The Holy Spirit of God had been with David ever since he had been
anointed by Samuel in the house of his father. God's guiding Spirit
had been with David when he killed the giant Goliath. God's protection
had been continuously around David when he fled from Saul. David is
very well aware that he deserves for God to turn away from him for
this terrible sin he committed, which brought on more sins. David
knows that the fault is not God, but himself. To have had the presence
of the Spirit of God within us, and have it to leave would be
horrible. David is praying that this will not happen.

Psalms 51:12 "Restore unto me the joy of thy salvation; and
uphold me [with thy] free spirit."

This is a plea for God to forgive him, one more time. It appears
that David is fearful that he has lost the salvation that he once had
in the Lord. When God forgives, there is total restoration.

Psalms 51:13 "[Then] will I teach transgressors thy ways; and
sinners shall be converted unto thee."

David is promising, if God forgives him, he will tell all who
commit sin that God forgives. He is actually promising to be a soul
winner for God. Not only has David learned a lesson himself about
committing sin, but he promises to pass on this knowledge to others
that they might be saved, also. The best teacher in all the world is
someone who has passed the same way before you. Experience is a great
teacher.

Psalms 51:14 "Deliver me from bloodguiltiness, O God, thou God of
my salvation: [and] my tongue shall sing aloud of thy righteousness."

David had not only committed adultery with Bathsheba, but had her
husband killed to get her for himself. This is what is meant by
bloodguiltiness. Uriah had been faithful to David in his duties. David
had him killed to get his wife for himself. David's only hope is in
the fact that he has great faith in God. Those who have been forgiven
much, love much. Though his sins were as scarlet, God will make him
white as snow. Look, with me, in the following verse and see that
those whom God has forgiven much, love Him the most. Luke 7:47
"Wherefore I say unto thee, Her sins, which are many, are forgiven;
for she loved much: but to whom little is forgiven, [the same] loveth
little."

Psalms 51:15 "O Lord, open thou my lips; and my mouth shall shew
forth thy praise."

David, up until God forgave him, had been very ashamed of what he
had done. He had nothing to say in his defense, because he knew he was
guilty as charged. God can open David's mouth by forgiving David.
David will not cease to praise God for the forgiveness He has given
him.

Psalms 51:16 "For thou desirest not sacrifice; else would I give
[it]: thou delightest not in burnt offering."

David is aware that no sacrifice would be enough to satisfy God
for the terrible sins he has committed. David is saying, if there were
a sacrifice that could clear my conscience of these terrible sins, I
would have already done them. No burnt offering or sacrifice would
take care of this sin.

Psalms 51:17 "The sacrifices of God [are] a broken spirit: a
broken and a contrite heart, O God, thou wilt not despise."

We see not only David in this, but everyone who has ever sinned
and been truly sorry for their sin. Speaking of the broken spirit, is
speaking of someone who realizes the terrible sin he has committed and
knows there should not be forgiveness for such a terrible sin as this.
A sin sick heart is the broken and contrite heart. True repentance
begins in the spirit and heart of the sinner. The guilt from
unconfessed sin can absolutely destroy you. You feel as if your heart
will break in two. This is the only thing that will get forgiveness
from God for sins as terrible as this. True repentance comes along
with the broken heart.

Psalms 51:18 "Do good in thy good pleasure unto Zion: build thou
the walls of Jerusalem."

Nothing would have pleased David more than to have been the one
to build the temple for the Arc of the Covenant. God would not allow
David to build the temple, because he was a warring man, not a man of
peace. As we have said throughout these lessons, Zion is a literal
place, but also symbolizes the church. The church is built on the
forgiveness of God toward His people. David loved Jerusalem. This
Jerusalem, very well could be speaking of the building of the church
of the Lord Jesus Christ.

Psalms 51:19 "Then shalt thou be pleased with the sacrifices of
righteousness, with burnt offering and whole burnt offering: then
shall they offer bullocks upon thine altar."

This could be speaking of the time when the temple would be
completed and the sacrifices would be made. We see in the fact that
the entire bull was offered in sacrifice, the total humility of David
in receiving forgiveness for his sins. The sacrifice of righteousness
is when we receive the righteousness through faith in the Lord Jesus
Christ.

Pt.2 "Why Bible Doctrine is so Important?"

The Relevance of Doctrine

In popular thought doctrine has to do with insignificant matters that are irrelevant to most people. Although doctrine can be trivialized, Christian doctrine is extremely relevant to all people. Christian doctrine (i.e., the teachings of Scripture) answers the fundamental questions of life -- questions such as who God is, who we are, and why we are here (Ps. 8:3-8; Heb. 11:6). How we answer these questions decisively shapes the way we live. To ignore them is to go through life blithely unaware of what is really important.

Doctrine is particularly important because a sound proclamation of the gospel of salvation depends on an accurate understanding of what that gospel is, what salvation is, and how salvation is received (Gal. 1:6-9; 1 Tim. 4:16). Nothing less than our eternal future depends on it. I do not mean to imply that we must all become theologians and experts on every fine point of doctrine to be saved. But the church as a whole must take great care that it faithfully proclaims the true gospel, and every Christian has a stake in the matter. I will have more to say on this point a little later.

It is true that some doctrinal issues are less important than others. One of the most crucial functions of Christian theology, and one of the most neglected, is to sort out the really important -- the essential -- from the less important and even the irrelevant (cf. Rom. 14).

Thus, handled properly, doctrine is very relevant to human life, and pursuit of sound doctrine should therefore be the concern of every person at least to some extent.

The Practicality of Doctrine

It is common in our day to assert that practice is more important than theory -- that orthopraxis (doing right) is more important than orthodoxy (believing right). But this assertion is itself a theory -- something people think and then say, and then try to put into practice. The fact is that what we think determines what we do. Thus, doctrine -- as something we think -- affects what we do, and so has practical significance.

It should be recognized, of course, that the practical effects of doctrine have limits. Doctrine does not always or solely determine our actions, since people often act on desires or concerns contrary to the doctrines they hold. For example, someone may believe as doctrine that lying is wrong, but selfish or prideful thoughts may take precedence over doctrinal convictions and lead the person to lie. The practicality of doctrine is found not in determining our practice, but in informing it -- in giving us the knowledge with which, by God's grace, we can do the right thing.

The point is that we should regard both knowledge and practice as important. Ultimately, what is important is that a person truly live in obedient fellowship with God and experience His love; in that sense, of course practice is more important than doctrine. But God Himself has made it clear that He uses doctrine to further that practical goal in our lives (1 Tim. 1:3-7; 2 Tim. 3:15-17).

The practical importance of Christian doctrine, then, is great indeed. Doctrine enables us to develop a realistic view of the world and of ourselves, without which we are doomed to ineffectual living (Matt. 22:23-33; Rom. 12:3; 2 Tim. 4:3-4). Doctrine can protect us from believing falsehoods which upset people's faith or lead to destructive behavior (1 Tim. 4:1-6; 2 Tim. 2:18; Tit. 1:11). Doctrine also prepares us to minister to others (Eph. 4:11-12).

The Unity of Doctrine

Perhaps the most common criticism people voice about doctrine is that it divides people. And indeed, doctrine -- in the history of Christianity as in other religions -- has often been allowed to divide people in reprehensible ways. But in a crucial sense doctrine is intended to unite people.

While it is true that doctrine inevitably divides people, this is not something that can be avoided. People think different things, and they do different things on the basis of their differing beliefs. What is undesirable, however, is that doctrine should divide people who ought to be together, or that divisions should be expressed in wrong ways. That is, doctrine should not divide faithful Christians from one another, preventing them from having fellowship together. Nor should doctrine lead people to hate or mistreat people who hold different doctrines than they do.

The Bible commands Christians to divide themselves from false teachers or heretics on the basis of doctrinal factors (Rom. 16:17; 2 John 9-11). In doing so, they are to stand together in unity against heresy (Eph. 4:12-13). Thus, taking a stand against heresy can promote genuine Christian unity.

As Christians mature together in their understanding of biblical doctrine, they become more united as their thinking becomes shaped more and more along the same lines (1 Cor. 1:10). Moreover, a balanced understanding of doctrine can help Christians divided by doctrinal differences to be reconciled as they learn which points are minor or unsound and which are not (1 Tim. 6:3-5; Tit. 1:9-14). It turns out that shallow understanding of doctrine easily promotes disunity among Christians, while deepening understanding of doctrine tends to foster greater Christian unity.

Why is Knowing Bible Doctrine So Important?

What The Bible Says About Doctrine

In Romans 10:2 Paul says of his Jewish brethren who rejected Jesus, "They have a zeal for God, but not in accordance with knowledge."

1Timothy 4:6 If thou put the brethren in remembrance of these things, thou shalt be a good minister of Jesus Christ, nourished up in the words of faith and of good doctrine, whereunto thou hast attained.

1Timothy 4:13 Till I come, give attendance to reading, to exhortation, to doctrine.

1Timothy 4:16 Take heed unto thyself, and unto the doctrine; continue in them: for in doing this thou shalt both save thyself, and them that hear thee.

1Timothy 5:17 Let the elders that rule well be counted worthy of double honour, especially they who labour in the word and doctrine.

1Timothy 6:1 Let as many servants as are under the yoke count their own masters worthy of all honour, that the name of God and his doctrine be not blasphemed.

1Timothy 6:3 If any man teach otherwise, and consent not to wholesome words, even the words of our Lord Jesus Christ, and to the doctrine which is according to godliness;

2Timothy 3:16 All scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness:

Titus 2:7 In all things shewing thyself a pattern of good works: in doctrine shewing uncorruptness, gravity, sincerity,

Titus 1:9 Holding fast the faithful word as he hath been taught, that he may be able by sound doctrine both to exhort and to convince the gainsayers.

"Why Do You Have a Problem With Prosperity Preachers?"

Quotes From Teachers of the Prosperity Doctrine.

..useless wranglings of men of corrupt minds and destitute of the truth, who suppose that godliness is a means of gain...I Timothy 6: 5..

Marilyn Hickey:

"What do you need? Start creating it. Start speaking about it. Start speaking it into being. Speak to your billfold. Say, "You big, thick billfold full of money." Speak to your checkbook. Say, "You, checkbook, you. You've never been so prosperous since I owned you. You're just jammed full of money." (Marilyn Hickey, "Claim Your Miracles" (Denver: Marilyn Hickey Ministries, n.d., audiotape #186, side 2)

Benny Hinn:

"Poverty is from the devil and that God wants all Christians prosperous." (Benny Hinn, TBN, 11/6/90)

"Say after me, all of you, everybody say it, 'The wealth of the wicked is mine.' [The audience repeats.] One more time, (The audience repeats) One more time. (The audience repeats it again)" (Benny Hinn. Praise-a-Thon, TBN, April 1990) (Its an old practice that if you hear something said by your own voice long enough you will believe it).

"The Lord giveth and NEVER taketh away. And just because [Job] said, 'Blessed be the name of the Lord,' don't mean that he's right. When he said, 'Blessed be the name,' he was just being religious." (TBN, Nov., 1990).

I’m sick and tired of hearing about streets of gold. I don’t need gold in Heaven, I gotta have it now. I mean, when I get to glory, all my bills will be paid, brother. I won’t have bills in glory. I gotta have it here. You say, ‘Well, Benny Hinn, isn’t it woderful to have streets of gold i heaven?’ Well, of course, but if I hear the thing one more time of how it will be and how it was, I’m gonna kick somebody” (Benny Hinn, “Praise the Lord”. Nov 8th 1990. Audiotape.)

Juanita Bynum:

"Your miracle is attached to what's in your pocket right now! You're trying to hold on to it, but God sent me to tell you to, 'Let it go! Let it go!'" (Juanita Bynum, TBN, Fall Praise-A-Thon, November 1, 2004)

"God said, 'Pick up the phone right now!' He said, '1,000 persons, you are going to sow the $1,000 seed.' You got to! You got to tonight! There is a miracle on it! I know what I'm talking about! He brought me in here to tell you that!" (TBN, Fall Praise-A-Thon, November 1, 2004)

"Somebody right here in television land, God said, '$1,000.' You're sitting there saying, 'You know what? All I got is $1,000.' If that's all you got, oh Jesus! Then you got the miracle seed in your hand!" (TBN, Fall Praise-A-Thon, November 1, 2003)

"You need to send a thousand dollars. If you can’t send a thousand, send five hundred...if all you have is a nickel, wrap it in tissue and put it in an envelope. If all you have is your clothes, send them." (TBN, Fall Praise-A-Thon, November 8, 2003)

"If all you have is $79.36, I double-dare you to empty your bank account. Close your account." (TBN, Fall Praise-A-Thon, November 8, 2003)

"If you want the power, you have to sow the seed." (TBN, Fall Praise-A-Thon, November 8, 2003)

"You’ve got three days to get that into your mailbox. I’m not afraid to say this. I am walking in my authority…if you don’t postmark it by the tenth, we will not accept it. God says you have three days to get your thousand-dollar seed in the mail." (TBN, Fall Praise-A-Thon, November 8, 2003)

"You cannot violate the principle. You have to give. If you don’t have any money then you’d better get a penny in your hand or something." (TBN, Fall Praise-A-Thon, November 8, 2003)

"The Lord told me to give you these socks…In your time of prayer, you are to wear them, and you will walk in authority. Be careful what you say, because what you say will come to pass." (TBN, Fall Praise-A-Thon, November 8, 2003)

"Some of ya'll sitting there holding your wallet...God said, 'Give it to me! Give it to me! Give it to me! Show me how much you love me! Give it to me! I want to know if you're mine! If you're really mine. How come you can't hear me say, write the check?'" (TBN, Fall Praise-A-Thon, November 1, 2004)

"Some of you watching and you might be saying, 'Let me pray about it and see if God is talking to me.' You don't have to see if God is talking to you if you got a $77.00 seed offering in any bank account or pocket. He is talking to you. You need to pick up the phone because I'm telling you, tonight there is an anointing in this studio with your name on it. You need to get a seed into the network tonight." ("Daystar Fall Share-A-Thon," September 21, 2004)

"I'm going to get my seed in the ground because what I make happen for somebody else, God is going to make happen for me. Pick up the phone! I don't care if the lines are busy for half the night. Keep on trying! Put it on redial! Put it on redial! Tell the Devil that, 'I got an emergency! I need something! I need something from God and God needs something from me!'" ("Daystar Fall Share-A-Thon," September 21, 2004)

"Pick up the phone! It may be your last $77.00 seed offering. But you pick up the phone and you make that pledge. Because God is ready to turn some things around for you!"("Daystar Fall Share-A-Thon," September 21, 2004)

"If you're one of those three people that the Lord spoke through me moments ago about a million dollar gift. Whether you're that professional athlete, whether you're that successful businessman or whether you're that woman that has been blessed. You do what the Lord is telling you to do. Because, when God speaks about a significant seed, He has a significant miracle on His mind. [Jaunita Bynum: "Yes!"] God doesn't play games! And that's serious business when you start talking about levels like that. [Jaunita Bynum: "That's Right!"] That's because God has a significant miracle on His mind." (Marcus Lamb, "Daystar Fall Share-A-Thon," September 21, 2004)

Bishop Neil Ellis

“in ten months” there will be a revival, and “souls will be saved”, but “in the midst of this there will be an economic revival”. (Bishop Neil Ellis, TBN, September 16th 2002)

He will pastor a church “That has to be, has to be, poverty free”. This “has to happen”. He added.. Because of the ‘anointing’, (His Emphasis).
“I am not supposed to be pastoring poor people”. (He did add that God will send poor people to him but only so they get a release from poverty).

Bishop Harold and Brenda Ray

Our goal is as simple as it is strategic: To create wealth! And empower our people to steward that wealth for the purposes of the kingdom, the strengthening of their communities and for the economic well being of their children's children! (Emphasis in red on their official web site)

Fred Price

“most employers at least have enough common decency about them that they don't ask somebody to work for them for free.... If a man has enough nicety about him to do that, can't you at least believe that the Father God is not asking you to serve Him for free either?” (D.L. McConnell p.170 op. cit. F. Price Faith, Foolishness, presumption p.7)

The whole point is I'm trying to get you to see - to get you out of this malaise of thinking that Jesus and the disciples were poor and then relating that to you - thinking that you, as a child of God, have to follow Jesus. The Bible says that He has left us an example that we should follow His steps. That's the reason why I drive a Rolls Royce. I'm following Jesus' steps. Fred Price. (Ever Increasing Faith on Trinity Broadcasting Network, December 9, 1990.)

You can talk about me all you want while I'm driving by in my Rolls Royce that's paid for, and I got the pink slip on it. Talk all you want. Bad mouth all you want. Don't hurt me in the least. Doesn't bother me. It's a whole lot easier to be persecuted when I'm riding in my car and I got the pink slip than it is when I'm riding in a car and owe my soul to the company store. Fred Price. (Ever Increasing Faith program, TBN, March 29, 1992.)

“Yeah, God has pleasure in the prosperity. So he must have displeasure in the poverty. So if he does, then poverty couldn't be from God. Yeah, but Brother Price, but God allows it. God lets it happen. You're right, he does. He does, because you do. He can't do anything about it” (Ever Increasing Faith 11/16/90).

“The Bible says that He [Jesus] had a treasurer-a treasury they called it “the bag”); that they had one man who was the treasurer, named Judas Iscariot; and the rascal was stealing out of the bag for three-and-a-half years and nobody knew that he was stealing. You know why? Because there was so much in it, He couldn't tell. Nobody could tell that anything was missing. If He had three oranges in the bottom of the bag and he stole two of them, don't tell me He wouldn't know that some was missing. Beside that, if Jesus didn't have anything, what do you need a treasury for? A treasury is for surplus. It's not for that which you're spending. It's only for surplus-to hold it until you need to spend it. Therefore, He must have had a whole lot that needed to be held in advance that He wasn't spending. So He must have had more than He was living on.” (“Ever Increasing Faith” program TBN Nov.23, 1990)

John Hagee

"Jesus was not poor...Jesus had a nice house! John 1:38 says that Jesus turned to those that were following him and said, 'Come with me.' And they said, 'Where dwellest thou?' He said, 'Come and see.' And Jesus took that whole crowd home with Him to stay in His house. That meant it was a big house! Jesus wore fine clothes! John 19:23 says, 'He had a seamless robe.' Roman soldiers gambled for it at the foot of the cross. It was a designer original! It was valuable enough for them to want it!...And then there are christians that have a poverty complex that says, 'Well, I feel guilty about having nice things.' Jesus didn't!"(John Hagee, Praise-A-Thon, Trinity Broadcasting Network (TBN), November 5, 2004)

"The anointing will do these things, Luke 4:8 says, 'He has annointed me to preach the good news to the poor.' What's the good news to the poor? The good news to the poor is this, Christ took our poverty at the cross, and he gave you the riches of Abraham. Brother, that's enough to make a baptist get in the aisle and start dancing. If you have the anointing you don't have the curse of poverty."(John Hagee, Audio-clip, Bible Answer-man, February 25, 2004, Hank Hanegraaff)

"This book of the law shall not depart out of your mouth' [quoting Josh. 1:8 KJV]. That's the spoken Word of God. 'And then thou shalt prosper and have good success.' When? After you speak and act upon the Word of God. And you've been hearing that tonight out of the mouth of [well-known Faith teacher] John Avanzini."(John Hagee, Praise-A-Thon, Trinity Broadcasting Network (TBN), 4 Nov. 1992. Christian Research Institute Article on John Hagee)

"Poverty is caused by sin and disobeying the Word of God."(John Hagee, Praise-A-Thon, Trinity Broadcasting Network (TBN), 16 April, 1993. Christian Research Institute Article on John Hagee)

"Poverty is a curse."(John Hagee, Praise-A-Thon, Trinity Broadcasting Network (TBN), 4 Nov, 1992. Christian Research Institute Article on John Hagee)


John Avanzini

"...Jesus lived in great prosperity..." (John Avanzini, Was Jesus Poor?, Believer's Voice of Victory, January, 1996, p. 8)

"The fact is, Jesus had a nice house." (John Avanzini, Was Jesus Poor?, Believer's Voice of Victory, January, 1996, p. 9)

"Another thing you may not realize is that Jesus wore designer clothes...Why do you need to know that? Because until you know that Jesus was prosperous, you won't be either. You may have His kindness, you may have His gentleness, you may have all His other attributes, but you'll never have His prosperity." (John Avanzini, Was Jesus Poor?, Believer's Voice of Victory, January, 1996, p. 8)

Gloria Copeland (Kenneth Copeland’s wife)

"Give $10 and receive $1000; Give $1000 and receive $100,000 … give one house and receive one hundred houses or a house worth one hundred times as much. Give one airplane and receive one hundred times the value of the airplane. … In short, Mark 10:30 is a very good deal" (in her book God's Will Is Prosperity: p. 54).

T.D. Jakes

“Jakes, who drives a Mercedes, has moved with his wife and their five children to a luxurious seven-bedroom home with swimming pool in the White Rock Lake area of Dallas. He said the home cost more than $1 million. ‘I do think we need some Christians who are in first class as well as coach,’ Jakes said.” (Jim Jones, “Rising-star evangelist ministers to interracial congregation,” The Fort Worth Star Telegram, Aug.)

“Besides, Jakes says — during an interview and in his sermons — Jesus was a rich man. He had to have been, in order to have supported his disciples and their families during his ministry.” (Kaylois Henry, “Bishop Jakes Is Ready. Are You?,” The Dallas Observer magazine, June 20-26, 1996, pg. 22.)


“The myth of the poor Jesus needs to be destroyed, because it’s holding people back.” (Ibid., pg. 31.)

Incidentally Jakes refers to an adulterous man as a “frightened little boy” and a wife beater as a “terrified little boy.” (Jakes, Loose That Man, op. cit., pp. 123-124.)

Robert Tilton

"Being poor is a sin, when God promises prosperity. New house? New car? That's chicken feed. That's nothing compared to what God wants to do for you" (Charismatic Chaos, p. 285 quoted from a Trinity Broadcasting Network program in 1990).

Jesse Duplantis

..speaking about Mark 4

Duplantis: This is the most important chapter in the Bible, in my opinion, because it deals with sowing and reaping….
Now notice this sower here. He sows 4 times. He sows verse 4, he sows 5, he sows verse7, he sows verse 8. This man here loses 75% of his seed! He loses verse 4, he loses verse 5, he loses verse 7. Now he gets blessed on verse 8, thank you Jesus! But he lost verse 4, verse 5, verse 7. I wonder how many you lost?

Now the Lord told us to go into the world and preach the gospel to every creature, didn't He? It costs billions of dollars to do that, between the satellite communication hookup and everything! Everything! Well, how come we haven't done it yet? Because we've lost verse 4, we've lost verse 5, we've lost verse 7. Every once in a while we get blessed on verse 8. But just think if you got blessed 30, 60 or 100 fold on verse 4; 30, 60 or 100 fold on verse 5; 30, 60 or 100 fold on verse 7; 30, 60 or 100 fold on verse 8, look out Toronto! Now you could buy it. Because every time you give God $50, He gives you $5000. Every time you give Him $100, He gives you $10,000. Every time you give Him $1000, He gives you $100,000. Every time you give him $100,000, $10 million. Before you know it, that building is yours, because they will sell it for the right price. You pick the denomination, God picks the multiplication.

Verse 23 of Mark 4: If any man have ears to hear, how does faith come? So you can substitute to read 'if any man have ears to faith, let him faith."

…So it's up to you what you give. But you see if you forget what you sow and do not name your seed, then the devil will steal your harvest and you don't know - 'God, the devil's stolen' - you can't figure out what is happening.

…The multiplication system of God that God put into the family. Now I had a theologian tell me one time, "I tell you what, Brother Jesse, if you truly understood the Word of God, you would realize that Mark Chapter 4 is not dealing with economic substance. It's dealing with seed." I said, "Sir, you can't eat 30,000 acres of corn."

…I had a man say, "You look so prosperous, Brother Jesse." I said, "Well, I'm backed by a very rich Jew. Yeah!! Yes, I am! His Name is Jesus. I'm backed by Him." (Jesse Duplantis, Trinity Broadcasting Network, September 21, 1998)

Rick Joyner

"I do believe you know wealth in a sense is like energy you can't destroy it, its just transferred, and I believe in a great economic collapse. The wealth of the world will not destroyed it will be transferred, and I believe a lot of it will be transferred to the believers." (Rick Joyner CBN Jan. 3, 2000)

Rod Parsley

"I'm talkin’ about your money. You know one of the greatest things that is going to happen in the year 2,000 were about to see the church rise up with a revelation that only this generation has ever been given of Gods word concerning high finances in the kingdom of God. And we are just about to see the greatest transfer of wealth out of the hand of the wicked into the hand of the just." (Rod Parsley. Jan.7,2000 Breakthrough).

Creflo Dollar

"Well, you need to hear about money, because you ain't gonna have no love and joy and peace until you get some money!" (Creflo Dollar, Praise the Lord, July 20, 1999)

"Are Dreams Important?"

Summarizing the Importance of Our Dreams
God has chosen to communicate with mankind through dreams. He guides and counsels us through our dreams. He establishes covenants with us through our dreams. He grants us gifts in our dreams. He utilized dreams from Genesis to Revelation, and declared that He would continue to use them in the last days. When you total up all dreams and visions in the Bible, and all the stories and actions which come out of these dreams and visions, you have about one-third of the Bible, which is equal to the size of the New Testament! Dreams are a central way God has chosen to communicate with us, and thus they must be given great weight!



Five Things You Can Do to Help Recall Your Dreams
Say to yourself, "I believe dreams contain a valid message."
This is a signal to your heart that you are taking it seriously and want to hear what it has to tell you. You are giving it permission, and even asking it to awaken you after each dream. Your heart will do exactly that. You see, if you do not awaken within five minutes of the dream ending, you will not recall it. If, however, you

tell your heart that dreams are leftover undigested pizza, then you heart lets you sleep through the dream and doesn't awaken you after it is over, and thus you do not recall it.



Ask God to speak to you through dreams as you fall asleep.
God does answer prayers, especially when prayed in accordance to His will!



Put your journal beside your bed and immediately record your dreams upon awakening.
You will forget most of your dreams by the morning, so get up and write them down when you awaken.



Get eight hours of sleep, as the entire last hour will be dream-time.


Awaken naturally, without the use of an alarm clock, as alarms shatter dream recall and blast tidbits of dreams into oblivion where they are never found.


If you will do the above five things, you will recall dreams every week.



Seven Foundational Principles for Interpreting Dreams
Most dreams are symbolic (including biblical dreams), so view them the same way you would view a political cartoon. Throw the switch in your brain that says, "Look at this symbolically."
You can learn the art of communicating symbolically by playing the game "Pictionary" or "Bible Pictionary."



The symbols will come from the dreamer's life, so ask, "What does this symbol mean to me?" or, if working on another's dream, ask, "What does this symbol mean to you?"
For example, Joseph was a shepherd, and he dreamed of sheaves and sun, moon and stars bowing down (Gen. 37:1-11). These images surround a shepherd boy who lives in the fields. Nebuchadnezzar, a king, dreamed of statues of gold (Dan 2:31ff), which surround kings who live in palaces.



The dream generally speaks of the concerns which your heart is currently facing. So ask, "What issues was I processing the day before I had the dream?"
For example, Paul was wondering where to go next on his missionary journey and had a dream of a Macedonian man motioning for him to come on over (Acts 16:6-11). Nebuchadnezzar was thinking his kingdom would go on forever (Dan. 4:28-33) and he had a dream of a tree being chopped off at the roots (Dan. 4:9-27). Once you know the thoughts that were on the dreamer's heart when he fell asleep, it is much easier to draw out the meaning of the dream.



The meaning of the dream must be drawn from the dreamer. Realize you know nothing about the dream, but through dependence upon the Holy Spirit and the skillful use of questions, you can draw the meaning of the dream out from the heart of the dreamer.
As for these four children, God gave them knowledge and skill in all learning and wisdom: and Daniel had understanding in all visions and dreams (Dan. 1:17).

Counsel in the heart of man is like deep water; but a man of understanding will draw it out (Prov. 20:5).



The dreamer's heart will leap and "witness" and say, "Aha!" when it hears the right interpretation, so never accept an interpretation that does not bear witness in the dreamer's heart.


Dreams reveal but do not condemn. Their goal is to preserve life, not to destroy it (Job 33:13-18).


Never make a major decision in your life based only on a dream without receiving additional confirmation from the other ways that God speaks to us and guides us (peace in our hearts, the counsel of others, illumined Scriptures, God's still small voice, prophecy, anointed reasoning, etc.).


Discerning Dreams About Yourself
At least 95% of your dreams will be about you -- your inner self, your current situation, your relationships. Your dreams come from your heart and will express the things that are important to your heart. The most common area your spirit will reveal will be your emotional, heart struggles and sanctification issues, expressed symbolically. Body and health issues are also important to your spirit, so they may be revealed, again in a symbolic way. Your relationships to other people are important to your heart, so these may be conveyed in signs and symbols. And the circumstances and events that surround your life, ministry or vocation are also important to your heart, so these may be portrayed symbolically in your dreams.

Because the vast majority of dreams are about your inner self, begin the process of interpreting your dream with the assumption that it probably is about something you are or should be dealing with in your own life right now.

Isolate the feeling of the dream first. How did you feel upon first awakening? Was your heart pounding in fear? Were you confused, frustrated, angry, rejected, or threatened? Did you feel loved, excited, happy, or content? Did you feel exposed, unprepared, or disappointed? What was the overall emotion that the dream evoked? In what aspect of your life are you also feeling this emotion? If it is not immediately obvious to you, ask the Lord to reveal it to you.

Look at the action of the dream next. Ask the Holy Spirit to show you the symbolism of the action. For example, if the symbol in your dream is that your car is going backward, ask, "In what way do I feel that I am going backward, that I am not moving forward in this area of my life?" If someone else is driving your car in the dream, ask, "In what way is this person driving or controlling my life (e.g., my reactions, attitudes, behaviors) at this time?" or "How is the characteristic that this person symbolizes controlling me?" (See the section below on the symbolism of people in your dreams.) If you are falling, ask "In what way do I feel like I am falling, losing ground, or out of control in my life at this time?" If you are soaring, ask, "In what way or what area of my life do I feel like I am flying, that I am rising above my problems or my abilities?" If you are being chased, ask, "How and why do I feel like I am being pursued or hunted?" If you are naked, ask, "In what way do I feel like I am exposed and vulnerable?" If you dream of dying, ask, "What is dying within me?" (This may be a good thing, for perhaps you are dying to pride, or to self, or to workaholism.)

Remember, actions in the dream are to be viewed symbolically. If your dream wanted to really show you that you were going to die, it would picture that event symbolically. For example, just a few days before his assassination, President Lincoln dreamed of a casket.

Once you have used the feeling and action of the dream to identify the aspect of your life that it is revealing to you, the rest of the symbols will be much easier to identify.

The people in your dreams often represent characteristics within you. You can determine what facet of yourself they are representing by simply asking, "What is the dominant personality trait of this person, as I know him?" The answer will tell you what aspect of yourself you are dreaming about. For example, your heart may want to show you the entrepreneur, the hospitable host, the administrator, the class clown, the spiritual leader, the laid back one, the workaholic, etc. that is within you by the appearance in your dream of an individual who epitomizes that kind of person to you. Your pastor may be the spiritual part of you; a president or king may symbolize other leadership qualities within you; a policeman, judge, or dictator may be the authority figure in you; people in uniform (nurses, waiters, choir members) may represent your desire to conform.

It is also possible that the person's name may be the point that the dream is trying to bring out, especially if that name is spoken within the dream. Dreaming of a friend named Charity or Joy or Grace or Joshua or David may be your heart's way of calling your attention to the qualities that are seen in the meaning of the name. Or the name may actually sound like the message the dream is trying to convey. For example, dreaming of "Sharon" might be your heart's way of pointing out an area in which you should be "sharing" something you are not, or should not be sharing something you are. One person reported dreaming of a friend named "Anita Cook" and finding the interpretation to be "I need to cook."

It is also possible that the Lord Himself or one of His angels may meet you in the dream.

Animals often represent your emotions. Ask, "What emotion might this animal be symbolizing to me?" This will depend on your geographical home, your personal experiences, your knowledge of the Bible, and your own culture. For example, a bull might be anger (an "angry bull"); a fox, craftiness; a cat, curiosity; a dove, peace; an eagle, freedom; a snake, subtlety; a lion, royalty, and so on. Keep in mind that in the Bible, a lion is used to represent both Christ ("the Lion of the tribe of Judah") and satan ("as a roaring lion seeking whom he may devour"). Therefore, you must maintain your dependence upon the Holy Spirit to reveal what the animal represents in your specific dream.

When you face the animal representing your emotions in your dream rather than running from it, you may find that the animal changes into a different one. It is good to face your emotions.

Numbers in dreams generally represent the identical number in real life. However, the number will probably be linked to something which needs to be interpreted symbolically. For example, when Joseph dreamed of eleven stars, the eleven was literal but the stars were symbolic and actually represented his brothers. Joseph was dreaming about his eleven brothers (Gen. 37:1-11). Likewise, the cupbearer's dream of three branches stood for three days (Gen. 39:12), and for the chief baker, the three baskets represented three days (Gen. 39:18). In Pharaoh's dream, the seven cows were seven years (Gen. 41:26). So expect the number to mean that exact number of something. It will take prayer, discernment and the revelation of the Spirit (confirmed by the leap in your heart) to determine what it means.

Continue to move through the dream, seeking revelation on symbol after symbol, until you sense in your spirit that the interpretation is complete.

Occasionally you may have dreams that relate to more than your personal, inner life. If you have examined the dream carefully, in full reliance upon the Holy Spirit to bring the interpretation, and you cannot see how the symbols of the dream apply to you, seek the input of your spiritual counselors. They may be able to see your blind spots and recognize the message your heart is trying to give you.

If your counselors agree that the dream does not apply to your inner life, you may then consider the possibility that it is a dream for or about others. One indication that this may be a dream for another rather than you is if you are an observer of the action of the dream, rather than a participant.


Following are some biblical dreams that demonstrate this principle:

Gen. 15:1-21 Abraham in interaction with God & sleeps = dream about himself

Gen. 20:1-18 Abimelech and God in interaction = dream about himself

Gen. 28:10-22 Jacob being spoken to by God = dream about himself

Gen. 31:10-29 Jacob and God in interaction = dream about himself

Gen. 37:1-11 Joseph and brothers in interaction = dream about himself

Gen. 40:1-23 Cupbearer and Baker = dreams about themselves

Gen. 41:1-49 Pharaoh's dream of 7 cows = dream for others

Gen. 46:1-7 Israel in dialogue with God = dream about himself

Judges 7:9-18 Loaf of bread hitting camp = dream about himself

1 Kings 3:5-28 God and Solomon interact = dream about himself

Daniel 2:1-49 Statue hit by stone = dream about others

Daniel 7:1-28 Four beasts = dream about others

Daniel 8:1-27 Ram and goat = dream about others

Daniel 10:1-12:13 Terrifying vision = dream about others

Matt. 1:20-25 God spoke to Joseph = dream about himself

Matt. 2:3-15 God spoke to Joseph = dream about himself

Matt. 2:19-23 God spoke to Joseph = dream about himself

What Does The Qu'ran Say About Christians?"

Qur'an 5:17 "Verily they are disbelievers and infidels who say, ‘The Messiah, son of Mary, is God.'"
Qur'an 5:51 "Believers, take not Jews and Christians for your friends. They are but friends and protectors to each other."
Qur'an 5:72 "They are surely infidels who blaspheme and say: ‘God is Christ, the Messiah, the son of Mary.' But the Messiah only said: ‘O Children of Israel! Worship Allah, my Lord and your Lord.'"
Qur'an 74:31 "We have appointed nineteen angels to be the wardens of the Hell Fire. We made a stumbling-block for those who disbelieve and We have fixed their number as a trial for unbelievers in order that the People of the Book may arrive with certainty, and that no doubts may be left for the People of the Book, those in whose hearts is a disease."
Ishaq:180 "According to my information, the Apostle often sat by a young Christian slave named Jabr. The Meccans said, ‘He is the one who teaches Muhammad most of what he brings.' Then Allah revealed, Qur'an 16:103 ‘We know what they (pagans) say: "It is only a mortal man who teaches him (Muhammad). But the tongue of the man they wickedly point to is notably foreign, while this (Qur'an) is pure Arabic.'"
Qur'an 72:15 "But the Qasitun (disbelievers) are the firewood of hell."
Qur'an 88:1 "Has the narration reached you of the overwhelming (calamity)? Some faces (Jews and Christians) that Day, will be humiliated, downcast, scorched by the burning fire, while they are made to drink from a boiling hot spring."
Qur'an 9:29 "Fight those who do not believe in Allah or the Last Day, who do not forbid that which has been forbidden by Allah and His Messenger, or acknowledge the Religion of Truth (Islam), (even if they are) People of the Book (Christians and Jews), until they pay the Jizyah tribute tax in submission, feeling themselves subdued and brought low." [Another translation says:] "pay the tax in acknowledgment of our superiority and their state of subjection."
Ishaq:552 "The Quraysh had put pictures in the Ka'aba including two of Jesus and one of Mary. Muhammad ordered that the pictures should be erased."
Qur'an 5:14 "From those, too, who call themselves Christians, We made a covenant, but they forgot and abandoned a good part of the message that was sent them: so we estranged them, stirred up enmity and hatred among them to the Day of Doom. Soon will Allah show them the handiwork they have done."
Qur'an 5:15 "O People of the Book! There has come to you Our Apostle, revealing to you much that you used to hide in your Scripture, suppressing and passing over much. There has come to you from Allah a (new) light (Muhammad) and a clear Book [the Qur'an]."
Qur'an 5:17 "...Say (Muhammad): ‘Who then has the least power against Allah, if His will were to destroy Christ, the Messiah, the son of Mary, his mother, and everyone else on earth?"
Qur'an 5:18 "The Jews and the Christians say: ‘We are sons of Allah, and his beloved.' Say: ‘Why then does He punish you for your sins? Nay, you are but men. He forgives whom He wishes and punishes whom He pleases.'"
Qur'an 5:35 "Believers, fear Allah and seek the way to approach Him, striving hard, fighting Jihad with all your might in His Cause that you may be successful. As for the disbelievers [previously defined as Christians], if they had everything on earth, two times over, to give as ransom for the penalty of the Day of Doom, it would never be accepted from them. Theirs will be a painful torment. They will desire to get out of the fire, but they shall not be released from it. They shall have an everlasting torture."
Qur'an 5:47 "Let the people of the Gospel judge by what Allah has revealed therein. If any fail to judge by what Allah has revealed, they are (no better than) those who rebel."
Qur'an 5:48 "To you [Christians] We sent the Scripture in truth, confirming the scripture that came before it, and guarding it in safety: so judge between them by what Allah has revealed."
Qur'an 5:49 "And this (He commands): Judge between them by what Allah has revealed and follow not their [Christian] desires, but beware of them lest they beguile you, seducing you away from any of that which Allah hath sent down to you. And if they turn you away [from being Muslims], be assured that for their crime it is Allah's purpose to smite them. Truly most men are rebellious."
Qur'an 5:57 "Believers, take not for friends those who take your religion for a mockery or sport, a joke, whether among those who received the Scripture before you or among those who reject Faith; but fear Allah."
Qur'an 5:68 "Say: ‘People of the Scripture Book! You have no ground to stand upon unless you observe the Taurat [Torah], the Injeel [Gospel], and all the Revelation that has come to you from your Lord.' It is certain to increase their rebellion and blasphemy. But grieve you not over unbelieving people."
Qur'an 5:72 "...Lo! Whoever joins other gods with Allah or says He has a partner, Allah has forbidden Paradise, and the Hell Fire will be his abode. There will for the wrong-doers be no one to help."
Qur'an 5:73 "They are surely disbelievers who blaspheme and say: ‘God is one of three in the Trinity for there is no Ilah (God) except One, Allah. If they desist not from saying this (blasphemy), verily a grievous penalty will befall them - the disbelievers will suffer a painful doom."
Qur'an 5:75 "The Messiah, Christ, the son of Mary, was no more than a messenger; many were the messengers that passed away before him. His mother was a woman of truth. They had to eat their food. See how Allah does make His signs clear to them; yet see in what ways they are deluded!"
Qur'an 4:157 "‘We [Jews] killed the Messiah, Jesus,' but they killed him not, nor crucified him. It appeared so to them (as the resemblance of Jesus was put over another man and they killed that man). Nay, Allah raised him up unto Himself. Those who differ with this version are full of doubts. They have no knowledge and follow nothing but conjecture. For surely they killed him not."
Qur'an 4:171 "O People of the Book! Do not exaggerate in your religion; nor speak lies of Allah. The Messiah, Christ Jesus, the son of Mary was (no more than) a messenger of Allah, and His Word, which He bestowed on Mary, and a Spirit proceeding from Him. So believe in Allah and His messengers. Say not ‘Trinity.' Cease and Desist: (it is) better for you: for Allah is one Ilah (God). (Far it is removed from him of) having a son. To Him belong all things in the heavens and on earth. And enough is Allah as a Disposer of affairs. The Messiah is proud to be a slave of Allah, as are the angels, those nearest. Those who disdain His worship and are arrogant. He will gather them all together unto Himself to (answer).... He will punish with a painful doom; Nor will they find, besides Allah, any to protect or save them."
Qur'an 4:159 "And there is none of the People of the Book but will believe in him (Jesus as only a messenger of Allah and a human being) before his (Jesus') death. He will be a witness against them."
Qur'an 5:77 "Say (Muhammad): ‘People of the Book, do not overstep the bounds in your religion, or follow the people who erred and led many astray. Cursed are the unbelievers among the Children of Israel by David and Jesus.... They do vile things, allying themselves with the infidels so that Allah's indignation is upon them and in torment they will suffer for all eternity." [Another translation reads:] "Curses were pronounced on the unbelievers, the Children of Israel who rejected Islam, by the tongues of David and of Jesus because they disobeyed and rebelled."
Qur'an 5:80 "You see many of them allying themselves with the unbelieving infidels. Vile indeed are their souls. Allah's wrath is on them, and in torment will they abide."
Qur'an 5:81 "If only they had believed in Allah, in the Prophet, and in what had been revealed to him."
Qur'an 5:82 "You will find the Jews and disbelievers [defined as Christians in 5:73] the most vehement in hatred for the Muslims."
Qur'an 5:110 "And God will say: ‘O Jesus! Recount My favor to you and to your mother. Behold! I strengthened you with the Holy Spirit so that you spoke to the people in the cradle and in the prime of life. Behold! I taught you the law and the judgment, the Torah and the Gospel. And behold, you made out of clay, as it were, the figure of a bird and you breathed into it and it became a bird by My permission. And you healed those born blind by My permission and the lepers by My permission. And behold! You raised forth the dead by My permission. And behold! I did restrain the Jews from harming you when you came with clear proofs. And the unbelievers among the Jews said: ‘This is nothing but magic.'"
Qur'an 5:111 "Behold! I inspired the [Christian] disciples to have faith in Me and My Messenger. They said, ‘We are believers, and bear witness that we prostrate ourselves to Allah as Muslims.'"
Qur'an 5:112 "Behold! The disciples, said: ‘O Jesus, can your Lord send down to us a table well laid out from heaven?' Said Jesus: ‘Fear Allah, if you have faith.' When the disciples said: ‘O Jesus, son of Mary, is your Lord able to send down for us a table spread with food from heaven?' He said: "Observe your duty to Allah, if you are true believers.'" Qur'an 5:113 "They said: ‘We only wish to eat thereof to satisfy our hearts, and to know that you have told us the truth. We want to witnesses a miracle.' Said Jesus, the son of Mary: ‘O Allah our Lord! Send us from heaven a table well laid out, that there may be for us a feast, a Sign from you." Qur'an 5:115 "Allah said: ‘I am going to send it down unto you, but if any of you after that disbelieves, resisting Faith [Islam], I will punish him with a torment such as I have not inflicted on any one of my creatures, man or jinn. I will punish them with a torment such as I have not inflicted on any one of my creatures."
Qur'an 5:116 "And behold! Allah will say: ‘O Jesus, the son of Mary! Did you say unto men, worship me and my mother as two gods besides Allah?' He will say: ‘Glory to You! Never could I utter what I had no right."
Qur'an 5:117 "I only said what You (Allah) commanded me to say: Worship Allah, my lord and your Lord. I was a witness over them while I dwelt amongst them but you took me up. (This is a great admonition and warning to the Christians of the whole world.)"
Tabari IX:15 "One of the Ansari who was plundering the slain came upon a Thaqif boy. He discovered that he was an uncircumcised Christian. He uncovered others and then yelled out at the top of his voice, ‘Allah knows that the Thaqif are uncircumcised."
Tabari IX:86 "Don't seduce the Jews or Christians for incumbent on them is to pay the jizyah protection tax."
Bukhari:V2B23N414 "The Prophet in his fatal illness said, "Allah cursed Jews and Christians because they took their Prophets' graves as places for praying.'"
Bukhari:V5B59N727 "When Allah's Apostle became seriously sick, he started covering his face with a woolen sheet. When he felt short of breath, he removed it, and said, ‘That is so! Allah's curse be on Jews and Christians.'"
Bukhari:V4B55N607 "Allah's Apostle said, ‘On the night of my Ascension to Heaven, I saw Jesus with a red face as if he had just come out of a bathroom. And I resemble Abraham more than any of his offspring.'"
Qur'an 2:111 "They say: ‘None shall enter Paradise unless he be a Jew or a Christian.' Those are their (vain) desires. Say: ‘Produce your proof if you are truthful.' Nay, whoever submits His face to Allah and surrenders, he will get his reward; on such shall be no fear, nor shall they grieve. The Jews say: ‘The Christians follow nothing; and the Christians say: ‘the Jews follow nothing (true);' Yet they (profess to) recite the (same) Scripture Book. But Allah will judge between them in their quarrel."
Qur'an 9:30 "The Jews call Uzair the son of Allah, and the Christians say that the Messiah is the son of Allah. That is their saying from their mouths; they but imitate what the unbelievers of old used to say. Allah's (Himself) fights against them, cursing them, damning and destroying them. How perverse are they!"
Qur'an 9:31 "They (Jews and Christians) consider their rabbis and monks to be gods besides Allah. They also took their Lord Messiah to be a god but they were commanded (in the Taurat and Injeel) to worship only One Ilah (God). There is no ilah (god) but He. Too holy is He for the partners they associate (with Him)."
Qur'an 9:34 "Believers, there are many (Christian) monks and (Jewish) rabbis who in falsehood devour the wealth of mankind and hinder (men) from the way of Allah. And there are those who bury gold and silver and spend it not in Allah's Cause. (Muhammad) announce unto them tidings of a painful torture. On the Day [of Doom] heat will be produced out of that (wealth) in the Fire of Hell. It will be branded on their foreheads, their flanks, and their backs. ‘This is the (treasure) which you hoarded for yourselves: now taste it!'"
Qur'an 2:116 "They say: ‘Allah hath begotten a son: glory be to Him.' Nay, to Him belongs all that is in heavens and on earth: All are subservient and obedient to Him."
Qur'an 2:145 "Even if you were to bring to the people of the Scripture Book all the Signs, they would not follow Your Qiblah; nor are you going to follow their Qiblah; nor indeed will they follow each other's Qiblah."
Qur'an 2:146 "The People of the Book, unto whom We gave the Scripture, know/recognize this revelation/him as they know/recognize their own sons; But lo! a party of them knowingly conceals truth."
Qur'an 2:71 "The semblance of the infidels is one who shouts to one who cannot hear. They are deaf, dumb, and blind. They make no sense."
Qur'an 2:174 "Those who conceal Allah's revelations in the [Bible] Scripture Book, and thus make a miserable profit thereby [selling it to Muhammad], swallow Fire into themselves; Allah will not address them. Grievous will be their doom."
Qur'an 2:175 "They are the ones who bartered away guidance for error and Torment in place of Forgiveness. Ah, what boldness (they show) for the Fire! (Their doom is) because Allah sent down the Book in truth but those who seek causes of dispute in the Book are in a schism of great opposition."
Tabari VIII:98 "Between the truce of Hudaybiyah and his death, the Messenger dispersed his Companions with letters. ‘I have been sent as a mercy and for all. Therefore, convey the message from me, and Allah shall have mercy on you. Do not become disobedient to me as the Disciples became disobedient to Jesus. He called them to the like of what I called you to. Those whom he sent close by were pleased and accepted; those whom he sent far off were refused. Jesus complained of their behavior to Allah, and when they awoke the next morning, each could speak the language of the people to whom he had been sent. Then Jesus said, ‘This is an affair that Allah has determined for you; so go forth!'"
Qur'an 8:50 "If you could have seen the infidels when the angels drew away their souls, striking their faces and smiting their backs. The angels said: ‘Taste the penalty of the blazing Fire.'"
Qur'an 8:52 "They brought this on themselves. Their case is like that of Pharaoh and of those before them. They denied and rejected the revelations of Allah, and Allah destroyed them, punishing them for their crimes: for Allah is strict, severe in punishment."
Qur'an 61:6 "And Jesus, the son of Mary, said: ‘Children of Israel, I am the Messenger of Allah (sent) to you, confirming that (which was revealed) before me in the Torah, and giving Glad Tidings of a Messenger to come after me, whose name shall be Ahmad, the Praised One.' But when he came to them with Clear Signs, they said, ‘this is sorcery!'"
Qur'an 61:14 "O Muslims! Be helpers of Allah: As Jesus the son of Mary said to the Disciples, ‘Who will be my helpers (in the Cause) of Allah?' Said the disciples, ‘We are Allah's helpers!' Then a portion of the Children of Israel believed, and a portion disbelieved: But We gave power to those who believed against their enemies, and they became the victorious."
Qur'an 3:37 "Mariam was given into the care of Zacharyah. Whenever he came to see her in her chamber he found her provided with food, and he asked, ‘Where has this come from Mary?' She said, ‘From Allah who gives in abundance to whomsoever He will. Zacharyah prayed, ‘Bestow on me offspring that is good [i.e., not a girl]. As he stood in the chamber the angels said, ‘Allah sends you tidings of Yahya (John) who will confirm a thing from Allah (the creation of Isa (Jesus), the Word of Allah) and be a noble prophet, one who is upright and does good [a Muslim]."
Qur'an 3:42Qur'an 3:44 "Behold! the angels said: ‘Mariam! Allah has chosen you and purified you above the women of all nations and creation (including jinn). Mary! submit with obedience to your Lord (Allah). Prostrate yourself, and bow down with those [Muslims] who bow down." "This is part of the tidings of the things unseen, which you have no knowledge and We reveal unto you (Messenger!) by inspiration. You were not with them when they cast lots with arrows, as to which of them should be charged with the care of Mariam. Nor were you with them when they disputed."
Qur'an 3:45 "Behold, the angels said: ‘O Mariam! Allah gives you glad tidings of a Word from Him: his name will be the Messiah, Isa (Jesus), the son of Mariam, held in honor in this world and the Hereafter and of those nearest to Allah."
Qur'an 4.171 "O people of the Book (Christians), do not be fanatical in your faith, and say nothing but the truth about Allah. The Messiah who is Isa (Jesus), son of Mariam, was only a messenger of Allah, nothing more. He bestowed His Word on Mariam and His Spirit. So believe in Allah and say not Trinity for Allah is one Ilah (God)...far be it from His Glory to beget a son."
Qur'an 3:46 "And he shall speak to the people when in the cradle and when of old age, and shall be one of the good ones."
Bukhari:V4B55N645 "The Prophet said, ‘None spoke in cradle but three: The first was Jesus, the second was an Israeli called Juraij. While he was offering his prayers, his mother called him. He said, "Shall I answer her or keep on praying?" He went on praying and did not answer her. His mother said, "O Allah! Do not let him die till he sees the faces of prostitutes."
Qur'an 3:47 "Mary said: ‘O my Lord! How shall I have a son when no man has touched me?' He said: ‘Even so: Allah creates what He wills: When He has decreed a plan, He but says to it, ‘Be,' and it is!"
Qur'an 3:48 "And Allah will teach him the Scripture Book and Wisdom, the Torah and the Gospel, and appoint him a messenger to the Children of Israel, with this message: ‘Lo! I come unto you with a Sign from your Lord. Lo! I fashion for you out of clay the likeness of a bird, and I breathe into it and it is a bird, by Allah's leave. I heal him who was born blind, and the leper, and I raise the dead, by Allah's leave." [As if reading a different Arabic text, the Ali translation says:] "He will teach him the Law and the Judgment, the Torah and the Gospel, and he will be Apostle to the children of Israel, (saying) ‘I have come to you with a prodigy from your Lord that I will fashion the state of destiny out of the mire for you and breathe (a new spirit) into it, and (you) will rise by the will of Allah."
Bukhari:V4B55N657 "Allah's Messenger said, ‘Isa (Jesus), the son of Mariam, will shortly descend amongst you Muslims and will judge mankind by the law of the Qur'an. He will break the cross and kill the swine [Jews] and there will be no Jizyah tax taken from non-Muslims. Money will be so abundant no one will accept it. So you may recite this Holy Verse: "Isa (Jesus) was just a human being before his death. On the Day of Resurrection he (Jesus) will be a witness against the Christians."'"
Bukhari:V4B55N658 "Allah's Apostle said ‘How will you be when the son of Mary (i.e. Jesus) descends amongst you and he will judge people by the Law of the Qur'an and not by the law of Gospel.'"
Bukhari:V4B55N651-2 "I heard Allah's Apostle saying, ‘I am the nearest of all the people to Jesus. There has been no prophet between me and Jesus. All the prophets are paternal brothers; their mothers are different, but their religion is one.'"
Qur'an 3:50 "(I [Isa/Jesus] have come) to attest the Torah which was before me. And to make lawful to you part of what was forbidden; I have come to you with a Sign from your Lord. So fear Allah, and obey me. Lo! Allah is my Lord and your Lord, so worship Him. That is a straight path."
Bukhari:V4B56N814 "There was a Christian who embraced Islam and he used to write the revelations for the Prophet. Later on he returned to Christianity again he used to say: ‘Muhammad knows nothing but what I have written for him.'"
Qur'an 3:52 "But when Jesus became conscious of their disbelief, he cried: ‘Who will be my helpers in the Allah's Cause? The disciples said: We will be Allah's helpers. We believe in Allah, and do you bear witness that we are Muslims."
Qur'an 3:54 "And they (the disciples from the previous verse) schemed, and Allah schemed and plotted (against them): and Allah is the best of schemers."
Qur'an 3:54 [Another translation reads:] "‘Lord, we believe in Your revelations [the Torah and Gospels] and follow this Apostle [Jesus]. Enroll us among the witnesses.' But the Christians contrived a plot and Allah did the same; but Allah's plot was the best." [A third translation says that "they" refers to "disbelievers," not the disciples and they plotted to kill Jesus.] "And they (disbelievers) plotted (to kill Isa [Jesus]) and Allah plotted too."
Qur'an 3:55 "Allah said, ‘Jesus, I will take you and raise you to Myself and rid you of the infidels (who have forged the lie that you are My son).... Those who are infidels will surely receive severe torment both in this world and the next; and none will they have as a savior for them." [Interesting, considering...] Qur'an 5:72 "They are surely infidels who say; ‘God is the Christ, the Messiah, the son of Mary." Qur'an 3:55 [Another translation reads:] "Behold! Allah said: ‘O Jesus! I will take you and raise you to Myself and clear you (of the falsehoods) of those who blaspheme; I will make those who follow you superior to those who reject faith. Then shall you all return unto me, and I will judge between you on the matters wherein you dispute." [Another:] "(Remember) when Allah said: ‘Jesus! Lo! I am gathering you and causing you to ascend unto Me. I am cleansing you of those who disbelieve." [A fourth reads:] "When Allah said: ‘Jesus, I am going to terminate the period of your stay (on earth) and cause you to ascend unto Me and purify you of those who disbelieve.... I will decide between you concerning that which you differed."
Qur'an 3:56 "As for those disbelieving infidels, I will punish them with a terrible agony in this world and the next. They have no one to help or save them." Qur'an 3:58 "This is what We rehearse to you of the Signs and Message, a wise reminder. The similitude (likeness) of Jesus before Allah is as that of Adam; He created him from dust, then said to him: ‘Be.' And he was."
Qur'an 3:60 "The Truth (comes) from Allah alone. So be not of those who doubt, waver or dispute. If any one disputes in this matter with you, now after knowledge has come to you, say: ‘Come! Let us gather together our sons and women among ourselves. Then let us earnestly pray, and invoke the curse of Allah on those who lie!'"
Qur'an 3:61 "If anyone disputes with you about Jesus being divine, flee them and pray that Allah will curse them." Qur'an 3:62 "This is the true account, the true explanation: There is no Ilah (God) except Allah; and Allah - He is the Mighty, the Wise. And if they turn away, then lo! Allah is aware of the corrupters, the mischief-makers. Say: ‘O People of the Book, come to common terms as an agreement between us and you: That we all shall worship none but Allah; that we associate no partners with him; and that none of us shall take others for lords beside Allah.' If then they turn back, say you: ‘Bear witness that we (at least) are Muslims surrendered."
Qur'an 3:67 "Abraham was not a Jew nor yet a Christian; but he was a true Muslim, surrendered to Allah (which is Islam), and he joined not gods with Allah." Qur'an 3:69 "It is the wish of the followers of the People of the Book to lead you astray. But they make none to go astray except themselves, but they perceive not. You People of the Book! Why reject you the signs, proofs, and verses of Allah, of which you are witnesses? You People of the Book! Why do you clothe Truth with falsehood, and conceal the Truth?"
Qur'an 3:118 "O you who believe! Take not into your intimacy those outside your religion (pagans, Jews, and Christians). They will not fail to corrupt you. They only desire your ruin. Rank hatred has already appeared from their mouths. What their hearts conceal is far worse. When they are alone, they bite off the very tips of their fingers at you in their rage. Say unto them: ‘Perish in your rage.'"
Qur'an 4:48 "Allah forgives not that partners [Christ as God] should be set up with Him; but He forgives anything else, to whom He please; to set up partners with Allah is to devise a sin most heinous."
Qur'an 4:50 "Behold! how they invent lies against Allah! That is flagrant sin."
Qur'an 4:51 "Have you not seen those to whom a portion of the Book has been given? They believe in sorcery and false deities and say of those who disbelieve: these are better guided than those who believe. They are (men) whom Allah has cursed: And those whom Allah has cursed, you will find that they have no savior."
Qur'an 4:54 "Are they jealous and envious what Allah has given them of his bounty? But We had already given the house of Abraham the Book, and conferred upon them a grand kingdom. Some of them believed, and some of them averted their faces from him. And Hell is sufficient for their burning. Those who reject our Signs, We shall soon cast into the Fire. As often as their skin is burnt and singed, roasted through, We shall change it for fresh skin, so that they may go on tasting the torment."

"Is it Wrong to Correct or Challenge a Pastor?"

Signs Of The Times: It is particularly significant that so many Christian celebrities today regularly issue stern warnings to their critics ‘not to touch the Lord’s Anointed’. In fact It would be difficult to find a charismatic/evangelical service/program/tract/book that is not liberally sprinkled with the word 'Anointed

Consider this.. In Matthew 24, on the Mount Of Olives, the disciples came to the Lord privately saying “Tell us, when shall these things be? and what shall be the sign of thy coming, and of the end of the world?” Jesus’ first words in answer to them were “Take heed that no man lead you astray” (v.4) and then He went on to say “ For many shall come in my name, saying, I am the Christ; and shall lead many astray”. (Emphasis added) For as long as one can remember there has been the odd lunatic who called himself ‘The Christ’, but certainly there haven’t been enough of them to qualify for Jesus’ warning of “Many shall come in my name” (Most of them were nutty as a fruitcake anyway and certainly didn’t gather much of a following) .. However...

‘Christ’ means Anointed.. it is the Greek translation of the Hebrew word rendered “Messiah”

In other words Jesus answered a direct question about what signs would signify the end of the world with a warning that ‘Many would come in His name claiming they were ‘anointed’.


Raise-Bar



Touch Not My Anointed!

“Do not touch My anointed ones, and do My prophets no harm.’” (Ps 105:15)

Whom Do They Think They Are Kidding? (below)

Benny Hinn once stated,

'You cannot win attacking the servants of the Lord, no matter who they are or what they've done ...if the anointing ever comes upon a man, don't touch that man, even if he turns away from God, and serves the devil, Don't touch him. You are in deep, serious danger.”

One is quite likely to come across different versions of this statement) apart from the obvious flaws in this particular one) So what does the Bible mean when it says not to touch God’s anointed and do His prophets no harm?



Who are the Lord’s Anointed?

There are several verses in The Old Testament that speak about the 'Lord's anointed'.

1) In 1 Sam. 12:3,5; 24:6,10; 26:9,11, 16,23; and 2 Sam. 1:14,16; 19:21 it is a reference to the kings of Israel.

2) In Psalm 20:6; the ‘anointed’ king is the divinely appointed means of the Lord’s deliverance.

3) In Lamentations 4:20 it either refers to the nation of Israel as a whole or the king at the time of the Babylonian invasion.

The mention of prophets in Psalm 105:8-15 and 1Chron. 16:15-22 is a reference to the patriarchs. They are called ‘anointed’ in the sense of being set apart by God’s Spirit, a phrase elsewhere used specifically for prophets (I Kings 19:16), priests (Ex 29:7), and kings (1Samuel 2:35).

(The patriarchs are called ‘prophets’ in the sense of being recipients of God’s special revelation, which was a title later used for those who proclaimed God’s revealed will, although some of the patriarchs did make specific predictions).

So the ‘anointed’ were the patriarchs, the prophets, the kings andr the priests



What does the Bible mean by “do not touch”

Again it is well to clearly define what God means when He says “Do not touch….”. Does touch mean physical injury or verbal opposition?

When God told Saul (His anointed) to “Smite Amalek, and utterly destroy all that they have, and spare them not...” (1 Sam. 15:3) Saul disobeyed and “spared the best of the sheep and of the oxen, to sacrifice unto the Lord...” (v.15). Upon which Samuel wasted no time in publicly denouncing Saul’s disobedience, telling him that “rebellion is as the sin of witchcraft”. (v.2

NJITS Prayer Ministry

Do you want to pray for NJITS and NJITS members?


"First of all, then, I urge that entreaties and prayers, petitions and thanksgivings, be made on behalf of all men, 2 for kings and all who are in authority, in order that we may lead a tranquil and quiet life in all godliness and dignity," (1 Tim. 2:1-2, NASB).

The purpose of this group is first to keep the ministry of NJITS in prayer at all times. As a member of the NJITS Ministry Prayer Group you will be asked to commit to pray for NJITS for a block of 5 minutes each day. You will also receive special prayer requests from the NJITS administration as specific needs arise. All members of this group will be given regular updates concerning such specific request. Secondly, you also will receive prayer requests from those reading the NJITS website, requesting prayer for their specific burdens, illness, urgent needs, we will regularly email their request to you for prayer as they are submitted.
If you feel led to pray for this ministry on a regular basis, and those sending in prayer requests, then please sign up by emailing NJITStudies@yahoo.com. You will be sent an email confirming that your email was received.
We at NJITS thank you for your prayer support in the many prayer requests that we receive and for lifting up in prayer the NJITS administration which is needed so desperately in the spiritual battle to expand the Kingdom of God in the precious name of Jesus.

Again, to sign up to be a prayer partner, or to submit a prayer requests please email NJITStudies@yahoo.com



Remember to check the Answer Prayer Requests page periodically to see the work of the Lord in our world.

Why Are So Many Churches Dying?

“If the Pastor doesn’t emphasize evangelism and discipleship, YOUR CHURCH WILL DIE!”


I was in church one Sunday and one of the old Missionaries was leading the early morning prayer, she cried loud and shook the rafters as she prayed. She said at one point “Lord send the sinner man into this church!” It was uttered with the utmost sincerity and piety, but she was very much wrong! God doesn’t send sinners to church! He expects US to bring people to Jesus Christ! Jesus told His disciples to pray for laborers for the sole purpose of harvesting LOST SOULS! Too many pastors expect their churches to be like “magnets” and sinners will just come to church! We must invite sinners to Jesus first and foremost, and we must also invite people to our place of worship. It is not enough to have a nice edifice! Churches HAVE to aggressively share the Gospel of Jesus in their communities. This is the primary reason Jesus sent the Holy Spirit to the church, so we could preach the Gospel and make disciples (students). Too often pastors want everyone to embrace and support HIS vision, but he forgets that others vision (purpose) helps support the church as well. Every Pastor NEEDS an EVANGELIST in their church to bring people to Christ so the PASTOR can nurture them, The TEACHER make them disciples and helps them go from milk to meat. The PROPHET inspires people to press into the perfect will of God.
(Act 1:8; Luke 5:1-11; Matt. 28:18-20; John 14:26 and John 15:26)

"Do we Need a New Reformation?"

I’ll get right to the point! Every since Martin Luther received the revelation from God that salvation was a free gift from God, that came through grace and faith…there has been a chasm between the Catholic and the Protestant. As an ordained Protestant minister I know all of the doctrinal problems involved in Catholicism. I have studied church history in college and on my spare time, I know about all of the church councils through the ages and the anti-biblical decisions they made, I know Peter wasn’t the first pope. I know praying to Mary is not scriptural or right. I know we can confess our sins to the Lord directly and not a priest. I know that a wafer and wine isn’t actually Jesus when I take communion.

I also know that if Martin Luther and some of the other reformers could see where the Protestant movement has gone, I think they would be ashamed and disgusted. If the Apostle Paul could see the confusion and apostasy in the church both Catholic and Protestant he would scream. Why? The Protestant church has become the very thing it despised. I have spent 23 years in the Air Force and have traveled all over the world. I have worshipped in nearly every church imaginable; (including Catholic) these are some reasons and observations as to why I feel there needs to be a second reformation. First the observations: While Catholicism has its problems let’s look at the history and flaws in Protestantism.

First Protestantism has many different groups: Fundamentalist, Evangelicals, Charismatic, Pentecostals, Holiness, Oneness (Jesus Only), and The Word Faith groups. This fragmenting of Protestantism is the first problem in itself. Fundamentalist say they believe in the Bible literally yet most reject the gifts of the Spirit, The Baptism of the Holy Spirit, and healing for today. They trust Scofield’s teaching more than they trust the Bible itself. While in Bible College I heard teachers and students a like quote Scofield like he was The Apostle Paul. Evangelicals say they believe in fulfilling the Great Commission yet many Evangelical churches are selectively racist; America has driven segregation out of almost every place except their churches. Martin Luther King said Sunday morning is the most segregated time of the week. Both white and black churches are guilty of this. However I must say America’s history is silent concerning the Protestant churches silence through 300 years of slavery and annihilation of Native Americans. The Charismatic movement on a positive note brought praise and worship back to it’s rightful place in the Body of Christ, yet they also ushered in a propensity to place trust “new revelations” that don’t always line up with scripture. I believe in the gifts of the Spirit and the gift of prophecy, but these utterance gifts MUST line up with scripture! According to New Testament examples of prophecy, most prophecies are warnings or words of encouragement; NOT insight on how to be a millionaire. In many Charismatic churches, everyone has a “word from God”; this has caused many a problem in the lives of the saints of God.

I am from the category called Pentecostal, oh yeah we have problems as well. Pentecostals stress the need to be Spirit-filled, which I agree with, yet they over emphasize speaking in tongues; the key issue is the need to be Spirit-filled! I believe in the gifts of the Spirit, I pray in tongues myself…But! Speaking in tongues don’t confirm a person’s holiness or spirituality. (There are 8 other spiritual gifts!) Show me a Christian that shares Christ (Acts 1:8) and shares love (ICor.13) and I’ll show you a Spirit-filled saint. Holiness churches tell people they must dress a certain way to be saved, look sour and not have any fun, holiness is important and all believers must live separated lives, BUT! Holiness is a way of life that can only occur after the New Birth. Wearing long dresses and black suits in the summer DON”T MAKE YOU HOLY! The Word/Faith movement has done some positive things in encouraging people to study the Word, yet the enemy duped some of them into preaching prosperity as the Gospel and not salvation and a hunger for spiritual blessing versus the material. The other problem with the faith camp is the false teaching of believers never having problems and “divine healing” or the denial of sickness in the life of a believer.

I believe in healing and have received healing myself, but Christians are not exempt from getting sick. (Kenneth Hagin Sr.; Fred Price and his wife; and R.W. Shambach have all preached divine healing and have all been severely ill recently) Remember when Jesus encountered a man born blind, his disciples asked the question, “Who sinned him or his parents?” Jesus said, “Neither”. Paul’s dear friend Epaphroditis was sick nigh unto death, but Paul said God had mercy on him. Saved people can and do get sick! The Lord can also heal us as well. Our faith will be tested one way or another, why should we be any different than Abraham, Joseph, Job, or Daniel; their faith was tested greatly on many occasions. It was because of their faith they endured hard times and persecutions. The Oneness or Apostolic camp believes in Jesus only and denies the Trinity. They also over emphasize the act of baptism. Salvation comes through the avenue of GRACE through FAITH! They believe baptism saves yet the Bible is clear, belief MUST precede baptism or it is an empty act. (Read Philip and Eunuch in Book of Acts) What is my point? The bottom line is Jesus died for our sins and we must preach this to a lost and dying world. I went to a revival 5 years ago (A world famous evangelist was there); he preached before at least 3,000 people and talked about prosperity and healing for 2 hours. He called for a prayer line and never mentioned salvation through grace and faith. What does it profit a man to have prosperity and divine health and not eternal life and a close walk with Jesus.

There is a need for unity amongst believers; this is difficult because each of the groups I mentioned has its good points and strengths, yet they are all flawed in some way. The Word of God has no flaws, and this is where we must meet. I was raised in the Baptist church, I went to a Lutheran School (middle school), I have had fellowship with different groups within the military chapel system, and I worked with foreign missionaries in Korea for 2 years. I helped start the first Church of God in Christ in Korea. During Operation Desert Storm I lead 2 Muslims to Christ with an Assembly of God brother and an apostolic brother. (This was not easy…but it happened) I have preached in Honduras, Turkey, and Somalia. Now why am I sharing all of this? Everywhere I went God teamed me up with people from nearly every group I mentioned…AND IT WORKED! It worked because in the military we didn’t have the luxury of always finding Christians just like you. My first assignment overseas I was teamed up with a Southern Baptist Caucasian brother. He was from Forsythe County, Georgia. This is one of the most racist areas in America, yet we worked together like brothers.

The demonic walls of separation in the Protestant church MUST come down. How can we preach to the Catholic about the mote in his eye, while we the Protestants have a beam in our own? The saints of God must gather at the foot of the cross of Jesus. The Word of God must be all of our training manuals. Salvation by grace through faith is what caused Martin Luther to start the first reformation; we have departed from this in a great way. The doctrine of salvation through grace and faith has to be the preeminent prime directive for the church. Paul said it best in Romans 1:16, “For I am not ashamed of the Gospel of Christ, for it is the power of God unto salvation, to the Jew first and to the Gentile.” We must rally around the Gospel of Christ as our anthem and battle cry. Paul also said, “Woe unto me if I preach not the Gospel.” What is the Gospel? It isn’t politics, it isn’t prosperity, and it isn’t divine healing or speaking in tongues. These things have their place but they cannot replace the simplicity of the Gospel. Jesus came to save the world! Salvation is a free gift that is for all that desire it. This is what Martin Luther nearly died to protect. Paul did die to protect this doctrine! All of the disciples died for this message of hope in Christ. Let us not stain their memory by dividing over things that don’t impact salvation.

Salvation of the soul is the main issue, what does it profit a man to gain the whole world and lose his soul. Eternity is a long time, Insuring people spend it with the Lord is more important than insuring they have wealth! What do you think can help usher in the Second Reformation?