Go and Make Disciples

The Gospel of Covetousness #3
by Eric M. Hill
Eternal Perspective Influences Behavior
What single thing most determines whether a person serves Jesus Christ and others or greed? It is eternal perspective. There’s nothing mysterious about eternal perspective. It is simply your perception of spiritual truth. And spiritual truth is simply truth that is uniquely identified with God and eternity. If you don’t see eternity, you will not live with eternal values. For your behavior reflects what you see, what you understand about eternity.

Christians who see eternity are generous. They form the backbone of the Church and are extremely faithful to it. Christians, however, who see little of eternity are more of a liability than an asset. Their minds are so full of this world that they can’t properly serve God. A mind that doesn’t see heaven or hell is ruled by selfish thoughts. It places more importance on things that are passing away than that which lasts forever. Actually it is hostile to heavenly or spiritual thoughts. “Because the carnal mind is enmity [hostile] against God: for it is not subject to the law of God, neither indeed can be,” (Romans 8:7).

Carnal, worldly Christians are inevitably selfish and greedy. They can’t help it. They are blinded to the eternal glories of heaven. So by default they live for this world. Of all people, they are the most contradictory. “They profess to know God, but in works they deny Him, being abominable, disobedient, and disqualified for every good work,” (Titus 1:16). But there is an even greater evil in the Church. It is the hungry cancer of carnal preachers.

Carnal Preachers
A carnal Christian is a small campfire; a carnal preacher is a raging forest fire. Carnal, worldly preachers, destroy everything within their reach. They devastate the Church with their covetousness and self-worship. These satanically anointed preachers stop many people from entering heaven. How is this done? Simple—by false doctrine.
Covetous preachers thrive in atmospheres of greed. Yet this can only be created with false doctrine. What are some of these doctrines? Glad you asked.

The “Hundredfold” Heresy
I stated in The Gospel of Covetousness #2 that a heresy is a doctrine with some truth and some error. The hundredfold doctrine is a heresy that was created by prosperity preachers to increase their offerings by appealing to the greed and ignorance of their followers. The doctrine is a distortion of Mark 10:28-30:
Then Peter began to say to Him, “See, we have left all and followed You.” So
Jesus answered and said, “Assuredly, I say to you, there is no one who has left
house or brothers or sisters or father or mother or wife or children or lands, for
My sake, and the gospel’s, who shall not receive an hundredfold now in this time–houses and brothers and sisters and mothers and children and lands, with persecutions–and in the age to come, eternal life.

The basic heresy is this: If you give anything to God, He is obligated to literally
give you back a hundred times what you gave. This doctrine attracts multitudes of foolish Christians who don’t understand God. Yet it is like poison that is sweet in the mouth, but bitter in the belly. All who consume it rot from the inside out.
As usual the prosperity preachers overlook the character of God and the testimony of the Scriptures to justify their greed. It is assumed by a casual reading of Mark 10:29, 30 that God committed Himself to make financially rich anyone who has the sense to take advantage of this unbelievable deal. Yet a careful reading of that passage and its parallel passage, Luke 18:28-30, adds light. Instead of saying hundredfold, Luke uses the word manifold. Hundredfold and manifold mean the same thing, abundance.
Neither means 100 x 1.
Why do prosperity preachers use hundredfold instead of manifold? It is because
hundredfold is more easily manipulated for greedy purposes. The greedy heart can more easily picture 100 x 1 (hundredfold) than simple abundance (manifold). Manifold isn’t enough for the greedy heart. It’s too inconclusive. In God’s eyes manifold could be only 10 x 1 or 3 x 1. Think about it. If you were covetous and arrogant enough to think God owed you a return on your giving, would you choose a hundredfold return or one to be determined by God? The greedy, arrogant heart will choose 100 x 1 every time.
Scriptures such as Luke 17:10 are ignored: “So likewise you, when you have done all those things which you are commanded, say, ‘We are unprofitable
servants. We have done what was our duty to do.” These types of Scriptures are rarely quoted. And if they are, they are twisted to support covetousness. This is so even though the peculiar interpretation invariably violates God’s character.

Why the Hundredfold Heresy is a Doctrine of Hell
First
This doctrine is blasphemous. Anyone who thinks God owes him anything except everlasting punishment reduces God to his servant instead of his King. Religious sinners routinely change the truth of God into a lie. Their love of sin won’t allow them to accept God’s holiness and sovereignty; so they simply create another god. They give  him the name of the true God, but the nature of a false god. This is the graven image of the American Church. Anyone who believes in the hundredfold heresy is guilty of serving a false god.
Second
This doctrine is ungrateful. It is impossible to be grateful to someone for giving
you what is rightfully yours. The hundredfold heresy fills us with fleshly pride. It makes us feel superior to God by convincing us that we can obligate Him to satisfy our lusts. I am amazed and heartbroken at the number of Christians who are bitter against God because “He hasn’t come through for them.”

What utter nonsense! Hasn’t come through for them? When the Almighty God
and Creator voluntarily strips Himself of divine power and comes to live on the level of a created being, and lives in total obscurity for thirty years, and climaxes His love for His enemies by offering Himself to be beaten, humiliated, tortured, mocked, and finally murdered by the slow and cruel death of crucifixion to save them from their sins, do we arrogantly answer His unearned love by accusing Him of not coming through for us?
We do if we believe God owes us anything besides everlasting fire! Thus the hundredfold heresy seduces Christians into judging God as morally inferior to themselves (i.e., “I’ve done my part; God hasn’t done His.”).
Third
This doctrine is man-made. Do you really believe in the hundredfold heresy? Why? Is it because you have done an exhaustive biblical study and concluded this doctrine is of God? I can tell you boldly and without fear of refutation that you have done no such thing. You have taken the word of a blind teacher. You, like so many others, have been mesmerized by the manipulations and concocted testimonies of greedy preachers.
Who do you know who can prove the hundredfold heresy is working in her life? Who do you know who can show you his tax return and prove he has ever received a hundredfold increase on his financial giving? The only people who can do this are preachers who teach this heresy. And why does it work for them? It works because they have mailing lists of several hundred thousand greedy and gullible Christians who regularly answer their requests for money. I guarantee you that if you give me a mailing list of a hundred thousand gullible Christians, I can make the hundredfold heresy work for me! It doesn’t take a genius to figure this out.

Fourth
This doctrine is inaccurate. The text of Mark 10:30 obviously refers to spiritual
and not natural returns. Jesus promised that whoever leaves everything and follows Him will receive in this life a hundredfold of whatever he leaves. Jesus mentioned houses, siblings, parents, spouses, children, and lands. It may be heretically possible to squeeze a hundred-acre return out of this Scripture. But what about the rest of the verse? Was God literally promising 100 x 2 parents, 100 x 1 spouse, 100 x 1 little brother? This ridiculous interpretation doesn’t fit so snugly after all, does it?
Fifth
This doctrine is silly. Several years ago I heard a tape by a Southern California
money preacher exhorting his followers to keep a record of what they had given God so they would know how much was in their heavenly bank account. This is beyond ridiculous. It’s downright stupid. Only the most ignorant and gullible person imaginable would seriously consider such foolishness. Covetousness, however, has a way of stripping us of common sense.
Plus, this doctrine is silly because it requires us to deal with God as a legalistic
banker instead of a compassionate Father. We can receive from the Banker only what we have contributed (times 100, of course). I ask you the questions the apostle Paul asked the Galatians. “O foolish Galatians! [prosperity saints]. Who has bewitched you that you should not obey the truth?…Are you so foolish? Having begun in the Spirit, are you now being made perfect by the flesh?” (Galatians 3:1, 3).
You who prefer God as a legalistic banker have placed yourselves under the law.
You have refused His grace for a system of rules and human perfection. There is no place for mercy in the legalistic system of prosperity preachers. You either become a spiritual lawyer, an expert in manipulating and flowing with impersonal laws that supposedly rule the universe, or you suffer the consequences. Thanks, but no thanks. I prefer the grace and mercy of God instead of the mystical legalism of money preachers.

If you insist on dealing with God as a banker, you better hope you never get a
fatal disease. Why? You’ve never contributed health to God, so how can you get a return? Unless, of course, you’ve found a way to convert some of the money Almighty God owes you into a cure. That would solve your problem. But how would you determine how much of your money to give Him for the cure? Where’s my ledger? Let’s see…hhmmm, what’s the going rate on cancer of the pancreas? God owes me $3,464,929.13, 200 cups of water, 100 hammers, 100 Frisbees, 100 yo-yo’s, 300 hospital visits, 100 fake Rolex watches, 6,000 meals, and 200 rides to work. Do you really want to go down that accounting road?
Sixth
Sixth, this doctrine is unscriptural. Even if we use Mark 10 instead of Luke 18, it
is obvious that prosperity preachers are either spiritually ignorant or dishonest. I believe they are both. If you read Mark 10:17-31 and Luke 18:18-30, you clearly see that Jesus had just used the example of the rich young ruler as a warning for us to flee covetousness. Yet, surprisingly, money preachers teach that Jesus was actually trying to make the rich ruler richer by leading him into the hundredfold heresy. Prosperity preachers are stunningly blind to even the most obvious spiritual truths. Deliver yourself from their evil influence, or be led into eternal ruin! Get their books out of your house! Destroy their tapes and magazines! Their good doesn’t justify their bad. It only takes a little poison to harm you.

The “As It Is In Heaven” Heresy
When the apostles asked Jesus to teach them to pray, He gave them a model to
follow: Our Father in heaven, hallowed be Your name. Your kingdom come. Your will be done on earth as it is in heaven. Give us this day our daily bread. And forgive us our debts, as we forgive our debtors. And do not lead us into temptation, but deliver us from the evil one. For Yours is the kingdom and the power and the glory forever. Amen.
Matthew 6:9-13
As usual, the prosperity preachers ignore Scriptures that don’t help them get into our pockets. The above prayer model plainly tells us to pray for God’s kingdom to come, not man’s (Your kingdom come.). It also instructs us to live modestly (Give us this day our daily bread.). The Lord further tells us to pray that we be not led into temptation (And lead us not into temptation.). But wouldn’t you know it? These truths aren’t emphasized. What is emphasized is a twisting of “Thy will be done on earth, as it is in heaven.”
The way money preachers explain it, God desires to lavish us all with unlimited
material and financial wealth prior to His glorious return to earth. The proof, they say, is that He asked us to pray for His will to be done on earth as it is in heaven. And since everyone in heaven is undeniably rich, God obviously wants every Christian on earth to be rich. Only then can that Scripture be fulfilled, so they say.
There is, however, another way to interpret the above prayer. We can do it without violating God’s character, without contradicting the Bible, and without placing ourselves in unnecessary danger of being seduced by riches. But this requires us to forsake the new truth of the prosperity preachers for the old truth of the Bible.
Let’s just go with the obvious. There’s no unrighteousness, hatred, racism, selfishness, sickness, war, or death in heaven. Nor is there anything else that conflicts with the rule of God. When we pray for God’s kingdom to be done on earth as it is in heaven, we are asking God to intervene in the affairs of the world and to minimize the effects of sin. We are asking Him to frustrate Satan’s efforts and to increase His own. In a prophetic sense, this type of prayer goes beyond our immediate needs and requests and anticipates the literal and physical return of the Lord to establish His kingdom on earth. Isn’t this better than a pocketful of money? If you don’t think so, you need a major spiritual tune-up—maybe even a rebuilt engine or an entirely new one. Hint, hint…“You must be born again,” (John 3:7).

The “Jesus Was Financially Rich” Heresy
One of the more ridiculous doctrines of the money preachers is that Jesus was
rich. Yeah, this is crazy, but they have to teach stuff like this to support their covetous gospel. Wouldn’t it appear contradictory to preach covetousness in the name of Jesus if Jesus taught and lived moderation? Yes, it would, and it does contradict the biblical Jesus. Therefore, these deceivers modify the record of Jesus’ financial worth and material tastes.

Modification #1: Jesus Had Rich Parents
Money preachers often authoritatively state that Jesus had rich parents. Obviously this is to convince us that He was raised in privilege and possibly inherited wealth. Since He is our example, we would then be more inclined to desire money. And the more we desire money, the easier it is for money preachers to manipulate us. This is yet another astounding example of them taking us for fools. Do they not know there are Bibles everywhere? Do they expect us to believe that a carpenter in a small village had somehow grown rich by making tables and chairs one at a time?

Let’s do what they are counting on us to not do—let’s actually read the Bible.
Born on the Ground Among Animals
It is common knowledge that Jesus was born in Bethlehem and that He was born
in a stable “because there was no room for them in the inn,” (Luke 2:7). Here’s
something I’d like you to consider: Since when do rich people live by the same rules as poor people?
“I’m sorry Mr. Trump, I can see that your wife is about to deliver her baby, but the inn is full.”
“Oh, no problem. Just because I’m rich doesn’t mean I expect to be treated any
differently than a poor person. We passed by a manger on the way over here. I’ll see if they have room for my wife to lie on the ground next to animals and give birth to my firstborn. I’m sure that sheep poop and urine don’t smell as bad as, say, a monkey’s. We’ll all laugh about this later.”
Yeah, right. We both know that a rich man would’ve whipped out a wad of cash,
stuffed it in the innkeeper’s hands, and Shazam!—wudda you know? “Mr. Trump, I must’ve overlooked this suite. Here you are, sir. You and your wife have a wonderful evening.”
Just something to consider.

Jesus’ Parents Gave a Poor Family’s Offering
Under the law of Moses, a rich family was required to offer a lamb, and a young
pigeon or turtledove as a sacrifice for a newborn child (Leviticus 12:6-8). A poor family, Joseph and Jesus were both carpenters (Matthew 13:55; Mark 6:3). however, was to offer two turtledoves, or two young pigeons. Luke 2:22-24 says Joseph and Mary gave a poor family’s offering. This was about 40 days after Jesus was born. So we know that very shortly after Jesus’ birth, His parents were poor.

Wise Men Provided Gifts for Traveling and Lodging
The prosperity preachers also contend that Jesus and His family became rich by
the gifts of gold and precious spices that were given to them by the wise men who visited (Matthew 2:11).
The Bible doesn’t tell us how much the wise men gave. So this is obviously self-serving guesswork on the part of money preachers. But this is to be expected. It’s what they do.
Yet for the sake of discussion, let’s assume that the gifts were worth a lot of money. It may interest you to know that shortly after Joseph and Mary received the gifts, God warned Joseph in a dream to “flee to Egypt, and stay there until I bring you word; for Herod will seek the young Child to destroy him…And [the family] was there until the death of Herod” (Matthew 2:13, 15). No one knows for sure how long they stayed in Egypt to escape the paranoid ruler of Israel. It appears to have been as long as two or three years.

But the issue is not whether it was two or three
years. The issue is God’s providential care for Joseph, Mary, and especially their child, Jesus, in an emergency situation. God caused wise men to provide money for their trip and living expenses, enough for at least two or three years. It’s important to note that the money was unsolicited, the trip was necessary, and it was God’s idea. How contradictory then for money preachers to use this example as justification to raise money for their lusts by extortion, bribery, and manipulation of God’s people.

Modification #2: Jesus Had So Much Money He Needed a Treasurer
One money preacher noted: “If Jesus didn’t have a lot of money, He would not
have had a treasurer.” This light reasoning doesn’t even deserve a yawn, but I’ll do it anyway—aauhaauuugghhmmm. Excuse me.
Which is it, money preacher? Did they get rich by Joseph being a carpenter, or by the gifts of the wise men? The actual administration of the tax census/inventory occurred in 7 B.C. This is what caused Joseph and Mary to travel to Bethlehem, where Jesus was born (Luke 2:1-7). Six or seven weeks after the Lord’s birth, the family fled to Egypt to await King Herod’s death, which occurred in 4 B.C. That’s a difference of 2 – 3 years.

The Bible does say that Jesus had a treasurer (KJV; John 13:29). Or more specifically that Judas “had the bag.” The Bible, however, doesn’t say how much was in the bag. I carry a bag with me all the time, a wallet, but this doesn’t mean I’m rich. A company has a treasurer until the day it goes broke. The presence of a treasurer, bag, or wallet says nothing about financial status. Do you see the obvious error and deception in this doctrine?

Modification #3: Jesus Had Expensive Transportation
What about the donkey Jesus rode as He entered Jerusalem. One wolf in sheep’s clothing said, “That donkey was the equivalent of a Cadillac. It was the best transportation of that day!” That’s funny. I thought horses were always considered more prestigious than donkeys.
Here’s what the Scripture says, “Rejoice greatly, O daughter of Zion! Shout,
O daughter of Jerusalem! Behold, your King is coming to you; He is just and
having salvation, lowly and riding on a donkey, a colt, the foal of a donkey,”
(Zechariah 9:9). Jesus selected the colt because it was a sign of lowliness, not
haughtiness or financial riches. Besides, the colt wasn’t even His; it was borrowed for perhaps less than an hour (Mark 11:1-6). Did your prosperity preacher borrow his or her luxury vehicle?

Modification #4: Jesus Wore Expensive Clothing
Prosperity preachers contend that Jesus wore extremely expensive clothing.
Their proof? Here it is: “And they crucified him, and parted his garments, casting lots….” (KJV; Matthew 27:35). Would Roman soldiers gamble for Christ’s clothing if they were not expensive? they ask. Okay, okay, I’ll give them that one. Jesus did show up at one of His trials and His crucifixion wearing some mighty fine threads. In fact, He wore both a scarlet robe and a gorgeous white robe. But before the money preachers ascend the Olympic podium for their gold medal, they should consider the lap they forgot to run. Remember the colt Jesus rode into Jerusalem? Mmmhhmmm…that’s the one. It didn’t actually belong to Him, did it? Neither did these fancy clothes we’re discussing.
These robes weren’t purchased by the tithes and offerings of gullible Christians.
Roman soldiers contemptuously put the scarlet robe on Him once they had stripped off His own clothing: “And they stripped Him and put a scarlet robe on Him,” (Matthew 27:28). And Herod added to the mockery by placing His own robe on Jesus: “Then Herod, with his men of war, treated Him with contempt and mocked Him, arrayed Him in a gorgeous robe, and sent Him back to Pilate,” (Luke 23:11). In both cases the robes were put upon Jesus as an act of contempt and ridicule. These facts didn’t require a spiritual Indiana Jones to find them. They’re right there in the Bible. How is it that money preachers who claim to be so deep in God and filled with revelation knowledge can be so ignorant of the obvious? Can it be that they’re not ignorant? Perhaps they know exactly what they’re doing and the only ignorant person here is you. This isn’t meant as an insult, but as a reasonable observation. It could be that they know the truth, but are counting on your ignorance of the Bible to keep that cash flowing their direction. Just give it some honest thought.

What Jesus Said About His Net Worth
We see that preachers have lied about the lifestyle and financial status of Jesus,
but what does the Bible say about Jesus’ net worth? Jesus Himself said, “Foxes have holes and birds of the air have nests, but the Son of man has nowhere to lay His
head,” (Matthew 8:20). This doesn’t sound like the testimony of a rich man.
Would Jesus say, “Lay not up for yourselves treasures upon earth….”
(Matthew 6:19), “Take heed and beware of covetousness, for one’s life does not
consist in the abundance of the things he possesses,” (Luke 12:15) “One thing
you lack: Go your way, sell whatever you have and give to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven,” (Mark 10:21) and not practice what He preached? Would Jesus require more from others than He required of Himself? What do we think He is, a prosperity preacher?

The “Give And It Shall Be Given Unto You” Heresy
Remember that a heresy is a mixture of truth and error. The doctrine that God
gives to the giver is true. The doctrine that you can manipulate God through giving is false. Yet in many churches this doctrine is preached in a way that inspires false and presumptuous hope. The carnal or false Christian is convinced that his giving obligates God to respond in kind. If I give God money, God owes me money.
However, there are many who won’t go so far to say God owes them money.
This is too obviously foolish. They instead offer logic that says, “When I give, I am tapping into God’s law of giving and receiving (i.e., I give and He gives back to me.). On the surface there is nothing wrong with the above statement. It is true that when we give, God gives back to us. But there are two things that must be clarified. First, it is God who determines whether our offering is acceptable. If the offering is rejected by God, our whole basis of getting a return is gone. What may disqualify an offering? Several things. Did you give for the praise of man (Matthew 6:1)? Did you give reluctantly, or to mystically get yourself out of a financial mess (2 Corinthians 9:7)? Did you give out of fear (Romans 14:23)? Did you give to make up for the sin you’re living in (Isaiah 59:1, 2)? If you answered yes to any of these, your offering was probably rejected by God!For certain, if you gave to impress others, your offering was rejected by God. You can count that one as a bad investment, money down the drain.

Second, it is God who determines when and how He will repay our giving. It is
utter foolishness to think that we can tell God when to pay us back [Pay us back? “Or who has first given to God anything that he might be paid back or that he could claim a recompense?” Amplified; Romans 11:35]. There are many who believe they can declare by faith when God will act on their behalf. Let me state carefully that there is a such thing as walking so closely to God that you know His mind, and can speak at times with relative boldness and confidence that God will do a thing. However, this confidence is not the afterbirth of arrogance, ignorance, or presumption. It’s the result of being madly in love with Jesus Christ, of devouring His Word, of spending much time in prayer, of crucifying your flesh, of placing His interests above your own, of walking before Him in fear and trembling.
But what of the covetous or superficial Christian who gives to God and believes
this gives him a right to declare when God will give him a return? Hear me clearly: God is not obligated to save your home from foreclosure. God is not obligated to pay your bills. God is not obligated to solve your emergency exactly the way you want Him to do it. Let this sink deeply into your heart: God is not obligated to do anything for you. If God blesses you, He does so because He wants to, not because He has to. It wasn’t your giving that forced His hand—you can’t force the hand of an Almighty God—it was His goodness. You must understand that when God tells you to do something and promises to bless you for doing it, He is allowing you to take part in His plan.

So what shall we do with this doctrine of giving? Continue to give. Give generously. But be sure to give with a pure heart. Don’t give grudgingly. Don’t be pressured into giving by the manipulations of tricky preachers. Don’t try to manipulate Almighty God with your giving. Give knowing that in God’s own timing and in His own way He will reward your faithfulness.

The “Sowing In Famine” Heresy
This is a popular and dangerous heresy. It begins with the story of Isaac in Genesis 26:1-12. There was a famine in the land and Isaac thought to go to Egypt. However, God told him to stay in Gerar, a Philistine land. After “a long time” (vs. 8) Isaac sowed seed and reaped a hundredfold in the same year.
The heresy evolved from the fact that Isaac supposedly sowed seed in the midst
of famine. Or in other words, he gave when he really couldn’t afford to give. This may have happened. But actually the Bible doesn’t tell us that Isaac sowed in famine. It says after a long time Isaac sowed. How long is long? Two months? Two years? Five years? Was the famine still there? We don’t know because God didn’t tell us. The abuse of this passage is that preachers use it to cause people to give out of their great need. Is this wrong?
Not necessarily. Christians should sometimes give out of their need. Nonetheless, a decision to give when one is in great financial need should be done with pure motives and great wisdom. The poor person who sacrifices greatly to give to God in the hopes that hundredfold riches will inevitably result will find that the only one who is guaranteed to prosper because of his action is the preacher who receives his financial sacrifice.
Sacrificial giving is not a formula to manipulate God. It is instead the activity of a mature and wise heart that loves God and people. It is done by the person who is willing to suffer loss so others may be helped. This is a commendable act of generosity and Christian character.

It isn’t necessarily sinful for Christians to give when they are in need. But in many cases it is unwise and even shameful. It’s shameful because they often neglect their family obligations to buy the acceptance of a preacher or religious system that values their money more than their economic, family, and spiritual well-being. I must add that preachers routinely require Christians to give themselves into poverty and crises. They will answer to God for their insensitivity and cruelty. God will punish those who oppress the poor.

Nevertheless, you must be careful that you aren’t being led to believe that if you
give sacrificially God is obligated to give you a financial miracle. God isn’t obligated to meet your deadlines. For every one person who can testify that sacrificial giving has opened the floodgates of financial blessing, ten can testify that unwise sacrificial giving has added to their misery. This is a fact that many preachers would rather not publicly discuss. It could hinder their cash flow. And cash flow is much more important to them than people.
Sacrificial giving should only be done after you have realistically counted the
cost. It’s foolish to give some preacher your rent money unless you are prepared to live on the street. If you can’t handle the immediate loss of the income you intend to sacrifice, you may give yourself into a crisis that destroys you. Never give beyond your level of love, faith, and wisdom. And never do it unless you are absolutely sure the Holy Spirit has directed you to do so. I said, the Holy Spirit, not some preacher, not peer pressure, not emotion.

This is a true story about a mother sharing the Gospel with a young child and how a child entered the kitchen and reached into a draw to pull out a long knife. The child was pointing the knife at his chest when the mother came in and nearly fainted. She screamed, “What are you doing?” The child said that he was going to cut his heart open to let Jesus come into it.

As a Sunday School teacher for many years of 3rd and 4th grade children, one thing I have learned is that children take things literally, so our choice of words is of critical importance as you can see from the above story. What was intended to be a way of having the child accept Jesus “into their heart” nearly became a tragic ending. The child was simply responding to the wording of how the Gospel was offered by his mother. What she was intending to do became what she never wanted to happen. John Mac Arthur’s book, A Faith to Grow On is one of the finest resources in how to share the Gospel with children that I have ever read.

John Mac Arthur’s book looks like it comes from a 3rd grade classroom. The pictures are bright and there are colorful images everywhere. In big, bold lettering come the simplest forms of the message of the Bible. The Bible is a love letter written to humans from the hand of God, as inspired by the Holy Spirit. The Biblical message of salvation has been described as being so deep, an elephant could swim in it, yet so shallow, a kitten could traverse it. The more complex and hard things found in the Bible are not in the message of the Gospel itself. The story of salvation through Jesus Christ is made so simple that even a child could understand it, thus many adults find it too simple and it is a major stumbling block for non-believers. Yet, the trust and faith of a child has no problem believing in it.

I told my son once that I would be back to pick him up from his grandmas and that I would bring him a Happy Meal. He had no problem believing this “good news”. He knew I would return. He trusted me that I would bring him his chicken nuggets and with the toy that came with it. When I was about to leave, I told him this and he said, “O-tay!”.(That’s “okay” in a 4 year olds vernacular). He fully trusted me with this simple message. Not hard to understand and having child-like faith, he said “O-tay!”. He didn’t wonder if I’d forget. He wasn’t worried that I lied. He knew that daddy meant what daddy said. He had no trouble believing me.

That is the same child-like faith that God desires in all people, children or adults. If they believed that God had Jesus died for them to take away their sins and they could live forever, “no problem”. That is not rocket science. Children have faith and trust unlike most adults do. And their faith and trust to a degree, is broader and deeper that adults tends to be, which is often more cynical or skeptical. When I told my daughter I would be at her music program, she had complete trust and confidence that I would be there. She accepted it as fact. She never questioned me when I told her something when she was young. She believed what I said because I followed up with what I had promised her. My daughter had a complete and full trust in knowing I would do what I said I would do. That is exactly what God desires in us and in children. It’s just easier for children because of their nature. Small wonder that Jesus emphasizes that unless you become as little children (that is, having a complete and full trust), then “…you will never enter the Kingdom of Heaven“(Matt. 18:3).

I use part of each chapter of John Mac Arthur’s book to begin our lesson in Sunday School. It presents the Gospel from a child’s point of view and from their own, particular perspective, not mine. When I worked for Head Start as a Regional Educational Manager, I got down on my knees and “walked” around the room to get the same perspective that the children would get. This allowed me to see if shelves where too high to access books, toys or manipulatives. I especially looked for heavier items on top shelves to prevent a child from pulling it down onto themselves and causing injury. I checked electrical cords and outlets. I looked for carpet threads that could be pulled out and swallowed. My first concern was for the child, not the convenience of the teacher.

This is the perspective John Mac Arthur takes in his book A Faith to Grow On and it is the perspective I always try to emulate. It makes simple the plan of God and message of the Bible, from “the beginning” to Jesus’ crucifixion and to His final return in Revelation.

From Chapter One it talks about God as the Creator and where everything, including them, came from. That He is spirit and you can’t see him, just like the wind (p. 12). You can’t see the wind, but you can see its effect. This chapter discusses how we are like and are not like God (p. 14).

In Chapter Two it reveals that God has lived and will live forever. Then, into Chapter Three and Four, how sin separated us from God (p. 62) but that God was not caught by surprise and made a way for us to go to heaven, as by Jesus taking our place and paying a penalty that we couldn’t pay ourselves (p. 64).

In Chapters Four, John Mac Arthur discusses that God is invisible but He does talk to us by a book He wrote to give to us [the Bible] (p. 72). And in Chapter Five, God doesn’t want to punish us, but He wants us to be with Him forever (p. 88). That’s why God planned for Jesus to come down from Heaven and be a human being too to make this possible (p. 90). He wanted Jesus to pay a penalty that would let us live forever and never, ever die again. Jesus wanted to die so He could be with us forever (p. 92). He loved us that much (John 3:16) that God allowed Jesus to die so that we could live and never die again (p. 94). Jesus proved that we could live again after we died because He did (p. 96).

In Chapter Six, we know that anything we will ever do and all the bad stuff we will ever do or ever have done, can be forgiven and we will be made perfect because of what Jesus did (p. 104). So, in Chapter Seven, it says that we should say thank you to God for this and for our parents, and our home and our clothes and so on (p. 110). He owned everything in the universe but He wanted to share it with us (p. 114). That’s why we sing songs of how great He is in church or at home or in the car. You can’t keep any secret from God like you can from your parents or your friends because God knows what you’re think (p. 116).

In Chapter Eight, you can pray to Him. This is like asking your parents for something and just telling Him what you want (p. 124). You know God cannot give you everything you want, like a million dollars, because He knows, like your parents, that some things will hurt us. God, like your parents, know what you need and what is the best thing for you, except of course that God knows much more what is best for them. This is okay to tell them, so their trust in God will be even greater. And you can believe God will answer your prayers because He hears you like your parents do (p. 134).

In Chapter Nine, John Mac Arthur talks about the church, that it’s not a building, but it’s the people, just like a house is not the family (p. 142). And why we should go to church. We can work together and help other people get to know Jesus (p. 144). The children should know that, in Chapter Ten, why we need to be nice to other people and forgive them, because God has forgiven us if we ask for it (p. 152). God wants us to forgive the bullies, the people who push us, the mean children, and the ones who cheated too (p. 156).

In Chapter Eleven, children are told why we should share this news. If you knew something that was so wonderful, wouldn’t you want to tell your friends, your grandparents, or your neighbors (p. 164)? And don’t worry if they don’t like you telling them about Jesus, because they beat Jesus up when He talked about God (p. 168).

Finally, in Chapter Twelve, we can tell them where God lives and that we can live there too. He promises that if we just believe in Jesus and that He died to help us live forever with Him (p. 178). You believe your parents, so you can trust Jesus even more because He is perfect and never lies…ever (p. 180)! And Heaven a million times better than Disneyland. It’s like the funniest place you could ever be, like when you went to that hotel with a swimming pool, but you never have to check out (p. 186).

Now, children can be told that everyone, young or old, gets to go to heaven if they love Jesus and believe that He loves them. He died and lived again, coming out of a grave, and promises that you can too (p. 190). All you have to do is believe that Jesus did all this and that He would never lie to you. He promises and He never, ever breaks any promise. Not even one time in His whole life! And He’s always lived, so that’s a long time. He want’s you to be with Him forever too. Can you or would you believe Him today? If not, maybe later. Talk to your parents or the pastor or your Sunday School teacher and they can tell you more about this wonderful trip to heaven that you can take someday.

My own daughter was saved when she was only six. I never forced her into it and never tried to talk her into it. God does the calling. I do not. A forced conversion is not a real conversion, but a caving into parental pressure. This is not how God calls people. He never forces Himself on anyone. Getting saved is always up to the child and the child alone.

I recommend this book to any parent, or Sunday School teacher or grandparent or uncle, etc. Buy it for your children or grandchildren or for your Sunday School or for yourself. And you can how easy it is to tell them the story of Jesus.

1. John Mac Arthur. A Faith to Grow On. Thomas Nelson, Inc., Nashville, Tenn. Copyright 2000. ISBN 0-8-499-7512-3

John Mac Arthur is founder of Grace To You Ministries. http://www.gty.org

by Eric M Hill

Thieves in the Pulpit

There is a common perception that all preachers are thieves; that they are in ministry primarily for money. I’d love to defend the ministry and categorically deny this charge.  But it would take great dishonesty, naïveté, or imagination to justify the greed of many American preachers. Therefore, I shamefully confess that materialism and covetousness comprise the unhealthy diet of many ministers.  Like incontinent gluttons, they greedily stuff themselves until the stench of their sin’s overflow can no longer be ignored or explained away.

Open sin requires open confrontation.  When King David committed adultery with Bathsheba, the Lord told him that he would be judged openly because he had sinned grievously, and given the heathen an occasion to blaspheme His name (2 Samuel 12:1-15).  Impartial judgment against sin is necessary if God and the Church are to maintain any kind of integrity.

What would have happened had God forgiven David without correcting him, as is the practice of the American Church? Israel would have suffered what we suffer today: a lowering of God’s standard of righteousness, a light-hearted attitude towards God’s judgment, and a general contempt of God in the Church. The Lord dealt openly with King David for the good of the nation.  We must deal openly with covetousness for the good of the Church and world.  For a covetous, corrupt Church disqualifies itself as God’s representative.

Theft and Fraud in Ministry

The world has discovered our financial hypocrisy and has rightly accused the ministry of theft and fraud.  Multitudes of preachers are accomplished thieves, manipulators, and con men. Yet before I further address this issue, I must emphatically note that not all ministers are of this sort.

American Christianity has its share of ministerial thieves, but it also has a holy remnant of outstanding preachers and workers “who have not defiled their garments,” (Revelation 3:4). These faithful Christians aren’t as well known as the thieves: (1) Because the conduct of the faithful does not attract attention; and (2) Because it is not in the best interest of wicked sinners to highlight the purity and holiness of true Christians.  For instance, when have you ever heard the media discuss the financial accountability of honest preachers with modest lifestyles?  I never have and you probably never have either.  They’re out there, but their stories don’t interest as many radio listeners and television viewers as do the relatively few ministers with mansions, Rolex watches, and private jets.  So the media skips over five hundred preachers who drive a ,000 dollar Ford to report on one who drives a 0,000 dollar Maserati.

Wanted!—Ministers With Integrity

Nonetheless, much of the scorn American society heaps on its preachers is well deserved.  For the worship of money and things has invaded the Church and has become the rule rather than the exception.  A tolerated atmosphere of selfishness [Mine!] and covetousness [More!] has eroded the American Church’s integrity and has made us the joke of our society. This is certainly the case with prosperity preachers.  They personify greed.  But to a lesser degree and less noticeable, there are apparently even sound ministers who despise the gospel of covetousness by name, yet endorse it in practice.  They have a Ford in their garage, but a Maserati in their heart.

The Apostle Paul was a man of integrity. If he were alive today in America, many in the Church would despise or even hate him (look at the Corinthians).  The prosperity cult would criticize him for not knowing his rights in Christ.  They would deride him for teaching sacrifice instead of greed. Yet the world would fear and respect him for his message, integrity, and godly results.

One day when Paul was in prison—not for theft or fraud, but for preaching the gospel—he was called by Felix, ruler of Judea, to defend himself. Acts 24:25 says, “And as he reasoned of righteousness, temperance, and judgment to come, Felix trembled…” (KJV).  Why would a ruler with the power of life and death in his hands tremble at the words of his prisoner? What was it about Paul’s message that terrified Felix?  There were three things that gave Paul moral authority over Felix.

The Minister’s Moral Authority

First, Paul preached a message that the Holy Spirit had obligated Himself to confirm. Jesus said in John 16:8, “And when He [the Holy Spirit] has come, He will convict the world of sin, and of righteousness, and of judgment.” The Holy Spirit took Paul’s words of reproof and struck Felix’ mind like a hammer striking a shelled egg.  Felix was crushed by the irresistible impact of Paul’s message of sin, righteousness, and judgment. Thus, he trembled.

Second, Paul was willing to give his life for the gospel. This is obvious in his presentation to Felix. Had he been fearful of the consequences of offending this wicked ruler, he would not have preached what many now consider a negative message—that is, a sin message. Paul’s bravery astonished and impressed wicked Felix. He must have thought, This man actually believes this Jesus who was crucified is alive. He believes Jesus Christ is the Son of God. That’s ridiculous. He must be insane. Yet he doesn’t speak like a crazy man. He’s intelligent and persuasive and…What if this Jesus did rise from the dead? And what is this he is saying about eternal punishment? What if this talk about a day of judgment is true?

Third, Paul gained moral authority over Felix by his honesty. When Paul answered the choreographed accusations of the Jews and their smooth talking lawyer, Tertullus, it amounted to nothing but a rebuttal. Neither side had any hard proof of guilt or innocence. Yet Felix believed Paul. That is obvious by his subsequent treatment of the apostle. Such is the power of honesty that even wicked men are impressed with it. They are either too self-serving or fearful to be consistently honest themselves, but they recognize those who are and admire them from a distance.

The lack of the above three qualities in American ministers, and Christians in general, is the reason our wicked society laughs at us. The world doesn’t respect our message, our sacrifice, or our honesty. Our message is weak, our sacrifice is minimal, and our honesty is adjustable. The sad result is a presentation of Christ that lacks integrity. And yet there is still another shameful condition in the American Church. This is our disfiguring disease of lust for things and money.

“I Have Coveted No Man’s Silver…”

I am constantly amazed at how prosperity preachers can pervert any Scripture to justify chasing money. Paul was the exact opposite of today’s crop of shallow preachers.  (Maybe that’s why they claim to understand more of the Bible than he.  Don’t laugh. They actually believe this.)

Before Paul left Ephesus, he told the elders:

“Therefore take heed to yourselves and to all the flock, among which the Holy Spirit has made you overseers, to shepherd the church of God which He purchased with his own blood. For I know this, that after my departure savage wolves will come in among you, not sparing the flock.  Also from among yourselves men will rise up, speaking perverse things, to draw away the disciples after themselves…I have coveted no one’s silver, or gold, or apparel.  Yes, you yourselves know that these hands have provided for my necessities, and for those who were with me.  I have shown you in every way, by laboring like this, that you must support the weak.  And remember the words of the Lord Jesus, that He said, ‘It is more blessed to give than to receive.’”

 Acts 20:28-30, 33-35

Paul’s declaration to the Ephesian elders that they knew he had coveted no man’s silver, or gold, or clothing is a rebuke to the American Church. Rarely in our country can we find a preacher who can boldly claim that he has not coveted our money?  Oh, sure I know—it’s for the work of God. Well, is it the work of God for preachers to use manipulation, lies, extortion, and bribery to get into our pockets—sounds like tithes, doesn’t it?  Is it God’s work to pay themselves fat salaries at our expense?  Are their luxury cars and huge homes God’s work? Are their private planes and expensive suits God’s work? Oh, I know the plane is necessary. The big airlines are so inconvenient and undependable.  And the expensive suits…well, God wants His preachers to look like royalty—right?

And surely God wants His preachers to use the most self-serving fundraising schemes available.  That’s why prosperity preachers cry into the radio or television for more money while they sit on huge bank accounts. This is nothing more than a religious scam. And at the appropriate time God shall reward this evil by casting their wretched souls into the bowels of hell to be tormented throughout eternity.

I will be criticized for standing against such wickedness.  But I can’t keep quiet in the face of such blatant sin among Church leaders. Who can number the multitudes who have been deceived by these religious thieves?  How many souls have gone to hell thinking Jesus died on the cross to make them financially rich? Precious child of God, purchased with the very blood of Christ Himself, free yourself from the covetous influence of greedy ministers.  Their doctrine is a poison that pollutes and kills. You can’t serve God and money!

Doctrine According to Godliness

Paul told Timothy that “…if any man consent not to wholesome words, even the words of our Lord Jesus Christ, and to the doctrine which is according to godliness; He is proud, knowing nothing….” (1 Timothy 6:3,4; KJV).  It is interesting and significant that Paul spoke of the doctrine which is according to godliness in respect to money and things. This means you must judge money doctrines by their fruit. If the doctrine does not produce godliness, it is not of God. It’s that simple. Even if the doctrine is apparently supported by a hundred Scriptures, if it does not cause a person to believe and act like the biblical Jesus, it is not of God.

How can a doctrine be supported by a hundred Scriptures and not be of God? That also is simple. A cunning, crafty minister can twist the Bible into any shape his lust desires if he takes Scriptures out of context. How is this done? By rearranging, adding, deleting, overemphasizing, underemphasizing, and otherwise manipulating the Word of God. Yet no matter how crafty false teachers may be, the most unsophisticated child of God can discern between the true Word of God and a masterful lie if she remembers one thing: godly doctrine produces godly fruit (Matthew 7:15-20).

Does the doctrine feed your ego, make you greedy, or make you selfish?  If so, how can this doctrine be of God? Does it inspire you to want more, bigger, better?  If you are honest, you will admit that prosperity doctrines do all of the above. This is directly contrary to Paul’s instructions: “Now godliness with contentment is great gain.  For we brought nothing into this world, and it is certain we can carry nothing out. And having food and clothing, with these we shall be content,” (1 Timothy 6:6-8).

Strifes of Words

Paul warned us that greedy, manipulative preachers would use the strategy of “…strifes of words” which would result in the doctrine of “…gain is godliness,” (1 Timothy 6:4, 5; KJV).  What is this strategy?  It is deliberate overemphasis or underemphasis of key words.  Prosperity preachers are skilled at overlooking the obvious for the mysterious.  They pick a key word in a Scripture that serves their greed and overemphasize, underemphasize, or totally ignore it.  This reinterprets entire passages of the Bible, and effectively rewrites any part that contradicts greed.

A secondary effect of this manipulation of Scripture is that major themes are ignored or perverted.  Themes are concepts and doctrines that are consistently interwoven throughout the entire Bible.  For example, God is holy; God is love; God is just; God is sovereign; or God is eternal.  These are foundational truths that are so clearly established in the Scriptures and critical to our understanding of God that they can’t be modified without polluting the entire revelation of God.  Yet this is exactly what false teachers do with their “strifes of words” strategy.  Don’t let Satan’s ministers deceive you by their manipulations of key words.  Covetousness is wrong before, during, and after the manipulations of men.

Combating Heresy in the Church

Heresies are structures of doctrines built with dangerous mixtures of bad material and good.  They are like leaking pipes of lies behind wooden walls of truth.  If the pipes are ignored, the water will rot the walls.  We must remedy this situation even though the job is messy.  Yet it is here that Satan’s ministers enjoy a propaganda advantage.  For every effort to fix the pipes is misrepresented as an attack on the walls.  So when we denounce greed, they slanderously report that we are against prosperity.  Nonetheless, the true minister of Christ must disregard this defamation and “earnestly contend for the faith which was once delivered unto the saints,” (Jude 3; KJV).

My part in this great fight is limited here to briefly refuting only a few of the more popular false prosperity heresies.  Let’s begin with….

The “Who We Are In Christ” Heresy

The basic premise of this lie is that children of the King ought to live like kings—earthly kings, with all the extravagance and privilege this provides.  Of course, Scriptures are manipulated to this end.  Often when I hear a prosperity preacher simulate biblical instruction and teach this lie, it resembles a parrot repeating physics formulas to admiring crowds. The parrot speaks authoritatively of issues that are as far beyond its understanding as infinity is beyond a lunch break. Yet we admire these talking birds without ascribing to them intelligence they don’t have.  This is how we must view prosperity preachers.  They, too, speak authoritatively of issues they don’t understand.  “…Understanding neither what they say nor the things which they affirm,” (1 Timothy 1:7).

A perfect example is the “Who We Are In Christ” heresy. This doctrine starts out beautifully. We are the righteousness of God in Christ Jesus (2 Corinthians. 5:21). We have the mind of Christ (1 Corinthians. 2:16). I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me (Philippians. 4:13). If you shall ask any thing in my name, I will do it (John 14:14). For you know the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, that, though he was rich, yet for your sakes he became poor, that you through his poverty might be rich (2 Corinthians 8:9). And [He] has made us kings and priests unto God and his Father…. (Revelation 1:6).

One could point to a hundred similar Scriptures of God’s glorious provision, goodness, and kindness. Yet ten million promises of God or declarations of His goodness would not justify the conclusions of false prophets that covetousness is good, and that God’s primary goal for Christians is financial wealth. The mistake of false and carnal Christians is they don’t understand God, righteousness, or holiness.  This is why they equate earthly riches with the favor of God.

A wrong understanding of money, things, and comfort corrupts the knowledge of God. When a person believes that God’s ultimate calling in life is to be wealthy and comfortable, he will find it impossible to satisfy God’s requirements for discipleship. For whenever he hears the Holy Spirit say, “If anyone desires to come after Me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross, and follow Me,” (Matthew 16:24) he will instinctively reject the thought. He will instead follow greedy manipulators and become increasingly hardened to any command of God that threatens his lust for money, things, and comfort. This is why Jesus said, “…when they have heard [God’s word], [they] go out and are choked with cares, riches, and pleasures of life,” (Luke 8:14).

False teachers create and sustain the  “Who We Are In Christ” heresy by manipulating Scriptures that mention or discuss our identification in Christ.  Our blessed relationship with Christ is explained within the context of making money, getting stuff, and enjoying a life of leisure.  Spiritual blessings are converted into cash, cars, and clothes.  And our great pursuit of life changes from attaining the riches of Christ to attaining riches through the use of Christ.  How contradictory that the doctrine of who we are in Christ, which is given to free us from the world, should instead be used to enslave us to the world.

I will tell you who we are in Christ. We are the creation and property of Almighty God; we are subject to His sovereign will. He doesn’t have to ask our permission to do anything. Nor must He be careful to act only within our understanding of Him. This doesn’t mean that He acts contrary to Scripture. But it does mean He is free to act contrary to our misunderstanding of Scripture.

We are kings and priests, but our authority is only valid within the boundaries of God’s character and wisdom. A police officer has genuine authority, but it is limited by the laws of the land in which he serves. The preeminent laws of the land in which we serve are love and humility.  If we violate either of these laws our authority is corrupted, curtailed, or cut off altogether.  The Lord simply has not given us unregulated authority to supernaturally fulfill the whims of our unpredictable lusts.  Our authority is instead that of a servant—the authority to do as we are told.

The “Who We Are In Christ” doctrine, however,—as it is taught by greedy, manipulative teachers—turns Christians from servants of Christ to masters of Christ. Scriptures are taken out of context and used as a bulldozer to tear down God’s sovereign authority over our lives. The result is that a doctrine of God is used to challenge and dethrone God. Specifically, Christians are subtly taught that Christ’s accomplishment on the cross gives them authority to violate the character of God.

Of course, the greed merchants will argue that it is the character of God to give good gifts unto those that love Him. And to this I say, Amen. Yet I must also add that no matter how much a Christian loves or believes God, he never gains leverage over God. Some people think that if they only confess and do the right things that God is obligated to give them what they want. This is nothing less than Christian witchcraft. It is an abomination and an insult to Almighty God that anyone, friend or enemy, should think that a finite, imperfect, sinful human can manipulate an infinite, perfect, and absolutely holy God. This is ignorance and arrogance at its very worst.

The “Wealth of the Wicked Laid Up for the Just” Heresy

Christians often say, “The wealth of the wicked is laid up for the just.”   This true statement becomes a false doctrine, a heresy, when the timing of the prophecy’s fulfillment is wrong.  Of course, I believe God has appointed a day of judgment when sinful humanity will be stripped of its power and authority. On that day a great transference will take place. The lowly saint will be exalted to great honor, and the sinner shall be cursed with everlasting shame and contempt. “For evildoers shall be cut off; but those who wait on the Lord, they shall inherit the earth,” (Psalm 37:9).

Daniel also spoke of that great day when the saints would inherit all things:

I beheld, and the same horn [antichrist] made war with the saints, and prevailed against them; Until the Ancient of days [God the Father] came, and judgment was given to the saints of the most High; and the time came that the saints possessed the kingdom.

 (Daniel 7:21, 22; KJV).

We have corrupted the hope of our inheritance of the earth by striving to attain now what we shall be freely given then.  There is a difference between now promises and then promises. A “now” promise is one that pertains to this present world. A “then” promise pertains to the new world. For example, Acts 1:8 is a “now” promise. “But you shall receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you.” We know from the context, from history, from scriptural validation, and present experience that this is a “now” promise.

Revelation 21:4 is an example of a “then” Scripture:  “And God shall wipe away every tear from their eyes; there shall be no more death, nor sorrow, nor crying. There shall be no more pain, for the former things have passed away.” This obviously is a future promise.

There is, however, a third category of promises. This is the now-then promise. It is fulfilled in a limited, temporary way “now,” but is fulfilled in an unlimited, eternal way “then.” The story of Jesus raising Lazarus from the dead gives a good example of a now-then promise. “Jesus said unto her [Martha], ‘Your brother will rise again.’ Martha said to Him, ‘I know that he will rise again in the resurrection at the last day.’  Jesus said to her, ‘I am the resurrection….’” (John 11:23-25).

Martha’s theology was correct: There is a general day of resurrection appointed for saints and sinners. However, she didn’t understand that when Jesus said, “Your brother shall rise again,” He was not giving her a “then” promise, but a “now-then” promise. It was true that Lazarus would rise again at the future general resurrection. Yet Jesus’ promise included a present limited resurrection—solely for Lazarus.

I mentioned the categories of promises to help you examine the “Wealth of the Wicked Laid Up for the Just” heresy. This doctrine is built almost entirely on Proverbs 13:22:“A good man leaves an inheritance to his children’s children, but the wealth of the sinner is stored up for the righteous.”

This heresy encourages covetousness if the victims of our covetousness are not Christians.  Basically, if Christians believe God and use their faith, they can get the rich person’s wealth. My question is, Is this“…the doctrine which is according to godliness?” (1 Timothy 6:3; KJV).  Is the end of this doctrine Christ-like behavior? What kind of fruit does this tree produce?

The Fruit of Covetousness

The tenth commandment says, “You shall not covet your neighbor’s house; you shalt not covet your neighbor’s wife, nor his male servant, nor his female servant, nor his ox, nor his donkey, nor any thing that is your neighbor’s,” (Exodus 20:17).  And only the most uninformed would seek to hide behind the already tried-and-failed retort of “And who is my neighbor?” (Luke 10:29), so don’t even think about it.

How does God feel about your desire and effort to get someone else’s wealth?  If this is not covetousness, what is? And how exactly do you reconcile God’s command to love your brother with your lust for his property?  Do you seize the property of someone you love?  I know, I know, you’re not actually seizing it; you’re using your faith to get it.  Tell me, how does that look?  Do you just come right out and say, “God, give me Harold’s house”?  No, that’s probably too honest a request.  What about this:  Harold’s house is going into foreclosure.  You can loan or give enough money to Harold to save his home.  But you don’t do it because you want Harold’s house, and if he loses it, you can get it on the cheap—for the kingdom of God, of course.  Now that’s one we can put God’s name on, right?  Wrong.

I think part of the reason we find it easy to desire the property of the “wicked” is we see them as objects rather than people.  Have you ever considered that sinners are actually people?  Do you understand that God loves sinners just as He loves you?  If this is true (and it is), how do you justify lusting after their property?  Do you think that a single Scripture, “the wealth of the wicked is stored up for the righteous,” is to be interpreted in a way that conflicts with the character of Christ and the commands of God to love one another?  If this is what you believe, you may want to dig up your receipt and return your salvation to Wal-Mart for a full refund; it’s not genuine.

The Fruit of Hypocrisy

The official reason for desiring/coveting the wealth of the wicked is to establish the kingdom of God. But can it be that while these covetous people quote Scriptures such as Deuteronomy 8:18: “And you shall remember the Lord your God, for it is He who gives you power to get wealth, that He may establish His covenant….” that they are ignorant of Romans 3:7: “For if the truth of God has increased through my lie to His glory, why am I also still judged as a sinner?”

Romans 3:7 records that it is possible to make God look good through dishonesty. Preachers do it all the time with inflated reports, false healings, exaggerated miracles, manipulated moves of God, etc. The minister’s lie causes people to worship God.  Yet the minister is judged by God as a liar. God doesn’t need or desire lies to make Him look good.

With this in mind, how can a so-called Christian covet another person’s property for the kingdom of God? Is this not flexible morality–bent to fit the shape of our wickedness? Though we rationalize our greed with select Scriptures, and though we pretend to have a great desire for the kingdom of God, will the Lord who “searches all hearts and understands all the intents of the thoughts….” (1 Chronicles. 28:9) not judge us as hypocrites? If we adopt such hypocritical behavior are we not in danger of hearing these dreadful words on Judgment Day?: “I never knew you; depart from Me, you who practice lawlessness,” (Matthew 7:23).

The proper understanding of Proverbs 13:22 begins with acknowledging that it is a now-then promise. Within the boundaries of God’s will for a specific individual, it can certainly be applied today.  God may sovereignly transfer wealth from one person to another.  But this is God’s business, not ours.  Fleshly, covetous manipulations to get someone’s wealth, property, or position will identify the manipulator as a hypocrite.  A careful examination of biblical personalities who did receive the wealth of the wicked will reveal that they were not greedy; they did not seek wealth. Nor were they manipulators. Abraham, Joseph, and Daniel all received the wealth of the wicked. Yet they didn’t pursue wealth. It was thrust upon them.

Nonetheless, there is such a thing as prospering for the kingdom of God.  Do you really believe you are called to this dangerous ministry?  Don’t be so quick to answer yes.  Very few people or societies in the Bible or secular history have passed God’s test of prosperity.  Prosperity has a way of exposing and fertilizing our sinful tendencies.  What secret seeds of worldliness will burst through the soil of your life once you get enough money to satisfy your lusts?

Now let me ask another question.  What portion of your life is dedicated to sacrificing for others?  Are you presently known as a kind, generous person who gives his or her life for the kingdom of God? Statistically speaking, you probably aren’t.  Few of us are described by others in such terms.  Do you have the character of Abraham, Joseph, or Daniel?   Don’t answer yes too quickly.  It takes decades of suffering intense abuse at the hands of God and Satan to achieve such character.  Does that statement offend you?  It doesn’t fit your prosperity template, your formula for a life of leisure and luxury?  If so, you’re spiritually immature and not ready for the ministry of abundance.  It would destroy you.  Another question.  Is money and things important to you?  They are?  Now we know you’re not ready for abundance.

You’re not called to abundance. You’re just attracted to it.  More in Part 3.

By Eric M. Hill

Gehazi’s Shadow

American Christianity is big business!  More people have become rich in the name of Jesus Christ than any other religious figure, alive or dead.  Jesus—the One who chased religious thieves out of the temple—is now the step ladder of spiritual midgets with tall financial dreams.  Men and women who could have never achieved comparable material success in secular business have grown rich from the offerings of good, but naïve people.

Is it any wonder that the world scornfully laughs at the American Church? How can they not laugh? We say we believe in a literal heaven and hell, but live as though there is neither.  If we truly believe that “…the world is passing away, and the lust of it…” (NKJV 1John 2:17), why are we so attached to things that are doomed to pass away?  It is because the American Church lives in the darkness of Gehazi’s shadow.

2 Kings 5 tells of the destruction of Gehazi.  He was a greedy apprentice prophet who studied under the prophet Elisha.  His woes began when God used Elisha to heal Naaman, a Syrian captain, of leprosy.  Naaman was so impressed with Jehovah and His prophet, Elisha, that he forsook his false gods and offered Elisha a large reward for healing him.  Verse 16 shows the character of the prophet.  “But he said, As the Lord lives, before whom I stand, I will receive nothing.  And he urged him to take it, but he refused.”

I wish this were the end of the story, but it’s not.  Gehazi wasn’t made out of the same stuff as Elisha.  He watched in silent horror as Elisha rejected the fortune.  As the healed Syrian rode off with his sacks of money, Gehazi thought, “What’s wrong with Elisha?  Doesn’t he know that the wealth of the wicked is laid up for the just?  Doesn’t he know that it is God who gives us power to get wealth?  Doesn’t he know that men shall give into our bosom?  Doesn’t he know that God wishes above all things that we prosper?”

Like so many prosperity preachers, carnal Christians, and false converts Gehazi knew every Scripture that remotely seemed to justify his greed.  To him Elisha was living beneath his privileges; he didn’t know who he was in Christ, so to speak.  So Gehazi waited until the “ignorant” prophet went home.  Then he said, “But as the Lord lives, I will run after him and take something from him,” (vs. 20).

There is a troubling similarity in the words of Elisha and Gehazi.  To the temptation of covetousness, Elisha said, “As the Lord lives, before whom I stand, I will receive nothing,” (vs. 16).  Yet when Gehazi faced the same temptation, he answered, “As the Lord lives, I will run after him, and take something from him,” (vs. 20).  Elisha resisted temptation in the name of the Lord.  Gehazi yielded to temptation in the name of the Lord.  What does this tell you?  It tells you there are people who sin in the name of the Lord.

However, they don’t actually call it sin.  A professing Christian wouldn’t do that.  Today covetousness isn’t called sin.  This unholy desire for money and possessions is called Claiming the promises of God, or Possessing the land, or Taking back what the devil has stolen, or The wealth of the wicked is laid up for the just, or a hundred other code phrases for covetousness disguised as Christianity.  This is not new.  The apostle Paul explicitly warned us of this financial trickery:

“5…men of corrupt minds and destitute of the truth, who suppose that godliness is a means of gain. From such withdraw yourself…9But those who desire to be rich fall into temptation and a snare, and into many foolish and harmful lusts which drown men in destruction and perdition. 10For the love of money is a root of all kinds of evil, for which some have strayed from the faith in their greediness, and pierced themselves through with many sorrows.”

 1 Timothy 6:5, 9, 10

Gehazi was an ancient prosperity preacher; he was skilled in the art of converting religion into cash.  The decision to sneak back to Naaman to accept the reward that Elisha rejected did not require the burning of a single mental calorie.  In less than the time it took to inhale and exhale one breath, Gehazi planned his trip to Naaman, determined where to hide the stuff, and what lie he would offer Elisha for his absence.  Life was about to become oh so good.

No more off-brand sandals from Payless for this prophet.  From now on there were going to be some Kenneth Cole’s and Johnson Murphy’s on his sanctified feet.  Besides it was foolish to turn down so much money.  What about the good that could be done with these funds?  Plus, Naaman was a Syrian captain—a Syrian captain!  Why wouldn’t God want him to accept a reward from this enemy of Israel, this murderer of women and children?  This Gentile dog owed Israel a thousand times more than he offered.  Elisha was a miracle worker—no one could take that from him—but he was also a fool.  Gehazi told himselt that a hundred times as he ran towards his blessing—and his destruction.

Once Gehazi received and hid the money, he returned to Elisha.  Here is how God felt about the greedy prophet’s new blessings:

Elisha said to him, “Where did you go, Gehazi?”  And he said, “Your servant did not go anywhere.”  Then he said to him, “Did not my heart go with you when the man turned back from his chariot to meet you?  Is it time to receive money and to receive clothing, olive groves and vineyards, sheep and oxen, male and female servants?  Therefore the leprosy of Naaman shall cling to you and your descendants forever.”  And he went out from his presence leprous, as white as snow.

 2 Kings 5:25-27

How does God feel about your so-called blessings?  That depends on how much you have in common with Gehazi. For your sake, I hope it’s not much.

It Works…So It Must Be God!

Uninformed Christians make the dangerous mistake of giving God credit for the success of their sinful activities.  Multitudes naively believe their material success is proof of God’s blessing.  After all, if I confess my faith, lay hold on the promise, and go after it in the name of Jesus and get it, it must be God—right?  Not necessarily.  Neither material success nor material poverty proves God’s blessing or curse.  They don’t necessarily tell you anything about a person’s walk with God.

When Gehazi yielded to the demon of greed, and chased money and possessions in the name of God, guess what—he received them!  But God had nothing to do with his so-called faith “victory.” He didn’t receive his financial prosperity from God, but from lies and fleshly manipulations.  Any time we violate the fruit of the spirit—love, joy, peace, longsuffering, gentleness, goodness, faith, meekness, or temperance—to get any kind of blessing, we deceive ourselves if we think God is pleased with us.

Shallow Testimonies

Many testimonies of financial blessings are nothing more than results of Gehazi-like behavior.  Of course, we shouldn’t hastily suspect everyone with such a testimony of compromise.  They may have been actually blessed by God.  Yet, it is foolish and biblically unsound to accept every testimony of financial blessing as God’s prosperity.  Some apparent blessings are actually results of sin.

The city and tower of Babel are perfect examples of people doing something that was apparently good, but was actually wrong.  A group of people had decided to build a city and tower.  Yet God fought against the project, frustrated the people, and scattered them to different lands.  The significant thing about this story (Genesis 11:1-9) is that  nothing was apparently wrong with their intentions.  The closest we come to seeing anything negative is when they said, Come, let us build ourselves a city, and a tower whose top is in the heavens; let us make a name for ourselves, lest we be scattered abroad over the face of the whole earth,” (vs. 4).

Were these boastful declarations of prideful people?  Perhaps, but we can’t dogmatically say so.  For similar words are used by pastors—some good, some bad—around the world to support their building programs.  Yet whatever the motivation was for this ancient building program, we know by God’s actions that He didn’t approve.

Notice, however, that although God didn’t approve of the project, it would have succeeded had He not stopped it.  In God’s own words:  “…And this they begin to do:  and now nothing will be restrained from them, which they have imagined to do,” (KJV; vs. 6).  Here the Lord plainly tells us we can gain material prosperity and success without His blessing.  Anyone who believes there is a Mafia can’t believe otherwise.

“But God did stop Babel,” you say.  You believe this is proof that if something is not of God, He will stop it.  Therefore, you conclude that whatever God doesn’t stop, He endorses.  So if He doesn’t stop your efforts to “get your material blessing,” He must agree with your attainment of the so-called blessing.  I ask you to consider two things:  the logical conclusion of your argument and the Scriptures.

God hasn’t abolished crime, disease, accidents, or violence.  Is this proof that He endorses these social maladies?  Can the successful bank robber credit God for his success? Can the prostitute legitimately thank God for her record profits?  I think you see the foolishness of this.

The Bible provides no reason to believe the mere existence of evil legitimizes it, or worse, that it is blessed of God.  It instead teaches that God allows evil to exist until He removes it.  There may be a great time span between the offense and the judgment.  Nonetheless, “The Lord is not slack concerning His promise, as some count slackness; but is longsuffering toward us, not willing that any should perish, but that all should come to repentance…But the day of the Lord will come,” (2 Peter 3:9-10).

God destroyed Babel, but allowed Egypt to survive until this day.  He destroyed Sodom, but spared Zoar (Genesis 19:12-22).  As Creator, God has absolute authority to do with His creation whatever He desires whenever He desires.  If in His infinite wisdom He decides to judge one sinner today, but wait several years to judge another, that is His right.  Finite creatures who received their limited knowledge from the infinite God can’t challenge His wisdom.  It is enough to know that all of His actions are dictated by His eternal love and holiness.

What does this have to do with Shallow Testimonies?  Everything.  Prosperity preachers often use testimonies of financial gain to prove God is blessing those who practice their doctrine.  We have shown, however, that it is possible to prosper financially or materially without God’s blessing.  We have also shown that God does not always immediately judge sin.  As Paul told Timothy, who was probably wondering why God didn’t judge false prophets quicker, “Some men’s sins are clearly evident, preceding them to judgment, but those of some men follow later,” (1 Timothy 5:24).

Unfortunately, many false prophets and prosperity preachers will not be exposed until Judgment Day.  Then they and their followers will pay the eternal penalty of their grievous errors.

Prosperity That Stinks

Prosperity that stinks?  What in the world does this man have against prosperity? you ask.  Nothing.  Prosperity is good.  I would rather be full than hungry, healthy than sick, and rich than poor.  Poverty doesn’t glorify God; it doesn’t reflect His original plan.  Poverty is a curse, as is disease and starvation.

The prosperity that stinks is not, “The blessing of the Lord makes one rich, and he adds no sorrow with it,” (Proverbs 10:22), but “the prosperity of fools shall destroy them,” (KJV; Proverbs 1:32).  There is heavenly and demonic prosperity, just as there is heavenly and demonic wisdom (James 3:15, 17).  Heavenly prosperity comes from the Spirit;  demonic prosperity comes from the flesh.

Exodus 16 gives a great example of demonic prosperity.  The Israelites in the wilderness murmured against God and demanded meat and bread.  “Then said the Lord unto Moses, Behold, I will rain bread from heaven for you; and the people shall go out and gather a certain rate every day, that I may prove them, whether they will walk in my law or not,” (vs. 4).

First, notice that the people prayed for a blessing and received it—but not because they were spiritual.  They were actually exceedingly fleshly, sinful, and yet their prayers were answered.  What a great prosperity seminar!  I believe I receive, and ooopps, there it is!  What they didn’t know was that like a later generation that would pray for a king, and receive him in God’s wrath (Hosea 13:11), they, too, would receive their request mixed with judgment.

Second, God commanded the people to gather only one day’s provision (vs. 19).  But covetousness is a spiritual cancer.  It can’t be contained; only removed.  “Notwithstanding they hearkened not unto Moses; but some of them left of it until the morning [took more than they were allowed and saved it until the morning], and it bred worms, and stank:  and Moses was wroth [furious] with them,” (vs. 20).  This is prosperity that stinks.  It’s prosperity gained through fear, covetousness, and disobedience.

Give Us This Day Our Daily Bread

Jesus taught His disciples to pray, “Give us this day our daily bread,” (Matthew 6:11).  The Jews in the wilderness violated this timeless principle by hoarding God’s provision.  Fearful provision for the future insults God.  It indirectly calls Him a liar.  For God has commanded to “take no thought, saying, What shall we eat? Or, What shall we drink? Or, Wherewithal shall we be clothed? (For after all these things do the Gentiles seek:) for your heavenly Father knoweth that ye have need of all these things,” (Matthew 6:31-32).

Did Jesus literally mean it’s wrong to think about food, clothing, and other necessities?  Did Jesus eat food?  Did He wear clothing?  How do you eat food and wear clothes without thinking about either?  You don’t.  The issue is not whether you think about necessities, but whether you seek  these things (v. 32).  Here we must judge between godly provision; and fearful, covetous provision.

Godly provision isn’t laziness, lack of ambition, or looking for angels to mysteriously supply your needs.  It isn’t living life in such a way that you’re one paycheck away from homelessness.  Nor is it living without air conditioning in your car or owning only two changes of clothing.  Godly provision is simply trusting that God is your ultimate Source.  Sure, you work, save, and invest, just as others do.  But the difference is you serve God and ultimately trust Him to care for you.  Your attitude and actions concerning money and things prove you believe life is short, death claims all possessions, and Judgment Day is inevitable.

When Jesus said to “take no thought,” the immediate context shows He was speaking of fear and covetousness.  He was telling us to not fear that our Father will not provide for us, and to not be guided by greed.  When we “seek” provisions as do the Gentiles—unbelievers—we direct our lives not by the abundance of God’s promises, but by the scarcity of our faith in those promises.

Ungodly seeking of provisions is that which is motivated by unbelief, fear, and covetousness.  We don’t believe God will provide for us, so we default to our own devices.  In such an atmosphere, all kinds of sinful attitudes prevail.  But by far the most delusional is when we, like Gehazi, greedily seek after things in the name of Jesus.  Oh, how easy it is to hide our covetousness under a robe of religion.

“We’re not fearful of the future; we’re just being wise stewards.”

“We believe God; we just don’t want to be foolish.”

“Bring all the tithes into the storehouse—my storehouse, that is.”

“God wants you to prosper.”  Or another way of saying this is, “How can I get your money if you don’t have any?”

“Nothing but the best for God.”

Or we could mimic King Solomon.  “I hope the bigness and brilliance of my ministry covers the shallowness of my spirituality.”  The list of religious excuses to seek things as do the Gentiles is endless.

Religious covetousness is subtle.  Discernible for a moment, but untouchable—present, yet unseen.  A poisonous snake that conceals itself by blending with its surroundings.  Hidden in thick bushes of religion until God’s fire scorches its hiding place and forces it into open confrontation.

Legalism Versus Covetousness

How do the you free yourself from this curse of covetousness, this lethal germ of greed?  Do you cancel your pension fund?  Do you sell all you have and give the proceeds to the poor?  Do you quit your job and live as a beggar?  Precious child of God, after saying so much about the curse of covetousness, my next words may surprise you.  Were we to do all these things, we would be no better for it.  We can’t exterminate sin by outward actions.  Self-induced poverty can’t destroy covetousness, and throwing away dirty magazines can’t kill lust.  These actions will produce nothing but a poor, covetous man; and a lustful man with no dirty magazines.  As Jesus said,

There is nothing from without a man, that entering into him that can defile him: but the things which come out of him, those are they that defile the man…For from within, out of the heart of men, proceed evil thoughts, adulteries, fornications, murders, thefts, covetousness…All these evil things come from within, and defile the man.  

 Mark 7:15, 21-23

Legalism is no match for greed.  You can legislate rules for behavior, but you can’t stop sinful desires.  You can pass laws against pornography, but you can’t make lustful people stop x-raying the objects of their fantasies.  You can forbid covetousness, but you can’t prevent greedy people from craving more.  We must remove the roots of covetousness and not become distracted by its branches.  Love removes roots; legalism clips branches.

Love Fulfills the Law

We impose laws to change behavior,  not desires.  A person who fears consequences may obey a law and still be a criminal.  God isn’t interested in simply scaring people into obedience.  Nor does He want obedience borne of convenience.  God wants more than lip service.  He wants “sincere love,” (2 Corinthians. 6:6).  Love has no hidden agendas; no ulterior motives.  It gives without expecting a return.  This is the love that says, “It is more blessed to give than to receive,” (Acts 20:35).

Love and covetousness are natural enemies.  There can be no peaceful coexistence between them nor any compromise.  The conflict is eternal.  For while love sacrifices itself to help others, covetousness sacrifices others to help itself.  This is why Jesus said, “No one can serve two masters; for either he will hate the one and love the other, or else he will be loyal to the one and despise the other.  You cannot serve God and mammon [money],” (Matthew 6:24).

Love and covetousness are both masters.  To get rid of one, we simply yield to the other.  To destroy covetousness, we don’t pass another law—Thou shalt not be selfish—we instead obey Romans 13:8 and Galatians 5:14:  “For he who loves another has fulfilled the law,” and “For all the law is fulfilled in one word, even in this; You shall love your neighbor as yourself.”  Therefore we conclude that the answer to covetousness (and all sin) is not more laws, but more love.  But from where does this love come?

The Love of God is Shed Abroad in Our Hearts by the Holy Ghost

The problem of covetousness is not that a person possesses too much of this world, but possesses too little of the other world—heaven.  The answer to covetousness is not to become poor in the things of the world, but to become rich in the things of the Spirit.  A heart that is full of God has no room for covetousness.  A heart that is convinced of God’s love is free to love.  A heart that sees heavenly riches is not impressed with earthly riches.  A heart that is grateful for salvation is generous.  A heart with these qualities isn’t afraid to love without manipulating a material return.  God is the return.

God promised the true Christian that “the love of God is shed abroad in our hearts by the Holy Ghost which is given unto us,” (Romans 5:5).  This love enables us to free ourselves of the death grip of covetousness and selfishness.  It allows us to look beyond the temporary pleasures of this world to see the eternal pleasures of God.  It empowers us to deny the sinful tendencies of our flesh.

The love of God makes us sensitive to others’ needs.  It compels us to help the helpless.  It makes us rearrange our priorities.  It makes us go here and there, seeking and saving the lost.  It casts out all fear, so that we may obey the Great Commission to “Go into all the world  and preach the gospel to every creature,” (Mark 16:15).  It gives us sight, so we can see as God sees.  It makes our hearts tender, so that we might feel as He feels.  It makes our ears sensitive so that we might hear His Word.

This love shed abroad in our hearts is not the result of rules and holy policy letters.  It’s not the result of speaking in tongues or getting a Bible degree.  It doesn’t come from praying an hour a day or fasting a day a week.  It doesn’t come from a special Holy Ghost anointing meeting.  Nor does it come from memorizing Scriptures.

The love of God shed abroad in our hearts by the Holy Ghost is the work of the Spirit and not the work of the flesh.  Yet although it is a work of the Spirit, it is not without the cooperation of the human heart.  No one can legitimately say, “I would be more loving if only the Holy Ghost would shed His love in my heart.”  The truth is you would be more loving if you allowed the Holy Ghost to pour His love in your heart.

How is the Love of God Shed Abroad?

The love of God is not something you received in the past, but rather something you receive daily from the Holy Spirit.  His ministry of shedding abroad supernatural love in your heart begins the moment you repent of your sins.  He sheds His love abroad in your heart by revealing Jesus Christ to you in powerful, understandable ways.

The intensity of God’s love in your heart is in direct proportion to your vision and appreciation of Jesus Christ.  The love of God can only be as real to you as Jesus Christ is real to you.  As your eyes open to the goodness and greatness of Jesus Christ, everything earthly diminishes to its proper place.  Worldly weights drop off of you, and you are then able to elevate to the heights of the eternal heavens.   It is this great and mysterious work that He accomplishes in us that delivers us from the double bondage of selfishness (Mine! Mine! Mine!) and covetousness (More! More! More!).

Expose yourself to as much of God as possible:  Bible study, prayer, verbal worship, Christian fellowship and accountability.  These things provide an ideal climate for the Spirit to reveal Christ to you.  Your bondage to covetousness will weaken in direct proportion to your growing relationship with God.

Click here for Part Two

There is a fascinating account in the Bible that surrounds the story of the crucifixion. Jesus is being led off to trial, and Peter is lingering close behind feeling sorry for himself. Some people begin to question Peter because they think he is one of the disciples. Peter would repeatedly deny their accusations leading to the crowing of the rooster. But one statement in Matthew stands out in this series of dialogues in which the disciple is involved in. The gospel writer tells us that, “After a little while, those standing there went up to Peter and said, ‘Surely you are one of them, for your accent gives you away’” (Matt 26:73).

We like labels in our culture; we give them for almost anything. We have red states and blue states, Baby Boomers, Generation X, Generation Y and Millennials. Then there are the liberals and the conservatives, the rich and the poor, the skinny and the fat. Not to mention several thousand different denominational tags to choose from as well. We like labels in our culture; they help to simplify things in our minds. But life is not that simple, and labels are not as neat as we like to think.

Peter was being labeled, the sound of his voice giving him away. The disciple was a Galilean and his heavy accent was easily identifiable in the capital city of Jerusalem, leading people to point him out as a follower of Jesus. Their accusations would lead to the most famous denial in history as Peter would swear he didn’t know Jesus.

The story brings up an interesting point. Aside from the historical context, this event begs the question as to what, if anything identifies us with Jesus. He would say that love would be the mark that would identify his followers, not a certain clothing style or a particular type of music. Forgiveness and grace would be the traits that would stand out in his disciples, not denominational affiliations or certain times of worship.

The deeper issue for Peter and us is answering the question of whether anything in our life leads someone to say, “There is a follower of Christ.” It was Saint Francis of Assisi who would say, “Preach the gospel at all times — If necessary, use words.”

In the church of Corinth labels were being passed around. Some were claiming to follow a certain person while others were claiming to follow someone else. Paul would write that Christ is not divided among groups, we are either his followers or we are not. There is no other label, no other modifier to our identity, we are either a part of the vine or we are separate from it.

We love labels in our culture. What label does your life display?

Tobin Crenshaw

Twominutesermon.com

Men are always drawn to the easy way.  We sometimes make the gospel so easy it becomes no gospel at all.  Conversion is so easy it is no conversion at all.  John MacArthur tells of a mega-church that had 28,000 conversions in the last year, they baptized 9,600 people and they only added 123 to the church!  There is something wrong with this picture.  A man on the staff of that church looked at that and said, “There is something very wrong with this.”  He left and learned how to do it right.

It’s easier to go the way of the flesh. It’s a lot easier to build a big mega-church and ride the prosperity gospel into a mega-mansion and drive a mega-car and go on mega-vacations and give jobs to your mega-families than it is to build the church on the solid rock foundation of Jesus Christ.  The easy way doesn’t include hours on your knees praying and interceding for the lost.  The easy way doesn’t include going out into the streets and among the hedges attempting to minister to the lost and dying.  It’s much easier to put on your silk robe and climb into your pulpit and spout forth a humanistic gospel that offends no one and promises everyone who is present a place in the kingdom if they will only write a check to the church.

Robert Schuller, pastor of the mega-church Crystal Cathedral, criticized his own daughter, Pastor Sheila Schuller-Coleman, as being intolerant because she tried to protect the sanctity of God-sanctioned marriage between a man and a woman by asking members of the choir to agree to a covenant declaring as much.  Her father’s reply to this attempt to protect traditional marriage was:  “I have a reputation worldwide of being tolerant of all people and their views. I’m too well-educated to criticize a certain religion or group of people for what they believe in. It’s called freedom.”

Though Schuller seems to have a conscience about criticizing some sin, he certainly has no conscience about criticizing the major doctrine of sin embraced by traditional Christians:  “I don’t think anything has been done in the name of Christ and under the banner of Christianity that has proven more destructive to human personality and, hence, counterproductive to the evangelism enterprise than the often crude, uncouth, and unchristian strategy of attempting to make people aware of their lost and sinful condition.”  This statement is just stunning in its blatant misdirection.  Can you imagine the Savior coming to earth and declaring, “I don’t want to offend anyone by pointing out they might actually be sinning”?

I am aware that one statement taken out of context may be a misrepresentation of what a man actually believes.  I would like to give Schuller the benefit of the doubt.  He is also known for believing that “sin is a condition before sin is an action.”  This statement seems to indicate his belief in original sin but it doesn’t eliminate the impression that Schuller lacks backbone when addressing sin, the greatest enemy of the God he claims to love.

Schuller’s new age Christianity is a shallow substitute for the real, genuine message of God’s Word.  Jesus isn’t just a psychotherapist or a life coach who has come to make people feel good. He isn’t in the business of building a shallow self-esteem in weak-minded, wimpy people looking for a crutch to lean on only when they go through hard times.  Christ came to die on a cross so that we might be genuinely saved and he will come again, not as a sacrificial lamb, but as a warrior to drive his sword into the heart of Satan.

The rock upon which Christ will build a new kingdom will not be those who have lived some superficial, shallow life based on principles that run a mile wide and an inch deep.  He will build his kingdom on those who have invested the time and energy to achieve a deep and lasting relationship with him.

When Jesus had harsh words of admonition for Peter he wasn’t too concerned about his self-esteem.  He was concerned about the destination of his eternal soul.  The account is found in the book of Matthew chapter 16.  Jesus had been explaining to the disciples how he must suffer persecution and finally die.  Verse 22 records that “Peter took him aside.”  Can you imagine, “taking aside” the very Son of God.  “Jesus, would you please step in my office.  I need to have a few words with you.”  Peter had the gall to begin rebuking the Son of God.  No wonder Jesus’ words were harsh, “Get behind me, Satan!”

It was Jesus next sentence that seems to address the striking truth of what is happening to many of our mega-popular pastors as they build shallow churches.  “You are a stumbling block to me; you do not have in mind the things of God, but the things of men.”  Many of our Christian leaders are so frightened they might offend the frail minds of men but they don’t hesitate to dress down the very God of the universe as if they are his equal.

Schuller’s Crystal Cathedral filed for bankruptcy in the fall of 2010 claiming to be drowning in million of debt.  The 84 year old leader had planned for ten years to pass the baton on to his son.  But in 2008 the mega-pastor fired his son.  The ministry now lay in ashes as creditors demand they be compensated for their lost investments.

It is not uncommon for ministries built on the names of men to falter and die.  When the frailties of these men are discovered or when they die their ministries generally crack and crumble.  Jim Baker, Oral Roberts and Ted Haggard come to mind.  The church must be built on the Rock, Jesus Christ.  He must increase and we must decrease.  A ministry built on Christ is eternal, a ministry built on the name of a single man is sure to die.

The philosophy of self-esteem is probably the most influential doctrine to arrive on the scene in Christendom’s recent history.  At least in my lifetime, it has had as much affect, if not even more, on evangelical Christianity than the modern tongues movement that surfaced in the late 1960′s.  Not only has self-esteem psychology crept into every aspect of Biblical doctrine and practice but society as well.  A Korean War era fighter pilot turned minister in the 1957 movie “Battle Hymn,” was rebuked on the front steps of his church for preaching too harshly on man’s condition, and not enough on love and forgiveness.  Even Hollywood got into the act!  Actually, the entire self-movement is perhaps the most single cause of the mainstream church losing the vision for preaching the cross of Christ.  After all, if man’s problems can be healed with positive self-esteem, and preaching the depravity of the human spirit hurts people’s feelings, then it logically follows that our message must be changed.

If there is any doubt, review some of the sermons from the Puritan era and compare them to what we hear today.  Here’s a portion of Jonathan Edwards’ famous sermon, “Sinners in the Hand of an Angry God” given by him on July 8, 1741 in Enfield, Connecticut:

“Your wickedness makes you as it were heavy as lead, and to tend downwards with great weight and pressure towards hell; and if God should let you go, you would immediately sink and swiftly descend and plunge into the bottomless gulf, and your healthy constitution, and your own care and prudence, and best contrivance, and all your righteousness, would have no more influence to uphold you and keep you out of hell, than a spider’s web would have to stop a falling rock.”

Not only does Edwards expose the utter ruin of man with colorful metaphors, he condemns man’s “healthy constitution” which can only refer to one’s lofty self-esteem.

How did we come so far so fast in losing our first love (Rev. 2:4)?  Can theology and psychology be integrated?  Psychology attempts to conform the Bible to its standard and states that man is innately good, whereas the Bible teaches man in inherently sinful and desperately wicked.  Self-love theology taught by Christians is the result of the lack of a practical theology, or a failure to understand the implications of Biblical truth.  Additionally, Christian psychologists who attempt to accommodate psychology theories with the written Word have compromised Biblical truth; not unlike what C.I. Schofield did with his famous “Gap Theory.” Schofield attempted to dovetail recent scientific theories on evolution with scripture producing a “theistic evolution.”

The most striking change in my understanding of this topic of self-esteem has been in the area of soteriology. A correct view of God in His relationship and dealings with man is vitally important when a sinner approaches the throne of Grace. Note Luke 18:13, “And the publican, standing afar off, would not lift up so much as his eyes unto heaven, but smote upon his breast, saying, God be merciful to me a sinner.” Man’s failure to understand and see his wickedness in the presence of a Holy God is probably the single most cause of man’s unwillingness to repent. The doctrine of self-love, self-esteem, self-image, and etc., has convinced man to reinforce his resolve to not confess his frailty and seek the righteousness of Christ.
Is it true that people really hate themselves?  Actually they hate their behavior or the circumstances that results from their bad behavior. Ezekiel 20:43, “There you will remember your conduct and all the actions by which you have defiled yourselves, and you will loathe yourselves for all the evil you have done.”  Actually Ephesians 5:29 says, “After all, no one ever hated his own body….” Counselees frequently have bad feelings.  Many clients will tell the counselor they are suffering from low self-esteem.  Frequently they have taken on a persona of victimhood to nourish themselves. They seek stroking because they assume they are loveable.  In reality, many are suffering from guilt due to sin and want to feel better.  The counselor instead of attempting to relieve pain should expose the sin and seek a confession. Galatians 3:24, “Wherefore the law was our schoolmaster to bring us unto Christ, that we might be justified by faith.”  The pain itself can be as schoolmaster to bring one to repentance as Paul said in 2 Corinthians 7:8-9: “Even if I caused you sorrow by my letter, I do not regret it. Though I did regret it–I see that my letter hurt you, but only for a little while yet now I am happy, not because you were made sorry, but because your sorrow led you to repentance.”
Unfortunately, many within the Christian community seek to build a sinner’s self-esteem by convincing them they have worth because man is made in the image of God.  Indeed, the reason Christ died on the cross for you they say is because “you are so worthy.”  Not only is this dogma not found in history, it directly contradicts the doctrine of total depravity.  Steele and Thomas in their book “Romans, An Interpretive Outline,” define total depravity as:

“Because of the fall, man is unable of himself to savingly believe the gospel. The sinner is dead, blind, and deaf to the things of God; his heart is deceitful and desperately corrupt. His will is not free, it is in bondage to his evil nature; therefore, he will not–indeed he cannot–choose good over evil in the spiritual realm. Consequently, it takes much more than the Spirit’s assistance to bring a sinner to Christ–it takes regeneration by which the Spirit makes the sinner alive and gives him a new nature. Faith is not something man contributes to salvation but is itself a part of God’s gift of salvation–it is God’s gift to the sinner, not the sinner’s gift to God.”

(Note Genesis 2:15-17, Romans 5:12, Psalm 51:5, 1 Corinthians 2:14, Romans 3:10-18, Jeremiah 17:9 John 6:44, and Ephesians 2:1-10 as supporting proof.) And what of man being made in God’s image?  John Piper says it well in 1998 when speaking of total depravity:

“In Romans 14:23 Paul says, “Whatever is not from faith is sin.” Therefore, if all men are in total rebellion, everything they do is the product of rebellion and cannot be an honor to God, but only part of their sinful rebellion. If a king teaches his subjects how to fight well and then those subjects rebel against their king and use the very skill he taught them to resist him, then even those skills become evil.  Thus man does many things which he can only do because he is created in the image of God and which in the service of God could be praised. But in the service of man’s self-justifying rebellion, these very things are sinful.”

Tune into any talk show regarding self-esteem and you will undoubtedly hear the reason why you feel bad.  You have low self-esteem because you haven’t forgiven yourself.  The infamous Tanya Harding coveted the 1994 Olympic skating championship to the point where she hired some thugs to break Nancy Kerrigan’s legs.  Harding apologized at a press conference for the assault, but said her biggest problem was an inability to forgive herself.  Where in scripture are we commanded to forgive ourselves?  Not in Luke 17:3-4, “If your brother sins, rebuke him, and if he repents, forgive him. If he sins against you seven times in a day, and seven times comes back to you and says, ‘I repent,’ forgive him.”  The “theistic psychologists” have simply integrated the doctrine of forgiving oneself into Christianity.

Paul Vitz in his book,” Psychology As Religion: The Cult of Self-Worship,” contend that psychology has not only become a religion, but a secular cult of self-worship and is contributing to the problems of everyday living by fostering selfishness and blame shifting.  Jay Adams’ in his book, ” The Biblical View of Self-Esteem, Self-Love, Self-Image,” presents a clear scriptural basis for not only the errors of the movement, but offers a biblical alternative on how to evaluate ourselves.  David Tyler’s, “Jesus Christ Self-Denial Or Self-Esteem,” reveals that the life of Jesus Chris and His teachings were an exact opposite of what the proponents of selfism would have us believe.
God has an abhorrence of a proud and haughty spirit. As spoken in Proverbs 16: 17-19: “The highway of the upright avoids evil; he who guards his way guards his life. Pride goes before destruction, a haughty spirit before a fall. Better to be lowly in spirit and among the oppressed than to share plunder with the proud.” The judgment of history may conclude that the self-love movement was more damning to people’s souls than the heresy of Baptismal regeneration in years past.  Time will tell.

The Gospel According to John (Greek τὸ Κατὰ Ἰωάννην εὐαγγέλιον), commonly referred to as the Gospel of John or simply John,[1] is an account of the public ministry of Jesus. It begins with the witness and affirmation by John the Baptist and concludes with the death, burial, Resurrection, and post-Resurrection appearances of Jesus. This account is fourth of the canonical gospels, after the synoptics Matthew, Mark and Luke.

The Gospel’s authorship is anonymous. Its Chapter 21 states it derives from the testimony of the ‘disciple whom Jesus loved.’ Along with Peter, the unnamed disciple is especially close to Jesus, and early-church tradition identified him as John the Apostle, one of Jesus’ Twelve Apostles. The gospel is closely related in style and content to the three surviving Epistles of John such that commentators treat the four books together.[2] According to the majority of modern scholars, John was not the author of any of these books,[3] though many scholars plead ignorance in the case of this gospel.[4]

Raymond E. Brown did pioneering work to trace the development of the tradition from which the gospel arose.[5] The discourses seem to be concerned with the actual issues of the church-and-synagogue debate at the time when the Gospel was written[6] c. AD 90. It is notable that, in the gospel, the community still appears to define itself primarily against Judaism, rather than as part of a wider Christian church.[7] Though Christianity started as a movement within Judaism, gradually Christians and Jews became bitterly opposed.[8]

John presents a higher Christology than the synoptics, describing Jesus as the incarnation of the divine Logos through whom all things were made, as the object of veneration,[9] and (according to some scholars) more explicitly as God incarnate.[10] Only in John does Jesus talk at length about himself and his divine role, often shared with the disciples only. Against the synoptics, John focuses largely on different miracles (including resurrecting Lazarus), given as signs meant to engender faith. Synoptic elements such as parables and exorcisms are not found in John. It presents a realized eschatology in which salvation is already present for the believer. According to the majority viewpoint, the differences between the teaching in John and in the Synoptics is so great that only one of the two accounts can be historical, and scholars choose the Synoptics over John.[11][12] Some prominent scholars ,such as J.A.T. Robinson, F. F. Bruce, and Leon Morris however, maintain that the gospel was written by the disciple John and that it, like the synoptics, is historically reliable.

Article by Peter Hansen

A Desperate World in Need of the Pure Gospel!

Billions of people are living in poverty around the world. About 2.8 billion people are living on less than two dollars a day. Millions are dying from starvation and diseases in the Third World. The global financial crisis has caused millions to lose their home and the world has probably just seen the beginning of a major global crisis that not even the financial experts could have foretold. The threat of nuclear war is hanging in the air and the most powerful nations of the globe are fighting for the last reserves of oil.

While some families can’t even afford a single meal on the table each day, others are addicted to drugs, gambling and alcohol. Millions in the west are so mentally depressed that they try to escape this world of loneliness in alcohol, drugs, perversions and suicide. The world is screaming for help and solutions for a messed up society that has nothing to offer but endless talk shows and online entertainment.

People are seriously desperate for finding a deeper meaning, hope and inner peace. This world seems to have everything to offer, but in reality is more out of control morally and spiritually than ever. I can boldly say that this world needs the full gospel message of Jesus Christ. Not another sermon or conference about self happiness, but the pure full gospel of salvation. That is the one and only thing that can bring peace to the mind and restore the soul.

But how sad it is that the preaching of the full gospel has been downgraded to some cultural light gospel show with fancy stage performance and blinking lights! Where are the full gospel preachers who dare to stand up for the truth, who dare to preach salvation, hope, hell, holiness and grace. Where are those who proclaim that Jesus Christ is the only way to heaven?

The problem is that millions of people have been deceived and blinded with a feel good gospel, a light lukewarm message that only talks about happiness, prosperity, self-development and “me, me and me” instead of “Him, Him and Him!”

Where did the gospel go?

Is today’s modern church really afraid of teaching the full living gospel? Is it afraid of being politically incorrect and offending the masses? Many churches are on a very dangerous path. A path that will only lead to possible destruction. Let me point out, that if there is no gospel message of sin, grace, repentance and salvation there is zero!

And while thousands of churches are playing “seeker sensitive churches” and being politically correct, millions of non-believers are screaming for spiritual truth that can give them real hope and reality based on the word of God. The truth of the gospel will set them free, but if there is no one preaching the truth of the gospel, many will go to hell, believing in a different gospel (2 Corinthians 11:3-4) (Galatians 1:6-7). Those are the hard facts. A very good place to read and study what Jesus is saying is in Matthew chapter 24. Jesus mentions here in chapter 24 that many will be deceived by false prophets and teachers.

It is so easy for self-proclaimed prophets to make up weird crazy doctrines and get thousands of followers, because in many churches there is a great lack of Christian discipleship based on the word of God. The focus on Jesus and his teaching and discipleship has been replaced with “feel-good teachings” that totally lacks the important teachings about repentance, sin, hell, grace and holiness.

On a five week mission trip to Ethiopia recently I was scheduled to speak in different churches. In my sermon preparation I felt a deep conviction to preach and focus more on the gospel that Jesus taught and His life, more than I had ever done before. And the pastors and local evangelists were amazed and almost shocked by the clear gospel teaching, because they were not used to that!

We have to remember that the gospel is what sets us free. We need to bring the full gospel back in our churches, mission fields and to a desperate seeking world. There is only one hope and that is Jesus Christ. We have to renew our passion for being in the presence of Jesus. We must take up our cross and lay down our lives and follow Christ and be filled with the Holy Spirit. We must renew our minds daily in God’s presence. We must study the life of Jesus and the Word of God and let it become part of us, inside out.

The living word of God will change your life and you will see its powerful effects, and not only will you be empowered by his Word, the world around you will experience the saving and healing power of Jesus Christ. Make the gospel the focus of your life and ministry and tell others as well.

That the gospel of Christ must be believed (as well as obeyed) in order to receive Christian salvation is made abundantly clear by the apostle Paul in one of the best known passages found in the Bible – Rom. 1:16:  “For I am not ashamed of the gospel, for it is the power of God for salvation to everyone who believes, to the Jew first and also to the Greek.” (Rom. 1:16 NAS)  It thus becomes essential that we learn what it is that man is to believe in order to be saved if we seek the salvation of our souls.  What is included in the gospel that must be believed?

Paul helps us out and gives us a good start in defining the gospel in 1 Cor. 15:1-4:  “Now I make known to you, brethren, the gospel which I preached to you, which also you received, in which also you stand, by which also you are saved, if you hold fast the word which I preached to you, unless you believed in vain.  For I delivered to you as of first importance what I also received, that Christ died for our sins according to the Scriptures, and that he was buried, and that he was raised on the third day according to the Scriptures.” (NAS)

We learn from this passage two things found in the gospel and thus things that must be believed.  (1) Christ died for our sins.  (2) He was resurrected from the dead.  We will discuss each.  We will not discuss his burial for it has never been an issue about which men have doubted.

One must believe that Christ died for a purpose, to accomplish a goal – he died for our sins.  He died as a propitiation for our sins.  “He himself is the propitiation for our sins.” (1 John 2:2 NAS)  Jesus was “the Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world.” (John 1:29 NAS)  He was God’s sacrificial lamb who died to make atonement for the sins of man.  God cannot be a just God nor can he maintain his honor if he allows man to violate his law and run amok without consequence.  No one respects a law or its maker if the law can be broken without a penalty being imposed for doing so.  “Sin is the transgression of the law” of God. (1 John 3:4 KJV)

God cannot be glorified by men who show disrespect by violating his laws at will.  When men violate God’s law by sin it shows disrespect for God and dishonors him.  God will not allow that to happen.  “Do not be deceived, God is not mocked; for whatever a man sows, this he will also reap.” (Gal. 6:7 NAS)  “The wages of sin is death.” (Rom. 6:23 NAS)  One could almost say God, by definition of what it means to be God, has to punish sin.  His nature demands it and justice calls for it.

God will uphold his honor and his glory but the Bible teaches us that God also loves man, “for God so loved the world that he gave his only begotten Son” (John 3:16 NKJV), and does not desire that any man perish for he is “not willing that any should perish but that all should come to repentance.” (2 Peter 3:9 NKJV)  As far back as Ezekiel we read the words of God, “‘I have no pleasure in the death of one who dies,’ says the Lord God.  ‘Therefore turn and live.’” (Ezek. 18:32 NKJV)  “God is love.” (1 John 4:8 NAS)  God’s desire for man is man’s salvation but “all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God.” (Rom. 3:23 NAS)  The question then became one of how God could save man and at the same time be just?  Sin had to be punished if justice was done.

The answer was to punish sin through his son’s death on the cross.  “He himself bore our sins in his body on the cross that we might die to sin and live to righteousness; for by his wounds you were healed.” (1 Peter 2:24 NAS)  Christ took man’s place and took man’s punishment for sin.  Thus one thing man must believe that is absolutely essential to salvation is that Christ died for our sins just as it is stated in 1 Cor. 15:3 and obtained atonement for them in his death.

A second thing Paul says we must believe is that Christ was raised from the dead.  He says in Rom. 1:4 in speaking of Jesus that he was, “declared with power to be the Son of God by the resurrection from the dead.” (Rom. 1:4 NAS)  Jesus’ resurrection proved he was who he claimed to be, proved him to be God’s son, meaning he had the power to forgive sins and save man.  His resurrection was essential.  Paul goes so far as to say, “If Christ has not been raised, your faith is worthless.” (1 Cor. 15:17 NAS)  Why would that be true?  Because without the resurrection it would have shown Jesus to be an imposter.

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Think about it as follows.  If Jesus was lying all the while he was on earth about who he was and what he was doing that would make him a liar and a deceitful man.  Would a righteous God resurrect such a man and join in the deception?  Not if God is good and just.  If Jesus is not resurrected it shows God wants no part of him.  However, Jesus was resurrected which showed that God placed his stamp of approval on Jesus’ life and teaching and his sacrificial death, to provide a means for the forgiveness of sins, by raising Jesus from the dead.

In believing Jesus was resurrected one is thus accepting the fact that Jesus was and is the Lord and Savior of man and the son of God.  Jesus predicted his own death and resurrection (see Matt. 16:21, 17:22-23, 20:18-19 and other similar scriptures throughout the other gospels) and taught the necessity of his own sacrificial death (John 3:14-15) in order for man to be saved.  His resurrection provided the proof his word is good in all that he taught and that man can have faith in him.

What else must one believe to be saved by the gospel of Christ?  One good way to find out is to examine the preaching of the apostles and evangelists as recorded in Acts as they went out into the world attempting to convert people to Christ.  First a couple of premises need to be laid down for if you do not accept the premises you will not accept the apostle’s and evangelist’s inspired teaching on the subject.  Premise one is that they preached the gospel.  Premise two is that what one taught by inspiration as essential all taught by inspiration as essential whether the thing is mentioned or not.  If this be not the case then you have multiple gospels being preached with one apostle preaching one thing and another something different.

In Peter’s gospel sermon in Acts 2, the first such sermon ever preached after Christ’s ascension and the descent of the Holy Spirit upon the apostles, Peter preached repentance and baptism for the remission of sins (Acts 2:38).  Was one required to believe him?  Was this something a person had to believe in order to be saved?  Was what he preached a part of the gospel?  Did he preach by inspiration that day?  Is a man required to believe he must repent of sins?  Is a man required to believe he must be baptized for the remission of sins?  If a man is not required to believe it why preach it to people who are not Christians?  Why preach it to people who need the gospel if it is not a part of the gospel?

Sadly, most of the world is not willing to accept Peter’s gospel preaching in Acts 2 but 3,000 of the people there that day did.  “So then, those who had received (does the word “received” mean believed? – DS) his word were baptized; and there were added that day about three thousand souls.” (Acts 2:41 NAS)  The truth is deep down people know Peter preached by inspiration, they know he preached the gospel, but their religious tradition will not allow them to accept it.

Philip in Samaria (Acts 8:12), Philip also in preaching to the Ethiopian eunuch (Acts 8:35-38), Ananias in preaching to Saul of Tarsus (Acts 9:17-18 and Acts 22:16), Peter in preaching to Cornelius and his household (Acts 10:48), Paul in preaching to Lydia (Acts 16:14-15) and to the Philippian jailer (Acts 16:31-33), Paul again in Corinth (Acts 18:8) and then later to the 12 at Ephesus (Acts 19:1-5) all preached baptism in preaching the gospel.  How do we know?  We know because in each account at the end of the preaching we find those who were receptive to the preaching being baptized.  Hard to be baptized if you know nothing about baptism which is the case if it is not being preached as a part of the gospel in these conversion accounts.  Thus we see one must believe there is a need to be baptized after repentance and then do it.

Well, what else?  Well, a man must believe he needs to confess Christ and then do that as well.  “If you confess with your mouth Jesus as Lord, and believe in your heart that God raised Him from the dead, you shall be saved; for with the heart man believes, resulting in righteousness, and with the mouth he confesses, resulting in salvation.” (Rom. 10:9-10 NAS)

The only scripturally qualified candidate for baptism is a person who believes and has repented of his sins.  One can only know a person is a believer if they tell you thus a confession by the mouth of the Lord Jesus. The fact that some religious groups sprinkle those too young to know or believe anything and call it baptism does not make it so.  You can call a bull a puppy dog if you want to but it will not change the facts and so it is with Bible baptism.  They can do what they want and call it what they want but it will not change what the Bible teaches on the subject.  Scriptural Bible baptism requires a penitent believer in Jesus Christ.

One must believe he must confess Jesus to be saved or else get some scissors and cut out of his Bible Rom. 10:9-10.  Those who only baptize believers will get that confession prior to baptizing a person.  You can read a commonly made confession in Acts 8:37 in the KJ or NKJV Bibles.

Is there anything else one must believe to be saved by the gospel of Christ or to put it another way to become a Christian and be saved?  One must believe that Jesus is the Son of God.  This means of course that Jesus is himself God, man’s king, and one whose will and teachings must be followed.  Faith that is unwilling to accept the necessary implications of faith is not faith that saves but rebellion against that faith.

In John 3:16 we are told that “God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten son, that whoever believes in him should not perish, but have eternal life.” (NAS)  Who is this person one must believe in?  The text teaches it is the only begotten son of God.  It is “he who believes in the son has eternal life” (John 3:36 NAS) and not he who believes Jesus was just another man among men.  John near the end of his gospel speaking of things that had been written says, “These have been written that you may believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God and that believing you may have life in his name.” (John 20:31 NAS)  Jesus said, “Unless you believe that I am he, you shall die in your sins.” (John 8:24 NAS)

When Jesus asked his disciples in Matt. 16 who men said he was they told him but then he asked a more specific question, “But who do you say that I am?” (Matt. 16:15 NKJV)  Peter responded, “You are the Christ, the Son of the living God.” (Matt. 16:16 NKJV)  Upon this fact Jesus built the church (Matt. 16:18) of which he is the Savior (Eph. 5:23).  This foundational truth that Jesus is the Christ, the son of the living God, is the confession men need to make out of believing hearts in order to obtain salvation.  Men must believe Jesus was/is the son of God and be willing to confess the same.

The faith we hold must lead to an “obedience of faith” (Rom. 1:5, 16:26) which is to say it is not just a conceptual faith held inactive in the mind but one which leads a man to act according to that which he has come to believe.  As James says, “faith without works (obedience – DS) is dead” (James 2:26 NAS) and dead things do not bring life (salvation).  If one’s faith stops at the point of intellectual faith alone, leaves out repentance, confession of Jesus, and baptism then it is dead.  It is dead for two reasons.  One, it stopped short of the full faith of and in the entire gospel message which required these things and two, it was never “obedient to the faith” (see Acts 6:7 NAS).

The last thing that must be believed is that God is a rewarder of those who seek him.  “And without faith it is impossible to please Him, for he who comes to God must believe that He is, and that He is a rewarder of those who seek Him.” (Heb. 11:6 NAS)  When one believes and obeys the gospel he has been a seeker after God.  We must then believe, having done that, that God has forgiven us of our sins.  They are cast off, done away.  We are forgiven.  This is the gospel that we must believe.