False Doctines

[ScottBot]

When their mind is on "Show me the money!" It's easy to tell false teachers...

Measure them by their fruits... do they glorify themselves or Christ God?

Forgive me....

Its the "Name it and Claim it" crowd, also called the "Blab it and Grab it" bunch.

 

[AdmirableArmstrong]

Its the "Name it and Claim it" crowd, also called the "Blab it and Grab it" bunch.

Blasphemers and Bank Accounts.


Jesus did not hold out his hand to collect money.
He held out his hand to people in person, not on TV.
Jesus healed without a collection plate.

Our only Messiah is Jesus Christ, none other.

 

[vanshan]

Also, false teachers seem to be charismatic individuals who clearly love to be the center of attention and use all sorts of rhetorical devices to excite and entertain the crowd. If you feel you are at a concert, comedy club, other entertainment venue (like maybe a circus) then you're likely in the presence of a false teacher.

Worship of Christ has always been awe-inspiring reverent worship, not chaotic, nor led by good showmanship. It's dynamic, but not disorganized frenzy.

Basil

 

[OrthodoxyUSA]

Also, false teachers seem to be charismatic individuals who clearly love to be the center of attention and use all sorts of rhetorical devices to excite and entertain the crowd. If you feel you are at a concert, comedy club, other entertainment venue (like maybe a circus) then you're likely in the presence of a false teacher.

Worship of Christ has always been awe-inspiring reverent worship, not chaotic, nor led by good showmanship. It's dynamic, but not disorganized frenzy.

Basil

* OB~1 Hide your feelings Luke... They serve you well but could be made to your undoing.... *

1000 points to vanshan!

Forgive me...

 

[JimfromOhio]

If you look at Word of Faith preachers, they often came from Pentecostal background.

 

[eoe]

1. Scripture. God does not contradict Himself (although tensions and mysteries ABOUND). If it's not in line with the Bible, I got a problem. And if it's something "new" I wonder: why did not choose not to tell us that in the Bible?"

New = bad.

2. Tradition. I look to the historic consensus of Christians, I subject this to the Bible, but the wisdom of Christians is considered above the teachings of an individual person or denomination.

Who are you and what have you done with CJ?!?>!>!

3. Purpose. I tend to BEWARE of anyone who wants to be accepted unconditionally, unquestionably, without accountablity. Anyone who says, "But I just KNOW" I tend to assume doesn't. And is it, in any way, self-serving? "The LORD told me to build a $20 million shrine unto myself - and you are all to send in $1,000 each." Okay...

This is often the most telling and it does not take too long to appear.

 

[Entertaining_Angels]

If you look at Word of Faith preachers, they often came from Pentecostal background.

I consider myself charismatic because I believe the gifts are in evidence today but I do wonder if the overall charismatic church has not been corrupted by word of faith and general prosperity teachings. I notice a number of folks at charismatic churches say their church doesn't teach word of faith stuff but they do have bits and pieces that have filtered in. And just as the case of a touch of arsenic in a pie, it can poison the overall message. Do you think the charismatic church, overall, is a dying or dead church now?

 

[JimfromOhio]

I consider myself charismatic because I believe the gifts are in evidence today but I do wonder if the overall charismatic church has not been corrupted by word of faith and general prosperity teachings. I notice a number of folks at charismatic churches say their church doesn't teach word of faith stuff but they do have bits and pieces that have filtered in. And just as the case of a touch of arsenic in a pie, it can poison the overall message. Do you think the charismatic church, overall, is a dying or dead church now?

No.. there are some great Pentacostal and Charismatic churches around (my parents belong to one). There are churches I know of that make sure that Word of Faith doctrines do not filter into them. The main problem is internal spiritual control of those who teaches within the local church because false teachers who are using and filtering within our faith and using Christianity to lead members from the truth. That is where the most dangerous teachings come from. They are not testing each teacher's doctrines and often let them teach such doctrines.

 

[Normann]

When I first was saved (born again) as in John chapter three. I heard the sermon given from the Bible. It is important in life to have a standard to go by and measure with. Living by whims and vibs can get one into trouble or just lead to nowhere. Being born again after hearing the message from the Bible I feel it is important to follow the rest of the teachings in that same "book" for it is the wrtten word of the foundation of my salvation.

Therefore to measure a doctrine to see if it is false I use the scripture, plain and simple. Being in a false doctrine for 12 years taught me how they operate. The one thing I noticed more than any is that they did not read the Bible. They for the most part formed an idea and then hunted for the scripture easiest to twist and prove their false teachings.

Seems they set themselves up as knowing the Bible more than any other and all others.

2 Peter 1:20
Knowing this first, that no prophecy of the scripture is of any private interpretation.


IN THE MASTER'S SERVICE,
Normann

 

[seekthetruth909]

Characteristics of False Teachers

Greedy for money
1 Peter 5:2

Be shepherds of God's flock that is under your care, serving as overseers—not because you must, but because you are willing, as God wants you to be; not greedy for money, but eager to serve

Seem to perform miracles
Deceives the elect
Matthew 24:24
For false Christs and false prophets will appear and perform great signs and miracles to deceive even the elect—if that were possible.

No humility
Boastful
Colossians 2:17-19

17 These are a shadow of the things that were to come; the reality, however, is found in Christ. 18 Do not let anyone who delights in false humility and the worship of angels disqualify you for the prize. Such a person goes into great detail about what he has seen, and his unspiritual mind puffs him up with idle notions. 19 He has lost connection with the Head, from whom the whole body, supported and held together by its ligaments and sinews, grows as God causes it to grow.

Viewpoint of the world [Materialistic]
Lack of love for others [Using the majority of money they collect on themselves not others or to benefit God.]
1 John 4:1

[ Test the Spirits ] Dear friends, do not believe every spirit, but test the spirits to see whether they are from God, because many false prophets have gone out into the world.
5 They are from the world and therefore speak from the viewpoint of the world, and the world listens to them. 6 We are from God, and whoever knows God listens to us; but whoever is not from God does not listen to us. This is how we recognize the Spirit[a] of truth and the spirit of falsehood. God's Love and Ours 7 Dear friends, let us love one another, for love comes from God. Everyone who loves has been born of God and knows God.



Conceited {they like to talk about how anointed they are}
Think that godliness is a means to financial gain.
Love of money
1 Timothy 6
Love of Money
3 If anyone teaches false doctrines and does not agree to the sound instruction of our Lord Jesus Christ and to godly teaching, 4 he is conceited and understands nothing. He has an unhealthy interest in controversies and quarrels about words that result in envy, strife, malicious talk, evil suspicions 5and constant friction between men of corrupt mind, who have been robbed of the truth and who think that godliness is a means to financial gain. 6 But godliness with contentment is great gain. 7 For we brought nothing into the world, and we can take nothing out of it. 8 But if we have food and clothing, we will be content with that. 9 People who want to get rich fall into temptation and a trap and into many foolish and harmful desires that plunge men into ruin and destruction. 10 For the love of money is a root of all kinds of evil. Some people, eager for money, have wandered from the faith and pierced themselves with many griefs.


They like to show off.
They take advantage of poor widows
Make a big show of praying
Mark 12:39-41
38As he taught, Jesus said, "Watch out for the teachers of the law. They like to walk around in flowing robes and be greeted in the marketplaces, 39and have the most important seats in the synagogues and the places of honor at banquets. 40They devour widows' houses and for a show make lengthy prayers. Such men will be punished most severely."

 

[LittleRocketBoy]

Ask yourself these questions:
Does the leader of your church where gold i.e. gold crosses, gold alters, gold robes and rings?
Do you attend a church in a building that cost hundreds of thousands if not millions$?
Does your church organization own millions of dollars in real estate, investment property, and real assets?
Do you pass by the homeless and impoverished on your way to your expensive church/cathedral?
Do you use the scriptures that speak of being poor, impoverished, homeless, hungry, etc. as proof that prosperity is not the will God? If so, do you follow these verses that you use?
Have you sold all you have and given it to the poor?
Are you rich by NT standards?
Do you have no place to lay your head?
Do you practice what you preach?
Do you do the very things you condemn others of doing?

Are you a false teacher?
And a hypocrite to boot?

 

[JimfromOhio]

How many evangelists/preachers/Christian Organizations are members of the Evangelical Council For Financial Accountability. ECFA is an accreditation agency dedicated to helping Christian ministries earn the public’s trust through adherence to seven Standards of Responsible Stewardship. Founded in 1979, it is comprised of over 1,100 charitable, religious, missionary, social, and educational tax-exempt, nonprofit 501(c)(3) organizations. What Is ECFA? How many are allowing Christian Auditors check their financial records and their ethics for us to know if they are true or false prophets?

 

[Entertaining_Angels]

And, you'll find those in false teachings use extremes to mock those who do not believe as they do.

 

[JimfromOhio]

And, you'll find those in false teachings use extremes to mock those who do not believe as they do.

Oh yes..

 

[LittleRocketBoy]

But they never answer those questions do they.

It is good that the absurdity is seen...

But those questions never do get answered....

Jesus is still writing in the sand.

 

[JimfromOhio]

Teachers must be a good spiritual and sound leader with no tricks of theology, every spiritual leader must be pure of heart and holy of life. This leader will not be perfect nor sinless but still the leader to be trusted is the one who lives as near like Christ as possible. A spiritual leader ought to be humble, self-effacing, self-sacrificing, modest, clean living, free from the love of money, eager to promote the honor of God and just as eager to disclaim any credit or praise on self-promotion. Financial accounts will be freely open for inspection, ethical standards will be high and personal life is above reproach.

 

[Normann]

False teachers always want to explain the plain. Such as water does not mean water, whosoever does not mean whosoever, trees mean people, and Revelation is just poetry!

There have even been some in the past few years tell us that the Bible has "hidden codes" within it. It's as if God wrote us a love letter and put it in a language we couldn't understand. Not so...

Not so, the Bible is plain and can be understood by anyone with a desire to find God. Salvation is for all people and God made sure both the educated and uneducated could find salvation.

Matthew 11:30
For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light.
James 3:17
But the wisdom that is from above is first pure, then peaceable, gentle, and easy to be intreated, full of mercy and good fruits, without partiality, and without hypocrisy.

One should shun away from those who try to explain away simple truths.

IN THE MASTER'S SERVICE,
Normann

 

[nephilimiyr]

Ask yourself these questions:

No problem, I have nothing to be afriad of

Does the leader of your church where gold i.e. gold crosses, gold alters, gold robes and rings?

Other than his wedding ring...no

Do you attend a church in a building that cost hundreds of thousands if not millions$?

I think it was something like 3 or 4 hundred thousand, maybe more. It is a building that has businesses in it and the pastor decided to buy the whole building instead of renting space in it.

Does your church organization own millions of dollars in real estate, investment property, and real assets?

No

Do you pass by the homeless and impoverished on your way to your expensive church/cathedral?

No

Do you use the scriptures that speak of being poor, impoverished, homeless, hungry, etc. as proof that prosperity is not the will God?

No

Have you sold all you have and given it to the poor?

No

Are you rich by NT standards?

Lets just say I'm doing rather well, not quite there yet I don't believe.

Do you have no place to lay your head?

No

Do you practice what you preach?

Most of the time. When I don't God has His way of pointing it out to me....

Do you do the very things you condemn others of doing?

I have been confronted with somethings and am in the processes of repenting.

Are you a false teacher?

I don't believe that I am

And a hypocrite to boot?

I believe we are all hypocrites to a certain extent. Lets just say that there are varying degrees in which people are hypocrites. On a scale of 1 to 10 I'd rate myself as a 3 or less

 

[LittleRocketBoy]

And you are a saint, righteous in the eyes of God.
Thanks. Truth telling is refreshing. You should not feel beat up about not being a pauper. Those present who use these verses to beat others up (as Jesus said) do not even lift a finger to the burdens themselves.
Your answers are very simlar to mine, and I refuse to be put under condemnation for not living in poverty by people who very likely have more "riches" than I.

[/b]
No problem, I have nothing to be afriad of

Other than his wedding ring...no


I think it was something like 3 or 4 hundred thousand, maybe more. It is a building that has businesses in it and the pastor decided to buy the whole building instead of renting space in it.

No

No

No

No

Lets just say I'm doing rather well, not quite there yet I don't believe.

No

Most of the time. When I don't God has His way of pointing it out to me....

I have been confronted with somethings and am in the processes of repenting.

I don't believe that I am

I believe we are all hypocrites to a certain extent. Lets just say that there are varying degrees in which people are hypocrites. On a scale of 1 to 10 I'd rate myself as a 3 or less

 

[vanshan]

Does the leader of your church where gold i.e. gold crosses, gold alters, gold robes and rings?
Do you attend a church in a building that cost hundreds of thousands if not millions$?
Does your church organization own millions of dollars in real estate, investment property, and real assets?
Do you pass by the homeless and impoverished on your way to your expensive church/cathedral?
Do you use the scriptures that speak of being poor, impoverished, homeless, hungry, etc. as proof that prosperity is not the will God? If so, do you follow these verses that you use?
Have you sold all you have and given it to the poor?
Are you rich by NT standards?
Do you have no place to lay your head?
Do you practice what you preach?
Do you do the very things you condemn others of doing?

Are you a false teacher?
And a hypocrite to boot?

Any of us who uphold Christ's teachings as the standard, yet fall short of them are hypocrites to some degree. We must all grow to see ourselves as the chief of sinners, realizing that we can not boast in ourselves, knowing without God we would parish in our sins.

I disagree that our church buildings cannot be ornate, though. Consider the exacting specs God gave for the Ark of the Covenant and O.T. temple. When it comes to God's holy temple, which now in the new covenant represents heaven on earth, uniting men to Christ, it is appropriate to have a building which reflects that mystical reality. In protestants churches, which function quite differently, being primarily a meeting place to worship and receive teaching, rather than receive the Holy Mysteries of Christ, which unite us to him, I can see not needing anything fancy--your view is affected by how your churches function. If we were just meeting to study the Bible and sing together, then I would agree any simple building would be fine.

You may not be aware of this, but the entire nation of Russian was converted to Christianity, partly do the the experience of a royal envoy who was searching for the true religion and stumbled into the magnificent Hagia Sophia in Constantinople. When they returned to the Russian Tsar, they told him that they didn't know whether they were on heaven or earth when they worshipped there. As foreign as it may seem to you, as a protestant, even our architecture magnifies God, and can lead people to Christ.

Also our priests wear fancy vestments, only during the holy services, not to be flashy and look rich, but as a symbol of the glory of Christ, whom they represent. Unlike some prosperity teachers, they don't go around in everyday life covered in jewelry and showing off other materialistic things, like limo's and mansions. Most are quite poor, like myself, by American standards (which would still be well off by N.T. or even current world standards).

These symbols do not diminish our responsibility to the poor, nor are the poor neglected by us because our temple is embellished with nice things. The money put into the temple is a sacrifice to God, and it does contribute to the experience people have when worshipping Him--aiding their salvation. Remember what Christ said about the poor, when expensive oil was poured on His head before His crucifixion? Judas, who carried the purse, objected saying the oil could have been sold and the money given to the poor, but Jesus corrected him saying that the poor would be with you always. There are those sacrifices that are appropriately made unto God, and those personal sacrifices of wealth that we should also make to give alms to the poor. Both sacrifices are clearly pleasing to God.

Basil