I Surrender All
All to Jesus, I surrender;
All to Him I freely give;
I will ever love and trust Him,
In His presence daily live.
I surrender all, I surrender all,
All to Thee, my blessèd Savior,
I surrender all.
All to Jesus I surrender;
Humbly at His feet I bow,
Worldly pleasures all forsaken;
Take me, Jesus, take me now.
All to Jesus, I surrender;
Make me, Savior, wholly Thine;
Let me feel the Holy Spirit,
Truly know that Thou art mine.
All to Jesus, I surrender;
Lord, I give myself to Thee;
Fill me with Thy love and power;
Let Thy blessing fall on me.
All to Jesus I surrender;
Now I feel the sacred flame.
O the joy of full salvation!
Glory, glory, to His Name!
Continue reading >>> Comments (0)08-10-2008 23:53
What Should be our Primary Focus
Friday I had the opportunity to listen to a couple speak about their experience in ministry and how God was working through them. To my surprise they attend a church I have been very critical of, going so far as to label the pastor a false teacher and a heretic. The meeting took place over a nice BBQ with some good friends and the idea was that we would come together for fellowship, good food and listen to this guy tell us about his experience in ministry and thus be encouraged in our own ministry. He began by telling us where he was from and immediately a red light came on in my mind saying, "Oh no, is he from that church" and then he had to say it...he had to go and say "I go to the Bethel church".
Continue reading >>> Comments (1)08-09-2008 23:35
Florida Healing Outpouring
I was watching videos from the Florida Healing Outpouring and honestly its heart breaking to see people being led astray by such teachings and claims. It breaks my heart because they worship such a weak and powerless God. They've taken God and put him in a box that they can wrap their minds around. They run to man for anointing, healing, and power when they should be running to God Himself who gives liberally to all who come to him through faith in Jesus Christ. Their faith is so weak they need to see a "miracle" with their eyes, and feel an emotional high to believe God is present and at work. They seek to live by sight and not by faith. What a surprise many of them will experience when they stand before God and say, "Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in your name, and cast out demons in your name, and do many mighty works in your name?’ and he will say to them, "I never knew you; depart from me, you workers of lawlessness."
I wish I knew what to say to these people, I wish I could open their eyes, but I'm beginning to realize that just like every other counterfeit move of God, it will soon fade away and be just a past memory. I just pray that when all this is over, the faith of those left behind in it's path of destruction will not be destroyed. I pray that they will not come out of this blaming God or doubting that he is real and powerful and at work in our hearts. I pray that they will see it for what it is, a cheap counterfeit of what the true God of Abraham, Issac and Jacob is offering to those who believe and trust in Jesus Christ. Praise be to the true living God who did not spare even His own Son, but freely offered Him up for us, that we might gain eternal life. Praise be to Him who continues to change us and make us into the image of His Son, Jesus Christ of Nazareth.
Continue reading >>> Comments (2)05-28-2008 23:43
Is Speaking In Tongues Biblical?
Note: This is a very long post. This post will be updated and changed over the next few days. Today is 5-20-2008
Although the title of this post asks if speaking in tongues is biblical, it would be more accurate to ask if the modern day Pentecostal movement teaches a correct interpretation of speaking in tongues. I thought about making that the title, but it was too long. The point of this is to show how I've come believe that the Pentecostal view of speaking in tongues is unbiblical.
Let's begin...
The first mention of speaking in tongues in the New Testament is found in Mark. Take a look at this passage in context:
Mark 16:14-18
14Afterward he appeared to the eleven themselves as they were reclining at the table, and he rebuked them for their unbelief and hardness of heart, because they had not believed those who saw him after he had risen. 15And he said to them, "Go into all the world and proclaim the gospel to the whole creation. 16Whoever believes and is baptized will be saved, but whoever does not believe will be condemned. 17And these signs will accompany those who believe: in my name they will cast out demons; they will speak in new tongues; 18they will pick up serpents with their hands; and if they drink any deadly poison, it will not hurt them; they will lay their hands on the sick, and they will recover."
Continue reading >>> Comments (3)05-11-2008 02:51
Biblical Use Of Money
Today, tithing is not a commandment for New Testament believers. When Jesus Christ shed his blood it initiated the New Covenant and the Old Covenant (The Law) was done away with. Now that we are under the New Covenant, we live not by a set of rules but by the Spirit. In other words, we are not accountable to a set of law in which God says, "Do this and you will live". We live by the Spirit because God has written his laws on our hearts. This is why the Apostle Paul tells us in 2 Corinthians 9:7 that each one of should give whatever we have decided in our heart to give.
When God gave the Ten Commandments the people thought, "I don't murder; I don't commit adultery". They only did what the written law required, not realizing that the law required much more. They failed to realize that hating someone is the same as murder and lusting is the same as adultery. Many pastors are hurting their churches by giving people a scapegoat when it comes to tithing. What I mean is, I believe there are many people who probably feel like they should give much more than 10%, but because they are taught that 10% is all that God requires, they only give 10%. It's their excuse not to give more. Also, I believe there are those who for various reasons are struggling with finances and really can't afford to give 10% but they are put back under the law by these pastors who tell them they must tithe 10% or they won't be blessed. This is simply not taught in scripture. Give what you can and what you have decided between you and God and let no man judge you. I believe John Wesley says it best when he says, "Give all that you can".
Continue reading >>> Comments (0)04-28-2008 01:23