Category: False Teaching

Filthy Lucre

Saturday, March 17, 2012

“The scribes… which devour widows’ houses, and for a pretence make long prayers: these shall receive greater damnation” (Mark 12:38,40 KJV).

Recently, Harold Camping released an online letter of apology for (wrongly) predicting “Judgment Day” would come May 21, 2011. Thousands of dear people fell for the scam: some spent their college funds and retirement savings to finance one of religion’s most recent hoaxes. Beloved, fall not prey to those who “devour widows’ houses.”

God’s Word says, “the love of money is the root of all evil” (1 Timothy 6:10). The idolization of material wealth has bred thousands of wars and millions of murders. It has also contributed to the everlasting damnation of billions of souls.

In today’s Scripture, Jesus rebuked Israel’s religious leaders for “devouring [consuming] widow’s houses”… robbing even widows of everything! Religion is the world’s most prosperous business: it was true in Jesus’ day, and nothing has changed. Mankind is still naturally bent toward accumulating much material wealth. I was aghast to learn that one of my community’s churches is “devouring” nearly $700,000 annually! The local mega-church must be “raking in” millions!

Once, when I told one of our former pastors that we are not bound to tithe today, he leaned over and whispered, “Shh, do not tell that to my people. They do not give enough as it is!” How sad. The dear man must have not known that one of the qualifications of bishops (pastors) and deacons was “not greedy of filthy lucre [extorted money]” (1 Timothy 3:3,8; Titus 1:7)—or did he know (?). Someone recently informed me that a lady’s purse was stolen at her church. (I am inclined to think it was the money-hungry denomination!)

Beloved, be cautious about where your money goes, especially regarding churches and ministries. Many churches and ministries are not serving the Lord; they are hiding God’s truth from the masses. How it grieves our heart to see so many good, sincere people being taken advantage of.

A FRIENDLY REMINDER: prayerfully and carefully research a church or ministry’s doctrinal statement (beliefs) before you financially support it. Make sure you are not financing the adversary (Satan)!

Be Thou Partaker of the Afflictions of the Gospel

Thursday, March 15, 2012

“Be not thou therefore ashamed of the testimony of our Lord, nor of me his prisoner: but be thou partaker of the afflictions of the gospel according to the power of God” (2 Timothy 1:8 KJV).

Has God promised us Christians a “carefree, trouble-free life,” as today’s prosperity preachers assert?

Young Timothy, pastor of the Ephesian church, has grown weary because of satanic opposition: he is fearful, for the lost world has intimidated him to the point of discouragement and/or silence (verse 7). Timothy is ashamed of God’s Word, and of imprisoned Paul. The Holy Spirit through the Apostle Paul encourages Timothy with today’s Scripture: “Be not thou therefore ashamed of the testimony of our Lord!” “Speak up, Timothy! They need to hear God’s Word, so endure the suffering!”

Satan is against us, saints, because he is against our God. The devil wants to wear us out; he will use unbelievers—and even “Christian” brethren—to intimidate and mock us. Satan uses evil men to persecute us, so we grow “ashamed” of God’s Word, and then throw up our hands and quit! We need to be “partakers of the afflictions of the Gospel.” No greater privilege do we Christians have than suffering for the God who died for us!

“Yea, and all that will live godly in Christ Jesus shall suffer persecution” (2 Timothy 3:12). In verse 11, Paul speaks of his “persecutions” and “afflictions,” “but out of them all the Lord delivered me.” How did God deliver him? The end of today’s Scripture tells us: “according to the power of God.” In order to endure Satan’s attacks, we rely on God’s power, not on our strength and resources (or we shall be defeated) (2 Corinthians 1:8,9).

“And our hope of you is stedfast, knowing, that as ye are partakers of the sufferings, so shall ye be also of the consolation” (2 Corinthians 1:3-10; 2 Timothy 2:11-13). We have God’s sufficient grace to comfort us: “Therefore I take pleasure… in reproaches,… in persecutions, in distresses for Christ’s sake: for when I am weak, then am I strong” (2 Corinthians 12:7-10).

So, be thou partaker of the afflictions of the Gospel!

The LORD, He is the God

Tuesday, March 13, 2012

“And when all the people saw it, they fell on their faces: and they said, The LORD, he is the God; the LORD, he is the God” (1 Kings 18:39 KJV).

Is the LORD of the Bible (JEHOVAH) one of many gods, or is He the only God? Today’s Scripture and its context definitively answer this question.

King Ahab and Queen Jezebel are some of the most notorious rulers in the Bible. Reigning over Israel (the northern kingdom) from approximately 874–853 B.C., Ahab and Jezebel introduced Baal worship among God’s people Israel, angering God and misleading the Jews (Baal was a pagan god of the neighboring Canaanites) (1 Kings 16:29-33). Jezebel also killed many of the LORD’S prophets, who were speaking out against her and Ahab’s wickedness (1 Kings 18:4,13).

Ahab and God’s prophet Elijah meet, and Elijah instructs Ahab to gather Baal’s 450 prophets and the 400 grove (pagan shrine) prophets and bring them to Mount Carmel (verses 17-20).

When Israel and Baal’s prophets are assembled at Carmel, Elijah tells Israel, “How long halt ye between two opinions? if the LORD be God, follow him: but if Baal, then follow him” (verse 21). In the succeeding verses, Elijah proposes a test to see who is God: if JEHOVAH rains down fire and consumes the animal sacrifice, He is God, but if Baal rains down fire and devours the sacrifice, then he is God (verses 23,24).

Baal’s prophets present an animal sacrifice and repeatedly call to Baal from morning to evening, but neither fire nor voice came from Baal, and the sacrifice remains untouched (verses 25-29).

Elijah then lays out an animal sacrifice, and calls on JEHOVAH: “LORD God of Abraham, Isaac, and of Israel, let it be known this day that thou art God in Israel… that this people may know that thou art the LORD God….” (verses 36,37). Immediately, fire rains down from heaven, consuming the wood, the water, the dust, and the burnt sacrifice. After Israel saw that, Israel knew that pagan idols were not God, and they responded with today’s Scripture, “The LORD [JEHOVAH], he is the God!”

The Wisdom Given to Our Beloved Brother Paul

Sunday, March 11, 2012

“And account that the longsuffering of our Lord is salvation; even as our beloved brother Paul also according to the wisdom given unto him hath written unto you; as also in all his epistles, speaking in them of these things; in which are some things hard to be understood, which they that are unlearned and unstable wrest, as they do also the other scriptures, unto their own destruction” (2 Peter 3:15,16 KJV).

The Apostle Peter, in verses 3,4, references scoffers who ask, “Where is the promise of [Christ’s] coming?” Decades after the Lord Jesus had resurrected and ascended into heaven, James, Peter, and John spoke of His Second Coming as if it were just moments away (James 5:8,9; 1 Peter 4:7; 2 Peter 3:3; 1 John 2:18). They wrote 2,000 years ago, and Christ never came. Is Christ ever coming back?

In today’s Scripture, Peter admits that when he and the Apostles James and John met with the Apostle Paul in Acts chapter 15 (Galatians chapter 2) circa A.D. 50, Paul taught them something. To Paul alone God entrusted a body of truth that not even Peter fully understood (even at this late date of 2 Peter circa A.D. 68)—Peter and Paul preached separate messages (see Galatians 2:1-9). Peter acknowledged that Christ gave exclusively to Paul “the revelation of the mystery” (Romans 16:25,26; Ephesians 3:1-9). Furthermore, Peter verified Paul’s 13 epistles, Romans through Philemon, as “scripture.” Peter warned that people “wrest” (corrupt) Paul’s epistles as they do the other Bible books.

Why has Christ not come back, Peter? “The Lord is not slack [lazy, unreliable] concerning his promise, as some men count slackness; but is longsuffering to us-ward, not willing that any should perish, but that all should come to repentance” (2 Peter 3:9). God wants all people to be saved. He wants no one to suffer His wrath and judgment (the seven-year Tribulation) because His Son Jesus paid for our sins at Calvary’s cross!

Yes, Christ will be back, but God is postponing Israel’s prophetic program in order to extend this the Dispensation of Grace and give more people a chance to be saved before His wrath comes on earth.

Peter’s Sick Mother-in-Law

Saturday, March 10, 2012

“And he arose out of the synagogue, and entered into Simon’s house. And Simon’s wife’s mother was taken with a great fever; and they besought him for her. And he stood over her, and rebuked the fever; and it left her: and immediately she arose and ministered unto them” (Luke 4:38,39 KJV).

Today’s Scripture exposes religion’s modern-day heretics and charlatans. By simply reading the Bible, we realize the difference between what religion claims the Bible teaches and what the Bible actually teaches. “The entrance of thy words giveth light; it giveth understanding unto the simple” (Psalm 119:130).

Notice what the Bible said in today’s Scripture. Firstly, the Apostle Peter—often (wrongly) assumed to the “first pope”—is not celibate as popes are. According to God’s Word, Peter was married, for Jesus went into Simon Peter’s house, where Peter’s “wife’s mother” is sick. Secondly, this healing miracle was instant, unlike the shams and scams we hear about and see in religious circles today. According to the Bible, God’s healing miracles were immediate. (Jesus never charged her for the healing either!)

Lest someone dismiss this as being supported by a “scanty” number of Bible verses, we find that Matthew and Mark both substantiate Luke’s account. Matthew 8:14,15 and Mark 1:29-31 both confirm that Peter did have a mother-in-law (therefore, a wife) and Jesus did heal her instantly. Mark 1:30 says, “immediately the fever left her, and she ministered unto them.” Not only was she instantly well, but physically able to get up and serve them! Please notice that unlike the “miracle” scams on religious television today, this was immediate healing (she did not need a long recuperation period of days or weeks).

Interestingly, there is nothing in these passages about “she had enough faith,” which modern-day “faith healers” demand you have in order to receive physical healing. Furthermore, the passage never said she desired healing—it was something Jesus did in response to the apostles’ request (Mark 1:30; Luke 4:38). Unlike today’s “miraculous” shams, this was a genuine miracle, for many ill people came to Christ afterward, and they too were healed (Matthew 8:16; Mark 1:32-34; Luke 4:40).

Where is Thy Confidence?

Thursday, March 8, 2012

“Confidence in an unfaithful man in time of trouble is like a broken tooth, and a foot out of joint” (Proverbs 25:19 KJV).

Today’s Scripture is straightforward: having confidence in an unfaithful person is like depending on a broken tooth or an out-of-joint foot. None of them art reliable and trustworthy. Where is thy confidence regarding the following?

  • CONFIDENCE IN THE RIGHT GOD: Is thy confidence in the God of the Bible, the Lord Jesus Christ, or art thou trusting in wooden and stone idols? Art thou confident in thy ability to perform, wrongly assuming that thou art thy “own god?” Idols of wood and stone canst do nothing for thou—they cannot hear, see, speak, or breathe (Psalm 135:15-18). Trust not in thyself either (2 Corinthians 1:9). The God of the Bible, He alone is the “living and true God” (1 Thessalonians 1:9)—everyone and everything else shall fail thee. Is thy faith in Christ Jesus alone? I hope so. Trust in Jesus Christ alone—anything else is a broken tooth and an out-of-joint foot.
  • CONFIDENCE IN THE RIGHT BIBLE: Is thy confidence in the King James Bible, God’s perfectly preserved Word for us English-speaking people, a Book that thou canst trust completely? Or, doth thou use a modern English Bible, one that shall fail and disappoint thee because it hath contradictions, deletions, historical errors, and theological blunders? In 2 Thessalonians 2:2, these believers had faith in a false “bible,” one that troubled their minds and caused them great spiritual harm. The King James Bible alone is God’s Word in English—anything else is a broken tooth and an out-of-joint foot.
  • CONFIDENCE IN THE RIGHT GOSPEL: Hast thou complete confidence in Paul’s Gospel—how that Christ died for thy sins, He was buried, and He was raised again for thy justification (1 Corinthians 15:1-4)—as thy only way to salvation? False gospels, including other “gospels” in the Bible, cannot save thee from thy sins. Only the Gospel of the Grace of God can save thee in this the Dispensation of Grace—anything else is a broken tooth and an out-of-joint foot.

Avoid Them

Monday, March 5, 2012

“Now I beseech you, brethren, mark them which cause divisions and offences contrary to the doctrine which ye have learned; and avoid them. For they that are such serve not our Lord Jesus Christ, but their own belly; and by good words and fair speeches deceive the hearts of the simple” (Romans 16:17,18 KJV).

When a believer in Christ Jesus comes to understand dispensational Bible study—that is, Pauline dispensationalism—he or she comes to a crossroads in the Christian life. They struggle between two choices: Do I continue attending my local denominational church, where my friends and family go? OR Do I find and attend a local grace church where sound doctrine (right division) is taught? For some time, my family and I struggled with that issue. What would God have us to do?

What makes this situation most difficult is that a local grace church is hard-to-find (my “local” grace church is over an hour’s drive away!). There are scores of denominational churches that are much closer to my house, but I would rather an hour-long drive to hear God’s truth (the King James Bible rightly divided) than drive five minutes and hear Satan’s error (denominationalism, church tradition, human viewpoint, et cetera).

In today’s Scripture, the Apostle Paul gives the Roman believers a strong admonition: the teachers and preachers who depart from or ignore the doctrine that the ascended Lord Jesus Christ committed unto Paul’s trust (Romans through Philemon) are to be “marked” (identified, singled out) and they are to be avoided. We should only attend a local church where sound, King James Bible Pauline dispensationalism is believed, preached, and taught. Paul wrote, “If any man thinketh himself to a prophet, or spiritual, let him acknowledge the things that I write unto you are the commandments of the Lord” (1 Corinthians 14:37).

Paul is our apostle (Romans 11:13); we find our doctrine, duty, walk and destiny for this the Dispensation of Grace in Paul’s epistles alone. Those who do not teach the Bible rightly divided teach religious tradition, and they “serve not our Lord Jesus Christ.” Beloved, the Bible says avoid them (2 Corinthians 6:14-18; 1 Timothy 6:3-5).

*Adapted from a larger Bible study titled “Be Ye Separate.” The Bible study can be read here or watched here.

God’s Workmanship #3

Sunday, March 4, 2012

“For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus unto good works, which God hath before ordained that we should walk in them” (Ephesians 2:10 KJV).

The Bible presents God as the Poet; we Christians are but His poem. He is the Mastermind; we are merely His design. God has the power; we are just His vessels. Our will and our works have not the preeminence; God’s will and God’s achievements do. The Creator of the universe is doing something excellent; the creatures’ work, our work, pale in comparison. What God did for us is foremost (grace), not what we do for Him (religion). This is God’s grace, and we are His workmanship.

Religion is not the work of God; it emphasizes man’s performance to make himself acceptable to God. Christianity is God’s workmanship, for it stresses how God can use mere frames of dust (us) for His glory (see today’s Scripture). Those of us who have trusted the Lord Jesus Christ as our personal Saviour, God is using us to make a “new man,” a “new creature,” the Church the Body of Christ, an entity He will use in heaven forever (2 Corinthians 5:17; Ephesians 2:13-17); this is something that God, not us, does. God is building us—a temple, a house for Himself (1 Corinthians 3:16,17; Ephesians 2:18-22). We are “God’s husbandry, God’s building” (1 Corinthians 3:9).

Currently, God is preparing us Christians for eternity. We have His preserved and inerrant Word, the King James Bible, to learn and grow in His knowledge. The more sound doctrine we study and believe in the rightly divided Bible, the more equipped we are to function here and in eternity (1 Corinthians 3:10-15). In the ages to come, God will use us to restore the government of the heavens unto Himself (Ephesians 2:6,7; cf. 2 Corinthians 5:1; Colossians 1:16-22).

God saved us to use us for all of eternity future, to do His good work in us now on earth, and to do His good work in us forever in heaven. Verily, verily, we are God’s workmanship… forever and ever and ever and ever and ever and ever! 🙂

God’s Workmanship #2

Saturday, March 3, 2012

“For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus unto good works, which God hath before ordained that we should walk in them” (Ephesians 2:10 KJV).

When we Pauline dispensationalists proclaim God’s grace, are we really encouraging people to pursue careless, frivolous lifestyles, as our (legalistic) critics claim? God forbid!

Religion deceives billions through indoctrination: to wit, lies repeated long enough are accepted as truth. Works-religion (legalism) prevails in the professing church today: “Perform so God can save you!” Thus, the average church member, upon hearing the Biblical truth, “God will save you, regardless of your works,” they mistake this as careless living. They are programmed to accept error as truth; consequently, they reject contradictory information (God’s truth!).

When we Pauline dispensationalists declare, “Salvation is by grace through faith plus nothing,” we mean salvation is COMPLETELY independent of our performance (Romans 3:28; Romans 4:1-5; Galatians 2:21; Ephesians 2:8,9; Titus 3:5; et al.). Grace saves us solely because of the merits of Jesus Christ at Calvary; grace does not save us on the basis of our good works—grace is unmerited favor (Romans 11:6).

Grace is what God can do for us because we sinners can do nothing for God. The Greek word translated “workmanship” in today’s Scripture is poiema, meaning “creation,” from which we get “poem.” Interestingly, poiema is used one other time in Scripture: “For the invisible things of him from the creation of the world are clearly seen, being understood by the things that are made, even his eternal power and Godhead; so that they are without excuse” (Romans 1:20).

From salvation and the Christian life to the origin of the universe, the emphasis is not on the creation—(us, the heavens, and the earth), but on the Creator, Jesus Christ (see Romans 1:25). The focus is not on the poem (workmanship), but rather the POET (Creator)!

God the Holy Spirit is doing something amazing in us believers. He is transforming us from the inside out for His glory. “Our” good works are God’s sound doctrine working in us. It is God’s work (1 Corinthians 15:10; Galatians 5:16-26; Philippians 1:9-11). Indeed, we are God’s workmanship!

God’s Workmanship #1

Friday, March 2, 2012

“For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus unto good works, which God hath before ordained that we should walk in them” (Ephesians 2:10 KJV).

Many charge us Pauline dispensationalists with the following: “You are telling people to sin all they want because God’s grace and forgiveness cover it!” When we proclaim God’s grace, are we really encouraging people to pursue careless, frivolous lifestyles, as our (legalistic) critics claim? Or, are they simply misunderstanding grace?

The Greek word translated “workmanship” in today’s Scripture is poiema, meaning “creation,” from which we get “poem.” Interestingly, poiema is used one other time in Scripture: “For the invisible things of him from the creation of the world are clearly seen, being understood by the things that are made, even his eternal power and Godhead; so that they are without excuse” (Romans 1:20).

From salvation and the Christian life to the origin of the universe, the emphasis is not on the creation (us, the heavens, and the earth), but on the Creator, Jesus Christ (see Romans 1:25). Just as we did not engineer the heavens and the earth, neither did we work to receive salvation in Christ—Christ alone worked to save us. Now that God has saved us, His grace can permeate our inner man, and teach us how to live in Christ Jesus (Titus 2:11-15).

Grace teaches us not to focus on what we do for God, for we sinners can do nothing to please God (Romans 3:23), but rather focus on what God did at Calvary for us. Our good works could not save us, so how could they keep us saved? They cannot! Thus, our receiving and keeping salvation, and our Christian lives, are not reliant upon our performance, but on Jesus Christ’s finished crosswork on Calvary.

As today’s Scripture specifies, we are not doing good works. “Our” good works are actually the outward manifestation of what God the Holy Spirit is doing internally (Galatians 5:22,23; cf. Romans 8:1-14). When we study and believe sound Bible doctrine, God will use that doctrine to transform us from the inside out (Philippians 2:13; 1 Thessalonians 2:13). We are God’s workmanship!