Your Best Lie Now

Recently I read a blog post by Albert Mohler called Does Joel Osteen Not Know? Or Does He Not Care? That's an important distinction, but what's important on a personal level is that we be discerning and turn away from any false Gospel. Some like to say we are judging, and the invariably quote Matt 7:1-2 which says “Do not judge so that you will not be judged. 2 For in the way you judge, you will be judged; and by your standard of measure, it will be measured to you. As you will see if you watch the video attached to this post below, that's taking Jesus' words out of context. Read the verses following and you will see He is speaking about hypocrisy, judging others for things which you yourself commit, and possibly to a greater degree.

In fact, the Scripture tells us in many places to be discerning about who we trust to feed us the Word of God: 1 John 4:1 "Beloved, 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."

In 1 Corinthians 5:9-13 the Apostle Paul wrote to a Church which was mired in false teaching - clarifying that it was important to fulfill the Great Commision AND to purge the false teachers from among them:
9 I wrote you in my letter not to associate with immoral people; 
10 I did not at all mean with the immoral people of this world, or with the covetous and swindlers, or with idolaters, for then you would have to go out of the world. 
11 But actually, I wrote to you not to associate with any so-called brother if he is an immoral person, or covetous, or an idolater, or a reviler, or a drunkard, or a swindler—not even to eat with such a one. 
12 For what have I to do with judging outsiders? Do you not judge those who are within the church? 
13 But those who are outside, God judges. REMOVE THE WICKED MAN FROM AMONG YOURSELVES.

So, what's the difference between discernment and judgmentalism?
Discernment is measuring someone's life or words by the Scripture - are they leading a righteous life and in the case of teachers / preachers, are they teaching God's Word in truth or manipulating it to fit what they want it to say?
Judgment is stating as fact something you don't know, which is their heart. That's why I said it's important to make the distinction in my opening paragraph. I DON'T know the heart of the likes of Joel Osteen, Kenneth Copeland, Paul Crouch, Kenneth Hagin, Benny Hinn, Joyce Meyers and the like, but I KNOW by their outright LIES regarding the Word of God, not to mention their blasphemies of the Scriptures that these are indeed false teachers. And I pray for them to be saved, imagine the testimony of such a one who already has millions watching them, being fleeced by them!

Watch this short video with commentary and Scripture in context to show Osteen's false preaching:



The Word of Faith Movement (see Justin Peters post below), also known as false prosperity theology of Osteen and MOST of what you see in so-called "Christian TV" today. There is very little worth watching on those channels! Listen from the wolves' mouthes their heresies, in this MP3 of Justin Peters: A Call for Discernment - A Biblical Critique of the Word of Faith (or the Health, Wealth & Prosperity) Movement at Grace Community Church on 7/12/2008.

These wolves in sheep's clothing show their contempt for the Word of God by the very fact that they do not take God's own warning to false teachers seriously in James 3:1 "Let not many of you become teachers, my brethren, knowing that as such we will incur a stricter judgment."

I was studying in Ezekiel 9 this week and something interesting jumped out from the pages. In this passage, God is about to punish Judah (the Southern Kingdom) by allowing them to be taken captive to the Babylonians. before He does, he sends an angel to mark the small remnant who were faithful and gave order to slay the unfaithful, and where did God command the judgment to begin? His sanctuary, that is the Temple in Jerusalem:

4 The LORD said to him, “Go through the midst of the city, even through the midst of Jerusalem, and put a mark on the foreheads of the men who sigh and groan over all the abominations which are being committed in its midst.” 5 But to the others He said in my hearing, “Go through the city after him and strike; do not let your eye have pity and do not spare. 6 Utterly slay old men, young men, maidens, little children, and women, but do not touch any man on whom is the mark; and you shall start from My sanctuary.” So they started with the elders who were before the temple. 7 And He said to them, “Defile the temple and fill the courts with the slain. Go out!” Thus they went out and struck down the people in the city.

As always, no matter WHO is speaking to you about God's Word, be like the Bereans of Acts 17:11. Don't take my word, or the word of the person who made the video above. Look up those Scriptures, read them in context, go to the Word to see if these things are so.

2 Peter 2 talks all about false teachers and the dangers they pose to the body of Christ. Matt 7:21 Jesus makes a very sobering statement: 21 “Not everyone who says to Me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ will enter the kingdom of heaven, but he who does the will of My Father who is in heaven will enter. 22 Many will say to Me on that day, ‘Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in Your name, and in Your name cast out demons, and in Your name perform many miracles?’ 23 And then I will declare to them, ‘I never knew you; DEPART FROM ME, YOU WHO PRACTICE LAWLESSNESS.’

The World is Turned Off by Christians

Ghandi was once asked what was the greatest barrier to Christianity in India, his answer in a word: "Christians".  His entire quote I believe was "I like your Christ, I do not like your Christians. Your Christians are so unlike your Christ. If Christians would really live according to the teachings of Christ, as found in the Bible, all of India would be Christian today." I think that applies to the entire unsaved world. Hypocrisy is the greatest barrier to an unsaved person, practice [religion] as I say, not as I do! I am not innocent of this, we all do it but as with any other sin, until we admit it, repent of it and ask the Lord to change our hearts, we will continue in the sin of hypocrisy. Thereby missing opportunities, often completely unaware, to plant the seed of the truth of the Gospel and the Savior Yeshua.

Jesus greatly admonished the religious leaders of His day regarding this. Jesus WAS the the most unreligious (in today's secular parlance read that "religiously incorrect" person who ever lived.

In a recent online discussion 2 interesting questions were posed which are usually brought up by non-Christians......

Question 1: If God’s Word is inspired and Jesus not even one “jot or tittle” will fall away, why are there so many translations?

Question 2: If the Church is supposed to “be one” how come there are so many churches claiming to be the right Church?

This can be answered with one word, but I will elaborate, as always from Scripture.

Answer: Man

The answer to both questions is quite simply fallible, sinful man. As Bible Believers, we can disagree on certain doctrinal issues (regarding Question 2), but never the redemptive work and person of the Lord Jesus Christ. THAT is the most important thing!

Q1: The jot & tiddle is referring to the smallest parts of the Hebrew alphabet’s letters, what amounts to parts the size of an apostrophe which can make a difference. A jot on the edge of a letter canges that letter entirely, such as the tail added to a ‘P’, making it an ‘R’. Therefore; all those versions of the Bible are man-made, i.e. man’s interpretation and re-interpretation of the original texts. Some of them are quite dangerous, if not Satanic! ………Which is why it’s important to stick to the versions which are closest to the original Hebrew & Greek texts…..by my research those are the KJV/MKJV, as well as the ASV1909 and the NASB which might be called the Modern ASV1909.

Q2: Again, man-made divisions. Paul said in 1 Cor. 1:12-13 ”Now I mean this, that each one of you is saying, “I am of Paul,” and “I of Apollos,” and “I of Cephas,” and “I of Christ.” Has Christ been divided? Paul was not crucified for you, was he? Or were you baptized in the name of Paul?”………….So setting aside cults and false teachings such as Mormonism entirely, because they are false religions maskerading as Christianity……….those “divisions” (I’m talking the mainline reformed, denominational churches Baptist, Methodist, Lutheran, Presbyterian types of denominations) come from men deciding they needed a “new” way of worshipping which while still accepting and teaching Jesus Christ as Lord (assuming those DO, I am not an expert on denominational churches). Division were created by men who wished to do certain things differently, such as child baptism (Presbyterians), assert certain dress codes, etc. Man-made decisions and/or basing their differences on 1 or 2 verses of Scripture, often misunderstood or taken out of context entirely........NOT at all commanded or instructed in God's word, the 66 books of the Holy Bible.

Deuteronomy 4:2 says ”“You shall not add to the word which I am commanding you, nor take away from it, that you may keep the commandments of the LORD your God which I command you.” The Jewish religious leaders did that from the OT times, adding to the burden of the people:

Jesus was the most UNreligious person to walk this earth, the religous establishment of the time (correlates to todays organized denominational church) was all about adding to God’s word, and taking away the purity and simplicity of the worship of the Living God. Paul said in 2 Corinthians 11:3-4 ”But I am afraid that, as the serpent deceived Eve by his craftiness, your minds will be led astray from the simplicity and purity of devotion to Christ. For if one comes and preaches another Jesus whom we have not preached, or you receive a different spirit which you have not received, or a different gospel which you have not accepted, you bear this beautifully.”

Luke 11:46 Jesus said: ”“Woe to you lawyers as well! For you weigh men down with burdens hard to bear, while you yourselves will not even touch the burdens with one of your fingers.” Lawyers here is in the original text Greek text νομικός = nomikos an expert in the (Mosaic) law:) - i.e. the Scribes and Pharisees.

Matt 23:15 Jesus said: ”“Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites, because you travel around on sea and land to make one proselyte; and when he becomes one, you make him twice as much a son of hell as yourselves.”

Matt 16:5 Jesus said: ”“Watch out and beware of the leaven of the Pharisees and Sadducees.”” - leaven, signified sin in the OT and He was referring to all the rules (about 5000) that the Pharisees added to their laws.

Mind you Jesus WAS referring to the only religious authority of His time, the Pharisees……which frankly I see being identified more and more to our money & power-hungry so-called “evangelical” churches every day. In NT we read in James 3:1 a warning, if you’re going to teach God’s word, don’t teach falsehood, water it down, nor mix your own 'leaven' into it - because at the judgment seat of Christ you will be judged more harshly!: ”Let not many of you become teachers, my brethren, knowing that as such we will incur a stricter judgment.”

In fact, ADDING to God’s word/restrictions was aparent even before original sin, no doubt contributing to it. We see Eve, just before eating the forbidden fruit stating to the serpent in Genesis 3:2-3 ”The woman said to the serpent, “From the fruit of the trees of the garden we may eat; but from the fruit of the tree which is in the middle of the garden, God has said, ‘You shall not eat from it or touch it , or you will die.’””…..God didn't say don’t touch it. What He said in Genesis 2:16-17 was ”The LORD God commanded the man, saying, “From any tree of the garden you may eat freely;but from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil you shall not eat, for in the day that you eat from it you will surely die.””…..notice though he said that to the man, NOT the woman, so some commentators have speculated that Adam was not doing his job as the spiritual leader of the family because he must not have correctly taught her what God had told him. But that’s another post and important subject altogether.