Went to “The Church of the Word” tonight (not the actual name of the place) and it seems that they have been infected with the “It’s about me” teachings. … “Let’s thank God for the wonderful blessings that he’s given us.”; “Lets pray that nothing will get in the way of the blessings that God has planned for us.”; “I pray that God will blow a breath of healing on you.”. This is just one more example of the kind of poisonous teachings that are coming. It’s time for those that have listened to everything that Christ has taught to spend ourselves on the one who has already given us so much, we don’t need anymore.
It’s not that there is anything wrong with these prayers. It’s simply the context that these prayers are prayed and the point that these sentiments express eighty to ninety percent of what is being taught. Of course this sort of teaching “God wants everything that you want” is going to attract hundreds of thousands of people. Hundred of thousands of spoiled people that think God is simply going to take the place of their parents who gave them everything that they wanted when they were younger.
But it’s the ‘full’ teachings of the scriptures that we need to be looking for. Especially when we look at the way the Christ taught. Look at them all, read them, research them, saturate yourself in them. Jesus taught things that turned the crowds away at time. Pay careful attention to the things that Jesus taught that turned the crowds away and examine yourself to see if these things also turn you away or if you want to gloss over them without fully diving into them. And if you find yourself falling into the “I’ll just come back to that later” heart sickness, then you need to turn to the only one that can correct that problem in you.
And I don’t write as one that doesn’t ever have that problem. My wife-to-be just asked me a couple of days ago why I wasn’t praying as much as I used to. I think God for her desire to speak that to me. My point regarding the first two paragraphs is; we don’t need to be eased of our financial burdens. We instead need to give up the things that are beyond food & clothing. We need to give up the houses and the cars & build our Nippa Huts again. We need to learn to walk again. Sometimes God gives us more than food and clothing. When he gives us more than that, it is often (if not everytime) a test to see how we will use it. Do we use our excess because we thingk that God wants to “spoil us” or do we see how in the scriptures that ‘all’ excess was used to provided for the food and clothing needs of others.
We will know where are hearts are because we will be willing to suffer or sacrifice for it. Are you suffering and sacrificing for your education, for your ‘big house’. Are you suffering or sacrificing for someone the education or big house of someone else? Or instead are you suffering and sacrificing to see that the food and clothing needs of others are being met, not just for the sake of them being met but because you know what Christ did for you. And you give to the food and clothing needs of others because of what you recognize Christ did for you. This is what “In His Name” means. Anything that you do in full recognition of Christ. Much more I could write about that. But of course I’m getting married in less than thirty three hours and there is still so much to do :-)
